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She couldn’t stop looking at it. The way it twinkled in the sunlight, or under any light for that matter. She lifted her hand again, trying to catch the reflections in the diamond. She laughed aloud, giddy with happiness. They’d spent the last hour talking, but it still distracted her.

“So I guess that means you like it?” Marc Brodeur quirked one brow, his lips pursed in amusement.

“As a matter of fact, I don’t like it.” Kara Staten twirled about, trying to catch the sunlight in her ring one more time. She stopped in front of Marc and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love it!”

She gazed up into Marc’s blue eyes and was sure she saw forever written there. Finally. I have my forever. Tugging his head down, she arched her neck to touch her lips to his. She put everything she had into that kiss. Everything she felt. She didn’t care that they were standing in the middle of the town’s central park. Didn’t care if people were watching. All she cared about was the sizzle that shocked her every time they kissed, every time they touched. It was no different now, as the moment his lips touched hers a spark shot through her system—like having pins and needles zing through her body, but better. Kara swore she could feel an actual buzz at her hip.

Wait, a buzz? She groaned, and pushed back from Marc. “My cell is ringing. Damn, I missed it.”

Marc looked confused. “I didn’t hear anything.”

“I know. I had it on vibrate. What I thought was the thrill of your embrace turned out to be my cell phone ringing.”

“So my embrace didn’t thrill you?” The question came out in a low growl that sent all new sensations zipping through her body. Sometimes there was something almost dangerous about him. Other times he was just her sweet Marc. Both sides were equally compelling. It was hard to believe he was now her fiancé. How did I get so lucky?

“Oh, you thrill me all right,” she said, lecherously. She stole a glance at her phone. There were a couple of voice mails. “As much as I’d like to continue this, I have to get back. There’s still so much to do before the grand opening on Saturday. It’s only a few days away.” She looped her arm through his, and they walked to their cars.

They had arrived separately. Marc had asked her to meet him for a late afternoon picnic under the big tree in the park. He loved that tree, said it was the best shady place to cavort. That line always made her laugh. Kara hadn’t expected the proposal, hadn’t seen it coming. She had been so preoccupied opening her skincare salon. Although the grand opening was on Saturday, it had actually opened the previous week. She had wanted to train staff and ease into things before having the big opening and newspaper announcements. And now, she was engaged. Life was good. Things were definitely falling into place.

* * * * *

Long after Kara had driven away, Marc stood there thinking. Three years before, maybe even a year before, he wouldn’t have imagined his life would be this good again. As long as he could keep it together it would continue. He would keep it together. Kara was everything to him. Everything he thought he’d never have.

He needed to get inside. Pain pounded in his head—his senses went into overdrive. Something had happened. He spun around, tried to get his bearings. He brought both hands up to his head, pressed them to his temples. Stop, make it stop.

His gaze darted around, scanned the area. What was happening—where was that sound coming from? A high-pitched noise assaulted his ears. Did no one else hear it? Was it all in his head? Closing his eyes, he tried to concentrate. He was feeling a pull back to where he and Kara had picnicked.

Moving as quickly as he could, he kept his expression neutral so he didn’t alarm others in the park. He had no idea if there was anything wrong. He just felt a need to get back to that spot.

As he neared the tree, he found a little boy crumpled on the ground, his arm bent at an awkward angle. Blood ran from his nose. The blood was only a thin rivulet, but Marc could smell it—was distracted by it. The child couldn’t be more than six or seven. Marc laid a hand on the boy’s tiny chest, felt the thumping of his heart, watched it rise with shallow breaths.

“What… Who are you?” The boy’s eyelids fluttered.

“My name’s Marc. I found you. What happened?”

“I was trying to climb the tree. I slipped. Please don’t tell my mom.” The child burst into tears.

“Well, buddy, I think we’re going to have to. Your nose is bleeding and your arm looks to be broken.” Marc wondered how he had been able to sense the boy’s distress. Without knowing him, he shouldn’t have been able to connect with him. Sniffing the air, Marc detected his own blood. Ah, this must be the spot where I sliced my finger. Damn slippery watermelon. The boy must have come in contact with a trace of my blood when he landed.

Lightly placing his hand on the boy’s arm, Marc looked at the boy’s face. Hoped he wasn’t in pain—mentally tried to block the pain for the child. “What’s your name?”

“Jason.”

“OK, Jason, you need to see a doctor. Let’s go find your Mom.”

Marc walked Jason back to his family and explained what happened. Or rather, a revised version of what happened.

“Thank goodness you were walking past and heard him fall! Jason, you know you aren’t supposed to climb trees without Daddy there. What if…” Jason’s mother hugged the boy closely, but seemed careful around his arm.

“No problem. Do you need me to call an ambulance, or…?”

“No, thank you—we’re parked right over there,” she pointed to the nearby street. “I’ll take him to the ER right away. Thank you, so much, again.”

“You’re welcome. Take care.” Marc left them to go back to his own car. He just wanted to go home and sleep. Exhaustion wound its way through his body. The headache was now a dull, but constant, throb. Home. He needed to get there. And then he was.

Opening the front door, he turned to look towards the driveway. He didn’t even remember driving home, but sure enough his car was there.

“Gotta start paying attention or I’ll cause an accident—damn headache.” He talked to the empty space, knowing that Kara was probably still at the salon. Stepping over the lone piece of mail that lay on the floor, Marc headed to the kitchen. He grabbed a large steak out of the fridge and seared it quickly on each side. With trembling hands he held the steak to his mouth and ripped into it with his teeth. When Kara was around he used cutlery, but right now he didn’t care. He didn’t actually want the meat anyway. Only the warm juices. They weren’t exactly what he needed, but they’d do. For now.

* * * * *

“Hey, babe—you home?” Kara called into the house as she closed the door behind her. Her foot skidded slightly, and she looked down to see an envelope under her shoe. Frowning, she bent down to pick it up. “Marc?”

She absentmindedly slit the envelope open with a finger, while she kicked her shoes off and padded back to the bedroom. Fingers inside the envelope, ready to pull out the contents, she stopped when she saw Marc. He was lying on the bed in all his glory with the sheet twisted around his feet. Her heart sped up, and she felt that familiar rush of electricity. She took a deep breath and willed herself to calm down. Let the guy sleep.

She realized she was still holding on to the envelope, slid the sole piece of paper out, and tossed the envelope on the dresser. What she thought was a piece of paper, was actually some kind of a card with a red and black design on the back. She flipped it over and stared down at an almost exact copy of her own face. That’s weird. It wasn’t a photo, rather a drawing or painting of some sort. And the word “Harmony” written on it. It was like a large playing card. She flipped it back over, but there was nothing else written on it. Turning it again, she looked at the woman pictured on the front—the resemblance of the woman’s face, to her own, was uncanny.

She grabbed the envelope from the dresser. It was addressed to her, but had no return address. Squinting at the postmark, she was able to make out El Dorado Springs, Colorado 80025. She didn’t know anyone from Colorado. Maybe Marc did. Her gaze flicked back to where he lay on the bed. Well, maybe I’ll just find out what he knows. She glanced at the card one more time, stuck it back in the envelope and shoved it in her purse.

Like what you’ve read? HARMONY is available NOW from Cobblestone Press

“I totally loved this story and how the pair react to their combined as well as individual challenges. It gives such a reaffirmation of their love and devotion for each other…”

~4.5 out of 5 from A.J. O’Donovan

” Marc makes a perfect tortured hero… Harmony is a wonderful short story with a tempting and sexy hero readers will love.”

~ Cerri Ellis, The Shape of Imagination

“I absolutely loved HARMONY! MG Braden did a beautiful job of weaving a very interesting story with the perfect amount of vampires that all paranormal lovers crave. The chemistry between Kara and Mark had me enthralled, hoping that the two lovers ended up together in the end, despite their obvious differences.”

~4.5 Blue Ribbons from Meg at Romance Junkies

“M.G. Braden spins a delightful read with The Vampire Oracles: Harmony. The heat between Kara and Marc acts like a blazing inferno. They emit emotions that bring out their joy, laughter, pain, even sorrow. This believable couple had me rooting for them throughout the story.”

~4 Cups from Cherokee at Coffee Time Romance

“I am always on the lookout for a good vampire story, especially one that breaks out of the usual stereotypes.  And while the ending was a bit common (although rather unexpected on my part), the story on the whole was very good, and different as well.”

“…I was happy, I discovered what I needed to know and then moved on to the personal finish, which was very well done.  Marc and Kara got their HEA and it made for a nice finish to the story.  Overall, I loved it and would certainly reccommend it to anyone, vamp lover or otherwise.”

~from Crazy Lady at Reading Something Crazy

“I will never turn down a good vampire story and Vampire Oracle: Harmony was definitely a good story! Not just in regards to vampires, but in regards to every day relationships as well. The characters are engaging and the story holds your interest. If you love steaming hot sex coupled with a sexy vamp, then this is a story for you.”

~4 Cherries from Cholla at Whipped Cream Reviews