Dominic Salem is many things: professional ghost hunter, curse breaker, and demon slayer to name a few. If there’s one thing he’s learned, it’s never pick up hitchhikers. Something about this one made him stop, though. Maybe he hasn’t learned his lesson yet. Lavinia “Vinny” Wake doesn’t exactly trust her smoking hot ride. Her music is her sanctuary, the only thing she really believes in. But now, Vinny’s dreams have her all messed up, and the last one seemed too…real. Dom can tell Vinny’s nightmares aren’t just dreams—they’re way worse. Something or someone is drawing her into a trap, and Dom has to stop it. Turns out Vinny’s life isn’t the only thing at stake. Her soul is on the line, too. No pressure.
Keep Me Close
Give us the one to two sentence tagline for your book.
Hunt demons to kill, then Netflix and chill.
What is your favorite scene/moment in your book?
I love the scene where the hero casts a protection spell on the heroine, which ends up being very personal and sexy. He’d just found out that a supernatural creature has targeted her, so he’s willing to take the serious step of protecting her with magic (of course it has nothing to do with the fast that he can’t keep his hands off her)
How do you use magic in your book?
SOOOOOOOO much magic! This series features a lot of spell casting and otherworldly magical happenings that the characters have to deal with as they clash against the evil forces trying to ruin their day. I lean on traditional witchcraft, folklore, and even some Catholic Churchy vibes for my magic system.
Would your hero enjoy pumpkin spice lattes, candy corn, or apple bobbing?
He loves Halloween, so yes. I mean, I’m not sure ANYone can truly enjoy candy corn, but he’d carve the hell out of a pumpkin.
What costume would your heroine wear to a halloween party?
She’d dress up as Catwoman, and she’d look absolutely amazing.
What scene did you adore writing in this book?
I loved writing so many scenes, but especially the ones involving the hero’s familiars/family pet. Piewicket looks like a cat, acts like a cat, cuddles like a cat….but is so much more. Pie is a super fun character and I know that all cat-lovers are going to understand exactly how I felt while writing her!
Is this book a spooky/scary PNR, or a cozy/snuggling with a monster PNR?
It’s a lil’ spooky, lil’ sexy PNR. I call it Buffy meets Supernatural plus cats.
What is your favorite monster to write?
I think demons are fun — you can play with expectations and have a whole range of demon types, from almost-nice to very terrifying.
If you had to pick, would you rather have fangs, claws, or wings?
Claws, but only if they’re retractable.
Halloween’s coming. Do you do anything special to celebrate?
I stock up on candy, hide the candy, eat the candy, and then buy more candy just in time for the trick-or-treaters who should have got the first wave of candy.
Keep Me Close
Excerpt
As soon as Dom sighted his motorcycle, he got sidetracked by something he didn’t usually see along with it—a gorgeous woman.
“Wow,” Dom breathed. He’d seen her before, but not like this, leaning casually against the machine as if she belonged to it.
The worn, cropped black leather jacket fit her frame perfectly. Underneath the jacket he could see the mess of silver necklaces she wore around her neck, easily a couple dozen. She was resting against the side of the seat so that her legs were straight out, crossed at the ankles. The skinny jeans she wore outlined every contour of sleekly muscled legs.
Her black leather boots didn’t come up much above those ankles, and the leather was dusty with long wear, the toes all scuffed up. Shitkicker boots, his brother Mal always called them, in contrast to the ones designed for a fancy night out. These looked like they kicked plenty of shit.
But that actually wasn’t the most interesting thing she was doing. She had her phone out in one hand and a tube of lipstick in the other. Using the phone as a mirror, she swiped an intense red across her lips.
She took her time, pursing her mouth in the mimic of a kiss, though she smiled only at the phone, not even glancing around. Her disdain for her surroundings was louder than any insult she might have screamed. It was defiant. It was unnecessarily provoking. And it looked great.
He was not the only man watching. Two other bikers had strolled up while he was inside. Dom wasn’t sure why they weren’t getting too close. Then he saw his cat pacing in a tight figure eight pattern between the new guys and the bike.
One guy took a step forward, and earned a hiss from the cat, who arched her back in the classic Halloween pose.
They laughed, but didn’t try to move forward. Piewicket could be far more intimidating than her tiny size suggested.
“Pussycat’s got claws,” one said.
“Which pussycat you looking at?” the other said, and laughed again.
Dom did not like that sound. He’d had enough of this place.
He moved faster. Not running, but not wasting time.
“What’s the rush, pal?” the first biker asked, seeing him pass.
Dom didn’t answer.
His passenger must have been more alert to the situation than she seemed, because she somehow put her phone and lipstick away and swung one long leg over the seat by the time he reached the bike.
He pushed the new helmet toward her. “Put this on. And hold onto me, because when I drive out of here, I’ll be doing it fast. Got it?”
She looked dubious, but did it, covering her blonde hair with the shiny helmet. Then her hands slipped around his chest, holding tight.
Dom grinned in spite of the danger he could feel all around him, thinking, After this, I should really find out her name.
Elizabeth Cole
Elizabeth Cole writes historical romance from the medieval era up to the Regency, and also writes contemporary paranormal when the need to use modern slang grows too strong. Her dream is to have everyone know her name and no one to know her face. Writing is a big part of that dream.
She adores tea, basketball, cheese, and cats, not necessarily in that order. She was born and raised in Wisconsin, but was kicked out for not drinking enough beer. She now lives in Philadelphia with a rather charming gentleman. Learn more at elizabethcole.co.
Ellen Mint Books 