Angelica Dawson's New Release ~ Blue Moon House

Blurb: Julia has the opportunity to become one of the Vampire Dominants of Blue Moon House. Before they accept, however, the seven vampires must all gauge her worthiness as an eternal companion. Each will test her, sample her, and decide her fate.

Excerpt:

 “MmmmMmmaximum.” Julia wept loudly. Blood was trickling down her back and over her breasts where the cruel whip had broken her skin. She burned everywhere, stinging from her first beating at his hand, and then adding the salt of sweat, the blood. Sagging against the chains that held her mostly upright, she sobbed bitterly.

The whip was gone and Harry was there, releasing her wrists. “Terrance. Did you have to be so hard?”

The tall, icy man softened for the first time Julia had seen. “Everyone has a limit. If she would join us, I would know hers. Now, I do. Take care of her, Harrold.”

Julia’s mind logged the response but couldn’t think about it in the midst of the pain. Harry was licking her wounds, his saliva closing them faster but burning them further. Julia screamed again.

“Hush,” Harry said with concern, his voice soft and familiar, a raft for Julia to grasp in the sea of pain. There was a stabbing in her leg. 

“That will help. You will sleep soon, Julia. In the morning, the pain will be much less, I promise,” Terrance told her, pulling her hair off her face and mopping it with a cool cloth.

“I-I’m not...” She didn’t know how to ask if she was unworthy.

“You impress me, Julia. I look forward to having centuries to get to know more of you, other limits.” 

Julia flinched, crying out and hugging Harry. Terrance laughed and the difference between that and the cold demands, the hard mocking he’d given her all night made her turn back. 

“Never pain, Julia. I found that limit.” 

She relaxed, the drug they’d given her taking effect. It didn’t make her dopey, but she was exhausted. Terrance had followed only hours after Lynn. Julia hoped that was the end of the women. All had known of her distaste, but only Jocelyn had pushed it, knowing she could be pushed. Lynn had been more like Sophia.

When she woke on the large bed, she did ache, but all the burning was gone. She saw welts all over her body, but smelled a tincture that had been applied to speed her healing. It was working. She rose slowly though, wincing at times, to find herself breakfast.

For the first time, Julia wondered just how many vampires there were in Blue Moon House. Was she near the end yet? She hadn’t changed her mind. Her family lived far away and she only saw them on holidays. She had a few friends she would miss keenly, but they would be fine without her. No one depended on her, except possibly her co-workers, and she’d been meaning to walk out on them for months now.

“Whoa. Are you okay?” one of the other submissives, a man of middle years, asked.

Julia nodded, sitting very gingerly in the dining room. Pain spread across her bottom and then receded a little after she had sat a moment. Sucking through her teeth, she pushed it away. Then she lifted her juice.

“Who?” he asked. It wasn’t a common question. Masters were usually kept private. 

“Terrance,” Julia’s voice was a croak.

The man’s mouth hung open. “But Terrance never... I mean, I hope you feel better soon.”

Julia grabbed at his elbow. “You belong to Terrance?” she asked.

“I did,” the man answered. “He was too soft, too gentle for what I wanted. He sent me to Will.” The man’s grin gleamed. “I’m very happy now.”

Julia stiffened and regretted it when her bruises panged. Will, she was sure, would have her next. “I see. Have you had other Masters?”

“Not in the House. I’m Justin.” He offered his hand and Julia took it. “You’re older than most,” he observed.

She chuckled. “So are you.” Most of the submissives were in their mid-twenties. Both Julia and Justin were well over thirty. Julia was only a year and a bit from forty. It had posed problems when she started in the BDSM community - no one had wanted her. Blue Moon House, Harry specifically, had not turned her away after one session. 

“Touché. Why Terrance?” he asked.

Julia shook her head, sure she couldn’t tell him, unsure if she was even allowed. 

“Who is your Master normally?” Justin asked.

Julia’s eyes went soft. “Harry.”

Justin smiled. “I’ve often wished he took men. Not that I’m not happy with Will. I thought about it most when I was with Terrance,” he admitted.

Julia simply nodded. She ate slowly, relishing the nourishment, the fluids. Her body felt every year of thirty-eight today. The spare flesh had been kind to her in the beginning, cushioning blows so they stung but didn’t bruise. She’d lost weight, though not a lot, since coming here and her joints ached in a way they hadn’t a year or two ago. 

She chuckled to herself as Justin rose. He quirked an eyebrow and she shook her head. “Nothing.” She’d just been thinking how little she’d miss those aches when she was a vampire. 

Bio: Angelica Dawson has been writing for several years and having sex a lot longer than that. Angelica is a wife, mother and environmental consultant. Her love of plants and the outdoors is not diminished by the bloodsucking hoards — mosquitoes and black flies, not vampires. 

Blue Moon House can be purchased at Naughty Night Press

Vampires in the House

We are all aware of vampires in movies and literature. Nothing like good ole Count Dracula, the Twilight series, or the short lived tv drama, Kindred, The Embraced to make our hearts race.
Those are not the critters I want to talk about today.
The ones mentioned above are easily recognizable (think fangs!), and easily dealt with according to the rules of folklore and tradition. 
What I am focusing on today are "Psychic Vampires." Put away the garlic. It won't help. 
These vampires are subtler, look normal, and feed off your energy just as surely and relentlessly as the fantasy ones do off blood.
These creatures can be male or female, can be charming and physically attractive, and may not even know they are psychic vampires. 
They are usually chronic complainers, refuse to take responsibility for their behavior or decisions, and need to be rescued a lot; they prefer being dependent as this allows them to blame someone else if everything does not go their way. 
They seem to firmly believe that they have more troubles than anyone else and will ask how can they possibly cope without your help and support?
They are like whiney children in adult bodies, with endless lists of excuses for everything.
A good friend of mine called her former spouse "an bottomless pit of wants and needs".
Life with these people is perpetual drama and manipulation, which can leave the rescuer drained, sapped, withered, and as lifeless in some ways as one of the fantasy vampire's victims. 
It is never ending confrontation, confusion, and conflict with the psychic vampire often honestly unaware of the havoc they wreak in others' lives and intensely resentful of any boundaries set. How dare you expect them to grow up!
You should just apologize for even suggesting such a thing...in their view. Indeed, life with such a person can mean daily or even hourly appeasement. 
What can you do to avoid these people or to deal with one of them, if you recognize them in the description here?
If you are in a committed relationship, especially of long duration, it is more difficult, of course. Professional counseling may be helpful, provided you can convince them to agree and to actually go. 
Setting definte boundaries and following through, in spite of resistance, can sometimes be helpful also. Assertiveness with such a person is not easy, but absolutely necessary.
The bottom line is how is their behavior impacting you and the family, and how willing and ready are you for that to change? That is something only you can decide. There are different degrees and manifestations of this behavior, and different levels of people's ability to tolerate it.
Unfortunately, for some of us, distance is the only option for survival. They will wail that they are being abandoned, but continuing to "help" them is not helping so much as enabling. 
Just as you would not hand liquor to an alcoholic or drugs to an addict, so some of us cannot continue to let this person feed off our energy and drain us. It is unhealthy for both parties and goes far past co-dependent. 
Granted, some well meaning and helping people seem to thrive on the chaos and conflict inherent in life with a vampire, but sooner or later, these relationships take their toll on even the hardiest rescuers and caretakers with the best of intentions.
This is in no way an example of professional or expert advice. It is just something I wanted to mention and call attention to after having experienced some of these energy vampires myself. 
There is extensive information out there and help is available if you or someone you know is dealing with this.