Excerpt of Infernal by Kate Hill

Dulcie stepped into the large, brightly lit kitchen.
Though she disliked how bright humans kept everything,
she’d grown accustomed to their preferences. Matthew had
little difficulty with it, having been raised by a mortal
family. Still, the sun irritated his eyes so much that
during the day he usually wore sunglasses.

He stood by the sink, talking to one of his hospital’s
fellows, Nancy Brenner. Dulcie smiled, glad Nancy was
there. For the first time that night, she sensed Matthew
relax. Nancy had no idea her boss wasn’t human, but Dulcie
doubted it would matter. She was a pleasant young woman
with a full, freckled face, kind brown eyes, and the
pudgiest fingers Dulcie had ever seen on someone so slim.
She was a good friend to both Matthew and Dulcie.

Yet Nancy didn’t capture Dulcie’s attention at that
moment. Matthew did. Even after eight years of marriage
and a string of previous affairs, Dulcie thought he was
the most attractive man she’d ever seen. Though not
perfectly handsome or a pretty boy, he possessed magnetism
that outshone classic looks. Well over six feet and rangy,
he moved with the grace of a great cat, fluid but with
underlying power. Impeccably dressed in a dark blue
designer suit that accentuated his broad shoulders and
long, lean legs, he leaned against a countertop as he
talked. The red silk tie knotted at his throat made Dulcie
quiver as she thought about what he’d probably do with
that tie later in their bedroom. The clean cut of his
dark, curly hair formed a perfect square against his
smooth, strong neck. His high forehead looked almost
primitive, yet the sapphire eyes beneath shone with keen
intelligence and decency. His nose—straight, slightly
snubbed—was his cutest feature, and his mouth was his most
erotic. He turned to her and smiled.

“We were just saying now would be a great time to get out
of here,” Nancy murmured to Dulcie.

“Sounds like the best idea I’ve heard all night,” Dulcie
replied, glancing at Matthew as he slipped the wine glass
from her hand and placed it on the countertop.

He whispered close to her ear, “I told you this was a bad
idea.”

“Yes, you did.” Dulcie tilted her head against his
shoulder. “At least the night is still young.”

“Well, I’m going while the going’s good.” Nancy edged her
way toward the door. “See you tomorrow, Matthew. Dulcie,
maybe we can get together for dinner at the end of the
week?”

Dulcie waved to her. “I’m there.” Once Nancy had gone,
Dulcie looked up at Matthew. “Want to go outside for a
minute before saying goodbye to our charming hostess?”

“I detect sarcasm in your voice.”

“Do you blame me?”

“Not in the least,” he whispered, his voice only audible
to her keen vampiric hearing. “Lana is a jealous snob.
Always has been. Robert’s not too bad. I can almost
condone his affair with Jacqueline.”

They stepped through the sliding glass doors onto a
concrete porch tastefully decorated with white lawn
furniture. The Blacks had just built the large, suburban
home, but Dulcie thought the spacious Colonial Matthew had
renovated looked much more attractive. She’d been thrilled
to move out of her condo and in with him after their
marriage. He’d added on a studio for her, completely
surrounded by glass picture windows since he knew how much
she loved to paint by moonlight.

As they walked through the Black’s dark backyard, shadowed
even more by trees, a soft-rock love song drifted from the
CD player inside the house.

“Sound familiar?” Dulcie slipped her hand into Matthew’s
as they walked behind some tall bushes.

“How can I forget?” He drew her into his arms. “The song
we danced to at our wedding. Care to dance it again?”

Smiling, she nodded and drew a deep breath at the touch of
his hand on her waist. He grasped her other hand and led
her in gentle, swaying motions across the grass. His
movements slowed as he tilted her face up to his for a
kiss.