Out of the Fire Series by Candace Blevins

Pleasure Times FourKieran and Gwen are powerful Strigorii vampires who’ve been married over three and a half centuries. Their Master Vampire, Abbott, realizes the couple is on the eve of dissolving their marriage, but no one wants to see their long-time romantic partnership break up. Abbott hopes the gift of a shared blood servant who happens to be a trained bodyguard can solve several problems in one solution... morePleasure Times FourKieran and Gwen are powerful Strigorii vampires who’ve been married over three and a half centuries. Their Master Vampire, Abbott, realizes the couple is on the eve of dissolving their marriage, but no one wants to see their long-time romantic partnership break up. Abbott hopes the gift of a shared blood servant who happens to be a trained bodyguard can solve several problems in one solution. With the coming war so close, he needs to take steps to protect the couple who manage his vast fortune. If the former slave can also help them find common ground and rekindle their romance? Even better.Ajax was abducted from foster care as a small child and raised as a slave. Chosen for his size, he was forced into hard physical labor to create a huge, intimidating physique. His original Vampire Master had the slave trained to be his personal bodyguard, and Ajax excels at it. When Abbott took over the territory, he tried letting Ajax work for Drake Security, but the werewolf was miserable.How can a swan possibly fit into this? Arabella’s mother sold her eggs to the traffickers, and the swanling was hatched into slavery. When the Swan Queen took over the crown, she tried to award Arabella her freedom, but it never took. Surprisingly, it’s possible the little swan might be the glue that holds everything together.Our story starts on one Christmas and ends on the next. A lot can happen in a year. less

Daniel was part ogre and part human, way back in the sixth century. Now he’s a nearly seven-foot-tall genius vampire who consults for NASA. Since he lives an hour and a half from his coterie, he maintains his own flock, and he purchases slaves through the Concilio, rather than dealing with the hassle of enticing shapeshifters to voluntarily provide his sustenance. He has needs few would volunteer to slake.Mariah is a sexy gazelle shifter, tall and lithe... moreDaniel was part ogre and part human, way back in the sixth century. Now he’s a nearly seven-foot-tall genius vampire who consults for NASA. Since he lives an hour and a half from his coterie, he maintains his own flock, and he purchases slaves through the Concilio, rather than dealing with the hassle of enticing shapeshifters to voluntarily provide his sustenance. He has needs few would volunteer to slake.Mariah is a sexy gazelle shifter, tall and lithe. She grew up in flyover country, and despite the Concilio’s rules against shapeshifters playing organized sports with humans, she played high-school basketball in her small town without getting caught. However, a college scout turned her in, and now she’s owned by the Concilio, trained as a pleasure slave.Daniel hitches a ride to Italy with a friend to attend an auction, and he returns home with a statuesque gazelle who was aiming for an applied physics degree on a basketball scholarship. She’s intelligent enough she doesn’t annoy him simply by opening her mouth, and sturdy enough to withstand the things he plans to do to her.It isn’t the ogre part of Daniel’s personality that’s needed toning down over the centuries, but his inner Viking. Razing and pillaging, indeed. less

Mira was raised to be an assassin, brought up without emotion or empathy. Her martial arts training began when most kids are in preschool. She’s adept with firearms, knives, and her bare hands. She’s twenty-seven years old and can’t tell you how many people she’s been sent to kill. As far as she knows, no one kept count. Including her.Panda is a lion shifter, and while he doesn’t consider himself an assassin, he’s the man Drake Security sends in when someone will probably end up dead... moreMira was raised to be an assassin, brought up without emotion or empathy. Her martial arts training began when most kids are in preschool. She’s adept with firearms, knives, and her bare hands. She’s twenty-seven years old and can’t tell you how many people she’s been sent to kill. As far as she knows, no one kept count. Including her.Panda is a lion shifter, and while he doesn’t consider himself an assassin, he’s the man Drake Security sends in when someone will probably end up dead. Panda is sanctioned and paid by the Concilio to kill supernaturals who are in danger of leaking the secret to humans, but the choice of whether to kill or apprehend is always his. No one pays him in advance to kill.Panda works alone, but the Amakhosi has decreed he’s going to partner with this adorable little snake shifter. She’s competent, completely logical and pragmatic, and not prone to emotion, but the latter bit is the problem. He wants to make her scream with bliss, but she’s his partner and he has to be professional. Add to that the fact he doesn’t do virgins, and now the Concilio is threatening to kill him if he alters her status.It’s never a good idea to give a cat an ultimatum. less

Gavin has perfected the art of being terrifying. His value to Zander lies in his being the junkyard dog — the one who doesn’t merely kill their enemies, but does so in a spectacular fashion. Love isn’t for people like him. Even if he could somehow manage to feel the emotion, it wouldn’t be for him.

Lauren wants to put down roots of her own. Homewood will always be home, but it’s time she found her own place in this world. She thought Branson was the perfect opportunity, with a fantastic job, a bedroom just down the hall from Nick, and a quick drive to see Gavin, but everything’s falling apart, and there’s more trouble on the horizon.Nick’s a cat, and they never react well when their feelings are hurt... moreLauren wants to put down roots of her own. Homewood will always be home, but it’s time she found her own place in this world. She thought Branson was the perfect opportunity, with a fantastic job, a bedroom just down the hall from Nick, and a quick drive to see Gavin, but everything’s falling apart, and there’s more trouble on the horizon.Nick’s a cat, and they never react well when their feelings are hurt. Gavin’s a new Master Vampire, and no one’s challenged his status yet, but that’s bound to change soon.And just how much fire is Lauren playing with, trying to have a relationship with two alpha males at the same time?Inked Beauty is book two of the Wicked Inked duet, and should be read after Wicked Beauty. less