Joleene Naylor is the author of the glitter-less Amaranthine vampire universe, a world where vampires aren't for children. Comprised of a main series, a standalone prequel, and several short story collections, she has plans to continue expanding with a trilogy and standalone novels. 
In her spare time, Joleene is a freelance book cover designer and for-fun photographer. She maintains several blogs, full of odd ramblings, and occasionally updates her website at JoleeneNaylor.com. In what little time is left, she watches anime, plays PokemonGo, and works on her crooked Victorian house in Villisca, Iowa. Between her husband, family, and pets, she is never lonely, in fact, quite the opposite. Should she disappear, one might look for her on a beach in Tahiti, sipping a tropical drink and wearing a disguise. 

Pulled into a world of darkness, Katelina's fate becomes intertwined with that of Jorick, a dark, enigmatic vampire. To stay by his side, she must navigate intrigue, terror and bloodshed as they are drawn from one battle to another. Dreams of peace seem elusive, and are complicated by mysterious vampires, old relics, and an ancient master. Join Katelina and Jorick in a world where vampires don't sparkle and night is eternal.

Amaranthine

The Children of Shadows came in a wave of black. There was nowhere to go, so Katelina dropped into a defensive stance and raised her sword. One of the vampires ran toward her and she closed her eyes and swung with all her might. She felt the impact, and gasped as the shock of it reverberated up her arm. The vampire stumbled back, and looked down to find nothing; no blood, no cut. 


He grinned in relief and lunged at her. She thrust the sword point first, and rammed it through his stomach. 


He gurgled out a mouth full of blood and stared down at the hilt pressed against his stomach. With a savage cry he lifted his arm to hack at her, then let out a scream. His hand, sword still clutched tightly, dropped to the floor in a spray of blood.


"Man, you suck," Loren called as he spun away to face another enemy. 


He was right. She didn't know anything about fighting, except how to duck, and the bleeding line on her shoulder reminded her she wasn't even good at that. 


Chapter 424