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. 

The prequel to the Amaranthine series tells the story of Patrick and Michael, how they got tangled into Claudius' web, and their valiant fight to escape.

When Patrick's missing brother returns, he brings a world of darkness. Turned into a vampire against his will, Michael is the coven's whipping boy. When Patrick tries to help, he's claimed as a slave who spends his weekends preparing victims, scooping ashes, and falling prey to the vampires' twisted desires.

There's only so much hell he can take. When vampires from a warring coven offer sanctuary in exchange for cooperation, Patrick agrees. What he thought would be a few months drags into a long smear of nightmares and, though he fights for hope and freedom, the cost of victory may be more than he bargained for.


Brothers of Darkness

Michael wasn't joking. It was nearly dawn when he skidded into the kitchen and dragged Patrick to the carriage house. He flung them both into Elsa's car and was halfway down the driveway before Patrick had the door shut.


"Sorry. Not much time." Michael glanced nervously at the sky. "Sunlight does bad things to. people like me."


Their conversation was short and clipped. It was as if Michael's urgency ran into his words. He barely stopped the car in front of Patrick's building, and sped off with the passenger door still open.


It was the perfect ending to a surreal night.


Exhausted, Patrick padded up to his apartment and dropped into bed without so much as a shower.


It was almost a week later when Patrick paid his cell phone bill, then shuffled out of the store and into the cold. An advertisement for Valentine's Day reminded him that the year was rolling on. So much for all his great New Year's plans.


Chapter 22