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

Patrick woke long enough to hear the death sentence, then fell into a state between consciousness and unconsciousness. The world was distorted and whole pieces of conversation disappeared in it. He heard Troy snicker that death was a cliché punishment, and mutilation even more unimaginative. He couldn't understand Claudius' answer, but the words were cold and disinterested.


Patrick was only semi-conscious when they carried him through the low tunnel and into the damp dungeon room. The plastic box sat against one moldy wall, near the piece of discarded milky plastic. In the wavery flashlight beam, smears of dirt on the plastic looked like blood. Patrick thought he saw Churo's sister wrapped in it, her chest ripped open and bleeding in the shape of a red heart.


He struggled and made unintelligible noises of terror. Under the best of circumstances, he was too weak to defeat them. In his current state he couldn't even fight.


Chapter 46