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

On June twelfth Patrick turned twenty-six. His mom made him a cake and Michael stopped by for a few minutes after dark. Patrick appreciated the effort, but he felt better once his brother was gone.


The summer heat swelled. The redneck kitsch bar seemed a safe place to hideHailey would never be caught dead surrounded by seventies paneling and country musicso he spent the worst of the heat hunched on a stool. However, he couldn't sleep there, and by mid-June he gave up and bought a pair of window air conditioners. The set cost more than his rent and ate a hole in the car fund, not that he'd actually looked for a car. With nowhere to go except Claudius' and his mother's, it wasn't a pressing matter.


Chapter 45