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

Alexander and Bethina were back the next morning. They played a truncated game of "dungeon", then Alexander dragged them outside for hide-and-seek. One of the outbuildings was a garage. The door was open and light spilled out into the night. After a round of the game, Patrick went to investigate.


The huge blue car was jacked up and Christian was crouched next to it, slotting a tire into place. "Hello."


"Hey." Patrick leaned against a work bench and tugged out his last cigarette. "Who do I see for more of these?"


"If you don't care about the brand, there's a carton in the drawer."


Patrick followed the man's pointing finger to find not only cigarettes, but a greasy bottle of booze. He held it up with a cry of triumph and had the cap off before good sense kicked in. "Oh, uh, can I.?"


Patrick gulped the burning liquid and closed his eyes. "Fuck, that's better. Is there more where that came from?"


Chapter 82