Award-winning author A.M. Griffin recently released the fourth title in her urban fantasy series, The Undercity Chronicles of Babylonia Jones,P.I. Half Mortal.
Babylonia is a private investigator that needs to eat. She’s taking any job that comes across her desk in order to prove she’s one of the best private investigators out there and a badass to boot.
What’s the punchline?
Jones’ clientele are all of the supernatural order. She’s helped a witch recover a talisman, a lycan solve his son’s mysterious death, and even solved the mystery of her mother’s mid-life crisis. Now she’s stumbled onto one of the hardest cases of her career– a relationship with a human.
BLURB
Life is good. My mom is recovering and I wasn’t torn apart by the Lycans. Work is rolling in almost faster than I can handle, and I might even be about to find my dad. The cherry on top? I’ve met a man. One who gives me all the attention Demarcus never did and doesn’t make me nervous like Zaid does. Yeah, I know he’s human, so a relationship is out of the question, but I’m going to enjoy his company for as long as I can. It’s nice to have a normal, non-paranormal friend, especially when he’s as handsome as Easton.
When will I ever learn that just when thinks are going well, it’s time to expect crazy to rear its head? Nothing is turning out quite the way I expected, but through trying to keep my human IT guru out of Undercity business, dealing with a stalker and the aftermath of some of the best sex of my life, I come to one conclusion. It really isn’t me…
KEEP READING FOR A PEEK INSIDE THE BOOK!
It’s Not Me, It’s You: The Undercity Chronicles of Babylonia Jones, P.I. Book 4
EXCERPT
Zaid is one of the oldest living Vampires. His age is unknown and, from his own mouth, he predates the birth of Christ. Melia is over two hundred years old and in the Vampire world, while she’s not considered old, she’s considered seasoned. The older a Vampire is, the more dangerous they become and their powers become more refined. I could see why everyone feared Zaid on that point alone.
When my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I made out the furnishings in his room; dresser, recliner and large bed. His eyes were like beacons, letting me know that they were not only open, but looking directly at me.
I made my way to his recliner and eased into the comfortable leather seat. “I can see why you like this thing. It’s comfy.” I had to hand it to them. Vampires sure had a way of picking out comfortable seating.
“Aw, I was hoping you would join me in bed,” he said in a deep and throaty voice. “This is quite…comfortable too.”
I brought up my legs and crossed them. “Not on this visit, buddy.”
He chuckled.
“Usually when I come during the day you’re up. I mean, you’re in bed, but you’re wide awake. Why are you so sleepy now?”
“I sleep during the day, but just not as long or hard as the others.”
“Is it because you’re so old?”
“Partly.”
“Partly,” I repeated. “What are the other factors?”
“Babylonia, I am exhausted and if I don’t get some sleep I’ll be cranky. You wouldn’t like me when I’m cranky.”
I snorted. “I don’t like you now.”
“Stop lying. You adore me.”
“Adore would be stretching it. Alright. Go to sleep and I’ll just sit here and wait.”
He went quiet and I folded my hands in my lap, trying to stay still and not fidget. I began to think about exactly how the visit would go down. The Fairy King will come up to me and, with one look, declare that not only was I half-Fairy but he was also my father. There would be a little crying and some hugs. He would tell me that he hadn’t known that I existed, he would apologize for being absent in my life and for leaving my mom to struggle on her own.
Maybe I’d go visit him so he could teach me all about my powers. No. I couldn’t do that. According to Zaid I might go there and when I came back years might’ve passed. He would have to stay with me for a while. As the King, could he leave for an extended visit? I mentally shrugged. Probably.
Zaid let out a deep breath and pulled me from my thoughts. “I don’t think I can sleep while you’re in the room.”
“I won’t hurt you. I promise.”
“It’s not that. Even in sleep I can defend myself.” I thought back on the time when I’d made a mistake and gotten too close to Melia while she’d slept. She held me in a tight grip until she’d woken up that evening. I couldn’t pry her hand off of my forearm and couldn’t get away. I’d been powerless. “It’s your scent,” he continued. “It does something to me.”
I lowered my head to sniff at my cleavage. “I don’t remember putting on the Chanel N°5 this morning, but I could’ve.” I’d bought a small bottle of the very expensive perfume and because I’d worn it sparingly, it had lasted almost a year. But thanks to Zaid, I had a new, bigger bottle. I frowned. “I was a bit out of it today.”
He took a longer, shuddering breath. “It’s not the perfume. It’s your natural scent.”
I straightened. “Oh, I can’t do anything about that. Just stop breathing then, you’re a Vampire, you don’t need to anyway.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Yeah, it is, just hold your breath.”
“You’re going to be the death of me.” He shifted on the bed. “Why were you ‘out of it’ this morning?”
I lifted a shoulder. “I guess I had a little too much to drink last night.”
He paused and through the silence my heart picked up speed. We weren’t dating. We weren’t an item. But a flash of guilt surfaced as I thought about my date with Easton.
“What happened last night?”
“Nothing,” I was quick to reply.
“Another lie. I can hear it in your voice and the way your body is reacting. What happened last night?”
“None of your concern.”
He turned on his side, giving me his back. “Have fun finding the Belle Isle portal without me.”
I slapped my hands on my thighs. “Oh my god, stop being childish. I went on a date. There.”
He didn’t reply. An uncomfortable silence fell over us.
After a few minutes I cleared my throat.
“Who did you go out on a date with? Demarcus?”
I chuckled. “Yeah, right. Been there, done that. Don’t need to revisit that fiasco. Ever.” I waved a hand through the air. “I went out with a guy I met the other day. A human.”
“A human? You don’t belong with a human. A human would never understand our kind.”
“I know.” There was no point in denying it. Growing up I’d had human boyfriends and I’d found that hiding and lying didn’t result in a good relationship and, in the end, the relationships had been more trouble than they were worth anyway.
“Then why did you go?” he asked softly.
I sighed. “I don’t know, Zaid. He was nice, cute, funny and he was normal. He was just a normal guy that was interested in me and it felt good to be noticed.”
“I notice you.”
You also scare me.
A.M. Griffin is a wife who rarely cooks, mother of three, dog owner (and sometimes dog owned), a daughter, sister, aunt and friend. She’s a hard worker whose two favorite outlets are reading and writing. She enjoys reading everything from mystery novels to historical romances and of course fantasy romance. She is a believer in the unbelievable, open to all possibilities from mermaids in our oceans and seas, angels in the skies and intelligent life forms in distant galaxies.
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1 comment
Thanks for having me!