Centuries-old Romanian and other European bottles were evenly stacked on dozens of wooden racks. The floor was made of uneven stones and the arched ceiling and narrow walls of gray bricks. What lay on the other side was a dark, dusty, and chilly room. It took all my strength to pry open the beam, but less to open the rusty door. My impatience got the best of me, so I figured a quick peek wouldn’t hurt anyone. I paced in front of the door, deliberating whether to wait until he was finished. I had no idea what lay on the other side, and since Alexander was upstairs creating a masterpiece, I didn’t want to disturb him. Behind the staircase and toward the north wing of the house I found an arched wooden door secured with a heavy wooden beam. Upon moving a portrait for storage in the basement, I stumbled across something I’d never seen before. I wanted him to have an alternative macabre sanctuary when he needed a retreat from painting in his attic room.Īfter Alexander’s parents returned to Romania, I had decided to once again give the Mansion a feminine touch. I’d transformed the wine cellar into a ghastly haunt as a present for him. I, Raven Madison, was in terminal bliss.Īlexander, my vampire boyfriend, and I were nestled together in the dusty depths of the Mansion’s basement, passionately clinging to each other like a broken spider-web. The kind of kiss where I felt as if I’d die if it ever ended. It was a deadly kiss-the kind of kiss that stole my breath, forced my heart into overdrive, left me hopelessly weakened and desperately gasping for more.

Love bites by ellen schreiber