A Destined Mates Vampire Romance Novella
Dark Fantasy Romance
Date Published: January 2, 2026
Publisher: Changeling Press
An ancient vampire, Hunter can command any woman he wants -- except the
one woman he needs. His mate.
Genevieve Drake is a Dhampir -- half vampire, half mortal, born and bred to be
the perfect complement to her vampire mate, like those of her family for
sixteen generations. Instead, she chose to become a cop. Three months ago she
survived a vicious attack by a psychotic ex that left her with psychic scars
and a desperate need for a new line of work. Time to rethink her future.
Hunter is tall, dark and handsome -- and very, very powerful. He’s also
been waiting for Genevieve. She was just eighteen when he had a vision that
they’d one day become lovers. He’s been biding his time ever
since. But Genevieve’s experiences have left her unable to trust any
man, even Hunter.
If he wants them to have a future, the vampire will have to find a way to
banish her ghosts…
Excerpt
Copyright ©2026 Angela Knight
The vampire's bodyguard was sloppy when he searched Genevieve Drake. He
missed at least three places where she could have stashed weapons. Would have
stashed weapons, if she hadn't been going to an interview for a job she
desperately needed. To add insult to injury, he smirked up at her when he
crouched at her feet to pat her down, hands lingering on her thighs and
calves.
Genevieve gave serious thought to kneeing him in the jaw.
Finally, after a last knowing leer, the guard ushered her into Hunter's
sprawling office, then closed the heavy double doors and left them alone.
"Ms. Drake." Tall, radiating a power that made her Dhampir senses
vibrate like harp strings, the vampire stepped around his big rosewood desk to
shake Genevieve's hand, his grip careful and warm. His touch sent a flush of
magic radiating up her arm. Her mouth went dry, and she felt her nipples peak.
"It's a pleasure."
Her body's intense response surprised her. She'd felt dead from the neck
down for months. "Please call me Genevieve, Mr. Hunter." Not Genny. Never
Genny. Smiling up at him, she used all her years undercover to keep her
expression no more than pleasantly professional.
"It's just Hunter," the vampire said in a black velvet purr of a voice.
He gave her a slow, white smile, his eyes the sharp and startling blue of an
arctic wolf. His features were starkly masculine, with a long swoop of a nose
and a broad, square chin. His hair was thick and black, just long enough to
touch his collar.
He gestured her away from his desk toward two armchairs that sat facing
each other. Just beyond the chairs, a plate glass window ran the length of the
room. Sixty stories below, the glittering glory of Atlanta spread across the
night.
As Hunter ushered her to the chairs, Genevieve studied him. If anything,
the vampire was more impressive than she remembered. Easily six-foot-two, he
had a powerful build that made him look like a warrior even camouflaged in
black Armani. His tie was a splash of crimson against his white shirt, while
cufflinks of onyx and gold adorned his French cuffs.
"It's good to see you again," Hunter said as they sat. The chairs were
positioned so close, their knees almost touched. It was not exactly the
arrangement she'd have expected for a job interview -- but then, this was not
a typical job interview. "You were what -- fifteen? -- when last I saw you."
"Sixteen," Genevieve corrected. And madly infatuated with you. But that
was something she had no intention of sharing. And anyway, it had been
fourteen years ago.
Before Gary. Before she'd been left bleeding in a dirty alley with the
last of her illusions in shreds.
Hunter probably knew about her painfully intense crush. Probably knew
about Gary, too, for that matter. As her father always said, you can't hide
anything from a vampire, so don't even try. "It was good of you to grant me
this interview."
"Not at all. I need an assistant, and you have excellent
qualifications." He watched her settle back into the chair's soft wine red
leather. His gaze sharpened. "Something concerns you."
Genevieve hesitated, caught between her desire not to offend and her
sense of duty. She needed the job, but her family had been Dhampir for sixteen
generations.
Duty won. "Your bodyguard was more interested in feeling me up than in
making sure I wasn't armed. I could have knocked him cold at least twice. In
my opinion, he constitutes a security risk."
Hunter lifted a cool black brow. "He's a former Navy SEAL."
"And a current idiot."
"You are blunt, bordering on rude." Hunter smiled, satisfaction in his
eyes. "And every bit as fearless as I would have expected of Tommy Drake's
daughter."
She relaxed back into her chair. "Well, that's a relief."
"That I took the criticism well?" His arctic eyes heated to burning blue
as he watched her cross her legs. Her knee inadvertently brushed his, and the
contact sent magic flaring up her thigh. Straight into her sex.
She tried to ignore the pulse of erotic heat that flared low in her
belly. "No, I'm relieved you ordered your man to play the fool to test my
honesty. I'd hate to think you'd hire someone that sloppy."
The vampire laughed, a deep, masculine rumble, seductive and warm. "No,
I have not survived three hundred and forty years by surrounding myself with
sloppy bodyguards. And there've been times even careful ones..." Hunter
stopped and rolled his powerful shoulders as if shrugging off a painful
memory.
"Sometimes it doesn't matter how careful or well-trained you are."
Genevieve's voice dropped to a whisper. "Especially if you're betrayed."
He studied her, going still as a predator. Seeing too much. "The scars
from betrayal go to the soul. And they never quite fade, do they?"
"Not so far." Genevieve forced a smile and deliberately sought to turn
the conversation back to business. "What are you looking for in a personal
assistant?"
You, Hunter thought.
About the Author
New York Times best-selling author Angela Knight has written and published
more than sixty novels, novellas, and ebooks, including the Mageverse and
Merlin’s Legacy series. With a career spanning more than two decades,
Romantic Times Bookclub Magazine has awarded her their Career Achievement
award in Paranormal Romance, as well as two Reviewers’ Choice awards for
Best Erotic Romance and Best Werewolf Romance.
Angela is currently a writer, editor, and cover artist for Changeling Press
LLC. She also teaches online writing courses. Besides her fiction work,
Angela’s writing career includes a decade as an award-winning South
Carolina newspaper reporter. She lives in South Carolina with her husband,
Michael, a thirty-year police veteran and detective with a local police
department.
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