Book excerpt: A collection of thirteen short stories meant to take place during the events of Masque of the Vampire. Every fifty years, Andrei throws an expensive house party for the crème de la crème of the vampire world. With attendance down and news of dangerous events in the world, Andrei invites some new faces and requests security, pulling Jorick and Katelina into a swirl of intrigue and mysterious vampires. But, there’s only so much time in the novel, and only so much Katelina can see. Discover the things she didn’t and enjoy thirteen stories, told through the eyes of the guests themselves. Dive into their histories, share their pain, their joy, and their hopes in the days leading up to the party’s first official day. Includes: William – As William gets ready for his journey to Canada, he takes a trip down memory lane. Can he ever forgive the Executioners for what they did? Diana – When Diana’s son Des comes home in a funk, she lets him pout for a few days, but now it’s time to make him snap out of it. Urian – After two years of sharing his lover with a young fledgling, Urian is at the limit of what he can stand. Grimald – While dining with his nearly-adopted-son Wolfe, Grimald hears some disturbing news. Could the cult of the Night Goddess really be starting again? Anya – When her brother went missing, she never expected to see him again. Now he’s back, and a cripple. Can she cope? Möngkedai - Traveling by airplane is always boring; almost as boring as immortality can be, unless you know the secret to a long happy life. Rangvald – Though Rangvald long ago came to terms with the fact that his mate is trapped in the body of a fourteen year old, she hasn’t. Brandle – One of the new faces at Andrei’s party catches Brandle’s eye, but can he get her to relax long enough to talk to him? Eagan – Eagan is just trying to be friendly, but it seems like he never says the right thing. Maybe he should give up socializing? Trevor – As a servant for Callise and Saul, Trevor’s life is easy and comfortable, but it wasn’t always that way. Lykke - Lykke and her lover Edvard are happy together, but their personalities couldn’t be more different. Jome – A quest for information takes a strange turn, and Jome finds himself in the red nailed hands of the sexy Trivila. Ren – Born without pigmentation in a superstitious time, Tol and Ren spent their lives believing they might be half demons.