book teaser for Demons & Lullabies by Kallysten, available as ebook or paperback. http://original.kallysten.net/2012/demons-and-lullabies/

1. Some little boys want to be firemen or astronauts when
they grow up. From the moment Jacob understood what
his fathers did, he never wanted to do anything but fight
demons.
Andrew, Jacob’s father and a vampire, fights demons
because it’s a necessity: few others have the strength or
skill to kill the strange creatures that started appearing the
very night his son was born. He carries with him some
guilt, too, and the suspicion that the magic that made
Jacob’s very life possible also opened the way for the
demons. The last thing he wants is for his son to ever join
this fight and get hurt.
As the years pass, however, and Andrew watches
Jacob grow up and grow more determined, he slowly has
to accept there’s little he can do to deter his son. It doesn’t
help that Nicholas, Jacob’s other dad and Andrew’s
Childe, starts giving Jacob sword-fighting lessons under
the cover of playing, or that Jacob discovers his mother’s
diaries and comes to the same conclusion Andrew did
concerning his origins and the demons’.
Through snapshots covering Jacob’s life from birth to
adulthood, watch all three members of this unusual
family change, grow up, and find their place in the world.

2. Vampires and babies aren’t supposed to go together all that well. And yet…
In more than two centuries of existence, he
hadn’t had the occasion to hold many children.
And yet, holding Jacob felt like the most natural
thing in the world. He was so small, so fragile
that Andrew expected the fear to rise at any
moment that he might hurt his son without
meaning to. Instead, it was the very opposite that
Andrew felt: he was filled with the complete and
all-encompassing determination that he would
always do everything in his power to protect
Jacob. He would keep him safe and make Cara
proud. Maybe, he thought, she would be
watching over them. Andrew had never been a
religious man, not even when he was human, but
now he was willing to believe in the afterlife if
only it meant that Cara was still close to them.
And Jacob, looking up at him so seriously,
sometimes seemed to tell him he already knew all
that.

3. Decades ago, Nicholas betrayed his Sire’s teaching and fed from humans, killing as
he did so. He’s finally ready to move from that life and return to his Sire, Andrew,
and it all starts with a new diet.
Roxanne strode in as though she owned the place.
One of these days, he would need to get his key
back; it wouldn’t stop her, but maybe it would be
one more clue to her that he meant what he had said.
They were done and over.
“Ah, damn.” She pushed the door shut behind
her and came to him, the heels of her knee-high
boots clinking on the wooden floors. Her small nose
was wrinkled, her mouth set on a pout. “I was
hoping to catch you before dinner. God but this
thing stinks.”
She had reached the kitchen and hoisted herself
onto the counter, crossing her legs so that the tip of
her boot pressed against Nicholas’ side.
Ignoring her, he took another sip before pointing
out, “It doesn’t stink. It’s human blood. Can’t you
even tell the difference?”
“I can tell it’s not fresh,” she shot back.

4. Although Andrew welcomes Nicholas back into his life, the shadow of Jacob’s
mother, Cara, lingers over them.
“She made this,” Andrew said, and while his voice was
quiet, Nicholas could still hear the tremor in it. “The last two
weeks…she was on bed rest. She had me get an album for her
and stickers and things. She spent hours putting this
together.”
Nicholas didn’t need Andrew to add that he had spent
every one of those hours at her side, watching her. It was all
too clear in his tone.
“Did you look through it?” Andrew asked, his eyes flicking
back to Nicholas.
Nicholas shook his head once. “That permission I’d ask,”
he said, quieter now. “I just thought one day Jacob will want
to see what she looked like, and you’ll want to have this close
when he asks.”
Andrew sighed and leaned his head back until he was
looking straight up at the ceiling. His voice held more
resignation than Nicholas had ever heard from him—more
resignation than he was comfortable hearing.
“You always need to have the last word, don’t you?”

5. Little by little, Nicholas makes Andrew talk about her…until Andrew reveals a lot
more than Nicholas expected to hear…
“Hey. He’s fine. Perfect little boy.”
Andrew blinked, his eyes flickering back to the bed. “I
know he is, I just…”
The fear was still there, darkening Andrew’s eyes, filling
his scent with a familiar metallic edge that Nicholas wasn’t
used to finding in his Sire’s scent.
“You just what?” Nicholas asked. “What are you scared
about?”
“You know these…beasts? These demons that have been
appearing everywhere?”
Nicholas frowned, wondering why Andrew was
changing the subject. Or was he? “Yeah? What about them?”
It was a few seconds before Andrew answered, and when
he did his voice was pained, the words coming out
laboriously. “The first sighting happened the night Jacob
was born. Just a couple of blocks away from our house. And
the two regions most affected are the city where he was
born, and the one where he lives now. I can’t help but
wonder—”

6. With demons attacking so often, Nicholas and Andrew train regularly…and things
sometimes get a little heated…
A time always came during their training sessions
when the mood changed. They would fight a little harder,
a little dirtier, and eventually one of them would be
pinned to the floor or to a wall—usually Nicholas, but he
really didn’t mind, not when what followed made him
forget all about swords or demons.
That morning, he managed to catch Andrew by
surprise and trip him up. Dropping his sword to the floor,
Nicholas threw himself onto Andrew’s back, his hands
tightening on Andrew’s wrists on either side of him. His
hard cock pressed against Andrew’s ass. He knew better
than to believe Andrew would let him do this without
clothes on, but for now he arched against Andrew’s ass, in
a shadow of the act.
“You know, I could make it really good for you,”
Nicholas whispered, his lips brushing the back of
Andrew’s ear. “You wouldn’t have to do a thing, I’d take
care of you.”

7. Sooner than his dads would like, Jacob gets his first look at demons…
Jacob listened hard to hear if Nicholas was coming
down, but soon he became a little bored. He saw
something in the trashcan that looked funny, so he pulled
it out to look at it. It was a newspaper, like Daddy read
sometimes. And the thing that Jacob had thought was
funny was three pictures—but it wasn’t funny at all, now
that Jacob could see them right.
They were pictures of boogiemen, almost like in the
scary book with the ogre, but even scarier than that. There
were three different boogiemen, but they all had horns;
one had them on its head, the other on its arms, and the
last one had them all over its body, but smaller.
They were really, really scary, and Jacob didn’t want to
keep looking at them, but he couldn’t manage to look
away either. His fingers wouldn’t move at all. His back
felt cold and wet, and his heart was thumping so hard
that he never noticed Nicholas approaching until he bent
down in front of the opening and looked at Jacob with a
big frown.

8. Although he grows up surrounded by love, Jacob still has questions about his mother.
The cover seemed heavy when Andrew flipped it open,
revealing the first picture. It had been taken just as Cara’s
pregnancy had started to show, and she was beaming as she
looked down at her belly, a hand underneath it and a hand
on top as though to frame the bump, or maybe keep Jacob
safe. A pang of grief rang through Andrew.
“She’s my mommy?” Jacob whispered, his little hand
rising to the picture but falling again without touching it.
“That’s your mom, yes,” Andrew replied. His throat felt
tight, but he couldn’t remain silent now. Jacob was waiting
for him to say something.
He wished he knew what to say.
“She’s very pretty,” Jacob said, still as quiet.
Andrew pressed a kiss to his temple. “She was, yes. She
was the prettiest lady I ever knew.”
Jacob’s hand rose again, and this time he brushed the
very tip of one finger against Cara’s belly.
“She has a baby in her belly like Mrs. Linder?”
“She does. And do you know who that baby is?”
Jacob turned a questioning gaze up at Andrew. “Me?”

9. Sometimes Andrew and Nicholas don’t play nice, but Jacob is very good about
helping them fix things up.
Jacob lay down next to Nicholas, cuddled
against his side. He threw his arm around
Nicholas’ stomach, and held on to his t-shirt.
“Did you say sorry?” Jacob whispered. “It
makes it all better when you say sorry.”
Nicholas sneaked his arm around Jacob and
held him close. “I don’t think sorry is going to be
enough.”
“But did you try?” Jacob insisted.
Nicholas sighed and brushed his fingers
through Jacob’s hair. “No. But I will. Okay?”
Jacob thought about it. It was hard to think
when there were cartoons on the television.
Nicholas had changed the channel, and Batman
was trying to catch the Joker.
“You give him a hug, too,” Jacob decided when
it was time for commercials. “Hugs make him
happy.”

10. Eventually, Jacob wants to learn to fight… and Andrew does not approve.
A laugh rose from the first floor, muffled but still
recognizable. Jacob’s. Andrew was descending the
staircase before he even knew he was moving,
following that laugh, and soon Nicholas’ voice.
“You shalt not taketh my treasure, ruffian! I shalt
run you through with my sword!”
Confusion froze Andrew on the last step. It was
Nicholas, yes, but where had that ridiculous accent
come from? And what were those thumping noises? It
sounded almost like—
Frowning, Andrew forced himself into motion
again. He strode to the training room and pushed the
half-closed door open to discover that his fear had
materialized. Yes, those muffled thumping sounds
were swords clashing together. Foam swords that bent
and wavered with each movement, but swords
nonetheless.
There was a sword in his son’s hand.

11. Rules sometimes make life go more smoothly, and so does trust.
“I know you wouldn’t risk losing all of this
just for a bite. I just don’t like that you’re going
at all. And I never will. But if you really have
to…”
The smallest of smiles flickered on Nicholas’
lips. “Why does it sound like the closest thing
to a benediction I’m going to get from you?”
Andrew crossed the last couple of feet that
separated them. Raising his right hand, he
slipped it to the back of Nicholas’ neck and
squeezed lightly.
“Not a benediction, but a promise. I won’t be
mad at you when you come back this time.”
Nicholas’ smile widened, surprise coloring
his eyes. He didn’t say anything, but the kiss he
offered Andrew before climbing back onto that
bike and leaving spoke volumes.

12. For a child, there are different kinds of demons…
Sam Jones was an idiot.
Jacob’s dad always said it wasn’t nice to call
people names, but Jacob was only doing it in his
head, so it wasn’t too bad. Sam, on the other hand,
was calling people names behind their backs,
snickering the entire time with his friends. They
were idiots too, but only because they thought Sam
was funny and smart. At least they didn’t repeat the
bad names.
They were really bad, ugly names. Jacob wasn’t
even sure what they all meant, but he knew they
were bad. Bad names about him and his dads, and
about Liz and her mommies, and about Louis
because he talked funny sometimes, and about
Amanda because she was ill and all her hair had
fallen out, and other people too, because they were
small or big or who even knew why. It didn’t make
any sense at all that Sam made fun of everyone. And
it was very unfair that he always did it when the
teacher couldn’t hear so he wouldn’t get in trouble.

13. But Jacob learned the rules and he knows not to fight.
“You’re proud?” he repeated. “For what? I let him say bad
things about you and I let everyone else believe he was
right.”
Andrew sat back on his heels and smiled, which confused
Jacob even more.
“I don’t care what anyone thinks,” he said, speaking
slowly like he always did when he was explaining something
important to Jacob. “You and I know the truth, and that’s all
that matters. And I’m proud because you listened. How
many times have I told you not to get into fights?”
Jacob shrugged. “I don’t know. A lot.”
“And how much did you want to fight today?”
“A lot,” Jacob said again, his anger at Leon reawakening.
“But you didn’t.” Andrew was smiling even more widely,
now. “You wanted to, but you remembered what I said, and
you didn’t fight. And that’s why I’m proud of you. It’s easy
to say bad things about someone like Leon did. And it’s easy
to get angry and start a fight. But what you did? Not
fighting? That’s a hard thing. And that’s a good thing, son. I
hope you always remember that.”

14. Some things, however, are harder to learn than others.
It was because of what had happened after
dinner that Jacob couldn’t go to sleep yet.
They’d been decorating the tree when Craig
had called for Andrew to go help him. And
Andrew hadn’t come back yet, so Jacob
couldn’t go to sleep, not even if his eyes felt
small and tired.
It wasn’t the first time Jacob tried to wait for
his dad to come back. Every time he went out
at night, Jacob waited, and waited, but he
always fell asleep too soon. Not this time,
though. This time he wouldn’t fall asleep until
his dad returned.
This time, he knew that there was a chance,
however small, that his dad wouldn’t return.
It scared him more than anything else in the
world.

15. Not everyone understands how this family works and one of Jacob’s teachers is
concerned...
“I understand that you fight demons, and I am grateful
for your service. But maybe you should consider how
young Jacob is. Children his age are more fragile than you
might think, especially when it comes to things like
demons, and violence. Our school’s policy is to
discourage any talk about demons so as not to upset the
students. It’s not just about the story. I also overheard him
tell his friend he was learning how to fight with a
sword…”
She let the rest of that sentence hang in the air between
them, an eyebrow raised as though to punctuate it. A few
seconds passed in silence as Andrew tried to figure out
how to respond without resorting to a curse word or two.
Her implication that he was doing a poor job of raising his
son made him want to bare his fangs, and all he could
hope was that he was keeping a tight enough control on
himself that his eyes wouldn’t flicker to gold and betray
what he was.

16. Thanks to a bit of magic, Jacob gets the chance to meet someone very special and ask
her about his birth…
“Hello, baby.”
Standing up, he frowned at the woman in front of him, instinctively
replying, “I’m not a baby,” before he could even tell who she was.
And who she was left him staring, eyes widening as he couldn’t
quite believe what he saw. “You…you’re Cara?”
Her smile was as soft, as gentle as her smile on the picture he kept in
his room. “You can call me Cara if you want. But I think I’d like it better
if you called me Mom.”
She sounded just like Jacob had imagined all those years, her voice
light and musical, and completely different from anyone else’s he had
ever heard.
“You’re dead,” he blurted out.
Her smile wavered. She reached out to brush the bangs out of his
eyes with a light touch. “Yes,” she murmured. “Yes I am, baby.”
“Stop calling me that. I’m twelve. I’m not a baby.”
Jacob had jerked away from the touch and endearment both but he
regretted it at once when her features fell for a second before settling on
a smile that looked strained.
“Twelve?” she repeated, her voice rougher now. “Already twelve.”

17. As time passes, Andrew gets used to the idea that, despite his wishes, his son might
have to truly fight some day…
On those nights when the demons killed someone before
they could be stopped, when Andrew was too tired, too beat
down to be anything but honest with himself, he could admit
in the privacy of his own mind that guilt was what kept him
fighting. Even if he still tried to convince Jacob that they
couldn’t be certain about it, he had been sure there was a link
between Cara’s spell and the apparition of these strange
creatures ever since he read her journal.
She talked of tapping into a different source of magic in that
diary; talked about a different universe, parallel to the one they
knew. What else could she have meant but the place where
demons came from? Andrew carried the guilt of that
knowledge with him, and he knew Jacob did the same.
And on those nights when it was so hard not to push Jacob’s
door open just a crack to get a glimpse of him sleeping, like
Andrew used to do when he was nothing but a child, there was
something else Andrew could admit to himself. His son was
like him. And the only way he’d ever exorcize the guilt he felt
was with a sword in his hand.

18. In some ways, however, Jacob is just a normal teenager…
“We can’t get stuff from there.”
Andrew looked ahead at the department store, then back
at a frowning Jacob. What was going on in his son’s head,
and why was it so much harder to understand him, these
days?
“This is where we always shop,” he said slowly, as
cautious as though he were entering dark woods in which
demons lurked.
Jacob let out an exaggerated sigh. “I know. That’s the
problem. That’s where parents take their kids to shop.”
Andrew’s expression must have made it clear he didn’t
understand what the problem was, because after only a
second Jacob added, “I’m in high school, now, Dad. I can’t
dress like I’m six anymore.”
The words struck Andrew like a two by four to the back of
the head. In his mind, sometimes, Jacob was still the
bouncing four year old who had made a cape out of an old
blanket before running through the house, announcing he
would battle all the boogiemen in the world. But here was his
son, already a teenager—already in high school.

19. Nicholas, on the other hand, will never grow up, never cease to tease Andrew… and
Andrew wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Is that how you ask?” he said, affecting a chiding tone.
Nicholas’ silent chuckle shook his entire body. “No, Sire,”
he offered in his meekest voice, which nonetheless managed
to sound teasing. “May I please have some of the sweet
nectar that flows through your veins, Sire?”
With a huff, Andrew cuffed him lightly over the head,
careful to avoid the bump.
“Idiot,” he muttered, already tilting his head to offer
Nicholas better access to his neck.
Nicholas let out a quiet hum that deepened when his lips
settled at the crook of Andrew’s shoulder. Resting a hand at
the back of his neck, Andrew squeezed lightly in guise of
invitation. The pain of fangs splitting Andrew’s skin was as
sharp, as brief as that cut from the razor. Nicholas’ hands
clutched Andrew’s shoulders, squeezing to the pace of his
swallows. With each mouthful of blood he took, Nicholas’
cock was growing thicker against Andrew’s thigh, and
Andrew’s cock responded in kind.

20. It was unavoidable… one night, Jacob confronts his first demon sword in hand.
“Jacob,” Nicholas said urgently. “You’re not
ready. This isn’t a game or training anymore. I
don’t want you to—”
“I don’t want you to get hurt any more than
you already are,” Jacob said, and bit back the
question of how hurt they were exactly.
There was blood on both of Nicholas’ legs
where his pants were in tatters, so dark it seemed
black, and blood matted Andrew’s hair, too. His
eyes were closed, and Jacob had to remind himself
that of course there was no heartbeat for him to
hear—no heartbeat but his own and the demon’s,
that was. And the demon had finally made up its
mind and was skittering toward the ax.
Jacob firmed his hold on the hilt of his sword
and stepped forward, ignoring Nicholas’ words of
caution. He could do this. He had been training
for years for this. And besides, the demon was
already wounded.

21. As he graduates from high school, Jacob knows where he is headed in life. Other
things, on the other hand, are more difficult to figure out…
With a glance at the door to check that it was still
closed, he pulled the drawer open until he could reach to
the very back, behind boxers and undershirts. The box of
condoms was still there, where he had shoved it after his
father and he had had The Talk.
He’d thought about that box since—thought about
opening it and making use of what it held—but there’d
never been a right time, and in any case, he wasn’t in any
hurry. Whenever Kirsten was ready would be fine. He
wasn’t sure why Nicholas seemed so certain that they had
done it but he definitely wasn’t going to ask. He wasn’t
going to ask either why Nicholas assumed they would do
it on prom night.
Although if he was totally honest with himself, Jacob
had thought about it.
Twirling the box between his fingers, he wondered if
Kirsten had thought about it too. How was he supposed to
know when she was ready? For that matter, how was he
supposed to tell her he was?

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tales of love and seduction