There was nothing dark or stormy about the night Victoria Rourke was murdered. 

One balmy, tepid September evening—as unremarkable as the rest of her life—she was dragged through a dark alley, tormented by monsters, and left to rot in the gutter behind Clearwell's Department Store. 

That was meant to be the end. A final, tragic bow on the suffering of her short and miserable life. 

But even death didn’t go her way. Now, the morning light burns her eyes, unnatural hunger gnaws at her core, and her senses run amok in the loud, bright world. Victoria had made her peace and was ready to die. 

How can she survive more time than she ever wanted? More power than she knows how to handle?

He’s spent centuries cleaning up his younger brother’s messes. 

Hayle Baynham was accustomed to finding strays and pets left in his brother’s wake. The recently turned and abandoned victims of an eternity of frivolity. He tended them, trained them, gave them purpose in a world of chaos and fear. 

There was nothing special, nothing remarkable, about Victoria Rourke’s bitter end and new beginning. 

Her transition in the Coven Aster should have been simple. By the book. “Should” being the keyword.

But this one is a magnet for trouble. Every step invites chaos into his world and disorder to his days. 

For the first time in centuries, Hayle is out of his depth. 

And he feels alive. 

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Gilded Bond is a darkly romantic, gothic vampire novella with slow-burning heat, spice, and a touch of wicked dry humor. Dual obsession paired with an alpha x damsel dynamic, open-door steam, and a fated love connection forged in shadows and blood. This is the first installment of The Gilded Bloodlines Series: Victoria.