Showing Fire and Ice the Secret Vampire Society by Wolfe C.S.

Fire and Ice- The Secret Vampire Society, the first in the series, is an enduring tale of impossible romance between a powerful vampire leader, the secret society he belongs to, and the woman he loves. A suspense filled rollercoaster ride as they encounter slayers, enemy vampires and accusations of murder, battling the insurmountable odds to love each other despite their overwhelming differences.
Carmen meets Adrian Tallinn, while she is painting a mural in the foyer of his building. Even before she knows what Adrian is, she starts to have strange, prophetic and eerie dreams. Adrian is gorgeous and wealthy and intrigued by Carmen who is different than any other woman he has ever known. Adrian recognizes that it is the human side of Carmen that he is attracted too. Her warmth and human qualities, she makes him feel young and alive again. After his ex-girlfriend, Catherine, tries to kill Carmen, he is forced to tell her his true identity to help protect her. He is second in command of the largest and most powerful Secret Vampire Society ever.
Vampires are essentially evil creatures, but Carmen realizes that there are two sides to every coin. No one is 100 percent good or evil, both exist in everyone. She can’t help being attracted to Adrian’s good qualities and chooses to overlook the intimidating and frightening vampire side of him. She realizes that he loves her completely and would do anything for her.
As Carmen reluctantly immerses herself into Adrian’s world, she discovers that she has unique abilities. Something that is supposed to be impossible for a human. That is when she is told of the prophecies of the coming of vampire slayers. It is an evolution in species phenomenon. The vampire council is left trying to decide whether Carmen’s abilities make her a friend or a foe. Should they welcome her help or destroy her before it is too late? Will Carmen end up finally embracing Adrian’s world to become the reluctant heroine, or will she destroy them all in the end?
excerpt from chap. 10
“Oh, Adrian,” I said in no more than a whisper as I stared into his eyes. “Of course I will marry you. I just thought you wouldn’t want to marry me if… if I wasn’t a vampire.”
He smiled widely, showing his perfect, white teeth and then crushed me against the railing and kissed me. When he pulled back and stared into my eyes, I had never seen him look so happy. I was completely breathless and had to hold onto him to keep standing. My knees were weak as I looked back into his eyes.
So this is the life I’ve chosen, I thought to myself as I stood above the world in his arms; I was going to marry a vampire.
excerpt from chap. 13
I knew there was no way to outrun him. I just needed time to get my footing and prepare myself to take out the dagger and plunge it into my heart. I looked at Adrian one last time; I wanted his face to be the last thing I remembered. I looked with sorrow into his eyes as he stared into mine. They were sad and tender, smoldering and angry all at the same time.
excerpt from chap. 19
I looked into Adrian's eyes, which were concerned and gentle for the first time in days. I suddenly burst out crying uncontrollably. He could stand it no longer and hugged me to him. He rocked me back and forth for the longest time and stroked my hair. Once I was able to stop crying, I gazed up into his eyes and sighed. It was so good to see him again, even if it was for the last time. He cursed loudly and bent down and kissed me fervently.
When he finally pulled back, it took me a moment to catch my breath. His eyes were dark, black pools, with flickering flames in their centers as he stared back into mine. I could tell that he was in as much agony as I was.
“Oh, Adrian,” I said. “This is so unfair. What happened to our happy ending?”
He sighed and looked down at me, his eyes were boiling lava, but he didn’t say anything, there was no answer.