Amazon BLOOD TOUCH--Welcome to the Gratista Vampire Clan Category:  Action/Thriller Publisher: Publish America ISBN-10:  1413751822 Type: Fiction Pages: 160 Copyright: 2004 Imagine the horror of witnessing one of your family members behead another member of your family, then frame you for the murder. Narrowly escaping a death-for-a-death punishment by your Elders, you are banished from your home until you can prove your innocence. Not only do you have to seek refuge from your nemesis, you also seek justice...and revenge. This is what Dantalion, the newest member of the Gratista vampire clan, is forced to do. Dantalion's psychotic arch-rival, Sallos, is determined to get rid of him by any means possible, and will go whatever lengths to see him dead, even if it means killing others along the way, including Alexandra, Dantalion's newly-found human beloved. Forbidden passions... jealousies...family betrayal...personal vendettas, and an all-out clan brawl ensue in an unforgettable event that no one in the Gratista vampire family will soon forget. Chapter Nine Dantalion’s Story My eyes opened in shock when I felt her anguish. I could practically hear her scream. I knew it was going to happen. I knew it. She was going through the changeover, and I couldn’t even get out of bed! I sensed Sallos had her now. And I knew what I was about to do could risk me losing my life, but I didn’t care. I had to save her before something worse happened. I had already lost my mom and sis to this lifestyle; I wasn’t about to lose Alex too. I put on my clothes and lumbered down the hall like a drunken man. I wished my strength would hurry up and recover. Sam’s door was shut, and I knocked on it. I hoped she was in by now. She opened it. “Dantalion? Woah, you still don’t look too good.” I grabbed her hand and started towards the stairs. “What’s going on?” “Alex is in trouble. We have to hurry,” I said. “Alex?! What’s wrong?” “She’s in deep shit, that’s what. Sallos—” “Sallos? Oh no…” She practically hurried me down the  steps and out the door to her car. She fumbled with the keys, but I took them from her. “I’ll drive,” I said softly. “I know where she is.” She nodded and ran to the passenger’s side. We got in and I sped down the street. Sam gripped her seat and the car door. “Geez, slow down some!” she exclaimed. “I do want to save her before I die.” “She might,” I said plainly, and Sam got the message. Someone was coming out of a store and was crossing the street. I slammed on the brakes and the guy screamed. Sam did too. The guy was unhurt, but he suddenly came towards the car. I rolled down the window, about to give whoever it was the scare of their life. Kurt. Great, just wonderful. “Okay, motherfucker! Who the hell do you think you are?” One look into my red eyes and he screamed at the top of his lungs and ran down the street. I jumped out the car and ran after him. Sam leaned her head out the window and yelled at him. “Kurt! Wait! Don’t run!” Kurt paid her no mind. He flew like the wind, but I was faster. “Jesus! Mary, Mother of God!” he said, and then tripped on the curb trying to get back on the sidewalk. He fell hard and rolled over, shielding himself. “Don’t eat me! Don’t kill me!” he squinched his eyes shut. “Kurt, shut up,” I said and yanked him up. He yelped in surprise. “We gotta help Alex. She’s in big trouble.” “What the hell are you?!” his eyes were wide. “Just c’mon,” I said. Sam caught up to us and scooted over so I could get in the driver’s seat again. Kurt got in the back seat and we drove off. We drove for about forty-five minutes before we reached our destination. My second home, Gratista House. An isolated, old mansion in a suburban area. There weren’t any other houses for miles. I dreaded coming back here, and every second filled me with fear. I parked the car in the grass, under a huge oak tree, and stared at the looming house a hundred yards from us. “So now what?” Kurt broke the silence, and I sighed. “We go in,” I answered. “Why walk? Just drive up to the door!” “I can’t risk being seen, not yet.” “Sam, what the hell is he talking about?” “Well, um…” she started, “oh boy.” “And what the hell are you, I ask again? Part chameleon or something?” he said sarcastically, looking back at me in the mirror. I bared my fangs at him and he screamed a final time, fainting in the back seat. “Kurt!” Sam looked over her seat. “What happened to him?” “I showed him what I was,” I said calmly. “But he’s fragile about some things,” she said sadly. “Fragile? That dude’s cracked.”

Review by Brenda at Mystiquebooks.com
One tormented vampire with a horrid secret. One tempting, lonely mortal woman whose love offers salvation. One unrepentant ÛberVillain determined to destroy everything. Standard fare for a gothic vampire story? Could have been. Except for the author’s unique and bold storytelling. BLOOD TOUCH is written in first person, taking the reader into the often savage and always visceral landscape of the damaged soul. We are present when Alexandra faces the mind-blowing reality of vampiric existence. And we are deep in Dantalion’s mind when he tastes Alexandra for the first time. Not only that, but BLOOD TOUCH has a shockingly twisted Family Secret…forcing the characters to enter where I—certainly no angel—would fear to tread. Author Santiago’s bravery in delving deeply into the damaged and sometimes putrid emotional wounds that many of us carry is to be applauded. BLOOD TOUCH is more than a vampire novel, it’s a chance to see our own dark needs…and to perhaps find healing.