Immortal Pleasures

Informationen zum Autor V. Castro is a two-time Bram Stoker Award–nominated Mexican American writer from San Antonio, Texas, now residing in the UK. As a full-time mother, she dedicates her time to her family and writing Latinx narratives in horror and science fiction. Her most recent releases include Alien: Vasquez from Titan Books, Mestiza Blood and The Queen of the Cicadas from Flame Tree Press, Goddess of Filth from Creature Publishing, and The Haunting of Alejandra from Del Rey Books. Klappentext "An ancient Aztec vampire roams the modern world in search of vengeance and love in this seductive dark fantasy"-- Leseprobe 1 It’s my last night in Dublin before I head to the south coast. Ireland was the first stop on my way to London because of its landscape, particularly its grass—that dreamy electric green, surrounded by dark cold waters and even colder winds. That landscape had called to me while I was flipping through an airline magazine during one of my business class flights across South America. The advertisement showed a green pasture that ended with a cliff dropping to leaping waves in the shape of giant conch shells. I had to see that grass with my own eyes, feel it beneath my feet. You see, my name is Malinalli, which means grass in my native Nahuatl language. The glossy photo ignited my soul with wonder, and I knew I had to overcome my irrational fear of exploring this part of the world, Europe. It was a European who changed my given name Malinalli to La Malinche and Dona Marina. Neither did I choose, nor could I refuse as a human. At least as a vampire I could take back my name. Small steps. But you may wonder why a Nahua vampire from the sixteenth century like me would harbor a fear of anything after being an apex predator for so very long. After all, my blood is powerful and intoxicating—it comes from a vampire made by one of the very first vampires. However, like the demolished temple Tenochtitlán, my heart still bears the scars of history. Before this trip was even an idea, my concentration on work had been waning. I kept finding myself slipping into daydreams of distant places. My heart would sink to depths of emotion I could not allow myself to wade in. In train stations and airports, I used to walk with a smug swagger past couples if I saw an obviously out-of-sync partnership, and past families if I saw screaming children throwing themselves at the feet of exhausted parents. Ain’t no one holding me down or holding me back, I’d think. But recently I’d also think soon after: Ain’t no one waiting for me either. Walk enough crowded terminals alone, your hand swinging aimlessly by your side, and it starts to feel dead. And mine had hung empty for centuries. I couldn’t care less about the offspring. As a vampire, my bearing a child was not an option. But lately I’d wanted to feel an arm around my waist. A companionship that lasted longer than a night would be nice. Two days after the idea of traveling to Ireland first struck me, I received an out-of-the-blue opportunity to purchase rare Mexican artifacts from a dealer in London. I am a collector, buyer, and seller of antiquities from all over the world; however, my specialty is Mexico and South and Central America. As a blood huntress it was a natural fit. Since 1972, I had made my living tracking rare objects, although I began my search for these objects long before I’d ever earned a cent. My career had begun not as a career, but as a sort of spiteful secret mission to reclaim our culture’s lost treasures one object at a time from the colonizers. The more I learned about my new vampire life and all its strengths, the more I thought about my purpose in life. My work has given me purpose beyond servitude or mere survival. I could create some good for myself and others. The artifacts are two skulls I first encountered when ...

Product details

• Authors: V Castro, V. Castro
• Publisher: Del Rey
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 16.04.2024
• EAN: 9780593499726
• ISBN: 978-0-593-49972-6
• No. of pages: 304
• Dimensions: 140 mm x 210 mm x 16 mm
• Subject: Fiction > Narrative literature