Hi. I’m A.G. Carothers but most everyone calls me Drac.

I write urban fantasy/paranormal/action adventure romance. I have four series out but I’d like to introduce my latest series to you. The Bloodlines of Fate takes place in a new paradigm I created. The series starts almost fifty years since supernatural beings took over Earth from the humans in a bid to stop them from destroying the planet. The supernatural council now rules with its members holding various territories around the world.

Talos, the first book in the series, follows the life of a vampyr who controls the western half of North America as he finds his mate. In this world there are born vampyri and turned vampires. There are also unicorns, elves, shifters, fairies, demons, and other such creatures from different dimensions that intersect with the one Earth is in. Talos and the next book Majid have intertwining story arcs that demanded they be written back to back. Thus, they will be released close together. While Talos isn’t a cliffhanger, it is an HFN with all the characters getting their HEA at the end of book two.

I already have a third book planned out, but it won’t be out till late 2021. These two books took over my life and now that they will be out in the world, I can focus back on my other series. If you want to know more about my other series, you can find them on my website linked below (or above change to correct one please), and until next time I hope you enjoy Talos’ journey as much as I have.

Excerpt from Bayne POV:

Bayne got in the SUV and Majid settled across from him. Just as promised, Majid had come to get him after lunch to tour the orphanages in the human sector. Asher got in last and the doorman closed the door. Asher climbed onto the seat next to Bayne and put his head in Bayne’s lap. Bayne absently started petting Asher’s head as the driver pulled out.

The night before, he discovered that Asher’s bed had been moved into his suite but not his room. He didn’t want the xolo to be lonely, so he had moved it into his room with the help of one of the staff. In an effort to get comfortable with the xolo Bayne invited him onto his bed and fell asleep petting him. Where the creatures had unnerved him before, now he was sure he’d feel insecure without them around.

Bayne didn’t know what to expect nor how to go about stopping the centers from selling off the children. He half-suspected Talos tasked him with this just so he could fail, but part of him knew that Talos wasn’t doing anything of the sort.

There was still so much Bayne didn’t know about the world and how it truly worked. It would all take time, and in the meantime, he had to get used to the idea that someday Talos would want to complete their bond. Bayne had tried not to think about that. The idea of living for next to forever was daunting. It was still a shock that he wasn’t dead already. He was grateful for that, but how did he move forward after spending years preparing for his death.

“Just take it a day at a time,” Majid’s voice broke through Bayne’s thoughts.

“Huh?” Bayne raised his head to meet Majid’s eyes.

“You’re staring at the floor like it’s going to swallow you, and I can see all the questions swimming around in your head even though I can’t read your thoughts like Talos.”

Bayne slowly nodded. “It’s all so much.”

“That’s why you just have to take it a day at a time. That’s all anyone can really do.”

Bayne figured Majid was right, but it didn’t help to settle all the questions in his head. “What’s it like sleeping next to a dead person?”

Majid burst out laughing and put a hand to his face with a shake of his head. “Oh, dear. I know our disinformation is good but that’s still hilarious. That and the fact that Odin is usually all over the place while sleeping, I have to make sure he doesn’t clobber me in my sleep if I’m in bed with him.” Majid laughed heartily. “I’m sorry.”

Bayne crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Majid.

Majid composed himself. “I’m sorry. It’s a good question. Really.” Majid opened a bottle of water and took a drink. “Vampires aren’t dead. They almost die but not quite. Once the magic in the blood takes over, it transforms their body. Their hearts beat as they did before. The heart is a big pump, and it’s needed to pump blood through the body just as it did before. They still breathe as it’s needed to talk, but they don’t need the oxygen to survive, so when they sleep, they tend not to breathe at all.”

“I noticed Talos wasn’t cold either.”

“He—not so much—but the vampires do run a little colder, especially the older ones because their hearts tend not to beat as fast, so the circulatory system doesn’t regulate their temperature as well.”

“It really is a mix of biology and magic, then?” Bayne found it fascinating and wished he’d had all this information before. But he understood why it wasn’t out there for the humans to readily find.

“Yes and no. Talos’ magic is inherent in his biology. They’re not two separate things. It is magical, and that is passed down in his blood to the ones that he turns.”

“Does it work on just humans?”

“No, but it might not work on other species like elves or therianthropes. Sometimes, the magic clashes rather than working together and the creature dies. So that is rarely attempted.”

“Thank you for the information.”

“Of course. These are things that you’ll need to know, and over time you’ll learn all about the various species.”

The SUV slowed as it approached the border to the human sector. There wasn’t a physical wall but the shimmer in the air designated where the magical barrier created by wards was. Bayne remembered crossing over the week before with the pass THRUST had provided for him. Getting into the main sector of the city was easier than it had been to get into the human sector from outside the city.

Humans had to obtain traveling permits with warded passes to the city they wanted to go to. It was a bureaucratic system that Bayne had been taught was to suppress the population. If what he read from archives was true, the system was in place to ensure the human population was balanced between all the cities. That could be seen as suppressive, but it also ensured that resources were shared equally, and no area was taxing the environment more than another. Bayne saw both sides of the coin and he wasn’t sure if anyone was right.

They passed through the barrier without an issue, and the difference between the two areas was distinct. The buildings were the same style on both sides, and they were in good repair, but the overall state of the streets was different. More people milled about aimlessly but most distinctly was the amount of trash in the streets. Bayne wrinkled his nose at the sight.

Bayne wondered why there was such a difference but didn’t want to ask Majid right then. Although Majid hadn’t seemed annoyed or impatient with his questions, Bayne didn’t want to bombard him with them. It could wait.

A low growl was all the warning Bayne got before something collided with the SUV as they crossed through an intersection. Bayne flew to the side and darkness engulfed him.

Author info:

A. G. Carothers is actually a dragon very cleverly disguised as a human. They are a non-binary author of LGBTQIA Romance and Urban Fantasy, who enjoys writing original and entertaining stories. They are very excited to share the worlds they’ve created with you. A.G. currently lives in Tennessee with their platonic life partner, who is not a dragon. They yearn to live back in Europe and will some day. In their spare time they are addicted to losing themselves in the lovely worlds created by other authors A.G. is committed to writing the stories they see in their head without restrictions. Love is blind and doesn’t see gender, race, or sexuality.