Reader's Edyn: Blitz: Vicious (Salvation's Bane #1) by Marteeka Karland + GIVEAWAY

**Trucker by Marteeka Karland**

Good Morning, Everyone! So thrilled to see you all today! A few months back, I had this author on the blog talking about her release, TRUCKER! Today she is back and speaking about a new release and first book in a different series. Yay! Please allow me to re-introduce to the blog, Marteeka Karland and her release VICIOUS …

**MARTEEKA KARLAND**

**BIO**

Romance author by night, emergency room tech/clerk by day, Marteeka Karland works really hard to drive everyone in her life completely and totally nuts. She has been creating stories from her warped imagination since she was in the third grade. Her love of writing blossomed throughout her teenage years until it developed into the totally unorthodox and irreverent style her English teachers tried so hard to rid her of. Now, she breathes life into faeries, space hunters, werewolves, vampires, shapeshifters, and a few just plane ole ordinary people. She loves to see the awkward, self-conscious band geek get the captain of the football team and make him beg for it.

To find out more about Ms. Karland, please visit:

**VICIOUS**

Publication date: May 29^th, 2020

Series: Salvation’s Bane #1
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary

**BLURB**

Lucrecia: All I have in the world is my sister Mae. We were adrift, on our own until a guy from Black Reign, one of Lake Worth’s most infamous MCs, spotted us and took us in. Ryks isn’t cruel, but he’s hard on us. We have to earn our keep, but then everyone does. Me? I dance for the club. I get a secret thrill from it — until Mae is kidnapped by enemies of Black Reign, and Ryks sends me to Palm Beach — straight into the hands of Salvation’s Bane.

Vicious: It all started with some MFer stole my F’in’ pizza and two cans of beer. I went looking for the SOB. What I found was a raven-haired spitfire too sexy for my own good. Her sister’s in trouble, and wouldn’t you know it that bastard El-Diablo’s at the very center of yet more trouble. It’s his club Mae’s been taken from. His club Lucy was sent away from. Now, we have to get her back. Because I might be falling for the little dancer in my care. Not that I’ll ever admit it. We’ll have to call out all the stops for this. Bones. Shadow Demons. Hell, even Black Reign. If we’re going to rescue Mae, nothing is out of bounds. But busting her out of some rich banker’s estate will be a piece of cake. No worries. Yeah. Right…

**EXCERPT **

Oh, God. Oh, God! She was so fucked. There was no way she could fight either of them off and definitely not both of them together. She’d locked the door, but there was no doubt in her mind either of them could break in and drag her out. Thank God she’d intended to shower later and left a T-shirt and underwear in the bathroom.

There was a soft knock at the door. “Lucy. It’s OK. Open the door.”

“I’m not coming out there,” she said, her voice wobbling.

“Yes. You are. Now, please. Open up.”

“I shouldn’t have been practicing.” That part was her fault. “If I gave you the wrong impression, I’m sorry. I don’t do anything but dance.”

“Woman, has anyone made a move on you?”

She opened her mouth but closed it almost immediately. “Well, no.”

“Then give me the benefit of the doubt, girl.”

“You slept with me.”

“Yeah. And did we do anything other than sleep? Did I touch you inappropriately?”

Why did he have to be so reasonable? She had a right to be upset! With that calm, soothing tone he used, she found her anxiety melting away. Yeah. Vicious might have a scary name, but the man wasn’t a bad guy. At least, not to her.

Lucy opened the door a crack to see Vicious looking down at her. She was surprised to see a concerned look on his face. Like he didn’t like that she’d been distressed.

“You OK? I’m not gonna let anyone here hurt you.” He shook his head as if what he said wasn’t exactly what he intended to say. “Ain’t lettin’ no one anywhere hurt you.” Lucy thought it was telling that he qualified the statement before she’d even mentioned it.

“It’s fine. I shouldn’t have been practicing like that. Especially not a full, er, undress rehearsal.” She tried to use humor to defuse the situation. “I just… it’s soothing.” She looked at her feet. “Sometimes.”

He pushed the door open the rest of the way and held out his hand for her. “Come back in here. We’ll talk.”

“What if I don’t want to talk?”

His lips quirked as if he found her amusing. “We’ll talk anyway. Come on.”

With a sigh, Lucy took his hand. It swallowed her smaller one like an adult taking a child’s hand. Given her interaction with him before when he’d insisted on talking with her in the bed, in his arms, she fully expected him to insist they do the same now. But he didn’t. There was no reason to, and he obviously wasn’t trying to make her uncomfortable. Instead, he led her to the couch before taking a chair across from her.

“Look at me, Lucy.” She thought about being stubborn, but she knew she’d never win a battle of wills with him. When she raised her head, she met those harsh, dark eyes of his. Who wouldn’t be intimidated by this man? He was big, scary, and so very intense. When he looked at her, Lucy got the impression he could see straight through her soul. “No one is going to make you do anything you don’t want to do. You walk out into the common room naked or dancing like you were, I guarantee you’ll get cat calls, and whistles, and probably get hit on, but no one is going to touch you if you don’t want to be touched. And no one will ridicule you for teasing them. More likely, they’ll throw money at you to keep it up just so they can see that lovely little body of yours.”

OK, that really shouldn’t have sounded as good as it did. Not that she wanted strange men looking at her -- she’d never really thought about it after the first couple times she’d danced. Oh, no. She found she loved the fact that he thought she had a lovely body. Him. Vicious. No one else.

He cleared his throat. “So, if you need to dance, you can do it for me. I’ll make sure no one can interrupt us, and you’ll know no one will be able to get past me to get to you. Sound reasonable?”

Yes. Totally. “Are you kidding me? No, it’s not reasonable!”

“You need to dance? That’s the only way it’s happenin’.” His face was hard, and Lucy knew he meant business.

“Then I won’t do it at all.” She was being stubborn, but there was no way in hell she was going to agree to this. Not now. She’d been there before, and it hadn’t been that bad, but there was no way lightning could strike twice. There were only so many times one could bait a tiger.

“Yes. You will. In fact, I insist on it.”

“Is this a condition of my sanctuary?”

“Nope.” He grinned at her. “Just gratitude on your part for me allowing you the comfort of my room instead of putting you in a smaller one in the middle of all the club girls.”

“I’ll be perfectly fine in a room of my own! Why would you think I wouldn’t be?”

“Never said it was for your benefit. It’s a luxury for you. Not something you need or even want, but a definite upgrade.”

“Oh? Well, the price is too steep --”

“It’s for my benefit you stay here. And you’re going to dance for me, because I happen to think you enjoy it just enough to wonder what my reaction would be if you gave me a full performance.”

She started to say something then shut her mouth. Finally, she shook her head. “You’ve lost your mind.”

“Have I?” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Then why are you blushing so becomingly? I think you want to dance for me. You like the idea that you can trust me not to take advantage of the situation, but are just scared enough to wonder if I’m lying.” His grin was positively wicked. “And I think it turns you on.”

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