10 Reasons Vampires are the Superior Creature of the Night by Alyssa Day

[Note from Frolic: We’re so excited to welcome author Alyssa Day to the site today! She’s talking all things vampires. Take it away, Alyssa!]

It’s October—the spooky season! The time to re-watch favorite horror films and think about all the wonderful creatures who go bump in the night. One of my favorites, of course, is the vampire. The stuff of legend and terrifying bedtime stories for centuries, this bad boy (and bad girl!) of the paranormal has been immortalized in literature and films in so many different guises. From Dracula to Lestat, from True Blood to The Vampire Diaries, the vampire has given us characters to fill our dreams . . . and our nightmares. 

Here are the top 10 reasons we can never get enough vampires:

1. They’re dark, dangerous, and delicious!

Who didn’t have at least a daydream or two about Brad Pitt in Interview with the Vampire?

2. Everyone wants a chance at forever with the person they love.

Can you imagine spending eternity with badass Selene from Underworld?

3. Ordinary rules don’t apply to vampires—they own the night.

And sometimes they can fly! In my book Bane’s Choice, Dr. Ryan St. Cloud gets the surprise of her life when Bane takes her into his arms . . . and soars up into the moonlit sky!

4. If you’re in the five and under crowd, you love them because they can count!

So many of us grew up counting along with Sesame Street.

5. Sometimes they’re the embodiment of a teenage dream.

Are you Team Angel or Team Spike?

6. They’re an intriguing mix of danger and courtly manners—at least the ones who’ve been around for awhile.

Luke Evans in Dracula Untold was totally swoon-worthy!

7. They’ll never, ever steal your chocolate!

And never come home and ask “What’s for dinner?” (but beware: dinner might be you!)

8. Did we mention they’re sexy?

Whether it’s Damon in The Vampire Diaries or Eric in True Blood, they’re perfectly designed to make our hearts beat faster.

9. They’re powerful.

You’d never need to worry about getting the lid off a jar or moving your refrigerator with a vampire around.

10. And, most of all, they’re the badass characters we love to fear.

The increased heartbeat and rapid breathing of fear has a lot in common with the physiological response to arousal—both push us out of the mundane routine of ordinary life. It’s why we ride rollercoasters and watch scary movies. We love that edge of danger . . . especially when we know that our happily-ever-after is just around the corner.

So snuggle up with a blanket and a book. Make some hot, buttered popcorn and queue up a movie. Escape into the fantasy of falling in love with a vampire! 

Happy Halloween! Here’s an excerpt from Bane’s Choice, the first book in my new Vampire Motorcycle Club paranormal romance series:

Ryan’s lovely, full mouth fell open just a little. “You have a housekeeper? Is she a vampire, too?”

“No, she—”

“Does she know about you? Is she enthralled? Is she, like, your Renfield? Do you—”

“Enough,” Bane protested, wanting very much to pound his head against the wall. “There are no Renfields. Bram Stoker has much to answer for, and I plan to tell him that the next time I see him,” he said grimly.

“Well, I…what? The next time you see him? Bram Stoker is alive after all these… Oh. My. God. Bram Stoker is a vampire?” Her voice rose so high it was nearly squeaking by the end of her question.

“How do you think he got so much right?”

She rolled her eyes. “How would I know what he got right, since I thought Dracula was fiction until about an hour ago?”

Bane’s breath caught in his throat. “You rolled your eyes at me.”

“And I probably will again, when you say something stupid.” She blinked then and bit her lip. “Yeah, okay, probably not brilliant to call a vampire stupid. You’re not going to kill me, are you?”

His gut tightened at the thought that he probably would have to kill her. She was immune to enthrallment, and there was no other way to be sure she’d never give away their secret. But…later.

He could always kill her later.

“We can discuss that at another time, Doctor,” he muttered. “I’ll answer all your questions. After you have a shower and dress. I believe you’d feel much more at ease if you were not so…lacking in clothing.”

And why did he care if she felt at ease? His entire existence had been about making people feel uneasy. Also, he quite enjoyed seeing her lack of clothing.

This woman was turning his life upside down, and he didn’t like it.

Lie.

He liked it quite a lot.

She glanced down at herself and blushed, and then a little of her bravado seemed to drain out with the color ebbing from her cheeks. Bane suddenly, viciously, wanted to punch himself in the face for stealing her courage. He might have to kill her, but he didn’t have to humiliate her.

“Just come have a shower, in my very clean and uncluttered bathroom, and then I’ll answer any questions you have.”

And then Bane, the most feared vampire on the entire East Coast, held his breath and found himself hoping, very hard, that the fascinating, infuriating human would follow him down the hall.