Vampires and Valentine’s Day

Since this is February—the month of LOVE, I thought I would focus on romance
in horror fiction. Some of the best horror novels have a love story as its central
plot or as a significant subplot. A lot of vampire novels and werewolf
novels certainly fall under this theme. Blending the supernatural with love.
Testing love to a whole new terrifying level. What can be more terrifying than
losing the one you love, to the forces of evil.
 
Love is the very foundation for which the Eye of Saturn vampire horror series
was written. It is the epic love story between Felipe Esteban de Hayos Montoya
and Zaybeth Castile Rivera, and a woman scorned—Lilith Al-Salameh. Oh, and
did I mention, love triangles can be scary, too!
 
Each book in the Eye of Saturn series has a central theme running throughout
its storyline. The Daughters of Saturn’s running theme is LOVE. 
 
When the story begins, Lilith is a normal 18-year-old girl. She and her younger
sister, Sarah, are dying from a mysterious, deadly fever. Lilith’s parents’ journey
to the Temple of Saturn in hopes of healing their daughters. But when
they arrive, the ancient god Saturn finds favor with Lilith and transforms her
into his immortal high priestess, and sacrifices Sarah.
 
Meanwhile, in Toledo, Spain, Felipe and his family awaits the arrival of his
mother’s best friend, Maria and her daughter Zaybeth who fled Madrid,
due to a domestic violence issue. Maria’s husband, Roberto discovers
Zaybeth isn’t his child. And in a jealous rage, Roberto kills Marie’s lover and vows
to kill Zaybeth. 
 
When Zaybeth gets out of the carriage, it’s love at first sight for
Felipe and Zaybeth.
 
Why the arranged marriage between Felipe and Lilith was so important.
 
My book series covers a great deal of history, so allow me to let me explain
what was going on in Spain in 1456. This is roughly 35 years before
the Spanish Inquisition. Spain had begun harassing Jews, Muslims, and any
race of people that were not a Spaniard or Catholic, forcing them to convert.
Spain was about to undergo ethnic cleansing, which is what the Inquisition
was about—convert to Catholicism or face being tried as a heretic and
deported or worst yet, put to death.
 
Lilith’s father, Abraham was seeking political protection for his family
against these uprisings since he and his family are Moors and Muslim. In a
chance meeting Abraham meets Tomás de Hayos and they strike up a
friendship. Tomás, a retired general of the Spanish army, turned statesman,
was wealthy and well respected. Abraham, a wealthy gold merchant and
owned goldmines in Africa.
 
Now, Tomás is a materialistic man, seeking gold and power. Once he learns
Abraham owned goldmines and his wife had just given birth to a girl, and his
wife had just given birth to a boy. Tomás suggests that Lilith and Felipe
marry in exchange for political protection. Abraham promises Lilith’s dowry
would come with the rights to goldmines, making this the perfect arrangement.
 
On Lilith’s 6th birthday her parents gave her a gold, heart-shaped locket
containing a portrait of Felipe. Lilith took one look and she fell instantly
​in love with, the boy with the soulful brown eyes.
 
Imagine, if you will, you have an arranged marriage, but you actually are in love
with your betrothed. Now that Lilith is an immortal, she is overjoyed that
she’ll get to spend eternity with Felipe, the boy with the soulful brown eyes.
 
A month goes by and Felipe gives Zaybeth a single red carnation and declared
his love for her. He promises to marry her. Now Felipe has always been a dutiful
son and obeyed his parents. Since his father is a politician, and grooming him
for a life in politics, Felipe didn’t want to do anything that would cause his
family embarrassment. He was sure his father would let him out of his
arranged marriage because Alejandro, his younger brother, was engaged to
Sarah, who died from a “fever”.
 
Once Felipe announces he is going to marry Zaybeth, Tomás forbids it.
 
When the church bells ranged, signally Felipe and Lilith are married,
Zaybeth clutches the now dried red carnation to her chest, the petals, falling
to the floor resembling that of a broken heart.
 
Felipe and Zaybeth make plans to run away. Alejandro overhears them
and tells his father, who then contacts Lilith’s parents, stating it was
time for Felipe and Lilith to move into a palace of their own. So, Felipe
and Lilith move to southern Spain. Thus, breaking up the lovers.
 
Once Felipe and Lilith settled into the Palace of the Sun, Lilith becomes pregnant.
Lilith doesn’t tell Felipe. She decides to make a formal announcement
and invites his parents for a visit. Well, when Felipe’s parents arrive, Zaybeth
is with them. Lilith decides to wait to tell Felipe she is expecting.
 
It just so happens Lilith was passing by the garden one day, when she sees
Felipe and Zaybeth in a very compromising position. Felipe and
Zaybeth, having an affair in her home and she was pregnant. This was it!
Lilith vowed revenge.
 
Now my heart goes out to Lilith—I write flawed characters and I make the
stakes high for my characters. As an immortal Lilith has tremendous magickal
powers, yet she is just a woman in love who has been hurt and betrayed
by her husband. Lilith could have easily enchanted Felipe, making him fall in
love with her, but she doesn’t want his love in that manner. Lilith wanted Felipe
to love her genuinely, the way she loved him.
 
I would like to point out Lilith has a soulmate, Gabriel, her father’s stable boy.
Saturn even makes Gabriel HIS Immortal High Priest, but Lilith doesn’t
know this because she is so wrapped up with Felipe. It’s Felipe or no one.
 
Lilith goes to the Daughters of Saturn and they perform the ritual, turning
Felipe into a vampire for five hundred and fifty years and cast Zaybeth
into the Netherworld—a world between Earth and the Underworld until
the Eye of Saturn reopens. When the Eye reopens Zaybeth will possess the
power to destroy Felipe in a battle to the death unless Felipe turns her
into a vampire.
 
But what Lilith doesn’t tell Felipe is, if he turns Zaybeth into a vampire, the
curse can never be broken. And they will be eternally cursed.
 
Lilith’s vengeance didn’t stop there! She goes to the Church and blames
Felipe’s parents for creating the vampire, by using black magick. Felipe’s parents
are found guilty of heresy and burned at the stake. 
 
Trapped in a 550-year curse, Felipe de Hayos—vampire, anti-hero is now
in a harrowing quest to break his curse and save his beloved Zaybeth
from the Netherworld. Will Felipe turn Zaybeth into a vampire and damn
both their souls? Will Zaybeth kill the man she loves? Can the damned be saved?
Can love survive centuries of bloodshed? 

Happy Valentine’s Day!
Next Month: Saturn/Satan. Which is it?
Peace
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https://www.idalitawrightraso.com/blog