Eyecandy Monday: Mathias Sutton from The Life and Death of Lily Drake by T. Michelle Nelson

Because it takes a lot of work to make Mondays fun, we at Inkspell decided to start a blog feature we like to call Eyecandy Monday. Each Monday we will feature the characters from one Inkspell novel and share with you all the fine details and tasty tidbits we can dig up about these interesting and well written main characters. We want to revisit some of our favorite hotties from our favorite stories! As we revisit our eyecandy, we are sharing with you an excerpt to wet your appetite about the character and the story. After all, you can't get enough of book eyecandy! 



The Life and Death of Lily Drake features two hot guys each trying to capture Lily's heart. Mathias Sutton is the vampire who first lays eyes on Lily and has been watching her for a long time. Will he be the one who wins her heart?

Mathias Sutton

Mathias is no nonsense.  He’s very important, and he’s worked his way to the top. He's determined to get what he wants. Lily is who he wants, and nothing will stand in his way.

EXCERPT:Mathias Sutton became hopeful as Lily smiled at him. His plan was turning out much better than he had anticipated, but only because she thought he was someone named Terry. Struggling with the decision to correct her or to go along with the charade of being mistaken for someone else, Mathias concluded that this pleasant interaction might make his job for the night easier. He wouldn’t lie, but a simple omission of his true identity couldn’t hurt anything for the moment. “Are you ready to go?” he asked.

“Yes, just let me lock up.”

Mathias walked Lily to his car and opened the door for her. She gave him a warm smile as she sat and smoothed out her skirt. The woman was even more beautiful up close. He had admired her for years, but he’d never experienced this side of her. That exquisite smile of hers was meant for him, not someone else. He hoped this time things would be different, that he could finally have everything that had eluded him for more than five hundred years. She would choose to stay with him, and all his long-standing dreams would come to fruition.

“So where are we headed?” Lily inquired.

“If you don’t mind, I really need to stop by my house first.” Mathias had already begun driving in that direction. Everyone would be waiting for their arrival, and most likely would be surprised to see Lily walk in of her own volition. This whole mistaken-identity thing would work well after all.

“Well, actually, I do mind. I was under the impression we were going out on a date. I’ll admit the suit, the car, it’s all very impressive, but you’ve got the wrong gal if you’re looking for some one-night stand.”

Taken aback by her assumption, Mathias pulled the car over to the side of the road. He didn’t want to upset her, and his goal was certainly not to use her and throw her away. She had been correct, however, in assuming he had an ulterior motive for going to his house. The others could wait; he might never have this chance again to be so close to her and enjoy her company. What could it hurt? He’d take her out. “I’m so sorry I gave you that impression. A one-night stand certainly isn’t my intention. You’re right, let’s go to dinner.”


The Cove, Mount Vernon’s most celebrated restaurant, would be the obvious choice for a romantic dinner date. Not that Mount Vernon had tons of choices for fine dining, but The Cove could hold its own against any haute cuisine establishment in a much larger city. Nestled downtown in the historic district, the elegant century-old building towered above the quaint little town. She was clearly pleased as they pulled up to the parking valet.

“Is this good?” Mathias asked.

“My favorite, thanks.”

“Shall we?” As the valet drove off with the car, he extended his arm to her.

“We don’t have a reservation, do we?” Lily would have no idea that Mathias needed no reservation for a private table upstairs in the banquet room typically reserved for weddings and dinner theatre. Being a bachelor for five hundred years had done nothing for his cooking skills, so he frequented The Cove often. The special table upstairs, kept reserved for him alone, gave Mathias the respite he often needed.

He flashed her his best grin. “I don’t think it will be a problem.”

Two other couples were waiting for a table when Lily and Mathias walked into the foyer of the restaurant. Megan, the weeknight reservation girl, interrupted the man at her podium, who was inquiring about the wait time. Before she could properly greet Mathias, and subsequently call him by a last name that wasn’t Terry’s, he asked, “Do you have room for us upstairs this evening, Megan?”

“Of course, if you’ll follow me.”

Relieved she hadn’t blown his cover, Mathias turned to smile at Lily and catch a glimpse of what appeared to be surprise. He knew she wouldn’t be terribly impressed with the restaurant alone. She brought her son here to eat from time to time. Every week they went out on a special mother-son date night. She loved her boy dearly and took pride in being a wonderful mother. Mathias had always prized that trait in her.

“Would you like a menu?”

“Oh no, I have a favorite. My son loves it here. We try to come every few months.”

“Would you like some wine?”

“Sure, but I only drink red.”

He already knew that about her. When she seemed to have a hard day at work, she’d sit outside on her deck and have a glass. He knew almost everything about the woman, and yet she thought him to be someone named Terry.

“Good. That will go well with the big steak I’m ordering.”

After a couple of glasses of wine as they waited for their entrees, Mathias began to wonder if he had made a mistake by not taking her directly to the house. She asked entirely too many questions regarding this Terry person, and he had no answers. Obviously, she had never met the man or she would have known what he looked like, and she didn’t seem to know very much about him. Mathias suspected it to be a blind date perpetrated by her friend, Angie Travis. The Travis woman was the only person he’d ever seen Lily hang around with outside of work, and he’d overheard a few conversations between the two. Angie pushed relentlessly when it came to finding someone for her friend.

“Enough about me, Lily. Tell me about you.”

“Well, not much to say. I’m a graphic designer, a single mom, divorced. That’s about it. I’m really boring. I’d rather hear about you. Tell me about your business, Terry.”

Mathias paused. He was many things, at times even a killer, but he would not let himself become a liar to the woman he’d adored for so long. As Lily had grown, his job had become so much more. He’d begun admiring her and eventually caring for her. He’d selfishly wanted to spend time with Lily, but not if it meant he couldn’t be himself. He did the only thing he could think of: he abruptly excused himself from the table.

Mathias knew the others wouldn’t be happy with his spur-of-the-moment decision to take Lily out to dinner. The plan had been to gently knock her out with his otherworldly powers, return with her to his mansion, and explain her birthright. They would all be upset, except possibly Val. His cousin, a habitual rule-breaker especially where the ladies were concerned, would likely understand. That trait, which normally annoyed Mathias, would lend him an ally this evening.


Don't you love a man who is determined to get what he wants? Mathias has had his heart set on Lily for years. Can he be the man she wants and needs?  Read The Life and Death of Lily Drake to find out!