Moxie: A Salvation Society Novel
-- EXCERPT: “I’m fine. I just feel so free, you know. Look at everybody.” She held her hand out to the dance floor. “You’d hardly know there was a war on if it wasn’t for the . . .” “Uniforms?” Liz attempted to finish Faye’s sentence. Staring at a group of soldiers, Faye nodded slowly. A group of five men in khaki uniforms and garrison caps, which she couldn’t help wondering if they would fall off as they danced, caught her attention. She admired the broad back of one of the men. He seemed to be holding a drink in one hand and the short, buzzed hair that stuck out from under his cap appeared to be blonde. Out of Faye’s periphery, Darla elbowed Liz. “I think she sees something she likes.” She raised a brow just as Faye turned toward her. “Maybe I do.” “Dare you to plant a big wet one on him,” Darla challenged. “Ha!” Faye was already thinking something similar. “Darla,” Liz started, but whatever she said, Faye didn’t hear the rest of it. She was already marching toward the group, keeping pace with the song. Her hips swinging to the rhythm of the drums, the brass section filling her with confidence. She stepped up to the soldier, his friends peering at her over his shoulder. When he turned around, she stood there for a second, their eyes locked. “Hello, soldier.” Her eyes didn’t wander from his. His face was even more stunning than his backside. A chiseled jawline, bright blue eyes, and a plump, kissable mouth. She touched her lips with her tongue and bit the bottom one. He reached up to remove his hat, but before he could say anything, Faye pressed her lips to his, catching the soldier by surprise and throwing him off balance. She wasn’t sure if it was because he was off balance and he had to grab her to stay upright, but he squeezed his arm around her—the one that held his hat—and deepened the kiss. Hoots and hollers sounded around them. “All right, Will,” someone cheered. When they pulled apart, all Faye could do was stare at the man who’d just given her the best kiss of her life. “Well, hello to you too.” Faye blinked and a smirk broke out across her face. “Well . . .” The group of soldiers parted as a haughty woman in a WAVES uniform stepped up to Faye. “Rita?” “You sure got a lotta nerve, missy.” She stood, hands on hips, her face inches from Faye’s. “Oh, I’m . . .” Faye took in a breath, considering an apology. She hadn’t realized the soldiers already had women with them. If she had, that kiss would never have happened. The distinctive smell of hard liquor filled Faye’s nose. Rita had clearly been enjoying a few stiff ones. Was that a good idea while wearing a uniform? “Moxie,” said the soldier. Had someone called him Will? “It’s called moxie, Rita.” He refused to take his eyes off Faye as he spoke, stepping between the two women. “It’s Ensign Johnson,” she barked then spun on her heel and stomped off. Faye suppressed another smirk at the sight of her bright red lipstick smeared haphazardly round the soldier’s lips. He shoved his hat in his pocket then took her hand and pressed his lips to the back of it, eyeing her intently all the while. The music faded into the background. “Will Burke,” he said, handing his drink to the soldier next to him, still holding her hand. “Faye Brownlee.” She pulled a tissue from her purse and fixed the soldier’s face. “Sorry about that.” “Don’t be.” He still stared so intently at her, but she wasn’t uncomfortable. She turned to introduce Darla and Liz, sensing they were behind her. Their mouths gaped back at her. Darla would know better than to challenge her again. Unless she was prepared to lose. Faye never lost a bet. Her brother had taunted her enough growing up that losing was never an option.
GIVEAWAY! Fates Fulfilled
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play -- EXCERPT: Garrin Branimir, Prince of Dark Kingdom, strode down the dingy hallway where the Fae kept their half-human, half-Fae Halven, and paused near a dark-haired female on his right. The woman grinned as she passed. She was attractive. For a human. Or Halven, given the building. Hundreds of years ago, Fae from other kingdoms in the Faery realm of Tirnan built Dawson University to monitor their half-blood offspring, known as Halven. Particularly those Halven who developed magical powers. As far as anyone knew, no Halven born of Dark Fae blood existed due to the Land of Ice that blocked Dark Kingdom from any other living being, including in the Earth realm. But Garrin suspected the one he searched for could be hidden here. The prophecy stated a female with Dark blood would save his people. Garrin had run out of options in Dark Kingdom. No one possessed the power needed to create safe passage to other lands. The Earth realm was his last hope for finding the one. He fanned his hand in front of the female’s face before she passed. He’d been testing all females in the building for weeks. So far, none had deflected his magic. The brunette blinked, then stumbled. Then her lips turned blue, and she began to choke, her dark eyes watering as ice formed across her face. Sounds of suffocation came from her throat. She was indeed Halven. He wasn’t as good at sensing magic levels as those with the ability, but he could tell she was more than human now that he was close. Only she wasn’t the one for whom he searched. She was simply a half-blood, like all the rest. Garrin sighed and waved forward the two soldiers behind him. “Heal her and blur her memory.” This girl might not be the one, but Garrin would search for the female who was until his dying breath, which should give him a millennium, give or take. “Your Highness,” Amund said, a portal creator and one such Fae with the ability to sense energy levels. “The earthbound Fae soldiers have discovered our presence.” Garrin let out a long-suffering sigh. He’d spent the last hundred years attempting to cross the barrier separating his kingdom from the others of Tirnan. It had been nigh impossible to make it across the Land of Ice weakened, only to be attacked by deadly Fae soldiers from other lands. Until an uprising left said lands vulnerable. He’d finally breached the borders of the other kingdoms and made it to the Earth realm, and he wasn’t about to turn back now. “The Fae living on Earth are a nuisance. How am I to find the girl with them nipping at my heels?” Amund stared off in the distance. “We have two minutes before they discover us.” His men had returned the brunette to the dwelling from whence she came, and Garrin looked down the hallway one last time. “Very well. We will return another—” Someone exited a door halfway down. A female. Tall. Garrin didn’t get a good look at her face because she’d pulled a hood over her head that dipped below her eyes, but he held up his hand in a staying motion. There was something about this one… He was drawn to her. “I sense no power,” Amund said. Fae were taller than humans, and many Halven took on the trait. “I will test her anyway.” The closer she got, his urge to be near her grew. “Your Highness, please hurry.” Amund glanced back. “We have a minute at most.” The female kept her head down as she moved closer. She didn’t appear to see Garrin standing there. Odd, that. At over seven feet, Garrin wasn’t easily missed in the Earth realm. The girl was so preoccupied, in fact, that she nearly ran into him. She stopped abruptly a couple of feet away, and her chin tilted up. Her face flushed, and she averted her gaze. But not before Garrin caught sight of her beautiful golden eyes, the mysterious energy behind them hitting him like a bolt of lightning. There was no time. Garrin needed to test her quickly and be gone. He pursed his lips and exhaled, giving her more of his powers than he’d given other females they’d encountered. She blinked, and ice crystallized around her nose and lips…and melted as quickly as it had formed. Her gaze collided with his, her expression one of surprise. Garrin’s entire body lit up with desire so powerful it took his breath away. He stepped back, astonished at his reaction to the woman, and at what he’d discovered. For so long he’d fought death and starvation and battled enemies to reach the one. No Dark Fae were thought to live in the Earth realm, but Garrin suspected she was hiding here, and now he’d found her in the form of a Halven. Elation coursed through him. After all this time, he’d succeeded where no other Fae had for hundreds of years. He would save his people from isolation. He would make his father proud…and he would have the female. A smile slowly pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Take her.”
GIVEAWAY! Ruby Island
-- EXCERPT: “Imagine I hold in my hand a small, but very potent syringe of truth serum…” Holding his thumb and forefinger a little apart, Rugby twisted his hand from side to side as if shaking up invisible contents. “There’s just enough for two doses.” Flicking the veins of his inner elbow, he looked directly at Kana as he mimed the injection sliding into his vein. “Ahhh…” The grimace of mock pain made her smirk. When he loosened up, he was almost likeable. Almost. Rugby put down his half-biscuit on the paper bag and held out his hand. “Your turn.” “What? No.” “Don’t you want to play?” he spoke with deceptive softness, eyes challenging. Kana blinked at him, unsure where this was going, or why Rugby was putting in the effort to hook her into his silly game. She slowly extended her arm towards him anyway. Expecting him to mime the injection sliding into her inner elbow, like he’d done to himself, she faltered when he took her wrist again, trailing one large thumb across the faint blue of the sensitive skin. She had just enough time to wonder if he could feel her pulse skitter in reaction to the intimate touch, before he plunged the imaginary truth serum into her vein. “It takes a moment for it to kick in.” Rugby continued with the pretence, releasing her arm as he leant back on his hands, out of her personal space but still holding her gaze. “Okay, here comes my truth. I find you very attractive. In fact, you’re stunning. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. Not since that first time at the lake, when you took your sunglasses off and scowled down your nose at me.” Seriously? Kana stared at him. Yup. Rugby appeared to be dead serious. He’d been so much easier to deal with when he was wishing her off his property. This close-contact charm-offensive was much more focussed in its assault, and a lot more confusing. “Ah, thank you, Mr Dante. Mr… ah, Daniel… D. Flattering, but—” “Your serum should be taking effect about now,” Rugby interrupted, somewhat grim. “Right.” Kana hugged her knees to herself again. No point in hanging back. If she were upfront and honest, it’d clear the air and perhaps get their landlord-tenant relationship back on an even playing field. She looked sideways at him. “I don’t want to be attracted to you.” The statement had the opposite effect to what she’d been expecting. Rugby broke into a slow and beatific grin. “But… you are?” “That’s not what I said,” Kana negated; realising belatedly it was exactly what she’d implied. And, to be honest, exactly how she felt. “I’m just out of a long-term relationship, and not looking for any complications.” “Who said I was aiming for complicated?” “Just telling you where I stand.” She rose with purpose, grabbing her empty cup with her free hand. She hadn’t made it two steps when Rugby blocked her path. “What are you doing?” she snapped, agitation mounting. “Did you know who I was when we first met?” “No.” she shook her head to confirm. “There wasn’t any mention of a landlord on the application information.” “On the application…?” Rugby shadowed her speech with a frown. “The artist in residence form?” She nodded. The confusion on Rugby’s forehead began to clear. “No, I meant did you know… You know what? It doesn’t matter. I think you just answered that. Why did you pretend to be a tourist?” Kana drew a big, dramatic sigh. “I tried to explain this already. You made out like I was a tourist.” “I did not. I asked you if you were lost. Polite-local-guy helps woman-with-open-map. Woman thinks, who is this hot guy?” Rugby grinned. “It was a very simple plan.” “Well, I wasn’t lost,” Kana muttered, a little incensed he was finding this funny. “But you did think I was hot?” There he went with his big ego again. She moved to step around him. “One more question. Did you take my Saturday newspaper?” The words were softer this time, like they meant more. Kana hesitated only for a moment. “Yes. Sorry. I used it for clay without thinking.” “You read it first, though.” It was a statement, not a question. “No. I don’t read the paper. It’s too depressing. I needed it as stuffing for a hand-built piece.” Kana frowned, thinking back. “There is one bit I remember though. A headline. ‘Doctors Fail To…’ I don’t know what they failed to do, because I’d already ripped that piece out and used it. It’s been bugging me ever since.” “Has it now?” Rugby considered her with an intent gleam. “It has. Yes.” “There’s something I’ve failed to do.” The corner of Rugby’s mouth tugged back up into a smile, and Kana was conscious of a faint warning bell in her head. There was something very unpredictable about this man. “One more minute of your time. I’ve been wanting to try something out…” His hands moved to her shoulders and rested lightly, and Kana could’ve pulled away from him when she realised what he intended to do. Those hazel eyes told her exactly what he was up to. Instead she stood stock-still as Rugby’s head lowered, and his lips slid softly atop hers.
GIVEAWAY! Rook’s Palace
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo -- EXCERPT: The console that had caught Emilia’s attention was an oval design, smooth silver. She touched the casing, and found that it was warm, polished metal rather than plastic, with a smaller oval display set in the middle. As soon as her fingers brushed against the console, the display lit up with words. “Play me? Huh,” Emilia said. “You’re strange. How do I play you?” she asked. There was no controller anywhere that she could see. The other wireless ones were neatly lined up beneath their respective console, but this oddity… The screen brightened, and the words play me blinked at Emilia. “Right. I want to.” She turned to look around. On the table behind her, on the chairs, there was no controller in sight either, nor did her search reveal one behind the cushions. Shrugging, Emilia hit the screen on the console. She felt the slight give of a button. “Ah.” The television set flickered to life, and a suitably eerie voice echoed to Emilia from hidden speakers. “Welcome to the Rook’s Palace,” said a male narrator. On the screen, the camera was following a path through a thicket of trees. It wound toward a castle that rose like a waking dragon in the distance. “Wow, this looks super HD,” Emilia said. She pulled one of the floor cushions stacked to the right of the TV toward her and sat down cross-legged. “Brave traveler, you have chosen to walk the paths to the palace, but beware,” said the narrator. “These paths are full of the pleasures of the flesh, and none that walk them may escape the lust and desire of those who call the palace their home. “Traveler, should you choose to continue, there is a mission you must carry out.” The screen washed out, the scene shifting from the outdoors to a room. It could have been a room right here in Blakely’s castle. As the camera did a slow turn, Emilia gasped a little as a tall, dark-haired figure came into view. At that exact moment, the man turned and looked at the camera, almost as if he’d heard Emilia’s gasp. His dark hair ran down his back, and he wore what was probably supposed to be some sort of stylized Victorian garb. The pants were tight enough to show off muscular legs, and the pressed white shirt with the silver buttons — half of which were undone — showed a broad chest and a narrow waist. The man, whose hair trailed down to the small of his back and half hid his face, looked straight at the camera. His eyes were the color of amethyst, and a wild emotion stirred in their depth for a second before the man shut it down. “Lord Radovan, the vampire prince, has been hidden away in the palace’s highest tower. Traveler, if you dare, it is your mission to free Lord Radovan from his captivity.” Emilia wanted to look at this strange vampire prince more. The video quality was good, uncannily so, everything looked real. It was almost like all she had to do was reach out her hand, and she’d be able to touch the amethyst-eyed vampire prince. Emilia lifted her right hand, but before she could actually try reaching for the vampire, the camera moved. It went for a window and flew straight out, down toward a hedge maze. “The palace grounds are full of riddles and challenges. Those who guard the path and the palace will not be assuaged by anything less than taking pleasure in your body, Traveler,” the narrator said. “They will demand you give yourself to them, and if they have no mouth or know not how to use it, they will take pleasure on you regardless, split you open and fill you with their need.” Emilia felt like she should be taking notes for her chat room work. This was good enough to make warmth run down her spine, to make her shift a little on her floor cushion. “Traveler, if you wish to proceed to the Rook’s Palace, you must consent now to have your body used. On the path to the Palace, your body will be your token. If you dare not, you may turn back, though you will never know what pleasures hide behind these walls. If you consent, your pleasure will end only once Lord Radovan is set free from his tower.” The maze opened up to the path again, and the camera rushed back to the spot it had first been in, the one with trees to either side of it. Words wrote themselves across the screen. “Traveler, do you consent?” it read. “Say yes, and proceed. Say no, and never return.” Once more, Emilia looked for a controller. The button she’d pushed on the console had gone dark now. She looked back up at the screen…
Audrey
-- EXCERPT: “Julie?” Julie froze on the footpath only a few dozen yards ahead of him, although she did not turn around right away to face the familiar voice. “Julie, please!” Joe cried, continuing to approach her but slowing down his pace just enough to appear as non-threatening as he possibly could. Surprisingly it was Sarah who turned around to face him first. “Who is it, mummy?” were the first words out of her mouth. “Who is that man?” Julie took a deep breath and finally turned her stiff body fully around to confront the man that she truly hoped she would never have to see again. There was a long, deep silence as the two just stared at each other for what felt like aeons. Joe looked deeply remorseful stuck inside his own emotional turmoil. “I heard you were getting out.” Julie finally spoke up. “I just wanted to say hello.” “You shouldn’t be here, Joe. You’re not allowed to be here. There are rules and regulations that you need to follow.” “I know, I know, but I just wanted to see my…” Joe glanced down at Sarah. He tried to smile, even with tears in his eyes. Sarah hugged a little closer into her mother, unsure of the strange man standing on the street in front of them. “Don’t you dare say what you’re about to bloody well say, Joe? Don’t you bloody well dare!” Julie turned to face Sarah again. She crouched down fast so they were both at the same height. “Who is that man, mummy?” Sarah asked again. “Just an old, old friend of your mum’s, that’s all. Nothing to worry about. But can you do me a wee favour, my angel?” Sarah nodded gently. “See that lamppost behind you, my wee darling? Can you go and wait for mummy over there, please? I won’t be long.” Sarah simply nodded again and did what she was told. She took one last short curious glance at Joe before walking away. Julie then turned her focus back on Joe. With an angry glare and a determined steely walk, she made her way towards him with a face of thunder. “Look. I knew this day was coming and I have been… mentally preparing for it to say the least…” Julie hesitated. She closed her eyes and pressed her fingertips into her forehead, debating what to say next. Desperately trying to choose her words carefully in her emotional state of mind. “Look. She doesn’t know who you are, okay? She doesn’t remember you. And I still haven’t gotten around to telling her about…” Julie hesitated again. Clearly choking up with the painful memories of it all. “…About what you fucking did.” She finally got her words out. “It’s okay. I completely understand.” Joe swiftly replied, keen to comfort her. But Julie looked furious as hell at Joe’s casual answer. “No, Joe. No, you don’t understand. How could you ever understand?” Julie took a few moments to calm herself down. “Look, if you want to see Sarah again then I guess I can’t stop you from trying. But you will have to go through all the proper channels to make it happen. I will not make this easy for you Joe, okay? So, this is your first and only warning. If you surprise us like this again in the middle of the bloody street, or if I see you anywhere near us without a social worker or a bloody lawyer then I will call the police and have you sent back to prison without even batting an eyelash. Do you understand?” “Yes.” Joe replied as sincerely as he possibly could. “I understand.” Julie turned around to leave, but Joe still had more to say. “Do you think we could talk sometime, Julie? Please?” Julie stopped dead in her tracks and whipped around to face him again. She looked utterly flabbergasted that he was still talking. “Talk?” “I mean, just the two of us.” “Didn’t you just listen to a bloody word I said?” Joe suddenly began digging around in his pockets. By the desperate expression on his face, it was as if the thing he was searching for held the key to getting back on Julie’s good side again. Finally, he pulled out a pair of cinema tickets which only baffled her more. “Look. I know it might sound stupid and dumb as hell, but I bought us some tickets for a movie at the film festival next week… I thought we could perhaps grab a bite to eat, talk, watch a movie. Like we used to do?” Julie looked utterly confounded, but she restrained herself from raising her voice into an angry screech in the middle of the quiet neighbourhood where she could already feel the presence of hidden eyes from behind the twitching blinds and curtains of the surrounding houses. “You want to go and watch a fucking movie? After all this time? After what you did?” “I know it sounds dumb. I just don’t know what to do or where else to start here, Julie, please?” “You could start by moving to the other side of the fucking planet and staying far, far away from us.”
GIVEAWAY! Night Prince
-- EXCERPT: For the past century, Massimo had occasionally allowed humans into his home if he found it necessary for his business. He’d hired several—pale, thin creatures who were good with numbers, something Massimo had trouble with even as a child. They assisted him with the Internet when the need arose and kept his books and finances in order because he simply couldn’t. If DaVinci and Galileo, who remained his favorites, had been unable to help him, he would’ve admitted defeat. This human, however, was proving to be a danger to his physical needs, something he’d kept locked up tight for centuries. He hadn’t lain with a man since the last time with Riice, but Massimo recognized lust. It bubbled inside him the longer he stared at this man. And he was even prettier awake than in sleep, sweet and innocent-looking. But Massimo had been duped once—his brother had played him well for years, lulling him into a false sense of security before turning on him and stealing his birthright and his life. He wouldn’t be fooled again. Was he sent as a spy? Had someone from the Fold discovered where he was and sent this morsel to test him? Massimo eyed the man, distrust warring with unexpected desire. “Excuse me.” The poor thing jumped and stared at him with wide blue eyes. Thick waves of honey-colored hair fell over his brow, and he carded his fingers through the mess. “Um. Hello.” Massimo advanced upon the man. He possessed a lovely rich scent, but Massimo wasn’t interested in his blood. His shocking hunger was of a different kind. “May I ask who you are and what you are doing in my home?” “Are you the prince?” “I believe I asked you a question first. Who are you, and what are you doing here?” Before the human could answer, Claudio skidded into the room. “Your Highness, I’m sorry I wasn’t there to greet you. I was washing Damion’s shoelaces.” “Damien?” “Damion. With an o. I know it’s usually with an e, but I guess someone made a mistake on my birth certificate, and…well, yeah. Damion.” The human’s face had turned a rather adorable shade of pink. “Damion with an o. Understood.” “And you’re Massimo? The prince?” He arched a brow at Claudio, who shrugged. “He asked.” “He…asked.” Massimo shook his head. “Indeed. What else did you tell him that he asked?” He folded his arms and trained his hard gaze upon Claudio, who shifted uneasily under the intense scrutiny. “How did you end up bringing this…stranger here?” “Don’t be a hard-ass to Claudio. I literally ran into him during the rainstorm earlier. My phone cracked, and he felt guilty as all hell and said he could fix it and brought me here. I must’ve fallen asleep waiting for him. You have a really comfortable couch, by the way.” “Is that so?” Massimo glided closer to Damion, smiling to himself when Damion’s breath hitched. “Uh, yeah. Well, I’d better get going. It’s getting late, and you probably want to have dinner.” “Your sneakers are in the dryer, Damion,” Claudio said. “They shouldn’t take too long.” “What a help you’ve been to our guest, Claudio.” Massimo leaned against the arched doorway. “As for you, Damion with an o, I insist you stay.” He bared his teeth in a grin. “I don’t think—” “You have somewhere else to be?” Massimo put a hand on Damion’s arm and felt him flinch. A curious electric current shot up his arm.
GIVEAWAY! The Worst Best Friend: A Small Town Romance
-- EXCERPT: Weston “Look at me,” I rumble. “W-why?” she stammers with a sniff. For this. The moment our lips meet, it’s like a generator blown to pieces. A hundred thousand watts of raw electricity, hot and fast and furious, so wild with sparks it welds our lips together. Fuck. No. Fuck! She gasps into my mouth and I groan back a curse. Her lips firm with surprise, then soften, giving way to the sudden attack of my tongue. I’m no longer in control of my own body. This kiss has its own rules, its own gravity, its own soul. I’d be a complete fool to try to stop its energy. Her lips are too soft. Too warm. Too perfect in every way, shape, form, and whimper. When my tongue claims hers, soft and wet as a summer strawberry, she molds to my chest, dragging her body against mine. I can’t separate my hot mouth from hers, even though I know full well I should. Stumbling back a step is the only thing that saves us. That’s what she does to me, her and her thieving, glorious lips. She knocks me upside the head and renders me fucking boneless. I tear myself away violently, just a few inches, both of us staring in wild-eyed shock at each other, fighting to remember how to breathe. Goddamn. My eyes slide to those ruby-red lips again with a need to bite her. I can’t. I won’t. But hell…one more time, maybe. Just one more taste and then I’ll stop. I’ll pull back from the brink before we face annihilation. It takes nearly all my willpower to crush my lips against hers, to roam her mouth every way I’ve wanted for years—fucking years--only to shove myself away. Dammit all. My bright ideas especially. I’m panting like a wild animal—breathing like I’m in disbelief—and for her, I want to be.
GIVEAWAY! Beast
-- EXCERPT: “How long has it been since you’ve had a shower?” “Are you saying I stink?” I yelled. “Yes,” she deadpanned. I drew back, shock rendering me silent. “Damn. Is that all I had to do to get you to shut up all this time? Just tell you, you stink?” I low growl vibrated my throat. It hurt, but I didn’t stop. Her eyes rolled. Their color was beautiful, reminding me of roasted chestnuts from street vendors around the holidays. I wondered if I’d even be able to walk the street this year. My face would probably scare everyone. “I’m asking because now that your bandages and stitches are removed, it would be a good time to shower off before I re-cover it all.” “I haven’t had a shower since before. Only a couple sponge baths.” Then a piece of the old me slipped out, a piece I’d thought had been gone for good. Leaning in with a slight smirk and naughty whisper, I asked, “You offering to give me a sponge bath?” Without missing a beat, she also leaned in. “I guess I am.” The messy room fell away, and for a moment, I forgot I was a hideous, exposed beast overwhelmed with discomfort and cast aside by the people I’d trusted. All that remained was a pair of hickory eyes regarding me with sassy mirth. Her crimson-stained lips pursed, and my eyes lingered upon them, suddenly so incredibly hungry. Unlike mine, her skin was flawless, smooth, and richly pigmented. She’s beautiful. The long column of her neck was graceful and always exposed because the curls on her head were short and wild. My fingers itched to wrap around it, gripping with just enough force to possess her while my mouth devoured hers. “What’s the matter, Ander? Not used to someone calling your bluff?” Her voice was amused but hushed, and something deep inside me howled in delight that she might not be as composed as she portrayed. I leaned closer, noting the way her nostrils flared. We were so close now we shared the same breath. Hers smelled faintly of mint and was more rapid than before. “Who said I was bluffing?” I whispered. Her cheeks turned slightly reflective, taking on a glossy sheen, and she pulled back, eyes flaring just a bit. She was flustered.
GIVEAWAY! Claimed by the Cyborgs
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play -- EXCERPT: “Do you accept my claim, mate? Do you give yourself freely, to me and my second, or do you wish to choose another primary male?” Ummm, no? I wanted to tell this man, whoever he was, that I had no intention of accepting his claim on anything, but the body I seemed to be occupying shivered with need at the deep timbre of his voice, my—her—core throbbed, wet with welcome. “Yes. Yes, I accept your claim, warriors.” The voice wasn’t mine, but I felt what she was feeling. Achy. Empty, Desperate. Loved. Adored. Safe. That was not me. I had felt nothing similar in more years than I cared to count. “Hurry,” I—she whispered. From behind me, a second male voice murmured into my ear. “So greedy, little mate.” I had no idea what was happening, but I knew the sound of promise in the male’s voice. So did this body. A soft moan escaped from my-her throat as his hands moved from my hips to cup my breasts. I sat on his lap. Content to be there. Was that another man behind me? Oh, god. Yes. It was. I should have been shocked. Instead, raw lust flooded me and I somehow knew there were two lovers. Two males. Both mine. “Close your eyes. Lift your arms above your head. Lean back. Wrap them around me and don’t let go.” That voice whispered in my ear again, the command one I was eager to follow. I did as instructed, my chest thrust forward, my back arched. “Do not move without permission, mate.” I tried to open my eyes, but the thought carried no weight as my body was not obeying my commands, but hers. Whoever she was. She kept her eyes closed and I knew it was because her second—whatever that meant—had ordered her not to open them and she wanted to please him. Wanted the pleasure she knew cooperation would award her. Desperately.
GIVEAWAY! Cambion’s Law
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo -- EXCERPT: I stole a glance at the two humans waiting with me at the coffee kiosk and stifled a groan. If I had my way, I’d make PDAs before six a.m. a first-degree misdemeanor. Quite a hill to die on, huh? Of course, I’d have to leave the D.A.’s office and run for Congress first, but the pithy single-platform campaign slogans wrote themselves: Elect Lillian Knight and Make Singles Jogging Safe Again. Stop Criminal Canoodling. Think of the children—and have mercy on the celibate-by-choice cambion lurking uncomfortably behind you in the coffee line. Alas, even a half-demon like me didn’t have that kind of power. And my powers of glaring didn’t stop the middle-aged couple in the cafe’s outdoor waiting area from mooning over each other. I wrapped my arms around myself and set my jaw. This early on a dreary weekday morning, I should have had the park to myself, free from lovestruck tourists and their sloppy, tantalizing energy. And yet, here stood these two grown adults in their puffy jackets, snuggling together like teenagers and harshing the living hell out of my happy place. Maybe I didn’t need a caffeine fix before my run. Never mind the biting Pacific gusts blowing off the choppy gray waves of the strait, the thick fog blanketing the rust-orange span of the Golden Gate Bridge, or the gritty haze that clouded my brain after another sleepless night. I could live with all of that. San Francisco’s fog couldn’t rival the Pennsylvania winters I’d grown up with, even after eight years of acclimation. Insomnia and I had an intimate, long-term relationship. And the cold didn’t get under my demon-tough skin like the two walking heart-eye emojis in front of me. I licked my lips and slapped my change on the counter. Oblivious to my jonesing, the lovebirds entwined their hands and leaned into each other, a bulwark of two against the chill. I turned away, but their mutual desire thrummed in the air around me like a pair of plucked guitar strings tuned to one another. Its sweetness settled, thick and cloying, at the back of my throat. Damn my succubus senses. They didn’t help anything, and they never knew when to quit. The synesthetic song of the human couple’s desiderata—the energy of their deep-seated needs and desires—didn’t hold any secrets simple human perception would have missed. Still, their two-part harmony tugged at me. I’d have given a limb, maybe two, to turn it off at will, but no one was buying. Swallowing hard, I grasped at straws: stocks, sports, anything unsexy and boring. The Giants had done well this season, right? No good. The desiderata behind me hummed all the louder, a tangible vibration running up my spine like a live wire. I risked another peek over my shoulder and winced. The man had bent toward the woman, the breeze ruffling his salt-and-pepper hair. She tilted her head up, lips parted, face aglow, ready for his kiss. “Screw this,” I muttered, and broke into a run. The barista’s call floated after me. “Quad cappuccino for Lily?” I didn’t stop. Bye bye, six hard-earned dollars I paid for the abandoned drink. Too bad, so sad for my wallet, but it wasn’t worth the cost to my peace of mind and my succubus sobriety. The rhythm of my sneakers on the hard-packed earth of the upper trail beat out a staccato counterpoint to the hiss of the surf and the blood pounding in my ears. About halfway into the grove of cypress and eucalyptus that lined the trail, I hit my stride. The trees blurred into a gray-green smear on either side of me, and the siren call of human desiderata faded away. And then I tripped over something heavy and dense that lay across the trail and went sprawling face-first into the dirt. The wind knocked out of me, I lay still for a few seconds, tonguing my split and swelling lip. It leaked a coppery tang tainted with bitter earth into my mouth. My palms stung where I’d flung them out to catch my fall. I rolled over and the gray sky wheeled above me in a dizzy lurch. Damn it, had I hit my head? A concussion would make this a real banner week. I could heal faster than humans did, but to recover from a serious injury, I would need more than strong coffee. I would have to break a vow I’d made to myself and take kether—human life force, the fuel my powers depended on, transferred by touch and emotional connection from their bodies to mine.
GIVEAWAY! |
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