Rhian Cahill's Blog, page 48

Snippet Saturday – Beginnings

This week's theme is endings, quite appropriate when you consider the date. I wasn't sure what to pick for the snippet this week but I finally decided on an 'ending' of sorts. This is the final appearance of Marcus in the Coyote Hunger series and it's most definitely an ending for him. Enjoy.

"Doc" Gordie has tried to keep Steve McKenna at arm's length, but the sexy coyote shifter is under her skin, in her blood and in her heart. No matter how much she fears what he makes her feel, she can't bear to stay away. After he rescues her from a vicious attack, Gordie is helpless to deny the sizzling attraction burning between them.

There hasn't been a day Steve has not wanted Doc in his bed, but bruised and bloody is not what he had in mind. The need for revenge is riding his coyote—almost as much as his aching desire to finally claim Doc as his own. But that will have to wait. He must first convince Doc the safest place for her is by his side. When a second attack draws them together, suppressed needs explode, leaving no doubt where they both belong. But danger is never far behind and Gordie is forced to make a fatal decision that could destroy all they've worked so hard to discover.

Snippet:-

"Gordie, run!" Tatum's shout got Gordie moving again.

Her heart pounded against her ribs and her lungs refused to take more than small gulps of air. She would not let him win this time. There wasn't much in the way of weapons in the clinic but she could improvise. Gordie picked up the bundle of magazines on the corner table and threw them at the mass of wrestling bodies. It was enough to draw the masked attacker's attention away from Tatum.

With a growl he shoved Tatum aside and came at Gordie. Spinning on her heel she ran toward the room most likely to hold some kind of weapon. The morgue. Moments ago the hallway had seemed short, now it appeared to go on forever before she reached her destination. Trays of sterile surgical implements sat to one side of the large room and Gordie headed straight for them. Scooping up a handful of plastic-covered steel, she darted around the end of an exam table, putting the slab of cold metal between her and Marcus.

She had no doubt who hid behind the ski mask. Gordie would never forget those eyes. He'd been wearing the same clothes two days ago so it was obvious who had returned. Tatum hadn't made a sound after he'd flung her against the wall and the doctor in Gordie wanted to go check to see if the other woman was all right but she couldn't afford to let her guard down or neither of them would be okay.

"You can't hide from me, non-blood bitch." His shout echoed down the hall.

Gordie crouched down behind the table and peered around the pedestal base to watch the doorway. If he kept going she could sneak out of the room and back to Tatum. His heavy footfalls grew closer.

"I'll kill you when I get my hands on you." He was moving from room to room, searching for her.

Fear sliced into her. He outweighed her by at least one hundred pounds, probably more, but Gordie knew the soft spots, knew where to strike to inflict the most damage if she had to.

"You can't hide and that bitch out front isn't going to save your sorry ass from what I've got planned."

His words chilled her blood, the venom in them unmistakable. She also couldn't miss the slight tinge of madness ringing in his voice. Gordie knew he'd checked most of the other rooms, knew it was only a matter of time before he reached this one and she needed a plan. Two plans. One for when he found her and one for if he passed on by.

"You're going to pay for all the trouble you've caused."

Trouble? What trouble? Gordie had no idea what he was talking about. She'd never had much to do with Marcus. He'd always considered her beneath him because she was human and then after Anthony had died he'd never even glanced her way. He hadn't even come to her for medical treatment once since she'd taken over the clinic from her stepfather.

"You think you're so smart hooking up with that McKenna bastard." He was in the next room, moving closer with every breath.

She fingered the plastic packets in her hands, glanced down quickly to see exactly what she had. Three scalpels, two sets of forceps and two pairs of scissors. What would she do with the forceps? A sound in the doorway drew her gaze. Black boots and jeans up to the knee were visible. She wasn't game to move for a better look. Gordie watched those boots intently. The second he came toward her or left she'd be ready.

He turned and went back into the hall. Air rushed from her chest, hissed through her teeth as relief filled her. Gordie carefully removed the plastic from the instruments and counted to one hundred before standing and tiptoeing toward the door. She couldn't hear anything and that worried her more than having him in the doorway in front of her would have. Soundlessly, she made her way across the room.

Her skin prickled and instinct made her jump back seconds before he charged into the room. He reached for her throat, his hands wrapping around her neck and hooking in her jacket as she tried to spin away. The zipper on her coat dug into her skin and she gagged as her airway was crushed. Gordie brought her hand up, scissors extended and drove them into the nearest body part. Cloth tore and skin broke as she pushed with all her strength. Marcus howled in pain and his grip loosened, allowing her to twist free of his hold.

"Bitch!" He'd removed his mask, his gaunt face skeletal in appearance and a mere impression of his former self.

Marcus lunged for her, the scissors protruding from between the fourth and fifth ribs near the center of his chest. His fingers caught her sleeve and he wrenched her back against him. The steal handles of the scissors dug into her shoulder and she applied pressure to drive them deeper. A curse filled her ears and he shoved her forward, sent her tumbling to the floor. Pain exploded in her back as she went down and she rolled away just before he kicked out a second time.

"Not so fucking tough now are you?" He lashed out with his foot again, grazing her hip with the toes.

Gordie grabbed at his pants, tangled her fingers in the fabric and pulled. He teetered above her so she gave the jeans another yank and sent him crashing to the ground beside her. She clambered for purchase but she slid on the slippery tile beneath her hands and feet. Steal glinted next to her and she realized she'd dropped her makeshift weapons in their struggle. Reaching out, she wrapped her fingers around the nearest one.

"Fucking bitch!" Marcus crawled after her.

With desperation she lashed out, but he dodged to the side and the blade of a scalpel glanced along his cheek, barely leaving a scratch. He kept coming, managed to pin her beneath him, his body crushing hers. She kicked and punched, bucked and thrashed in an attempt to dislodge him. Marcus tangled his fingers in her hair and used his grip to slam her head into the ground repeatedly. Stars burst before her eyes and Gordie's arms flailed about without purpose.

He was going to kill her. There was no way she could throw him off, he was too heavy. Tears burned her eyes and throat as he once again wrapped his hands around her neck and began to squeeze. The back of her head pounded but the pain had begun to go numb. Her arms and legs wouldn't work properly, their weight too much to move. Her vision blurred, blackness creeping in around the edges and she thought she heard someone call her name.

Steve.

"He's too late." Marcus laughed above her, his face a grotesque, distorted image. "You're dead, bitch, and he's next."

"No." The hoarse cry hurt her throat but she couldn't let him get Steve. With the last of her energy Gordie lifted her arm, the scalpel still in her hand, and slashed out at his face. At first she thought she'd missed. Marcus stopped squeezing and his mouth fell open. Everything happened in slow motion. For seconds neither of them breathed and then blood began to bead in a long line down the side of his neck. The beading quickly turned to a flow.

The flow increased rapidly until blood pumped from the slice in gushing waves. She'd hit his carotid artery. Marcus let go of her throat and grabbed his neck but he couldn't stop the surge. He fell to the side and Gordie used her hands and feet to scramble backward. She slipped and slid in the pool of blood forming on the floor, the slick warmth made her move quicker in a bid to get away. But it was all around her, over her. His hands fell from his body as he collapsed with the gurgle of his final breath in his throat.

Gordie stared at Marcus' lifeless body, the sea of red spreading out around him and began to tremble. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she curled into a ball and brought her hands up to cover her face. Sobs racked her chest, the heaving gasps compressing her ribs and stomach with pain. Wetness soaked into her clothes and she uncovered her eyes to see nothing but the blood she'd spilled surrounding her.

A cry of anguish echoed in the room, the sound vibrating in her ears as her scream of agony went on and on.

****

Don't forget to check out the rest of the snippets up this week:-

Lauren Dane

Rhian Cahill

Eliza Gayle

Selena Blake

Anne Rainey

Jody Wallace

Lissa Matthews

Mari Carr

McKenna Jeffries

Myla Jackson

Taige Crenshaw

Alison Kent

Delilah Devlin

Shelli Stevens

Shiloh Walker

Leah Braemel

HelenKay Dimon

TJ Michaels

Want to win a copy of Truth Or Dare?

Then head over to the Down Under Divas blog and help me out with my holiday reading.

CLICK THE BANNER

It's only three weeks until Truth Or Dare releases! Yay! But you can pre-order it now CLICK HERE!  :)

Rhian

Merry Christmas!

We're already knee deep in presents at the in-laws house. We were up early ripping into our own before loading presents into the car and heading out for the day. I hope, like me, you get to spend the day with family and friends enjoying way too much food.

From the Cahill tribe to you and yours, we wish you a happy, safe Christmas and New Year.

Rhian

Snippet Saturday – Beginnings

The theme this week is beginnings so I thought I'd go with my first ever published story, One Night In Bangkok. 

One night in Bangkok is all it takes to turn Beth Martin's plans upside down. After being betrayed by her fiance the last thing she needs is another man screwing up her life. But Tom is different. He makes her feel sensations long forgotten, makes her want in ways best left unspoken. Can she live out her wildest fantasies in one decadent night? And when it's over, can she walk away?

***

Sweat oozed from every pore, pooled and then dripped between Beth's breasts, the slide of moisture a warm caress, like a lover's tongue. The loose blouse she'd picked in hope of beating the oppressive heat failed miserably when faced with the stifling temperature of downtownBangkok. Plastered to her skin, the saturated blue silk had turned opaque and did little more than cling to her leaving nothing to hide her flesh from roaming eyes.

Her back and arms hadn't escaped the flood of fluid this humid, stinking hot climate pulled from her body either. Her flowing cotton skirt stuck to the rivulets of sweat that coated her legs. Beth could imagine her knees making squelching sounds with every step she took.

Her thighs clung together on every pass, grabbed and held before they let go with a small pop. Her hotel stood at the end of the block, and she lengthened her stride as the urge to run the last few steps stole through her. The ten minute walk from the American Embassy felt like hours.

If today's heat and humidity were the norm, it would take far longer than she'd anticipated to acclimate to living inThailand. Every breath she dragged in bathed her airway with a layer of the moisture that hung heavy in the air. Was it possible to drown in such humid conditions?

As she approached, the doorman offered a smile and opened the door to the hotel foyer. A blast of cold air reached out and wrapped around her. The chill burned as it stroked over her hot flesh. Each step inside the air-conditioned room took her temperature down by small increments. The coat of sweat she wore turned tacky and cool, not much of an improvement but relief was in sight. Beth turned away from the elevators and toward the lobby bar. An ice cold drink would do wonders to help restore her composure.

Beth made her way to the far corner, picking three chairs grouped around a large, low timber table. As she sank into the plush leather upholstery she breathed a sigh of relief and dropped her bag on the table. Her body sagged into the cold seat and her head fell against the backrest. As her eyes closed, she drew in her first deep breath.

Bliss. If today was what she could expect weather-wise, then being able to find relief for just small amounts of time would be enough to get her through until she could adjust to living in a tropical location.

Around her the room started to come alive. Beth hadn't taken notice of anyone when she'd made her way to the corner but now she could hear others. A murmured conversation was taking place to her right—two businessmen speaking in English. Off to the left she heard a man and woman speaking in what she assumed was Thai.

She turned her head and opened her eyes to see. The man behind the bar smiled and placed drinks on a tray as the woman spoke rapidly in a language Beth didn't understand and he laughed. With an ease that belied her small stature, the waitress picked up the tray, placed it on one hand and turned as she brought it up to hold over her shoulder.

Beth knew it wasn't an easy skill to learn; she'd dropped many a tray in her first years as a waitress. She smiled at memories of a life that until six months ago had been all she'd ever wanted.

Her lips pulled down in a frown. It had all been a lie. How did one man's deceit shatter everything she thought about herself? Just thinking about what she'd allowed Alexander to turn her into and the doubts about herself his words had provoked had her grinding her teeth.

No more. He would never again have the opportunity to hurt her.

The waitress stepped up beside her. About to order a drink, Beth watched in shock as the server placed a drink coaster and a tall glass filled with an orange liquid and ice on the table in front of her. As the woman straightened, Beth snapped out of her stupor enough to speak.

"I didn't order that."

"No ma'am. It's compliments of the gentleman over there." The waitress turned and pointed to a man sitting on the other side of the room.

"Oh."  Lost for words, she turned back to look at her own table.

When was the last time a man had bought her a drink? A man she didn't know. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd been in a bar. Beth reached for the glass, the cold surface slick and wet against her fingers. She plucked the little umbrella stabbed into a piece of pineapple from the top, brought the beverage to her nose and tried to distinguish the contents by smell.

"It's the house specialty, a tropical fruit cocktail, ma'am. There's no alcohol, just fresh fruit from the local region."

Beth hadn't heard the woman return and she jumped at the sound of her voice. As she jostled the glass, ice clinked and some of the cocktail sloshed over the side and onto her fingers. She swapped hands and quickly brought her fingers to her lips to lick up the runaway drink. The juice's fresh sweetness burst across her tongue.

As Beth slid her finger out of her mouth she looked over at the man who'd sent her the drink. Intending to send him a smile, her lips froze in half a curl when their gazes connected.

He watched her with such rapt attention over the top of his drink her breath caught in her throat. Too engaged with the man across the room she never noticed the waitress leave. Holding her gaze, he raised his glass in a silent toast. She could see the predatory gleam in his eyes and knew it was more than a simple toast, so when she raised her glass in response, she knew she'd just extended a silent invitation for him to join her.

***

You can find more details about One Night In Bangkok  HERE!

And please be sure to visit the other authors offering snippets today.

Lauren Dane

Rhian Cahill

Eliza Gayle

Selena Blake

Anne Rainey

Jody Wallace

Lissa Matthews

Mari Carr

McKenna Jeffries

Myla Jackson

Taige Crenshaw

Alison Kent

Delilah Devlin

Shelli Stevens

Shiloh Walker

Leah Braemel

HelenKay Dimon

TJ Michaels

A Chance to Win Truth Or Dare before Release Day!

Want to get the second Party Games book before release day? Head on over to The Romance Studio's Book-a-day giveaway and enter for a chance to get your hands on Truth Or Dare before anyone else. CLICK HERE!  

Dropped prices and Pre-Order books

I'm so excited. It's only four weeks until Truth Or Dare releases and it's now available for pre-order at Samhain! http://store.samhainpublishing.com/truth-dare-p-6614.html

And Noble Romance have PERMANENTLY dropped the prices of One Night In Bangkok and Singapore Fling  just in time for Christmas. You can find both books here - https://www.nobleromance.com/Authors/28/Rhian-Cahill 

Now if that's not enough excitement for ya then let me tell you this - 

FIVE DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!!

Rhian

Stuff You Stocking Christmas Blog Hop WINNER!

Thanks to everyone for entering. I'd love to grant all your Christmas wishes but alas I seem to have misplaced my genie.  

So the winner is…….

KittyKelly

Congrats!

I'll email you about your prize.

Rhian

Six Sentence Sunday – Truth Or Dare: Party Games Bk2 – #sixsunday

I'm shaking it up this week. We're moving on to my next release. Truth Or Dare is the second book in the Party Games series I'm writing with the lovely Lexxie Couper. It's out January 17 and I CANNOT WAIT!  

 ****

Green eyes sparkled, the cool colour calming, but nothing could hush the gasp that left her throat or soothe the shock blooming inside her when she finally placed her companions.

Grant Rogers and Dayne Pearce.

Oh crap. Her biggest teenage crush came back to slap her in the face. And she did mean crush. Singular.

 ****

 You can find the blurb, excerpt and pre-order link for Truth Or Dare HERE! 

 And don't forget to do the rounds of all the other authors post six sentences today HERE! 

Christmas Contest Links

Stuff Your Stocking Christmas Blog Hop - http://rhiancahill.com/2011/12/16/stuff-your-stocking-christmas-blog-hop/

Down Under Divas A Naughty Aussie Christmas Contest - http://downunderdivas.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/a-naughty-aussie-christmas-contest/

Snippet Saturday – Winter

Today's theme is winter so I'm pulling a scene from Coyote Wild where El finds herself in a little bit of trouble.

Book two in the Coyote Hunger series.

Brogan Wilder knows all about animal urges. As a coyote shifter, he's lived with them all his life but he's never experienced the bone-deep hunger Eloise Crawford elicits. Claiming a mate is one thing. Claiming one who's human and has no idea shifters exist is another matter altogether. In El, he's found his destiny. Now he just has to convince her they are meant to be together.

A visit to help her best friend with wedding plans seems like just the kind of relaxation El is after. But once she arrives, there's nothing relaxing about the reaction she has to her friend's brother. Suddenly her senses are on high alert and she's drawn to him in a way she finds nothing short of terrifying. But there's more to this man than his golden eyes and magical touch. There's something else. Something not exactly human.

Accepting her fate should have been the difficult part, but when El finds herself the target of an outraged pack member, the true struggle begins.

Snippet:

If Brogan found out she'd gone outside he'd flip but what he didn't know couldn't hurt him, or in this case, hurt her. The man might be an "I'm in charge type" but El wasn't about to let him tell her what she could and couldn't do. She marched down the hallway to the front door, building up steam as she went.

Just because he was used to giving orders and people taking them didn't mean she had to. They'd only just met for God's sake. But what really got her mad was that even when he told her what to do or made her angry she was still attracted to him. Her brain might want to argue and tell him to go to hell but her treacherous body wanted to jump his bones.

How could her body betray her like that? And what happened to her spine? Had that bastard Ken done so much damage to her self-esteem? Well, no more. She wasn't about to let any man choose what she could and couldn't do. Or tell her where to go and not go.

El stormed through the front door, breathing hard and mumbling under her breath about tyrants and giving orders. At the last second she swung back, palm out and caught the solid oak panel before it slammed closed. Heaven forbid Mr. High and Mighty hear her disobeying one of his rules.

Who did he think he was? Standing there dictating what they could and couldn't do like some maniac despot ruling his subjects with an iron fist. She wasn't even all that pissed off that he'd given the orders. No, she was pissed because both Rowan and Quinn had gone along with him like he should be obeyed in every way.

Don't do this! Don't do that! Christ, he'd be telling her when to come next.

El stumbled. One foot hit an icy patch of snow and she slipped, her legs separated and wobbled beneath her. Her arms flailed about until she got her feet back under her and caught her balance. Braced with her legs apart and her arms out wide like someone doing jumping jacks, she stood perfectly still and sucked in a breath of frigid air.

Was that what had her so agitated? He aroused her beyond belief and she wanted to do what he said. Wanted to please him.

She squeezed her eyes closed, breathed slow and deep and tried to steady her pounding heart and jittery nerves. He'd had her all riled up from the second they met, her body at once screaming for her to get away and get closer. El opened her eyes and continued to walk, taking care not to step on any more slippery patches of snow even though she wanted to stomp about to release the frustration bubbling inside.

A drop of moisture landed on her cheek, distracting her from her troubled thoughts. It was starting to snow. El tilted her face up to let the cold flakes bathe her skin.

It was such a magical scene. The view of the forest and mountains covered in a white blanket that shimmered as more snow fell from the sky was spectacular. The cold didn't just cool her body, it cooled her temper too. Taking the edge off enough for her to think rationally about what Brogan had asked and to see it from his point of view.

She couldn't blame him for being worried about her out here in unfamiliar territory. She'd never been here before and he had a right to be concerned she might get lost or hurt. But she wasn't stupid or incapable and wouldn't put herself at risk.

A sigh exploded from her chest. This was so unlike her, so completely out of character. She prided herself on her level-headed approach to life. Had the last few months done far more damage than she'd believed? Sure, she'd known her pride was dented, and her self-confidence had taken a blow, but this irrational attraction and anger coupled with confusion just wasn't her at all.

The snow sparkled as it floated to the ground, landing on the path and trees, on El. She shuddered and wrapped her arms across her chest. She rubbed her hands from elbow to shoulder, trying to ease the chill and wished she'd grabbed her coat before leaving the house. The storm was getting worse.

Time to head back inside.

She turned and slipped, her hands flying out to stop herself from landing face first. Her fingers sank into the powdery cold slush. Pushing up, El stood and stared at the forest in front of her. The stumble must have turned her around. Gingerly, she spun around. More forest. Sucking in a breath, she twisted back again. Forest.

Oh God!

Slowly she rotated a full three hundred-sixty degree turn.

"Where's the house?" Her whispered words the only sound in the silence of the snowfall.

Oh God! Oh God! Where is it?

She stood still and turned her head to look over her shoulder. She stared straight ahead again, at where she thought the house should be. Was that gray shadow between the trees the house? With her eyes squinted it didn't get any clearer and the curtain of falling snow had grown heavier, causing the scenery to blur further. The shiver that went through her had nothing to do with the cold. Panic lodged in her throat. Fear clutched her heart.

Brogan was going to kill her. She'd done the one thing he'd told her not to and instead of proving she was capable of looking after herself, she'd proven him right.

Her body shook violently. This time it had everything to do with the cold. Her thin sweater was drenched on the shoulders and the sleeves weren't far behind. Her short hair stuck to her scalp, wet with snow that dripped onto her face. Her running shoes were soaking through and her toes had gone numb.

Her teeth chattered sending a jarring rattle through her head. Her fingers and hands were stiff with cold and the knuckles ached. Wrapping her arms around her body, El tucked her hands under her armpits, trying to ease the throb. Now that she stood still and took stock of her body she realized her jeans were wet and getting wetter and she was halfway to frozen.

If she didn't work out which way to go soon Brogan would be the least of her worries. If she couldn't find the house, she'd freeze to death before he got to her.

****

More details for Coyote Wild can be found HERE! 

And don't forget to check out all the other authors participating this week:

 Lauren Dane

Rhian Cahill

Eliza Gayle

Selena Blake

Anne Rainey

Jody Wallace

Lissa Matthews

Mari Carr

McKenna Jeffries

Myla Jackson

Taige Crenshaw

Alison Kent

Delilah Devlin

HelenKay Dimon

Shelli Stevens

Shiloh Walker

TJ Michaels