Delilah Devlin's Blog, page 551

Guest Blogger: Sloan McBride

My guest, Sloan, is on a blog tour. Be sure to check out her blog to find out where she's going next! ~DD

So today is my busy day. Pumpkin picking, haunted hayrides and haunted houses, oh my. Me and my daughter and three of her friends are spending the day and night doing spooky things. Then, if memory serves, something was said about burrito night and major chocolate milk shakes. Guess who will be cooking and doing that….LOL

Q: What is your favorite part of Halloween?

A: I'm not really sure I have a favorite part. I like dressing up, spooky places, all the

kids dressed up who come to my door for treats. Caramel apples, bonfires, hayrides.

There are just too many things to pick just one.

Do you have a favorite part of Halloween? Please share.

Remember, to enter to win the prize for today you must leave a comment.

TODAY'S PRIZE: A DOWNLOAD OF MY DEBUT NOVEL, HIGHLAND STONE.

SLOAN MCBRIDE

~~Love Spans All Time~~

www.sloanmcbride.com

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From the Heavens comes a hero who will take your breath away.

Reese Whittaker dreams of falling for a man who shares her love of archeology and ancient civilizations. But being attacked by a horde of demons and rescued by a Sumerian God—a well-armed, gorgeous Sumerian God—opens up a whole new world she never knew existed. And awakens a mysterious power within her that attracts all kinds of supernatural attention.

Dagan, son of the Air-God Enlil and a Time Walker, is sworn to protect the human race in general, and one young woman in particular—Reese. He's not the only one mysteriously attracted to her powerful life force. Underworld leader Kur craves it for the untold power it will give him to strike a blow at the deities of Dilmun.

Dagan is forbidden by law from interacting with Reese, but from the moment he sees her, the fury—an intense sexual need for bonding—blinds him to all the rules. Should the pantheon discover he has fallen for a human, the punishment could mean suffering beyond imagining for him…and death for her.

Warning: Contains language, lots of action, Sumerian Gods, gorgeous men, tough, stubborn women and some creatures from the Underworld that make life hell.

So stubborn I'm stupid

So, picture this.

My driveway's looooong, and yesterday the UPS guy left a rather large package next to the gate, which looked long and skinny from the distance, but wasn't, which had me saying as I walked up the drive, "I don't need no stinkin' hand truck."

I get to the box. It's big. I think, "It's only a hundred fifty feet. I'm not gonna go all the way back for that little wagon now."

A third of the way down the driveway, I set it on the ground huffing, gather my breath and shout for the 6-year-old whizzing by on her Tyko trike. We set the box on the trike and get maybe 20 feet, kicking the wheel all the while to keep it going straight, when the plastic body of the trike bends at the middle, suspending the wheels.

I set the damn thing on my foot. Lift foot, scoot. Lift foot, scoot. 10 feet to go and mom comes out. "How come you didn't ask for help?"

Grumbling, I let her grab one end and between us we wrestle it to the garage. Then I lean back and stretch—and ouch!

Now, my back's tight and achy. I took a Metha-something pain pill, laid on my couch and didn't give a crap about anything. I think I watched three TIVO'd episodes of Grey's Anatomy, but I can't tell you much about what I saw, except I'm ready to bitch-slap the Asian chick. Oh, and isn't OWEN HAWT?! She so doesn't deserve him.

This morning, I'm moaning, not because I still hurt. The pill relaxed the pain away, but now I have a ton of catchup to do.

Guest Blogger: Myla Jackson (aka my sister!)

Hi Sis! Thanks for having me on your awesome blog. Congratulations on all your releases this year. You are on fire!

I must admit I wasn't sure I could pull off a good ménage story when I started writing HONOR BOUND, especially since I started with a little man-lovin'. But I knew how tantalizing it was with just the thought of having two men making love to one woman at the same time. As it happened, the writing came easy, fast and hard…Oh wait, the fast and hard part was what the men were doing to Honor!

I had so much fun writing the male, female, male ménage that I decided to give Jake a female, male, female ménage to make up for leaving him without a woman at the end of HONOR BOUND. That will be DUTY BOUND in January. And that was soooooo much fun, I'm continuing the BOUND and TIED series with ménage stories.

And what's so fun about a ménage? The thought of getting all those sensitive spots attended to at once? The idea that more is really better and why settle for less? No longer leaving the odd man (or woman) out? Sharing in the sexual pleasure?

I'd love to hear from all of you on why a ménage could be fun. I'm giving away a download of my Fit to Be Tied to one lucky commenter.

Also visit my website for more chances to win books at http://www.mylajackson.com/

For a hot and sexy historical western and ménage, check it out!

Two lonely miners in the Colorado Gold Rush and one tempting widow-turned-thief get tied in knots over each other.

When what feels right could get a man killed…

Zach Braun struggles to resist his unnatural desire for his claim partner, Jake. The two rugged miners have been alone in the mountains for months, with no women to relieve them. Exhilarated by the discovery of gold, they give in to their lust and discover sexual delights in each other.

A witness to seduction…

Widow, Honor Whitaker, is on the run from her Indian captor, when she stumbles upon two men whose sexual activities intrigue her and make her want to join. Determined to retain her independence she takes what she needs from a cabin and runs.

When a thief attempts to steal their gold, Zach and Jake aren't quite sure what to do with her, so they tie her up. They are shocked to discover their thief witnessed their sexual antics and that she was aroused by what she saw.

Together the three learn to let go of social mores and to accept what feels good as right, not the devil's work. But their newfound delight in each other might come to an end when a savage comes to claim what is his.

Buy Link

A Long Howl Good Night is here!

Psst! The name of yesterday's winner is at the bottom of this post.

It's here! That story with the really long title and the hooker heroine! I think you'll like Jack and Kynan and you'll for sure want to be Aila. The Parker brothers aren't perfect guys, but they really go after what they want and need. Grrrrrowl!

Happy Reading! ~DD

Werewolf Aila Mack is ready to get her groove on during a full moon. She's a part-time hooker because she prefers to keep her liaisons strictly about the sex. She's had a taste of were-domination and prefers to be in charge of her own destiny.

Brothers Kynan and Jack Parker are on a mission. Their species is in need of breedable females. When the Dark Mountain clan finds a sex agency dealing in female werewolves, they aren't happy women are selling their bodies in order to take care of their monthly itch. They take action when it's discovered there's a fertile female in the agency's stable.

Kynan and Jack are given the job of bringing home their mate but discover quickly there's more going on beneath the surface than simply a stubborn female who refuses to be collared. Aila's tempted as never before, as the brothers, one gentle and one fiercely intense, peel away the hard shell surrounding her Wolfen heart.

Buy it here!

The winner of yesterday's contest (by random number generator), and pulled from entrants here on this blog and Facebook, is…Valerie in Germany! Congrats, Valerie! Be sure to email me with your choice from my backlisted MIK titles!

A Long Howl coming in 1…

If you post a comment today, you'll be in the running

for a free download of any backlisted Immortal Knight book!

The name of yesterday's winner is at the bottom of this post.

Well, I'm running out of days to show you all the snippets of wolfdom I have in this series, but here's another where the were isn't the good guy. And since you've been good, there's a nasty bit of ménage to wash it down with.

Remember, tomorrow's the day A Long Howl Good Night releases!

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"…Delilah Devlin is a wonderful author and First Knight is a good example of her amazing skill with the written word. This novella pulls you into the life of Mattie. She is a sweet character with a huge stubborn streak. I love the way she is such a strong woman, she just takes charge of things other people would lose hope about. Garon is a super sexy warrior that is just full of surprises. All the characters come to life with their vivid descriptions. The whole story is full of action. With great sex scenes throughout the entire story. This is a tale of deep, true love with a little something extra! I enjoyed First Knight and think you will too!" 5 Hearts from The Romance Studio

"Delilah Devlin creates a world that effectively meshes the genres of paranormal, romance, and a bit of history into a story that keeps the reader enchanted from beginning to end…" 4 Stones from Siren Book Reviews

"Ms. Devlin gives the readers what they want and so much more. I loved First Knight and it rocked my world." 5 Angels from Fallen Angels Reviews

While hiding her true identity, Maddie must seduce the mysterious Lord Garon to cement their marriage contract to ensure she won't be returned into her lecherous stepfather's care.

Fresh from Crusade in Palestine, Lord Garon has a secret he must hide, a hunger that must be fed, and a dark and uncertain future. Having shed himself of a fiancée he never met, he's home to lick his wounds. The only thing he wants is a warm-blooded meal—but the new housekeeper is strangely insistent on giving him much more.

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She stared at Garon then glanced at Raymond, whose body was readied for her. His reddened cock thrust straight up from a thatch of dark hair. Every sharpened edge of his body and face reflected a powerful, primitive need.

He was so like her husband. In every way.

Garon didn't want her to feel guilt for her pleasure. Maddie didn't want him to worry that she wasn't grateful for all the thought he'd given to her future happiness. And she certainly didn't want Raymond thinking there would never be room in her heart for him. She only hoped he'd understand that, for now, Garon held precedence.



Maddie accepted Garon's hand and came to her knees, moving to the side and beckoning Raymond with a gesture to take the center of the bed.

Raymond lay down, emotion tightening his jaw. His gaze never left her face. Even lying down, his frame was impressive. Broad shoulders, muscles defined by deep valleys and swollen hills. The dusting of dark hair that stretched between his flat nipples arrowed down his abdomen, broadening again to frame his sex.

His cock drew her fascinated gaze again. It stood perpendicular to his body, pulsing. The satiny cap offering the only hint of softness or vulnerability. All else was hard, veined and twitching for her to do something.

Still holding Garon's hand, Maddie straddled Raymond, but too low around his hips to take him inside her. She scooted down the bed, her knees enclosing his thighs, and then bent to caress his sex with her mouth.

She hoped her husband understood. That she wanted to prove to Raymond she desired him as well as his seed.

Raymond's garbled curse made her smile. His hands clutched the bedding beneath him, bunching up the sheets, but he seemed to fear touching her.

She licked him up and down then grasped his shaft and swirled around and around the crown. Only then did she meet his gaze, challenging him with her eyes.

Fierce color flooded his face. His hands lifted slowly. Fingers thrust through her hair. Still he didn't guide her, simply petted her head while she took him deeper into her mouth.

His scent and taste was unique. Not off-putting in the least, but not the same as Garon's. She liked that, knowing that she'd be able to distinguish them even in the dark.

When at last she rose and fitted his cock between her legs, his hands clutched her hips with familiarity.

Maddie braced her hands against his chest and eased down his cock, the long glide soothed by the moisture her body spilled. When her mons met the crisp curls at his groin, she glanced to the side.

Garon's face was red and sweating. His eyes a little dazed when they met hers. "I didn't know I would be so aroused watching you take another."

Maddie smiled. "You can do more than watch."

Garon's smile was slow and stretched to reveal the twin points that descended with his rising passion. He crawled behind her and cupped her buttocks, helping her to rise and fall faster on Raymond's cock.

"I would halt my own pleasure and see to yours," Raymond ground out. "If you would stop moving…milady."

Maddie thought his formality comical and giggled. She slid a hand between her legs and ringed his cock. Air hissed between his teeth.

"Is that better?" she asked.

"Sweet God," he whispered. "Garon, she will kill me."

"Maddie likes to be in charge," Garon murmured. Then he pushed her down until she bent low over Raymond's chest.

This close, face-to-face, she could only stare into his brown eyes and note the gold flecks that surrounded his pupils. A difference. One she hoped would be passed to her children because they softened his stare. Oddly, lying here with their faces poised inches apart was so much more intimate than being joined below. She was tempted to explore his mouth, but she'd promised Garon.

Garon shaped her hips, tilting them up. His finger circled her forbidden hole.

She bit her lip and felt heat flood her cheeks.

Raymond's mouth stretched into a masculine grin, the sparkle in his eyes saying he knew exactly what Garon dared. Her husband had played there before. Used fingers and the tip of his cock to tease her, but she didn't know if she could do this with Raymond knowing just how wanton she really was.

Garon thrust a finger into her arse and Maddie cried out, rolling her hips and dragging her quim forward and back along Raymond's cock.

"Your wife's pleasure is drowning my cock," Raymond gritted out.

"I have need of her moisture for what I want."

"Thanks for warning me," Raymond muttered.

Garon sank behind her, his tongue tracking the crevice of her ass then circling her hole, lapping lazily around and around, wetting her. His fingers slid along the outside her folds, skimming the moisture, no doubt skimming against Raymond's cock, but Raymond only lifted an eyebrow in response, daring her to mention it.

Maddie grinned down at him and rubbed her pebble-hard nipples against his chest. "Do you know that Garon considers me insatiable?"

"I gathered that. I have been positioned at your door every night since we arrived."

"Did it bother you, listening to us?"

"A time or two the twins gave me sweet release while I listened."

She wrinkled her nose. "Will you continue to turn to them? Not that it's any of my concern."

Raymond scooped his lips along her cheek. "I believe I will have no need of them."

"Everyone in the keep will wonder about you."

"Do you want me to fuck the sisters?"

"Not really. But I don't want you to think me greedy or jealous."

"Your husband is first in your heart. I understand that. I am here only because he needs me. You need me. It is enough for now."

She kissed his cheeks, one at a time then groaned because Garon had decided that he wouldn't be ignored. His cock slipped between her buttocks and traveled up and down the crease. Then he held her cheeks apart and pushed the tip against her hole.

Maddie's eyes closed and she moaned as he pushed inside.

Raymond slipped a hand between their bodies and rubbed her love knot.

Garon pushed deeper and shivers racked her body. Her jaw dropped open and her pulse built at her temple, in her sex, until she felt on the verge of exploding.

"It's all right, Maddie," Raymond whispered, kissing her cheek and her hair. "Let go."

A kiss landed on the back of her neck and Maddie sobbed, canting her head. Garon growled against her skin then bit deep.

The bite spurred them all on. Raymond's fingers swirled over the top of her sex, his hips bucked beneath her, driving his cock deep.

Garon suctioned against her skin, pulling blood from her and stoking the fire curling in her womb until it flared and she screamed.

The men moved her forward and back with their strokes, firm hands molding to her curves. Maddie could only weather the storm erupting inside her as first Raymond then Garon shouted and pounded faster. When at last their movements slowed, Maddie sagged against Raymond's chest.

All three were coated with sweat. The smell of sex permeated the small room. The wet sounds the men made as they disengaged from her body made her smile as she drifted into sleep.

"How can she look so innocent when she sleeps?" Raymond whispered, turning to deposit her on the mattress.

Garon grunted. "She has no shame. 'Tis a blessing."

Raymond sighed and pushed his hair off his face. "I supposed I should slip away. I'll meet you inside the bailey so no one thinks anything's amiss."

Garon reached across Maddie and gripped Raymond's forearm. "Thank you."

Raymond shook his head. "There's no need. You honor me."

Garon let his hand slide away. Raymond strode out of the room. His gaze returned to his wife who sleepily opened her eyes.

"So many blessings," she said, sighing.

Garon kissed her forehead and pulled her closer to his body. "Blessings," he repeated then realized it was true. While his time with Maddie would be fleeting, he'd carry the joy in his heart for all his life. He'd have the duty of watching over the family she made, the family who would carry his name.

* * * * *

The horses whinnied shrilly, waking him. Then a rustling at the doorway drew Garon's attention from Maddie, and he looked up to find a wolf filling the doorway, its head lowered and its hackles raised. Howls yipped around the clearing beyond the door, and Garon's heart thudded sluggishly in his chest.

Good lord, he hadn't seen this coming. His outriders had followed Eustace all the way to his keep, and he'd kept men roaming the outer edges of his own demesne to watch for signs the wolf might return.

So this was how it would end. "Eustace," he said softly. "Let's take the battle outside."

Maddie stirred beside him, her eyes slamming open and her heading jerking to the fading light spilling through the doorway, framing the dark wolf.

The wolf snarled and snapped its teeth but backed away from the doorway, allowing Garon a moment to push Maddie firmly away.

"You can't," she whispered, trying to hold him back. "He'll kill you."

Garon gave her one last look. "Don't give him a reason to harm you. Raymond will come for you."

Then he walked nude into the clearing outside the door. Men encircled the cottage. Scurrying feet farther in the forest indicated at least two more wolves served as sentinels.

Garon strode to the well and slowly pulled on his clothing, careful not to move toward his weapons. Eustace seemed content to savor the moment, his wide canine smile displaying his large fangs. A wolf in the woods yipped then howled, and then all three raised their voices.

They celebrated too soon.

The whistle of arrows, one after the other, sent Eustace's men scurrying for cover, but they fell like trees, toppling into one another. In the forest, a wolf yipped then made a frenzied growl that lengthened, deepening in its fervor until it abruptly ended.

Garon stood, staring down at Eustace, whose frame quivered as his gaze darted around the clearing at the small contingent he'd brought with him. All dead now.

Raymond strode out of the forest, carrying a bow with an arrow already nocked and the string pulled taut.

Garon held up his hand to halt Raymond. "Only if he defeats me," he said. "Protect Maddie."

He locked his gaze with the wolf's. "We finish this today."

The wolf trembled then shook his fur and padded side to side as Garon bent his knees and let the change overtake him, the bony structure of his forehead and cheeks crackling as they pushed outward, his arms, legs and torso expanding and hardening.

He called to his inner beast and let him crawl forward, crowding Garon into the back of his own mind where he watched as the beast shook his head, cracked his neck side to side and hastened the descent of his fangs.

The winner of yesterday's contest (by random number generator), and pulled from entrants here on this blog and Facebook, is…Kirsten! Congrats, Kirsten! Be sure to email me with your choice from my backlisted MIK titles!

A Long Howl coming in 2, 1…

If you post a comment today, you'll be in the running

for a free download of any backlisted Immortal Knight book!

The name of yesterday's winner is at the bottom of this post.

I like playing with my heroes. Giving them huge problems to overcome. Alex has two huge problems—how to save his brother Max from his were-clan and how to get the girl who'd loved Max to trust another man.

So along the way he does a couple of unsavory things. You tell me—does he go too far? Read on!

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"You will be shocked, surprised, and crying before you get to the last page." 5 Angels, Fallen Angel Reviews

"A paranormal experience reader's won't soon forget, with very sensual characters and a terrific plot…"4 1/2 Blue Ribbons, Romance Junkies

After the death of one of the members of the super-secret police unit aligned with the Vampire Council in southern Florida, werewolf Max Weir becomes the chief suspect. Sure a greater villain has used a were-clan's hatred of vamps to strike against the unit, Max travels to the mountains of North Carolina to seek the truth and hopefully renew the centuries-old truce between the weres and vampires.

Alec Weir has a problem on his hands. The new sheriff on Dark Mountain must walk a fine line between upholding were-clan laws and saving his vamp-loving brother from certain death. Alec must find the traitor in the clan responsible for the attack on the vampires or watch his brother die. If that wasn't enough, his chosen mate, Stasia McGwyre, seems to still hold a candle for Max.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

With his hackles rising, Alec eyed his older brother, barely sparing a glance for the vampire at his side.

Is he so arrogant he thinks I won't kill Garcia where he stands? Yeah, he knew who the vamp was—he'd shared a beer or two back in the days before Joe joined the fanged brotherhood. Before he'd become "the enemy". But he could dust the bastard later. Instead, he narrowed his gaze at Max.

What was Max thinking, entering were territory when he'd aligned himself with the other camp? He'd fucked a vamp female and not by accident. He decided to cut him where it hurt. "Put the vamp in the pit," he growled, looking over Max's shoulder to his deputies.

"Back off!" Max glared behind him, halting the deputies, then shared a charged glance with his buddy.

That little look riled Alec even more. Max had chosen an enemy over family. "You aren't in charge here," he said, his voice low and lethal.

Max's eyebrows lowered, and his shoulders bunched. "This isn't about us. This isn't about The Wars either. It's bigger, little brother. We've come to ask your help."

Alec's lips lifted in a snarl. Max's life was in his hands—and he knew it by his wary stance. The knowledge was gratifying after the way Max had turned on him in Vero when he'd taken the battle into his own hands. But curiosity about Max's "problem" and the need to prolong the satisfaction had Alec raising a hand to stay the deputies surrounding the two interlopers. "Put them both in the pit."

Max's hands curled into fists. "We don't have time for this shit."

Alec snorted. "Sure you do." He nodded to Todd and another deputy who clamped handcuffs to the men's wrists.

He was disappointed when neither resisted. So rather than stay there and let Max's frustrated glare undermine his authority, he swept past them and strode down the long aisle to the doors and out into the parking lot.

Darkness had fallen, and a hot breeze stirred the trees.

A pickup turned into the lot, lights arcing, and his body roused instantly—urgent and hard. Stasia.

The driver's door opened and slammed, and Stasia's light footsteps slapped the pavement. She drew around the end of the pickup and planted herself in front of him, hands on her hips. Her dark gaze pinned him and fevered color filled her cheeks. "Is it true? Did Max bring a vamp here?"

Alec smothered his irritation she hadn't bothered to offer him a greeting first before launching a conversation about Max. The oversight only reminded him that once, a long time ago, Stasia had shared his brother's bed, too. When he'd been top dog.

Alec ran a finger along her cheek, his gaze falling to her mouth and that full upper lip that formed a permanent pout. "Are you asking because you're curious or because you're worried about your old boyfriend's safety?"

She slapped away his hand. "He's fucking a vamp! What interest would I have in him now?"

Her vehemence sounded a little forced to his ears. Alec gripped her upper arms and dragged her close, bending to glide his lips along her cheek. "I don't know. Why are you so hot about it?"

She stiffened. "I'm not. I just can't believe he'd be so stupid."

"Forget Max. Run with me tonight," he whispered.



Her head jerked back and she glared. "Will you tell me what he's doing here?"

Will Max always be between us? Alec let her go and raked a hand through his hair. "Stasi, must it always be a transaction?"

Her gaze faltered.

Another sin to lay at Max's feet. When the warlairds had called for volunteers, Max had been so eager to infiltrate vamp territory he'd left Stasia without a backward glance. What remained of her heart was a hollow space she guarded like Fort Knox.

At least her hormones were still ruled by the moon. "Run with me," he repeated, his hand slipping beneath her T-shirt to cup a heavy breast.

Her breath caught, and a hardening nipple poked against his palm. "Is our clan alpha asking?"

Frustration made him mean. He squeezed her breast hard. "Yes, damn you."

She shrugged from his embrace and pulled her T-shirt over her head. "Can't say no, can I?" she drawled, her gaze boring into his.

Alec trembled with rage. Does she think to shame me into rescinding my invitation? While he seethed deep inside, he reached for the button at the top of his uniform shirt and flicked it open. "Just strip," he commanded.

The parking lot lights illuminated them, so that anyone looking out the station windows could see them both tearing away their clothes. Alec didn't care. His body tightened, reacting to the rage his brother's return and Stasia's continuing rejection had built. Through the blood challenge a month ago, he'd won the right to choose his mate—choose as many as he wanted. He'd have her whether he was her first choice or the very last. Damn her!

Naked, he felt the breeze lift the hairs sprouting from under his skin. He watched hungrily as she pushed her jeans down her slim, muscular legs and flipped them into the bed of her pickup truck. Her long brown hair curved around her shoulders and her full breasts below. Her eyes, with their slight upward cast, glinted mysteriously in her oval face.

The start of her transformation shone in those eyes, light reflecting against the golden irises. "Think you'll catch me?" she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder, not caring she'd just bared her breast to his view.

Alec growled and let his change flow rapidly. When he dropped to his paws, his intellect faded, replaced by a hunger that burned in the wolf's loins.

The wolf raised its head and howled, and when the woman melted and shimmered into a lean, brown-furred bitch, it loped across the parking lot and into the forest beyond.

* * * * *

Alec rolled from his side to his knees, leaves sticking to his moist skin. Beside him, Stasia stirred and sat up. He cursed. His cock was limp and wet, and he had only fading memories of mounting her body.

"Well, that was quick," she said, shaking out her hair, a trace of mockery in her voice.

He flushed, angry she'd prodded him into taking her in his wolf-skin, again. Frustration, sharp and fierce, rushed through him. He sprang on her, forcing her back against the carpet of leaves. When he stretched over her, pinning her limbs beneath his, he held his lips a fraction of an inch above hers. "Did I disappoint? I can remedy that," he drawled, slipping a knee between her thighs.

"I wasn't disappointed," she blurted. Blood pulsed at her temple. Her nostrils flared.

Was she wary or aroused? "No?" he said, dipping his head to drag his lips across hers. "Then you came?" he asked, his tone silken.

She arched, trying to lift him. "I don't remember," she ground out.

"Can't have you wondering." He centered his hardening cock between her thighs and nudged between her slick folds.

"Alec! Enough!" Stasia tried to roll to the side.

He braced his legs, resisting. His gaze was unwavering—as was his intent. He had her attention now.

After several moments of futile writhing, she went still beneath him and glared. "Don't you think we should get back? Max and that vamp—"

"Are being taken care of."

She pushed at this chest. "You said you'd tell me why he's here."

"And I will—when I know," he drawled.

Stasia gasped. "You don't know?" Her voice rose. "You led me on!"

His gaze pierced hers. "You thought you could get what you wanted by giving me sex."

Her brow creased as she scowled. "So what? I have to do it anyway."

"It's not enough, Stasia," he said, his throat tight, fighting the overpowering need she inspired. But why her? He nuzzled under her jaw and growled, "I want you howling in my arms."

"I already did," she gritted out.

"I don't think so." He nipped her earlobe. "I would have awakened with the sound ringing in my ears, I've waited so long."

She shoved him. "Let me up."

Her scent was strong, ripe—arousal perfumed the cream seeping from her body. She could deny him until Christmas, but he knew her body wanted this.

He settled more heavily onto her. "Not yet. I'm still hungry." He nudged her again, but when her legs pressed in at his sides, trying to close access, he pulled away. They both knew he was stronger and he could overcome her physically, but he wanted her participation this time. He rose up on his arms and quickly moved down her body, nipping her collarbone and the top of her breast as he went.

Frantic now, she slapped his shoulders and pulled hard on his hair, but he clamped his lips around a spiking nipple and bit.

Stasia cried out and clawed at his back. When he didn't let go, she yanked harder on his hair…but her legs rubbed restlessly against his.

Alec growled again, this time in smug satisfaction. He'd finally found the key to her passion. The little wolf-bitch wants to play games. Releasing her nipple, he pried her hands from his hair and stretched them above her head. "So you like it rough, baby?"

"Bastard. I don't like it any way with you," she spat, her body shivering beneath his. Her expression was fierce and unrelenting, but her pungent arousal scented the air.

"Liar," he whispered. "Was Max rough? Is that what you miss?"

Her mouth tightened. "I don't miss Max! Get off me."

He rasped his chin across her nipple. "Not until I have my due." Then he opened his mouth wide and sucked as much of her plump breast into his mouth as he could hold. With one hand holding her wrists away, he dragged the other down her body, following the honed and rippling muscles of her abdomen and hips. Arching his middle over her, he made room to sink his fingers between her legs and into her silky, slick cunt.

Her body betrayed her instantly. Stasia's hot pussy released a stream of molten excitement that coated the fingers shoving deep inside her.

Alec groaned, pleased beyond words at her response. His own body reacted to her quickening pulse with a hardening that threatened to release the wolf. He let go first of her breast, then her hands and scooted farther down her body. When his nose nudged her pussy, Stasia whimpered, but her thighs spread wide.

Pulling out his fingers, he parted her dripping flesh and tongued the edges of the thin quivering lips, while dipping between to lave the cream her body offered. His tongue lapped inside, sliding over the silken folds, stretching to caress her inner walls as her hips jerked and rolled beneath his mouth.

He spread her sex wider and pressed a thumb to pull up the delicate skin that shrouded her hard clit. Exposed and engorged, it ripened further as Alec rubbed his thumb in ever tightening circles. A sliver of moonlight revealed the swollen pink lips below were darkening as her passion increased.

"Too much. Alec, it's too much!" she keened.

He tongued her clit and murmured, "Sensitive here, are you?"

"Please, Alec," she sobbed. "Please stop."

Regret thrust a shard of ice into his chest. "Can't, baby." Even if I could. "I'm hard as a rock—ready to explode if I don't have you now."

"I hate you," she said, her voice hoarse.

"Do you?" Maybe she does. "I don't give a damn. Long as you want me," he lied, plucking her clit between his thumb and finger.

Her belly and legs vibrated, and she hiccoughed. "I don't want you."

"Liar." Alec crawled up her slender body, sliding his skin over hers, eliciting shivers as his chest hair grazed her inner thighs, her belly and her breasts. "Little liar," he whispered again, settling his hips between her widespread legs.

When his cock poised at her sucking entrance, he rose on his arms and stared down into her moist eyes.

"Just get it fucking over with," she said, her voice and face tight.

With her pussy caressing the head of his cock, a flush of anger heated his skin. The little bitch would never give him an inch—but he could take—and she'd love it. To prove his point, he speared into her, hard and sharp.

Stasia gasped and convulsed around him, her cunt rippling, squeezing—her channel tightening along his shaft to pull him deeper.

He lunged his hips, tunneling deep, and then arched to withdraw and slam back inside. The tug and pull became relentless, instinctive motions—again, again, and again.

Her silken sheath caressed his shaft. Her hips tilted to take him deeper still. Her hands clutched his buttocks, her nails spearing his skin. All the while her head thrashed restlessly as she snarled her defiance.

Inflamed by her growling response, he pounded into her tight cunt with little rhythm or grace—just answering a need to mark her, stretch her—brand her as his with each deep, hard stroke. And yet, he wanted to be deeper still.

He pulled away and flipped her onto her stomach.

Stasia came to her knees and bolted forward to escape, but Alex understood now. He grasped her hips and steadied her for just a moment, and then slammed inside her again.

She screamed and clawed at the ground in front of her, cursing his name.

But Alec hammered at her, so sharp his belly and thighs slapped her skin, the sound joining the wet slurping of their sexes gliding together, and their moans as they raced to the finish.

"Alec—"

"Baby, I want your howls."

"Never! Bastard, stop!" she sobbed.

Alec had a moment of doubt, so anguished was her cry—but then she howled, her pussy clasping his cock hard as she slammed back to meet his strokes. Her inner muscles dragged at his dick, sucking him into her body. Let her try to deny she wants me now!

His knees ground into the dirt, his thighs hardening to stone as he hammered faster.

Stasia's cries grew choppy, breathless, and her shoulders slumped to the ground.

Alec reached around her belly, fingers plucking a breast and tapping her clit.

Her bottom lifted into his hips, giving him deeper access, and she squirmed to press as close to his groin she could get.

Christ! She was tight and hot as hell. Cream smeared her thighs and his.

Then his balls erupted, pushing cum through his cock to jet deep into her body. His howl joined hers, wrapping tight around her cry as his body hunched over hers—ending when his teeth gripped her shoulder.

He held her like that for long moments afterward, rocking his hips against her bottom, his arms encircling her belly so tight she gasped for breath.

When her arms shook with the effort to hold them both up, he relaxed his grip and disengaged his teeth. "Are you all right?" he asked, rubbing his cheek against her shoulder.

She nodded, her chest expanding with her deep breaths. "Now will you get off me?"

The winner of yesterday's contest (by random number generator), and pulled from entrants here on this blog and Facebook, is…Diane Sadler! Congrats, Diane! Be sure to email me with your choice from my backlisted, downloadable MIK titles!

A Long Howl coming in 3, 2, 1…

If you post a comment today, you'll be in the running

for a free download of any backlisted Immortal Knight book!

The name of yesterday's winner is at the bottom of this post.

In case you didn't know, I have this whole My Immortal Knight series with Ellora's Cave. My first MIK book sold in 2003, and I've been lazily adding to it as I go—in between a whole lot of other books. I can't get away from the MIKs, because I love them so much.

The second of the MIK books that highlighted werewolves was Relentless. It's one of my favorite stories because the hero is so very intense, so completely alpha. You'll see what I mean.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"RELENTLESS has suspense, intrigue, and surprises that grab your attention and never let you go until the last page." 5 Stars from JERR

"A wickedly funny and passionate series, fans of paranormal erotic romance will enjoy RELENTLESS tremendously. Ms Devlin has done it again!" Romance Reviews Today

To supercop Max Weir, the only good vampire is a dead one. Since his special police unit integrated with vampires, he's had to suppress his natural hatred to work side-by-side with the undead to hunt down and terminate the deadliest killers. Now the unit is hot on the trail of a new menace in town, a pack of werewolves prowling for vampires, who don't care whether humans get in their way.

When a stakeout goes awry, Max enters a bar looking for a fight or a woman to help him blow off a little steam. What he finds is a winsome siren who has sexual appetites to match his own.

Vampire Pia D'Amato is on a secret mission to take out Max—either by seduction or by turning him. He's become a liability to the Masters' Council setting up jurisdiction in southern Florida, and she isn't leaving until she's done the job. But Max is more man than she bargained for and has a deadly secret of his own.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Max pushed through the door of the bar determined that tonight he'd either get shit-faced or fucked. Which, didn't matter. So long as he could blow off the steam that had been gathering a head since the botched mission hours before. The bar was a regular haunt—only a block from his house. If need be, he could crawl home. The smoky air, the loud grinding music, and the smell of stale beer appealed when he had an axe to grind.

The SU had swept the area for signs of the wolves that killed the vampires before turning on the humans in a mutilating frenzy. Their bloody paw prints led beyond the house to a gravel road where they'd disappeared. The pack had made their getaway in cars. This hadn't been a roaming band's target of opportunity, but a takedown.

The grim faces of the vampires telegraphed their worry. He hoped they were shaking in their boots. Not that the thought of a rogue wolf pack wasn't just as unsettling to Max.

But seeing the cocksure Quentin lose his perpetual smirk was gratifying. Dylan had been grim-faced and pale. Perhaps the bastard saw his own fate in the house.

However, Joe's silence had been the most telling. He hadn't looked the least bit surprised.

Max made his way through the tables ringing a small dance floor. The place was nearly empty, save for the men hovering near the bar for the night's last drinks. The tension in his shoulders knotted tighter. All it would take would be one smart-ass comment. He hungered for an excuse to drive his fist through something.

The crowd parted, and a flash of a slim white ankle snagged his attention. Every trace of anger, bitter regret, and frustration coalesced into a single, burning need.

The men blocking his view shifted, and the ankle drew his glance upward to a bare knee. The woman's legs parted, and one slid atop the other. Her foot sawed up and down, and a slender, functionless sandal dangled from the tips of her painted toes. God, he wanted to help her lose the shoes altogether.

He advanced toward the men standing between him and his goal. Their faces registered annoyance for only a moment before they stepped aside. The hard hunger that rode his belly must have turned his face into an implacable mask.

As he drew near, her shape was revealed one tantalizing curve at a time. Sweetly turned hips were clothed in a stretchy black skirt that ended at the top of her thighs—not a hint of underwear marred the smooth fit. Conveniently tied behind her neck, a miniscule top bared the gleaming, supple skin of her back and midriff—again, no sign of a bra. Her nipples puckered invitingly against the black fabric that barely contained the apple-like curves of her small breasts.

Finally, his gaze rose to her face. She could have been a whole lot less than appetizing, and he'd still have wanted her on the merits of that ride-able frame. But her face only made him more determined to have her.

Large, doe-like eyes, framed by thick lashes, blinked as she caught his stare. Her upper lip was a fraction fuller than the lower and inspired delicious, succulent fantasies. Her face was round, her jaw small, and a thumbprint dimple carved her chin into two delicious halves. His tongue itched to slide along that little notch.

As he reached the bar, he drew a deep breath, eager to catch the scent of her perfume. He wasn't disappointed. The woman smelled like sex. Hot, nasty, spicy sex.



His body hardened along with his intentions. With only a fleeting thought for how aggressive he might appear, he loomed over her, his gaze sweeping downward. When he glanced back up to her eyes, he schooled his expression into something shy of predatory. He didn't want to frighten her away before he'd even learned her name.

Instead of looking intimidated or frightened by his intensity, as so many women would have, she raised a single dark eyebrow. She didn't say a word, just returned his stare. Somehow, her bold action felt out of sync with the wariness lurking in her eyes.

Then he noticed the movement of her throat as she swallowed. Did he make her nervous?

Her expression betrayed no such fear. Part amusement and part calculation, it changed as her gaze dropped from his face to sweep down his chest and lower. Interest with only a hint of alarm flared her nostrils and tightened her jaw, causing her to open her mouth to take a deeper breath.

She had good reason to be wary. If she told him to back off, he'd be hard pressed to obey. Every male chromosome in his body screamed at his groin to take her.

His gaze never leaving hers, he took a deep, calming breath and forced himself to follow the ritual. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"I'm not thirsty." Her voice pleased him. Feminine, but not too dainty, with a hint of aged whiskey.

Undeterred, he nodded to the bartender hovering behind her. "Two draft beers."

Her brown eyes narrowed, but she remained silent.

He raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I'm just thirsty."

"Or impossibly arrogant," she muttered, just loud enough for him to hear.

He bit back a grin. "I haven't seen you here before," he said, and then cursed himself for using such a tired line.

"I'm new to the area," she said, sounding bored. Her foot sawed faster.

Great! They sounded like trained parrots. How could he think of conversation when all he wanted was to slide his hands around her naked back? "What's your name?"

"Pia."

Pia. Cute name, a little sassy like she was. Or rather, like he thought she might be if he could just figure out how to get her talking.

At least she hadn't tried to bolt. He leaned past her to reach for one of the beers the bartender laid behind her on the bar. He held it out.

Her hands remained in her lap, her expression defiant.

Well, hell! His luck wasn't running any better. He lifted the glass and gulped the foam.

She watched him, her eyes following the movement of his throat. Her tongue licked her full lower lip.

Before he gave it a thought, he handed her the same beer again.

Rather than pouring it on his shoes, her hands slid around the glass. Her gaze remained on the beer.

Satisfaction throbbed in his belly. She'd probably like an introduction before he asked her to go home with him. "Name's Max."

Her lips pressed together and then curved into a smile that stretched the full lower lip. The lady had a rather large mouth. It was perfect. "As in Maximus?"

The smile warmed him while giving him confidence he hadn't totally blown it. He shifted his feet and stepped closer, bringing her crossed legs between his. "Do you doubt it?" he asked, his voice low.

Her head tilted back, and a frown drew together her finely arched brows. "Do you think I'm impressed with your caveman tactics?"

His glance slid down to her breasts. Her headlights were erect little points that stabbed toward him. "Damn right," he said, hoping he hadn't read her body language wrong.

With a toss of her hair, she uncrossed her legs, her knee caressing the inside of his thigh. "Sorry about that," she murmured, although she didn't look sorry at all. She'd just checked him out.

His heart kicked into a slow, thrumming throb. The lady knew where this was leading. She'd accepted his beer.

The part of him that had tensed in pursuit relaxed. She could be his if he didn't overplay his cards. And he had a decision to make. Savor a slower rise to climax or take her hard and fast? "Dance with me."

She shook her head, which swept the ends of her curly brown hair across the tops of her bare shoulders. "I don't dance."

He reached for the beer she held in her lap and set it on the bar. His fingers closed around her slender wrist, and he tugged her up from the stool.

"What do you think you're doing?" She tottered on her heels for a moment, and her nipples brushed his chest. Her gaze, wide-eyed, set his heart thumping in a slower, heavier beat. He swept his arm around her waist and pulled her along to the dance floor. He needed her in his arms now.

They were the only couple on the small square of parquet-printed linoleum. Max didn't give her a chance to protest, he simply pressed his body to hers—chest to hip, and slid his leg between her thighs. The heavy, grinding rhythm of the rock music suited his mood just fine. He shifted on his feet from side to side, not so much a dance as foreplay. His body introducing itself to hers.

She stiffened inside the circle of his arms. "Do you ever pay attention to what a woman tells you?" she asked, her words clipped.

Encouraged she hadn't hauled off and slapped him yet, he leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Sweetheart, I was listening, but not to what your lips were saying."

Her head jerked back, and her gaze bored into his. "Perhaps you should."

The look halted him in his tracks. He'd pushed her too hard. "All right." Sighing his regret, he stepped away. "I'm sorry. I misread the situation."

But she didn't walk away as he expected. Instead, her head tilted to the side, and she studied his face for a long moment, her teeth worrying her lower lip.

He wiped his expression free of hunger, hoping for another chance.

Finally, she looked around the bar and shrugged. "Well, seeing as I'm here…"

He didn't wait for her to change her mind. He pulled her into his arms.

She nestled her face in the crook of his neck and groaned. "This is happening too fast."

Relaxing to savor the sensations, he chuckled and pulled her closer. "I know what you mean," he murmured. A dark, musky floral scent rose from her hair and skin, wrapped him in heat.

Her arms snuck up around his neck, and her small, firm breasts pressed against his chest.

Once again pretending to dance, he shifted her slightly to glide her nipples across his chest. They'd been erect before their bodies met—they were hardened little bullets now.

"Do you think you'll overcome every one of my objections as easily?" she asked, her breath gusting gently in his ear.

"I promise you won't have one when the time comes." He lifted his leg and rubbed his thigh against her crotch.

Her head fell back, and her chocolate eyes glinted with amusement. "Sure of yourself, aren't you?"

He was getting there. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I smell your arousal."

Her breath gasped, but she didn't pull away. A tremor shook her body. "Do you think you're just going to get a quick—"

Placing a finger over her lips to shut her up, he said, "Whoa, sweetheart." He nuzzled her cheek. "Nothing about this'll be quick. This is just the appetizer." He bent his neck and kissed her sleek shoulder.

Her head fell back exposing her creamy throat, inviting him to slide his lips along her throat—which he did.

"You sound like you're going to eat me," she said, half-laughing, half-moaning.

Max stiffened and spoke between tightened lips, "I will, if you ask me sweetly."

Again, she gasped, following with a burst of soft, strained laughter.

Not the outright "yes" he hoped for, but promising just the same. He wished he had a glib tongue so he could put her at ease, but his body was too insistent, too ready to pounce for him to think straight.

Every sense tuned to her. Her body draped languidly across his chest. Her legs slid along either side of his thigh, and he wondered if she wanted another rough caress. He decided to test her by rubbing his thigh against her femininity.

She moaned—a sexy sound that made his dick throb.

His hands glided over her back, then smoothed to her sides. With his thumbs, he caressed the edges of her breasts. She didn't stiffen in his arms. "Look at me," he said.

Her head tilted back. Her eyes were wide open.

He swept his thumbs beneath the fabric of her top and went straight for the ripe little berries at the center of her breasts.

Her gaze darted beyond his shoulder to the bar.

"They can't see a thing. It's too dark." He swooped down to capture her lips.

Sounding like a kitten, she whimpered, pressing hard against his thumbs. Her hands clutched his shoulders.

He raked her tongue with his, and then swept around her mouth to touch her teeth, the roof of her mouth, before he pulled away to drag air into his lungs. "Baby, I want a bed beneath your back for what I'm gonna do to you." No way could he be subtle or patient with this one. She has to want this as much as I do…

Again, her throat moved. "And if I can't wait?"

He stilled for a moment, and then muttered, "Christ!" His need crowded insistently against the placket of his jeans. With a quick glance around the bar for the nearest exit, he pulled her down a hallway and into the restroom.

Once inside, he locked the door. Then he turned and stalked her, backing her into the old-fashioned wooden stall. "You have to spell it out for me. Do you want me to stop?"

Her eyes rounded. "I don't know. I don't know you."

His jaw clamped tight. "I won't hurt you. Or at least I'll try not to."

Her tongue wet her lips. "Good enough," she whispered.

Max palmed her breast with one hand; his other hand glided up her bare thigh and pushed up her short skirt. He went straight to the scrap of nylon covering her sex. He tipped the lid of the toilet closed with the toe of his boot and sat.

The woman, Pia, wasted no time climbing onto his lap, her thighs straddling him. Her breasts were level with his mouth, and she pushed the hem of her cropped top up, exposing them.

Max took the hint and groaned, rooting with his lips until he held a burgeoning nipple between them.

She grasped the back of his head, pushing her breast deeper into his mouth. Her sex ground against the hard ridge of his cock, riding him, wriggling her hips so eagerly he thought he might spill his seed in his pants like a teenager.

He dragged his mouth from her breast. "Wait." He pushed her off his lap and stood, then placed his hands on the sides of her waist and lifted her high. "Hold onto the top of the stall, sweetheart."

Quickly catching his drift, she spread her arms wide across the top of the wooden stall and gripped the edge. He hefted her higher and stepped backward. She "lay", suspended from the top of the stall, her legs parted and draped over his shoulders. His face was poised at the opening of her legs.

He glanced up at her flushed face. "I did say I'd eat you, if you asked sweetly."

The winner of yesterday's contest (by random number generator), and pulled from entrants here on this blog and Facebook, is…Staci Whiteside! Congrats, Staci! Be sure to email me with your choice from my backlisted MIK titles!

A Long Howl coming in 4, 3, 2, 1…

If you post a comment today and you'll be in the running

for a free download of any backlisted Immortal Knight book!

Rather than whine again today about my lack of progress with my current book, I'm going to start getting you revved up for the new book coming your way on October 27th. It's set in the Immortal Knights' universe—a werewolf story featuring wolves from Dark Mountain, North Carolina.

Since I have four days, I thought I might remind you of furry highlights from books past. This first excerpt is from All Knight Long, originally published in March 2004.

(Psst! For those of you waiting on pressies in the mail, I do have a few more prize packages to prep for mailing, but I'm almost done!)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Vampires, werewolves, and babies — oh, my! ALL KNIGHT LONG is a sensual and thrilling ride into the world of the paranormal." Romance Review Today

A member of an elite police unit sworn to hunt vampires, Joe Garcia's life is turned upside down when he's transformed into one. On a quest for a cure, his search brings him to New Orleans in a last ditch effort to recover his humanity.

Professor Lily Carlson, a renowned expert in vampire lore, has a "condition" of her own. Her sexual libido has been in hyper-drive for months. Her only defense is to hide behind her glasses and tweed suits and stay as far away from men as possible. However, she's thrilled to discover vampires really do exist when Joe shows up on her balcony.

Although Joe deflects her attempts to make him a case study and confirm a few vampire statistics, he is drawn by her powerful allure. When werewolves join the chase and track her through New Orleans, Joe's cop instincts tell him there's a mystery to solve. Intent on protecting her, he must seek help from the last vampire on Earth he wants to ask. While his hopes for deliverance from his fate dwindle, Lily's life is forever altered by an unexpected "inheritance".

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Now, Miss Lily. I would read your cards." Madame Leveque slid the deck across the table toward her.

Joe slid from the chair and held it out for Lily. Lily sat and carefully shuffled the deck, before handing it back to the old woman. Joe placed his hands on Lily's shoulders and he felt some of her tension ease.

Again, Madame drew three cards. As soon as the first was turned, all three people leaning over the table laughed.

"The Queen of Wands! Appropriate, non? A woman of passion and energy. You are fond of nature—wild things, yet you are practical."

The second card brought the tension back. A man dangled by his foot from a rope that hung in the air.

"The Hanged Man. Dis indicates you'll experience suspense and change. There may be sacrifice for great gain, or a search for inner truth. A change in point of view may be needed."

"But what does that mean?" Lily asked.

Madame settled back in her chair and folded her hands on her stomach. "Your choices have brought you to dis point. Now it is up to you to gain wisdom from your search for truth."

Lily shook her head, but Joe squeezed her shoulders. He wanted to see the next card.

Madame's hands remained on her belly and she smiled at Lily. "Turn the next one, my dear."

Lily reached a tentative hand to the card, and Joe had to smile. For all her professions of belief in empirical proof, she was enthralled. She flipped the card.

A beautiful woman blended two bowls of water into a single stream.

"It is called 'The Star' and represents the blending of the past and present. An awareness and acceptance of two worlds." Madame glanced pointedly between Lily and Joe.

Feeling a little mesmerized, Joe murmured, "Thanks, Madame."

She nodded her acceptance, and then swept her hand toward the sofa. "Please, take a seat and we'll talk. "

Joe held his hope in check and sat down. Dragging a hand through his hair, he tried to figure out a place to begin.

"Joe wants to be human again."



Joe smiled ruefully. Lily's eagerness eclipsed his.

Madame's dark gaze seemed to look straight through him. "What about your new existence can't you accept?"

"I'm a damn parasite!" Frustration made his reply angrier than he'd intended. "I feed off humans."

"Do you take more than they can give?"

His hands dug into his thighs. "Sometimes, I want to. It's hard to fight the hunger."

"God gives us all tests."

"I don't think God has anything to do with my current state." Darcy and her bloodsucking boyfriend do!

Madame nodded. "I think you will find your mortality."

He stared, hope rising. He leaned forward. "How? What do I have to do?"

"You must face your past. Go home."

Not what he wanted to hear. He shook his head and looked at Lily. Her bleak expression reflected his heart's dismay. "I don't understand."

"I can't tell you anythin' more."

His head dipped. He'd come all this way only to hear that he had to go home. Something he already knew.

"Madame," Lily's voice broke through his disappointment, reminding him of the other danger lurking. "There's one other problem I need your advice concerning."

The old woman reached across the table and took Lily's hand. She turned the palm upward. "You haven't figure it out yet, have you child?"

"What?"

"Tell me first. What disturbs you?"

"There are so many things. I have intense…cravings. And then there's this …thing following me."

Madame tilted her head toward Joe. "Does this man satisfy your…cravings?"

Lily nodded her head, blushing.

"Then isn't your problem solved?"

"What I feel isn't normal." Lily gripped the edge of the table. "I want too much. Besides, he's leaving." She shrugged her shoulders and bit her lip. "And then there's the other…thing."

"The wolves? Do wolves follow you now?"

Lily exchanged a shocked glance with Joe before dragging her gaze back to the woman. "Yes. Or at least one does."

Madame turned to Joe. "The only way to keep them from her is to take her with you."

Joe nodded. "Why do they follow her?"

"For the same reason you do." Her little smile told him he wouldn't like what she said next. "To mate."

His body tightened. "Is it because of her increased sex drive?" he asked. "Do they smell her constant need?"

Lily's eyes darkened and Joe recognized the signs of her growing arousal. Just the mention of sex and she was primed.

"It is dat. And something more," the old woman said, her expression growing amused. She hadn't missed the exchange between Joe and Lily.

Frustrated with her cryptic comments, Joe blurted, "Why do they follow her?"

"Because she leaves her scent all over the city. She's in heat."

* * *

Lily slid the strap of her handbag over her shoulder and shivered despite the balmy night air. Still reeling from shock, she wrapped her arms around her middle and stumbled toward Bourbon Street. "I'm one of them?"

"You heard what she said." His words were clipped, his face hard as stone. "Not yet." His hand pressed the small of her back, hurrying her along. "Although, I'm wondering why you'd fight the change! The wolves don't mean you any harm. They just want to fuck you. Something you want."

Anger burned away the chill. "So I should just give into my nature? I should let any Duke or Fido take me because my body is ready to breed? That's so hypocritical coming from you! Why do you fight what you are?"

"I wasn't born to be a vampire. You were born to be a werewolf."

"Well, I don't accept that."

"Now you know how I feel. Neither do I."

He sounded so angry she felt like crying. Didn't he care strange werewolves wanted to mate with her? "I don't want them. Besides, I won't just get pregnant—I'll whelp! I could have a whole litter of puppies." That thought led to another more horrifying. "Oh God, does that mean I'll grow a row of breasts?"

They reached the corner and turned right onto the busy thoroughfare, blending with the strolling crowd.

"You think that's a problem?" Joe asked, his voice purring close to her ear.

Cream trickled down to soak another panty liner. That's all it took. One sexy rumble from this man and she was ready to shuck her pants in the nearest alley and have a go. She was insatiable. No. She was in heat!

"Shouldn't you be eager to get home and start taking notes?" he asked. "You've obviously been studying the wrong breed."

She dug in her heels. "Stop it!" She rounded on him, her hands clenched. "There's no need to be snide."

The hard set of Joe's jaw indicated he wasn't ready to let go of his anger.

Lily wondered if he even knew why he was angry. "You can't just give me over to them."

Joe stepped close, crowding her against a wall. "Course not," he said. His head lowered until his face was inches from hers. His eyes glittered dangerously. "I thought you'd bake them up a bunch of doggie treats and invite them over."

Ignoring the amused stares from passersby, she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him closer. "I don't want them. I want you."

He planted his hands against the wall on either side of her shoulders, trapping her inside his embrace. "Well, that's too bad. I told you, I'm not staying."

Lily licked her lips, enjoying a little thrill of power when his smoldering gaze followed the motion. "You could take me with you."

A muscle in his jaw rippled. "Not possible."

Her hands swept up to caress the hills of his chest. "You didn't seem so averse to that thought when Madame Leveque first mentioned it."

"That was before I knew my interest was chemically induced. You're not any more human than I am."

Lily flinched as though he'd slapped her. "What? You think this thing we have going is all about werewolf pheromones?"

"Isn't it?" The muscle along his jaw rippled again and his nostrils flared. He ground his crotch against her belly. "Baby, it makes me as crazy as it does you. You wouldn't care if I dry-humped you right here, would you?" He slid his knee between her legs and raised it to grind against her pussy. "Would I have followed you to your apartment if I hadn't already been snared by your scent?"

"Silly me," Lily said around a gasp, her body already climbing the peak. "I actually thought my irresistible personality might have had something to do with it." The tips of her breasts swelled and she rubbed herself shamelessly against his chest while she rode his thigh.

His mouth slammed down on hers, his tongue stabbing between her lips.

Lily kissed him back with all the love she had. He thought this was just chemistry—an artificially induced arousal. She knew better. She'd fought her urges for months until this man presented himself on her balcony.

Joe groaned into her mouth and lifted his knee higher.

It was just enough to send her over the edge. Her whole body stiffened. Wide-eyed with shock, her body convulsed—her thighs clamping around his leg as waves of shuddering contractions gripped her empty vagina.

Slowly, the tight coil of desire in her belly unraveled. Spent, her body and mouth slackened. If not for Joe's knee still rammed between her legs, she would have melted to the ground.

Joe gave her a final sliding kiss and lowered his knee. His gaze smoldered darkly. "See what I mean? You'd let me take you anywhere."

Suddenly tired and near tears, Lily let go of his shirt and leaned back against the wall. "Why don't you just go now? You're wasting nighttime."

He stepped back a pace so their bodies no longer touched. "I'll see you home, first."

"You don't need to do that. I'm not in any danger, remember? They just want to fuck me. Something I want, right?"

"I'll see you home."

Lily felt like screaming. Any moment now she was going to break into a million pieces. "Joe, they won't harm me, but they'll kill you."

"They'll try."

"Only because you stand between them and me. I don't want you hurt because of me. You should just go."

"For all we know, there's only the one wolf. Even odds. What are the chances of a pack existing here in New Orleans?" His face tilted and suspicion twisted his mouth. "Or would you like that? A half dozen wolves nosing around your pussy?"

Lily stared, her heart breaking. He hadn't a clue how she felt—and he wouldn't care if he did. She turned on her heels and walked away from him.

"You're going the wrong way," he called after her.

She ignored him and walked faster.

"Dammit! Lily stop!"

She was running now, blinded by the tears streaming down her face.

Heavy hands landed on her shoulders, bringing her to a screeching halt. Lily didn't bother to turn. Instead, she drew ragged breaths and fought against more tears that burned the back of her throat.

"Baby, I'm sorry," Joe said. "I was out of line." His body pressed against her back.

Lily blinked rapidly. This was too humiliating. She'd thrown herself at him and been turned down cold. His pity was the last thing she wanted now.

"You sure don't run like a wolf," he said, next to her ear.

"I'm not," she said, hating that her voice sounded clogged with tears. "Not yet."

"That's right." His hands slid down her arms and encircled her middle.

Lily accepted his embrace, letting her head fall back against his chest. "But I'm a breeder. That's what she called it, right? I'm just a bite away from being canine. Sooner or later they'll find me—just like you did. By scenting me."

His hands closed around her shoulders and he shook her once. "You can fight it. You aren't turned yet."

"What am I supposed to do? Lock myself in my apartment every time I come into heat? Avoid anyone whose nose twitches when they draw near me?"

"Yes."

"What good will that do? I have to survive—I have to work. I'll meet some good-looking guy squeezing Charmin in the grocery store and my desire will overpower me. I'll let him take me home." She sniffed and rolled her head on his chest. "I won't be able to help it. One bite and it'll be finished."

Joe nuzzled her neck. "You're sure you don't want that? It might be easier to just go with the flow."

"You're not the one who's going four-legged." She scraped tears from her face. "I have no desire to run on all fours and smell other dog's butts. And think of the expense of all that waxing!"

Joe's shoulders shook. He turned her around, but she stubbornly kept her gaze on his oversized feet. He put a finger under her chin and brought her face up. By his crooked grin, she could tell he was exasperated.

Lily shrugged. "Think about it. No Remington razor will do the trick."

Joe drew his T-shirt over his head and used it to mop her face, ignoring the whistles from several grinning women as they walked by.

Lily scowled at every one of them.

"Let's get back to the car. We've got plans to make."

"Plans?"

"Like flight plans. And you need to pack."

Lily brought her gaze slowly up, hoping her heart wasn't shining in her eyes. She was so pathetic. "Don't say that unless you really want me with you."

Joe's eyes burned her like a four-alarm blaze. "Don't want you?" He pulled her hand down and forced her palm to follow the curve of his erection. His face was still hard. Still angry. But the remorse in his expression said the anger was for himself.

"Let's get back to my place quick," she said, her heart thrumming.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her back down Bourbon Street.

"Wait, put your shirt back on!"

He laughed and pulled her faster behind him.

She'd parked on another side street, but as soon as she turned the corner she knew something was wrong. She didn't need to have all her werewolf powers to know eyes followed her progress. "Joe?"

He slowed his pace and his head lifted. He sniffed at the air. "Yes. I know. They're here."

"What do we do now?" Her hand clutched at his like a lifeline.

"Make your choice, Lily."

What choice? A blood-drinking vampire or a pack of horny dogs? "I'm afraid."

"You can be what you were born to be, or you can come with me. But choose now."

"Damn, they followed my scent, didn't they? I should have bought that strawberry douche."

"What's it going to be?" he repeated.

"I think—" A low growl sounded from the far side of the street. " Run!"

Joe didn't need to hear her say it twice, he ducked down and his shoulder hit her belly. She draped over him like a rucksack, and he took off in the direction they'd just come.

Lily was glad for his strength and his speed. His feet ate up the pavement. She'd never have kept up. She leaned up and caught sight of a man straightening from his hiding place beside her car. The man from the diaper aisle! He leapt to the sidewalk and ran after them, tearing away his T-shirt and ripping open his pants.

What the hell was he doing?

He stopped for a second and pushed his jeans down his legs, and then he was running after them, again. Lily had a glimpse of his powerful, nude body as his legs stretched to increase their pace. Then he was changing, morphing, his face growing longer, fur sprouting all over his body. He lunged and he was running on all fours, his transformation complete. A werewolf!

She would have told Joe, but she hadn't the wind to scream with her body bobbing on his shoulder. Faster! Run faster, she wanted to say. The wolf was closing in on them.

Then there was a second wolf, loping into view from another side street—and another. They drew closer—so close she could see their eyes glowing like flat, gold disks in the light from the street lamps, their tongues lolling from the sides of their mouths.

At that moment, she was sure she didn't want to be a werewolf. A lolling tongue was not something she ever wanted to aspire to. Faster, Joe!

Joe turned onto Bourbon Street, but didn't slow his pace. She heard screams and lifted her head again to see the wolves loping around the corner. Exposure to the crowds didn't seem to be a deterrent. Her pheromones must indeed be a powerful thing.

Lily heard the squeal of brakes and a loud horn.

"Mister! This way! Get in the car!"

Lily found herself tossed onto the vinyl back seat of a taxi. Joe jumped on top of her. Heedless of the fact they were only half inside the car, the driver hit the gas.

Joe hauled her the rest of the way inside and slammed the door. Lily pushed Joe to the floor of the cab and scrambled on the seat to look out the rear window. The taxi was pulling away from the wolves. One by one, they stopped, their heads low to the ground, chests billowing, as they watched the taxi leave them in the dust.

Lily turned to Joe and for the first time realized the screams she'd heard could just as well have been for him. His wore his monster face.

He'd collapsed against the back of the seat, dragging lungfuls of air into his chest.

"Joe!" she hissed.

His eyes shone like the wolves in the dim light when he turned toward her.

"Your face!" She tilted her head toward the driver.

Joe took several deep breaths and his face reformed into the handsome one she preferred.

"Holy shit! Did you see that?" the taxi driver said, excitement in his voice. "What did you two do to piss those dogs off? Steal their bone?"

Not So Tough

"I survived because I was tougher than everyone else." Bette Davis

I can claim "tough".

I served 14.5 years in the U.S. Army (including a stint in the Middle East during the Gulf War), plus another 7 in the Guard.

I gave birth to a 10.5 pound kid without so much as an aspirin.

I worked full time, wrote full time, and put up with a 3-hour commute each day.

So why do I want to whine like a 5-year-old because I'm up at the butt-crack of dawn now and can't go back to sleep?

It's my own damn fault. I looked at my calendar, carved up what I still had to accomplish for the rest of the month, then did a little backward planning to come up with my To Do list for the next few days. Today's has a hellish 30 items I need to get through to keep on track. I've been making great headway on the Viking story, but shoved everything else aside this week to make sure I kept focused on goal #1, but I can't afford to let all the other little things slide either. They add up. And they keep my edgy.

So, here I am at O-dark-thirty, getting the the first thing scratched off my battle list. And if I'm reverting to Army-speak, it's because I feel like I need to roll out today like I'm getting ready to cross the LD (the line designated to coordinate the departure of attack elements). Hooah!

Bad Moon Rising, Chapter 4 is here!

In case you hadn't heard, I have a free book that you, the readers, are helping me plot. You tell me what you want to have happen next, and I write it. Chapter 4 is finished and ready for you to enjoy. Follow the link at the bottom of this post to my Free Story page and click on the chapter links to read them all.

Enjoy! And while you read, be thinking of what you'd like to see happen next to my intrepid heroine, DiDi Devereaux. Very soon, I'll be asking for your suggestions for what's next in Chapter 5. If an idea occurs to you while you're reading now, be sure to post that idea in the comments.

Comment anyway to let me know how your story is going so far. ~DD

*~*~*~*~*

On a whim, romance author DiDi Devereaux decides to travel to remote Louisiana bayou country to take possession of a house she inherited from a reclusive relative. But before she reaches her destination, she drives her car into a ditch to avoid a large animal that leaps into her path. Rescue comes in the form of a sexy sheriff, whose gruff demeanor seems to hide a feral attraction. As DiDi settles into her new home she finds herself torn between her attraction to the sheriff and the raw, handsome bad boy whose offer to help her renovate her home is a little too convenient and tempting.

Nothing in Bayou Noir is what it seems. When strange things begin to happen, her natural curiosity leads her into danger…

Read the first four chapters