Lola Taylor's Blog, page 3
November 6, 2016
1 week left! Win a copy of ‘Saving Margaret’ by Krystal Shannan!
Who doesn’t love free books? There’s only 1 week left to enter the giveaway, so jump on it while you still can!
October 31, 2016
Sneak Peek: Forever, a Blood Moon Rising Companion Novella
Here it is! The synopsis for Forever, coming in early 2017! This will be the last book in the Blood Moon Rising series before I move on to a brand new werewolf trilogy. I’ll be sad to say goodbye to these characters, but also excited to move on to new territory. =) Happy Halloween!
*Working synopsis… might change a bit by publication. Please pardon grammar/spelling boo-boos!
A DARKNESS THAT HAS SOUGHT HER TOUCH FOR TEN YEARS…
Alpha Female Breanna Whiteclaw and her pack are finally safe—or are they?
When a handsome stranger shows up at her mating celebration, she thinks he’s simply another visiting alpha, come to pay his respects. Only, no one seems able to see him except for her….
AN ALPHA WHO WILL DO ANYTHING TO PROTECT HIS MATE…
Ex-bounty hunter Marcus (formerly known as Shadow, scourge of the Underworld) is scared to death. Not only is he falling for Breanna fast, he’s suddenly terrified of losing her, having never been this close to anyone before.
So you can imagine his concern when she confesses a beautiful stranger is stalking her—concern not just about the stalking part, though that’s pretty bad, but the beautiful part as well.
AN OBSESSION THAT WON’T DIE…
Breanna begins to dream of the stranger. Or are they dreams at all? As surreal fantasy becomes terrifying reality, Breanna learns there’s more to her dark prince than appears. He’s hiding something, not only about his origins but his motives.
He wants a lot more than Breanna’s love—he wants her soul.
And he’s not afraid to kill to get it.
THE FINAL BOOK IN THE BLOOD MOON RISING SERIES
***
Did you know? You can get Lust, the prequel to Forever, FREE for a limited time. Find out how.
Looking for your next werewolf romance? Download ‘Chasing Sam’ by Krystal Shannan for FREE! ***limited time***
Today we welcome Krystal Shannan, the author of Chasing Sam! Enjoy the excerpt.
Synopsis
Werewolf royalty, Samantha Demakis is not ready for what lies ahead of her. At 25, according to decree, it is time for to her to marry, but there is so much more at stake. Her royal suitors, those chosen by her parents, must fight to the death for her hand in marriage. Sam’s obligations and inner wolf are at odds. But when, she meets a sexy stranger, Sam decides forever is just what she wants–with the right wolf.
Spending his life alone, Chase Michaels can’t believe the odds that his alpha wolf reacts so strongly to a chance encounter with a beautiful woman. Never experiencing such desire and need, Chase is bound and determined to make Sam his, despite the laws against it. Unprepared for the snobbery of the noble families, Chase prepares for battle. Can he fight the laws and ancient tradition to win the heart of the woman he’s destined to be with? Or will he die trying?
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Chapter One of Chasing Sam
Samantha Demakis wrinkled her nose at the barrage of scents coming from the Christmas hordes invading McCarran International Airport. She swallowed a growl of frustration and tightened the leash on her inner wolf. Everybody and their brother traveled for Christmas, and she didn’t like being one of them. She should have stayed at Duke. Her gut told her it was a mistake to come home.
Duke Medical School was her haven away from all this crazy.
People jostled her from all angles. Her rolling suitcase flipped over, and she leaned back to right it. In the process, someone snatched her blue leather jacket from the carpeted floor and dashed away.
Shit. Really?
She straightened and scanned the crowd in the direction the thief had run.
“Miss.”
Sam turned and looked to her left. Holy mother of hotness! Six and a half feet of beautiful man dressed in a muscle-hugging beige thermal shirt and army camo pants, stood holding her royal-blue leather jacket. She curled her lips into a smile. His scent was magnetic, and she hurried toward him.
“Thank you so much.” She reached for the jacket, brushing her fingers along his hand on purpose. “I thought it was gone for good.” His blue eyes widened just for a moment. A charge had passed between them. She’d never felt anything like it before. Her wolf howled and slammed against her consciousness. It took every scrap of willpower she possessed not to launch herself at him. The canine soul within her wanted him right now and so did she. The mate connection between them was strong. No, no, no. I don’t want a mate right now.
“No problem, Miss…”
“Demakis, Sam Demakis, ummm… Samantha. Sorry.” She stumbled over her name like a love-struck sixteen-year-old instead of the perfectly capable twenty-five-year-old she was.
“Ask his name,” her wolf urged.
He gave her a gentle grin. “It’s fine, Sam. Nice to meet you. I’m Chase Michaels.”
Click the cover to download for free! **limited time**“I’m surprised I didn’t notice you on the plane.” It was strange that she hadn’t caught his scent earlier. But it was probably because she tried for the most part to avoid other wolves.
Chase chuckled. “I don’t tend to fly first class.”
Sam’s cheeks warmed. He’d known she was there. Maybe being away from the pack really was making her lazy, but she loved not having to deal with the stress of the politics.
“Thank you again,” she said and found herself lost in his sparkling, bright blue eyes. No, focus. Medical school, not a man.
“Samantha.” Her dad’s deep voice called her name from across the bustling lobby. Most of her family trailed after him.
“Well.” Sam turned back to Chase. “I have to go.”
He smiled and nodded.
She grabbed the handle on her luggage and scurried off, pulling the big, magenta suitcase behind her. Her wolf whined in frustration. We will discuss him later. Right now we have to play nice and pray for mercy.
Her mom enveloped her in a huge hug. “Honey, you look beautiful. It’s so good to have you back home where you belong.”
“Hey, Mom.”
“What’s up with the hottie, sis?”
“Nicole.” Her mother scolded her sister and frowned. Nicole gave her mom the I-don’t-know-what-you’re-talking-about look and shrugged. She pushed around her mother and gave Sam a big hug.
“It’s good to see you too, Nicole.”
Nicole laughed and stepped back.
“Aren’t you going to give your old man a hug too?” Sam smiled up at her dad. He moved forward and gave her a hug, briefly lifting her from the ground. “We’ve missed you Samantha. You haven’t been home all year.”
And I’m hoping coming home now was not a mistake.
“Missed you too, Dad.” He released her and she smoothed out her blouse from all the hugging.
“Where’s Hallie and Tess?”
“They are circling in the car with Brendan,” Nicole piped up. “There wasn’t anywhere to park.”
“Well, let’s get going.” Her dad grabbed her suitcase, and she linked arms with Nicole.
Her sister leaned toward her ear. “So…do tell. What’s up with the soldier-boy hottie back there? You know he stood staring at you for a full minute or so before he left.”
Really? Sam felt her wolf perk at the information, too. Her wolf hadn’t been interested in any guy, ever, that she could remember. Now, out of the blue, her furry companion was flipping out. Not to mention her own hormones seemed to be revving up.
“He could be a good match for us.” The wolf’s voice urged.
Sam shook her head. She didn’t want a match. She wanted to finish medical school. “I just bumped into him when we got off the plane. He picked up my coat for me. It was nothing, Nicole.”
“I don’t think he thought it was nothing.” She laughed. “I know Mom didn’t. You should have heard her. She started going on and on about the Michaels pack and how they weren’t worthy of even being in the same room with one of her daughters. Blah, blah, blah.”
“I dropped my coat, and he picked it up for me, end of story,” she whispered back to her sister. No need to mention that the coat had been stolen first and that Chase had recovered it for her. There was also that strange connection I felt. Maybe that wasn’t the end of the story for “soldier-boy hottie”. Her wolf agreed wholeheartedly. Michaels pack or not, she was going to have to talk to the hottie again.
Wait a minute. How did mom know he was a Michaels?
***
Chase tossed his bag into the bed of his brother’s black F-150 pickup truck. He pulled open the passenger door and slid into the passenger seat.
“Hey, bro. Good to see you’re back in one piece. Mom will be glad.” His brother sniffed the air before turning the key in the ignition. “Who’s the girl?”
“Nobody,” he grumbled and crossed his arms. He could still smell her scent, too. It clung to him like a sweet cloud. Even his wolf was fidgeting, irritated that she had slipped away so quickly at the airport.
His brother grinned. “Nobody, huh? She sure has you all sullen and broody.”
“Shut it, Chris,” he snarled. “Sorry,” Chase apologized immediately. His wolf was practically screaming in his head, but he didn’t want to hear it. He shouldn’t take out his frustration on his brother. “She’s a Demakis.”
That explained it all.
Click the cover to download for free! **limited time**Chris sighed and pulled out into the busy airport traffic. “You didn’t know?”
“No, I just bumped into her getting off the plane.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I can’t explain it, but there was just something about her, Chris.”
“Well, keep it to yourself. That family will come after you in a heartbeat if you mess with one of theirs.”
“I know.” Chase flexed his hands. “My wolf disagrees though.”
“Chase,” Chris growled in warning.
“She was just so… God, I can’t stop thinking about her. In seventy-five years I’ve hardly dated. Now I brush against a woman, barely speak to her, and my wolf is going crazy.”
He stared out the windshield at the colorful neon lights as Chris drove through the main strip of Vegas. The huge Glass House Hotel and Casino sparkled as they passed. The gleaming reminder of their exorbitant wealth and prestige was the pride and joy of the Vegas branch of the Demakis family. Originally from Greece, Demakis werewolves were considered one of the first noble families. The Michaels…weren’t.
“Which one did you run into?”
Chase flashed Chris a confused look.
“Dude, you’ve been gone a long time, haven’t you?”
“Kinda enrolled in the army, remember?”
Chris laughed. “Yeah, you need to stop doing that. It really freaks Mama out. Anyway, the Demakis sisters are like Vegas royalty. Always plastered all over the tabloids, especially the younger twins. Now, the oldest sister is off studying at Duke to be some kind of doctor. I forget exactly what the article said, but man, she is gorgeous. She’s not usually in town though.”
“Her name is Samantha,” Chase murmured.
“Yes! That’s her. That’s the oldest one.” He shoved Chase’s shoulder playfully. “You met the oldest one. Sweet. She’s probably the only normal one in the bunch.”
Chase looked at Chris. “Why the hell do you know all of this?” He grinned when Chris turned three different shades of pink.
“It’s Maggie. Geez, Dad’s had me working with her up at the accounting firm, and it’s all she ever talks about. I guess more of it rubbed off than I realized.”
“No kidding. You actually sounded like Maggie there for a minute.”
“Shut up!”
Chase laughed again and ran his hands through his hair. It was good to laugh, to be home—at least for a while.
“If she is our match we can stop running off to fight in wars and settle down with a family.”
He sighed. Keep dreaming. A Michaels would never have a shot with a Demakis.
***
Chris pulled the pickup into their parents’ driveway and parked. Before Chase could even get his bag, the door of the house opened wide and people flowed out.
“Chase!” His mother’s voice carried above the noise of the group.
He dropped his bag back into the bed of the truck and bent down to embrace his mother, completely enveloping her petite five-foot-two-inch frame. He was her oldest son and the largest of the Michaels boys. “Mama, it’s good to see you.”
“How long are you on leave?”
“Three weeks before I have to report back to Arizona.”
“Good,” his father interjected. “It’s been too long since we’ve seen you, son.”
Chase shook his father’s hand and then gave him a hug. “It’s good to be home, Dad.”
“Your unit doing well? Everyone make it back safe with you?” his dad asked.
He nodded. Chase hadn’t lost a man yet in the three tours he and his unit had been through in Afghanistan. It was the record he was most proud of—getting his men home to their families. He’d lost so many friends over the years. Vietnam had been hell. Tracking people was much easier in the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan. Desert air carried scent well.
He got hugs from all his cousins and his Aunts and Uncles before his mother announced that everyone needed to head back inside the house for dinner. Just the idea of food made his stomach grumble. He turned to grab his bag, but Chris already had it halfway to the front door.
They walked in together and flowed with the crowd to the back porch. The smoky aroma of beef, pork, and lamb on the barbeque assaulted his empty stomach. The scent was divine. His mom’s special sauce was his favorite. It was good to be home. He was tired of being away.
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About the Author
Krystal Shannan goes to sleep every night dreaming of mythical realms with werewolves, vampires, fae, and dragons. Occasional a fabulous, completely human story slips into the mix, but powers and abilities usually crop up without fail, twisting reality into whatever her mind can conceive.
As a child, her parents encouraged her interests in Ancient Greek and Roman mythology and all things historical and magickal. As an adult the interests only grew. She is a child of Neverland and refuses to ever stop believing in fairies.
She is guilty of indulging and being a Buffy the Vampire Slayer groupie as well as an Angel fan. For those of you unfamiliar with the world of Joss Whedon, you are missing out! She also makes sure to watch as many action and adventure movies as possible. The more exciting the better. Yippee-Ki-Yay….. If you don’t know the end of that phrase, then you probably don’t like the same movies.
She writes stories full of action, snark, magick, and heart-felt emotion. If you are looking for leisurely paced sweet romance, her books are probably not for you. But, for those looking for a magical ride, filled with adventure, passion, and just a hint of humor. Welcome home.
***
Krystal Shannan
Putting Magick in Romance one Soul Mate at a Time.
___________________________________
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October 27, 2016
October 13, 2016
Free Fiction Friday: “Witchful Thinking” Chapter 1
Welcome to your weekly meme, with a sneak peek at one of my stories posted every Friday! Enjoy!
Author’s Note: Things posted here will be unedited until official publication. Please forgive any grammar or spelling whoopsies!
***
“Witchful Thinking”
A paranormal romance short story
by
Lola Taylor
Synopsis
When witch Roxy Branwell catches a cold on Thanksgiving and her powers go haywire, she thinks the worst part of her day will be controlling her magic and dealing with her wacky family—until her scheming mother invites Roxy’s old flame to dinner.
Chapter One
The powers that be must hate her, Roxy thought as she pulled up to the convenience store. Otherwise, why would she be sick on Thanksgiving? Wasn’t dealing with her crazy family enough punishment?
Throwing the car into park, she bent over to retrieve her purse from the passenger side floorboard. A torrent of snot oozed out of her nose, and her eyes began to water and burn. “Oh, no,” she said miserably, her voice raspy from coughing all morning. “Where is that tissue box…” She found it and frowned.
Empty.
Her vision began to blur. Scrubbing at her eyes with the sleeve of her sweaterdress, she peered into the box again, shook it for good measure.
Something was inside of it.
Reaching into the box, she felt around until her fingertips grazed the soft something in question. Not tissue, but—
She yanked the mystery object out and stared.
It was a blue paisley-patterned handkerchief, with the initials J. D. H. on the corner in gold thread.
Her heart gave a painful squeeze as she ran her fingertips over the letters.
J.D.H.
“Jason Dwight Henderson,” she murmured.
It had been ten months, twenty one days, and six hours since she’d broken up with him. Not that she was keeping track or anything. That was just a rough estimate.
What had he been up to, she wondered? Had he thought of her at all? Was there some object she’d left behind that caused his chest to ache as hers did now?
She stared at the handkerchief a moment longer before shrugging. Her nose desperately needed attention, before her dress was covered in snot. Besides, it wasn’t as if she’d ever see him again.
Her hurtful words rang in her memory. “It’s over, Jason. Don’t call me, don’t text me, don’t write me. Forget about me.”
She winced as she thought of them. Breaking his heart had been the last thing she’d wanted to do, but after what happened…
A shiver rippled over her skin, and she rubbed her arms. Her heart felt so heavy, like iron chains were wrapped around it, dragging it down, down, down into the pit of her stomach. “It was for the best,” she reminded herself as she folded the used handkerchief and tucked it away inside her purse. Running a finger under her eyes to touch up her runny mascara, she got out of the car and marched toward the store.
I wonder what he’s doing with his family today, she mused as she meandered through the aisles on her quest for cold medicine. I bet he’s wearing blue plaid. Blue always did look good on him, really brought out his eyes. He’ll have on faded jeans, no tears or ragged seams. Clean and whole, with those leather boots I bought him last Christmas before things went to shit.
Her heart gave another painful squeeze, and she winced.
“Don’t you go feeling sorry for yourself, Roxann Sloane Branwell,” she could hear her momma saying. “You keep your spine straight and your head high. Branwell women stand proud, you hear?”
“I hear you, Momma,” she muttered, perusing all the different boxes of cold meds. She didn’t even care if the pills turned her into a zombie at this point. She’d take anything if it would alleviate the pressure in her sinuses. And the headache. She’d almost give her magic to be rid of it. Why couldn’t witches conjure away a cold the way they could a bad hair day? Magic didn’t make sense sometimes, which was the first rule of magic.
For about five minutes, she read through what symptoms each brand was supposed to treat before deciding on which box to buy. Maybe it would even have time to kick in before she had to drive to Momma’s place, she thought as she walked to the register.
Her nose began to tingle.
Warning bells went off in her head. No. No, not here, not now—quick, hold it in, think of something else, anything to keep from—
“Achoo!”
She sneezed onto her arm, covering her mouth as best she could as little pink sparks shot out of her mouth. As her eyes watered, starting up that crazy itching and burning in her eyes again, she saw the telltale glow of those little hot pink sparks wriggling their way into boxes of tampons and pads. A pink ripple rolled over the boxes, which faded back to normal.
Roxy froze, held her breath. She stiffly glanced around, shoulders up around her ears.
No one nearby, thank goodness. In fact, the store appeared to be empty, save for the bored-looking teenage girl manning the register.
A flicker of movement caught her eye. Snapping her gaze around, she narrowed her eyes on several pairs of questionable boxes of tampons and pads.
Were they… were they glowing?
The metal shelf they sat on started to rumble as the boxes began to vibrate, faster and faster, pushing other boxes onto the floor.
Mouth agape, Roxy dared a glance at the register. The teen was flipping through a magazine, popping a large pink chewing gum bubble before blowing it up and popping it all over again.
There was a ripping noise. Roxy’s attention instantly went back to the problem at hand.
The quivering boxes literally exploded, showering the aisle in feminine products.
Pads ripped free of their wrappers, donning them like shields as they marched—literally marched—upon one another. They bent over and retrieved weapons—the tampons that had fallen out—using their sticky surfaces to hold them like swords. Two sets of pads lined up opposite one another and began to do battle, duking it out with their pearly blue tampon-swords. “Shit,” Roxy hissed under her breath. “Shit, shit, shit!”
She looked over her shoulder.
The girl at the register was looking her way now, frowning. She eased from behind the counter and started to walk over.
Panicked, Roxy mentally reviewed every spell she’d learned in witching school. “Um, er, where’s my stupid wand?” she muttered, fishing through her purse for the only thing that might help control her powers.
Her fingers clasped around a crooked piece of wood, seizing it and yanking it free. Its middle was broken, nearly snapped in two by her little cousin at Cousin Emilia’s high school graduation party about six months ago. Work had kept her so busy she hadn’t had time to send it off for repairs. She prayed the duct tape she’d lassoed around the midsection would allow the instrument to work well enough to aid her now. Holding it in the air, she whispered harshly, “Del ver descendio!”
With a flick of her wrist, a hot pink bolt bulleted from the gnarled wooden stick. It shot into one pad, then another, quick as lightning, ping-ponging off every pad until the life literally drained out of them, and they at last all fell dead with screams of agony.
“Ma’am?” The teenaged girl—Melanie, her nametag said—stared at the mess on the floor. “Is something wrong?”
Roxy’s eyes welled with tears. Not hard to accomplish, considering her nose was itching again. She needed to get out of here, fast, before her next epic failure of a sneeze.
“I’m so sorry!” Roxy said, her voice raspy with the cold. “I’ve been feeling dizzy all day, and came in for cold medicine. Then I knocked over all these items.”
“… And the boxes ripped open themselves?”
Smartass. Roxy knew that suspicious look—the girl thought she’d intended to steal them. “I stepped on them by accident when I backed up to see what I’d done. They all just sort of came spilling out. I tried to put them all back in their boxes, but my hands have been so sticky from all the snot—”
“Snot?”
“Yes. I’ve been feeling just awful. That’s why I came to get the cold medicine. My doctor tried prescribing something for the flu, but your pharmacy is closed.”
“I’m sorry, the flu?”
A vigorous nod. A tear slipped down her cheek, and she reached for the handkerchief inside her purse. It was still shiny with nose-slime. “I’m sorry, I just wanted to get some medicine and go home to bed.” She blew her nose loudly. Melanie winced, her face crinkling in disgust at all the gurgling noises coming out of Roxy. She looked to the floor, pointed. “Is that the cold medicine you were going to get?”
Roxy nodded.
“Why don’t you meet me at the counter? I’ll get you a fresh box.”
Melanie tiptoed around Roxy, giving her and the mess a wide birth. From the look on her face, Roxy was surprised the girl didn’t form a cross with her fingers as she passed.
Roxy glanced at the mess, scanning for any sign of life.
Disaster averted.
With a small sigh of relief, Roxy sent up a silent prayer that this day wouldn’t get any worse as she went to meet the girl at the counter.
***
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Thanks for reading!
October 2, 2016
Word Search: Blood Moon Rising
Stuck at work? Take some of the stress off with this relaxing word search, featuring terms and characters based off my werewolf paranormal romance series, Blood Moon Rising! (Bonus—the answers are on the second page, in case you get stumped!)
September 29, 2016
Guest Author Interview with Kat Simons + Giveaway
Hello, readers! I have the fantastic Kat Simons with me here today, author of the Tiger Shifters series. Welcome, Kat! Thanks for joining us.
Kat: Thanks for having me, Lola!
1) Okay, so a little bit about you first. =) You have a Ph.D. in animal behavior, yes? Have you always had a passion for animals?
Kat: I have always had a passion for animals! I grew up with a virtual menagerie around me–horses, dogs, cats, fish, Guinea pigs… LOL. When I discovered Jane Goodall and what she did, I realized that’s what I wanted to do. I even sat by my front door “observing” my cat for ages to see if I had the patience for the work. Turns out I did. *g* That desire mixed with a love of the ocean (I grew up in the desert so of course I loved the ocean) actually led me to studying dolphins initially. Turns out studying all mammals really appealed to me. In college I discovered Ethology (animal behavior) was an actual scientific field of research, so that’s what I specialized in.
Download for free – simply click on the picture.2) Every writer has an origin story. How did you become a writer?
Kat: Boy that’s tough since I’ve been a storyteller for as long as I can remember. I have memories of kids in my 5th grade class telling me I was the only one they listened to when I got up to read one of my stories because my stories were so good. I was obviously easily susceptible to flattery even then *g* I don’t even remember those stories! But I’ve had the bug for forever. I didn’t actually think I could be a writer though until my first year of college, when an English teacher encouraged me to take it seriously. I’d been writing stories before this but didn’t think I was “good enough.” That teacher (and a few others in classes that had nothing to do with English or writing) encouraged me, and I started to take it seriously. I’ll be forever grateful to that random teacher from my Freshmen year.
3) I also read on your website that you have kids and are a stay-at-home mom. How do you juggle being a mom and a writer?
Kat: With a lot of difficulty! LOL. I’m still trying to work it all out so I’m not constantly exhausted, or feeling guilty about the things I’m not doing. I have a babysitter who comes in a couple days a week to look after my youngest while I work. That helps a lot. In a year, my youngest will start preschool and that will give me “work hours” during the school day. I might not know what to do with myself with all that time! In the meantime, I just do my best to shuffle things around, and I have become a really fast typist. Since I might only get an hour here or there I’ve learned to get as much done in that hour as possible. I also learned to work in the short 15 minute snippets of time I can eek out in the day. It’s always a balancing act, though.
4) All right, let’s talk hot tiger-shifters. 
Bonus Scene: Gage before fighting Malachite (Blood Moon Rising)
Gage Johnson sat in the gloom of his room, staring at his hands. A network of scars and scrapes marred his knuckles, which were purple and black in spots. His hands hurt, but he barely felt the pain. He barely felt much of anything, except the weight pressing down, down, down on his shoulders.
He was going to die tonight. That somber truth hung like an anchor around his heart.
What had he been thinking, challenging Malachite, the Moonstruck Pack Alpha, like he had?
Oh, Gage knew why he’d done it, and he would do it again any day. Regardless of how foolish his challenge was, when Gage saw Malachite dragging a young girl, no more than a pup, into the Arena to “toughen her up,” something inside him snapped. Everyone else in the pack had watched the spectacle unfold with pale, frightened faces, unmoving, mute.
That girl’s terrified pleas for help finally loosed the repressed anger Gage had been gathering these past few years since he and his older brother, Nik, joined the pack.
Never had they expected this… this nightmare. The endless nights of blood and death, of waking up knowing this could very well be their last day on Earth.
He rubbed his scratchy eyes, took a deep breath and let it all come rushing out in a whoosh. Some of his nerves went along with it, but not enough. Those that remained lingered in his gut, making him feel nauseous.
The door opened, scraping across the wooden floor. A rectangle of orange light stretched across the room, a tall shadow moving at its center, before the door groaned shut.
Stark silence hung in the air. Gage’s sixth sense tingled, signaling the presence of another werewolf—his brother.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Nik fumed, bloodied fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. They’d both taken a beating—and given plenty themselves—in the Arena today, all for Malachite’s sick pleasure.
Gage stood and turned to face his brother head-on, steel in his eyes as he said, “I couldn’t let him hurt a child.”
“But challenging him for the Alpha-hood?” Nik hissed, stepping forward. “Have you lost your mind? He’ll kill you for this!”
“I can’t stand by and let another innocent die!” His voice rang in the air, silencing Nik with a surprised blink. Gage let his anger subside before speaking again in a calmer tone. “I won’t let Malachite hurt another person in this pack—ever.”
“You mean to kill him.”
“If it comes down to that, yes.”
Nik stared at him long and hard. “You think you can do it?”
It’d been the question that’d lingered at the back of Gage’s mind these past few hours since he’d issued the challenge.
Could he bring himself to kill a man, to take a life if it was the right thing to do?
Nik’s eyes glazed over with sadness as he stared at his little brother. “You have such a big heart, Gage. I don’t want to see it destroyed by killing someone, even if the bastard has had it coming for some time.”
Gage thought about the faces of his pack mates, some of which had suffered under Malachite’s wrath and abuse for years. Malachite would never let them go—any of them. Especially his prize fighters, Nik and Gage, who earned him so much money in the fighting circuits. And especially not the children, whom he could shape into warriors, or cull if they turned out to be gentle souls, like that little girl.
Gage imagined growing up in a place like this, what that would do to a child. It made his heart break. And, seeing the faces of those pups and his pack mates in his mind, his resolve turned to iron.
“I will do whatever it takes to save this pack,” Gage said firmly, looking his brother in the eyes without blinking.
Nik stared back for a long while, a muscle in his jaw ticking, not saying anything.
Several hard knocks came at the door.
“It’s time,” Nik said, breathing quickening.
Another long look passed between them. Gage wasn’t sure who stepped forward first, but in a blink they were hugging, clinging to one another like they had when they were kids and could hear Mom and Dad screaming at each other downstairs.
“No matter what happens,” Nik rasped into his ear, “I have your back. Until the end.”
Gage’s throat grew tight. “I know.”
They separated and Nik slapped him on the back. “I’m right here. I’ll be there the whole time.”
“I know,” Gage said again, because he couldn’t think of anything else to say. His heart was racing too fast, his thoughts too scrambled, his breaths too shallow as he strode forward, shoulders back, spine straight, to face the greatest enemy either of them had ever known.
***
Want to know what happened? Check out Fever, the first book in the Blood Moon Rising series, currently free!
Quiz: Which Blood Moon Rising Character Are You?
****WIN A $10 AMAZON E-GIFT CARD****
Month of October only! To enter, take this quiz and post your results on Facebook (be sure to tag me so I see it!). Winner will be picked at random and announced on November 1st. Have fun! Hoooooowwwwwllllllll!!!!!!!!
September 11, 2016
Giveaway Alert! Win a digital copy of Shatter
Today, my standalone contemporary romantic suspense novel, Shatter, is being featured at over 90 book blogs! Check out some of the Shatter guest posts and excerpts on my hosts’ pages–and maybe even find your next hot read! Book bloggers are book-a-holics, and a great way to find out about new books. Full list of participating bloggers is below the giveaway. Have fun!
List of participating bloggers
Blog Name
Blog URL
2 chicks and a book
Www.facebook.com/2chicksandabook
A Dream Within A Dream
http://adreamwithindream.blogspot.com
Addicted to Reviews
https://addictedtoreviews.wordpress.com/
Ali – The Dragon Slayer
http://cancersuckscouk.ipage.com/
All in One Place
https://kirstylovesbooks.wordpress.com/
BBs Book Reviews & Promotions
http://bbsbookreviews.com
Becky on Books
http://beckymmoe.com
Bibliophile Wonderland Reviews
http://www.katifornia91.blogspot.com
Book Addict
http://cherylanne57.com
Book Haven Book Blog
https://www.facebook.com/bookhavenbookblog/?fref=ts
Book Junkie Reviews
https://abookjunkiereviews.wordpress.com
Book Lovers 4Ever
http://xpressobooktours.us6.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=31b40158bc99f41c802949914&id=44627c168d&e=55ded7a50c
BookEden
http://inbookeden.blogspot.ca/
Bookish Girls
http://bookishgirl86.blogspot.it/
Bookjunkie’s Book Blog
www.bookjunkiesbookblog.blogspot.com
Books 2 Blog
http://frombooks2blog.blogspot.com
Books Over Sleep
booksoversleep.blogspot.com
Books to Breathe
http://bookstobreathe.com
Books,Dreams,Life
http://staceyschneller06.wordpress.com
Can’t Stop Reading
https://www.facebook.com/CantStopReading.Rose.Margie/?fref=ts&ref=br_tf
Carrie L Wells
http://www.carrielwells.com
Carries Book Reviews
https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress.com/
Cat’s Guilty Pleasure
http://www.facebook.com/catherinewrightbooks
Crazy Beautiful Reviews
www.crazybeautifulreviews.blogspot.com
deal sharing aunt
http://www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com
Escaping… One Book @ a Time
http://escapingonebookatatime.blogspot.ca/
Essentially Bookish
http://essentiallybookish.blogspot.com/
Evermore Books
http://evermorebooks.weebly.com/
Girl of 1000 Wonders
https://girlof1000wonders.wordpress.com
Haddie’s Haven
http://haddieshaven.blogspot.com
Happily Ever Chapter
www.facebook.com/happilyeverchapter
I Heart YA Books
http://iheartyabooks.blogspot.com/
Illuminite Caliginosus
http://darkwriter67.wordpress.com
Indy Book Fairy
http://paranormalbookfairy.blogspot.com/
iScream Books
http://www.iscreambooks.com
Jackie’s Book World
http://jackiesbookworld.blogspot.com/
Jeri’s Book Attic
http://jeri-ryan.wix.com/jerisbookattic
Kiki B’s Book Blog
http://kikibeebookblog.wixsite.com/kikib
Life of a bookworm
http://lifeofabookwormbyninaeudora.blogspot.com/
Lilly’s Book World
www.lillysbookworld.wordpress.com
Live Laugh & Love Books
https://livelaughandlovebooks.wordpress.com/
Liz Gavin’s Blog
https://lizgavin.wordpress.com/
Lost in sweet words
Lostinsweetwords.wordpress.com
Lovely Reads
http://serenityslovelyreads.blogspot.com/
Loves Great Reads
https://lovesgreatreadsblog.wordpress.com/
Maari Loves Her Indies
https://www.facebook.com/Maari-Loves-Her-Indies-483861215121076/
Midnight Biblio blog
https://midnightbiblioblog.wordpress.com/
Miley The Book Junkie Reads . . .
http://mileythebookjunkie.blogspot.com
Musings From An Addicted Reader
https://musingsfromanaddictedreader.wordpress.com/
Naughty Book Eden
http://naughtybookeden.blogspot.com.au
NovelKnight
http://novelknight.com OR http://novelknight.com/category/book-...
Obsessed Bookworm’s World
obsessedbookwormworld.wordpress.com
Ogitchida Kwe’s Book Blog
http://ogitchidabookblog.blogspot.com
Olga’s Oddish Obsession
https://booknerd271.wordpress.com
OMGReads
http://omgreads.com/blog/
One Book Boyfriend At A Time
http://www.facebook.com/onebookboyfriendatatime
Paper Cuts
papercutsya.blogspot.com
Quesarasera Book Reviews
http://quesarasera1973.wordpress.com
Rabbit Ears Book Blog
http://rabbitearsbookblog.blogspot.com/
Reader Girls
http://www.readergirlsblog.com
Reading Addict
http://readingadd.blogspot.ro/
Red’s Midnight Readers
http://redsmidnightreaders.blogspot.co.uk/
Reviews A La Tiffany
http://reviewsalatiffany.blogspot.com/
Romance Book Nerd
http://www.romancebooknerd.com/
Roxy’s Reviews
http://roxykade.blogspot.com
Sammy’s Book Obsession
http://sammysbookobsession.blogspot.com/
Sassy Book Lovers
http://sassybooklovers.blogspot.com/
shannonbookishlife
shannonbookishlife.wordpress.com
Share My Destiny
http://sharemydestiny.blogspot.com
Shooting Stars Reviews
http://shootingstarsreviews.blogspot.com
Southern Yankee Book Reviews
http://southernyankeebookreviews.wordpress.com/
StarAngels Reviews
http://www.starangelsreviews.com
Taking It One Book at a Time
takingitonebookatatime.blogspot.com
The Avid Reader
http://the-avidreader.blogspot.com
The Book Addict
http://jbthebookadict.blogspot.ae/
The Book Tree
http://thebooktree.blogspot.com
The Bookworm Lodge
www.thebookwormlodge.com
The Four Eyed Cat Reviews
thefoureyedcat.blogspot.com
The Indie Express
theindieexpress.blogspot.com
The Reader
http://thereaderocdblog.wordpress.com/
The Reading Diaries
http://www.thereadingdiaries.com/
The Silver Dagger Scriptorium
http://silver-dagger-scriptorium.weebly.com/
The Starred Review
https://starredreview.wordpress.com/
The Voluptuous Book Diva
https://www.facebook.com/voluptuousbdiva and http://voluptuousbookdiva.blogspot.com
The Writer’s Inkwell
http://thewritersinkwell.com/
Those Crazy Book Chicks
https://www.facebook.com/Thosecrazybookchicks
Tome Tender
http://tometender.blogspot.com
Truth About Books
http://tabbyafae.com/events/
underneath the covers
http://underneaththecoversblog.com/
Us Girls & A Book
http://usgirlsandabook.blogspot.com
Who She Reads
http://www.whoshereads.com
Wild and Dirty Book Blog
http://wildanddirty.blogspot.com
