Mandy M. Roth's Blog, page 93

Hercules says Merry Christmas!

There really isn't a flattering way to take a profile pic of a male dog. Sorry about that. Happy Holidays!

Amazon Bestseller! Master of the Hunt

Master of the Hunt is an Amazon Bestseller! Its in the top 100 paid Romance Fantasy! I'm so excited. Thank you everyone! This means I'll be able to work more on "Mandy" books instead of pen names.

Master of the Hunt

Paranormal Bird Shifter Romance

When the oracle warns Prince Aeson that his future mate is in the human realm and is in great danger, he wastes no time going in search of her. Problem is, he has no idea who he's looking for. He's never met her and the oracle couldn't give him anything more than small clues as to who she is and where she might be.

Sent to one of his favorite hangouts—a sex club—Aeson is stunned when a beauty shows up on the arm of another man, a man void of emotion. He senses trouble surrounding her and something else—something that marks her as his. He doesn't care if she is or isn't the woman the oracle told him about, she's the woman he wants. Anyone who dares to stand in his way will feel his wrath and, before the night is out, she'll feel exactly what it's like to be taken by a prince.

WARNING: This book contains hot, explicit sex and violence, dominant alpha bird shifting males who think they're always right, even when they're dead wrong and a woman who isn't about to stand by and let them boss her around.

From the Author

King of Prey Series

King of Prey ASIN: B0012JSB9A

A View to a Kill ASIN: B000UMZMME

Master of the Hunt ASIN: B005WKFWRE

If you enjoyed King of Prey Series by Mandy M Roth, please try Project Exorcism, Immortal Ops, Sacred Places or Gypsy Nights all by Mandy as well.

AMAZON BUY LINK

OTHER BUY LINKS

Happy Holidays from the Roth's

My mantle. I have a thing for nutcrackers. Love them. This is only about 15-20% of my collection. I have to rotate them each year because only around 20-30 fit there. Does anyone else have a certain holiday "thing" they love? I'm big into Christmas music. I start humming it around Thanksgiving and don't stop until Jan 2nd.

Executive Decision by Mandy M Roth

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Excerpt from Executive Decision by Mandy M Roth

Dale nodded but held me to him. He pressed his mouth to my ear. "We didn't get a chance to finish our conversation."

"Huh?"

"Do you, Liz?"

I tilted my head so I could see his face better. "Do I what?"

"Do you honestly think what we did doesn't count as sex?"

Sorry I asked. again.

Opening my mouth, I tried to answer him but ended up closing it again. "I … err … I don't know. I didn't think you wanted Charles to know about your sex life and I'm fairly sure you'd rather Paige not hear it either."

"Yeah, maybe filing that incident in the bathroom away and keeping it between us is for the best. It would just make things awkward around everyone else and girls I date might get jealous because I'm still friends with you. Kind of messes with my image."

Girls he dates? Messes with his image?

I gripped his hands as I soaked in the words. It wasn't like I expected anything from him. We agreed to not let it change our friendship and I'd made sure to stay detached. Knowing all of this didn't make the thought of Dale being with someone else hurt any less. It was none of my business that he wanted to see other people.

"You know, come to think of it, it would be nice to find someone to take care of things for me the right way."

The right way?

The wicked bitch of the west branch just had the house drop on her. I stopped moving with him and he had to force me to go at all. There were so many things I should have said. I said nothing.

"It's a good thing that the one time we lose our minds was substandard to say the least. Can you even imagine if it actually ranked up there in our best of category? It'd be really hard to get over that." He pressed his mouth to my ear and whispered, "I can assure you that nothing will change between us because I'm over it. Thanks for the roll about though. It was amusing to say the least."

Substandard? Roll about? Amusing?

He let go of my hands and I stood still. I didn't let the anger in me surface. It was odd to feel so calm when I was so angry and so hurt. Turning, I looked at Dale. I carefully kept my face void of emotion. "Dale."

"What, do you disagree? Am I wrong, Liz? Let me know, I'd hate to piss you off." There was something in his tone I couldn't put my finger on. I didn't care to evaluate it. He wanted to pick a fight, and I wasn't in the mood to take the bait.

I locked eyes with him. "Dale, I'm not upset with you. I'm disappointed in you. Resorting to this isn't something I ever thought you would do. I am truly sorry that I was a 'lame lay' for you. And I'm sorry that I told you I wouldn't let it change things between us."

Dale moved to touch me, but I shook my head no. He stopped, but he wasn't happy about it. "You're disappointed in me? Huh, that's rich considering what you've been up to for a year."

"I'm not going to take the bait and argue with you. You're hurt and angry so you're lashing out at me. If you're having issues dealing with what happened and you regret me wasting your time that's fine. I don't share your opinion on it being substandard, but I'm biased, I'm the woman in question. You didn't hurt me tonight, you hurt us. I will move your things to Paige's tomorrow morning." I put my hand out to him. "I'd like my key back now."

His face fell. "Liz, are you throwing me out?"

"I'm simply helping you to eliminate all the substandard aspects of your life. Good luck with all you do."

Dale tried to pull me to him, but I backed away and put my hand out again. "My key, please."

He reached into his pocket and pulled his keys out. I watched with a stone face as he slid his key to my apartment off his ring. Looking down at my outstretched hand, I noticed the Gucci watch he'd given me. I brought my hand back and Dale looked relieved right up until I unclasped the watch and removed it from my wrist.

"Liz, that was a gift."

"I know and I loved it, but every time I look at it I'll be reminded of the ugly things you said to me. I trusted you and let you close to me. That was my own mistake. I should have learned my lesson the first time around."

"First time around?" Dale asked, slowly handing my key to me.

I ignored his question. He didn't deserve an answer. I took it and placed the watch in his hand. "I think it's safe to assume that I'm going home to Ohio alone. I do thank you for having offered. You didn't have to do that." I took a deep breath before I delivered the killing blow. "I'll speak with Charles about moving you off my team while I'm on vacation. I'm sure with the right persuasion he'll do as I ask and not think it substandard." I turned to walk away. Dale caught hold of my arm and held me in place.

"Liz, I didn't mean any of that. I was hurt. I don't think—"

Putting my hand up, I stopped him and peeked over my shoulder. "You said what you meant. I just find it funny that your anger for Charles started this between us and now he'll be the one to clean it up. And, Dale, he's never been anything but kind to me. Can you say the same?"

Yanking my arm free of his grasp, I walked back towards the entrance. I not only needed air now, I needed to apologize to Charles and be sure Dale's job was secure. I made my way out of the front door and stepped to the side. Unzipping my handbag, I grabbed my phone out and turned it back on. It took a minute for it to sync up with the satellite. Scrolling through missed calls, I found Charles' number and hit the enter button.

"I was wondering if you'd call back," Charles said as he answered. "I thought you might."

"You think you've got me all figured out, don't you?" I asked in a playful tone.

"I'd like to think I do. Now, do you want to tell me what's wrong?"

"Charles, we both know you don't care … hey, how did you know something is wrong?"

He chuckled and I could just imagine him laying back on his bed, half out of his suit as he talked to me. "I know you better then you like to believe, Elizabeth."

"I guess so." I laughed and twisted away from the door more to be able to hear Charles better. "I'm sorry I had to cut you off earlier. It was a little hard to hear."

"I had no idea Corbin could be that loud."

"Ignore him, we all do." I did a silent prayer that Charles would let the Dale situation go.

"We? So, you're out in a group?"

"Yep, I have three of my girlfriends and one of them, Paige, is Corbin's sister." I could almost hear his relief over the phone. "I told you that before. You just don't listen to me."

"I'll admit I was a bit concerned you and he were an item."

I picked at the brick next to me and thought carefully about everything I was saying. When I realized I was ruining my French manicure, I stopped. "Ah, no, Corbin, as you like to call him, and I have never been an item–we were close friends at one time but a difference of opinions ended that. I'll be honest, I thought for a brief period there that there was something more but he made it abundantly clear I'm not his type. Everything happens for a reason. The only reason I'm telling you this is so you don't dare fire him or take out your anger on him. He can be an ass at times, but he doesn't deserve you gunning for him for no reason."

Charles laughed from the gut. "I can't believe you're not his type. I've just gone from being jealous to feeling bad for him." He was quiet for a moment. "Did it upset you that you weren't his type?"

I stood there thinking about Charles' question. "Promise you won't use anything I say against him and then I'll give you an honest answer."

"I promise."

"Yes, I think I did wish I would have been his type. But you can't force what isn't there. Well, I should get back into Fever and find my friends before they get paranoid and have the DJ page me."

"Elizabeth, come over tonight. Stay with me. You've never spent more than a few hours here."

"Charles, not tonight. Thanks for asking though. I think I'd like to just spend the evening with the girls. We could meet for coffee in the morning if you want. I'm going shopping with the girls to find a dress for my reunion and I'm having dinner with everyone later." I leaned against the wall and clicked my heel nervously on the ground. Someone laid on their horn and I flinched. Gotta love New York.

"Coffee sounds perfect."

"Hey, before I hang up. Thank you."

"For what?"

"See you in the morning." I hung up and looked out into the night. It's true what they say. The city never does sleep. There were as many people out and about as there was during the middle of the day.

As I turned to go back into the club, I ran smack into Dale. I looked to find his face blank. Wonderful, I loved emotional crapshoots. "I had a feeling you were coming out to call him."

I tried to side step him and failed. I thought about stomping on his foot but liked his black leather boots too much to cause them harm. "Excuse me please, I have nothing further to say to you."

"But you have plenty to say to him."

Was it wrong that I no longer wanted to hit him, now I wanted to kick him?

I resisted the urge to injure him. Instead, I did something neither of us expected. I ran my thumb or his lip and cupped his cheek as I looked up at him. "Just because you think I'm barely worth a quick roll in the bathroom, doesn't mean I think that of you. I called Charles to ensure you had a job Monday morning, Dale."

"You didn't ask him to move me off your team. Why?"

"Because when I meet him for coffee in the morning I'm going to put in my resignation and recommend you for my position." I tried to move again, only to find myself being pulled into his arms.

"Dammit, Liz, I know I screwed up and you're mad but don't destroy your career over it."

Pushing on his chest, I put distance between us. "How is finding a new position ruining my career? I should have never gotten involved with my boss. Regardless of how hard I work people believe he plays favorites. I'll start over. Wipe the slate clean. Hopefully it will be somewhere close but honestly, I'll go wherever the wind takes me. Now move."

~*******~

BUY LINK

Bird shifter, hot alpha male–Master of the Hunt

Master of the Hunt (King of Prey III) by Mandy M. Roth

When the oracle warns Prince Aeson that his future mate is in the human realm and is in great danger, he wastes no time going in search of her. Problem is, he has no idea who he's looking for. He's never met her and the oracle couldn't give him anything more than small clues as to who she is and where she might be.

Sent to one of his favorite hangouts—a sex club—Aeson is stunned when a beauty shows up on the arm of another man, a man void of emotion. He senses trouble surrounding her and something else—something that marks her as his. He doesn't care if she is or isn't the woman the oracle told him about, she's the woman he wants. Anyone who dares to stand in his way will feel his wrath and, before the night is out, she'll feel exactly what it's like to be taken by a prince.

WARNING: This book contains hot, explicit sex and violence, dominant alpha bird shifting males who think they're always right, even when they're dead wrong and a woman who isn't about to stand by and let them boss her around.

BUY LINK

http://www.ravenhappyhour.com/Master_of_the_Hunt.html

Cyber Sex: Prepared to Please

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Prepared to Please by Mandy M. Roth

Futuristic Erotic Romance

Book 1 in the Cyber Sex series.

She's hot, willing and ready do anything to satisfy him at a single command. Captain Roman Parker's dream woman? Not quite. Because she's not real. The hologram he's created to relieve his sexual tensions is a poor substitute for the real Destiny, the woman who makes his blood boil and fire shoot through his loins. Except Destiny doesn't want him…or so he thought.

Lt. Commander Destiny Stewart's had her eye on her superior officer from the moment they met. Not wanting to lose her position aboard the expedition vessel, Destiny sticks with pleasuring herself and enlists the help of a holographic likeness of Captain Parker.

Technology brings Roman and Destiny a soulless satisfaction—until they discover just how much better the real thing can be.

WARNING: This book contains hot, sex with machines, holograms, a drop dead sexy captain and a stubborn as all can be woman.

BUY LINK

http://www.ravenhappyhour.com/Prepared_to_Please.html

Holiday Story: Trust in the Season

Trust in the Season by Mandy M. Roth

As Victoria told her best friend, Megan, all she wants for Christmas is a hot, horny vampire. Instead she's got a sleazy, sexually harassing boss who treats her like a piece of meat and doesn't know the meaning of "no!" Victoria can't afford to lose her job. Where's her fictional horny vampire, coming to her rescue so he can rock her world? If only they were real…

Phillip Ruth does his best to pass as human. He's managed to carve out a name for himself as a successful businessman by controlling his otherworldly blood lust. But the day he crosses paths with Victoria, lust isn't the only thing he's feeling. As the sparks fly, he finds he'll do anything to make her his.

Note: Want to know more about Victoria's BFF, Megan? Pick up Christmas Curse by Michelle M. Pillow!

WARNING: This book contains hot, explicit sex and violence, a super sexy, super undead boss who will romance your pants off and a woman who thought she was just trying to make it along in life.

BUY LINK

http://www.ravenhappyhour.com/Trust_in_the_Season.html

Just Released!

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Prepared to Please by Mandy M. Roth

Futuristic Erotic Romance

Book 1 in the Cyber Sex series.

She's hot, willing and ready do anything to satisfy him at a single command. Captain Roman Parker's dream woman? Not quite. Because she's not real. The hologram he's created to relieve his sexual tensions is a poor substitute for the real Destiny, the woman who makes his blood boil and fire shoot through his loins. Except Destiny doesn't want him…or so he thought.

Lt. Commander Destiny Stewart's had her eye on her superior officer from the moment they met. Not wanting to lose her position aboard the expedition vessel, Destiny sticks with pleasuring herself and enlists the help of a holographic likeness of Captain Parker.

Technology brings Roman and Destiny a soulless satisfaction—until they discover just how much better the real thing can be.

WARNING: This book contains hot, sex with machines, holograms, a drop dead sexy captain and a stubborn as all can be woman.

BUY LINK

http://www.ravenhappyhour.com/Prepared_to_Please.html

Trust in the Season by Mandy M. Roth

As Victoria told her best friend, Megan, all she wants for Christmas is a hot, horny vampire. Instead she's got a sleazy, sexually harassing boss who treats her like a piece of meat and doesn't know the meaning of "no!" Victoria can't afford to lose her job. Where's her fictional horny vampire, coming to her rescue so he can rock her world? If only they were real…

Phillip Ruth does his best to pass as human. He's managed to carve out a name for himself as a successful businessman by controlling his otherworldly blood lust. But the day he crosses paths with Victoria, lust isn't the only thing he's feeling. As the sparks fly, he finds he'll do anything to make her his.

Note: Want to know more about Victoria's BFF, Megan? Pick up Christmas Curse by Michelle M. Pillow!

WARNING: This book contains hot, explicit sex and violence, a super sexy, super undead boss who will romance your pants off and a woman who thought she was just trying to make it along in life.

BUY LINK

http://www.ravenhappyhour.com/Trust_in_the_Season.html

Master of the Hunt (King of Prey III) by Mandy M. Roth

When the oracle warns Prince Aeson that his future mate is in the human realm and is in great danger, he wastes no time going in search of her. Problem is, he has no idea who he's looking for. He's never met her and the oracle couldn't give him anything more than small clues as to who she is and where she might be.

Sent to one of his favorite hangouts—a sex club—Aeson is stunned when a beauty shows up on the arm of another man, a man void of emotion. He senses trouble surrounding her and something else—something that marks her as his. He doesn't care if she is or isn't the woman the oracle told him about, she's the woman he wants. Anyone who dares to stand in his way will feel his wrath and, before the night is out, she'll feel exactly what it's like to be taken by a prince.

WARNING: This book contains hot, explicit sex and violence, dominant alpha bird shifting males who think they're always right, even when they're dead wrong and a woman who isn't about to stand by and let them boss her around.

BUY LINK

http://www.ravenhappyhour.com/Master_of_the_Hunt.html

Saturday Snippet-Loup Garou

Excerpt from Loup Garou by Mandy M Roth

Gina stared at me with wide eyes as she artfully juggled several bags of Italian food. "You took Exavier Kedmen to the Neonatal Unit?"

"Yes." I kept walking, carrying two pizzas. We'd decided to go for dinner together at the center since it was closed and we didn't really feel like sitting in a stuffy restaurant or going home quite yet. Besides, I was still a little worried about Exavier. He and Jay had left for a beer mid-afternoon and I hadn't seen or heard from him since.

Jay had called Gina to let her know that he still had "the rock star" and they were fine but wouldn't be back until late. Since I didn't own Exavier I had little say, but I was concerned about he and Jay getting into a physical fight. Jay was a were-wolf. Exavier was just a human. Serious damage could be inflicted.

Myra had spent the greater part of the evening trying to convince me that Jay would never hurt Exavier, especially since Gina told him who he was. I didn't put much stock in that theory. Jay was the type of man who could give a shit about someone's status.

"Myra, can you ever remember our girl dragging anyone other than Harly with her to the hospital?"

"Nope and I for one am happy. I hope Lindsay gives him a chance. She's never going to settle down and find Mr. Right if she's surrounding herself with Mr. Can't Remember Their Names."

I laughed. "Watch it, babes, or I'll be knocking one of those bottles of wine you've got there over your head."

Myra leaned forward, as if she was going to hand me a bottle. "I dare you."

"It's no fun threatening you. You aren't scared of anything."

"Yes, I am. I'm scared of bad hair days, leaving you in charge of your own schedule, finding out my mother will be visiting, watching movies of the week…"

Rolling my eyes, I snickered. My friends were so far from what people considered normal that I wasn't exactly sure what the baseline for it was anymore. Not that it mattered. I loved them for them. For some freakish reason, they seemed to love me for me.

Misfits. There's no other term for us.

"Oh, news on the Gina love front," Myra said, lifting a well-defined brow. "I think she has someone serious in her life."

There was no way I could hide my surprise, so I didn't bother. "No way."

Gina huffed. "Hey, don't act so shocked. I'm lovable too."

Myra and I exchanged looks and burst into laughter. "Oh, yes, extremely lovable. Snuggly even."

"Mmmhmm, like a rabid teddy bear." Myra snorted and we all began to laugh. She was always so proper. To see her letting herself go was a treat. It wasn't that she was opposed to having a good time. No. Myra was just driven and businesslike in almost all aspects of her life.

We turned the corner towards the center and I bumped Gina with my hip. "Spill it. I want to hear all about him."

"You're joking, right?" She lifted a handful of bags and used them to point at me. It was cute. I didn't bring that to her attention though or I'd end up wearing the contents of the bags. "I'm not letting you two anywhere near Paco."

She froze.

I gave her a big grin. "Oh, we've got a name. Paco. Mmm, is he hot?"

"The better question would be," Myra licked her lower lip, "is he hung?"

"Yeah because we've got a strict 'no guppies allowed' policy," I added, doing my best to keep a straight face.

Gina shook her head. "Huh?"

Myra began wheezing and I knew she got my reference to her ex-boyfriend, "The Shark". The memory of her walking around a party shouting "guppy" would be stuck in my head forever. It was a classic Myra response to an issue—attack with claws erect. I think it had something to do with the cat shifter in her. She was born to be a bitch.

"Hey, since when did the boys who hang here start leaving their stereo and stuff laying around the parking lot?" Gina asked, slowing her pace. "Aren't they afraid that it'll get stolen?"

I stared at the portable stereo sitting on the ground and glanced around the parking lot. It was covered in a blanket of darkness and hard for me to see too far out. It didn't matter that my night vision was nowhere near as sharp as Myra's. There was no way the boys would leave their things lying around unless something happened.

"I don't smell blood," Myra whispered, moving in close to me. "You head into the center. We'll check it out."

The idea of any of my kids being hurt ignited my already short fuse. "No. I'll help."

"Lindsay." Gina shook her head. "This isn't up for debate. Take the food in and we'll be in as soon as we know they're safe. Call Jay's cell phone. Let him know what we found. He knows these kids as well as any of us."

My protests would only waste time. Nodding, I turned, allowing Gina to pile her bags of food onto the boxes of pizza I held. She did and I made my way towards the front entrance. I was just about to call upon my power to assist with opening the door when I spotted movement out of the corner of my eye. Unsure if it was supernatural or not, I didn't want to risk exposure so I made sure to turn my body enough that they couldn't see if my hand actually touched the door before using my magik.

I made my way in and headed straight for Myra's office. Setting the food on the counter, just outside of her door, I freed my arms and lunged for the phone. The last thing I wanted to do was call a no doubt drunk Jay and drag him away from whatever he was doing, unless he was beating up Exavier, but I didn't have a choice. The kids in the neighborhood meant too much to me to risk them.

When Jay's voice mail picked up, I sighed. "Jay, Gina wanted me to call. Something's up at the center. Could be nothing though."

The second I hung the phone up, music began to play. It sounded like it was coming from the back of the rec center, near one of my dance rooms. It was dark, haunting and nothing I could remember using in any of my routines.

"What the…?"

Confused as to why anyone would be back there, I headed in that direction. I didn't sense evil so I wasn't concerned about that. I was more worried the kids might have made their way into the center and gotten into things they shouldn't have. The last thing I wanted was for one of them to get hurt.

Pushing open the door to the room I used for pole dancing classes, I froze as the music seemed to surround me. "Hello?"

No one answered.

Uneasy, but unwilling to lose my mind over the fact that music was playing, I kept a careful watch on my surroundings as I walked to the stereo. A man began singing and I instantly recognized the voice. It was the one that always seemed to call to me on some bizarre level. It didn't disappoint. No. His deep voice seemed to enter my body, carefully caressing me from the inside out. Before I knew it, I was swaying to the music.

"I thought you'd like this, my love."

My blood ran cold as a hand fell upon my shoulder. "S-Stan?"

He pressed his mouth to my ear and his body to mine. "You missed me, didn't you? I knew he was lying. I knew he wasn't your boyfriend. You were too scared of him to speak out, weren't you?"

"Stan?" My mind seemed be having issues wrapping around the idea that he'd not only gotten into a locked building but was directly behind me. "You're wrong. He is who he said he was."

Stan seized hold of my hair and tipped my head back. "Lies. I've been watching you. He just entered your life today. He means nothing to you. Nothing!"

"You're hurting me."

He wasn't but he seemed to be all about making me want him. Maybe he'd actually be concerned if he hurt me or not.

"You've left me no choice." A cold steely blade pressed against my throat.

So much for my theory that he wouldn't want to hurt me.

"Why are you lying to me, Lindsay? Don't you want me too? Can't you feel our connection? How we're destined to be together?"

Think.

"Yes. I feel it and it scares me, Stan. The feelings are too intense," I said, almost gagging on my own words.

He eased his grip on me and pulled the knife away from my throat. "I knew it."

I turned to face him. He stood there, dressed in black from head to toe. His light brown hair was barely there. For some reason, he thought going the way of the buzz cut worked for him. It didn't.

I let my gaze casually flicker over the twelve-inch bowie knife in his hand. The only vibe I got from Stan was that he wasn't stable. At this point, I didn't really care. The man had pushed me too far.

"I can get rid of him, Lindsay." Stan's eyes were glossy and his face paler than I remembered it being. "I can make it so that he never scares you again."

As his words sank in, my hands clenched. He would not harm one hair on Exavier's head. My power crackled around me, not giving a damn if I wanted to let it out or not. Good thing I didn't care.

Stan looked around. "What's that?"

"Don't you know? You seem to know everything else about me." I let more power out, mentally directing it to coat him. It did and he gasped.

"Lindsay?" The fear in his eyes spurred me on. I released more magik and let it move in on him, suffocating him slowly. Stan went to his knees and the strangest thing happened—I laughed.

I'm not a monster.

The thought jerked me out of the moment, giving Stan a reprieve from my magik. He lunged at me, knife in hand. I let instincts take over. I pivoted my entire body and jerked my arm out of the way while twisting. Time seemed to still as I watched his knife hand move in slow motion. I caught hold of his wrist with my right hand and brought my left arm up quickly, elbowing Stan in the face.

I felt it then. Evil moving in on us.

Stan's entire body convulsed. The minute I realized that the evil had centered on him, it all made sense—the pale face, glossy eyes, erratic behavior. Demonic possession. I took control of the knife, and Stan, or whatever was in charge of him, rushed out the door.

I ran after him, knife still in hand.

Suddenly, it sounded like the music was coming from every direction. It should have scared me. It didn't. It was oddly comforting. It made me feel safe.

I caught sight of Stan turning at the end of the hallway, into the lobby. Picking up my pace, I kept going. As I came around the corner, Myra and Gina were walking in. "Get down!" I shouted, sensing the highly charged buzz of demonic power in the air.

They did, just in time. A blast of negative power flared over their heads and bounced off the wall. It came hurdling back towards me. Jay picked that moment to come rushing through the door, followed close by Exavier. I did the only thing I could think of. I screamed. It worked. They both stopped and the power just missed hitting them. Instead, it kept coming at me.

The last thing I wanted to do was take a direct hit from the dark evil thing zipping at me so I dropped into the splits and pressed my upper body to the floor. It came so close to hitting me it moved my hair.

"Lindsay?" Jay asked, staring down at me with a questioning look on his face. "Uhh, what are you doing? And why did you scream? Why the hell do you have a knife like that?"

Talking bad. Fighting good.

Looking at Myra and Gina for assistance, I drew a blank. Jay was a were-wolf. He understood creepy things. Exavier didn't. Telling Jay would mean telling Exavier. Not good.

Gina got to her feet. "Uhh, didn't you see that huge rat?"

"A rat?"

I wasn't sure I heard that right but since something had just tried to kill me I wasn't really all that focused at the moment.

She glared at me. "Yeah, a rat."

My lips pursed as I realized she was doing her best to keep Exavier from knowing the truth. Forcing a smile to my face, I did my best to ignore the presence of evil all around us and appear normal. "Oh, right. It was big. Huge. Mongo. Uh, you should go with Myra and Gina to find it. Now!"

Jay's brow furrowed. "Why in the hell would you get down closer to it? Were you hoping to stab it with your Rambo knife?"

As much as I wanted to invent some creative reason for being on the floor, I came up blank. It didn't matter. The buzz of negative energy increased again. I locked gazes with Myra. "Return of the rat."

Her gaze darted around as she shook her head. "I don't sense anything."

Gina nudged her. "You know that she senses shit way before we do."

"You're sensing rats now?" Jay asked, putting his hand out to me.

I gave him a droll look and made a mental note to slap him for being too stupid to figure out I wouldn't just drop into the splits for no reason in the middle of the lobby. He'd probably like the abuse and start begging me to spank him. It would be a very "Jay" thing to do.

Exavier moved up next to him and swallowed hard as his gaze raked over me. "You're very limber."

"What's with the music? Loud enough for you?" Jay grabbed my hand and lifted me to my feet with ease, still oblivious to the fact bad things wanted us dead. Some detective. Geesh. I kept the knife close to me. "Hey did you know that this song is one of—"

The power went straight at Jay's head. He didn't seem to notice it. The urge to smack him myself was great. Somehow, I managed to hold back, opting instead to go with a more subtle approach for keeping his head attached to his shoulders. "It's one of those songs that makes you want to bang your head." I grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled hard. "Great, lesson one on having rhythm." The power whizzed past him and he stiffened.

Sniffing the air, he jerked to the side a bit and went on full alert. "What the fuck was that? It smelled like sulfur and evil."

Hallelujah, the man may not be quite the moron I thought him to be.

"That was her saving your ass from—" Gina stopped in mid-sentence as she stared at Exavier. "Why lesson one in rhythm of course."

Myra took me by the arm. She pressed her mouth to my ear and whispered, "We can't sense it until it's almost on us. How do we fight it?"

I stared around, waiting for any sign of its whereabouts. "I don't know but I do know that Stan is still in the building. He held a knife to my throat."

"Stan is here!" she shouted. "And he held a friggin' knife to your throat? That knife? Christ, Lindsay!"

Smooth. Way to keep a low profile.

Jay went for his off-duty weapon. "That's it. I'm going to kill that little fuck."

"Stan, the guy from earlier?" Exavier asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm with him. I vote we kill him."

I let out a nervous laugh. "Would you believe me if I swore to you that Stan is, for the most part, harmless?"

"No," they said in unison. I wasn't sure if I was happy they seemed to be getting along or not. Having them gang up on me wasn't all that great.

Chuckling, I locked gazes with Jay so he'd know I was serious. "Would you believe that he's been possessed by a demon and isn't responsible for his actions?"

Gina snorted. "The devil made him do it."

I saw the protest start and then instantly stop as Jay registered what I was telling him. "Oh, gotcha. Explains the sulfur smell. Never thought the defense would hold water."

I sighed. "Well, I should really help Gina and Myra look for the rat. I'm sure Stan is long gone. In fact, I think I saw him running out the back door. But, if we run into Stan, we'll give a shout out. Why don't you and Exavier start eating? Everything's on the counter."

Jay shook his head. "Hell fucking no. You are going to take your entirely too cute ass over there and sit down. Exavier and I will go find Stan and escort him to the station or the nearest church."

I snorted. "You want to take Xavs?"

I couldn't hold my laughter in. Gina followed suit. Exavier arched a brow. "Something funny with the idea of me lending a hand in the extermination process?" The way he said it made me wonder if he was on to us. Considering that would mean he completely understood demonic forces were at work and doing their best to kill us, I highly doubted it.

Jay scratched the back of his head and appeared to be in pain. "Lindsay, Exavier and I might have gotten into a tiny scuffle. Umm, I can vouch for him. He'll be fine."

I slapped Jay upside his head and glared as I pointed the knife at him. I wouldn't use it on him but it did make me feel special in a scary kind of way. "You picked a fight with him, didn't you?"

"Ouch. No. Not exactly." He cast me an apologetic look. "Okay, maybe I did. But I'm telling you that—"

I smacked him again, suddenly more concerned with Exavier being attacked by Jay while I wasn't there to protect him than the evil that wanted me dead now. "You will go over there and get things ready for everyone to eat. I am going rat hunting. I can't have them running loose in the center. It's a safety and health hazard."

"Lindsay."

I glared at him. "I will deal with you later." Glancing at Exavier, my expression softened. "Did he hurt you?"

A tick developed in his jaw. "No. He did not hurt me. Thanks for the vote of confidence."

The last thing I wanted to do was placate a famous guy during a fight with evil but he looked like he needed it. "You're a singer, honey, I lowered my expectations significantly already."

Gina laughed so hard she squealed. I would have joined her but I sensed the evil again. Spinning, I watched both halls, unsure which it would come from. "Rat's back!"

"Shit, so are the kids!" Myra shouted. "Gina, I thought you told them they couldn't hang out here after dark."

"I did."

The evil picked up on our panic. I sensed the instant it decided to go after the group of teenagers who frequently spent an hour or so at night doing various forms of street dancing in our parking lot. With the flux of paranormal activity we had as of late, they'd have been better off taking their chances partying at the mouth of hell. Though, the center was fast becoming a candidate for a back door entrance to the land of eternal damnation.

The mass of evil appeared out of nowhere and ended up heading straight at Exavier. I let my power up, knowing it would want the lure of pure energy. It took the bait.

Myra gasped. "Lindsay, no!"

Shrugging, I grinned and took off running towards the other hallway. I didn't make it out of the lobby before Myra was on my heels. I sensed another wave of evil coming straight at me, while the one behind me remained constant I knew I was in trouble. I came to a grinding halt. "Oh, bad idea! Really bad idea!"

Seizing hold of Myra, I knocked her to the side, put the knife in my mouth and launched into a back handspring. The power went under me just as the other crossed above me. I slashed at it, catching it and making it break apart for a moment. Coming to my feet, I sensed it headed at my head and ducked, grabbing Gina around the waist as I went. The knife fell from my grasp, and scattered across the floor.

Gina screamed as it crashed near her head. "I can't see it, Lindsay! Where is it?"

"What do you mean you can't see them?" I asked, watching as the power formed two dark shadows. "They're huge! Like Exavier and Jay kind of huge!"

Myra grabbed Exavier and pulled him down. "Try to play along, Mr. Right. I can't marry you off to her if you're dead."

I kicked her ankle. "Rats aren't deadly."

She grinned. "Good to know you were more concerned with rats than me trying to marry you off."

Gasping, I watched as the power went for Jay. "Jay, two o'clock."

He dropped just in time. "Any idea how to stop it?"

"Mirrors?" Gina asked. "Can we trap its essence there?"

"No," I said, unsure why. "We have to find something that can absorb it without letting it consume them."

Myra rubbed the bridge of her nose. "How is it you know these things?"

"I don't know. Lucky, I guess. Why?" I glanced at Exavier and smiled. "Umm, rats. Hate 'em."

"Seriously, Lindsay, you always know things you shouldn't."

I shrugged. "I paid attention to the stories a little boy used to tell me about bad things and what did and did not work to stop them. He used to tell me the stories to make me feel better about monsters in the dark. Instead, he made me scared to sleep without a light on."

Gina snorted. "Only you would play with kids who would creep you out."

"Exavier never creeped me out," I said defensively.

"Exavier?" She glanced at Exavier and bit her lower lip. "Didn't realize you knew him that well."

"What? Not him. A different one. The one I knew was smaller. Much smaller and well, smaller."

She laughed and I sensed the evil trying to lock in on the kids again. I jumped to my feet. "Hey, asshole, you aren't touching my kids. You don't really want them when you could have what you came for."

"Don't you dare unmask yourself—" Myra's words were cut off when I kissed her forehead and let my power out again. "Dammit, Lindsay!"

"I won't let it hurt my kids. End of discussion. I'll find a way to at least trap it. We can call my dad and ask what to do if we have to. He'll lock me in a tower somewhere to keep me safe when all is said and done but this stuff won't be able to hurt anyone. Well, I'd love to stay and talk but," I glanced at the other hallway and sensed it coming, "it's really pissed right now. Umm, if I can't figure out how to contain it, you might want to call the voodoo guy."

Jay grabbed my wrist and shook his head. "You're leaving. Now."

"Let go of my wrist. I have a rat to contain."

"Lindsay, I'm not fucking joking. Exavier will back me on this."

Glancing at Jay, I let a pouty face come over me and blinked as if I was going to cry. Jay sighed and let go of my wrist. I grinned. "Damn, all these years and I really could have just gone with crying to get my way."

"Get back here. You're going to get yourself killed." He reached for me and I dodged his grasp, moving to the beat of the song still thumping through the center.

"It, like you, will have to catch me first." Stripping my outer shirt off, I wagged my brows as I threw it at Jay's face. "Duck!"

He did. The evil raced past his head before heading straight at me. Jay shook his head. "Goddammit, Lindsay, none of us are sensitive to it like you are. We can't help if we can't see it."

The evil sent things flying around me. Papers scattered about the lobby and one of the computer monitors tipped over. I'd have fun trying to explain it all to Exavier later. If he had too many questions, I'd call my dad and have him wipe his memory. Really, though, something as serious as that was a last resort.

The knife came hurdling at me. Gina tackled me just in time to prevent something ugly from happening and the knife stuck into the wall. I glanced at her and then the knife. "Can we file that under me showing up for self defense class today? I think it counts."

Something struck my stomach and sent my body into Gina's. The force sent us both sliding across the floor. Gina screamed. "Jay do something! I felt the force it hit Lindsay with. It's not playing games."

Exavier was suddenly next to me, touching my shoulder. Myra grabbed for him but he avoided her. "Linds?"

I smiled. "Sorry, slippery spot on the…umm…floor." I rubbed my stomach and glanced around the room, trying to sense the evil.

It loomed up behind Exavier and I did the only thing I could think of, I grabbed hold of his leg and yanked him to the ground. "Get down!"

The evil swept past, narrowly missing him. Panting, I stared down at him. Every ounce of me wanted to shout the truth about supernaturals but I liked the guy too much to lose him. If I could even keep him as a friend, I'd be happy, so I went with a lie. It certainly looked as though I'd need to call my father later. "Umm, hi. There was a big spider by your head. Sorry about knocking you over."

I rolled off him quickly and got to my feet. Myra helped him up and stared around the room. "Lindsay, why am I getting the feeling this thing was just toying with us?"

No sooner did she say it then the shadows merged into one and took shape. For a moment it looked like thousands of bugs crawling in and out of each other and then it took on the look of hundreds of snakes. Its outer form was of a man but it was grossly unnatural to see it composed of bugs and snakes. My stomach churned as my pulse sped.

I took a step backwards and bumped into Myra. "Do me a favor."

"What?"

"If that thing gets in me, behead me. Set my body on fire and whatever else is standard protocol. I don't want to be brought back after that thing…" I did the "creepy crawly" dance and shuddered. "I hate bugs and snakes. Eww. Myra. Eww. Ohmygod, maggots. I'm going to throw up."

"Maggots? Lindsay, what is it? Where is it?"

The demon smiled and I cringed. "Call the prince to you now," it hissed.

A stray snake leapt free of it and landed on me. Screaming, I spun in a circle to get it off me. It slithered up my arm, around my back and I couldn't stop the heebie-jeebie quiver that tore through me.

The demon laughed as Myra tried to calm me down. "Honey, what's going on? Where is it?"

I threw the snake free of me and shook. "S-snakes. It threw one on me."

"Baby, you freak at the sight of a spider," Jay said, sliding up behind me.

I stared at the demon before me with wide eyes. "Jay, tell me you can see it. Please. Tell me I'm not crazy. Right?"

Jay reached for me. "Tell us where you see it, Lindsay. Exavier can help. We just need to understand. It's attacking under our radar. You're about ten times more sensitive than all of us put together and it knows it."

The demon smiled. "Yes, he speaks the truth. It is how it must be for the mate of the prince."

"What? Why do I have to be so sensitive? I'd be perfectly happy not having to stare at your ugly ass."

"Lindsay, what did it say?" Myra asked.

I forgot about attempting to hide what was going on in front of Exavier and simply spoke. "Something about me having to be this sensitive because of the prince guy." I let out a nervous laugh. "What? Am I supposed to just know when the prince of darkness is pissed off and head it off with a good joke? A nice massage? Sex?"

"Yes," it said, making me take a huge step back. "That is exactly what you were made to do, Lindsay." The way it said my name was pure evil.

I shook my head. "Fuck that. I'm no man's mood ring. And I'm not scared of you." I swallowed hard. "Okay, not that scared of you."

"Lindsay, tell us where it is. We can stop it," Jay said.

The demon tossed snakes at Jay and I lunged forward, using my body to block his. Several of them bit down on my arms and I screamed out. Gina's breath caught. "Holy shit! You're bleeding."

The demon laughed. "Take me to the prince."

Knocking the snakes free of me, I stomped on each one. I should have been screaming hysterically. How I wasn't, was a mystery to me. "I don't know where he is."

"What?" Myra asked. "What are you talking about?"

"T-the prince. It wants the prince."

"Lindsay." Exavier tried to move in front of me but I wouldn't let him. It was bad enough I'd have to beg my father to wipe his memory. Letting a creepy crawly demon kill him would never do.

"No, I'm good. It's just a really big rat who seems to be looking for, umm, royal cheese? I'm an animal sensitive in addition to being a witch. Did I forget to mention that?"

Why I even bothered to keep up the charade was beyond me, but I did.

The demon centered its gaze on me and smiled. Maggots crawled through its mouth. "You lie. Take me to the prince or I will destroy your friends."

It was my turn to glare at it. "Listen, you maggot infested, snake tossin', bug crawling piece of demonic defecation—I'll," I took a step towards it, letting my power flare, "give him to you. Come on."

"Lindsay?" Gina asked.

Another snake came at me. I pointed at it. "If that thing touches me, I'll…"

"You'll what?" it asked, not seeming impressed with my threat.

"I'll open the gates to heaven, like a good little wife of a dark husband would do to calm things down."

It took a tiny step back, enough for me to know it feared good.

"Can you open the gates?" Gina asked before covering her mouth.

Myra snorted. "Yeah, well, always good to try to bluff."

"Who is bluffing?" I asked, glancing at the demon. "Now, do you want me to take you to him?"

"Yes."

I glanced at Gina. "It's getting hot in here. I really hope a fire doesn't break out."

"Huh?"

Myra's gaze went to the fire extinguisher. "Oh, right. Fire. Bad to have with rats. For sure. I think we have some added protection in the back."

"Funny you should say that because I just happen to have the address this particular rat needs in the back as well. It's in my day planner. In my locker. Near the showers."

I didn't really have it but the demon didn't know and I wasn't about to point out the fact I was lying.

Gina snorted. "You? Organized?"

Myra shot her a nasty look. Gina shut up.

"Lindsay, where is this rat you're talking about?" Exavier asked, picking me up and setting me behind him before I could get a word out.

The demon moved forward and just missed touching Exavier. It hissed as it stared at him. "Interesting. This one reeks of—"

I let my power flare. "No! You will not touch him."

The overhead light sizzled and a bolt of energy shot out of it, hitting the demon. It screeched and I smiled. The smell of burning flesh filled the air. Still, I smiled.

Gina gasped. "Holy shit, I told you. See, Jay! I said she can make lightning bolts. You didn't want to believe me."

"Don't," I let another bolt of energy fly at it, "be silly, Gina. No one can create lightning bolts. I bet the rat chewed through something vital and now we'll need to call someone to fix it as soon as our little problem is taken care of."

"Lindsay, you're doing the scary voice thing we talked about," Jay said, glancing over at me. "The one you used when you locked me out in my underwear and it just happened to pour down rain with lightning that night. Tell us where it's standing and we'll take care of it. No more. You were sick for weeks after the last stunt. It drains you too much. Just tell us where to aim."

The demon moved again, apparently wising up that it shouldn't stand in one place too long. It watched Exavier with hate in its eyes. In an instant, it was tossing snakes and bugs at him. Spinning, I kicked them away and stood before Exavier protectively. "I said that you were not to touch him. I am positive I didn't stutter. I can and will bring the wrath of some heavy shit down upon your head if you continue to push me on this. He is not to be touched. None of them are."

"You lie," the demon hissed. "You do not have the power to call upon—"

"I don't? Really? Hmm, news to me."

I used my power to change the music. The sound of monks chanting filled the air, as did the sound of thunder. The demon looked around, hissing and snarling, clearly taken aback by the newest revelation. It threw a handful of snakes at Exavier. I shot another bolt of electricity out, unsure how I was controlling it as well as I was but not really caring.

Myra looked up. "Gina, isn't this the same chanting music that kept playing while Lindsay was healing from the accident?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

Exavier put his hand on my shoulder. "It's an ancient chant used to call upon the protectors of good, of life. It asks them to protect the ones you love and to keep them safe from the evil that surrounds them."

We all glanced at him. He shrugged. "Music lover."

I laughed. "It's gibberish. Something that a little boy I once knew taught me. It's not Latin it's…" I stopped just short of saying ancient Fae.

Myra stood tall. "Same guy I sent a guitar to? Same guy who taught you about creepy shit? Same guy who is named Exavier too?"

"Yes, why?"

She snorted. "What do you mean why? You wrote a note with this on it for him. I stuck it in the package with the guitar."

"Note?" My eyes widened. "No, Myra. That wasn't my card to him. That was something I dreamt about. Something I couldn't stop thinking about. Not…Oh, shit, you sent him that?"

The demon tried to go to black mist again. I thrust another bolt of energy at it. "I'm trying to talk to someone here, asshole. I get that you have no respect for anything but you will stand there and allow me to finish. Understood?"

"Who are you talking to?" Jay asked, holding his off-duty weapon. "Just point in the general area. The last thing I want to do is carry your limp body out of here tonight, Lindsay. I can guarantee Exavier doesn't want that either. We spent the afternoon getting to really know each other, Lindsay. Trust that he can handle whatever comes our way—mentally and physically. Please, just glance at the damn rat. All I need is a hint."

Ignoring Jay, I stared at Myra. "Tell me you didn't send that with it."

"Why? It's nice. Kind of pretty."

"In an embarrassing sort of way. Sure. You're right."

"Lindsay Willows, how is this more important than the other thing?" Jay asked, clearly annoyed with me.

The demon hissed. "The prince now, bitch."

"Bitch? Me?" I rolled my eyes. "Oh please, Gina calls me worse by the time I'm through my first cup of coffee in the morning. Be a bit more original." I could feel my power waning. Drawing in a deep breath, I readied myself for what I needed to do. "Myra?"

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Ghost and Hauntings-Level Four & Five

Let's talk ghost and levels of hauntings. Here is level four & five.

Level 4. The Trickery Stage

• Flying/moving objects

• Objects disappearing and reappearing elsewhere

• Shaking furniture

• Pushing or shaking people

• Windows, mirrors or other household objects breaking for no reason

• Levitation

Level  5. The Danger Level

• Dangerous activity

• Biting, Slapping or punching

• Animating objects

• Use of household electrical systems

• Hair pulled

• Heavy objects falling

Source Links 1, 2, 3

Have you or anyone you know experienced this level? If so, tell us about it.