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Title: Howl
Series: Southern Werewolves Novel #2
Author: Heather MacKinnon
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: October 14, 2018
When Elizabeth just barely made it through her first full moon as a werewolf, she thought the worst was behind her.
She was wrong.
While she struggles to control her temper and keep her wolf side at bay, she’s also juggling her old life as an attorney living in Raleigh, with being a werewolf in a pack in Asheville. Add in the fact that the man that attacked her is now killing women who look just like her, and she has her hands full.
Good thing she has Abraham by her side. The werewolf who’s apparently her fated mate is the sexiest man she’s ever met, and all hers. So, why can’t she give him her heart like he’s given his?
Can Elizabeth give up her old life in Raleigh and commit to Abraham and her new pack? If she puts aside her fears and stubborn pride, she might. That is if she can figure out who the serial killer is before he comes back for her.
A high-pitched sing-song voice preceded our visitor. “Oh, Abey! I’m here to take care of you!”
Peyton, the pack mate who’d been the least welcoming and had proven on multiple occasions that she’d gladly get rid of me to get to Abraham, walked through his bedroom door. She came to a screeching halt, eyes widening in shock when she found us standing there. Abraham yanked his hand out of my shorts, the waistband snapping loud against my skin in the awkward silence of the room.
Her face reddened as she stared at where Abraham’s hand had been, and then up at me. Her eyes narrowed to thin slits as she placed her hand on her narrow hip.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she spat between gritted teeth.
My spine stiffened, and I took a step forward. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Abraham stepped around me and put himself between the two of us, his back to Peyton. He held his arms out wide as he tried to catch my eye. “Peyton is probably here to clean, El. That’s her job, remember?”
Peyton scoffed behind him, and he turned to her. “What other business would you have in my bedroom, Peyton?”
Her mouth opened and closed a few times while she floundered for a response. Finally, her eyes settled on me again. “Well, what the hell is shedoing here? Did you hire her for something too?”
Her insinuation wasn’t lost on me.
A deep snarl fell from my lips as my body began to shake uncontrollably. My vision narrowed as I watched Peyton’s pinched face study me from head to toe. It was clear she found me lacking.
“El, you need to calm down,” came Abraham’s placating voice.
“Yeah, El,” she sneered. “You need to learn your place, and it isn’t with him. You just got here. What, did you think sleeping with the alpha would get you somewhere in this pack? Well, get in line, honey.”
“Peyton! Don’t talk to her like that!” Abraham reprimanded, but it was too late.
The shaking in my limbs had now reached category ten.
Abraham was mine.
My bones cracked, and my muscles shifted as my body fell to the ground, deep in the throes of the shift. It was quicker this time and within seconds, I stood on four legs instead of two.
I shook out my coat, but the hackles raised on my back weren’t going anywhere. I stared Peyton down as a smug expression slid across her pinched face.
“God, Abraham, she can’t even control herself. She’s a menace.”
I snarled loudly and took a predatory step toward her before Abraham blocked my path.
“El, you don’t want to do this.”
What the hell did he know?
I bumped him with my head, nudging him out of my way so I had a clear shot at Peyton. She stood there with a satisfied smirk on her face, taunting me with her eyes. I growled again and took another step toward her.
Abraham stepped in front of me once more. “Elizabeth. Please.” His voice was deep, pulling at me, begging me to listen. I took a deep breath and tried to reign my temper in.
“That’s more like it. You might need to muzzle her in the future. We can’t have a full-grown wolf this out of control. It’s pathetic.”
That was it.
I launched myself at the dark-haired woman, ready to tear her to shreds when Abraham tackled me from the side.
We went tumbling into one of his dressers, splintering the wood. Clothes and debris rained down on us as I mindlessly tried to get out of his hold and sink my teeth into the skinny bitch just out of my reach. I clawed and squirmed, desperate to be free to act on the driving force in my gut that demanded I take out the threat against me and my mate.
I growled and pushed hard with my hind legs when I heard a short hiss of pain and smelled the coppery scent of blood in the air.
Abraham’s blood.
I went completely still while Peyton screamed like someone had set her on fire. “Oh my God, you hurt Abey! What is wrong with you?” She scrambled toward our still interlocked bodies, but Abraham halted her with a glare.
“Peyton! Leave. Now.”
Heather MacKinnon is an author living in the research triangle in North Carolina with her husband and two troublemaking dogs. She grew up on Long Island and spent her young adult years in various states in New England. This led to her subsequent addiction to Dunkin’ Donuts latte’s and her gratuitous use of the word “wicked”. She’s tried her hand at many jobs throughout the years as she strove to find the one that made her happy. Heather has sold chicken, kitchen knives, auto body supplies, PR packages, and computer software. She’s been a cashier, a waitress, a cook, a hotel concierge, a phlebotomist, and an Uber driver. Though her jobs have been many, her passion has always been reading. She’d hide in the bathroom and read between sales calls, or find a lonely corner in the kitchen and whip out her kindle between waiting on tables. After a lifetime of enjoying other people’s words, she decided to write down some of her own.
Ascension
Prologue
250 years ago in Avalon I watch the new arrivals as they march through the gate behind me. Some of us fairies arrived early as a sign of respect, but some are just now showing up, disgusting. Each of them smiles as they are assigned their room, and I wonder who I will be stuck with. I am not here to make friends or please anyone, no, I’m here to become a fierce warrior so that one day I can protect what is mine. “Hello,” a deep voice says. “Hello,” I reply. My eyes take in the fairy standing before me, his tall, lean body, with his black hair just like the rest of the warrior born fairies, but this one, there’s something different about him. “I am Rowan,” he says holding out his hand. “Connor,” I reply, gripping his hand in return. I watch as he places some small items on the footrest and scowl, trinkets. What good will they do him here? We are here to become warriors not miss the female fairies. He smiles when he places a small stone onto the surface. “You have a female,” I ask. “Indeed, my true mate,” he smiles at me lighting up his whole face. “Congratulations,” I reply then leave the small confined space. I pace the stone walkway until my anger simmers. How can he have his true mate so soon, he is not but my age. A horn sounds, snapping me from my thoughts and I march into the field to wait my orders. Rowan stops next to me still smiling, but I plan to wipe it from his face. We hold our heads high while we are instructed on what to do. “Swordplay,” I hiss. “You do not like swordplay?” he questions. “No, I prefer the real thing,” I snap. He answers with a chuckle, and I feel my anger rise again. He is too cavalier, too…smiley to be a warrior. “Ah, you made it,” our instructor says to him. “Indeed I did,” Rowan says, in return. They share a secret smile, which has my hands clenching into fists. “You may take your leave,” we are told before the instructor walks away. “Have fun sword playing,” Rowan grins as he walks away from me. I watch him while I cut down my warrior brother with my wooden sword. Rowan has the eyes of most of our instructors and many of our warrior brothers. I can’t seem to stop the snarl that curls my lip. “You do not like the prince,” my partner asks. “What?” “The crown prince,” he nods to where Rowan is now laughing with his sparring partner. “You must be mistaken,” I reply. “I am not. That is Prince Rowan, I have been to many revelries to know who he is,” my partner replies. “Just last summer he bonded with the princess of the summer court,” he tells me. “Of course, I did hear that,” I reply. His true mate, a princess, of course it would be, for who else would the Goddess create for the beloved Prince of Avalon but an equally beloved Princess. “You do not look pleased,” my partner says with watching eyes. “I am indeed,” I reply forcing a smile to my lips. “The prince, here with us,” I sigh. Just the fairy I have always wanted to meet. Ascension Copyright © 2018 by E.A. Weston All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from E.A. Weston, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews. -- Are you a book blogger? --
GIVEAWAY! The Boss
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play -- EXCERPT: No way was she misinterpreting the need reflecting back at her. Say it, she silently urged. Too proud to beg out loud. Do something. “What do you want, Finn?” she repeated. Please. He tipped his head down, though his gaze remained on her, but the light in those blue depths shifted, turning from banked need, held ruthlessly in check, to a possessiveness that drew her body into aching awareness. He pulled lightly on her wrist, drawing her across what had been an impassable chasm of space, until she was flush against his hard body. His other hand came under the fall of her hair to rest against her neck. She didn’t look away, not even as he lowered his head, his movement agonizingly slow. His mouth only a whisper from hers, he stopped. “You,” he said. “I want you.” Finally. She had no idea if she closed the distanced between their lips or if he did. She only knew that she was getting exactly what she wanted. Sensation forced her eyes closed as the heat of him seeped into her skin, her body flushing with it, swamping her senses. Their tongues tangled, his mouth hard and urgent against hers, like he couldn’t get enough, like he needed to possess her. The speed of her body’s reaction was so fast, so immediate, that she went dizzy with the need, like looking over the edge of a terrifying drop. She was too out of her element, too out of control, but she didn’t want to stop. She wanted more. He released her wrist, wrapping his arm around her waist, her softness yielding to his hard body as he held her closer. At the same time, he loosened his grip on her neck, brushing over the sensitive skin at her nape with his fingers. Shards of electricity zapped from that simple touch directly to her core, which throbbed in response. At the same time, warmth from that touch spread through her on a wave of a feeling akin to total acceptance. Like this was where she was supposed to be. A low moan dragged from her mouth as he lifted her, just enough that it put him in complete control. He slipped a thigh between her legs, then pressed her down. Holy hell. Delaney leaned into him, her body softening into his, attuned to what his wicked hands and lips were doing to her even as her heart beat fast has hummingbird’s wings just to be in his arms. She arched into him, moving against him with a moan. His hand slid under her shirt and he brushed against the sensitive flesh at her waist, his skin warm against hers. Which only made her want more skin. With eager hands, she tugged at his black t-shirt, breaking their kisses only long enough to pull it over his head. Then she allowed her hands to roam, to feel the rigid strength in his body, loving the heat of him, the bourbon and Coke smell of him. A shudder shook his body. “I want you.” He paused, then said something else under his breath. Something like, “More than I should let myself.” But then his lips were back on hers, addling her senses and taking over her mind. A bellow rent the air and jerked Delaney out of the oblivion of pleasure where she floated. She snapped her head up, breaking the kiss to listen. Another sound that she could only classify as a roar broke the stillness. “What was that?” she asked. Fear, rather than need, had her heart tripping over itself inside her chest. “It sounds like a…wounded animal.” Finn gave a low rumble that sounded more like a warning growl than anything a human would make, and her heart slammed into high gear. Slowly, dread pulling at her, she turned her head to look directly at him. To encounter eyes ablaze. Not figuratively. Literally ablaze. Blue flames consumed his irises. What the hell? Panic spiked inside her, and her breath came out in short, sharp bursts, speeding up as she absorbed what she was seeing. Adrenaline joined the fear and she shoved his chest. Hard. She must’ve surprised him, because Finn released her, stumbling back a few paces. She managed to keep her feet under her, then scrambled back, trying not to trip over any rocks in her path. He held up his hands. “Delaney, don’t—” She did the only thing she could. She ran.
GIVEAWAY! Saving Penny was a great Paranormal Romance Read! It was quick and easy with lots of heat and suspense. If you like wolf shifters and insta-lust/love you’ll enjoy this novel. Drake and Penny had lots of chemistry, and the story had a good balance between their relationship and the stalker mystery. The only thing I wanted more of was world building. I wanted to know if Penny would be as long-lived as Drake and how? Could she turn into a wolf or did you exclusively have to be born one? Do all shifters have mate dreams? There were just lots of questions I wanted answered, but overall, it was a good read! I really enjoyed the story and hope to read the next in the series. 4.5 Stars! Title: Saving Penny Series: Imperial Knights 1 Author: Ariel Marie Genre: Paranormal Romance Release Date: August 21, 2018 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40494474-saving-penny Cover Designer: Melody Simmons with Bookcoverscre8tive Book Cover Designs Blurb:
Billionaire CEO of the Imperial Knights security empire, Drake Ransley spends his days in full control of every element of his life. By night, he’s a man plagued by a mysterious dream about a brown coin. As time passes, the frequency of the dream increases and the penny morphs into a beautiful woman that Drake can’t stop thinking about. Penny Berkey has just discovered that she has won the largest payout in lottery history, but it might not be enough to keep her away from danger. The promise of a major payout awaits. Danger lurks in the shadows. A stalker looms at every turn. Unable to elicit help from the police, she turns to the best security team money can buy – the Imperial Knights. Drake knows the moment he lays eyes on her that she’s the woman from his dreams. His wolf instantly recognizes her as his mate. With danger lurking at every corner for her, he’s all the more determined to keep her safe by any means necessary. Buy Links: Kindle Unlimited Universal Link: http://viewbook.at/savpen Amazon: https://amzn.to/2nIKVoR Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2nK0wV1 Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2nNooYa Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2nKLcre Author Bio: Ariel Marie is an author who loves the paranormal, action and hot steamy romance. She combines all three in each and every one of her stories. For as long as she can remember, she has loved vampires, shifters and every creature you can think of. This even rolls over into her favorite movies! She love a good action packed thriller! Throw a touch of the supernatural world in it and she’s hooked! She grew up in Cleveland, Ohio where she currently resides with her husband and three beautiful children. Social Media Links: Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00WB1SBFC Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_ArielMarie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arielmarie_author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/the_arielmarie Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorarielmarie Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ArielMarieauthor Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ariel-marie Booksprout: https://booksprout.co/author/1696/ariel-marie
Title: One Stormy Night: a Kissing Frogs prequel
Author: Kim Deister
Genre: Contemporary/Historical/PNR/18+
Release Date: August 14, 2018
Cover Designer: Kennedy Kelly of Cover Crush Designs
Finneas O'Malley is not a man built for love. He could never love a woman more than he loves the adventure and danger of a life at sea, the freedom to chase the wind wherever it takes him. The lure of a foreign land, the danger of a battle at sea, the exotic lasses he beds... how could any man turn away from that?
But when Finn wrongs Siofra, all of that changes. Curses. Magic. Centuries of being beholden to a vengeful fae who wants nothing more than to destroy him. Can he find a way to break the curse? Will he find the very thing he once scorned?
I was born and raised in a tiny town in the wilds of northern New York, a pretty, little college town called Potsdam. I grew up in a family of lawyers and teachers and bucked all the traditions. Before becoming a writer, I spent a lot of years wearing combat boots in the US Army. I spent most of my time in boots working as a Signals Intelligence Analyst (no jokes!) and a linguist. I also worked as a tech writer, an entirely different kind of writing, for Corning Glass Works. Now, I’m an Army wife and a mom to four sons. Over the years, our Army life has taken us all over the place and I have been lucky enough to work and live in some pretty amazing places. Now we live in Hawaii, just minutes from the beach!
I am a writer thoroughly in love with words. Reading them, writing them... I love that words can take you outside of your world and let the unimaginable become imaginable. When I’m not writing or lounging on the beach, I’m probably somewhere with my nose in a book.
Title: Saving Penny
Series: Imperial Knights #1
Author: Ariel Marie
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: August 21, 2018
Cover Designer: Melody Simmons with Bookcoverscre8tive Book Cover Designs
Billionaire CEO of the Imperial Knights security empire, Drake Ransley spends his days in full control of every element of his life. By night, he’s a man plagued by a mysterious dream about a brown coin. As time passes, the frequency of the dream increases and the penny morphs into a beautiful woman that Drake can’t stop thinking about.
Penny Berkey has just discovered that she has won the largest payout in lottery history, but it might not be enough to keep her away from danger. The promise of a major payout awaits. Danger lurks in the shadows. A stalker looms at every turn. Unable to elicit help from the police, she turns to the best security team money can buy – the Imperial Knights.
Drake knows the moment he lays eyes on her that she’s the woman from his dreams. His wolf instantly recognizes her as his mate. With danger lurking at every corner for her, he’s all the more determined to keep her safe by any means necessary.
Ariel Marie is an author who loves the paranormal, action and hot steamy romance. She combines all three in each and every one of her stories. For as long as she can remember, she has loved vampires, shifters and every creature you can think of. This even rolls over into her favorite movies! She love a good action packed thriller! Throw a touch of the supernatural world in it and she’s hooked!
She grew up in Cleveland, Ohio where she currently resides with her husband and three beautiful children.
Dark Opius
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo -- EXCERPT: Helen noticed James, her husband of thirteen years, glance lovingly in her direction. He was the strong silent type, a big man, even for Helen’s five-foot-eleven, admittedly large-boned frame. He watched the road ahead as he leaned forward to change the radio station back to the original soft rock. Shaking her head, Helen smiled. She knew he wouldn’t tolerate her new favorite gospel station for long. This time she had timed him, and he’d made it all of…she glanced at the digital hologram on her arm…approximately five-and-a-half minutes. Her thick black cropped hair shifted slightly with the force of the wind as the car moved along. She never wore much makeup—always making do with a subtle tint to her full, well-shaped lips. Her clothes were understated and easy because she hated frills and fuss of any kind. Few people owned or drove their own vehicles anymore. Most made their commutes through air shuttles, free transportation services for people who worked at least twenty-hours a week. The air shuttles zipped through the air on hidden railways, commissioned and supported by the national government’s alliance with major advertisers. “We interrupt this broadcast with an emergency message from—” The announcer’s voice was abruptly cut off by more static, heavier this time. “Wonder what’s going on now?” James asked. “No telling. Always something. I don’t know what this world is coming to.” Helen closed her eyes, unconcerned about the interruption. Enjoying riding with the top down in their long, antique Chevy convertible, she reminisced about her life with James. It seemed only yesterday they had met at the small teachers’ college in Gainesville. She had been in the middle of a heated argument with a chauvinistic male classmate who did not believe a woman should be head of the athletic department. Her classmate was slowly backing down, but she would never forget the way James stood beside her with his muscular arms folded, quiet yet protective. Her smile broadened as she considered the many changes that had taken place in her life. Once married to James, she had set yet another precedent by opening her now-successful sports bar that doubled as a homeless shelter. James assisted her every evening after work except Fridays in the fall and winter months. His Fridays were usually filled with coaching high school football games. It was hard to believe thirteen years could pass so quickly. The couple had been accompanied by static for the last five minutes, but Helen didn’t mind. She was so happy James had suggested the country drive, no destination in mind. She opened her eyes, enjoying the breeze and the closeness of her James, feeling like the luckiest woman in the world. Better yet, she knew she had to be one of the most blessed. Closing her eyes again, she immersed herself in her own private praise session, but in the middle of her silent prayer of thanks, she heard James’ voice louder than she’d ever heard him yell before. His alarm registered inside her, and a heart-wrenching scream began to explode between her ribs before she could open her eyes to witness what appeared to be Hell opening to devour them. Debris flew at them full force, seemingly in slow motion and from every direction. Overtaken by dark, violent clouds, she saw the air shuttles and rails fall from the sky, the heavy metal train cars flying helplessly through the air like paper on the wind just before the sun completely disappeared, abandoning them to complete and utter darkness. Helen heard rubber fighting to maintain position as their large vehicle screeched and turned, trapped in the sudden, ungodly storm. James’ voice crescendoed to summon non-existent assistance, lost in the howling wind, and metal clashed to meld and change form as the car skidded, levitating on a heavy dark cloud. Finally, the car rolled aimlessly, colliding with everything in its path. The last thing she remembered was reaching for James as she called out, “Oh, Lord, please have mercy!” Helen tried to open her eyes, but they seemed to be welded shut by some unknown force. She could no longer hear James, nor could she feel him. A powerful sense of foreboding overtook her, causing her normally strong heart to palpitate wildly. Someone else was there, had been there through the storm. She heard the whispers that seemed to emanate from a source connected to her heart. “Be quiet. Be still. It is out of your control, and all will work out as it should.” The voice was not one, but two—male and female speaking as one—as if unsure which would comfort her most.
GIVEAWAY!
Title: Bewitching Sloth
Series: Seven Deadly Series #1
Author: Michelle Gross
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: July 30, 2018
“This book was everything! One I am sure that Michelle Gross’s fans will absolutely love.” ~ Jess (the cozy reader) “Bewitching Sloth is action packed, sexy, hot and fun.” ~Beyond the Covers Blog “Seven Deadly has been one of my top highly anticipated read of this year, and after reading it......It devoured my soul…” ~ Julia- The Romance Rebels
Reapers are the peacekeepers—the balancers of life and death, good and evil. They’re the police of the Underworld in a way. They keep both worlds balanced just enough so that the King of the Underworld can never escape his prison.
For the day his reign stretches into the human world, all things good will come to an end.
This is the story of a dark king who cursed seven siblings with sins, and how far those seven went to protect both worlds from the end of days when an old entity challenged the Dark One’s very reign.
Isabella Wen has spent the last decade in the human world hiding from the one that turned her touch deadly, made her body a weapon for his own gain.
Sebastian Reaper—bearer of the sin of sloth and the eldest son of the revered Grim Reaper—has spent his entire life fighting to stay awake because of his curse.
When the witch finds the sleepy sloth passed out in the human hospital, they touch and sparks fly. Her touch should have hurt him. Instead, it’s the one thing he’s after.
She thinks her darkness is her undoing. He thinks she’s his cure.
When her past and her future collide, he must choose between duty and heart.
The world or her?
Each book in the series is about a different sibling and their sin, so the romance has an ending in each book. As for the storyline, it’s just getting started
Michelle is from a small town in Eastern Kentucky where opossums try to blend in with the cats on the porch and bears are likely to chase your pets—this is very true, it happened with her sister’s dog. Despite the extra needed protection for your pets, she loves the mountains she calls home. She has a man and twin girls who are the light of her life and the reason she’s slightly crazy.
As a kid, she was that cousin, that friend, that sister and daughter, the talker who could spin a tale and make-believe into any little thing so it was no surprise when she found love in reading, and figured all these characters inside her head needed an outlet. They wanted to be heard, so she wrote.
The voices keep growing faster than she gets the time to write.
The stories are never going to end. That’s perfectly okay, though. We never want to stop an adventure.
She writes and loves many different genres so sign up to her mailing list to keep updated on her releases!
Title: Accepting Magnolia
Author: D.M. Thornton
Genre: Women's Fiction/Paranormal Romance
Release Date: July 24, 2018
But he’s not dead.
Yet.
Every minute lost is another minute closer to his last breath.
We must find him.
Now.
I’ve always been an outcast, bullied my whole life. Yet, all I’ve ever wanted to do is to help people. But people are cruel. Unforgiving. Instead of being accepting and seeing the beauty in our differences, some feel threatened. Frightful of the unknown. They want to separate themselves from what they can’t understand. Even if it means kidnapping a young child. With the help of Max’s father and a friend, we are on a hunt to find Max before it’s too late.
I was worried we would never find him. I never thought I would be the one hurt when we did. It’s not easy, and most days, I want to give up. But through a special connection
D. M. Thornton, originally from San Diego, CA, lives in Overland Park, Kansas with her three kids and her husband. She is a creative soul who has an unhealthy addiction to old-fashioned chocolate glazed doughnuts and enjoys quizzing her kids on music. She plays piano and the ukulele and can be found singing and dancing at any given moment just to embarrass her children.
After fourteen years of being a nail technician, she traded in her nail polish and took a chance on an old childhood dream of becoming a writer. You can find her on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter. To check out her other various romance novels and to see what is coming up in the world of make-believe, visit D.M. Thornton at http://www.dmthornton.com.
Title: The Price of Brimstone
Author: Allie Gail
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: July 18, 2018
There's a monster in my basement.
That isn't a metaphor, in case you were wondering. And it isn't the tagline to some midnight horror flick. Fact is, Locryn Price is nothing if not a monster. One part human, the other part demon, the guy's got a slab of ice where his heart should be.
Ironic, considering the rest of him is hot enough to start a fire underwater.
Not exactly what I was expecting to find when I came home from college to surprise my brother. I mean, I always knew Russell was a little warped, but now we have a pissed-off, wisecracking demon in shackles and chains as proof.
The October winds are stirring, bringing more than just storms. Two of our friends are missing. Loc knows something, but he isn't talking. And to complicate matters further, my former crush Max has joined forces with my brother. They think they'll get answers using spells and pentacles and brute torture.
But the devil prefers to bargain.
My innocence in exchange for the hostages. Those are his terms.
Now I'm in his world. A world of demons, deception and the sweetest of seductions.
And losing my way in the darkness never felt so good.
His eyes, wicked as the devil's soul, shimmer like jewels as he watches me with a fixed stare. “What sort of person are you, Judith? Do you embrace your nightmares? Or do you run from them?”
In the midst of the whirling snow, the carousel picks up speed. I was right – the tune is changing, growing wilder, more discordant. If I thought the music was unsettling before, it's downright terrifying now.
“What are you doing?” I look around in alarm. The Tilt-A-Whirl is zipping past twice as fast as before. The icy wind whips my hair, stinging my cheeks. Beside me on the platform, Loc gazes at me impassively as if nothing at all is wrong.
Slowly, dreading what I'm about to see, I turn my head to look down at the stallion between my legs.
One of its round crimson eyes rolls back and settles on me with a demonic glare.
“Loc...” I am frozen in terror, afraid to look away. Afraid to move. Afraid that one of these fiendish beasts will sink its teeth into me, or worse. The shrill calliope music clashes in my ears, and the carousel continues its runaway orbit.
“Yes, Jude?” His voice is maddeningly calm.
“Make it stop. Please make it stop.”
“I don't think so. Not just yet.”
“Dammit, Loc, I'm not fucking kidding...”
Reaching around me, he grabs the pole and swings one leg over the horse, pressing his body flush against mine. The stallion shakes its painted mane and I close my eyes to shut out the sight of those devil eyes.
“I don't like this,” I announce through clenched teeth. “I seriously don't like this.”
“Sh-h,” Loc breathes in my ear. The feel of his warm, hard body so close to mine does crazy things to my hormones. “It's only a nightmare if you believe it is. Don't be afraid of what you don't understand. Open your eyes. See the world the way I see it. Get to know that part of me a little better. Take it in, baby. Take it all in.”
Unable to resist his soft coaxing, I do as he requests, shooting a fearful glance at the animated steed on my left. It makes a vicious braying noise and lashes out at the air with its front hooves.
“They're beautiful, aren't they?” he murmurs.
“I don't know. They're...” I'm at a loss for words here. Beautiful? I'm not sure that's how I would choose to describe the demon horses. I suppose they are, in an aesthetic sense, but like the dissonant music they seem so...evil.
So unnatural.
So dark.
So...
Like him.
He slides one hand around my waist, the other moving up so he can trail his fingers down my neck. The stallion flies in its neverending circle, yo-yoing up and down with us on its back, a blur of snowflakes shrouding the landscape in white as the jarring melody thrums in my veins.
“I can feel your pulse racing,” he whispers. “It feels good, doesn't it? The adrenaline. The excitement.”
I turn my head a bit so he can hear me over the spectral music. “You feel good.”
He brushes his lips lightly against my cheek, his breath warming me as he chuckles softly. “Mm, sweetheart. You have no idea just how good I can feel.”
Maybe not, but I'd very much like to find out.
Impulsively, I let go of the brass pole and stretch out a hand to tentatively stroke the stallion's painted black muzzle. It doesn't seem to object, though the vacant eyes roll back once again to give me another indecipherable look.
Behind me, Loc purrs his approval. “There. Now was that so hard?”
Steadying myself with both hands on his thighs, I relax against his chest. My fears begin to recede. All I can think about right now is the hard body cradled against mine, and how intoxicating it feels to be this close to him.
“Sure you don't want a tour of the funhouse?” he teases.
“Not on your life.” I don't even want to think about the hellish horrors he might dredge up in there. Haunted carousels are bad enough. The last thing I want is to see the reflection of a demonic clown in one of those funhouse mirrors.
His hands roam beneath my hoodie to cup my breasts, and I arch my back with a whimper as he slides his fingers inside my bra. All he does is brush them across my nipples, but the light touch has them instantly stiffening into hard peaks. “Loc...”
His voice is a husky whisper. “What is it, precious?”
“Let's get out of here. Please.”
“You know what's going to happen when I get you home, don't you?” He squeezes my breasts, and I squirm against him. I want his hands all over me. His touch does things to me that are pure magic. Black magic, surely, but at this point I'm beyond caring.
“Yes. You're going to...” I trail off, suddenly uncertain. By now I should know better than to second-guess his intentions. What if I'm wrong?
“I'm going to fuck you,” he clarifies firmly. “Very hard and very deep. And just when you think you can't take any more, I'm going to fuck you again. And again. And again. Are you starting to see a pattern emerging here, love?”
Unable to speak, I merely bite my lip. Oh, God...
“All I'm asking from you is one word,” he continues. “Because I'm giving you something I've never given anyone before. A choice. I'm offering you an out. I'm willing to release you from your debt if that's what you want. I'll still hold up my end of the bargain, no strings attached. All you have to do is tell me no, and I'll send you back to Kansas and you will never hear from me again. But if you say yes, then know that I will not be holding back. Your body will be mine, to use for my own pleasure, and I won't let you deny me anything.”
Stunned, I turn my head to gaze at him in astonishment. Is he serious? After everything that happened, after everything my brother did to him, he's willing to just forget it and let me off scot free? With no repercussions whatsoever? He's a demon. Demons make deals. They don't let people back out of them. They don't possess the compassion for something like that.
But maybe...half-human demons do.
Brushing his lips across mine in a feather-soft kiss, he asks, “So what's it going to be, Jude?”
My heart hammers against my chest. The sad part is, I don't even have to think about it. I know what I should do. I know the logical thing to do. The smart thing.
Unfortunately, what I should do and what I want to do are two very different things.
One day, I know I will look back on my naïveté and realize how foolish I was for following him so blindly.
Today is not the day.
“Yes,” I whisper.
The lights on the carousel flicker and go dark.
The platform slows its relentless turn.
Suspended from their poles, the horses cease their thrashing and gaze lifelessly into the night, inanimate playthings once more.
And the music, having reached its crescendo, ends in a rolling clap of thunder that resonates through the air before tapering off into silence.
Born and raised in rural Alabama, Allie Gail currently resides in sunny Florida with her own blue-eyed Prince Charming and a hyperactive hamster named Toot-Toot. Always an avid reader, she took to her keyboard on a whim in 2012 and that was the last anyone ever saw of her. (Just kidding – I did venture out of the house that one time back in 2014, but only because I was tricked into it. Stupid hurricane.)
Her genres of choice are paranormal romance and rom-com, featuring goofy but headstrong heroines and the sexy, snarky men who love them. When her indecisiveness doesn't have her obsessively typing, deleting, then re-typing the same scene over and over, you can usually find her lurking online. Stop by Facebook and say hello!
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