THE RED DRAGON by Tianna Xander

THE RED DRAGON by Tianna Xander

Dragon Bound # 8

What’s an older woman do when a handsome dragon decides she’s his? She goes with it.

Emily is seventy-six years old. It's a good thing she looks and feels as though she's only sixty. Otherwise, she might have had a stroke when she visits the site of her love’s resting place. She thinks he's dead. She definitely doesn’t expect him to rise from the ground in dragon form and carry her off as though she's some sacrificial virgin.
 
Whatever she imagined she would find in Scotland, it certainly wasn’t an adventure with a handsome dragon who had chosen to age with her, a well-kept secret revealed, and a new life as an ancient dragon’s most treasured possession.


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EXCERPT

Emily slid from the back of the limousine and stretched. Her old bones didn’t take long trips well anymore. This trip was the longest she’d been on in years. Her doctor would probably have a cow if he found out she went to Europe. At least she wasn’t alone. Her friend, Summer, and her significant other accompanied her, along with two of Summer’s sisters and their husbands.

She stared up at the large castle that loomed before them. Thick ropes of ivy grew over the stone walls, moss grew along the northern side, and it looked as though it had seen better days.

Was this Declan’s house? She didn’t expect him to have neglected his home so thoroughly. Had he really come here when she rejected him? If he had, did he come here to die, or to hole up in the lair she knew all dragon males possessed? Whatever the case, she had to find him. She had to tell him she was sorry she had wasted their lives, their chance at happiness. Her eyes filled with tears when she thought of the loneliness he must have felt all the long centuries he’d lived.

Closing her eyes, she hummed the song he’d taught her. She always felt closer to him with the melody in her mind. He had told her the song was one his mother sang to him when he was young.

After a moment, a strange feeling pulled her, tugged her to her left. Ignoring her companions, Emily opened her eyes and began to walk.

She was about halfway between the neglected castle and a steep cliff when she stopped and looked down. At her feet was a large round stone, shaped like a giant seal with odd-looking letters carved into its surface.

Lowering herself to her aching knees, she reached out, slowly removing the weeds and thick heather that had tried to hide it.

“I wish I knew what it says.” She glanced up at her entourage. Tears filled her eyes and slid down her cheeks. Something told her this was where Declan had gone all those years ago, after she rejected him. She stared down at the stone that must have been his grave marker and willed herself not to cry for her lost love. “He’s in there, isn’t he?”

She didn’t want anyone to tell her that he was gone, that she was too late to tell him she was sorry. Still, she needed an answer. She needed closure.

Adrian, Summer’s dragon mate, bent down and rested his hands on his knees. He frowned at the beautiful script before reading it aloud. “Here lies the Red Dragon, red for the rubies he guards and for the passion he holds for his one true mate.”

Emily grasped the center of her chest. The pain would have brought her to her knees if she hadn’t already knelt down upon them. She bent over, sobbing onto the stone that covered the body of the only man she had ever loved.

Her sobs only grew worse when he continued. “Open only if you wish to experience the wrath of Declan Brus. Here he shall remain, resting forever.”

“Okay. I could be wrong, but doesn’t that sound like he’s still alive in there?” Summer’s sister, May moved around the outside of the stone, her mate, Damek, always hovering close.

They didn’t know. They couldn’t feel the deep, heart-wrenching loss she felt at Declan’s absence. Emily had stopped feeling their connection long ago. Then, she had been certain he had found another. Nothing had prepared her to find out that he had willed himself to die. Alone. Like all dragons without a mate, he was always alone.

“It sounds that way to me,” Summer said as she made a circuit around the large, beautifully carved stone. “So, how do we open it?”

What would be the point? Emily wanted to scream at them all. Why bother? They were too late. She was too late. He was dead, which was the only explanation she could think of for why he was buried beneath the earth and his once beautiful castle falling to pieces.

“I don’t know. It is likely that there is something in the castle, but until we can legally get inside, we won’t know anything.” Adrian straightened and stared at the stone structure, standing so forlorn and forgotten. “Do you think there is a caretaker here?” He frowned toward the castle. “If there is, he hasn’t been doing his job keeping the structure in good repair.

“If there isn’t, someone has to be paying the rates and taxes. Otherwise, the government would have seized and sold it by now. I would hypothesize that Declan has someone watching over his home while he’s in mourning.” Damek turned to look at her. “Though you are still with us, he mourns your loss.”

He mourned the loss of his mate and willed himself to die. He was buried here, deep in the ground, and she was too late to tell him she was sorry. Emily buried her head in her hands and sobbed again. Why had she turned him down all those years ago? Why hadn’t she trusted him to love her the way he claimed he did?

The others spoke around her. She was certain that something important was going on around her, but she didn’t care. How could she care when her mate had given up on living because she had rejected him so many years before?

Her heart broke all over again as she knelt atop his grave and cried for all the things that could have been, if only she had been brave enough to love a dragon.

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LOVE BEYOND LOYALTY by Rebecca Royce

LOVE BEYOND LOYALTY by Rebecca Royce

The Outsiders Book Three

When Gabriel and Loraine are forced together by the destiny he denies and she is ignorant of, they will both finally have to accept their Outsider legacy and help the others in the quest to defeat the ultimate evil - a demon bent on world domination.

Gabriel Ward has no problem with the fact that he's an Outsider. Hell, he's always known he was different. What he takes issue with, is the idea that he has to follow any destiny at all. He's always taken care of himself, and there's no way he's going to start following rules now.

Loraine Peacock can speak to animals. Other than that, she thinks she's just a regular woman making her way in the world. She figures it's not that weird. Many people have unusual abilities.

But when Gabriel and Loraine are forced together by the very destiny he denies, they will both have to accept their legacy and join the Outsiders in their quest to defeat the ultimate evil. That is, if they can survive long enough to find their way to their most important destiny of all: love.

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~Excerpt~

Gabriel stood outside his house. Like all his neighbors and most of the properties in North Shore, Louisiana, his home rested upon pillars meant to protect the structure from the flooding of the river during massive storms. Lord knew Louisiana weather could get out of hand fast. He wiped a hand over his sweating forehead before taking another sip of his Abita beer.

There was nothing like hard work and cold alcohol to make him feel tired on a hot, humid afternoon. He picked up his hammer and went back to work nailing the extra boards on to the pillars that held up his house.

Humming to himself, a tune he recognized as nothing other than musical nonsense, he hoped that the boards would take more of the brunt from the debris in the river the next time it flooded. Of course, he hoped it never flooded again, but it would be foolish to assume that would happen. For the first time in a long time, he felt really good about things on the home front. He set down his hammer, deciding he could give himself a brief break from the work he loved.

Smiling, he sat down on the riverbank and looked up at his house. He'd built it himself. When he'd purchased the property, it had been nothing but a beat-up lot with no home left standing on it. It had taken two years to get it where it was now. The smile fell from his expression as he ran a hand through his dark hair.

Was he just supposed to give it up?

That's what it would mean if he joined the Outsiders, who were forever in his thoughts, and became a real player in the battle to save humanity. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them.

It wasn't that he didn't care about the struggle or the outcome; in fact, there was little he worried about more. But if he did what they wanted, if he embraced his heritage, and joined their world fully, there was no going back.

He didn't care what promises they made about a normal life when the battle was done. That would never come. No, if he gave in and joined them in Maine where they plotted, planned, and bit their nails over the upcoming war, he'd be saying goodbye to all of this--to everything he'd always valued.

That wasn't an easy thing for a man like him to do.

Raised alternatively in terrible foster homes or on the streets of New Orleans and Baton Rouge, he had sworn to himself that someday he would have a place to call his own. A home, that he owned, which he could live in and never have to leave.

So help him that was going to be this building. And, despite the fact that he knew he might be fighting a losing battle in resisting the Outsiders' call, he couldn't seem to bring himself to leave it. Not even to go engage in an epic struggle that had been raging long before he was born and would continue when he was six-feet under.

Sighing, he rubbed his nose when a fly swept past it. He knew the requisite evening phone call would come. Leonardo, the unofficial leader of the Outsiders, called him every night just to 'check in'. Gabriel wasn't stupid. He realized the guy was trying to wear him down. In some ways it was working. He was at least thinking about the subject of leaving on a regular basis. But Gabe was a stubborn bastard. Always had been.

The answer three months ago when the conversations had begun had been 'no' and it continued to be 'no' now.

Not to mention he couldn't leave Alexa. Even if she wasn't currently speaking to him.

When he'd first heard the notion that all Outsiders had soul mates, another Outsider picked by the Heavens to be their one and only love, he'd been intrigued and actually wondered for a while if his might be Alexa. He'd quickly dismissed the notion. One of the requirements for being a soul mate was an overwhelming sexual interest in the other person. When he looked at Alexa, he could see that she was pretty but did he want to fuck her?

Absolutely not.

She was the first friend he'd ever had. They'd met on the brutal streets of New Orleans and bonded over the fact that they could both do 'things' they shouldn't, as human beings, be able to do. But, while he had managed to resist the demon--Sebastian--that wanted to control them, she had not. Out of all of his problems, that one ranked first on his list and he had no idea how he'd handle it.

Sebastian was always impeccably dressed, most of the people of his acquaintance thought he was a kind, charitable person raised in the genteel south where men were called 'sir' and women 'ma'am'. Little did they know he was a hell beast called forth by an ancient prophecy to kill them all.

Those same people would probably suspect even less that he, Gabriel Ward, sometime carpenter, sometime plumber, sometime handyman, was actually a member of an almost dead race of people called upon to defeat Sebastian. The idea might be laughable if it wasn't so damn real.

He stood up and shook his hair, hoping some of the sweat would drip out before he refastened the tie. It was really fucking hot.

Walking to the river, he decided that maybe tomorrow he'd stop his construction and take his boat on the river to do some fishing. He didn't have much of a knack for fishing. All he ever caught were the Croakers and they made such a disastrous noise when he pulled them out of the river that he'd throw them back.

Still, for him, the point of the exercise was to spend the day out on the Gulf with his thoughts and no work to distract him. He stared down at the water. It was looking a little bit greener today than usual. Were they having an influx of some kind of moss or algae infestation? Admittedly, for living on the river, he knew little about these kinds of issues. Stealing money on the streets of the French Quarter to feed Alexa had not provided him with the right education when it came to marine life and water problems. Taking one last swig of his beer, he decided to do an Internet search when he got back to the cabin, and maybe buy some books on the subject.

It was so peaceful here he could stare out at the gentle swell of the water all day. He bit down on his lip as he rubbed his nose. Except today it wasn't gentle. Something caught his attention.

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WOLFE'S LADY by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

WOLFE'S LADY by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

Stella Raines was looking for a change. She moved to the small town of Riverville to begin her first year of teaching history. She quickly learns that teaching in such a rural high school is no picnic, but the math teacher in the class down the hall makes her first week all the more intriguing….

Darien Wolfe is a staple of Riverville High School, with his rule-breaking hair and attire. He seems to have taught there since, well, forever. However, Darien never knew how much his long life might change until he notices the new history teacher down the hall.

Their attraction is instant and for eternity, like the stars under the full moon. But can Stella survive Darien’s secret?

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Excerpt:

For the first time, Stella realized that the house sat in the midst of thick woods, aged trees with broad trunks that isolated it from the road. Not one neighboring house was visible through the thickets and in addition, the lawn ran wild with forsythia bushes, rose of Sharon trees, evergreens, and even dogwoods. Flowers bloomed everywhere, some in neat, tended beds but others rampant across the lawn. Most were old-fashioned flowers, storybook blossoms like hollyhocks, roses, lilies, and more. The sheer wild beauty of the scene caught her breath for a few moments, and then she turned to Darien with honest enthusiasm.


“This is absolutely lovely, Darien. It is like something out of a storybook or fairy tale. It reminds me of Sleeping Beauty’s castle when the prince found it, a jewel tucked away in a verdant wood.”

Darien offered her his hand, chuckling with pleasure as they mounted the broad stone steps to the wide covered porch that ran the front of the house. There, too, clematis and moonflower vines climbed trellises, adding to the air of privacy.

“You approve; that’s very good,” he said. “Let’s see what you think of the interior.”

He threw open the heavy carved door and let her walk ahead into a huge room with many windows. To her right, a carved staircase ascended, as graceful as an Edwardian lady waltzing would. A chandelier with multiple prisms sparkled from the very center of the ceiling. Each doorway that led from the room – into a dining room, a hallway, and the library – each had dark walnut trim. Even the furnishings, crushed velvet crimson sofas and chairs, added to the air of mystique and yesteryear.

“Darien, this is amazing. This room is stunning.”

“No. You, my dear, are stunning,” he said. He stood beside her and then turned her to face him. Stella’s heart pounded faster as he bent and kissed her, unhurried, his lips burning against hers, warm and soft as melted candle wax. Her body kindled at his caress and she leaned against him, letting the fever that spread over her body consume her. Stella felt his powerful body surge against hers, masculine and vital. His passion, his desire was a living thing between them. When he released her, she almost fell, her legs weak but he caught her.

“Stella, dear heart, you are a delight. Come have a drink with me in the library before I lose my head. Will champagne do?”

Her mouth refused to work so she nodded, trailing in his wake into the library, tucked behind the foot of the stairs. This too was a marvelous room, cozy with a granite fireplace, each block carved with intricate designs, and the walls lined with books. Most appeared to be antique volumes but among them Stella recognized a few more modern works. A small bar stood opposite the hearth and after he pointed her to the black leather loveseat, he brought out two fragile flutes and filled them with Dom Perignon. Darien handed her a flute and raised his glass to touch hers with a soft, ringing sound.

“To what the future and the stars may hold,” he intoned in a voice as serious as a prayer, soft as a blessing.

“To the future,” Stella repeated and sipped.

The sweet, crisp wine was a good vintage and her surprise was evident as the smooth taste burst into her mouth.

“This is 1975 v Dom Perignon,” Darien said. “It is one of the best modern vintages available. Will it do??”

“It’s awesome,” Stella said, draining her glass. The wine must have gone to her head, she thought, for without hesitation, she mimicked a child’s British accent and quoted Oliver Twist, “Please, sir, may I have some more?”

Darien’s face shifted, his lips twitched and his eyes rolled until he burst out laughing. He sat down on the loveseat, wiped tears of mirth from his eyes, and drank his champagne.

“You are the most remarkable woman I have met in years.” Darien said, shaking his head. “Stella, I find myself quite smitten with you. Dare I hope that it might be reciprocated?”

She made a quick translation of his old school language and replied in her own vernacular,

“I think you’re totally hot, Darien, so yes.”

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SMOKE AND MIRRORS by Michelle L. Levigne

SMOKE AND MIRRORS by Michele L. Levigne

~A Fae man with malfunctioning magic hides from matrimony in Las Vegas, disguised as a magician's assistant. A Half-Fae, female magician with secrets of her own.~

Alexi's malfunctioning magic made him a sitting duck when it came to husband-hunting Fae women. He knew he had to find a place where he could hide and make a living before he became completely bereft of magic, and ended up in Vegas, where his wonky magic wouldn't raise any eyebrows.

Megan was a Halfling Fae who made her living as a magician. She had enough magic to know Alexi was in deep trouble, and enough sense not to tell him she was a halfbreed. She took him on as her assistant because she thought they would both be safe with each other, and because he needed her help even more than she needed his.

Eventually, their working friendship turned to close friendship, partnership, looking out for each other. And then they realized they not only needed each other, but wanted each other.

However, there was Alexi's doomed magical heritage, and hungry Fae women caught in Need still on the prowl, and what chance did a halfbreed woman have against all that?


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Alexi spotted a pickpocket. The tiny, translucent sparkle of magic at work caught his attention more than the boy's long fingers delicately lifting wallets and slipping inside purses, robbing oblivious tourists blind while they snapped pictures. Alexi watched the boy for a few minutes, trying to decide if he was Fae on a larcenous lark, or a Halfling who didn't know his heritage. Unfortunately, there were hundreds of Halflings in the Human world who had magic, didn't know it, and didn't know they used it to make their lives a little easier.

Alexi saw a handful of people stop and watch the boy work, then grin and walk on by. Obviously, some residents of Vegas had a low regard for tourists. They deserve what they get seemed to be the prevalent attitude.

That irritated him, which in turn surprised him. It wasn't too long ago that he would have been enjoying the show, too. He supposed that being a fugitive and having to actually worry about material possessions for the first time in his life had changed his attitude.

Megan had changed him. Just yesterday, she caught a customer stealing tips from a table. Signaling Joey, who manned the spotlight, she jumped down off the stage and caught hold of the hand holding the stolen bills. She went into an impromptu spiel about tripling the man's money with magic, so it would seem like he had stolen it, and squeezed his wrist until he let go of the money. The waitress whose table it was returned at that moment, scooped up her tip, flashed Megan a grin and stepped on the man's foot with her spike heel before she left.

Alexi had nearly broken into applause, right there.

No, Megan would not approve of what this boy was doing, and Alexi had the sneaking suspicion she would not approve if he just let the boy get away.

I'm no knight in shining armor, he growled at his conscience. They died out centuries ago, and good riddance, always running around trying to break enchantments and kill friendly dragons.

Alexi snapped his fingers and skipped across the street in the blink of an eye, to reappear directly behind the pickpocket. The boy turned and tripped over Alexi, to sprawl across the sidewalk at the feet of the four casino owners. Another snap of his fingers made the boy's belt break, so his oversized pants slid down to his knees when he stood up again.

While he pulled the pickpocket to his feet and brushed him off, Alexi used the sleight-of-hand skills Megan drilled him in. He pulled wallets and jewelry, watches and cameras from the boy's pockets and his sweatshirt.

A crowd gathered around, so the boy couldn't have escaped, even if Alexi hadn't been standing on the cuff of his fallen pants. The four casino owners stopped and grinned. A woman let out a little shriek and snatched back the pink rhinestone-studded watch Alexi retrieved from the pickpocket's right sleeve.

"Who do you think you are, the Lone Ranger?" someone muttered.

Alexi didn't have time to respond, because the shouts from people who had discovered they had been robbed brought a police officer running. He wasn't above using a few flickers of magic to keep the attention of Albert and his three friends. He only influenced them to stay and watch, knowing Megan wouldn't approve if he took away their free will.

What was wrong with him, that her opinion meant so much to him? Especially when she would never know, because he would never tell her?

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LOOK WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN FOR CASSANDRA by C. R. Moss

FOR CASSANDRA by C.R. Moss

A Look What The Cat Dragged In Story

A woman once shunned. A man now changed. There's a thin line between love and hate.

When Cassandra, a Wiccan practitioner, encounters a man from her past who'd broken her heart, she casts some spells to help herself while wishing karma would deal out some payback. The spells turn against her, and before she knows it, she finds herself falling for him again.

Will she close off her heart or will she cross that thin line between hate and love and allow herself to feel again?

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Excerpt

Cassandra drew in a shuddering breath. Way back when, on an autumn day, Phil had almost said the same to her during a romantic moment. Remembering his words, tears clouded her eyes. You’re my love. My heart and soul I promise to you with this ring. He had then slipped a silver ring with a solid heart onto her right finger, the humps facing her nail, and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Her heart had been captured.

What a fool I was then.

Phil glanced her way again.

She traced the edge of her pin and nibbled her lip. Was he trying to place her? Figure out who she was? A shiver ran through her body.

“Cass? Are you all right? You‘ve gone pale,” Julie murmured near her ear.

Cassandra nodded, keeping her gaze glued to the wedding ceremony while toying with the cat pin. Calm yourself. You’re not that young girl anymore.

Victoria took the other ring. She placed the band on Geoff‘s finger and repeated the vows, “I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness. As I place it on your finger, I commit my heart and soul to you. I ask you to wear this ring as a reminder of the vows we have spoken today, our wedding day, and as a reminder of my undying love for you.”

"By the power vested in me by the State of New Jersey,” the reverend stated, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss each other.”

Geoff and Victoria sealed their vows. Phil took one more look in her direction. One of his eyebrows rose in tandem with the corner of his lips.

Her gaze widened. No. He can’t remember. I can’t deal with him. I don’t want to deal with any man, not after what he did—and after the fiasco with Charlie. She touched her pin and chanted under her breath, begging the universe to make him forget any memories he had of her.

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MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S STEVE by Sandra Sookoo

MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S STEVE by Sandra Sookoo

A Holiday Magic Story

She's not your grandma's Tooth Fairy.

Three months have passed since Steve Compton's last visit to Crystal Falls. Now he's back, but far from pleased about it. Convinced there is more in the air than clean living, he's a journalist on the hunt for a story that'll launch his career into the stratosphere.

Zoe Nickles loves the small-town atmosphere, the people, and most especially the great hiding places in Crystal Falls. She's heard rumors about the magical aura in the tiny town, and when her powers come to fruition one June night, she knows the whispers are true. She's the Tooth Fairy--with a sexy new look!

But there's a problem: a nosy reporter is on Zoe's trail, with just enough street smarts and cynicism to thwart her ability to practice her newfound skills. Can she convince him Crystal Falls is harmless before he tells the world about the town's "unique" quality, or will Steve blab the news, putting Zoe and all the paranormal residents at risk?

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Excerpt

No, no, no. Panic zigzagging through her system made her feel like an old-time pinball machine. This wasn’t what she wanted.

A girl saw a hot guy. He liked her, she liked him, they had a normal conversation about normal stuff and then they kissed and lived happily ever after. That was how life was supposed to work. She huffed her annoyance. “Except I’m not exactly normal and he’s too stubborn to see the forest for the trees.”

It was the last glance at his jeans-advertisement-worthy rear end that made the decision for her. She’d seen the need in his eyes before he walked away. He wanted the kiss just as much as she did. It was time to add another line to the story. Girl saw the guy she wanted, ignored that he was acting like an idiot and went after him.

“Steve, wait!” When he turned around, she half-ran, half-stumbled across the lawn and threw herself into his arms. “There’s one more point I need to make.”

“What--”

She didn’t let him continue. In her ridiculous heels, she barely needed to maneuver into position. Capturing his face between her palms, she held him steady and claimed his mouth. The day’s growth of stubble scraped against her skin and his lips, both firm and pliant, were warm beneath hers. Pulling slightly away, she searched his gaze for a sign to continue, and when he slightly lifted an eyebrow, she smiled. He felt go good, she wanted another taste. Zoe wound her hands around his neck and kissed him again.

Pressing her mouth more firmly against his, she nibbled his bottom lip, surprised by its supple curve. His fingers stroked up and down her back, traced the line of the zipper in her costume. Zoe shivered at the light touch, craving skin-to-skin contact. When his questing fingertips explored her wings, like they did before, the shivers turned to massive quakes of need that made her tingle from head to foot. Her nerves almost sang with acute awareness.

All too soon he ended the embrace, his ragged breathing blending with hers in the quiet of the yard. “Whoa.”

“Gee, with that sort of vocabulary, no wonder you’re a journalist.” Sarcasm dripped from her words. Zoe’s traitorous heart beat a frantic rhythm. Seconds before, she’d been sure the doubt she’d caused had thrown him off track. Now that they’d kissed, she wasn’t so sure she hadn’t created a new set of problems. He’d felt her wings--twice now. What did he think of them, of her? As the corners of his mouth tilted upward with a grin, she swallowed. She knew his eyes would be warm pools of chocolate, and she rued the fact the darkness obscured them.

“Wow, I like the way you debate.” He released her so quickly she stumbled. “Still, it’s not enough to distract me.”

“What do you mean?” Her earlier passion fled in the face of chilly foreboding. Zoe clutched the satin bag that hung from her wrist as she remembered the admonitions from the Institute. Standing here, talking to Steve would probably not reflect well on her new position. Above all, she had to make sure he didn’t really believe she’d flown.

“You know what I’m after, Zoe, and it’s not a tryst in someone’s backyard.” Steve shoved a hand through his hair, upsetting the waves into a disheveled haystack. “I came back to this town to ferret out the magical and the strange. Quite frankly, your appearance tonight is the strangest thing I’ve seen in some time.”

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ELEMENTAL CHALLENGES by Robin Leigh Miller

ELEMENTAL CHALLENGES by Robin Leigh Miller
Paperback includes books 1 & 2 of series

Eternal Flame
Book #1

Beach Snyder carries a torch of desire for Flanna Proctor that burns hotter than the desert sun he's returned home from. Her fiery temper amuses him as much as her body makes him ache. The blazing inferno packed inside her petite, sexy frame however, could be more than he can handle.

Flanna has a secret, one that's put a hunter on her tail. It's going to take more than the blaze burning within to save her. It's going to take actual flames to keep her alive. This Independence Day, Flanna will know the true meaning of freedom as she and Beach create their own fireworks spectacular that will burn brighter and hotter than any nightly display ever witnessed.

Earths Demon
Book #2

The earth shivers beneath Avani Proctor's feet. Her beloved trees and plants are sick and frightened. Desperate to find the cause she does the only thing she can do, transform into her elemental state. Unaware of prying eyes, she exposes herself and her gift to one man who can give her the power to fight the evil plaguing the earth and fulfill her heart.

Charles West can't believe his eyes when he witness's the lovely Avani shift from a gorgeous tall woman into an erotic, shapely tree. She takes Halloween seriously and her destiny. To bad Chuck doesn't believe in that mumbo jumbo. Of course, he didn't believe in gnarled little demons either until he saw one. Now, anything's possible, even a life with a woman who stole his heart at ten years old.

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Excerpt:

Beacher leaned his six foot plus frame against a tall oak tree in the shadows and drank in the commotion happening around the huge bonfire at the edge of the lake. He'd been coming here for years to partake in the good times leading up to the annual July fourth celebration, drinking until he couldn't remember the festivities the next morning. Tonight, he listened and watched as shapely bodies gyrated around the tall flames to a variety of music.

Since returning home from Afghanistan, Beach found he couldn't socialize as he used to and that seriously pissed him off. In the past he'd work like a dog all week from sun up to sun down knowing the weekend would offer good friends, good beer, plenty of fun and maybe even a warm body to keep him company during the night. Now he could barely tolerate being around people at all.

Reaching up he rubbed the scar running along his forehead and down the left side of his face. The scar itself didn't bother him, or how he got it, not really. He could have done without the blast that tore and seared his flesh, but he lived and so he didn't complain about the leftover reminders, at least the physical ones anyway.

The mental crap he could do without. Not dreams or post traumatic stress syndrome or anything like that for him. No, the jar to his brain apparently rewired or jolted lose some sort of hidden, buried, unknown, fuck, he didn't know for sure, talent. That's what the shrink called it anyway. Now, when he got too close to people he got a weird buzzing noise in his head and picked up on their feelings. Not just knew what they were experiencing, but actually felt their emotions as his own, and that sucked big time.

Stick him in the middle of a group and he'd get so dizzy from the onslaught of emotion his stomach would cramp. One second he'd want to pound his fist into a stranger's face and the next he'd want to cry over a stupid comment made to insult another. His moods swung so fast he made a woman suffering with PMS seem rational.

So, instead of joining the fun, drinking a beer and dancing around the fire like he wanted to, he could only observe. Right now he observed the sexy Flanna Proctor with her wild red hair and quick temper trying to push off the attentions of some rich playboy who apparently decided she would be his for the night. Dumb ass preppy apparently didn't know her very well or he'd have stepped off by now.

Flanna, or Lanna as she preferred to go by, didn't take shit off anyone. Beach smiled fondly as he remembered the first time he'd seen her, in kindergarten, Mrs. Foust's class. The very first day of school a little boy decided he wanted the ball she'd picked out to play with. After about one minute of arguing, Lanna glanced around the room to make sure the teacher wouldn't see and kicked the kid's feet out from under him with one swift swing of her leg. As the child lay on his back looking stunned, Lanna snatched the ball out of his hands, gave a sassy flip of her long red hair and proceeded to play.

Yep, Beach fell in love with her that day. She didn't whine or tell the teacher, Lanna handled the problem on her own and that ended that. So went the rest of her school years. Kids either loved or hated her. Get on her bad side and she'd give you a real reason to hate her. Stand on her good side and she'd walk through the fires of hell for you. Beach admired the hell out that kind of woman.

Her qualities were stellar but her looks were sinful enough to make even the devil sigh. Standing at barely five foot tall she was packaged perfectly with pert breasts that would fill a man's hand nicely and an ass that could bring that same man to his knees just watching it sway as she sashayed away. Fiery red hair cascaded down to the middle of her back. Even now Beach's hands itched to sink his fingers into her silky locks. And when she looked at you, God have mercy, her bright green eyes sparkled like jewels loaded with playful mischief that could get a man locked up for life bending to her whim.

Even her pink bubble gum lips were mesmerizing the way they formed a pretty bow on the perfect present. But, what he really found sexy, what made his cock twitch to life even as he stood in the shadows, was the tattoo peeking out above the waist band of her low rise shorts on her left hip. The head of a phoenix shrieked with its beak open and high on the inside of her tender thigh were its flaming tail feathers. Beach wanted desperately to see exactly where the rest of the tail wound.

"Hey, Snyder," one of his old buddies shouted. "Go talk to her instead of lurking in the dark like a spy."

"She's busy," he retorted taking a swig from his long neck beer bottle.

"She won't be for long. I give that stupid fuck another five minutes, tops, before he finds himself on his back staring at the stars wondering what the hell happened."

Beach squinted against the glare of the fire. Lanna had her finger in the preppys face chewing him a new ass. Normally, Beach would be laughing, amused by her anger but, something didn't seem right about the guy. Not sure what was icing his nerves, Beach kept a close watch.

Calling on his old habits of surveying the surrounding area for danger, Beach quickly fingered preppy's buddies. Two had their heads together and were dropping something into a plastic cup. Fuck, drugs. Beach hated drugs. When they handed preppy the cup and he offered it to Lanna, raw, mean anger flared to life in the pit of his gut. Beach jerked away from the tree and ignoring the ambush of emotions he'd be hit with, headed toward Lanna.

When she took the cup and promptly dumped it on preppies head, Beach halted his movement and waited. "Good girl," he mumbled to himself. Never accept a drink from someone you don't know. He'd heard his father preach that to his sister for years.

Lanna stormed off through the crowd and disappeared. Torn between following her and making sure preppy didn't follow her, Beach fisted his hands and planted his feet to the ground. She wouldn't go far. He'd be able to catch up with her. Preppy on the other hand, he didn't trust. As long as he had the man in sight, Lanna would be safe.

Preppy and his buddies huddled together, no doubt scoping out another victim. Taking a deep breath, Beach strolled to his buddy and thanked God the emotions pounding at him were good.

"Hey, put the word out," Beach told his old friend. "That son-of-a-bitch just tried to drug Lanna's drink. She didn't fall for it so I suspect he'll be looking for another willing victim. Tell the girls."

After a string of foul curses his friend nodded and began spreading the information.

High-tailing it out of the area, Beach cut through the woods and toward the parking area, his long legs eating up the ground in no time flat. As he neared the clearing where everyone parked he heard the distinct sound of glass breaking and metal crunching.

Keeping in the dark shadows of the trees, he followed the sound and came to a surprised halt. There, in the darkness yet illuminated by the full moon, Lanna held a tree branch and swung it like a pro at a brand-spanking-new silver Lexus. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who the car belonged to.

Beach leaned up against a tree and quietly watched her turn the once pristine car into a mangled piece of garbage.

"You think you can manhandle me," Lanna bitched as she smashed the taillight out. "You think you can tell me what I'm going to do for you?" Smash, the back window bit the dust. "I'll show you what I can do for you." Lifting the large, heavy branch over her head, Lanna crashed it down on the trunk lid.

Beach winced. Damn but that woman had some power in her little arms. The trunk lid caved like a piece of tin foil. Maybe they didn't make cars as well as they used to. Lanna demolished every square inch of the car. Even the side mirrors were hanging like limp, wilted leaves on a dead plant.

When she reached into her pocket and pulled out a knife Beach cocked an eyebrow and whistled as she stabbed the front tire. Lanna jerked around holding the tree branch out for protection. Beach stepped out of the shadows and clapped.

"Nice work," he said smiling.

"Beach," she sighed as her shoulders sagged and the branch dropped out of her hand. "What the hell are you doing sneaking up on people?"

"Watching the show. Mind telling me what warranted this sort of effort?" As if he didn't know, but the chance to see her fly into a rage amused him.

Lanna straightened her shoulders and looked down her pixie nose. "Just a little payback."

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