FIRE AND ICE by Sara York

FIRE AND ICE by Sara York

How can an angel win the woman of his heart when he’s trapped in a demon’s body?

With Raphael’s soul ripped from his angelic body, he’s forced to inhabit the demon Lash’s ugly form until he can help Alexandria overcome her anger and forgive. Raphael’s been in love with Alexandria for decades and wants her, but he’s Lash now and despises his new body. How could anyone fall in love with him, much less the beautiful Alexandria?

Alexandria doesn’t know what’s gotten into her. Rafe is the man of her dreams but when she touches Lash a firestorm of desire is unleashed... She has to have him. Confusion about her desires leaves her vulnerable to the evil fate Rafe has planned for her.

Can the angel in demon form, Lash, fight off Rafe and save Alexandria from hell and himself from eternal punishment of living as a demon?

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Copyright © Sara York, 2012
All Rights Reserved, Total-E-Ntwined Limited, T/A Total-E-Bound.

Excerpt From: Fire and Ice

Raphael had known he'd made a mistake the minute he'd reached down and touched Alexandria, bringing her back to life, but he hadn't thought the punishment would be this harsh. He loved the woman and hadn't been able to stop himself from interfering. All he'd needed was more time to get to know her, but if she'd died she would have been lost to him in the human afterlife.

Now he lay prostrate in the Court of Angels, his wings vibrating with fear and anger at himself. How could God have let this happen? He hadn't done anything that bad, just saved one girl.

"The sentence shall be read," Michael's voice boomed over the assembly.

Jophiel, the Angel of Judgment, banged the gavel and spoke. "The all—knowing, all—seeing God has decided, based on the crime described in the notes, that Raphael knowingly and willingly interfered in God's divine and perfect will. Thus his soul shall be taken from his body, denying him his angelic powers and form, and placed in the earthly body of Lahash, the Deceiver."

Raphael groaned, his wings collapsed over his outstretched arms, hiding his body from the court. He wasn't deceiving any of them, but he needed the comfort and security the thick wings provided. He hadn't been without his wings in forever, but now he would be stripped of his position and his rights. Why had he interfered?

The image of Alexandria filled his mind, the most perfect woman he'd ever seen. He hadn't been able to resist rescuing her.

Jophiel continued reading. "Raphael will be sent to Earth to redeem himself."

Raphael looked up, his eyes bright. He could redeem himself—at least he had hope, and he would do whatever it took to win back his wings.

"Raphael shall be known as Lash. Any reference to his true form as his own, the name Raphael as his own, or any part of his works as his own will result in Puriel's wrath striking against him, inflicting pain that will force Raphael to his knees."

Shit, Puriel loved to inflict pain and he would judge harshly. No way could Raphael trick him. He was stuck with the new body, but how bad could it be? Raphael closed his eyes and thought of the bodies he'd seen demons inhabit on Earth, and he cringed.

Jophiel's voice droned on, leaving Raphael depressed. "Henceforth, Raphael shall be known as Lash, the angel in the demon's body, until such time that he redeems himself. Lahash the Deceiver and Interferer in Divine Will shall take the form of Raphael on Earth. He shall be given the name Rafe. Both Raphael and Lahash will have the opportunity to redeem their souls. Whosoever completes the task first shall have the right to choose in whichever form they wish to live out the rest of eternity. Time is limited. After first contact with Alexandria, you will have seven days to accomplish your task. So be it."

The gavel crashed down, and Raphael's soul was ripped from his body and tossed through nothingness, before being stuffed into a scrawny form that felt cramped and smelt funny. He crawled to his knees and stood on wobbly legs. The gravitational forces of Earth felt strange to him, and he stumbled as he made his way across the room. He reached up and felt his face before he looked down and saw his pasty, white limbs. He pushed the door to the bathroom open, revealing a mirror.

He caught his reflection and horror filled him. Gone were the good looks, the great tan and the awesome body that had been his earthly host when he chose to walk among mortals. In its place was a plainness that was pitiful, bordering on ugly.

The name Lash was burned into his brain, giving him no choice but to call himself by the disgusting moniker. He tried to think of himself as Raphael, but dropped to his knees as pain slashed across his chest. Damn Puriel—he was tuned in not only to Lash's words, but also to his thoughts.

His soul shrank and his body ached from the switch. God had plans that Lash didn't understand fully, that much was evident. That he'd saved Alexandria didn't matter—instead, it had upset the Big Guy. The punishment might have been fitting, but the harshness of it sucked. He'd switched lives, tasks and holy appointments with Lahash, the Interferer in Divine Will, and Lahash had been given a chance to redeem himself as Raphael, the Shining One Who Heals.

He would win this challenge and have the right to his own body. Nothing could stop him. He had to win.

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LUMINOUS NIGHTS by Michele Hart

LUMINOUS NIGHTS by Michele Hart

Cop or convict?

How many faces can one man own?

An assassin wearing a holographic mask and a prison tattoo boards Rachel's freighter during a prison riot. He is intent on recovering gadgets, which are capable of changing a man’s identity, from the black-market gang who'd stolen them. She’s not sure of Jack's identity nor his goal, but he claims to be an Alliance I-Marshal. Cop or convict? The clues never stop contradicting. Rachel's horrified to find that the bright holographic mask conceals the gruesome face of a monster. And the badge doesn’t stop him from murdering people right before her eyes.

When Rachel learns Jack will trade innocent lives for the digital miracles, she's determined to make the mercenary grow a heart. How could a stone-cold killer kiss her so hotly? How could she kiss such a dangerous deceiver?

Jack has done years in prison to learn who’d stolen the remaining Gemini ticks, 3-D magic. Nothing will keep him from gaining extreme-technology, capable of unleashing galaxy-wide chaos. Forget feelings for Rachel. She can’t stop him from killing everyone involved.

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Luminous Nights by Michele Hart



[This excerpt is rated R for violence, language, and sexual reference. All the good stuff. :-) ]

The Whip

Spun around in her bindings tied above her head, Rachel focused on Jack observing his former cellmates shooting dice near the hall’s great hearth. The traitor. It was like he hardly noticed her strung up for a lashing, his prison buddies looking forward to her vicious flogging. Heartlessly calm and detached, he intermittently checked the currently inactive scene of her soon torture, not very interested.

“Jack…” she called out to him. He cast a lazy look her way.

“If Quattro beats me, you can’t use me the way you want to in the mountains.”

“What makes you think stripes on your back would stop me?”

God, she hoped Jack was bluffing. She really couldn’t tell if he was a good guy or bad guy. Was it okay with him to assault her in the woods while she was wounded? She shivered.

Jack rose from his table, abandoning his meal. His sight burned into hers, risk in his holographic sky-blue eyes. A low-grade anxiety pulsed through her. He sashayed over to where Quattro had left the whip on the floor behind her.

“You want to see her punished, Quattro?” Jack brushed the dust from his hands.

“I insist upon it,” the mobster replied.

“Do you want her frightened?” Jack picked the whip up, suddenly too attracted to it.

Quattro’s gross grin rose. “I want to hear her shriek in terror and fear me, you, and every man here.”

Rachel was well on her way to all that. She feared every sadistic criminal in the room, but Jack. And he was fixing that right now. She watched him pull the lash through his hand as if he appreciated the braid…or measured it. Others took notice. He took another step back, nonchalantly taking a position. Her heart pumped harder, and her breath quickened. She stiffened to keep from shaking. He wasn’t going to do it, was he…going to beat her?

“Hold still, Rachel…” he said low, getting a feel for the grip. She mashed herself against the wall in dread of the lash.

Then Jack reared back and struck. The whip loudly snapped so close to her back, she felt the ripple in the air through the thin cotton of her techsuit A shock shot through her body, and she shrieked. But she hadn’t felt the whip dig into her flesh.

“You bastard!” she shouted at him, awaiting the agony and so fearful of the pain, she nearly wept. “I swear to God, I’ll find a way to kill you for this!”

Her terror thrilled Quattro so much, he applauded.

“You’re a passivist, Rachel Marie,” Jack berated her. “You can’t kill a thing.”

She couldn’t yet feel the pain, though she didn’t think the hall cold enough to truly numb her from the agony of a lash. She opened her eyes and watched Jack’s audience grow. Where was the pain?

Jack reared back with the whip again. Rachel pinched her eyes shut and screamed in terror again, certain he wouldn’t miss a second time. The strike ripped the material of the techsuit down her back. Except for blood-curdling horror and a puff of slapped air, she felt no physical pain or even any contact. The second strike caused the audience to cheer.

A third strike still brought out her terrified cry and more of Quattro’s acclamation. The leather braid never met her back. Of course, it didn’t. Jack hadn’t missed a shot since he was twelve. If he missed the shot, it was because he meant to miss.

Bets started going down to see how many stripes she’d last.

Jack halted the entertainment cold, staring at them. She didn’t know what he was thinking. She wondered if he thought them vacant, psychotic souls, if he wanted to burn their hearts out with the laser gun strapped to his thigh. He broke away from some tormenting theme of thought, and began to roll the whip. Thinking the bloodsport over too early, the crowd found other things to distract them, their breakfasts, games of dice.

“Quattro,” Jack bothered to finally say something as he coiled the whip and tied it, “beating her for an audience of your enemies isn’t such a good move, though I’m sure it would conjure a wicked orgasm for you and your men. If you torture her before your enemy, she becomes a hero. If you kill her, she becomes a martyr. Heroes and martyrs fuel rebellion. You may start a fire you can’t contain.”

Rachel caught up with her racing breath. The panic attack slowly eased. The sweat risen from her body in fear of supersized agony made her colder.

“You got the fear and loathing from her you wanted, the juicy fear and loathing,” Jack told him, “so let my property go.”

Realizing Jack hadn’t beaten her at all when her back wasn’t bleeding, Quattro was stopped cold by a thought. The hovercraft the gangster sat upon gave a spit. “You can’t possibly think I should let the insolent bitch go without a serious blooding, do you?”

“You should care more that your beds aren’t razed by blue armies. You’re done with her.”

“Your first fuck in the free worlds hasn’t softened your black heart, has it?”

Jack rolled stunning, digitally perfect blue eyes.

“For as many men as I’ve seen you kill behind bars," Quattro growled, "you’re not much of a woman beater. You’re already softer than you were in prison.”

Jack paused. Quattro hit a raw nerve. Rachel wished she knew her savior's thoughts.

“I have more control than you,” Jack told him with a dead-eyed stare, his finger in the gangster’s face. “Don’t mistake that for weakness. I have control of every thing in this room.”

The statement shut Quattro’s foul drunken mouth.

“You’re very reckless today.” Jack passed him the whip.

“She’s not getting any more punishment than she just got. If I allow you to beat her, she’ll never survive the mountains with me for my purpose. She pilots the only ship around capable of traveling the wormhole in one piece. Leave her correction to me. I’ll make her want to die. Release my property, now that you’ve gotten your rocks off seeing her terrorized. That’s all you required.”

“I hope she cuts your throat in the middle of the night.”

“If you couldn’t get the job done after five years of trying, she can’t.”

“You sleep with your eyes open.”

Rachel watched Jack. He was magical. He knew just what to say to make Quattro do his bidding, the cold timing required, and the guts and confidence to pull it off, not to mention his dead-on aim. He was impressive.

***

Later, she had to know…

“What were you thinking when you were staging my beating and watching your audience thrill to the show?”

Jack surveyed the western mountains with the binoculars, and then the sea line. Rachel considered he might not answer the question until he replied, “I was thinking of how I wanted to kill all the sick degenerates for getting off on a weaker creature’s fear and pain.”

At the time, he looked like murder was on his mind.

Maybe that's what happens to a good man’s soul when he serves time in Hell He becomes the cold executioner.

How would she stop this avenging angel’s killing spree?

***

Don’t stop!

Read the First Chapter:

http://dreneebagbypresentsfirstchapters.blogspot.com/2010/08/luminous-nights-by-michele-hart.html



Read hot excerpts packed with peril, check out awesome reviews, watch a kick-ass book trailer:

http://www.michelehart.com/b15-book.htm



Luminous Nights by Michele Hart

http://www.BookStrand.com/luminous-nights

ISBN#: e-book 1-60601-884-1 * Print 1-60601-885-X

Available @ Amazon Books, Barnes & Noble, nearly everywhere!


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FINAL RETRIBUTION by Marion Webb-De Sisto

FINAL RETRIBUTION: Book Three of the Angelic Chronicles by Marion Webb-De Sisto

Life as the powerful ruler of Abbadon is becoming intolerable for Samael. The exiled archangel is lonely, embittered and bored. He has lost Malkura's love and even Seriel, his loyal brother, is gone from his side. Now, only fallen angels, demons and tormented humans are his constant companions. Yet into this hellish existence comes the beautiful and compassionate Angel Manah. Will she deny the increasing love she feels for this condemned soul, or can he persuade her to join him in endless damnation?

This final book of the Fantasy trilogy explores the ultimate retribution of the archangel, who fell from grace and became the Devil. Is he, like Seriel, restored to his former glory or ruined for all of eternity?

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Excerpt:

Samael’s hand moved up to her hair and removed the comb. As her long tresses draped around her shoulders, he informed, “I have no desire to further discuss the Source. Instead, let me show you how pleased I am to have you back here with me.” He tilted her chin, brought his face close to hers and thought-whispered, “Do you know how to kiss, Angel Manah?”

Now, pure panic took hold of Manah. Angels had told her about the different ways in which humans expressed affection, and she had seen Toa and Belu kiss. Therefore, she knew it was an intimate action. The seraph squirmed away from the archangel, pushing against his arms and wings, trying desperately to get off his lap. “Let me go, Lord Samael! I know how humans kiss and I do not want you to do that to me.”

He kept a tight hold on her with one hand while he cradled her head with the other. As his face drew close, Samael declared, “But I wish to kiss you, my little angel.” He slightly tilted his head and his lips touched hers. At first she could barely feel any contact, and then suddenly there was probing pressure. Manah wanted to fight against this unfamiliar intimacy, but as it continued she became a part of it. She pressed her mouth against his and was consumed by waves of unleashed emotion. Her lips parted, as did his, and she felt his tongue exploring the contours of her mouth. The angel’s consciousness screamed at her to stop, but she had never before felt so blissful. Manah was trapped by the closeness they were sharing.

The ardent kiss continued on until the archangel finally lifted his mouth from hers and, looking steadily into her eyes, he remarked, “That was even more pleasurable than I could have imagined. I believe I have awakened a passion within you, little angel. We are well-suited to be companions.”

Suddenly, a full realization of what had just happened filled Manah’s thoughts. She had revealed her inner desire for this evil archangel. He now knew she felt drawn to him and it could prove disastrous. She must try to convince him that what she had offered was not genuine, but was instead a result of some form of sorcery by him. Manah almost thought-screamed, “Let me go! You have beguiled me with your archangelic magic. I cannot imagine anything more repulsive than kissing such an evil being. You must have cast an enchantment upon me.”

The first archangel appeared shocked. He opened his wings and released his hold on her. As she jumped up, he declared, “I have practiced no sorcery on you. My kiss was a true reflection of my feelings for you and I thought you were responding in kind. I did not know you think of me as repulsive. On both occasions, when you have visited me, I have attempted to show how much I care about you. I know I have perpetrated much wickedness, but my interest in you is real and has no hidden motivation.”

Samael’s thought-words seemed honest and she wanted to apologize for her harshness. Yet she feared he would wish to hold her, again, if she did. Manah snatched her comb from his open lap, pulled back her long tresses and secured them with the hair adornment. She sat back down on the chair and replied, “I cannot accept what you have stated as truth. You are devious and deceitful so why should I believe you? If you try, again, to behave so intimately with me, I shall immediately end this visit, my lord.”

Apparently having recovered from her surprising outburst, the archangel suggested, “Perhaps you were unaware of your feelings toward me before I kissed you? As I stated, I was not captivating you with any form of magic, therefore, your passionate response must have been sincere. Yet if you wish to deny it, I can understand your reasoning. I am an outcast who should be shunned. Surely that is what the Source told you?”

“No, my lord, our parent referred to you as being precious. I am certain it holds great love for you.”
“Nevertheless, it has exiled me to this vile domain.” He twisted the emerald ring round and round on his index finger, obviously deep in thought. Eventually, he brought his attention back to Manah and asked, “How shall we keep you occupied while you are here, little angel?”

“I do not know, Lord Samael. I certainly have no desire to explore Abbadon and, if you consider it to be vile, why do you remain here? You could enter Lord Michael’s level and become redeemed.”

“Is that what you would have me do, little Manah? For you I might just contemplate a return to the inner levels. Would you give yourself to me if I undertake such a venture?”

Was he jesting with her? He was a powerful archangel and she was just an angel. For once, she had no reply to give to him.

“You have no stinging retort for me, my little angel? Well, let my question remain in your thoughts.”

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THE DEVIL YOU KNOW by Sam Cheever

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW Book 5 in Sam Cheever's Dancin' With the Devil series

Astra Q. Phelps is turning twenty-five in a few months and she's starting to feel the effects of her Settling, the time when a half angel, half devil Tweener decides whether to embrace her dark nature or her light.

The delectable Dialle, king of the Royal devils, really needs Astra's help in Hell to deal with an insurrection. But Astra's Settling pretty much has her thinking of only one thing - S.E.X.!

Sex with Dialle, sex with her yummy partner Emo, sex with a molten-hot dragon slayer she meets along the way, and sex with assorted other randy Royals cavorting among the fires of Hell. It's a constant struggle just to keep her mind and body pure so she can concentrate on the business at hand, but Astra Q. Phelps is definitely up for the challenge. And Good versus Evil has never been this much fun!

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An Excerpt From: THE DEVIL YOU KNOW

Copyright © SAM CHEEVER, 2010

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

Prologue

Milestones and Millstones



The Devil you know will comfort bring, though chaos be your friend,

The Devil you wish mayn’t solve a thing, and slay you in the end.



Sometime around 2060, the world went to war again and opened up a whole new can of worms. Up until then humans thought they had it pretty rough on this Earth, with poverty, crime, disease, your everyday evil forces and the general disintegration of morality.

However, when the laser guns and plasma bombs finished smashing a geographic area comprising about seventy percent of the surface of the Earth into smithereens, something eminently evil used the resulting chaos to slither its way into the world. This evil something hadn’t been seen before by human eyes, but had always been there, in a parallel dimension, watching the show and waiting for its turn to join in the fun. And every once in a while, when Earth’s defenses were particularly low, this something would reach across that barrier and tweak us a little. Which explains things like mosquitoes, liver and onions and reality shows.

Devils and demons were never meant to walk among us. But once they’d found a way to get through, God had no choice but to send his angels in to keep an eye on them. Several minor skirmishes have already been fought between the forces of good and evil, since that time thirty years ago when the first devil snuck through Earth’s defenses. The angels, with the Big Guy at their backs, are winning the battles so far, but the outcome of the war is still uncertain.

About ten years ago God started using Tweeners to help the good side out. The only problem with Tweeners is that, by our very makeup, we are some portion devil. That’s why we understand and know how to defeat the forces of evil. But it is also what has made us a little bit unpredictable to the good guys.

What exactly is a Tweener, you ask? A Tweener is a non-human. We have neither wings nor horns, but generally have both angel and devil in our family forests. Which is probably why we enjoy a higher sensitivity to spectral influence than regular human people.

My name is Astra Q. Phelps. Don’t ask me what the Q stands for because that little piece of info will go with me to the crematorium. I’ve had all printed documentation of the name destroyed and, though a lot of my enemies have tried to dig it out, no one will ever know what it stands for. A girl has to have some secrets. Especially when the truth would cause her some serious embarrassment.

I run a business called the Angel Network, which is the only devil-and-demon locating-and-destroying business in the universe. In other words, I kick serious evil butt for a living. I am a Tweener.

Recently the Celestial Army has been keeping me pretty busy saving the world. Over and over and over and… Well, you get what I’m saying. The human world just has trouble staying saved.

I’ve also been dealing with some pretty intense feelings for a certain gorgeous Royal Devil, who may or may not be the great unifier of prophecy. It’s been a busy and confusing time. But it’s about to get much worse.

My twenty-fifth birthday is just a few months away.

The thing about that twenty-fifth birthday is…well…for Tweeners it’s kind of make or break time. It’s called our Settling and it’s the culmination of our growth period. The time when we become what we will be in life. It’s also the time when the dark side of our nature has the greatest pull.

It is on our twenty-fifth birthday that we decide which way we’re gonna go. Good or bad. Black or white. Gray usually isn’t an option. And outside influences have a lot to do with the outcome. In my case, my influence pool is decidedly murky, given the fact that I hang out a lot with devils.

Really hot devils.

Extremely sexy devils.

Truly, stupendously, ripped, horny, sensual devils.

Incredibly…um… Okay, you get it.

Right.

Anyway, as the fateful date approaches, I can feel the changes boiling just under the surface of my mind.

My skin quivers with it.

My body heats.

And my libido… Well…let’s just say my boyfriend’s threatening to go off planet just to get some much-needed rest.

Of course he doesn’t mean it.

At least I don’t think he does…

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