SEA STORM by LaVerne Thompson

SEA STORM by LaVerne Thompson

Children of the Waves Series

Bring on the lightning.

For so long Des’ life was a lie. She had to hide who she really was from the world. Her survival and that of her family depended on her continuing those lies. But it was never harder than when she had to lie to the man she loved.

She was lying to him. Zek knew the woman in his house, in his arms was the bride he’d searched for all of his existence. But as a son of Poseidon nothing and no one would stop him from claiming that which was his.


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Excerpt:

The fluttering sensation coursing through his soul had Ezekiel swinging his chair around and standing up. He took two steps and stood in front of the bay windows, covering the entire back wall of his office. His view from his Cayman Island office home looked out over the blue green waters of the Caribbean. He watched several dolphins leap out of the water and he heard their song above the roar of the waves in his head. While he couldn’t exactly talk to the pod or they to him, this message all the Children would understand.

They brought him tidings. His brother Xavior had found his bride.

“Lucky bastard,” he mumbled. Then, he chuckled. At least one of them had mated. Zek ran his blunt fingers through dark shoulder-length hair. While he loved his brother, he disagreed with him. He didn’t believe just because Xav now sat as a king on Poseidon’s throne, the unrest in their world would stop. Xav didn’t really understand, or factor in, even the Children needed to evolve and they couldn’t do it while isolated beneath the seas.

The world on land had changed and they must, too. They were the children of gods, but not gods themselves.

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SEA BRIDE by LaVerne Thompson

SEA BRIDE by LaVerne Thompson

Children of the Waves Series

For 200 some years Xavior, a child of the waves, has searched the seven depths for his bride only to find her on land. How could a landwalker be his Queen, the one destined to stop the wars among the sea tribes? But one touch and he knew he'd defy Poseidon himself to make her his.

Cori Daniels hated the water; she'd been on board the luxury ocean liner for 2 days and hadn't left her cabin. But when she finally ventured on deck she met a man who looked like a sea god and tempted her like no other. But he tempted her to follow him into the sea.

How could she tell him she feared the water?

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EXCERPT:

Xavior left the party and went for a walk around the boat, hoping to clear his head and maybe get a sense of this bride he needed to find. He’d ventured on land often in the last twenty years and met many human women he hadn’t slept with, so he had no idea which one of these his bride could be. If the tales were true, he would just know her, because he would be so drawn to her, the pull would be irresistible. After walking around for an hour, he returned to their cabin, but feeling too restless to sleep, he made his way out to their private balcony.

The evening sky remained clear, the glittering points of light soothing, and the sea appeared calm, but he smelled a storm coming. It would arrive soon from the east. Until it did, he would take advantage of the calm. Sitting back in one of the lounge chairs, he put his feet up on the railing, closed his eyes, and turned his face toward the half moon. A familiar clicking noise made him open them again. The shadows of dark fins in the water caught his attention. He stood up and placed his hands on the railing, watching the dolphins play as they swam alongside the boat.

They spoke to him, wanting to know how his quest went.

Did everyone know he was on a bride hunt? Of course they did. Not so good, he told them.

We’re rooting for you, Prince Xavior, young lord of the sea. She is right under your nose. Beware, though. There is a storm coming not of nature’s making. Good luck! As one group, all six dolphins leapt into the air in a salute to him, then swam away to most likely spread the news that after over two hundred years their prince remained unsuccessful in finding his mate.

He would be the first heir to lose the throne. Pathetic. What did they mean she was right under his nose? Was the sea witch right? Is his bride truly onboard? He still didn’t fully believe, but perhaps, he just needed to have patience and he’d find her. But their words about the storm made him frown. Someone playing with the elements was never a good thing, and only one would dare. For the moment, he could do nothing about the white witch and her plots to keep him off the throne and continue the wars among the tribes. He had enough to concentrate on…He’d deal with her later.

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TAKEN: TALES OF CYMLLON by Marion Webb-DeSisto

TAKEN: TALES OF CYMLLON SERIES by Marion Webb-DeSisto

A blind date with a guy dressed as an angel is what Esther Nolan's friends give as her thirtieth birthday present. Reluctant to accept, she nevertheless goes to dinner with the pseudo angel, named Zortek, and he's rude, chauvinistic and very odd. The following night he suddenly appears in Esther’s apartment and takes her captive to the magical world of Cymllon. There she learns he's a demgel, someone who is half demon, half angel. Rescued by another demgel, named Dreydon, she spends time with him in his home. Esther quickly develops feelings of attraction toward Dreydon, but tries to ignore them because he isn't human.

Rescuing Esther is a very unusual act for Dreydon. He doesn't normally concern himself with what other demgels are doing. Yet he feels drawn to her. Having her company fills the loneliness in his life. Dreydon discovers and shares with Esther a truth about herself that she finds impossible to believe. He also realizes she is his mate.

Will Zortek want revenge because Dreydon took Esther from him? And will two unalike individuals from different worlds find lasting love?
 

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~Excerpt~

Eventually, Esther could see the grassy field was coming to an end. Beyond it were densely-clumped trees, so another wood with rewarding shade was waiting for them. As they drew close, she heard the flapping of wings overhead. Looking up, she saw another demgel circling above them. He flew round and round two or three times and then dropped down a few feet away from Zortek’s left side. This newcomer spoke several unintelligible words in a measured, deep voice. Whatever he said made Zortek angry. He gripped Esther even tighter and shouted a response.

Unlike the dead one, this demgel was taller and broader than her captor. He was wearing pants that looked like raggedy shorts, and well-worn sandals. His skin color resembled a golden tan, his wings were brown and his dark eyes were blazing at Zortek. He uttered more incomprehensible words, and the tone of his voice and his body stance told her he was undoubtedly issuing a challenge. To Esther it seemed as though Zortek hesitated for a few seconds—then he released his hold on her and strode over to the newcomer. His claws became evident, as did those of his challenger. The other demgel snarled at Zortek and she could see he possessed long fangs. They then went at each other with even more ferocity than the previous fight.

Was this another opportunity for escape? Or would Zortek also kill this second combatant? Esther thought it was better to try getting away rather than stand there and watch another killing. She took a couple of steps backward, but stopped because the new demgel’s eyes were locked on her, and his right arm was outstretched in her direction. His left arm was clamped around Zortek’s body, pinning his arms into immobility. He pointed a golden claw at Esther and mouthed something. She felt a tremor pass right through her and when she attempted to continue moving away, her feet felt like they were glued to the ground. This was different from what Zortek had done to her muscles, but it was equally as powerful. She was unable to do anything other than stand and watch the two demgels fight.

Somehow Zortek managed to free himself and his claws were swiping at his opponent. He connected with tissue, and Esther could see golden blood discharging from gouges in the other demgel’s chest. Yet her captor was faring worse. He had even deeper gashes on his arms and body and it was obvious he was the weaker of the two. The new demgel now had him confined in a bear hug and appeared to be literally crushing him. Zortek opened his mouth and bit down on his challenger’s shoulder with his fangs. The other one’s face contorted with pain. He violently threw Zortek down on the grass and was instantly astride him. His knees were holding his opponent’s arms immobile and the pressure of his long legs kept Zortek’s legs still. Esther watched in dismay as his left arm shot upward. She knew what he was about to do.

“No! No! I can’t bear any more killing.”

The demgel’s arm remained up in the air as he looked across at her. She shook her head vigorously and held her breath, waiting for him to make the killing strike. It didn’t happen. Instead, his claws vanished and his hand smashed down and delivered a jaw-breaking blow to Zortek’s chin. He was immediately rendered unconscious.

The victor got up and walked over to Esther. He had to be close to seven feet in height so he literally towered over her. The golden scales across his shoulders and chest were almost standing up on end, but as she watched, they slowly lay down flat against his body. His fangs had also retracted back into his mouth. He stared down at her with a look that sent dread rushing through her mind and body, but she hoped she could hide her fear. If he was about to kill her, he wouldn’t have the satisfaction of seeing her cringe. He leaned close to Esther and sniffed her face, just as Zortek had done. Then, while straightening back up, his left hand reached out toward her and she waited for the possible death blow. However, he only touched her lightly on the arm and said, “You can move now.”

She tested his words by shuffling her feet and they were no longer stuck to the ground. Esther toyed with the idea of running away from him as fast as she could, but before she had a chance to decide what to do, his arms encircled her and he lifted up into flight. His wings beat strongly and his body was angled almost horizontally. Esther was held closely under him. All she could see was the swell of taut muscles under his golden tan skin, and a deep wound running across his chest. There was also a light odor of sandalwood coming from him. She gave thought to breaking free from his grasp, yet that would be foolish. If he let her go, she’d fall, and Esther was sure they were flying high, so that would mean certain death for her.

They flew for some distance. At least his body was shielding her from the merciless sun. Was he now taking her to that unknown thing, a mejin? Esther decided that once they were back on the ground, she would try to escape. She would have no idea about which direction to take, but at least she’d be free. Meanwhile, it was sensible to allow him to take her wherever he was going. Esther closed her eyes and tried to appreciate how she was being given a new and different experience, that of flying.

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THE BETRAYAL by Tamsin L. Silver

THE BETRAYAL by Tamsin L. Silver

A Living Dead Girl Novel

The line between good and evil is sometimes blurred.

Atlanta Hart learns that she's an Air Witch, the first discovered for centuries. Suddenly she and her friends find themselves immersed in a world of magick and magickal creatures, not all of which uphold their birthright to protect the human race.

This new world is on the brink of war, propelling Atlanta to embark on a journey to understand her powers in order to fight for her life and the lives of those she loves. With the help of legendary vampire hunter turned vampire, Sean Cameron, will she discover the truth of her past in time to save her future?

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Excerpt:
Prologue

Out in the Middle of Nowhere in the Quebec Province of Canada

Early September

1997

Valencia stood in the center of the circular outdoor chamber and tilted her head, lifting her face to the night sky. Her long, wavy red hair cascaded across her bare shoulders, catching the moonlight as it tumbled down her back and over the laces of the black corset. She closed her eyes, raising her arms into the night air and called to the wind. As a vampire the night caressed her, but as a witch, the wind spoke to her. It warned her that dawn approached; her time was running short.

“Ladies, are we ready?” Valencia asked her three witch sisters who had accompanied her to the chamber to conduct the experiment. Each wielded a different discipline. Where Valencia was gifted with Air, they were Fire, Water, and Earth.

“Yes, Mistress,” They answered in unison.

With a crash, the large oak and cast iron door that led from the fortress into the chamber burst open, slamming into the wall. Lowering her arms, the wind subsided as Jonathan, her lover and second in command, kicked a prisoner through the door. He then walked in after, graceful as a cat, the last of the wind tossing his long white-blond hair about.

Seeing the prisoner she’d hoped for stumble towards her, Valencia grinned. “You found him, how splendid! Glad you could join us Mr. Cameron.”

“The pleasure is all yours, I’m sure,” Sean responded, coldly. “Mind telling me what the fuck I’m doing out here? You know how I hate to leave the dungeon. Besides, it’s Bingo night.”

His cocky grin and sarcasm threatened to ruin her mood. “I am your Mistress and you serve me when I see fit,” she snapped. Goddess, his presence irritated her! Seeing him reminded her of all of her men he mercilessly killed before she’d captured him.

“Oh goody. You know I live to serve,” he said, his voice flat with sarcasm. He pulled against Jonathan’s grasp on his arm. “Let go of me you bastard! I’m shackled, where the hell would I go?” With one last yank, he escaped from Jonathan’s grasp.

Valencia fought a grin. Even withholding blood from Sean for the past few days, he was strong enough to pull away. Yes, her decision to use him in this experiment was the right call.

She may have been delighted with this, however Jonathan was not. He grasped Sean again. “Leave him be,” she scolded, “He’s right. Besides, it is time. Ladies? Attach him to the platform.”

The witches grasped Sean and laid him on the wooden square on the ground, quickly undoing the middle joint on each shackle that had bound foot to foot, and wrist to wrist. They reattached them to the platform, a limb at each corner, splaying him like a large X. Valencia slid the altar between Sean’s legs while the witches lit the candles that surrounded the platform.

Movement at the door drew her attention. Lifting her gaze, she recognized the head of The Superior Order’s army. The General lumbered into the space with a scowl on his face. “General McMasters, thank you for coming.”

“What’s this all about Mistress Valencia?” His gruff voice demanded. “Pulling me out of my bed at an ungodly hour? Bah! You best have a good explanation.”

“I do. Don’t I always?” She purred, her hand caressing Jonathan’s arm. She squeezed his hand lightly, “Lover, will you please go fetch Sean’s gift?”

“As you wish.”

Valencia addressed the group. Jonathan crossed toward the door, where the General still stood. “You all have been gathered here to witness how I plan take control of those self righteous peons who call themselves The Great Order.”

“This again?” the General mumbled.

Jonathan’s arm whipped out so fast it was a blur. Grabbing the General’s arm roughly he snarled, “Show some respect for your Mistress,” through clenched teeth. Holding on long enough to make his point, he let go and exited through the door, leaving it open.

Valencia sighed dramatically. She was sick to death of the General’s disbelief in her powers. If lucky, that would change here and now. Pulling out a silver ring from the pocket of her velvet cape, she held it up so the moonlight glinted off it. “This is the key. This creation of mine will ruin them.”

“Ooh, a ring,” Sean mocked sarcastically. “Nifty. Now can we tell me why the fuck I’m here?”

One of the witches, snapped, “Shut up and pay attention.”

Sean rolled his eyes but kept his mouth shut.

“This ring has the possibility to do amazing things, Sean. If this experiment works, I will have made it possible for vampires of my choosing to no longer be constricted to night travel only.” Valencia stared at the ring in her hand, entranced by her own work. “This ring is made of silver, sugilite, and clear crystal quartz. Sugilite is the most powerful protection stone there is. It aids in physical healing while silver aids circulation, strengthening the blood. Clear crystal quartz enhances a witch’s powers and thus the spell.”

“Blah blah blah—and?” Sean sassed.

She tilted the ring so Sean could see it. “Recognize this symbol? It’s a Celtic knot, called a Triquetra. Simply put, when combined with the correct spell this ring becomes a talisman of protection for the one who wears it.” Pulling her hand away she spun about once with a giddy cackle. “Protection from the sun.”

“Have you tested it out?” the General asked.

“No.”

Sean taunted her. “Then how do you know that it works?”

“That is what you are for,” she told Sean, looking down on him. “I’ll leave you out in this sun chamber with this ring on. When the sun rises, we’ll see if it works.”

“You’re insane!” he said with a strained chuckle. “Then again, all of us here know that. Look, you can go find yourself someone else to try your toy on. I’m not gonna help you. I’d rather take it off and turn to a cinder.”

Valencia walked around the altar to lean her face down toward his, their noses almost touching. “Trust me Sean, you don’t have a choice.” She stood up and raised her voice, “Jonathan, you can bring her in!” The glee bubbling in her as she saw Jonathan re-enter the sun chamber with an unconscious, young girl slung over his shoulder, was almost enough to make her dance. He shut the door and locked it, proceeding toward Valencia. She bounced once and gestured grandly. “Lay her on him.”

With a nod, Jonathan draped the young girl over Sean, placing her neck near his face, in reach of his mouth.

"Now Sean, drink,” Valencia ordered. “You need to be strong for the spell."

“No.”

Starved as he was, she knew it took everything he possessed to refuse. Though impressed she insisted, "You must feed!"

"I sure as hell will not!"

Valencia pulled out her black bladed ceremonial dagger, known as an athame, and stepped forward. Lifting the girl by her hair she smiled at Sean underneath, "You wanna bet?"

"Don’t do it," he pleaded.

She made a small slit in the girl's throat, letting the blood drip onto Sean's face, onto his lips. He shifted his face from the falling drops of blood. Valencia leaned over the body to study Sean, amazed at his will. She knew it wouldn’t last, seeing as the blood now dripped onto the side of his lips. "You cannot hold out forever. The bloodlust will win."

Sean’s natural instincts finally exceeded his will. His guttural yell exploded from him as Valencia witnessed his two canine teeth elongate. She smiled and took her cue, lowering the neck of the girl and pressing it to his mouth. Crying as he fed, Valencia gloated at his eventual loss of control. When he finished Sean let go of the young girl and screamed out again.

“Take it away,” she requested of Jonathan, who lifted her up and tossed her aside.

“You bastard!” Sean yelled. “She’s not dead. I didn’t kill her. You can’t just throw her around like garbage! She’s a human being!”

A cold smile spread across Jonathan’s face, making his white-blonde hair appear like pure ice in the moonlight. He stepped over to the girl, grabbed her by the neck, and snapped it. “Now she’s not.”

“Damn it!” Sean knocked the back of his head against the wood platform.

“Boys boys, can I have some focus here?” She interrupted in a calm tone, trying not to lose her temper. “We’re starting. Now get in place.”

Jonathan answered with a twitch of his eye and a nod, pulling the General back toward the wall so they would be out of the way.

Valencia pointed the knife at the sky. "I call on the Four Corners of the Earth to hear me!"

“North,” said the witch in green as she raised her blade into the sky.

"East," Valencia followed, raising her blade.

The witch in red brought up her blade. “South.”

Lastly, the witch in blue lifted hers. “West.”

"O Spirit of the North Stone, Ancient Ones of the Earth, I call you to attend this circle. Charge this by your powers, Old Ones!"

The next two women echoed the same words, acknowledging their corner, their element, requesting the attention of its vast power. They lowered their blades, and Valencia continued, "Air, Fire, Water, Earth, Elements of Astral birth, I call you now; attend to me! In the circle, rightly cast, safe from psychic curse or blast, from cave and desert, sea and hill, by wand, blade, cup, and pentacle, I call you now. Attend to me! This is my will, so mote it be!"

A moment of silence filled the air as Valencia stood still. She felt her connection to the three other ladies as they stood, hands raised up. Gazing down at her subject, she noticed Sean pulling frantically at his binds, causing his own blood to spill upon the platform.

"May the powers of The Ones, the source of all power—the goddess and Lady of the Moon, and the god—the Horned Hunter of the Sun bless this place and at this time. Know that I am with you and you are with me.”

Thunder crashed above and clouds began to roll over the night sky. Wind blew through the enclosed space, tossing the witches’ skirts and hair as Valencia held up the ring. "With this pentagram I lay Protection here both night and day. And the one who should not touch let his fingers burn and twitch. I now invoke the law of three. This is my will, so mote it be!"

Lightning scorched the sky, flashing like a slow strobe light while the air hummed of static. Sean and the ring became luminescent as the moon above, telling Valencia it was time. She moved from behind the altar to place the ring on Sean’s right ring finger. His skin felt warm, to almost a human temperature and with a flicker of hope that the spell was working she quickly finished it off.

"Horned Hunter of the Sun I call upon thee to see this man, this ring. I ask thou for the protection from the harm of your rays. May they be protected by your might, O gracious god, day and night."

As the three women chanted, “May they be protected by your might, O gracious god, day and night,” with Valencia, the air in the chamber became bright as day. Then, they all stopped and looked up, throwing their hands into the air. In doing so, the light surrounding them shot upwards. Like a bullet out of the chamber of a gun it hit the sky, spread out, dissipating the clouds and making everything clear once more.

"We must close,” Valencia instructed. “Daylight is approaching.” Standing in the East, she pierced the circle's wall with the blade at waist level. “Farewell Spirits of North, South, East, and West. We give thanks for your presence here. Go in power.” Moving clockwise around the circle, causing the power of it to dissolve, she let the outside world slowly regain its dominance.

Returning to East once more, Valencia set the athame on the altar, motioning to Jonathan to assist in cleaning up the supplies before stepping to lean over Sean. With a Cheshire grin, she put sunglasses on him. “So sorry to leave you, my pet, but we won’t be far.” She motioned to everyone else, “Time to go. Let us all retire to the viewing room. There’s still some time to kill until the sun reaches the floor of the chamber." She then walked out of the chamber without even so much as another glance at Sean.

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TAIL ON THE MOON by Sandra Sookoo

TAIL ON THE MOON by Sandra Sookoo

Finding herself is harder than she expected.

Rosemary Nickles is stressed out. She has no knack for magic, and lives in Crystal Falls, where that just won't do. It's not easy being a plain old human in a town full of magic makers, especially when her sister is incredibly talented in the paranormal department.

Part-time firefighter, full-time hottie Luke Nolin harbors a secret. Every month he turns furry and howls at the full moon. Even living and working in Crystal Falls, he's not comfortable being a werewolf. Years earlier he nearly killed someone, so devotes his energy to hiding his inner lycanthrope.

If Luke can learn to embrace his true self, then Rosemary might just discover there is more to her than even she knows about. Their path to true love isn’t easy - the town is a mess, the resident witch and order-keeper is gone, and a gang of thugs has taken over Halloween. But this is Crystal Falls, where through acceptance and love anything is possible...just remember to watch out for things that go bump in the night.

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Copyright 2011, Sandra Sookoo
All rights reserved, Lyrical Press, Inc.

Almost there. She strained forward and, giving every last smidge of energy she had left, ran toward the opening in the trees. Beyond, the dark pavement of the road glimmered, bathed in moonlight. All she needed to do was follow the road into town, providing, of course, the boys didn’t follow.

Her heart felt stuffed in her throat. Behind her, a rifle shot broke the silence of the night. Rosemary took another step then faltered as a searing pain ripped through her right hip. Sticky wetness dribbled over her skin, tickling as it edged down her leg on gravity’s pull. In disbelief, she put a hand to the affected area and when she brought it up, blood clung to her fingers.

She wondered why the boys had shot her, but not having an answer, she had no choice except to continue. Not paying attention, she tripped over a rotted, fallen log and pitched down a slight rise. Face first in the cool grass, she lay still, hoping the teens would get scared and leave her alone.

As soon as the hoodlums burst from the trees, the roar of a motorcycle droned into the silence, steadily increasing in volume the nearer it came. Rosemary risked a glance up. The teenagers scattered, cursing as they melted into the wooded area. Struggling to her feet, she staggered toward the road. She had to get home to be safe.

By the time she felt the rough texture of the asphalt beneath her toes, she was shaking and nearly in tears. Why had they singled her out? More than that, why didn’t they leave the town alone? She wrapped her arms around her torso. The white beam of the motorcycle’s headlight cut through the gloom, competing with the moon to illuminate the roadway.

She squinted, sucking in a breath of surprise when the machine rolled to a halt a feet few from her. Without a helmet, the man’s shaggy brown hair danced about his forehead in the breeze. Concern shone from glittering eyes while his stubble-covered jaw worked in amazement.
“Ma’am, are you okay?”

Rosemary stared at his wide shoulders and barrel chest. Her knees buckled and she sank to the chilly pavement. He sounded exactly like the voice she kept hearing in her head.

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DEATH BY CHOCOLATE by Michelle L. Levigne

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE by Michele L. Levigne

All's Fae In Love And Chocolate Book Four

The race is on to catch the Fae who poisoned the Queen's chocolate. For Epsi and Guber, the stakes are even higher and could lead to death, or love. What a choice!

Fae use dark chocolate as a cure-all, so how did the Queen die of eating too much? Epsi gave her former school chum a boatload (we're talking Cleopatra's barge here) of chocolate as a coronation present. Now she's a prime suspect. Where's a knight in shining armor when a Fae damsel in distress really needs one?

Enter Guber, Fae of royal blood, Human-phile and techno-geek. Mysteries and gizmos to test for substances harmful to Fae life and limb are right up his alley. Epsi is the prettiest damsel in distress that he's ever seen - and she doesn't think he's weird.

Guber has been living in the Human realms for decades to avoid both the Fae who want to reinstate the hereditary royalty and those who want to eradicate anyone with the slightest trace of royal purple blood. Both of them are on Guber's tail, and could focus on Epsi at any moment.

It's a good thing they have an entire warehouse of possibly poisoned chocolate to use as a weapon.

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~Excerpt~

Epsi had just finished sharing Will and Phill's revelation about carob--and how Humans used it as substitute chocolate in a ridiculous effort to convince themselves they were being healthy--when a communication globe shimmered into being directly in front of her. She had two seconds to read the message that she had visitors and was to report to the visitation dimension. The next moment, she blinked and found herself in the visitation dimension. It was a good thing she hadn't been taking a bath or changing her clothes or eating or something else that would put her in an embarrassing light.

"Harry?" She looked around the room, essentially featureless, with slowly churning lavender and pink walls and floor, and a conference table and chairs that oozed up from the floor. She was alone with her three visitors--Harry, and two Fae men who looked familiar in that "I've met you before, maybe centuries ago in a really, really crowded party" way.

One was dark-haired and handsome, polished in the hereditary advocate style and wearing the Fae knock-off of Armani. The other wore Army fatigue pants, and a baggy purple T-shirt with the Tasmanian Devil slavering on it. He had shaggy, dusty brown hair, a beaked nose and slightly bugged eyes. Despite that, there was something charming and little-boyish about him that had her smiling as soon as his gaze locked with hers. She liked his slowly dawning grin and the blue and green and gold sparkles in his big, chocolate-brown eyes.

Right now, she hated all mention or thought of chocolate, but she definitely liked this bit of chocolate in her life. Not that that made any sense.

"This is my distant cousin, Kevyn. He's an advocate," Harry said, pointing to the immaculately groomed one as they settled around the table. "And this is his buddy, Guber."

"Guber!" Epsi was so glad to remember him, she nearly leaped over the table to hug him. It had been years since she had seen him. If she remembered correctly, he had stood up to Theodosius with some really clever, messily nasty tricks. That made him her hero, even before the realization that he was probably here to help Harry in her defense.

"He's a tech wizard. Human tech is his specialty," Harry added.

"We're putting together a carob detector," Guber announced, eyes sparkling, his voice rich, as if this was all a fascinating adventure he was enjoying immensely.

Epsi kept her mouth pressed in a tight smile, to avoid blurting that he had no business having so much fun when her life and liberty were at stake. It took a few seconds for her to catch on to what he was saying, and it occurred to her that Harry couldn't have found anyone better suited to help her with her problem than someone who was totally immersed in all things Human and tech.

"A carob detector? Can you do that?"

"Better this way than doing it your way," Kevyn offered with a tip of his head.

"My way? Oh--getting sick. Yeah. Not cool." She decided maybe she was on the verge of being out of her depth, so she should just sit back and let the experts handle the problem.

At least she had someone helping her on the outside.

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SHE BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE by Michelle L. Levigne

SHE BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE by Michele L. Levigne

All's Fae In Love And Chocolate Book Three

Sophie's doctoral thesis stated magic was a psychosomatic phenomenon. Few took her seriously...she had a family reputation for strangeness and pointed ears to live down. In her research, she ran into Kevyn at a science fiction convention. When strange things happened, she slowly realized that she wasn't going insane...magic was real.

Kevyn was a Fae trying to avoid family traditions. He lived on the run in the Human realms, making his living as a day actor, staying under the radar. On an acting gig at a convention, he met up with Sophie and realized that she could not only see through his magic, she had magic. When Hunters showed up to drag Kevyn home and make him become an Advocate, he let Sophie capture him and take him home for research, thereby rescuing him from a fate worse than death...respectability and responsibility. Somewhere along the way, the lines between researcher and lab rat became blurred, then switched places, and the two of them discovered a magic of their own, and rescued each other.

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Excerpt:

"Don't bother trying to make me hallucinate or give me bad dreams or do anything to influence my mind." Sophie tugged on the collar of her shirt and revealed an ornate silver beaded choker with onyx, alabaster and amethyst beads in between. She laughed when Kevyn flinched at the recognizable pattern. "I'm prepared for you. Guess Great-aunt Serena wasn't as crazy as everyone thought."

She slammed the door as she left. Kevyn was amused to note that she didn't lock it. Because she didn't think he could break through the wall of magic she had woven, or because there was no lock? What had she used this room for, anyway? A pantry? A guest room that never materialized?

Great-aunt Serena had believed in her Fae blood and gathered information to pass to the next generation. Somehow, the old lady learned the sequence of those beads. They were real magic. Protective. Dispelling strong illusions that could influence the mind. Kevyn wondered if Sophie wore that necklace all the time, and that was how she had seen through his invisibility magic at the convention.

That arrangement of beads and the inherent magical power of those particular semi-precious stones also did more to put a damper on magic than anything else Sophie had done to this room. Kevyn sat down on the bed, propped his chin in his bound hands and settled down for some serious thinking. What if he got her to take that necklace off? Would Sophie's inborn magical potential break free and fly?

The door creaked open before he could get any further than that thought. Blushing, Sophie stepped into the room, holding out the key for the chains that bound his hands. Kevyn grinned, and she blushed more. He wisely said nothing as she unlocked his wrists and neck.

"You have to believe, I wouldn't do this if I wasn't so desperate," she whispered, and brushed her fingertips over his neck.

He flinched when her fingertips brushed the rash on his skin where the silver chain had touched. Then a tingle of soothing magic seeped from her gentle touch. Involuntary magic. On Sophie's part.

What could she do if she didn't wear that necklace, effectively blinding and binding herself? Kevyn knew there was far more to Sophie Hunter the Halfling than she could ever guess.

"You have no idea what desperation really means, sweetheart," he murmured.

"I won't hurt you. I promise. I know we'll never be friends now, but--" She shrugged and stepped backwards for the door.

"We can be friends. Just ask me to stay, instead of making me." He stayed seated on the bed.

Sophie said nothing, just reached behind herself for the doorknob.

"No? Well, maybe next time."

"Is there anything you're allergic to?" she asked, when she should have stepped out the door and closed it. "I mean…when I make dinner."

"You're not going to starve me? How nice." He settled back on the bed and crossed his arms under his head.

"Kevyn." She sighed and visibly fought down a flash of anger. He was glad to see that anger. She wasn't going to let guilt and fear and whatever other problems she had keep her prisoner. "What did you mean, about desperation?"

"This little room is no prison at all, compared to the life my family wants me to lead." He crossed his ankles. "You probably won't believe me, but you're doing me a favor, keeping me here."

"No, I don't believe you. Why would you try to make me feel better?" She stomped out of the room and slammed the door.

"Maybe because you're in a nastier prison than I am," Kevyn whispered. "And because I like you."

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DAY AND KNIGHT by Michele L. Levigne

DAY AND KNIGHT by Michele L. Levigne

~A Fae daycare teacher, and an exterminator under a family curse need each other more than they can guess when magic goes wonky.~

All's Fae in Love and Chocolate #1

Glori loved working with children--and not just because children produced magic that fed her own Fae magic. But when her magic started going wonky and all her maintenance spells for the daycare started working backwards, not even her Fae administrator could fix what was wrong.

Lance Knight faced a lonely future, thanks to a family curse that turned him into a mouse at the dark of the moon. Lonely, except for the ghosts of all his angry, misogynistic male ancestors. And he would join them someday, if he didn't find a woman to love him despite the curse.

He needed the kiss of a Faerie princess to break the spell. When he got called to Glori's daycare center to deal with an unbelievable bug problem, and realized she was a Fae, he thought his problems were solved.

Glori hated telling Lance that the Fae didn't have hereditary royalty anymore, but she promised she would try to find him a solution while they worked together to solve her problem. Things got sticky when she realized that she was going through the Fae equivalent of puberty, and Lance might just be the answer to her problem. If only his nasty, ghostly relatives wouldn't keep getting in the way.

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EXCERPT:

"Ah... If you'll come inside, maybe we can get started?" she managed to say in a reasonable tone of voice. Somehow, Glori slid her hand free of his grip and took a step backwards. She pulled the gate open and gestured for him to walk down the yellow brick walkway to the front door.

"Are you free for dinner, ma'am?"

"Mr. Knight--"

"Call me Lance." He offered up a grin that showed off nice, white teeth and a dimple in his left cheek.

"You might not be free. The bugs could keep you very busy." She turned her back on him in desperation. If she looked into his big cobalt blue eyes for a few seconds longer, they both might be frozen there until morning. That wouldn't look good for her business, would it?

"No bug ever kept me that busy," he mumbled, behind her.

Glori closed her eyes as she gripped the door and spelled the lock open. She took a deep breath and braced herself to bolster the magic, altering it just enough to let them in without letting the bugs out. The door swung open. Every surface in the main room was...moving.

How could this have happened to her? It had never happened before, in all the years since she bought the building. How could so many bugs have showed up in just one weekend? It wasn't as if her children were messy. No more messy than any ordinary children. Just a few buckets of paint and modeling clay, two spilled glasses of juice, maybe a cup of cookie crumbs spread over a playroom thirty feet by thirty feet. Glori thought about it again, even knowing that considering her problem would create another headache--and she was totally out of chocolate.

No, the only explanation she could come up with was that her magic had decided to take a vacation without warning. And whatever "temporary" magic had come to take its place was working totally backwards!

Lance took one look, braced his arms on the doorframe, and went pale.

"We're gonna need a bigger boat."

The music whispering through the back of his mind, in time with his racing heart, didn't sound like the theme music from Jaws. But it came close.

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DRAGONS AT DAWN by Sandra Sookoo

DRAGONS AT DAWN by Sandra Sookoo

When fear and extinction threaten life, the only way to survive is to change...or fight back.

Mona Moussai is on the run - from her family, from a dragon and from herself. She wants nothing more than to stay in the Mortal Realm and live a normal life, yet when she tangles with a shape-shifting attorney bent on her capture, instinct demands she hide. However, the secrets buried deep inside could have deadly consequences.

Braeden Hollister has long ago made peace with his dragon heritage but he refuses to live it. He's a man with many vices, always living for himself, and when the opportunity to drag Mona to the Moussai Realm for a bounty presents itself, he can't resist the glitter of gold.

What happens next is a foray into a backward realm circa the 1820s where dragons not only exist but they're intent on ruling the realm and restoring power. Personal agendas are forgotten, battle lines are drawn in a world where familial ties strangle and old foes resurface. Political angst explodes all around them. In the end, only the strong will survive to live, and love, another day.

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Chapter One


“What the hell do you mean you started the rumor?”

The roar that accompanied the bellowed question sent chills over her skin. Fear unfurled in the pit of her stomach like a rolled tea leaf in hot water, expanding, filling her insides until a quick shot of adrenaline sent her into action. She darted through the Portal, and upon leaving the Mortal Realm, tripped over its threshold and tumbled to the ground. Landing on her hands and knees, she wrinkled her nose against the sharp smell of dirt.

She couldn’t afford another stupid mistake. Not now. Not with him close on her heels and problems multiplying with the speed of copulating rabbits.

Mona Moussai, missing daughter of the First Family of the Moussai Realm, jumped to her feet as her heart hammered through her chest like a freight engine. Risking a quick glance over her shoulder, she saw the attorney bearing down on her as he stepped from the Portal, a string of curses issuing from him that would make a sailor blush. At least he hadn’t shifted into dragon form. No amount of positive thinking could make her forget the acid green belly scales or the darkly black scales on the remainder of his body that she’d seen the night before.

“Damn it, Mona, I order you to stop!”

She was sick of being commanded to do things. No more.

Ignoring him, she ran as if death would claim her if she were caught. Maybe it would since Braeden Hollister was a bad-ass attorney with a large appetite for fine food and fast women. Unfortunately, until she could fix her current problem, she was also bound to him. Thanks to one regrettable incident a day ago when she’d picked his pocket and stole a pair of rings that worked as supernatural handcuffs, once she’d slipped a ring on and he did the same, she’d become a prisoner.

No time for regret.

Mona’s pulse pounded loud in her ears. With every ragged breath, her lungs burned as they struggled to pull oxygen into her body. Barely aware of the nighttime world around her, she ran indiscriminately through a heavily wooded area. A crash and subsequent cursing from somewhere behind let her know Braeden hadn’t given up the chase.

Fear knotted her insides and bile rose in her throat. She pushed on, stumbling over twigs and forest debris while her soft wool sweater snagged on pine trees. Straggly branches reached out to snarl in her hair. Tears prickled her eyes but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t. Of all the places in the Eight Realms she didn’t want to be, it was here.

The thought spurred her onward. Her feet ached. The muscles in her legs screamed for a reprieve. A second wind brought a burst of speed and she shot forward over the semi-damp ground. Just being back in the Realm that bore her name made her physically ill. She’d worked hard to create a new life, far away from the drama that belonged to her family. Her efforts were for naught.

A clearing loomed close, frosted from the light of the full moon high overhead. She set her sights on it to get her bearings, reaching the edge of the grassy patch. For two seconds she paused, turning slightly toward him before Braeden tackled her. Mona’s back smacked against the earth. His weight on top of her drove the air from her lungs.

“What part of stop did you not understand?” His deep voice rumbled near her ear and his breath warmed her cheek. “Running is stupid. You already know you can’t move farther than twenty feet from me at any given time.”

She did know and had tested the boundary more than a few times since she’d slipped the damn ring on her finger last night. Unfortunately, it was a cold, hard fact. Any attempt at breaking the twenty foot mark resulted in a sudden migraine and terrible stomach cramps.

Mona struggled, desperate to be out from under him. “Get off me.” She pushed at his broad shoulders. His muscles flexed beneath her fingertips. “I mean it. I won’t stand for this sort of treatment.”

“Considering that you’re not standing at all, I don’t see how it’s an issue.”

“Semantics.” She beat on his chest with her fists, huffing out her irritation when he didn’t budge. “In case you haven’t noticed, you’re not in a courtroom anymore.”

“That may be true, but I still wield the power.” Instead of doing as she asked, he shifted his weight and held her captive with a palm to the ground on each side of her head, his face close to hers. “Until I deliver you back to your family, you will do as I say.”

Her heart pounded and little shivers raced up and down her spine as much from his words as his close proximity. The moonlight gilded him with silver light, highlighting dark hair, coiffed and gelled in the style of a New York morning news show anchor. His lips could charm any woman’s heart if he would ever give a genuine smile. Braeden Hollister could potentially be a huge threat to her peace of mind.

Lucky for her, she loathed him too much to be affected.

“You realize I’m going to fight you every step of the way. I refuse to go back. I don’t want to have anything to do with that way of life anymore.” She renewed her escape attempt but the dragon pressed his hard body against her softer one, pinning her to the ground. “I won’t go.”

His breath warmed her lips. “Do you really think your opinion matters to me?” Green lightning flashed in his eyes. “I work for whoever offers me the highest bid, and right now, your family wants you the most.”

“My family.” Her laugh sounded bitter to her own ears. Unable to stand the intense scrutiny in his gaze, she looked over his left shoulder at the darkened tree tops. “My family doesn’t want me. They want what I can supposedly give to the country.”

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing.” She shook her head, secretly pleased that the great Braeden Hollister didn’t know every little fact about her. “It means absolutely nothing. Forget I said anything.” At all costs, she had to keep that secret to herself.

Awareness of him crept into her brain. He’d removed his suit jacket some time ago while they answered innumerable questions in the Bureau of Realm Travel. Now, the heat from his skin radiated through the grey

silk button-down shirt to warm her chest. The pungent scent of pine needles and soil mixed with his spicy, citrus cologne, confusing her brain.

When she moved her head and met his gaze once more, she shivered at the open animosity she found there. “I’ll ask you once more, let me up.”

“Why, so you can attempt to run again? Go ahead and try.” Braeden’s deep, rich laugh reverberated in her chest. “You put the restrictions on yourself once you slipped on that ring.” In one fluid movement, he stood, pulling her up with him. “It suits my purposes nicely.”

“I don’t care what you do. I’m not leaving this area.” This was stupid since she had no idea where exactly she was, not to mention that if he went, she’d have no choice. Yes, it was her home turf; however, everything seemed strange and different in the dark.

Her thoughts went to Sophia, her former roommate and best friend, busy now with her werewolf lover. Mona frowned, vowing not to cry in front of the dragon. She couldn’t go back and she sure as hell didn’t want to go forward into her future. Where did that leave her besides an unfamiliar clearing with a man she despised? Sophia always took care of the problems that had sprung up in her life. Sophia always cleaned up the mess. Sophia always looked after her and now, there was no more Sophia.

Lost in depressing memories, she didn’t see Braeden slink close into her personal space.

A leer stretched over his well-shaped lips. “Let me set you straight on a few things, Miss Moussai.” He reached out a hand and caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger in a hard grip. “You are a political prisoner with no rights. Wherever I go, so will you. Whatever I wish to do, you’ll want the same. Until I hand you off into the bosom of the royal family, you belong to me. Do you understand?”

Mona jerked out of his grasp as her brain reeled from his words. Her mouth worked but no words came forth, so great was her outrage. It boiled inside her chest, compounded by the years she’d been ordered around by her family, then Sophia, and now Braeden.

As if what she wanted was relegated into the background.

In that one moment, she snapped. Everyone thought she was good-natured, clumsy and docile, assumed her short stature meant she could be bullied. Well, no more. She was done pretending and hiding her true self.

With a cry of rage, she brought her palm against his cheek in a slap that left her hand stinging. Fear and exhilaration warred inside, feeding from the anger while she stared at the deepening red mark on his face. “You listen to me, Mr. Hollister.” Mona swallowed, and when she couldn’t find enough moisture to assuage her dry throat, continued, “I belong to no one. I’m my own person and will do what I want. The only reason I’m with you is because of the stupid dragon rings, which you refuse to release.”

“Why mess with a good thing?” He rubbed a hand his jaw, drawing her attention to his face and its strong, sensual lines, prominent Roman nose, and meticulously groomed brows. Anger darkened his face, so palpable she could feel it snap through the air between them. “That was an extremely unfortunate action on your part.” A hand shot out and he grabbed one of her wrists, yanking her against his hard chest. His grin lacked any warmth, genuine or contrived, as he tangled his other hand into her hair, forcing her chin up so she met his gaze. “If you ever lay a hand on me in anger again, you will regret it. Since this is your first offense, I choose to downgrade your punishment.”

“To what?” Mona’s pulse raced. The rush of blood in her ears was the only sound she could focus on. “Reading legal briefs out loud to further inflate your ego or are you enamored of your own voice?” Apprehension skittered down her spine. A lonely forest was the last place she wanted to be, especially with him. Dragons were traditionally known for valuing sex and money above all things—she wanted neither from him.

And Braeden was a man used to getting his way.

His green eyes flared in the darkness. “Nothing quite that tame.” He crushed his lips over hers in a kiss designed to bruise and reprimand.

Mona whimpered. Fear paralyzed her limbs, numbed her brain. His arms were strong bands of steel and couldn’t be budged, no matter how she struggled. Whatever grudging admiration she might have held regarding his looks burned to ash under the onslaught of her hatred. She

wrenched away, raising her free hand to slap him again, but he easily blocked the blow. “Bastard.”

“You have no idea.” He released her as if he couldn’t stand to touch her any longer. “Now move. I’d rather not spend the night in this forest. There should be a Gatekeeper around somewhere.”

Turning quickly, she dragged the back of her hand over her lips in an attempt to wipe his taste away even as unfamiliar pangs of longing trembled deep in her womb. Contributing the feeling to nerves, she almost changed her mind as her stomach pitched. She tugged on the golden band that rested on her left ring finger and sighed when it remained stuck fast. It was true. Wherever he went, so would she.

And he wanted to go to the one place she’d hoped to never see again.

Home.
 
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THE GOLDEN DRAGON by Tianna Xander

THE GOLDEN DRAGON - Dragon Bound Book One by Tianna Xander

April is shocked when she runs into a dragon in the alley behind her shop. Despite his urbane appearance, a wildness lurks in his gaze. Gathering her coven together, they discuss the ramifications of one of the witch-killing beasts appearing nearby. When spell after spell continues to go awry, is it a sign that their magic is truly weak or is it the dragon in the picture that is turning tulips into toadstools?

Dragons are too bossy to bond to their own kind, so when Drake meets the perfect witch for him, will he have enough fortitude to stand against her coven and their truly crappy magic?

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Excerpt:

“Most witches have constructive powers. They manifest useful things like money, the power to do some good in this world or even a tuna sandwich,” April said as she popped the lid back on a plastic container half-full of cedar. “Not me.” She snorted. “So far, the only thing I’ve been able to manifest is a patch of toadstools and poisoned oak.”

She glanced at the other members of her coven. All twelve of her adopted sisters looked on with understanding. If anyone could understand her predicament, it was them.

“I know exactly what you mean.” Tansy stepped forward, her scorched cape still smoldering from her last attempt to cast a spell. “What’s wrong with us?” She spread her arms out as if to encompass them all. “None of us have been able to manifest anything like Mother and Father did.” She bowed her head and lowered her voice as though what she were about to say were somehow sacrilegious. “Do you think it’s because we’re adopted and not their blood kin?”

April shook her head and crossed her arms. “Being adopted has nothing to do with it.” She made her voice sound strong and firm even though she wasn’t sure herself. “It can’t be that.” Seeing her sisters looking so dejected over their failures, she decided what her next words would be, true or not. “If being adopted made any difference, why bother to train us at all?” She shook her head. “No, we are doing something wrong. I’m sure of it.”

What that something was, was beyond her comprehension, but she would find out what it was if it was the last thing she ever did. If not for her, she would do it for her sisters and brothers, wherever her brothers were. She hadn’t seen them since the unfortunate accident that stole their parents from them. She avoided looking at Rose, the little sister responsible for that horrific event.

“Look at Iris.” She waved toward her little sister whose thick ebony hair escaped her bun with abandon. “She managed to manifest eggs this morning.”

Iris grimaced. “Yeah. Eight dozen eggs and all of them raw, broken and covering the cheese, ham and English muffins that were supposed to be Eggs Benedict. Some success story.”

“Well, you’re closer than I am.” April scowled at her sister’s lack of enthusiasm. “I tried to conjure up mushrooms to go with the omelets we made out of all those eggs and got toadstools instead.” But they knew that. They had all raided her pantry after that. Now it was as empty as her refrigerator.

April paced back and forth in front of her sisters, her wand in her hand. As she passed, each flinched as the tip of her wand pointed at them in turn. “Stop flinching or I’ll turn all of you into Goddess knows what!”

As mad as she was about their reactions and this morning’s debacle with the eggs and toadstools, she just might lose her temper and do something unforgivable—what, she had no idea. Man, it sucked not having control over her powers. Their parents had made it look so easy. April glanced around at her sisters’ dejected faces and took comfort in the fact that at least, in this, she wasn’t alone.

She wrapped the cedar shavings in the paper they used to make their smudge sticks, then lit it. Smoke rose as the comforting scent of burning cedar filled the room. It was always good to cleanse the room before and after they tried to manifest things. It not only cleansed the room of their mistakes and the inevitable negativity that followed failure, the scent helped relax and ground them.

“Since this session was an obvious bust…again, we should head home, rest and practice until next month.” She nodded when Daisy raised her hand. “Yes, Daisy?”

“Do we have to practice? Can’t we just hang up our capes and shove our wands in a box in the back of our underwear drawers and call it good?”

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EYE CONTACT by Rebecca Royce

EYE CONTACT - Book One of The Conditioned Series by Rebecca Royce

Thirty years ago, after the breakdown of an oil negotiation, the President of the United States decided that all people born with unusual abilities, which he would now refer to as "the condition", would be locked away from the general public where they couldn't harm others. Parents and loved ones of these people, most of whom were children, were forced to turn them in upon penalty of death. Formed to keep the institutions secure, the Committee for the Protection of a Free Society now rules these institutions with an iron fist.

The granddaughter of one the Committee members, Addison Wade has lived her life wary of the institutions and all they represent. A woman of secrets, she is forced to turn to Safe Dawn, one of the facilities designed to hold conditioned people, when her nephew is kidnapped and, despite her best efforts, cannot be recovered. She knows the last thing anyone in 'Safe Dawn' will want to do is to help a Wade with any problems, but she is desperate and out of options.

Spencer Lewis is famous for being the premier conditioned 'locator.' There's no one he can't find and he has a soft spot for missing children. But, Spencer has been through a trauma and locating Jeremy Wade may be dangerous both to himself and to those around him. In addition, he takes one look at ice cold Addison Wade and wants nothing more than to knock her down a peg. Never having turned down an opportunity to help a child, he reluctantly agrees to help recover Jeremy.

In a world where nothing is as it seems and every person they encounter has his own agenda, Addison and Spencer will find that the only people they can trust are each other. But how can anyone fall in love living in a world that wants you dead just for being born?

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~Excerpt~

Spencer nearly swallowed his tongue when he’d stormed into the room in one of his too common rages and stumbled on the blonde with the cold blue eyes sitting in the chair to the left. Stunning didn’t begin to describe her. She had made the world stop for a moment.

That she was a Wade didn’t surprise him, not in the least.

Despite the heat of attraction, he could almost feel a chill. Then again, the whole family was said to have ice instead of blood running through their veins. Addison Wade sat frigidly in her chair, her expression haughty and removed, as if she was more concerned with not wrinkling her skirt than noticing that he was in the room. They had come asking for help to find a missing boy? She looked like she was making a quick stop before some trendy lunch date.

Spencer had some experience with finding missing children, he was used to the families falling apart, not sitting calmly looking like they had just come from a day at a hair salon.

At least they had come.

Surprising as that was, until then, Spencer would have sworn a Wade would rather swallow their tongue then come near one of the institutions. The whole thing was ironic, considering he was in the presence of two of the people responsible for the misery that plagued so many of his people and necessitated the continuing use of these places.

He should tell the Wades to go screw themselves.

Why was it his problem that they couldn’t keep track of their own child?

Even as the thought crossed his mind, he dismissed it. In his life, he’d always helped a child if he could. In this case, the could would be the ultimate question. Spencer had no idea if he was even capable of performing the functions they would need to locate their nephew.

Knowing that every eye in the room was focused on him, including Will’s, he turned around to regard the women who sat behind him. Leaning on the desk behind him, he gave Addison a good long stare. If she already thought he was a savage, why not live up to the role? There would be hell to pay from Will later, but just watching the woman squirm would be worth it.

“Your nephew has gone missing.” He made his statement sound like a question. He knew the kid was gone, Will had just said he was and Will was, as far as Spencer could tell, never wrong.

“Yes, he disappeared from his bedroom a month ago.”

“Spencer, I told them you aren’t available for the assignment. I’m going to assign someone else.” He dark tones clearly expressed what he thought of Spencer’s presence in the room at that moment. “Your other issue, the one that had you storming in here like a lunatic, I’ll look into the matter later.”

Ignoring Will, he continued his long stare at princess Addison. “And it took you a whole month to come here? What were you doing?”

“Why we were too busy to come here, naturally. I had a ski vacation in Aspen and my aunt needed to get her nails done every day.” Addison’s sarcasm spit from her mouth and Spencer nearly laughed aloud. So, the cat had claws. What was wrong with him that he liked it so much?

“Temper, temper, Ms. Wade.” Spencer ignored the tug in his groin that said he was more than just a little aware of how attractive she was.

“I don’t like your implication, Mr. Lewis. For your information, we have been working with the authorities and trying to handle this nightmare ourselves.” She looked down and for a moment, Spencer swore she was biting the inside of her cheek. Her foot still tapped on the floor. When she looked up, her gaze was not on him, but on Will behind him. Spencer narrowed his eyes. He didn’t like that one bit.

“I realize this is the perfect opportunity to attack and humiliate us. We are sitting here in your office, easy targets. But, we’ve come here in good faith, to ask you for help in our most desperate situation. Can you help us or should we leave?”

“We can help you. I’ll assign you someone.” Will stood up and walked around the desk to stand next to him, placing a hand on his arm. Spencer started. When was the last time the other man had touched him? A jolt of psychic awareness filled the room, although he was sure the two non-sensitives wouldn’t feel it. Why was Will pushing on his senses so hard? “But it won’t be Spencer here helping you. As I said, he’s not capable of doing what you need him to do right now.”

Addison’s eyes showed relief. “That’s fine. We’ll be most grateful.”

Oh, hell no. “I can do it.”

“What?” Will and Addison spoke at the same time. Spencer crossed his arms over his chest.

“I said I could do it. I’ll find the missing Wade child, your nephew.”

“No.” Addison stood up.

Looking left and right between Addison and Spencer, the older woman Will had called Morgan stood up too, a pained expression on her features showing her worry.

“No?”

“Mr. Rhodes says you are not capable of doing the job. Therefore, we need someone else.”

“I said I would do it, and I’m the best there is. No one else can find your nephew as quickly as I can. You do care about that, don’t you, Ms. Wade? Or do people in your position, who wait a month to get the services of freaks like us, not care about things like the mental health of the missing child?”

Addison’s mouth gaped open and he had the momentary pleasure of watching her do her best imitation of the number zero. Satisfaction crept up his spine. Let the spawn of all things evil feel lower than low for a while. Nothing he’d ever said had felt better.

Until he saw her hand shake.

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ELORA'S MATCH by Liia Ann White

ELORA'S MATCH - The Different Saga Book One by Liia Ann White

Elora's parents mysteriously disappeared when she was fifteen. She vowed to find answers – discover what really happened to them. But after twenty-five years of travelling the world she has come up empty handed. Feeling tired and lonely, she settles down in the city her best friend, Caleb, calls home. To lead a regular human existence for a while...like he does.

One problem...they're not human. They're Different – a rare supernatural race known for their beauty, strength and supernatural abilities.

Elora is lead to a man by a series of visions. Cue Kadin - powerful, sexy and also Different. He is her match - her soul-mate. Her life has never felt so complete.

But it's not all good news. Elora must now deal with a rogue demon Elder hell-bent on taking over Lucifer's reign over Hell. To succeed she needs to steal Elora's power. When she's facing the fight of her life, can Elora really trust Kadin?

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Excerpt

The scent of moist woods came strong through my nose as I watched the tall trees pass by in a blur. Early morning mist covered the roads, rays of sunshine shimmering through the tree leaves as the car bumped down the vaguely familiar road. My heart fluttered with anticipation as the vehicle made a sharp turn, heading closer toward our destination.

Suddenly, a soft touch came upon my knee. I turned my head and looked at Caleb. His perfect face skewed into a small frown, lips pursed, dark brown eyes filled with concern.

“You ok?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I lied, forcing a smile.

After twenty-five years of travelling the world, staying put made me feel uneasy. I did this for Caleb. Best friends since childhood, we were inseparable, until I decided to leave home to find answers in my parents’ disappearance. Not easily forgotten was the memory of the event that changed my life.

Caleb and I entered the house after a day at school, as we usually would, except that day, the stench of sulphur was so strong it caused us to choke. We found a rogue demon in the back living room, his body sizzling on the ground. Caleb interrogated him while I stayed completely frozen with fear. My parents disappeared after their attack.

Forty years later, still nobody knew why. Least of all me.

Caleb and I were Different; a supernatural race known collectively as The Difference; a plain term coined centuries ago that stuck. Most humans would call us mutants or witches, due to our abilities, but that was just a reflection of their ignorance.

Our species appeared human enough, but we all have the common traits of astounding physical beauty, incredible strength, and heightened senses. Some of us are physic, some telepathic, and some able to manipulate the elements. But we all have the power of persuasion, a form of mind compulsion, making it very easy to control a human’s mind.

My powers have always exceeded my peers, and more than once, I received warnings they could attract unwanted attention. Not only can I manipulate all the elements, I have the gift of psycho kinesis, the ability to fly, to heal, and unpredictable precognition.

Being Different has always been a touchy subject with Caleb. While I love my abilities and use them to my full advantage, he always wants to be a regular human. To age and live like ‘normal’ people do. However, since five human years are equal one Different year, it is an impossible want.

Not that he doesn’t try. Soon after I left home, Caleb moved to the United States, where nobody knew him, so he could start leading a more human lifestyle. I had always compared it to a vampire surviving on animal or synthetic blood; I just don’t see the point of it. If you have a gift, you should use it to your advantage, not let it fade away.

Caleb manoeuvred the car down the small paved road leading to a large wrought iron gate at the end of the driveway. It opened to a long, curved driveway as we approached. The car inched through the gate to perfect manicured gardens, and the house appeared, looking just as I remembered.

Large and statuesque.

The ancient white stone contrasted with black wrought iron window frames and porch balustrades. Vines grew around the lower half of the three-story home, leaving the stone all but gone.

Caleb stopped the car by the porch stairs, cut the engine, and turned to me with a smile. “Home sweet home.”

There was nothing sweet about it. A wave of nausea came over me as I realized I had never been to this house without my parents. Facing the emptiness of this home left me feeling winded. When I reached the front door, they wouldn’t be there to greet me, and nothing about that resembled the home where I once lived.

Caleb beat me to the car’s trunk, removing my three large suitcases. Then, swiftly, he ran up the porch stairs, taking two at a time.

As I followed behind him, I ran my hand along the thick balustrade, trying to ignore my increasing heart race. A lump formed in the back of my throat along with the burning of tears in my eyes that I refused to let free. I would not break down. I would stay strong -- for Caleb.

He flashed me a reassuring smile before opening the thick wooden door. There was no sound, no creaking, and no aching old frames. The house was in perfect condition despite its standing since the 1400s.

Entering the house, I recognized the scent of rose, timber, and lemon. The house hadn’t changed one bit in the years I’d be gone. My footsteps echoed throughout the empty house. A thick layer of dust covered every piece of furniture. Nobody had been here for decades.

My gaze ran over the couch where I used to cuddle with my parents on cold nights while they read me bedtime stories.

This house was the first home my parents built together. Before I was born, they moved to Australia, wanting to raise me somewhere safer, more sheltered from the supernatural world.

Their apparent death created an empty void in my life. I miss the little things the most; the way they always called me ‘princess’, the way they ran their hands over my hair to soothe me, how we’d curl up on the couch in silence while watching a movie together, and waking every morning to find my breakfast waiting for me in the kitchen, already made.

I would never argue with them again. Never tell them another joke. Never have them ask how my day was. I’d never see their smiling faces again. These past years, I’d been so hell bent on finding the person responsible for their disappearance I hadn’t let myself mourn their loss. Anger is a much easier emotion for me to feel than sadness.

Caleb slipped his arm over my shoulder, pulling me into a sideways hug. “Memories, hey?” He smiled at me.

“Indeed.” I let out a sigh and walked toward the suitcases Caleb left by the front door. “Thanks for picking me up, Cal.”

“What kind of a friend would I be if I didn’t?”

“A normal one,” I admitted.

“You may have abandoned me, but I’d still do anything for you.”

He mean it as a joke, but I had abandoned him. When I left home, I didn’t think of anyone else, only my agenda. Never once did I think about the effect it would have on my remaining family.

Caleb wrapped his arm around me again. “You know what you need?”

“What’s that?”

“A night out with friends.”

“Friends?” I repeated.

“Layke and I.” Great, the girlfriend; I fought against the urge to roll my eyes. “It’s my mate’s birthday, and he’s having a party at a local club. It’s VIP and everything.” He grinned, reminding me of his teenage self.

“Don’t get too excited, Cal.” I laughed at his enthusiasm.

He released his arm and gave me a shove. “Go get ready. I’ll pick you up in couple hours.” He headed for the door, turning around as his hand wrapped around the knob, “Elora?”

“Yeah?”

“You’ll be ok you know.”

He sounded so positive I wanted to believe him, but I wasn’t sure I would be ok. “I know.” I smiled before he left, turning to take in my new home. “Welcome home,” I muttered to myself quietly.

As the front door closed, I headed down the long hallway leading upstairs to my bedroom. The sound of the suitcases dragging on the wooden floor echoed throughout the hall as I went past the large formal dining. A heavy oak table sat in the centre of the room, thirteen cream and gold chairs with wooden frames positioned around it. I stepped up the long wooden staircase, several photographs of my parents and I hung on the wall.

The upper floor consisted of five bedrooms and three bathrooms. Mine was at the very end of the hall; a large, triple sized bedroom with French doors leading to a balcony. The bedroom remained exactly the same as I remembered. A large canopied bed sat in the centre of the carpeted room, decorated with a deep blue comforter and pillows. I sat down on the bed, opening the suitcases and began unpacking.

First, I took out a wooden box of keepsakes. My fingertips ran over the tiny roses engraved on the surface, emeralds in the centre of each flower. After opening it, a photograph of my parents and I lay before me, a photo taken when I was fourteen, just a few weeks before their disappearance. My mother stood on my left, her long blonde hair framing her goddess-like face, deep brown eyes crinkling as she smiled. On my right was my father, a very tall, muscular man with light brown hair and blue eyes.

Then there was me, in the middle. Sometimes I doubted they were my biological parents. With raven hair and violet eyes that change colour with my moods, I looked nothing like either of them. I am 5’7” with a long, curvaceous body and very defined muscles and facial features, whereas my parents were very long and lean.

The photo taken so long ago, but I remember it so clearly it could have been yesterday. The trouble with having an eidetic memory is that you can’t forget a thing. All memories, good and bad, stay with you forever.

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LOVE BEYOND LOYALTY by Rebecca Royce

LOVE BEYOND LOYALTY - An Outsider Story by Rebecca Royce

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 taken care of himself--and others--since birth. There's no way he has 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. It's not that weird. Many people have unusual abilities.

But 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. That is, if they can both survive to find their way to the most important part of their destinies: 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 locally brewed 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 'Sebastain' 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 his lager finished off, he decided to do an Internet search on the subject and maybe buy some books.

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.

Narrowing his eyes, he tried to make sense out of what he was seeing. The water appeared to tremble. How much alcohol had he drank? Kneeling down, he took another look. The river was, in fact, vibrating.

"What the hell?" he asked. Reaching out to lean over the bank to feel the water, it buzzed on the rough pads of his fingers.

Looking left, he sucked in his breath. "Holy shit."

He took two steps backwards as a scene he'd never thought to see in his life took place in front of his eyes. A giant tidal wave, the kind you saw on television after a tsunami hit, barreled down the thin canal of the river. No way. Not under any circumstances should that big of a wave be here on a perfect weather day in North Shore, Louisiana.
Truly, the storm surges they got during hurricanes weren't that big.

He gasped as he realized the wave was going to destroy his house. His, and everyone else's who lived on the block by the river. No one would be prepared.

"Hey," he started screaming. People needed to get out of their homes. "Hey!" He tried to move toward his neighbor's dock but his feet wouldn't work. He pulled again. His feet seemed glued to the wooden planks of the dock.

"Oh, damn it." This wasn't natural. It was magic, and the dang wave that was going to destroy his neighborhood was also not of the normal variety.

Fuck. He should have known this was going to happen. He tried to pull his leg up again, shouting for someone to hear him. Hell and damnation, if he was to die he
didn't want to take any innocents with him. Anyone who was home was going to be killed.

Why was he surprised? Sebastian didn't value human life. He thought of them as no better than insects.

"Ah!" he screamed, as he tried desperately to move. It was no use. He was stuck.
The noise the wave made was beyond loud. It was like a jet engine coming straight at him. His ears rang from the intensity. Lifting his hand, he rubbed his ear and felt the trickle of hot blood on his hands. Great, that couldn.t be good in terms of permanent hearing loss. Not that it mattered since he.d be dead soon.

In the distance, the barking of a dog cut through the ringing in his ears. Oh, hell, some neighbor had gone out and their animal was home with no way of avoiding the onslaught. Now he could go on to the great unknown with the deaths of both people and animals on his conscience.

The wave hit him. He closed his eyes as what essentially felt like an airplane crashing slammed into his body. Even the magic that had been holding him in place couldn.t stand against the wave. One second he was frozen, the next his body was engulfed in such physical pain he couldn.t make one sensation out from the next.

And then, finally, there was just water.

After the pain of the wave slamming into him, the water felt almost blissful even as he realized it would kill him. Still unable to move very much from the combination of the magical assault and the destruction of the wave, Gabriel had no choice but to float. Pushed and pulled inside the body of the wave, he knew it would be over soon.

He'd never have to decide if he wanted to join the Outsiders. No one would know they needed to save Alexa from the demon. All of the choices he.d thought he needed to make were about to end in the green water that bordered his house.

The water hoisted him upwards and then suddenly stopped. Something pulled him to the surface. Still not able to move, he had no idea what dragged him to the surface but seconds later his head passed over the surface. Dragging in a breath, he sputtered.

"Good boy, Futon." He heard a woman.s voice behind him and was surprised to see the owner of that voice standing on his dock. How had he not travelled farther away with the wave? He shook his head. He.d never be able to explain it since it was, no doubt, going to turn out to be one of those magical things that defied basic human logic.

The dog pulled him along the top of the water as Gabriel gasped for air. "Don't worry, Sir, we've got you. Futon is a strong dog. He's never dropped anyone yet. Well, anyone he didn't want to drop."

"My body," Gabriel.s voice felt scratchy when he spoke. "It's not working so well. I.m not going to be able to get myself out of the canal."

"That.s no problem, I'll pull you."

"No." He shook his head. "No way will you be able to lift me."

"You.re right. I can't. But between me and Futon, we'll get you up."

The dog let go of him and he started to sink but hands grabbed him. Futon jumped on the dock and leaned over with his mistress. Together, much to the dismay of Gabriel's ego which didn't like being rescued by a woman and her dog, they hoisted him onto the dock. He shook his head as he coughed and tried to regain his equilibrium.

Still unable to move his legs, he groaned. "This isn.t happening."

"Mind telling me what's going on? Did you see the size of that wave?"

The dog barked as if he answered the woman. Gabriel strained to turn his head to look at her.

Although she was disheveled, squatting next to him was the most beautiful woman he'd ever beheld. With red curly hair flying every which way, she had a long face with high cheekbones and pointy little chin. Skin the color of white soap, her angular nose was speckled with freckles giving her face true character beyond her obvious beauty. As did, he noted, her arms, bared in a tank top. Clearly an athlete, her toned body showed off a figure most women would kill for.

Breasts, shapely and round, poked out the top of tank top exposing the top of a white bra that had lacy, frilly looking decorations on it.

But it was her eyes not her breasts that held his attention. They were violet. He blinked just to be sure he wasn't hallucinating about the color and was pleased to see they didn't change shades. He'd never seen anyone who had eyes like that before. Swallowing, he tried to think of something to say. Hadn't she asked him a question?

"Are you going to tell me what happened to you? You just stood there and let that wave slam into you. I thought you were dead but Futon knew you were alive."

Futon? He regarded the dog. A medium sized border collie with black spots stared back at him. His heart sped up. He.d heard that name for a dog before. In fact, it was the same damn dog.

"I know you." He pointed at the creature. "But the last time I saw you was with an old woman on Magazine Street in New Orleans."

Gabriel had been working for a shady lingerie storeowner on the bad side of Magazine Street at the time. Trying to find out what Sebastian wanted with the man, he would later uncover that the demon had employed Trent, the owner, to kill virgins by bleeding them to death. Gabriel still didn't fully understand how it benefited Sebastian and he wasn't sure he ever would. On his second day, he'd been hassled by an old woman on the street who'd told him Sebastian was in New Jersey and that he needed to hurry up and get there.

She'd spoken of fate and a lot of mumbo-jumbo he hadn't understood. It had turned out that she was right and he'd high-tailed it off to New Jersey to help stop Sebastian's assault on the Outsiders. The woman had been with Futon.

The woman shook her head. "There are lots of border collies around this area. You must have seen a different one because Futon never leaves me."

That was possible. And, it was also possible that crawfish were going to fly out of his ass. How many dogs named after bedroom furniture that happened to be black and white border collies did she think were running around the great state of Louisiana?

Soaking wet, he had started to shiver even though the air was hot and moist. "Look, miss," and he knew she was a 'miss' because she didn't wear a wedding ring. "I can't tell you how grateful I am to you and Futon, but I think you'd better go. It's not safe here."

"My name is Loraine Peacock."
He raised an eyebrow. "Like the bird?"

"Exactly, like the bird, and if you could refrain from making sexual innuendoes that star my last name my estimation of you will be much higher."

He laughed. "I.m way too cold right now to be thinking that hard. You're safe from sex jokes."

Futon barked, and Loraine glanced at the animal. "You.re right, we need to get him inside. But where?"

He hated to ask them for any more help. Wait a minute. Had she spoken to the dog? "Did you just answer that thing like you understood it?"

Her violet eyes flared with temper. "He is not a thing. He is a male border collie, and it is likely that he is smarter than you are."

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend Futon." He looked at the dog that glared at him through small eyes. "I'm not much of an animal person. My only experience with animals is the time one tried to maul me to death in a back alley when I was eight years old."

Loraine gasped. "What were you doing in a back alley at eight years old?"

"That.s not important right now. If you could just bring me inside and then run away, forgetting you ever met me, that might be best."

Shaking her head, Loraine stepped forward and stroked his hair. "I.m afraid there are two reasons we can.t do that."

Startled by the feel of her small hand on his head, he couldn't speak for a moment.
Could she keep doing that? If he asked nicely, would she? It was such a simple gesture, just comforting, and yet despite the fact that his legs were still not working his cock got hard as a rock. He swallowed.

Holy hell. That had never happened to him like that. Not even when he was a teenager. He'd always been able to control it. Looking down at his shorts, he was sure she would notice. Fortunately, she seemed to be staring at his face. Good.

Concentrate. "Um, what were the two reasons?"

"We can.t bring you into your house because it is destroyed."

Turning his head as far as he could manage, he stared at the structure and wished he hadn't. She was right. While the other houses on the canal had been all but untouched, Sebastian's devil-made wave had destroyed his house completely.

Only the foundation, which was torn in pieces, remained. He could see part of the concrete slab where he'd stored his lawn equipment still rested where it had been, although his lawnmower was gone. It was a nightmare.

He nodded. "Okay." There really wasn.t anything else to say.

Even as a small child he'd learned not to cry. Nothing was different now. Who had he been kidding thinking he'd found a home? He'd never had a home as a child and it had been un-fucking-believable that he'd allowed himself to pretend that he could have one now. Pathetic, really. He bit down on his lower lip wishing he could stand so he could break something with his fists.

Loraine continued to stroke his head and he swatted her hand away, not caring if she thought him rude. Fuck this whole thing. He closed his eyes and recalled her prior comment.

"You said there were two reasons."

What else had Sebastian destroyed? He'd taken his house and he'd taken, hopefully temporarily, his ability to walk. His balls still ached so he knew he hadn't taken his penis. Maybe he'd just taken his ability to control himself. That would be a great maneuver. Sebastian took away Gabriel's control, thus making him a horny dog worse than any fourteen-year-old boy. Shit.

Futon barked and Gabriel opened his eyes to regard the animal again. Gone was the mean gaze of earlier. Now, if he didn't know it was crazy, he would swear the dog looked at him with pity. Maybe that was worse.

"Futon said we had to come and get you. That's what we're doing here."

Gabriel turned his attention to Loraine. He spoke through gritted teeth. "Futon told you to come and get me, which is what you're doing here?"

He watched her clench her fists at her side. "That.s right." Her pinched expression dared him to contradict her.

Even though he was totally dependant on her to get off the dock, he just couldn't not say what was on his mind. Maybe he was just dumb like that.

"Lady, are you nuts?"
She made a sound that was something between a squeak and a groan. "Why is it nuts that I can talk to him? Explain it to me. Is it any more crazy than the fact that Futon got you out of the water? Could a typical border collie have done that? Dragged a grown man out of rushing water?"

"I have no idea what a typical border can or can not do. I told you, I don't like fucking animals."

She raised an eyebrow as the dog barked. "Futon says, I need to give you a break because you are going through a trauma but I don't like your language.. It.s coarse. I'm not used to that kind of talk."

"Are you by any chance from the 1950s or just Uptown New Orleans?"

She shook her head for a second, clearly confused. "I moved around a lot as a child, but I lived the longest in Tucson, Arizona."

"Shit."

She started to complain and he interrupted her. "Okay, I'm sorry. I curse all the time. I'm a total pig. Mostly, I'm a street rat with little education and no drive. Consider this a universal apology for what is bound to be a lot of cursing, and before you insist otherwise, I have to tell you that I have no ability to control it. Think of it as my nervous tick."

She shook her head. "No."

"What?"

He really started to shake. God, it was really fucking cold on his usually hot deck.
Her face fell as she moved forward to touch his cheeks. "You.re burning up."

"No, I.m cold as ice." In front of him, his hands started to shake. Dammit, in his whole life he'd never been so completely out of control.

"I think you.re in really bad shape. We need to get out of here."

"Where will we go?"

"I don't know but we need to get you into my car."

He used one of his shaking hands to grab her arm. "Loraine, I'm such an ass. I'm sorry."

"No apologies right now." He could see her thin neck move as she swallowed. "I don't even know your name."

"I'm Gabriel Ward."

"Pleased to meet you, Gabriel."

Grinning even though it hurt him to do so, he laughed. "Everyone calls me Gabe."

"I'm going to call you Gabriel. It suits you better."

She could call him anything she wanted if she kept looking at him with her violet eyes that made him want to run through fields of flowers. He shook his head. Wow, he was really losing it if he was thinking fucking stupid thoughts like that.

"Where should I take you Gabriel?"

"To New Orleans." He rattled out Alexa.s work address. She didn't answer his phone calls anymore since Sebastian had convinced her he.d gone 'bad', but maybe she'd see him if he showed up in need. She was supposed to be his very best friend.

"I'm going to take care of you, Gabriel. I'm very dependable that way."

He hoped she was since he was fairly certain he was going to pass out. Three seconds later, he did.

**End Excerpt**

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