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Archive for the 'About books…' Category
Saturday, April 13th, 2013
I don’t usually repeat the same book two weeks in a row, but this week’s theme was sooooo hard for me to find something that “smelled” even a little like crawling. My characters tend to be too proud for that. They pick fights just so they have good excuses to lay hands (in a sexy way) on each other. This was the closest I could recall. Hope you enjoy.
If you post a comment today, you’ll be entered to win
a free download of this book, or its sequel IN TOO DEEP!
“With amazing suspense, and hot, dominant lovin’ this cowboy and his high school sweetheart take the reader on an amazing emotional journey. Mixed with a bit of humor, sizzling bedroom scenes, and cowboys that steal your heart, Ms. Devlin has created a beyond 5 Book worthy start of an incredible new series.” ~ 5/5 Books, Reviews by Molly
Seeking sanctuary could be the hottest mistake she ever made.
The TripleHorn Brand, Book 1
A lifetime ago, Zuri Prescott kicked the dirt off her boots and ditched her small-time small town for the glam city life—and lived to regret it. When she’s framed for a bank job, she lights out for home, seeking refuge with her old high school sweetheart while she figures out her next steps. Only she discovers that the boy she left behind is the last man she should trust.
Sheriff Colt Triplehorn knows trouble when he sees it, especially when it comes in the form of a familiar trespasser, caught naked between an angry bull and her underwear. Sure she’s up to her usual no good, he grants her sanctuary at his ranch—the better to keep an eye on her, and purge her from his system once and for all.
Reconnection is sweet and hot, but the heat can’t hide the truth. When Colt inevitably finds out what Zuri’s running from, it’s too late to put the fire out, and he’s got a career-compromising choice on his hands. Follow the letter of the law, or follow his heart.
Product Warnings: When a sheriff captures the girl who got away, expect revenge so hot it leaves brands on two lonely hearts…
Colt heard her sobs as soon as he pushed through the front door. Moving quietly, he entered, noted the mess and guessed the cause of her sorrow. He’d have spared her this, but she’d given him the slip. Tommy had followed her to the apartment and called him to let him know where to find her.
For whatever cockeyed reason, Zuri had begun to withdraw from him. Pulling away the moment she realized her problems were going to linger for a while. He suspected that she worried about hurting his reputation, that she’d be a burden, but they hadn’t had the privacy to talk about what was weighing on her mind.
Coming up behind her, he knelt and reached for her upper arms. He pulled her back against his chest then wrapped his arms around her. “It’s going to be okay, Zuri.”
She didn’t fight him, but also didn’t cling. She lay limply against his chest, her body shaking with her deep sobs. “You can’t know that. You’re a sheriff, you can’t want this.”
You can’t want me was what he heard. He tightened his fingers on her upper arms and gave her a gentle shake. “Don’t tell me what I want.” It came out more harshly than he intended, but it seemed to do the trick.
Zuri stiffened. Her sobs subsided. When she reached up to pry his fingers from her arm, he let her go. She crawled forward on her knees then turned to face him.
Her expression nearly killed him.
Her soft brown eyes were large in her face, her lashes wet and spiked. Her chin wobbled. Gone was any hint of stubborn pride.
At a loss for what to say next, he took off his cowboy hat and raked a hand through his hair. “Billy says I can take you home.”
“This is my home,” she said, her voice thick and raw.
He shook his head. “You’re not stayin’ here.”
“I have work to do. A mess to clean up.”
“I’ll hire a cleaning team. You don’t have to do this.”
“It’s my own damn mess.” Her chin firmed, lifted.
Now there was the hint of starch he’d hoped to find. “Then we’ve got ourselves a problem.”
“What’s that?”
“I have a job. One that requires I be in Caldera County to perform.”
“There’s nothin’ stoppin’ you here.”
“Sure there is. You see, Billy says you’re my responsibility.”
“They released me.”
“With promises from me to make sure you met your court dates. And he expects to contact you in the meantime at my home.”
“You’ll just have to tell him my plans changed.”
He almost smiled. Her eyes gleamed, not with tears, but with anger. Something he could work with.
Slipping his cuffs from his back pocket, he dangled them from a finger. “Now, we can do this the easy way…or…”
Her eyes narrowed to slits. “You wouldn’t.”
“I will if I have to.” He held out his other hand. “Gonna come peaceably?”
He read relief in the lowering of her shoulders, but not defeat.
Her glance cut to the side. “I’ll need to pack.”
“There’s not a thing you need. I have a suitcase in the truck. All those pretty things Tommy bought you.”
“I’m not some charity case.”
“Never wanted you to feel that way,” he said honestly. “Didn’t mean to ride roughshod over you these past few days, but I wanted this over. For us to be able to move on. Fact is, I need you, Zuri.”
“I’m not right for you. Not—”
“Don’t say you aren’t good enough.”
Her eyes filled. “You know what I came from, what I’ve been accused of. Folks can’t be that forgiving, not in Caldera.”
“Folks will learn to judge you by the company you keep, by the good things you do.”
A tear escaped her eye and trailed down her cheek. “I don’t want to hurt you, Colt. I couldn’t stand that.”
Colt reached out a finger and wiped the tear away. Then he cupped her face between his hands, locking her gaze with his. “The only way you’ll hurt me, Zuri-girl, is if you let me walk out that door alone.”
She drew in a breath, opened her mouth to speak, but then came up on her knees and flung her arms around his shoulders. “I’m so glad you said that. I wanted to give you an out, but it would have killed me to say goodbye. Guess I’m selfish.”
Colt held her close, smiling into her hair. “Guess I’m selfish too, because I wasn’t jokin’ about those cuffs.”
“We’re a pair, aren’t we?”
Tugging on the back of her hair, he forced her head back. “If you come home with me, you’re gonna live under my roof. My rules.”
Her lips curved. “Didn’t mind your rules so much the last time.”
“Glad you’re so eager. But I’ve got this ring that’s been burnin’ a hole in my pocket for twelve long years.”
“You kept it?”
“Belonged to my grandmother. I wasn’t gonna throw it away. It’s been waitin’ for the right girl to come home.”
“Your rules?” she said, arching a brow.
“You have to come home as my wife.”
* * * * *
Be sure to check out the snippets on these other authors’ blogs:
Caris Roane
Eliza Gayle
McKenna Jeffries
Shiloh Walker
Taige Crenshaw
HelenKay Dimon
TJ Michaels
Lissa Matthews
Myla Jackson
Lauren Dane
Tagged: excerpt, Triple Horn Brand
Posted in About books..., Contests! | 17 People Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: BookLady - Fedora - Melissa Porter - gerri peel - Delilah -
Saturday, April 6th, 2013
The winner (chosen by random number generator) of the free download
of Laying Down the Law is Chris Bails! Chris, congrats! And send me an email
so I’ll know where to send your story! ~DD
* * * * *
This week’s snippet theme is all about the heartbreak of breaking up. Zuri and Colt from Laying Down the Law had a parting that haunted them for years. In this scene, you’ll meet both stubborn souls still too proud to admit they’ve never been able to forget their youthful romance and move on. Enjoy!
If you post a comment today, you’ll be entered to win
a free download of this book!
“With amazing suspense, and hot, dominant lovin’ this cowboy and his high school sweetheart take the reader on an amazing emotional journey. Mixed with a bit of humor, sizzling bedroom scenes, and cowboys that steal your heart, Ms. Devlin has created a beyond 5 Book worthy start of an incredible new series.” ~ 5/5 Books, Reviews by Molly
Seeking sanctuary could be the hottest mistake she ever made.
The TripleHorn Brand, Book 1
A lifetime ago, Zuri Prescott kicked the dirt off her boots and ditched her small-time small town for the glam city life—and lived to regret it. When she’s framed for a bank job, she lights out for home, seeking refuge with her old high school sweetheart while she figures out her next steps. Only she discovers that the boy she left behind is the last man she should trust.
Sheriff Colt Triplehorn knows trouble when he sees it, especially when it comes in the form of a familiar trespasser, caught naked between an angry bull and her underwear. Sure she’s up to her usual no good, he grants her sanctuary at his ranch—the better to keep an eye on her, and purge her from his system once and for all.
Reconnection is sweet and hot, but the heat can’t hide the truth. When Colt inevitably finds out what Zuri’s running from, it’s too late to put the fire out, and he’s got a career-compromising choice on his hands. Follow the letter of the law, or follow his heart.
Product Warnings: When a sheriff captures the girl who got away, expect revenge so hot it leaves brands on two lonely hearts…
Colt Triplehorn pushed back his cowboy hat and wiped away the sweat gathering above his brow with his shirtsleeve. The blue sky was clear of clouds, the sun rising hot and fast and turning the moisture soaked in the ground into steam. The air was thick, humid, hard to breathe.
Even his dog, Scout, felt the aftereffects of the previous night’s storm. His gray and white Australian Shepherd kept pace with his horse. But the dog’s tongue lolled from one side of his mouth, and he wasn’t as quick to dart toward the herd and nip at the heels of the cows who wandered too far from the main body.
They’d been moving cattle since dawn—shifting them from a parched and overgrazed pasture to this one. Here the buffalo grass was longer and greening up fast after the downpour. Maybe they’d even be able to put off buying another load of hay for a week or so if the sun didn’t scorch the grass too quickly.
Colt’s gaze lifted to the tall elm trees lining the banks of the creek that bordered the pasture, and he stifled a grimace. Past the tall trees stood the ramshackle hunting cabin he hadn’t had the heart to enter in years. His brothers kept it stocked, heading there each fall during the short deer-hunting season. Maybe this year, he’d join them.
Maybe this year, he’d get past the memories the little cedar-log cabin evoked. Twelve years was a long time to hold onto a dream.
There in that little cabin, he’d secretly met with his girl, Zuri. There, they’d cuddled after school and explored each other’s bodies. There, he’d taken her virginity. It was also there that he’d planned to propose.
The ring had burned a hole in his pocket for weeks, waiting for graduation day. He’d bought new bedding for the twin mattresses of the two bunk beds, replaced the yellowed curtains in the windows with pretty white lace. A white linen tablecloth had covered the plank table, and he’d smuggled china and crystal from the house for the meal he’d planned. Everything had been perfect. Waiting for her.
But she’d never known, because as soon as the graduation ceremony ended, she’d walked over to him as everyone else headed to the parking lot outside the high school gym, given him a kiss and told him goodbye.
He’d stood there like a stump, not saying a word. Every warning his brothers had given him about not trusting her, about her being bad news, searing his mind.
“What were you gonna tell me?” she’d asked, gazing up at him with her deceptively soft brown eyes.
“Never mind,” he’d mumbled, pulling himself together for his own pride’s sake and walking her to her car. It had been the last time he’d seen or talked to her. Not that he’d expected to. Once she’d passed the city-limits sign, he’d been history.
He hoped like hell she’d found what she’d been looking for, because he’d been lost after she left. Read the rest of this entry »
Tagged: excerpt, Triple Horn Brand
Posted in About books..., Contests! | 16 People Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: Ginger Robertson - ELF - Fedora - Melissa Porter - Delilah -
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013
Writing a Series
 A friend recently suggested I read FOREIGNER by C.J. Cherryh, a popular sci/fi writer. It’s the first book in a series and has a fascinating premise. A spaceship from Earth has gone off course into an alien universe. A colony is sent down to live on a planet populated by the atevi, an intelligent group that resembles humans, but are taller, stronger, and have black skin and yellow eyes. The hero, Bren Cameron, is a human translator who has learned the atevi language and culture. He wants desperately to maintain the peace between the two diverse groups, but things never run smoothly. By the end of the book, he’s so badly injured he’s on his way to the hospital for surgery, but for the moment, he’s out of danger. The second book, INVADER, begins with Bren leaving the hospital and right back into deep trouble. I don’t usually read sci/fi, but this series is so fast-paced and exciting, it drew me right in. Bren is such a sympathetic character, I couldn’t stop after the first book!
Having one continuing character works well not only in sci/fi, but also in mysteries and thrillers. Sue Grafton has pushed Kinsey Millhone through the alphabet. Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum humorous mystery series is on NOTORIOUS NINETEEN. Fans know they won’t be disappointed when they read the next book in a popular series.
When a family friend married a bullfighter’s daughter, I thought it a great premise for a book, but I hadn’t anticipated a series when I began. Wealthy men often have multiple wives and create new families, and a matador was a perfect fit for the role. My goal in FIERCE LOVE was to tell the story of Magdalena Aragon, a young woman in her twenties who’s meeting her famous father for the first time. She’s the daughter born of his brief marriage to an American woman, and this is her first visit to Spain. That she has half brothers and half sisters she’d also never met added near endless complications to her reunion with her father. When she falls for a matador herself, he’s the very last man she wants to love. The story is set in Barcelona, a city I love, and the book was a joy to write.
 When I sent the finished the book to my editor at Samhain, it proved impossible to leave Maggie’s eldest brother, Santos, behind. He’s the bullfighter’s son, and deserved a book of his own. FIERCE PRIDE is an entirely different story. He’s a matador himself and someone wants him dead. That he falls for Maggie’s half sister, Libby, strengthens the ties created in the first book and gives characters I’d grown to love a chance to come back for an encore.
You can probably see this coming, but Maggie’s father had a mistress, a super-model with an independent spirit, who demanded a book of her own, FIERCE PASSION. This series grew from the characters and their complicated relationships, and I had to run to keep up with them. I do believe the FIERCE series is complete as a trilogy, but Maggie has twin half sisters who may someday get a book of their own.
Do you love to read books in a series? I’ll be happy to send pdf copies of FIERCE LOVE and FIERCE PRIDE to someone who comments.
FIERCE LOVE is available in both ebook and print from Samhain. FIERCE PRIDE, a February 2013 ebook, and will be in print in February 2014. The beautiful mistress’s story, FIERCE PASSION will be a November 2013 release. Rest assured, no bulls were harmed in any way in the writing of these books.
Tagged: Guest Blogger
Posted in About books..., Contests! | 16 People Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: ELF - Pat Freely - Rachelle Lerner - Melissa Porter - Fedora -
Saturday, March 23rd, 2013
The winner (chosen by a random number generator) is #11…ELF!
Congrats, ELF! And email me to arrange delivery of your prize!
* * * * *
Today’s theme is jobs. So here’s a snippet from a story about a cowboy who’s also a deputy, but who pretends to be a handyman. He’s not really lyin’. He’s very handy with his hands. Enjoy!
If you post a comment today, you’ll be entered to win
a free download of this book!
“…Ooooh is this hot! So very descriptive in the sheer need to be loved, to be not only desired sexually by the other. Proving to Katelyn that all men aren’t like her ex, Daniel gives of himself without any hesitation. What a man! This is a keeper, fellow readers, and not just for those dedicated ‘sexy cowboy’ fans.” ~5 Hearts, The Romance Studio
“…This is one book I could not put down from beginning to end!…I have to compliment Ms. Devlin on her writing prowess. She roped this reviewer with her playground of words, expertise of emotional perception, and exceptional writing ability.” ~5 Kisses, Romance Divas
Katelyn Carter came to rural Texas to lick her wounds and start over after her failed marriage, but a sexy young cowboy seems determined to show her that love is still in the cards for this single librarian.
Sheriff’s deputy Daniel Bodine answers a 911 call to remove a rattlesnake from his new neighbor’s bedroom. What he finds is an embarrassed Katelyn, dressed in little more than her pretty pink blushes. One little omission later, and he’s working for the lady as her handyman.
Burned once by a man, Katelyn fights her growing attraction but finds Daniel more temptation than she can resist. When he shows her he knows his way around a woman’s body as well as he does a hammer and a saw, she takes a walk on the nasty side, vainly hoping she can keep her heart free of entanglement.
Daniel stubbed his toe against the top step of the back porch and cursed under his breath as he set down his toolbox. Deciding he’d better remove the solid door to get it out of the way while he worked, he reached for a hammer to tap the pins from the hinges. As he worked, he let his mind stray back to his beautiful employer.
Katelyn Carter had thrown him for a loop—again. No woman had a right to look that good with dirt smudging her cheeks and sweat dampening her hair. Looking into those baby blue eyes brimming with suspicion, he’d almost talked himself into believing that showing up on her doorstep so soon was a very bad idea. And letting her think he was a handyman didn’t sit right.
Uncomfortable with subterfuge, he still couldn’t think of a better way to spend time with the lady. He needed to get his foot in the door before the rest of the unattached males in Tierney, Texas discovered this exotic flower of womanhood. He knew he didn’t possess a glib tongue or a pretty face, but usually he was satisfied with what he did have. This morning, however, Katelyn made him wish he was so much more.
Daniel sensed if she knew what kind of hammering and painting he really had on his mind she’d probably run screaming. As he tapped at the pins, he imagined himself alone with her in the moonlight. He’d start with stripping that tiny excuse for a T-shirt from her body and lick the sweat from between her plump breasts—
“Mr. Bodine?”
Her voice startled him, causing him to jerk, and he nearly mashed his thumb with the hammer. “Yes, ma’am?”
She stood beside him, so close his ears began to burn. That T-shirt clung to her skin like he’d imagined doing. She licked her lips nervously, drawing his gaze upward to follow the pink tongue as it flicked once around her lips.
Daniel lost track of the conversation.
“Mr. Bodine?”
He blushed when he realized he hadn’t heard a word she’d just said. “Pardon me, ma’am?” Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in About books... | 19 People Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: Donna Holmberg - sharon chalk - suzanne - Deb - Delilah -
Thursday, March 21st, 2013
Good Morning Everyone,
 I’m so excited to show a peek at my upcoming 1NS Trading Up Releasing 4/18/13!
If you haven’t ever read a 1NS series book you are missing out! I don’t even know the exact number of books out from various authors we have at this point. I’d like to say well over a hundred stories as we have a 1NS Paranormal and 1NS GBLT line as well. I never thought I could work off of a detail sheet with to create a story….but here I am on my third 1NS. My previous 1NS stories are Tell Me No Lies a paranormal 1NS and Burn Me if You Can, an IR 1NS.
 There is just something so mystical about Madame Eve that makes me want to keep creating characters that need her assistance in finding love, and if not finding the love of their live, opening themselves for a chance to find love in the future.
I also wanted to do a story with some sensory deprivation, and I’d never done more than a short scene with one sense taken away. I really enjoyed the challenge of taking it to the next level and really having fun. Not to mention taking away the first moment a couple meets in person where they decide prematurely what will and won’t happen with the date.
Camilla’s deal breakers make finding a man to fit her wants, needs, and desires darn near impossible. For years she’s been primped and primed to be the perfect political daughter, when all she really wants to do is let loose a little without her world collapsing. When a friend sends her Madam Eve’s way she figures she may just have the chance to explore a bit without being outed.
Jonah Black’s career is heading for a change. While his friends have dubbed him married to the military, he can’t deny that his focus has been off centered. While they enjoy the pleasures of life and wives, he has nothing to come home to. When offered the chance for a 1NS, he signs up and is unprepared for the exotic woman picked for him.
The flames licking inside her were too much to take, along with his roaming hand. She leaned forward and grasped the chilled wine goblet as a lifeline. When he nudged her lips to take a second taste, she pressed the together, holding her finger up and then laughing because he couldn’t see it in the dark. She took a long cool sip, more from Jonah’s effect on her than the food. She licked her lips then tucked herself against him, momentarily satisfied.
“Better?
“Mmm.” Cam sighed. “When’s it your turn? I’m having all the fun.”
“I’m having a good time feeding you.”
“You’re not hungry?” In the dark, his heart pounded against her cheek.“I’m hungry, all right. Ravenous, even.” Jonah caressed her thigh. Cam had no doubt his eyes would scorch her to her very soul. His lazy trail along her skin left her smoldering in need. She let him ply her with another skewer to distract from the throb at the apex of her thighs. She sucked a piece of pineapple he held between his fingers. Juices trickled down her chin. He mopped the stream of liquid with the pad of his thumb and heard him nosily sucked it off. Holy bananas, she wanted a taste of him now. Her mind kept rewinding to the feel of his finger parting her lips.
“I uh- need to use the ladies room.” Cam pressed the button on the table for assistance. Cesaire instructed. Seconds later, her guide assisted her out of her chair and slid it back in.
“Here we go, Ms. Knox.”
 She stepped awkwardly away from the table. Along the way, she heard soft sighs and giggles. Definitely some hard-core kissing action. The idea of giving in to the dark side and making out in public heightened her ardor. A loud bang startled her. She jumped, almost losing Cesaire’s grasp.
“Don’t worry Ms. Knox. Almost there.” A few more steps and he ushered her into a space where dim lighting burned her dilated pupils for a moment before her eyes adjusted. He sat on a lounge chair between two doors marked Men and Women. The dim glow brought her normal self-conscious thoughts raging forward. In the dark Jonah couldn’t see her physical flaws. Would that change once he saw the real her?
Comment and leave an email address I’ll pick a winner for some swag!
This bundle of Mahalia’s books is available now for only $5.88!
Tagged: Guest Blogger
Posted in About books..., Contests! | 21 People Said | Link
Last 5 people who had something to say: Hales - sharon chalk - suzanne - Beverly Butler - rbeeyswan -
Saturday, March 16th, 2013
I’ve been feeling nostalgic for my vampires. Especially lovely, flawed, sexy Nic…
“…The electrifying follow-up to INTO THE DARKNESS is a breathless read. Devlin’s intricate vampire society is filled with compelling personalities. The chemistry between the characters is explosive, and the horrific villain will give you goosebumps…the ending will leave you begging for more.” ~4 ½ Stars and TOP PICK!, RT BOOKreviews
“…This is a deliciously edgy series with mind-blowing sex scenes that sizzle…Ms. Devlin’s DARK REALM series is devastatingly erotic and pushes the boundaries in both premise and sexual explicitness. Ms. Devlin pens in uncharted territory that will leave the readers breathless and hungering for more…” ~Paranormal Romance
For eight hundred years Nicolas Montfaucon has dedicated his life to preventing the rebirth of an immortal evil. But now a terrible storm has assaulted unsuspecting New Orleans—and the beast walks the earth once more. “The Devourer” has been awakened, and there is only one in the besieged city who can help Nicolas defeat the foul creature—a mysterious and beautiful enigma who haunts the handsome Revenant’s erotic waking dreams and enflames his passionate obsessions.
Chessa Tomas is not an ordinary policewoman. A vampire, she works only at night, patrolling a seamy and unseen underworld of roiling chaos. Though Nicolas is sensuality incarnate, Chessa wants no part of him or his kind—but she cannot close her eyes to the unholy malevolence that would consume their world. And Nicolas has uncovered the secret lust that rules her—a steaming, uncontrollable desire he intends to unleash, bending Chessa to his will by making her most forbidden fantasies real.
His brother had thought Hell a fiery abyss, but Nicolas Montfaucon knew better. It was wet, smelled like a sewer, and sounded like the rush of collective hopes draining toward the sea.
With a heartbeat as leaden as his footfalls, he followed the sound of flowing water. His rubber boots sank in the rain-soaked grass as he stepped off the cemetery’s entrance road to head toward the water’s edge. Bayou St. John’s previous sluggish ambience had given way to a torrent in the aftermath of the storm. Just as the security team had reported, the waters that breached the levee in the early morning hours spilled into the bayou, raising it well above any thousand-year flood plain.
They couldn’t have planned for a worse scenario. The mausoleum lay in the center of a newly etched basin.
A cold, tight knot of horror settled in his gut, numbing him to the elements, while a soft rain fell like God’s kiss of benediction before the coming battle. The prickling unease lifting the hair on the back of his neck was familiar, but one he hadn’t experienced to this degree since the searing heat and biting sand of Palestine over seven hundred years ago.
Quiet, muffled voices drew him deeper into the cemetery. He followed the blurred edges of a once pristine graveled path, now strewn with long tangled strands of Spanish moss and broken tree branches, around sturdy stone crypts—ones untouched by the raging storm that had drenched New Orleans and changed its landscape irrevocably.
He glanced toward the dark gray clouds giving his team cover for what they must do. At least God hadn’t added one more insurmountable burden to overcome this day.
“Erika, Pasqual?” he called softly as he approached.
They turned with dread tightening their pale faces.
He noted their quick sideways glances and knew their loyalties might be tested. Just the night before one quarry had escaped their net. Did they know his role in the deception that had allowed the newest Born female to flee?
“The crypt is submerged,” Pasqual said, nodding ahead toward the swollen bayou.
Nicolas followed his gaze and found the winged angel that graced the top of the Morel mausoleum, the bottom edge of her robe licked by foaming, lapping waves of dark water.
“We brought a pirogue,” Erika said, shivering despite the humid heat, “but the water’s so swift…”
Nicolas nodded. “I’ll go. We’ll have to tie off the boat on both sides of the bayou to keep it from being swept away.”
“The crypt was solid. The doors were chained,” Pasqual said, his voice strained. “Do you really think he could have escaped?”
Nicolas’s lips curved and tightened. “His sarcophagus was in the center of the cemetery. The bayou jumped its banks and carved a new path—straight through his prison. Do you think that’s coincidental?”
Erika’s brown eyes looked overlarge in her slender face. “How will we contain him?”
“If the doors are still locked, we’ll wait for the waters to subside to discover whether his coffin remains intact.”
“If they aren’t locked?” she continued.
He shrugged. “Then we prepare ourselves.”
“How do we do that?” she asked, a note of hysteria in her brittle voice. “No one’s got a standard operating procedure for the end of the fucking world.”
“Someone has to go into the water,” Pasqual said quietly, his expression dark and troubled.
“I said I’ll go,” Nicolas said, straightening his shoulders. “I placed him there. It’s my duty to make sure he stays.”
“Not alone, you won’t.”
Nicolas turned at the sound of another voice, one familiar and welcome.
A tall dark-clad figure stepped from behind a large oak.
Nicolas wondered if he’d just arrived or had chosen the most dramatic moment to appear. Simon Jameson’s long brown hair was plastered against his skull and touched the tops of broad shoulders clothed in a rain slicker.
“Simon, bad news travels fast,” Nicolas said, his tone dry.
Despite the dire circumstance that brought him here, Simon smiled. “A little bird told me we had trouble.”
Nicolas raised a single brow at the thought of the mage’s familiar braving the remnants of the storm. “Her wings must be sodden.”
Simon’s lips crimped in the semblance of a smile. “She’s tired and drying off.” Then his gaze turned to the sunken crypt. “I’ll go with you. You may have need of me.”
“I’ll be glad for the company.” Whatever the reason for the falling out between the powerful mage and the leader of the vampire sabat, Nicolas held no grudge against Simon. Their acquaintance was older, forged in blood and battle. “I’d appreciate any help you can provide.”
Sloshing footsteps sounded behind them as more of the security team arrived, carrying a long, slender flat-bottomed boat and poles.
Using ropes suspended between the trees, Simon and Nicolas fought the swift current to drag the boat toward the stone angel. Once the boat scraped the spikes atop the iron fence surrounding the crypt, Nicolas stripped, dropping his clothing to the bottom of the boat. Then he tied a rope around his waist and said a quick prayer.
“Hold this in your mouth,” Simon said, slipping a carved, polished red stone from his pocket. “You’ll need your hands free.”
Nicolas didn’t question why he should keep a rock in his mouth. If his friend thought it necessary, that was enough for him to know. Likely a protective amulet, anyway. He could use all the help he could get.
Urgency and dread filled him. He had to see the damage below the surface of the black water for himself. He set the cold stone on top of his tongue and clamped his mouth closed. Then he lowered himself over the side of the boat, gripping it hard, shocked by the force of the water dragging at his body. Nicolas clutched the edge of the pirogue and shot Simon a glance.
The mage stood in the bottom of the boat, coiling the rope around his brawny fists and arms, and nodded. “Catch hold of the iron bars, and I’ll let out the rope.”
Out of instinct, rather than need, Nicolas drew in a deep breath through his nostrils and submerged. The dark water roiled around him, battering him with stones and debris. He forced open his eyes against the current and grimy sediments, but could see only a few inches in front of his face.
For long seconds he held his breath then made himself relax against the urge to gasp. He didn’t really need the air to live.
The current slammed him against the iron bars surrounding the crypt. He held tight then circled the fence, handhold by handhold, until he felt the gate’s hinges. With his feet against the gate, he bent his legs and made a powerful thrust, which propelled him forward in the eddying waters, toward the door of the crypt.
He reached out, grabbing for the carved edge of the stone door frame and followed it downward to the latch. Where a heavy chain should have wrapped around the mechanism, he found only a drooping handle, bobbing with the current.
Still, the door was closed.
He braced his feet against it and pulled with all his strength to bend the handle upward and lock it closed until he could return with another chain.
At that moment, a dull pounding came from inside, then a powerful thrust slammed open the door, tossing him backward into the current, which swept him toward the gate.
Despite the murky water, he saw a pale, ghostly apparition appear in the entrance of the crypt.
Sweet Mother of God! Nicolas bit down around the stone that threatened to lodge at the back of his throat.
The monster swam in the doorway, his mouth opening in a hideous grin.
Nicolas ground his heels against the iron bars and pushed forward again, launching himself toward the demon to drive him back inside. If he had to hold him there for an eternity, he’d never let him out. He’d uphold his oath—one given over the grisly remains of his wife.
When he barreled into the demon, the creature’s body felt…less than solid…gelatinous. The pale flesh gave way beneath Nicolas’s grasping hands. His torso disintegrated in rotten bits of flesh, tugged apart by the rapid current.
Nicolas screamed around the stone while his hand reached through the disintegrating body to grasp the demon’s spinal cord.
The beast’s face remained solid for only a moment longer while his grin turned triumphant, mocking Nicolas, before the skin stripped away to reveal a skeletal grimace.
Nicolas squeezed his eyes shut as he let go his fierce grip on what remained of the demon’s prison, his body, trying to forget the familiar face the monster had stolen and worn for centuries—his brother’s.
* * * * *
Be sure to check out the snippets on these other authors’ blogs:
Leah Braemel
Caris Roane
Eliza Gayle
McKenna Jeffries
TJ Michaels
Taige Crenshaw
Felicity Heaton
HelenKay Dimon
TJ Michaels
Shiloh Walker
Lissa Matthews
Myla Jackson
Shelli Stevens
Mari Carr
Lauren Dane
Tagged: Avon, Dark Realm, excerpt
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Last 5 people who had something to say: Pat Cochran - Vanessa - Peggy Hopkins - Janie McGaugh - Kai W. -
Tuesday, March 12th, 2013
You ready to get your cowboy on? In Too Deep releases today! It’s the second in the Triple Horn Brand “reunion” series. This time it’s the middle brother Gabe finding his one true love. Night Owl Reviews called it an “unabashedly carnal read.” I hope you enjoy it. It’s a sexy story, so be warned! And if you have time to leave a review at Samhain or Amazon, this author would be most appreciative!
Buy at Samhain
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Some things never change. And some things change everything.
The TripleHorn Brand, Book 2
Gabe Triplehorn can think of no better getaway from his heavy responsibilities at the ranch, than to go back to a time and place where he didn’t have a care in the world. When there was just a campground, a river and a girl.
When he gets to Red Hawk Landing, the campground and the river are still there. He just never expected the girl would still be there too. Only now she runs the place.
Lena Twohig can think of no better place to raise her young son than the family-owned campground that holds so many memories. Especially the romance with Gabe that lit up one long-ago summer like a wild electrical storm. Now he’s back, with a ranch-hardened body she knows she shouldn’t want so badly.
No amount of lies or the years that have passed can tame this tidal wave of passion.
At a bend in the road, he saw the sign nearly hidden by bushes because it tilted at an angle. Red Hawk Landing. Open Memorial Day to Labor Day.
The crackled, worn paint on the leaning sign didn’t bode well, but he took the turn anyway, his truck bumping along an uneven gravel trail that worked its way down a steep decline, heading toward the river’s edge.
When he made the clearing, he heaved a sigh of relief. The place was still in operation. Kids in cutoffs and swimming suits took running dives from the pier. Cars and pickups were parked in front of roughhewn wooden cabins.
He hoped like hell there was still one vacancy left for him and pulled up in front of the small lodge house. The place was clean but showing its age. Looked like the owner needed another handy man to help with a broken spoke or two in the wraparound porch and a window frame that appeared to be rotting away.
He put his truck in park and pushed down on the handle to open the door, but halted the moment she stepped onto the porch.
Lena Twohig. Sweet Jesus. Read the rest of this entry »
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