EXCERPTS

SOUL OF A WARRIOR

VIKING, GO HOME

“If ye do not quit thrashing around, woman, I will not be responsible for taking you.”
“Taking me where?”
“Thor’s hammer, I meant as a man takes a woman.”
Raven didn’t have to see the blush on her face—she could feel it. The man must think her bonkers to not know what he meant. She could only blame it on an overprotected childhood and a desire to start and keep her career moving.
Mortified beyond belief, she tried again to escape. Her hand brushed something hard against her thigh. Her gaze caught and then fell into dark silver spheres staring back at her.
Before she could open her mouth, his lips locked on hers, the covers disappeared, and a firm but gentle hand found and then slid under her gown. Her breath caught, held, and then released into his warm mouth as his fingers climbed higher. His tongue swirled deeper and taunted her until she reciprocated.
Wulf’s foray to find and tease all her trigger points made Raven burn with need. Her hips rose off the mattress when his hand found her breast.
His mouth released hers. “Easy, Raven. There is so much more I want to do to you. I do not want to hurry and your need is reaching out to me too fast and too hot.”
“Too bad, Viking. You started this, so don’t complain to me if you can’t keep up.”  

SEMPER FI MAGICK

“Derek, I assume there’s a reason you ruined my song, and treated me like you were from the caveman era.”
“Why? You have to ask why?” Derek glared down at her. What was his problem?
“Are you dense as well as rude?” Cat slung back at him.
“Lady, you were this close to being booed off the stage for sounding like a scalded cat. Then you start acting like a stripper with an itch to scratch. This is a family restaurant. You can’t act that way in public.” The last of his tirade came out on a sigh. Cat looked, really looked, at his face. The lines around his eyes were deeper; he looked like he didn’t sleep enough.
Instead of the tongue-lashing she wanted to give him, she found herself reaching up and touching his face. “You need more sleep.”
As she watched, his green eyes turned darker. His previously stiff lips thinned into somewhat of a smile.
“Princess, you pull out all the stops.” He slid his arm around her and sat her on the back of the car. She liked it. This way she could look in his face without craning her neck.
“In what way?” She asked her question, curious as to what he meant by stops.
“You blow hot and then cold and then you look like a spitting cat and turn into a kitten who needs to be petted.” Derek just stared at her while she tried to figure out his words. For some reason she didn’t think he meant them derogatively. It seemed he was as confused by her as she was by him. Maybe her first estimate that he was just a snobby mortal was off base.
“I wouldn’t mind being petted by you.”


 TIERNAN'S PUNISHMENT


“No, please, do not cut my hair.”
Mista stood frozen in place, holding a strand of his moonbeam hair. Not only because of the man’s muscular thighs pressed against her legs, but the almost plea in his tone touched her.
“’Tis the law to do so.” Her words were a whisper of air.
“Not where I come from. To cut my hair is to unman me as a warrior.” His words were guttural, but she felt the desperation in them.
“If I allow you to wear your hair long, then others will fight to keep theirs. What reason can you give me to placate my men?” She held her breath waiting for his answer.
“I am not what I seem to you. I come from a place so far away you would have to travel through what you call Midegarde to find it.”
Mista wasn’t prone to believe in Norse gods, although a good many of her people did so, yet she didn’t correct the warrior. His eyes glowed with blue fire when he continued.
“A place where magick is commonplace, where there are no wars or...not usually.” He chuckled just a bit, the sound warming Mista’s heart.
“And just how did you get from there to here?” She knew she sounded scornful, but the blue-eyed charmer told a whopping tale.
“I traveled through time.”


PRESIDENTIAL HEAT

She slammed the phone shut and slid it back in place.
“Mr. President, we need to table this conversation until later.”
Kira gave him no time to respond. She walked around the desk, snagged his arm, and tugged.
“What’s going on?”
“That was Malachi. There’s been a threat against your life. We need to get you out of the White House and off the grounds.”
Instead of arguing, Gareth responded to her repeated tug. “I’ll take you to one of the tunnels, you’ll be safe there, but first I want to check on the agents and staff on duty.”
Kira couldn’t believe he was trying to protect her. And although it was kinda sweet, it was ludicrous.
“I’m sure Malachi will take care of the threat and the staff. Right now, it’s my job to take care of you.”
Gareth stopped Kira’s forward stride by pulling back on her arm. For a mortal, his strength was surprising.
“I don’t think you understand. I’m not leaving until I check on my people.”
Kira rolled her eyes. Although she applauded his devotion to those who worked for him, now was not the time. She closed her eyes for a moment, concentrated, and came up blank. She tried again. Nothing. For some reason, she couldn’t get the stubborn man to do as she wanted. It was as if he didn’t even hear her thought commands.
“Sorry, that’s not an option, sir. Now, I suggest you move your butt, or I’ll have to move it for you.”


IMMORTAL JUSTICE

“Ye willna be needing a weapon, I will protect ye.”
His statement irritated Abby, but at the same time a part of her was just a tiny bit thrilled. It seemed immortal or not, a man always had the attitude of protecting the little woman—whether they needed it or not. Of course to be fair, he had saved her butt from the demon, but he needed to know she wasn’t some frightened babe in the woods.
“I beg to differ. If I’d had a knife I could have done some serious damage, and besides, you can’t protect me twenty-four-seven, Darach.”
“Ye will be protected at all times, Abby.”
“You’re missing the point. Maybe I don’t need a keeper. I have managed to take care of myself for over…” Abby decided he didn’t really have to know she was over thirty. “And what about when you’re asleep? You do sleep don’t you?”
Darach frowned, but answered, “Aye, I do sleep, but ’tis usually during the daylight hours. However now I will be sleeping at night in your bed with ye.”

HINT (The deed to Darach's old  home in Scotland.)

 

GIDEON'S HEART

“Please…”
“Everything’s going to be okay. I know I keep telling you that, but you have to trust me. I’m going to take you where you’ll be safe.”
Eyes the size of saucers stared back. Their lavender hue deepened. A shiver inched up his spine. He’d seen eyes that color before. They’d belonged to Gabriella, a woman—no, make that vampire—who tried to kill Zacke and Miranda in a fit of rage and jealousy.
He leaned down and placed one arm beneath the woman’s shoulders and one under her knees. He barely registered her slight weight. Her silver-blond hair fell over his arm and swung loose. The color and texture reminded him of moonbeams on a calm lake. She was nothing like Gabriella.
He brought her closer into his chest in an effort to warm her cold body. She tilted her head back. Her gaze looked calmer. Her lips parted. “Where are you taking me?”
Gideon wished he could listen to her velvet tone all night. That wasn’t an option. She needed warmth, food, and some rest.
He cleared his suddenly hoarse throat. “I’m taking you to my house.”
Panic filled her gaze once more. “Don’t worry, you’ll be as safe with me as you would be in your mother’s arms.”
The soft sigh she gave made him want to beat his chest. He just hoped he remembered he was playing the part of dear old mom.
                        
SEMPER FI MAGICK


“Derek, I assume there’s a reason you ruined my song, and treated me like you were from the caveman era.”
“Why? You have to ask why?” Derek glared down at her. What was his problem?
“Are you dense as well as rude?” Cat slung back at him.
“Lady, you were this close to being booed off the stage for sounding like a scalded cat. Then you start acting like a stripper with an itch to scratch. This is a family restaurant. You can’t act that way in public.” The last of his tirade came out on a sigh. Cat looked, really looked, at his face. The lines around his eyes were deeper; he looked like he didn’t sleep enough.
Instead of the tongue-lashing she wanted to give him, she found herself reaching up and touching his face. “You need more sleep.”
As she watched, his green eyes turned darker. His previously stiff lips thinned into somewhat of a smile.
“Princess, you pull out all the stops.” He slid his arm around her and sat her on the back of the car. She liked it. This way she could look in his face without craning her neck.
“In what way?” She asked her question, curious as to what he meant by stops.
“You blow hot and then cold and then you look like a spitting cat and turn into a kitten who needs to be petted.” Derek just stared at her while she tried to figure out his words. For some reason she didn’t think he meant them derogatively. It seemed he was as confused by her as she was by him. Maybe her first estimate that he was just a snobby mortal was off base.
“I wouldn’t mind being petted by you.”
  
BEWARE WHAT YOU WISH


“I’m out of here.”
Leah jumped off the bed and headed for the door. Her hand was almost on the doorknob when a large hand twice the size of her own caught it.
“Hold up lass. Ye still owe me some answers.”
He released her hand but put his palms on either side of the doorframe blocking her only escape route. She turned and faced the enormous lunatic.
Bad idea.
Too close—much too close.
The laird’s sensuality was playing havoc with her body, and the fact he had to be stark-raving mad was doing nothing to help her nerves.
“Please, don’t hurt me. I told you the truth, and I’m sure there has to be an explanation for this mess.” Leah clenched her fists to keep fear at bay. Tears burned the back of her eyes, but she wouldn’t let him see that she was scared spitless.
She had almost succeeded when one lone tear traced a path down her cheek. Dang it, this was no time to be a wimp. She had to get away.
She was foiled once more by the gentle grip of his hands at her waist. Leah’s feet left the ground. Her lips were now perilously close to the pair that had fascinated her moments before.
“I’ve never hurt a woman in my life. I be not sure of what is going on but we will sort it out. First, I must do this.”
His kiss was nothing like anything Leah had ever experienced. Seductive lips teased hers and then taunted her to open to him—and she did. MacKinnon’s tongue tempted on its journey—awakening desire so strong that her knees would have buckled if she’d been standing. As it were, her toes curled inside her sneakers.
Lordy, the man could kiss.


KENSINGTON'S SOUL 
       
He stood still, afraid to move in the deafening silence. 
He could hear her heart beating within her chest. He wondered if she could hear the racing of his own heart.
“It must have been the wind.” Miranda’s words broke the quiet.
The disappointment he heard in her voice prompted him to step forward. He stopped himself before he reached the bed and took her in his arms. It would do no good to frighten her to death. Calling back his concentration, which had scattered to the four winds upon hearing his name, he whispered a comfort prayer. He completed it with an urgent command for her to sleep.
The sun’s rays now crested the treetops. He needed to be gone. But still he didn’t move. He waited until Miranda slid back down in the bed and her breathing relaxed before he allowed his desire to overcome his common sense.
He approached her slumbering body. The purity of her face, still marred by a score of tear-tracks, looked beautiful beyond belief. Although he felt the rays of the sun heat his skin, he had one more thing to do: a safety prayer to keep Gabriella out along with any henchmen she might send to do her dirty work.
That done, Zacke leaned down and brushed her lips with his own. The sweetness pulling at him threatened to drop him to his knees. He fought the urge to lie at her side. It would mean his death—but to die in Miranda’s arms would be worth the agony. 

DUNBAR'S CURSE

She stepped off the bottom step and almost tripped over an uneven patch of floor.
She aimed the beam of light at where the window should be. What on earth? A bookcase blocked out her expected light source. Miles was the only one who could have done that, but why would he?
The cold penetrated deeper, spurring Hope toward the furnace. Her foot caught on something soft but unyielding. She stumbled and ended up sitting on the something. Her hand recognized the contours of a mattress. A mattress that should have been stuffed in a corner, not lying out in the open.
Once again, she sent the light spiraling over the basement, but nothing else seemed out of place. She brought the beam back to shine on the mattress and a body.
Her heart beat triple time before she recognized the body resting on its side, a scant two feet from her hand. Miles! Why was he sleeping in the basement and not upstairs? Her hand reached out toward his arm. Should she wake him or let him sleep? Common sense won—he had to be freezing. He didn’t even have a sheet. This time her palm brushed his sleeve before she gently shook his shoulder.
A hand caught her wrist in a cruel grip.
She bit back a cry of pain.
A second later she was flat on her back—Miles’ face above hers. But not the face she loved. His eyes were so dark they were almost black. His beautiful lips were drawn back in a snarl. A snarl that revealed one-inch incisors. The hand that held her down sported claws.

VIKING, GO HOME


“If ye do not quit thrashing around, woman, I will not be responsible for taking you.”
“Taking me where?”
“Thor’s hammer, I meant as a man takes a woman.”
Raven didn’t have to see the blush on her face—she could feel it. The man must think her bonkers to not know what he meant. She could only blame it on an overprotected childhood and a desire to start and keep her career moving.
Mortified beyond belief, she tried again to escape. Her hand brushed something hard against her thigh. Her gaze caught and then fell into dark silver spheres staring back at her.
Before she could open her mouth, his lips locked on hers, the covers disappeared, and a firm but gentle hand found and then slid under her gown. Her breath caught, held, and then released into his warm mouth as his fingers climbed higher. His tongue swirled deeper and taunted her until she reciprocated.
Wulf’s foray to find and tease all her trigger points made Raven burn with need. Her hips rose off the mattress when his hand found her breast.
His mouth released hers. “Easy, Raven. There is so much more I want to do to you. I do not want to hurry and your need is reaching out to me too fast and too hot.”
“Too bad, Viking. You started this, so don’t complain to me if you can’t keep up.”