Showing posts with label Shapeshifters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shapeshifters. Show all posts

May 13, 2016

Teasers, Excerpt & Giveaway! Cloaked in Blood, The Wulfkin Legacy #3 by T.F. Walsh


The daughter of a sultan alpha, Selena Kurt agrees to an arranged wulfkin mating to protect her sister from a dangerous alpha from the enemy clan. To her surprise, her match is Marcin Ulf, the next in line for the Hungarian throne . . . and the wulfkin who broke her heart years ago.

Marcin is just as shocked to learn he'll be matched to the enemy's daughter and the woman he's never forgotten. Before they can be paired, however, they're drawn into a tournament where Marcin will compete to free his estranged imprisoned brother, while Selena battles for the life of another wulfkin alpha. Both intend to seize this chance to save those they're fighting for - even if it means facing off with one another just as their romance rekindles.

Will tribe loyalty triumph, or will they realize they're better off as a team before it's too late?

Cloaked in Blood is the book 3 in the Wulfkin Legacy series, but can be read a stand-alone-book.





MARCIN

The maids fluttered out of my chamber and shut the door behind them. Selena appeared in the bathroom doorway, the sleeves of her shirt pushed up to her elbows. “You’ll have to take your boxers off.”

“How can I resist when you put it like that?” I pushed myself to my feet and hobbled toward her. My attention fell on the porcelain bathtub on silver feet that Father insisted on fitting in all the bathrooms, despite having no plumbing in half the castle. Leaning against the open door, I dropped my boxers and kicked them aside as Selena sprinkled what looked like dried herbs into the half-filled tub and mixed them into the water with one hand.

“Soak your leg and keep your foot submerged for at least an hour. I’ll get the girls to keep topping up the warm water.” When she turned around, her gaze dipped and her cheeks glowed.

“You’re blushing?” I asked.

“No, I’m not.” She spun around to the bathtub.

Warmth spread through my gut, and I couldn’t help but smile. “Can I get some help with this?”

She offered me a hand.

I limped closer and leaned on her outstretched arm as I climbed into the tub; the water was scorching hot. In slow motion, I lowered myself into its burning cocoon, my injured leg submerging last. The heat swathed my foot, the wound stinging as if a fresh blade sliced it back open. I clasped the edge of the tub, waiting for the pain to ease.

Selena’s fingers caressed my shin, softly kneading away the pain. Then she broke into a hum, the sound sweet and calming.

Leaning back against the tub, I closed my eyes and focused on the softness of her voice. “You have magical fingers.”

She continued her tune and gently massaged my leg. The strange cocktail of my foot throbbing, Selena’s tranquil song, and the ease with which her fingers glided over my skin left me strangely relaxed and maybe a bit turned on. Okay, a lot. “With each stroke, my muscles flexed, and my inner wolf stirred inside. Take her, claim her. She’s ours.

Well, not sure Selena would agree.





T.F. Walsh emigrated from Romania to Australia at the age of eight and now lives in a regional city south of Sydney with her husband. Growing up hearing dark fairytales, she's always had a passion for reading and writing horror, paranormal romance, urban fantasy and young adult stories. She balances all the dark with light fluffy stuff like baking and traveling.



April 13, 2016

Excerpt & Giveaway! The Dilemma, Sirius Wolves #5 by Victoria Sue


Marcus has just become the only human ever to be Alpha of a werewolf pack and thwarted the plans of Anubis to destroy the goddess Sirius' creation – the werewolves. 

Now, Anubis has decided to focus his efforts instead on Marcus and his new pack, to try and destroy the pack from within. In order to do this, Anubis seeks the one thing Marcus wants above all else and when he finds it, will use that to get him to walk away from his lovers and the pack. 

Unaware of the evil god's plans, Marcus works together with Kellan and Ricoh, not only trying to help Nate recover from the vicious torture he has undergone at the hands of the terrorist group, The Winter Circle, but to also come to terms with leading a pack of over two thousand wolves. 

Marcus soon will be faced with a dilemma, but will he give everything up for his mates and the pack or will the temptation Anubis offers him be too much for one human to refuse? Will Marcus put his wolves before himself or will he be tricked into leaving them behind forever?




Nate opened his eyes slowly and looked down. Kellan blinked as they both seemed to shimmer for a few seconds and then gaped as he stared at the white wolf now standing shoulder to shoulder with a black one. 

Nate had shifted. Not only had he shifted into a beautiful wolf, his wolf was black. Nate was an Alpha.

“Does that mean what I think it does?” Marcus said quietly. 

“I’ve never seen his wolf,” Ricoh said, awe coloring his words.

Then in another second, Nate had shifted back, and that was their second surprise. He was fully clothed. Kellan realized there had been no torn clothes on the floor, and as far as he knew Darric was the only wolf with that ability.

Nate stood. The wolf, Chris, was still close enough so Nate could burrow his hands in the thick white fur. 

Marcus took a step forward and Nate lifted his head — and they all gasped. All hesitancy, all trace of fear, all the remnants of pain that Nate seemed to carry with him constantly — it all vanished as the man took a step and Marcus opened his arms for Nate to step into them. 

The white wolf shook himself, casually licked a paw, and headed for one of the smaller meeting rooms. Conner followed him with some jeans he had been carrying. In seconds Chris and Conner were walking over to Marcus, Chris fully shifted back and clothed. Nate and Marcus stood quietly holding each other.

Blaze spoke up. “Unless it’s essential for you all to be here would you please give your Alphas some privacy?”

In seconds everyone had disappeared except for both Alpha groups and Chris. Blaze drew some chairs together and sat down. Aden chuckled, his arms full with a sleeping baby. “Well, you don’t see that every day.”

“Look,” Marcus said quietly, holding one of Nate’s scarred hands. The skin was smooth. Injury free, no burn marks, no missing nails.

Aden stared in astonishment. “That’s incredible. Shifting heals, but it doesn’t remove scars.” Darric dropped a hand on his leg. “I should know,” Aden whispered.

Kellan swallowed, guilt immediately swamping him. Kellan had lured Aden back to their old pack the last time when he got injured again.

Aden lifted his head and stared at Kellan. Then he smiled, and Kellan felt the guilt ease. He was grateful. He wasn’t sure he deserved it, but he was grateful.

“I have to ask,” Blaze said when they were all sitting down. Marcus and Nate were side by side, but Kellan had drawn Ricoh to him. Of them all, Ricoh seemed the most shocked. “I understand you were thrown out of your pack as a child. Was it because you are an Alpha?”

Nate sat a little taller. “I’m not an Alpha,” he said hesitantly.

“I can assure you,” Darric interrupted, “your wolf is black. Alpha marked. Besides which, I can feel your energy.” He paused and assessed him. “That’s new, isn’t it?”

“New?” Marcus asked.

“My wolf is gray,” Nate said hesitantly. He looked at Chris who was sitting quietly with Conner. “Did you do that? I felt an incredible amount of power when I touched you.”

Chris put his head to one side and laughed nervously. “I don’t think so. I just remember thinking you seemed hurt and that I had to help you.”

“I felt the Alpha power. I can sense it in you,” Darric said.

Nate turned his head and gazed at Darric. “I’m sorry. I know those are words often said with little meaning, but I—”

Darric reached over and clasped Nate’s hand. “The gods knew what they were doing. I think everything happened as it should.” Darric smiled. “I think you are an Alpha for a reason, and I think the gods have a purpose for you.”

Kellan gazed at everyone’s awed faces and knew that Darric was right. Even he could feel the steady thrum of Alpha power coming from Nate. What did that mean for their future?
****
Marcus stared in awe. He wasn’t totally sure what was happening here. “Are you saying that because Nathaniel has a black wolf, he’s an Alpha, and that his wolf has changed color?”

“There are different types of Alphas, Marcus. My wolf is silver,” Darric said.

“Stephen’s is golden brown, as is mine,” Conner said.

Marcus frowned. “Then why do you say black means Alpha-marked if an Alpha can be any color?”

Darric smiled. “Alpha-marked also means marked by gods.” He gestured at Blaze. “Blaze’s wolf is black. It’s usually an indication of leadership as well.”

Marcus gazed at Nate. “What does that mean for you?” Did that mean he should be running the pack? But Nate never left their rooms. He looked like he had a newfound confidence, but he was still curled into Marcus’ side as if he needed protection.

Nate looked at a complete loss. Aden spoke up. “I am not completely sure but I would hazard a guess that Sirius has a specific job for you to do,” he said quietly.

Marcus nearly shook his head in complete disbelief, but then he knew all the other incredible things that had happened, Darric being alive, the baby that Aden was cuddling. If they had happened, why was it such a leap to believe Nate had a higher purpose of some sort?

Marcus thought hard. Even as the other Alphas stood and congratulated Nate and fussed over Chris, he let the conversation swirl around him and he knew. Kellan was a strong werewolf. Ricoh had gotten a strength of purpose planning the new school and helping the kids he loved.

And Nate — his fragile boy, the one who Marcus had never been able to leave for long, because he needed him so much ... Nate was an Alpha werewolf. If he wasn’t about to run a pack then he was destined to play some important role. God touched.

Marcus eased his arm away from Nate as Nate laughed at something Darric said. At the end of the day, Marcus was fooling himself. Nate healing had just taken away his reason for being here, and he was very much afraid none of them needed him now.


Victoria Sue has loved books for as long as she can remember. Books were always what pocket money went on and what usually Father Christmas brought. When she ran out of her kids' adventure stories, she would go raid her mom's. By the age of eight she was devouring classics like Little Women, and fell in love with love stories.
She especially loves writing gay romance because as far as she’s concerned the only thing better than one hot guy, is two of them.



April 11, 2016

Audiobook Tour! Determined Mate, Hilland Brothers #2 byToni Griffin


Written by: Toni Griffin
Narrated by: Dominic M. McCartney
Length: 4 hrs and 43 mins 
Series: Holland Brothers, Book 2
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:03-18-16

Jason Matthew's is a broken man. He's lived through hell and barely come out the other side. All he can think about is getting to his best friend, Brian, after that he has no idea. Jason's scared out of his mind when he's met by not only Brian but two large men as well, he does the only thing he can think to do. He tries to run. One of the men, though, turns out to be his mate. A mate he is in no condition to have or want, a mate that won't allow him to flee.

Alex Holland is forced to stand by and watch as Jason is taken to the safest place they know, too scared to be around him. He knows something bad has happened to Jason and he's going to need every ounce of his Alpha control to give his mate the time he needs to heal and start living again.


Listen to a sample HERE





Toni Griffin lives in Darwin, the smallest of Australia's capital cities. Born and raised in the state she's a Territorian through and through. Growing up Toni hated english with a passion (as her editors can probably attest to) and found her strength lies with numbers. 

Now, though, she loves escaping to the worlds she creates and hopes to continue to do so for many years to come. She's a single mother of one and works full time. When she's not writing you can just about guarantee that she will be reading one of the many MM authors she loves.

Feel free to drop her a line at info@tonigriffin.net anytime.



March 30, 2016

Teasers, Excerpt & Giveaway! The Relentless Series by Karen Lynch


Sara Grey’s world shattered ten years ago when her father was brutally murdered. Now at seventeen, she is still haunted by memories of that day and driven by the need to understand why it happened. She lives a life full of secrets and her family and friends have no idea of the supernatural world she is immersed in or of Sara’s own very powerful gift. 

In her quest for answers about her father’s death, Sara takes risks that expose her and her friends to danger and puts herself into the sights of a sadistic vampire. On the same fateful night she meets Nikolas, a warrior who turns Sara’s world upside down and is determined to protect her even if it’s the last thing she wants. 

Sara’s life starts to spin out of control as she is hunted by an obsessed vampire, learns that her friends have secrets of their own and reels from the truth about her own ancestry. Sara has always been fiercely independent but in order to survive now she must open herself to others, to reveal her deepest secrets. And she must learn to trust the one person capable of breaking down the walls around her.


To keep the people she loves safe, Sara left everything she knew behind. She soon learns this new world is nothing like her old one, and she struggles to make a place for herself among the Mohiri. But it soon becomes apparent to Sara and to everyone one around her that she is not your typical warrior. 

As the weeks pass, Sara builds new relationships, copes with her new trainers, and tries to manage her ever-changing powers, while keeping her unique heritage a secret. Looming in the background is the constant shadow of the Master who will do anything to find her. 

Sara finds herself on a journey of self-discovery that uncovers her true strengths and awakens a part of her she never knew existed. She experiences the delight of new friendships, the sweetness and pain of first love, and a loss so deep it could be the thing that finally breaks her. At the end of it all, she discovers that the one place she was supposed to be safe might not be the refuge she thought it was. 


Sara Grey is done hiding and done being afraid. The Master thinks he has her running scared, but she’s taking matters into her own hands and taking her life back. With the help of her friends, she sets out to find the one person who can answer her questions about her past, and who may be able to lead them to the Master. 

On her journey, Sara faces new challenges and dangers, and learns that the world of good and evil is not as clear cut as she had believed. She makes new friends, unexpected allies, and reconnects with people from her past. As her powers continue to change and grow, she transforms from a struggling girl into a strong young warrior. 

But at what cost? How much is Sara willing to sacrifice in her need for independence and her quest for the truth? And will her newfound strength be enough to save her and the people she loves when she finally comes face-to-face with her powerful nemesis? Nothing could have prepared her for what is to come, and it will take everything in her to survive the final test of courage and love.


The warrior has finally met his match. 

Nikolas Danshov is the Mohiri’s finest warrior, fearless and lethal with any weapon. For almost two hundred years, he has devoted his life to keeping humans safe from the demons that walk the earth. Revered by his people, he is a legend in his own time, a warrior undefeated in battle, and prepared for anything. Until her. 

On a routine job in Maine, a twist of fate brings Nikolas face-to-face with the one person he had never expected to meet – his mate. Sara Grey is unlike anyone he’s ever met. Beautiful and fiery, she ignites his desire, while her innocence and vulnerability awaken a fierce protectiveness in him. Now all he can think of is keeping his mate safe from the dangers that hunt her, even if she fights him at every turn. 

You know Sara’s story. Now read it again, through the eyes of her warrior. 


Audible Buy Links 
Book Buy Links 
Relentless (Free!) 
Google Play: https://goo.gl/9VhMQw
Refuge 
Google Play: https://goo.gl/YOgGRD
Rogue 
Google Play: https://goo.gl/3zJHFQ 
Warrior 
(Fall 2016) 


Relentless 

My walls fell. I was vaguely aware of something cold and slimy burrowing inside me like a parasite. The Mori shrieked in agony. Choking, dying, the Mori was dying. I’d always hated the dark thing that had been a part of me my whole life. I should be happy now that the beast would be no more. Instead, sadness bloomed in my chest and tears of grief welled in my eyes. 

Coldness reached down, inching toward the center of my being. It came up against my last defense, the gate that held back the wellspring of my power. “Let meee innn,” it commanded as icy fingers pulled at the barrier in vain. I did as it asked, and I felt its triumph as it punched through and touched the essence of me. 

Someone began to scream. 

I was on fire. No, I was the fire. Roaring, raging, I was an angry volcano spewing molten rock up from deep within the earth. The lava scorched everything in its path with a cleansing fire that burned away the coldness and filth and bore down on the ugly thing pulsing in my mind. I felt a flash of terror that was not my own, and then the pressure in my head was gone. 

My eyes opened to see the witch—I knew what he was now—stagger and fall to his knees. His eyes no longer glowed white, and his face had paled to a dark gray. “What… are you?” he choked, his black eyes full of shock and fear. 



Karen Lynch grew up in Newfoundland, Canada, a place rich in colorful people and folklore to which she attributes her love of the supernatural and her vivid imagination. She moved to Charlotte, North Carolina years ago and was immediately charmed by the southern people, but she says she will always be a Newfie. 

Though she loves supernatural fiction, she has a soft spot for Charlotte Brontë and Jane Austin. She is a fan of classic rock, country, and classical music, but her favorite music is the sound of a good thunderstorm or a howling blizzard. Two of her favorite pastimes are baking artisan breads for her friends and spending quality time with her two German Shepherds. 


March 18, 2016

Excerpt, Guest Post & Giveaway! Nature of the Beast, Tangled Bonds #1 by Aimee Brissay


After sorceress Alexandra tries to kill her insane father, her fae uncle expels her from the Otherworld in an attempt to keep her safe. Living among humans, she keeps her connection with the supernatural by working for vampires and werewolves.


When she stumbles upon a hurt werewolf pup her efforts to heal him inadvertently break the bonds tying the young lycan to the pack, making her his new alpha.

This is the least of Alexandra’s worries though, for back in the Otherworld her father has not forgotten her. He dispatches an assassin to kill her. But just who is this mysterious foe, and what will their arrival mean not only to Alexandra but to the delicate balance of the world?

Nature of the Beast is the first book in the Tangled Bonds series.


Don’t miss the March Sale! All Wayward Ink Titles titles are 35% off on the WIP website and 30% off on AllRomance, and 30% off on Amazon.






“WHY DO WE have a werewolf sleeping on the couch?” Sean dropped the takeout bag he was carrying on the kitchen table and frowned at us.


“You knew about them?”

“Of course.” Sean turned and stared at Chris. “You didn’t?”

“No.”

“You believe that fae are real, but werewolves are not?”

Before Chris had a chance to retaliate, I intervened, trying to switch the topic to something a bit friendlier. “Where have you been?”

“At Erica’s.”

Chris’ face turned red and he muttered something beneath his breath. So much for a safe topic.

My stomach growled at the enticing aroma of spices and soy sauce rising from the bag on the table. I reached for it and started pulling out containers.

“What did you get?” I asked; not that it would matter much, not with my hunger.

“Chinese.”

My eyes flew to the door to the lounge, where Nicolae was bracing himself against the frame. He stared at the food, and clutched the blanket with which I’d covered him. He dry swallowed, eyes glued to containers, but he did not come in, nor did he ask for something to eat.

I took one of the little boxes, opened it, and inhaled.

The kid swallowed again, but still didn’t say anything. I had to admire his restrain.

Tilting the container, I offered it to him. “Care for some?”

Nicolae shrugged, trying for casual, but the furious rumble coming from his belly denied his action. “I could eat.”

“I’m sure. Come in, take a seat.”

He pulled up a chair, his movements unsteady. He paused, his hand hovering over the container.

“Go ahead, take your pick.”

“Thank you.”


About working on a schedule

Or how not to meet any single deadline, ever! 

Everybody says you should set a goal and stick with it. Write, write, write all the time. Hell, next thing I’ll hear will be to write in my sleep as well, and to be honest, I would if I could. But sadly, this doesn’t work for everyone. 

What happens when you cannot meet the deadlines or the goals you set for yourself? What happens when you cannot comply with the given rules? I used to get depressed every time this happened to me, and believe me, it happened quite often. I work nine hours a day and spend at least two commuting to and fro. I have three cats, a house and a garden to tend to and clean, and a love life to balance, so writing every day is not always feasible. I used to get depressed every time I was reading about other authors writing thousands and thousands of words each day, or simply putting words on paper, when I could barely get a few hundred a day and that only a couple of times per week. I used to think I was lazy, and that there was something wrong with me. That I wasn’t competitive enough, that I didn’t want it bad enough. But guess what? I do want it and I am damn competitive. 

So I worked myself into the ground, writing for three, four more hours after the end of my regular work day, trying to prove that, yes, I can. World, look at me, I’m the real deal! The quality of my work didn’t improve much and not only that, but I was writing less and less as my physical and mental health deteriorated, because that wasn’t a rhythm I could handle. I was missing deadlines, goals I’d set up for myself in my madness, and I was beating myself up about it. It was a vicious circle. I was too tired to write so I pushed myself into becoming even more tired.

Now, I found a pace I am comfortable with and try to make the most of it. So what if my output is about two-three thousand words per week, if that? I still managed about twelve thousand words in the first two months and have big plans for this year. I have Nature of the Beast already out and at least five more titles by the end of December. And if I don’t manage all that? I will live with that because I’m doing what makes me happy, without burning myself up and that alone will be enough. I will get there, to being a full time writer, but it will take longer. I am fine with that. To me, it would mean that I obtained it in a sustainable way.

My point is, do whatever feels right for you and don’t focus on what other authors might be doing. You stand with them, not against them, and what is good for them might not be the same for you.


aimee-brissay

Born in Romania, land of the Iele and Vlad the Impaler, AIMEE BRISSAY has spent all her life surrounded by books. She has ridden side by side with d’Artagnan and The Three Musketeers to retrieve the Queen’s diamonds, set sail on the Erasmus in search of the Japans, fell in love with Rhett Butler and roamed the Wild West along Old Shatterhand. She has walked on the footsteps of the Olympian Gods and searched for Zalmoxis’ sanctuary in the Carpathians. In her mind, she’s never been the damsel in distress but rather the knight in shiny armor fighting for a cause.
With a background like this, turning to writing was no surprise.
Aimee discovered erotica early on in life and has never looked back. Now she can write anywhere, even in a crowded room or a busy subway station, but she loves solitude.
When she’s not at her evil day job, she can be found writing or playing with her cat. She welcomes messages from readers and promises to answer all of them as soon as possible.



March 4, 2016

Excerpt & Giveaway! Marking Kane, Werewolves of Manhattan #4 by A.C. Katt


Gabriel Martin has hope. Three of the Alphas on the council have found mates in the past year and a half. Returning to New York from Atlanta, he comes across a human who has been raped in an alleyway. The human is his mate, Kane Brady.

Kane has been teaching at the local high school and refuses to rubber stamp the education of their star basketball players—almost paying the price with his life. He’s unusual as he’s a Human Omega but he can’t be intimate with Gabriel because of his horrific experience. 

It’s up to the Alphas and their Mates to help Kane recover and accept all that it is to be with Gabriel.





First Week in December Friday

The faculty room at New York City’s McClellan High School reeked of industrial strength cleaner, sweat socks, and chalk. The walls were made of dirty beige concrete blocks and the linoleum was beginning to crack. Today it was empty save for Coach Tom Hughes and Kane Brady, the junior year English teacher, who were involved in a heated exchange.

“Neither Johnny Sanders nor Deon Jackson did the work. They didn’t turn in one homework assignment all semester, they refused to take all of their tests and didn’t even bother to do their term papers. I have to fail them.” 

“Do you realize that Johnny is the power forward and Deon is the point guard for McClellan High School’s basketball team? This year’s team has a shot at the state championship.”

“Tom, they’re not here to learn to play basketball, they can do that on the street or at the Y. They’re here for an education and they won’t get one if we continue to pass students along without them doing the work required to get a passing grade.”

“Are you telling me physical education isn’t important?” Coach loomed over Kane, who was only five-foot-six.

“Physical Education is as important as English is to their development. If they failed to show up for your class, sat on the sidelines for every exercise and disrupted the class on a regular basis what would you do? I know you’ve failed students.” Kane’s eyes blazed.

“I didn’t fail our two, star basketball players,” the Coach huffed.

“Talk to them about what happened. I didn’t want to be unreasonable so when I realized they were on the team and failing my class, I told the boys in November what they had to do to pass. I also told their parents. They didn’t do it. They didn’t turn in one missed homework assignment or the term paper I assigned in September.”

“They don’t have time for all that shit, they have to practice. The other teachers go along. This is your first year here. You fail Deon and Johnny and you’re out on your ear.” Coach drank the sludge they called coffee and stared at Kane pointedly.

“And I’m out on my ear if these kids don’t pass the standardized tests at the end of the school year.”

“There are ways of getting around that.” Coach Hughes was trying to physically intimidate him, and Kane wasn’t buying it.

“So which do you suggest, do I sacrifice their education so they graduate without being able to read passed a sixth-grade level? Or do you suggest I fail them and give them the incentive to pass next semester so they can play ball?”

“These boys can get scholarships for college if they play,” the coach said belligerently.

“And if they don’t do the work here, their professors will fail them because they can’t keep up and they won’t be able to play or pay for the education they were promised.” Kane was practically begging the coach to put the kids and their futures first.

“They have difficult lives at home.” The coach got sanctimonious.

“No, they don’t. They have both of their parents and both sets of parents work. Deon’s father is a policeman and Johnny’s mother is a nurse. I’ve spoken to them and they agree with my decision. Their boys have gotten out of hand. They are aware that their sons have not done any school work for the past two years, with the school turning a blind eye. As I said, I have their full support. The parents would rather have their sons educated than have them only know how to play basketball.”

“They don’t have the mental capacity to do the work.”

“I’d like to see you tell that to their parents. If they were incapable of doing the assignments, I’d suggest putting them in a remedial class, but they can do the work, they just refuse to do it.” Kane glared at the coach.

“One way or another, you’ll pay for this. Those kids were my ticket to coaching college ball and I’m not going to lose out because of you”,” Tom shouted. Kane shrunk back. The coach was six foot six and about two-hundred fifty pounds to his one-forty soaking wet.

“Get them another student to tutor them. If they catch up, I’ll change their grade,” Kane offered.

“Fuck you, Brady. Either you pass both Deon and Johnny, or you’ll pay the consequences. This is what happens when you let fags teach school.”

“I could have you fired for that remark.” 

The coach pushed him up against a wall, shook him and said, “Buddy, you’re not going to be around long enough to complain.” He let Kane go and Kane slipped to the floor.

Tom Hughes tore out of the faculty room and down the corridor.

Kane had stood his ground but was shaking in his boots. He wished he had someone to talk to about this, but this was his first year teaching and since he came in August from Indiana, he hadn’t had time to make friends. The coach had been at the school for five years. What is my word worth against his?

***
The coach approached Johnny and Deon in the locker room. “He won’t budge. If you get your papers in, he’ll pass you, if you don’t you fail. You should have made a token effort.”

“Why should we have to be in class with a fag? Why would I want to do work for a fag? He needs schooling of a different kind. By the time Deon and I are through with him, there’ll be a new teacher in English three who gets how to play the game.” Johnny’s smile boded no good for Kane Brady.

“Yeah, let’s see how much he really likes to take it up the ass.” Deon poked his friend in the ribs. “We’ll make it a team effort.” Deon laughed out loud. 

“Yeah sort of like a class project,” Johnny smirked.

“I didn’t hear you say that. Remember, if you get caught, it will go worse for you than if you fail,” Coach told them. “You’re courting jail time and then no college or pro team will have you.”

“You’re just as guilty as we are for encouraging us not to participate in that fag’s class and you’ve threatened other teachers before this.” Deon spat. “This one is the first one to face you down. The fag has balls, who knew?”

“If he fails us, you don’t get to coach college ball. If we get caught, you don’t get to coach college ball. It would be in your interest to let us know where he lives so we can take care of business, and to provide us with an alibi if we need one.” Johnny stood waiting for the requested information.

“He sometimes stays late to review papers and make up his lesson plans. You can follow him home. If you get caught, you’re on your own.” 

“No, we’re not. You’re right there with us. We told you what we’re going to do, if you don’t report us, you’re as guilty as we are. But, we all know you won’t make any waves because you want that college coaching position.”

“All right, go, do your worst. If you get caught, I know nothing.”

“Right…” said Deon as he elbowed Johnny in the ribs and smirked.

***
Kane hadn’t realized it was after nine. He was grading papers. It was easier to do that at school. Here he could spread out unlike in his efficiency apartment. However, his apartment was only two blocks from work on the edge of New York’s trendy SOHO and convenient to shopping. It also had huge windows which let in more light than the usual city apartment. His was a neighborhood in flux. He lived in an old tenement and there was a pricey new high-rise down the block at Ten Sullivan. It was the tallest building in SOHO.

Kane sighed, gathered up his papers, put them in his satchel and closed up his classroom.

“Good night, Ernie,” he called to the janitor as he left the building.

“Good night Mr. Brady. You be careful. There’s a lot of snow and ice outside and they’re predicting another storm. Schools will probably be closed tomorrow.

“I’ll be careful. Thanks.”

***
Kane shivered in the cold. The walk home seemed more difficult tonight, feet dragging through the snow piles with the wind gusts almost picking him up off the ground. He kept on looking over his shoulder. Kane was sure someone was following him. Every time he glanced backward he saw shadows in doorways.He looked around again and watched five boys in ski masks come out of an alley. They were walking quickly toward him, with seeming purpose. As they got closer, he realized that they were following him. He began to walk faster. They also picked up speed. Kane started to run.



AC Katt was born in New York City’s Greenwich Village. She remembers sitting at the fountain in Washington Square Park listening to folk music while they passed the hat. At nine, her parents dragged her to New Jersey where she grew up, married and raised four children and became a voracious reader of romantic fiction. At one time she owned over two thousand novels, until she and her husband took themselves and the cat to New Mexico for their health and its great beauty.

Now, most of AC’s books are electronic (although she still keeps six bookcases of hardcovers), so she never has to give away another book. AC is a late bloomer, however, she claims to have found her niche writing LGBT romance. 

She hangs out at ACKatt.com and ackattsjournal.com; where she keeps her blog. To get snippets of new releases and Works in Progress subscribe to AC Katt’s Kattery by sending an e-mail to mlhansel@gmail.com.



February 24, 2016

Character Interview, Excerpt & Giveaway! Wolf, Becoming by Rory Ni Coileain


Volyk learns very young that he has to hide what he is—oboroten’, shape-shifter—after his father is killed and skinned by a hunter, and the pack that takes in his pregnant mother is hostile to his kind. When Volyk is ordered to fight the pack’s beta to prove his fitness, but instead obeys his hormones and tries to mount him, he’s declared an abomination and forced to flee.

Ilya, too, hides a secret. Being young and gay in modern Russia is dangerous, and he knows it. But the truth eventually gets out, and his brothers lure him into the forest to kill him. They’re stopped by Volyk, who hides the mortally wounded Ilya in his den. The only way to heal the human is to turn him into an oboroten’. 

Unfortunately, Ilya’s gentle nature is ill suited to the life of a wolf. But when Volyk’s old pack returns, seeking to take away Volyk’s magickal den, Ilya will have to embrace – truly become – the wolf Volyk made him, to save both his mate’s life and his own.




~ Ilya ~

What’s your job like? 

Before I met Volyk, I guess you could say I was a perpetual student. Trying to put off the day when I’d be expected to find a place in my father’s business empire.

Would you rather be respected or feared? Why? 

I’d settle for just being left alone… but I don’t think I have it in me to be fearsome. Surely there are ways to earn respect, other than making people afraid of you. Though I’ll admit, as I was growing up, fear was the most common shortcut to respect.

What’s your favorite book? 

Wolfhound of the Grey Hound Clan, by Maria Semenova. There’s something about the blond boy who rises above adversity to become a mighty warrior… although I suppose being a wolfhound now would be a little, well, problematic!

If you could go anywhere, all expenses paid, where would you go? 

You’ll laugh… but I’ve always wanted to see Niagara Falls. Maybe go on the boat that goes behind the falls. Something about all that power…

Tell us a bit about yourself. 

If you’ve read any Russian folk tales, you know that the third son of the king or the rich merchant is a pretty dull fellow. *laughing* I’ve always been much quieter than my brothers, certainly quieter than my father! A dreamer, a loner… I enjoyed literature in school, but also maths, I was good at physics and chemistry. Though I think I liked chemistry mostly for my lab partner, Kirill…


And the angel said unto them, be not afraid…

Ilya was not afraid. Enraptured, yes. Entranced. But not afraid. He had been ready for death when he closed his eyes in the wolf’s embrace. Instead, he was whole, and awake, and in the arms of a man more handsome than any angel. Volyk’s long thick hair was the brown and gray of the wolf’s pelt, his cheekbones angular, his lips full. And his eyes were the same beautiful fiery amber as the wolf’s.

Maybe he had only dreamed the wolf. Or maybe he was still dreaming. Surely he had done nothing in his life to earn the gift this moment would be if it were real.



Rory Ni Coileain majored in creative writing, back when Respectable Colleges didn’t offer such a major. She had to design it herself, at a university which boasted one professor willing to teach creative writing: a British surrealist who went nuts over students writing dancing bananas in the snow, but did not take well to high fantasy. Graduating Phi Beta Kappa at the age of nineteen, she sent off her first short story to an anthology that was being assembled by an author she idolized, and received one of those rejection letters that puts therapists’ kids through college. For the next thirty years or so she found other things to do, such as going to law school, ballet dancing (at more or less the same time), volunteering as a lawyer with Gay Men’s Health Crisis, and nightclub singing, until her stories started whispering to her. Currently, she’s a lawyer and a legal editor; the proud mother of a budding filmmaker; and is busily wedding her love of myth and legend to her passion for m/m romance. She is a three-time Rainbow Award finalist.