Showing posts with label Blog Tour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blog Tour. Show all posts

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Mistletoe Kisses Blog Tour and Giveaway


Blurb:
With some gifts, it’s all about the unwrapping...
Jess looks forward to a holiday season of saving puppies and working at the shelter. With her new sister-in-law taking over the Yuletide Gathering, it’s run for the hills or wind up covered in glitter. What she doesn’t anticipate is her brother lining up yet another in a long string of bodyguards. She might be a wolf who can’t shift, but that doesn’t mean she needs anyone’s protection. When things heat up during the festivities, she finds herself face to face with the one man who just might hold the key to her heart.
It was supposed to be a two-week Ops for ridding the world of hybrid wolves, not a babysitting gig for the spoiled sister of the Westmore Pack Alpha. But when Thorne sets eyes on the curvy brunette, he finds a fierce beauty with a soft interior just begging to be tamed, and he’s just the gargoyle to do it.


Buy links:
All Romance: http://goo.gl/MzTClg



Tags:
cat shifter, Christmas paranormal romance, cookies, family gathering, gargoyle shifter romance hero, holiday shifter romance, holidays, hybrid wolf, party, peppermint bark, pet rescue, pets, plus sized romance heroine, puppies, rubenesque, werewolf hero



Hello everyone and happy holidays! Thank you for joining me on my tour of Mistletoe Kisses, the fifth book in the Westmore Wolves series. All the books can be read as stand alone but if you want to read them in order...



1. Wicked For You
2. Heart's Protector
3. Burning for You
4. Taming the Beast
5. Mistletoe Kisses
6. Under Cover of Darkness (coming 2017)

Check out the Westmore Wolves FB Page and Like it to keep up with new releases!




This holiday season we visit a wolf with a penchant for Christmas cookies and peppermint bark. Nab a copy of Mistletoe Kisses and leave a review for a chance to win a copy of my next book in the series!  Leave a comment with your Amazon kindle or Goodreads name and link to the review and tell me your favorite Christmas cookie. I'm getting a new oven on Saturday after a year with no oven and I'm super excited!

Giveaway open from December 1-31.



Excerpt:
Thorne sat across the desk from his new employer and tried unsuccessfully to shake away the incredulous feeling gnawing at his gut. He’d come to Westmore with the understanding that this would be a two-week Ops mission to locate and destroy the violent hybrid wolves he’d been hearing about. They a role to play in his father’s death, he was certain of it, and now he could finally get the answers he was seeking and kill a few in the process. But, as he sat across from the Westmore Pack Alpha, he found himself staring at the man, completely disbelieving his ears.
“That wasn’t the job.”
“I want her protected.” Thorne met Carrick’s eyes, and Thorne struggled to hold in his frustration. This was why he’d been brought to the famed Westmore Estate? The Alpha was legendary for taking down his predecessors with nothing but brains and his own two hands…but to suggest he babysit a female? He was no one’s nanny.
“You want me to be a bodyguard? For a woman?” Thorne sputtered and erupted from the chair, stalking to the window. He kept one eye on the comings and goings outside and another on the man behind the desk. Thorne had come at night, as requested, to see the estate at its most vulnerable. What he hadn’t expected was to be insulted.
“Not just a woman. My sister. And the job is a trial period for two weeks.”
“And after?”
The Alpha thrummed his fingers on the desk. “We’ll talk about that if you’re still here.”
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
The door opened and another man entered, closing it behind him. Thorne eyed the man and waited to be introduced. The pinched look of the other man’s mouth and worry lines in his face indicated he cared about this woman. Interesting.
“Where is she?” the Alpha demanded.

“Probably at the shelter again. She’s not in her room and the guard at the front gate said she took off around eight this morning. Something about an adoption drive at Barks.”
“Thorne, this is Reid, my second in command.” Carrick ran his hand through his mane of dark hair and frowned. “Jesus, she knows I want her to be careful. I keep telling her to quit, but she won’t listen. After what happened with that fucking dragon…”
The other man, Reid, unconsciously rubbed at his arm.
“You were injured.” Thorne stepped away from the window and moved deeper into the room. He could sense their unease. Perhaps something more was happening here than met the eye.
“I was.”
Dragons? Now that was interesting.
“I was told there were hybrid wolves.”
“Originally, that was the contract. Yes.” Carrick rose from the chair, came around the desk, and leaned against it. “But we’ve come to find out that the previous alpha may still have some support out there.”
“A dragon?” Thorne raised an eyebrow. Dragon kind and Night Wing gargoyles were not on friendly terms. Territorial disputes in his homeland had made them natural enemies. But here? That would remain to be seen. Not that he would mind tangling with one.
“An old bastard of a firefighter, too. Seemed like he was setting more blazes at the end rather than putting them down.” Carrick’s lips thinned and his jaw clenched. “He endangered the life of my mate.”
Thorne considered the Alpha carefully.
“If you’ve rooted him out, then why am I here?”
“He’s not the only one,” Reid bit out. “We know there are more out there. What remains to be seen are when and where they choose to rear their ugly heads.”
“Why don’t you go to them?” It seemed a simple question, but the shuttered looks from the men in front of him stopped the suggestion before it could go any further.
“The Yule Gathering is coming and I want no complications. Likely as not, there are more of them out there and I won’t take a chance with my mate, my sister, or my pack. I spoke with your last employer and he said you were the best, most unobtrusive operative he had.”
“I am.”
And Thorne could find the creatures the Alpha sought. All he had to do was give the command.
Thorne wasn’t boasting. It was the truth. People paid for his work and paid him well.
“Good,” Reid snorted. “If you’re tailing Jess, you’re going to need it.”
“Is she your mate, this…Jess?”
“No.” A shade of pink crept up the sides of the other man’s face. “More like…a sister, if you want to know the truth.”
The Alpha sighed. “And she’s stubborn.”
“Yeah…”
The two men glanced at each other, a pregnant pause filling the room. Any information withheld could jeopardize Thorne meeting whatever goal they had in mind.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“Her last bodyguard didn’t make it longer than a day.” Carrick closed his eyes, a twitch of humor playing at his lips.
This ought to be good.
“May I ask why?”
“He, ugh…went up in flames.” Reid coughed, but underneath the sound Thorne was certain he heard a note of laughter.
Flames?
“What did she do, torch him?”
“Not exactly.” Carrick cleared his throat and turned his face away in what Thorne was sure was an effort to compose himself.
Were they hinting he couldn’t handle a woman? It didn’t sound like she needed protection in the least.
Thorne’s lips curved up in a humorless smile. “If she’s such a force of nature, then why the protection? I thought your females were fierce.”
Reid met Carrick’s gaze and the Alpha cleared his throat until his second glanced away, his eyes finding Thorne’s.
“Tell him.”
“She can’t shift.” The Alpha sighed.
Reid crossed his arms over his chest. “Won’t shift. There’s a difference. She can but she doesn’t want to.”
“I don’t accept that.” Carrick pushed off from the desk and went to the window.
“Well, you’d better start. You and I both know that bastard damaged her. She may be strong for a female, but her wolf is broken,” Reid replied, his tone filled with frustration.
Thorne’s stomach lurched at the thought. To hear that her beast had been harmed was unacceptable. War with men he understood well, but not females. Women being abused made his skin crawl. He’d seen much in his line of work, but that was one thing he would not tolerate. It took a good bit of doing to squelch an animal. He should know.
“What happened?”
“You’ve heard what took place here? What the previous alpha did? The atrocities and the genetic experiments?” Reid asked with a bitter twist of his lips.
“I have. The overthrow of the previous regime was unavoidable. Your prowess in battle is legendary.” He nodded to Carrick in a show of respect. He’d found the main source but some of the tendrils remained. And he fucking wanted to tear out the rest of them by the roots. That was why he came here.
Reid shook his head. “That’s not what I mean. He took them…the girls. The women. He…”
“Stop.” Carrick’s voice was strained and his stance was tense. “We don’t need to hash out any of the details.”
He didn’t.



About the author:

Erzabet Bishop is an award-winning and bestselling author who loves to write naughty stories. She is the author of Lipstick, Crave, Snow (Three Times More Lucky Box Set), Malediction (A Wicked Halloween Box Set), Map of Bones (A Wicked Affair Box Set), Sanguine Shadows (Vampire Bites Box Set), The Science of Lust, Wicked for You, Heart’s Protector, Burning for You, Taming the Beast, Mistletoe Kisses, Surrender, Under Cover of Darkness (2017), Three for Two (2017), Hedging Her Bets, Cat’s Got Her Tongue (Alpha Heat Box Set), Kitten Around (upcoming), Torment (Feb 2017), Arcane Imaginarium: Spirit Board, Holidays in Hell, Mallory’s Mark (upcoming),The Devil’s Due (upcoming), Charity Benshaw’s Enchanted Paddle Emporium (upcoming), Club Beam, Pomegranate, A Red Dress for Christmas, The Black Magic Café, Sweet Seductions, The Erotic Pagans Series: Beltane Fires, Samhain Shadows and Yuletide Temptation along with being a contributor to many anthologies. She lives in Texas with her husband, furry children and can often be found lurking in local bookstores. She loves to bake, make naughty crochet projects and watch monster movies. 





Tuesday, September 20, 2016

A Wicked Halloween Blog Tour and Giveaway: Debbie Herbert with Charmed by the Salem Witch



Feed your paranormal cravings!

Halloween can't get here soon enough! Especially when we have this tantalizing boxed set to look forward to.

A Wicked Halloween ~ 13 **BRAND NEW & EXCLUSIVE** paranormal romance tales that will thrill and chill you just in time for All Hallow's Eve.

Preorder for only #99cent today!

Visit the page: A Wicked Halloween



#Nook #Kindle #iBooks #ARe #Kobo



#paranormal #witches #salem #pnr #romance #preorder #giveaway #limitedtime















5 things I like: (Reading and Writing are a given!)

1. Watching college football - Roll Tide, Alabama! 
2. pizza and cheesecake - the ultimate meal 
3. jet skiing at the lake
4. lazing around in the pool

5. All-girl beach trips with my friends or my sister








"At the Women’s College of Salem, Sarah hopes to meet like-minded students of The Craft. But after joining a coven, the other girls seem to have it in for her and she can’t figure out why . . . 


. . . until Tanner, the new, cute IT guy, helps uncover her family’s dark secret. Sarah will have to learn to trust Tanner if she’s to survive a killer freshman year. And Tanner must accept his paranormal powers to save Sarah when the blood moon rises at Samhain, the witch’s Halloween."





Go to Salem, they urged.
You’ll love it, they promised.
It will be fun, they said.
They lied.
Tanner rubbed his eyes and tried to focus on a string of computer code. Some fun. He could have stayed in Alabama if he’d wanted to be stuck in a boring tech job. Sighing, he shoved out of his chair and walked to the window. In the darkness of late afternoon, a light shone in the library next door on the campus quad.
She was there again. Sitting alone at a table, her long, brown hair swept to one side, her enchanting profile glowing like a halo of warmth against the New England chill. Damn, the unbearable cold had turned his brain to poetic mush. She was just a girl, and he’d had more than his fair share of dating last year. Before everything had turned to shit.
He’d prove she was nothing special. Tanner abruptly closed down the computer, grabbed his coat, and walked down the semi-deserted hallway. “See you in the morning,” he called to his boss.
Mr. Higginboth didn’t bother looking up from his hunched position over a computer. “Night,” he mumbled, pushing up wire-framed glasses from the bridge of his nose.
Tanner shuddered. Would that be him thirty years from now? Buried in an academic environment, wearing old-man woolen sweaters and deciphering endless lines of computer code with steadily declining eyesight? Not how he’d envisioned his future. He closed his eyes and remembered the thrill of catching his one and only touchdown pass—the cheering crowd, outrunning the opposing team’s defenders, the ball tucked safely in his arms, and crossing the goal line. Score!
How things had changed in one year. And not for the good.
Bitter wind slammed into his body as he exited the tech lab. He clutched his leather jacket tighter, glumly trying to imagine how much colder Salem would be in winter. Back home, he’d still be in short sleeves and enjoying sunshine.
His right knee throbbed, as it always did in cold weather. Damn nuisance. You’d think he was ninety instead of nineteen. He walked as quickly as he could with the bum knee, grateful for the warmth of the library as he pushed open its heavy, wooden doors. The cozy scent of old books and weathered oak lifted his sour mood.
Quickly, he scanned the towering rows of books and the whispering crowd of students at the center tables. In the far right corner, on the second level, she was bent over a book, her long hair a veil, covering her face.
Tanner inwardly groaned as he climbed the stairs, trying to avoid wincing at the darting pain needling through his knee. A gaggle of girls passed, shooting him sly glances. He winked at the boldest one, who had flaming red hair, dressed all in black, and sported a large pentacle pendant. Back home, she’d have stuck out like a black widow on a bed of white linen. But at the Women’s College of Salem, she was part of a notable minority that flaunted a belief in witchcraft. She smiled, but her eyes held no warmth. She turned her back and elbowed the girl nearest her orbit. “He’s cute but . . . all crippled up. Too bad.”
His face warmed. The remark had been whispered, but it was loud enough to carry—as the girl no doubt intended. He was used to being called cute, but not to people wondering at his injury. At least, not that he’d overheard. Way to build his confidence as he approached the girl to whom he’d been drawn for the past few weeks.
He squared his shoulders, determined not to let the offhand comment ruin his plans. If he’d learned nothing else from his old football coach, it was to persevere, no matter the obstacles. Still, he was used to outmaneuvering three-hundred-pound linebackers, not pathetically limping like an old man as he climbed a set of stairs. All while a group of girls insulted his dignity.
The girls went their way, chattering, never sparing a glance behind them. Amazing—not in a good way—that he’d gone from a rising football star to nearly invisible.
Different. A tiny flash of red on the floor caught his attention. Tanner bent over, picking up a small, black feather with a skein of red floss clumsily woven into its spine. A few inches of the red thread formed a tiny circle, perhaps large enough for a small wrist. Some kind of Native American bracelet, perhaps? He looked around, but nobody caught his eye. It probably belonged to one of the girls who had laughed at him. Too bad. He wasn’t going to search them out and ask. He shrugged and stuffed it into his jacket pocket, intending to throw it in the nearest trashcan.
At last, he reached the top. Tanner gripped the railing, collecting his breath and his pride. Once both were again intact, he walked toward the mystery girl, his footsteps creaking on the old pine flooring, but she didn’t look up from the book held in her hands, a heavy, dusty tome—Salem Witch Trials and Mass Hysteria: 1692—1693.
Tanner flicked his index finger against the book’s spine to get her attention. “A little light reading?” he joked.
Eyes as gray as a November sky regarded him with a decided chill. He was definitely striking out with the ladies today.
Her voice was smooth and cold as ice. “Nothing light about the killing of innocent women.”
“That’s what you call irony.” Tanner pulled out a chair across from her and sat, uninvited. “You writing a history paper on the trials?”
She cocked her head to one side and regarded him with a raised brow. “Yes. Do you need to use this book?”
“Oh, no, I’m not a student.”
Wariness sharpened her delicate features, and her fingers gripped the edge of the table. Real smooth there, Tanner. Now you’re scaring the women away.
“Then who—”
“It’s okay,” he said quickly. “I work here. In the IT department. My uncle—Ralph Landers—is the college dean.”
Her death grip on the book relaxed a fraction.
“I can prove it.” He dug in his coat pocket and fished out his employee ID. “See? I’m totally legit.” He slapped the card on the table and slid it toward her.
“Tanner Adams,” she read aloud, comparing his face to the awkward employee picture. “Computer tech, WCS.”
The way she said his name with her proper, reserved New England inflection was strangely sexy. She pushed his ID card back on the table, and their fingers touched. Chills, the good kind, vibrated through his entire body.

"Debbie Herbert writes paranormal romance novels reflecting her belief that love, like magic, casts its own spell of enchantment. She's always been fascinated by magic, romance and Gothic stories. She is traditionally published through Harlequin as well as Indie published.

Married and living in Alabama, she roots for the Crimson Tide football team. Debbie enjoys recumbent bicycling and jet skiing with her husband. She has two grown sons and the oldest has autism. Characters with autism frequently land in her works, even when she doesn't plan on it!

A past Maggie finalist in both Young Adult & Paranormal Romance, and a past finalist for the YARWA award for New Adult (Young Adult Chapter of the Romance Writer's of America) she's a member of the Georgia Romance Writers of America. Debbie has a degree in English (Berry College, GA) and a master's in Library Studies (University of Alabama). "
Links:


A Wicked Affair #FREE

A set of short story paranormal romances centered on All Hallow’s Eve. Be thrilled and chilled by these tales set in Salem—the ultimate city for witchy and shape-shifting fun. Each story features sexy heroes and spellbinding characters. Salem has never been so hot!

All stories are complete in themselves with a beginning, a middle and end...no cliffhangers! They are an introduction to the longer books in the companion box set, A Wicked Halloween.

Buy links:
Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/p79rTU 


Don't forget to add to your bookshelf on Goodreads: http://goo.gl/dOpHXL



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Tuesday, September 6, 2016

A Wicked Halloween Blog Tour and Giveaway: Salem's Embrace by Sherrie Lea Morgan



Feed your paranormal cravings!

Halloween can't get here soon enough! Especially when we have this tantalizing boxed set to look forward to.

A Wicked Halloween ~ 13 **BRAND NEW & EXCLUSIVE** paranormal romance tales that will thrill and chill you just in time for All Hallow's Eve.

Preorder for only #99cent today!

Visit the page: A Wicked Halloween



#Nook #Kindle #iBooks #ARe #Kobo



#paranormal #witches #salem #pnr #romance #preorder #giveaway #limitedtime














Five favorites:

Five Favorite Things: 
1. The Ghost Walk tour in Edinburgh, Scotland I went on three years ago.
2. Halloween (the movie)
3. Haunted Houses
4. Ghost Walk Tours
5. Roller-coaster rides






Solitary witch Meghan Nightshade is torn between hiding inside her self-made company in Atlanta and returning to stay in her hometown of Salem. One represents new beginnings, and the other her past. When an illness forces her to return to Salem for a short time, she realizes there are forgotten memories among the magic and nothing was the same as she remembered. Between preparing for the upcoming Halloween traditions and falling for the sexy Eathan Callaghan, Meghan is pulled back into the world of magic, covens, and witchcraft. Is she strong enough now to battle for the freedom of Eathan’s innocent sister, or will it cost her too much, and send her running back to the safety of Atlanta?




“I have a feeling not much surprises you, Eathan Callaghan.” Again, his earthy smell called to her. Her body trembled.
“That’s true. Living here for the past ten years has taught me a lot of things.” He squeezed her elbow. “Including the fact that there are many things that cannot, or rather, will not be explained through science. I’ve even had the honor of exploring Nathaniel’s House of the Seven Gables alone. The proprietor owed me a favor. It was…interesting.”
Meghan paused and stared at him. “You believe in magic and ghosts and such?”
“Of course I do. You can’t live in Salem and not believe there’s something different out there.” He grinned. “I’ve taken Karen to lunch at Pickering Wharf more than once.”



I live outside of Atlanta, GA. When not working my day job, I am either working on a manuscript, or furiously jotting notes for future stories. If time permits, I spend time with my daughter, twin sister and two cats and two dogs. Two years I fulfilled a life long dream of travelling to England. My sister and daughter joined me and we spent one week in London and one week in Scotland. I loved it so much! One day, I'll be going back. My son returned home after serving four years with the United States Marines. I missed him and am happily spending time together. A few years ago, I was invited to guest blog about my adventures with two great writers. It was so much fun, thatI have created a blog for this site and am working on filling it.
Social links
http://www.sherrieleamorgan.com/
https://www.facebook.com/sherrielea.morgan
https://mobile.twitter.com/slmorganwrit




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(¸.•´ (¸.•
Enter to ‪#‎WIN



Come to the party!


Tuesday, August 30, 2016

A Wicked Halloween Blog Tour and Giveaway: Gwen Knight



Feed your paranormal cravings!

Halloween can't get here soon enough! Especially when we have this tantalizing boxed set to look forward to.

A Wicked Halloween ~ 13 **BRAND NEW & EXCLUSIVE** paranormal romance tales that will thrill and chill you just in time for All Hallow's Eve.

Preorder for only #99cent today!

Visit the page: A Wicked Halloween



#Nook #Kindle #iBooks #ARe #Kobo



#paranormal #witches #salem #pnr #romance #preorder #giveaway #limitedtime










Gwen Knight's top 5 favorite things, in no specific order lol!: 1. Candy 2. Crocheting 3. Reading 4. Her Puppy 5. Her Husband



She speaks with the dead.
He was cursed by them.

Four hundred years ago, a coven of dead witches stripped Caleb Jensen of his soul. Now, his only hope is to convince local necromancer, Autumn Kane, to track down and restore it before his eternal hunger consumes him. Beautiful, powerful, and confident, Autumn is more than Caleb bargained for.

Except, Autumn has problems of her own. The dead are crying for help. A serial killer has begun targeting the young brides of Salem, and she is the only one who can save them. She has no time to break the curse on this rakish man who steals her breath. Everything about him unsettles her, from his dark nature to his wicked allure. He’s no knight in shining armor.

But maybe it's time for a little evil in her life.




Just breathe.
Autumn stood outside the Hawthorne Hotel and shivered when a brisk, fall wind chased up her bare back. This certainly wasn’t how she’d imagined the beginning of her night. She’d barely stepped foot out of her car and people were already staring. For a moment, she debated her decision to attend stag. After she’d hung up the phone, she’d dressed and left for the party, too angry to wait for Riley and Lexi. Unfortunately, that meant there was no buffer between her and the gawkers.
A delicate chime came from the clutch she held under her arm. The third message her sister had sent her in the past fifteen minutes, not that she cared. If she intended to work tonight, she needed a clear mind, sans Riley. With a deep breath, Autumn smoothed down the front of her dress, ignoring that her fingers brushed flesh where a plunging neckline artfully draped down to her navel. Certainly not the impression she’d intended to make. At least now she knew never to trust her sister with her wardrobe again.
Now or never, she assured herself.
The doors opened, and from within came the heavy beat of music. Seemed as though the party was already well under way.
Autumn slipped into the ballroom and paused to take it in. Every year the Festival of the Dead put on a ball. This year’s theme was a masquerade, and they’d decorated accordingly. The center of the room had been cleared for the dance floor, and the tables were adorned with black fabric and grotesque centerpieces, all in the name of Halloween. Ochre lights hung from the ceiling and glimmered against the painted walls. They always outdid themselves.
She perused the crowd, watching as they moved in sync to the music, their faces hidden by a series of beautiful masks. Wonderment filled her stomach when she realized she didn’t recognize anyone. The knowledge filled her with courage. They’d know her eventually when they sought her out to summon the dead. But for now, it seemed she could enjoy the anonymity.
A few turned to watch as she entered, but she brushed their attentiveness aside and instead started toward the hors d’œuvres. She couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of the Halloween-themed snacks from pumpkin cheese balls to monster cookies.
“Quite the selection,” a voice murmured next to her.
Autumn glanced up with a polite smile. Her gaze tracked up a lean length, taking note of the pristine suit that boasted a muscular physique, but it wasn’t until she caught sight of his startling green gaze shining out from behind a golden mask that she gasped.
Him.
Hell, she’d dreamed of those eyes all night, watching her from amidst the shadows. She took a closer look, her heart sputtering against her chest when she recognized Sadie’s soul. Her hip slammed into the table when she staggered backward.
“Shh, easy now,” he murmured, his hand gripping her elbow and steadying her.
Autumn flicked a glance around the room, noting Dawson and her ex-husband patrolling the far side of the room.
His fingers tensed around her elbow. “Don’t be frightened.”
“You.”
“Me,” he said, nodding.
“I thought you were detained.”
“Funny how the law works. Turns out they can’t detain you when you’re innocent.”
She blinked up at him, startled by the handsome sight. Who the hell was this man? Then his words clicked. “What?”
“I said, I’m innocent. They can’t detain me if I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“You ate Sadie!” she exclaimed, wincing when her voice rose above the music.
His face twisted into a grimace. “Wow. That sounded…”
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“For the record, I am not a serial killer.”
“No, just a soul-eater.”
He paused, shock widening his eyes as though he hadn’t expected her to put two and two together.
“Necromancer, remember? Did you think I wouldn’t know what you are?”
“I hadn’t given it much thought, truthfully.” He regarded her, his gaze unflinching. “I assure you, though, I’m not here to cause any trouble.”
Autumn’s attention dropped to his mouth, mesmerized by the enticing curve of his lips and his strong jawline. He shot her a smile, as though he knew the direction her thoughts had taken. Clearing her throat, she returned to the conversation. “I doubt that. I have a feeling you cause trouble wherever you go.”
“Ah, guilty,” he teased. “Life is too short to play by the rules.” He canted his head with a wide grin. “Well, too short for most.”
“But not you,” she said.
Autumn knew a little about his kind. Her father had come across one many years ago. She’d been thirteen at the time, so he hadn’t been willing to offer many details. The man had massacred multiple families before her father had managed to contain and destroy him. A soul-eater, her father had said, a creature so evil it fed off the souls of the living as a means of living an eternal life.
Her brow furrowed as she studied the man in front of him. Was he the same as the other? “Did you not notice all the police here tonight?”
That sinful mouth crooked. “Of course I did. Did you not notice my mask?”
Oh, she had. How could she have missed it? As though he wasn’t enigmatic enough, the ebony threads woven up into a beautiful leaf added a mysterious appeal. He’d darkened his skin beneath the mask, highlighting his emerald gaze.
He braved a step closer, and Autumn’s heart skipped a beat. She wanted to believe it was the primal rush of fear that had her pulse going, but if it were, she would have made for the nearest police officer. Instead, she tipped her head back and watched as he closed the distance between them.
“Dance with me.” Not a question, but a demand.
Autumn blinked. “What? You’re insane.”
“Possibly. But insane would be not asking you to dance.” He leaned in toward her. “You look so beautiful tonight.”
His words warmed her stomach, but still, she narrowed her eyes. “As opposed to every other night?”
Most men might have balked at such a response, but this one merely tilted his head as the corners of his mouth pulled up in amusement. “I don’t know, yet. Ask me again tomorrow.”
Autumn couldn’t help but chuckle. “A smooth talker, I see.”
“The original smooth talker,” he assured her. “Now, about that dance?”
Before she could protest, his hand ghosted up the length of her back, and he led her out onto the dance floor. Autumn’s breath caught as they moved, the rich scent of his cologne teasing her nose. She should have been afraid, especially after last night, but for some reason, she was more nervous than anything else. She was safe here with half the city’s police force on patrol. Not that she was looking at them. She could barely tear her eyes away from her dance partner.
“Shall we?” He turned toward her and offered his other hand, brow arched as though daring her to resist.
“On one condition.”
His other brow rose.
“Your name.”
A smooth chuckle rose to her ears. “Ah. Forgive me. Here I thought your police friend would have told you everything about me.”
She shook her head.
“Caleb Jensen,” he said after inclining his head in an old gesture she’d only seen in the movies. He stepped up flush against her and wound an arm around her waist. “And you, my dear, are Autumn Kane, necromancer extraordinaire.”
Her breath caught the moment his fingers grazed the small of her back, as though his touch awakened her entire body. She cast a demure smile, then slid her hand in his and gazed up at him from under her lashes. “Am I supposed to be impressed that you know about me?”
“Hardly.” On the next beat, they started to dance.
He moved with singular purpose, and their bodies harmonized as he led them around the room.
“How did you know I’d be here?”
He eased her out into a gentle spin before guiding her back into his chest. His head bent low, his breath brushing against the shell of her ear. “Amazing the things one can learn from the Internet.”
Autumn’s eyes fluttered shut, her heart hammering in her chest as she inhaled his scent. “You realize you’re stalking me, right?”
“I like to think of it more as studying an investment.” He leaned back and draped her body against his side, bracing her weight without breaking stride. “As I tried to tell you last night, I require your help.”
“With what?”
He tsked her, then spun her once more before leading her through the room. “Can’t we finish our dance before discussing business?”
Yes, please. The man certainly knew his way around the dance floor, and though surprising, she was enjoying herself. The feel of his body shifting against her, of his hand warm against her skin as he led her in circles. The logical part of her brain scolded her, told her she shouldn’t be enjoying this. The man had practically abducted her the night before. But the darker half of her soul yearned for this, to come alive beneath someone’s touch again.
A frightening notion that almost had her running home.
This was not the one to come alive for. He’d snatched her off the streets and dragged her into an empty house. He’d devoured Sadie’s soul. He’s the villain, her head screamed at her.
He brushed a hand through her hair and down her jaw. “Keep dancing with me, Autumn.”
Holding his gaze, she nodded.
She’d done the whole white knight in shining armor thing. Hell, once upon a time, she’d married a police officer, and it had been disastrous. Maybe it was time for a little evil in her life.


Gwen Knight is a Canadian girl currently living in Edmonton, AB. She graduated from the University of Lethbridge with a degree in Archaeology and Geography. Her interests consist of playing in the dirt, designing elaborate snow forts, boating, and archery.
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