Wednesday, October 21, 2026

When the Magic Comes by Shereen Vedam #EpicFantasy #CozyMystery



When the Magic Comes
A Grimm Medieval Mystery
Book One
Shereen Vedam

Genre: Cozy Epic Fantasy Mystery
Publisher: Shereen Vedam
Date of Publication: October 13, 2026
ISBN: eBook 9781989036464
ISBN: Paperback 9781989036471
ISBN: Audiobook  9781989036488
ASIN: B0FVYCWP33
Number of pages: 240
Word Count: 62,000
Cover Artist: Suzie O’Connell from Sunset Rose Books

Tagline: Magic. Prophecy. Murder.

Book Description:

It’s been said that Kennard of Grimm is destined to be the first in a long line of warriors who battle evil with magic.

Just one problem: he teaches magic at a prestigious university, but he has no magical abilities.

What he has is a dangerous curiosity, piercing instincts, and a responsibility for a baby dragon named Tala. Normal chaos rules Kennard’s life until a student is murdered, and another is blamed. Convinced the accused is innocent, he sets out to find the real killer.

To further complicate Kennard’s life, his mother and sister visit him, sparking Tala’s protective instincts. Then things turn more dangerous when a second body shows up.

The killer’s audacity is mounting.

Kennard must stop the murderer and soothe his indignant dragonet or risk death and destruction on a much larger scale.

If you enjoy your mystery with a hint of fairy tale, you’ll love meeting Kennard of Grimm and his dragonet, and sharing in their epic adventure as amateur detectives in a magical medieval fantasy world.


Excerpt

This is who I am. I’m the widow of a knight. My father was the Baron of Grimm. I’m the eldest of four. And my brother is the first Grimm to insist he can see magical creatures. My name is Violet.

On this November day, in the year of our Lord 1312, an unusual crime was committed at Edensa University, where my brother lives. There had been no warning that this event would be life-changing for both him and me.

As Master of Magical Theory and History, he soon became entangled in the event, for it had magical undertones. I intended to keep him out of harm’s way. But then I became worried, as I wondered if his convictions were not just the result of an overactive imagination.

What if there really are invisible monsters?

* * *

“Surely magical creatures are naught but myths, sir?” Gazi spoke from a bench two rows back. “They don’t exist.”

This late-night class, the first Kennard had held this autumn, would hopefully be the last. It had made for a long day.

The lit torches shadowed Gazi’s strong features, giving him a devilish cast. He suspected the clever lad of being deliberately provocative. At fourteen, he was only seven years Kennard’s junior, yet Gazi might as well have been a mischievous child of eight, the way he sometimes acted.

Kennard addressed his students. “What do you think of Gazi’s question? Is it worthy of our consideration?”

“No!” Fanil lounged on a bench to Kennard’s left and flashed Gazi, his arch-nemesis, an over-the-shoulder smirk. “But such creatures are present in Bernada,” he added, snapping on the bait despite his avowal to the contrary.

Two vociferous rivals for the class fool.

“As if you would know.” Gazi chuckled. “You’ve never been to the sorcerers’ kingdom. No mortal has.”

“Our queen has,” Elspera countered, one of only three lasses registered for his class, and the only one of them present tonight. She sat directly across from Kennard, her favorite spot.

Her maid sat by the door, head tilted, eyes closed, and mouth half open, while releasing soft snores.

Elspera pointed at a portrait of our fair monarch on the wall. Her long sleeve slid down as she raised her arm, revealing a pale hand and wrist covered in intricately painted, darkly dotted patterns.

Gazi straightened on his bench, running a hand through his hair. “I grant, unlike us, God bestowed Queen Amity with exceptional powers. Yet, even she’s never spoken of magical creatures, not in our lands or even in Bernada.” His tone grew soft as his gaze rested on the fair maiden. “Also, this topic is about magical creatures, like ogres, griffins, and water spirits. Not sorceresses.”

“As a sorceress,” Elspera argued, “the queen could be considered a magical creature. If you seek further evidence, what about religious texts, which mention behemoths, demons, and even dragons? They do not lie.”

“My pa says it is blasphemous to discuss witchery,” a lad said from the last row. “The church forbids it.”

Though Gregory had addressed his comments to the class, his gaze lingered by the doorway. Was he hoping he could be anywhere but here? Possibly. Kennard glanced toward the doorway, where Elspera’s maid, having awoken, sat straight and blinked tired eyes. It had been a long day.

His attention returned to Gregory, who hailed from a small village in Greece. Normally, a quiet lad. Why a religious boy wished to attend sacrilegious lessons had once troubled him when the lad’s family applied to enroll him in this class.

Had the Church sent this “little bird” to Edensa to report on Kennard’s teachings, so they could smear his father’s name? For the Baron of Grimm had spoken out against the Pope a time or two.

Kennard’s fist had clenched at the possibility of his behavior being used to attack his father. In the end, he met Gregory, and his instincts insisted the lad had good in him. So, deciding an enemy close at hand was worth three in the bush, he’d admitted him. Time would prove if he’d been wise or not.

 


About the Author:

Once upon a time, USA Today bestselling author Shereen Vedam read fantasy and romance novels to entertain herself. Now she writes heartwarming tales braided with threads of magic and love and mystery elements woven in for good measure.

Shereen's a fan of resourceful women, intriguing men, and happily-ever-after endings. If her stories whisk you away to a different realm for a few hours, then Shereen will have achieved one of her life goals.











Posted by Roxanne Rhoads at 1:30 AM 0 comments

Monday, October 12, 2026

Spooktastic Haunted Book Fair This Saturday October 17

 

Dust off your broomstick and dig out your favorite hearth-side reading chair: Bewitching Book Tours is summoning the spirits once more for the second annual Spooktastic Haunted Book Fair, the deliciously dark, grown-up answer to the Scholastic Book Fairs you used to beg your parents for money to attend.

This year's haunting happens on Saturday, October 17, from 12–3 p.m. at Creative Cafe, 3318 Corunna Rd, Flint, MI 48503 — and the cobwebs are already being hung.

Book lovers with a taste for the eerie and otherworldly are invited to creep, browse, and binge-shop their way through tables stacked with dark and paranormal romance, spine-tingling horror, haunting histories, and fantastical tales perfect for readers who like their stories a little cursed and their endings a little bloody.

This isn't your average book fair. Eighteen local authors, artists, and book vendors will be on hand to chat, sign, and tempt you into adding "just one more" to your TBR pile (we don't judge). Beyond the books, shoppers will find bookmarks, stickers, and other macabre merchandise to complete their haunted haul — plus free goodie bags for the first 25 who walk through the door. 

New this year: raffle tickets for prizes awarded at 2pm.

Genres haunting the tables this year include:

🖤 Romance
🐉 Romantasy
🩸 Dark Romance
👻 Paranormal Romance
🔪 Horror
⚰️ Haunted History
🌙 Urban Fantasy
🔮 Speculative Fiction
☕ Cozy Mystery
...and more lurking surprises

Whether you're hunting for your next obsession-worthy paranormal romance, a ghost story to read by candlelight, or just a perfectly spooky souvenir, the Spooktastic Haunted Book Fair has something wicked for every reader.


Event Details

What: Spooktastic Haunted Book Fair
When: Saturday, October 17, 12–3 p.m.
Where: Creative Cafe, 3318 Corunna Rd, Flint, MI 48503
Featuring: 18 local authors, artists & book vendors | Free goodie bags | Raffle prizes


Boo Basket Raffle Prizes 


Goodie Bags for the first 25 People- each with a book, stickers, bookmarks, and more

Posted by Roxanne Rhoads at 3:27 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, October 07, 2026

Whispers of the Pale Witch by S.A. Sizemore with Exclusive Excerpt #Horror #ParanormalThriller



Whispers of the Pale Witch 
Beckett Coven Series
Book One
S.A. Sizemore

Genre: Horror/Paranormal Thriller
Publisher: Rowan Prose Publishing
Date of Publication: September 29, 2026
ISBN: 978-1-961967-99-1
ASIN: B0FTBTKG9J
Number of pages: 398
Word Count: 98,000
Cover Artist: Kelly Moran

Tagline: Shall we begin?

Book Description: 

Some secrets should just stay buried. 

After the sudden death of her great-aunt, Kylie Beckett lands her dream job as a forensic photographer in the small seaside town where she was born. But once there, a series of murders and the theft of a dangerous relic force Kylie to uncover the dark truth about her ancestors. 

With the help of newfound family, she learns to harness unconscious powers to stop the vengeful and unstable Pale Witch before she unleashes a demonic spirit on Salem, Massachusetts once again. 

Shall we begin?

Excerpt 1- Chapter 1

Just as she was in life, Deliverance was a demon in death.

Her cruel whispers invaded quiet conversations. Her hate-filled face raced past in the shadows. Destroying the body didn’t end her baneful abuses. Instead, she became limitless and everywhere, always.

A thick breath of fog rolled in from Derby Wharf, obscuring much of the town in its salty grip. Beneath a brick wall, Angela’s torso hovered close to the ground like a disembodied specter. It was just past the witching hour.

Trying to ignore the demon’s voice, her foot forced a shovel tip between the invading roots of an old elm tree. Late summer rain softened the first two feet, but the deeper she went, the more arduous her task became. As its blade struck the cold earth, the shovel’s handle creaked once more. If it could just hold out a bit longer, weeks of their nocturnal labor would come to an end tonight.

The whispers beneath her feet intensified into a full-throated growl. Too loud. Angela pulled a small bottle of water out of her pocket and sprinkled it over the soil. Its bitter blessing drove the sound into silence once more.

For years, drugs numbed the whispers and obscured the demon’s face, but Angela’s gatekeepers eventually tossed her out like many crumpled bits of garbage now littering the streets of the North Shore. In Boston, she found ways to calm the chaos by coercing the gullible. Many survived their interactions with her. Some were not as fortunate.

During a moment of weakness, she tried to end her own life, but Lyssa and Hekate kept her from the slumber of death. Instead, her beloved Goddesses graciously bestowed visions of destiny upon their troubled servant.

The shovel finally bumped against something other than rocks and roots. A rush of excitement flowed through Angela’s veins. Turning the blade over, she scraped back the earth from the old pine lid. Then she jammed the shovel’s metal edge between the boards.

Nails loosened, but the pressure snapped the rusted collar from the shovel’s wooden handle. She grumbled something incoherent and tossed the broken tool aside. It landed with a soft thud onto the foraged slab of plywood she’d been using to cover the grave.

Adrenaline in her veins shifted to pulsing dopamine.

Angela grabbed the axe lying next to the rejected shovel. She lifted it above her head and let its blade fall onto the rotting timber. Not too hard. Just enough to break it. Must not harm the treasure inside. She set the axe aside and grabbed hold of the broken coffin lid. When one of the planks snapped in half, it ripped open the skin on her knuckles.

A face stared back at her. Though not recognizable in its present state, it still gave Angela nauseating chills. Crimson drops christened the bones as she placed them one by one inside a black trash bag. It wasn’t the first time the demon drew blood from her.

When she was done, she pulled the plywood back over the open pit and spread a thin layer of earth on top with the shovel blade. Once more, her work was hidden. Then she picked up the axe and swung it hard against the cheap concrete headstone. It tumbled over into the tall weeds. She struck it several times more, letting fury flood her soul.

Angela rolled over in the darkness and opened her eyes in a panic. Did she just come from the cemetery, or was it something she had yet to do?

No.

She reached over and touched the black bag lying next to her. It had been days since that task had been completed. Time slipped back and forth so easily sometimes.

Obtaining the bones was one step. Soon, Angela would bend the demon to her will with the threat of silencing it forever. Remnants of the forbidden ritual remained engraved in her mind. The rest, the part she wasn’t allowed to read, was in a Book of Shadows hidden somewhere in this house.

Muffled voices from the room above interrupted the dead’s incessant whispers.

About the Author:

Drawn to playwriting from an early age, S.A. Sizemore began writing professionally while studying English and theater arts in college. After producing several plays regionally in Southern California, Sizemore pivoted to the themed entertainment industry. Whispers of the Pale Witch is the first installment of the Beckett Coven series inspired by Sizemore’s ancestral connection to the Salem Witch Trials. She is a full member of the Dramatists Guild of America, proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, European and Cherokee/Chickahominy decent, and resides in California with her wife and two dogs, Agatha and Harry.









Readers Group:

Goodreads: 







Posted by Roxanne Rhoads at 1:00 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, October 06, 2026

Author Interview- Dead Man’s Trigger by Kat Huddleston #UrbanFantasy


What inspired you to become an author?

My mom was a really creative artist and I grew up making things with her. She was so talented in everything she tackled. As I got older I went into writing, which I felt was something I could do creatively. So even though she wasn’t a writer, my mom was my creative inspiration. The first author who really inspired me to write was Ray Bradbury.

What is your favorite genre to write?

Urban fantasy. I love supernatural stories. Your mind can go any way and anything can happen. But I love seeing it in today’s world and seeing how it can relate to the things that are happening now.

Do you title the book first or wait until after it’s complete?

Sometimes I have a title that pops up right away, but usually it’s the story first and then it’s agony finding the right title.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I was actually surprised by some of the themes that popped up in my book, Dead Man’s Trigger. My main character, Max, was a victim of child abuse, and that ended up shaping everything that happens to him in one way or another. I also really liked the idea that when the worst thing happens to you that tries to force you to become a literal monster, what is it going to take to overcome that and is it even possible. When you’ve done horrible things, can you get past them? Max has dealt with so much of the trauma that happened early in his life, and then suddenly he’s a vampire and how the heck do you deal with that?

We all face horrible things in our life. My husband of 24 years just died this summer from cancer. We all make mistakes and have struggles and have to overcome the bad stuff. And it’s hard. My husband originally edited the book and we published it four years ago. But nothing ever happened with it and I felt it still needed work. So after he died, my heart was broken, but there was this book that was just sitting on Amazon like a zombie and nothing was ever going to happen with it.

I decided I’d just clean up the typos, because I knew there were a few in there. But it became a journey and the book became better. I got a new title, a new cover and revised the book. On Amazon I could then republish the book as a new book. It wasn’t a journey I was expecting to take, but it helped me get through the summer. My heart is still broken, but every day I take another step and I’m so proud of this book.

Is there a genre that you’d like to write that you haven’t tackled yet?

I’ve been plotting out a new series called The Jake Casper Supernatural Mysteries. So even though it will still be Urban Fantasy, it will fall into the mystery category.

Of all the characters you’ve ever written, who is your favorite and why?

Max is my favorite. You spend that much time with a fella and… well… I fell in love with him. Not as much as my husband, but still. I also fell in love with many of the characters in the book, even the ones who end up getting killed off. When you breathe life into a character they become real to you. I was sad to see some of them go.

If this book is part of a series…what is the next book? Any details you can share?

The next book in A Max Maguire Vampire Novel series is called Kill Radius. I hope to have the same cover artist do all the covers in my series. What I can say about book two is that Max and the other characters are still reeling from the traumatic events from book one. As the book opens, Jade is missing, but it’s become the wild, wild west as her vampires are causing lots of trouble for Max and the Corps. People are dying and there’s a real threat that vampires could be exposed. And Max and his deaf lover, Sumi, will continue to face the challenges of falling in love when a war is going on.

What book are you reading now?

I’ve been reading the Joe Ledger Series and Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International Series by Jonathan Maberry. I’m toward the end of the series with Burn to Shine.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Finding all the freaking typos. They are like ants. You think you’ve found them all and then another read and you find another one. It’s really annoying. Mostly it’s just a missing word or something like that, but in a 119,500 word book, it’s really annoying.

Who designed the cover of your latest book?

BroseDesignz. I’m so happy with the cover, I hope she’ll do all of my books in this series.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Yes. Write. Join a writers’ group if you can, but don’t let others dictate where your writing can take you. Writing exposes who you are and you may not like what others have to say. It doesn’t mean they are right. And if you just take your writing and put it into ChatGPT, Chat’s going to tell you it loves it. That’s not helpful either. Constructive criticism is the best place to land when looking for an honest critique. But at some point you just have to pull the trigger and write, edit, revise, and publish. And the hard part is you have to be more than a little fearless. But even if you’re not, fake it.

What would your readers be surprised to learn about you?

I’m an award-winning Fused Glass Artist and teacher. I won a lifetime achievement award from The Beverly Arts Center as a teaching artist. I have two kilns and I have an art show this weekend. My mom was always the artist, but I’ve found art never left me and I love it. Making something with your hands is truly gratifying.

What is next for you? Do you have any scheduled upcoming releases or works in progress?

I’m working on putting together material so I can find a narrator for Dead Man’s Trigger and I hope to have the audiobook released early next year. As far as writing goes, I’m working on Book Two, Kill Radius, which will continue Max’s story.

Dead Man’s Trigger
A Max Maguire Vampire Novel
Book One
Kat Huddleston

Genre: Urban Fantasy Vampire Thriller
Date of Publication: Oct. 5, 2026
Number of pages: 378
Word Count: 119,000
Cover Artist: BRoseDesignz 

Tagline: Former Special Forces Sniper. High School History Teacher. Vampire.

Book Description:

Who Knew Immortality Could Be So Short?

When high school history teacher Max Maguire begins to suspect one of his brightest students is in trouble, he ends up walking down the wrong alley. Suddenly, he's staring down the fangs of a beautiful, powerful, and utterly merciless vampire named Jade.

As Max's life takes a dark turn, he’s forced to learn how to survive in Jade's twisted world. But if Jade thinks her hostage is going to play nice, she really should have read his resume. This former Special Forces sniper might just have to dust off some very lethal muscle memory.

While Max plots exactly how to kill the most dangerous predator on the planet, he discovers there’s another group of vampires that have their own plans for Jade. Before he knows it, Max is caught in the crosshairs of a vampire war that neither side can afford to lose.

And there's one thing neither side knows... Max has a secret of his own.

CONTENT WARNING: This is NOT a romance. The novel contains mature content intended for readers 18 and older. This is a gritty, fast-paced genre hybrid combining vampires with dark urban fantasy, tactical military thriller action, and sarcastic humor, with a wisecracking protagonist at its center. There is explicit sexual material, including non-consensual sex, graphic violence, torture, adult themes, and visceral horror elements. In other words, my vampires don't sparkle.

Excerpt from Dead Man’s Trigger

When Max Maguire joins a group of vampires who hunt vampires, his first mission gets complicated very quickly and Max has to draw on his Special Forces training – and get creative.

Without a word, the team quickly exited the van. They barely made a sound, with only the muffled noise of doors opening and closing to betray their arrival.

Max crawled up into the passenger’s seat and waited. Terry had a revolver out and ready on his lap. Chase and the team stood near the trees sizing up the situation.

“Five hostiles inside with two humans, two hostiles out back,” Chase said in a low voice through his headset. Max watched as Chase pointed to Sumi and Tank and then to the rear of the house. He knew from experience, no one would talk at this stage unless they had to. Sound was always risky.

Sumi and Tank took off in a blur. Max did as Tank suggested and reached out with his senses to follow the action. The rest of the team crouched by the tree line for a moment and then Chase motioned for them to go.

Chase, Shades and Father Frank were beginning their approach from the front. Everything in the backyard was happening so fast, Max was having trouble keeping track of what was going on. One of the vamps went down immediately and vanished from Max’s internal radar. The other had avoided a round to the heart and took off. Sumi was in pursuit, but Max lost her. He tried to find her again, but she was out of his range.

He looked at Terry, a worried expression on his face.

“She’s okay, Max. She can take care of herself,” he said.

Max nodded and got back to the action. The attack from the front had started and Max could sense the chaos in the house as the vampires dove for cover or tried to reach their weapons. Two were killed immediately, but the other three were putting up a fight. Then one of them dove through a side window, right through the wood covering it, and Max saw he was out of the house and headed for them. Max didn’t have a weapon, but he wasn’t about to be a sitting duck. Terry nodded at Max and they both opened their doors to get out of the van.

The vamp looked like a biker, defined by leather, tattoos and long hair. And he was really pissed. When the angry vampire saw them, he raised his revolver and started shooting at them on the run. One of the rounds whizzed by Max’s ear and he dove to the ground in a roll, coming up on his hands and knees. Terry started firing back, but the vampire was moving fast. They were trading shots, so Max pushed himself up and flew at the vampire, tackling him, the two rolling one over the other until they crashed into a tree.

Max was stunned for a moment, but so was his opponent. He saw the flash of the revolver and he went for it, the two struggling over the weapon. The vampire smashed Max in the chest with his fist and sent him flying backwards. Ending up flat on his back, he rolled onto his knees just as the vampire got a shot off. Suddenly his lower back was on fire and Max knew he’d been shot. Now he was pissed.

Terry was rounding the van. He took a shot, but missed the vampire. The bad guy was distracted for just a moment, and that’s all Max needed. He scrambled onto his hands and knees. Ignoring the pain, Max launched himself at the vampire again, breaking a branch of a tree off along the way and knocking his opponent to the ground. Max drove the large end of the branch into the vampire’s chest as the bad guy was raising the weapon to take another shot. The vampire stopped, a look of total surprise on his face. The branch with its leaves still intact stuck out of him as if the tree was growing right through him. And then he turned to dust.

Max’s back hurt like hell and he fell to the ground on his side. Then Terry and Chase were standing over him.

“Death by maple. That’s a first,” said Terry.

About the Author:

Kat Huddleston is a Chicago-based writer, teacher and artist who loves all things sci-fi. She was an entertainment journalist for the Syfy Channel’s website and for Sci Fi Magazine a while ago, and has always had a deep addiction to writing, teaching and creating art.

Kat is an award-winning painter and fused glass artist who taught fused glass, and her art can be found in several galleries.

While Kat has mostly lived in a fantasy land, she’s made a living as a journalist and dabbled in short story and screenplay writing. 

Dead Man’s Trigger is Kat’s first novel in the Max Maguire Vampire series.

Kat lives with her two helper cats, Jax and Nicky.






Posted by Roxanne Rhoads at 2:00 AM 0 comments

Happy Release Day! Lunar Seductions A Limited-Edition Collection of Paranormal and Fantasy Romance Stories #Shifters #PNR

 



Lunar Seductions
A Limited-Edition Collection of Paranormal and Fantasy Romance Stories

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Carnal Imprint
Date of Publication: October 6, 2026 
ISBN: 1230010323847
ASIN: B0HHBR6G1N

Book Description:

When the moon rises, desire follows.

Some lovers are chosen.
Some are destined.
And some are the kind you should run from, but where would be the fun in that?

Lunar Seductions brings together nine steamy tales of supernatural desire, dangerous attraction, and romance that refuses to play by mortal rules.

Lose yourself among shifters, monsters, psychics, goddesses, and other creatures of the night. Meet lovers bound by fate, trapped by circumstance, divided by old grudges, or drawn together despite every reason to stay apart.

There are secrets to uncover, enemies to tempt, boundaries to cross, and more than a few teeth and claws waiting in the dark.

Give in to temptation.

The moon won't tell.

Including stories by:
Stephanie Morris - USA Today bestselling author
Charmaine Louise Shelton
Nadine D. Price
Danika LaRue
Kiera Rose
Peyton Lawson
Celia Breslin
Ravyn Wilde
Ryan L Reeve 

Books2Read     Amazon     Apple     Kobo     Google Play



Diamond Moon Rising by Celia Breslin

Her wolf wants him. Her human side wants out.

After her last shift nearly kills her, human-wolf hybrid Darci has had enough—it’s time to stop shifting once and for all. Armed with a cryptic note from her dead shifter dad, she sets out in search of his mythical hometown in the wilds of Rogue Valley, Oregon, hoping Dad is right, and the shifters there might help.

As a dominant beta and pack protector, Ross is never taken by surprise…until a half-wolf half-human pixie with the biggest green eyes he’s ever seen lands on his doorstep. It’s rare for strangers to venture into their world—rarer still for a fated mate to literally fall into your arms. But she did, and he recognizes her immediately as his one and only.

Darci isn’t sure about the whole mate business. She just wants a normal human life, free from shifting. Ross won’t give up on her wolf and tries to help her accept her true nature and their mate bond. But the Full Moon is three days away, threatening Darci with a potentially deadly shift, and certain pack members would rather kill a human than help one. Darci might not survive long enough to trust Ross with her heart.

Excerpt from Diamond Moon Rising by Celia Breslin  

A thump from outside on his deck, heavier than the staccato taps of the hail, halted him in his foyer. More offbeat thuds sounded near the front door.

Company in this weather?

No one would venture up his private road uninvited…

He stalked to his door and released a bit of power in warning. If they were a shifter, they would likely take the hint. And if they didn’t… Well, he was a dominant wolf, a Beta, and one of the alpha’s enforcers.

They don’t stand a chance.

The feedback froze his fingers on the doorknob.

Female.

He inhaled. Damn, she smells good.

Human. Wolf.

Wait…both?

The copper tang of blood hit his nose. She’s injured.

He flung open the door and caught his visitor off guard, one small, white fist raised to knock. The woman startled then fell forward. Ross caught her in his arms then pulled her inside, kicking the door shut with one booted foot.

The petite female sagged against him, a shivering bundle of sopping wet woman. Underneath the dampness, her scent drop-kicked his gut.

Fresh and sweet, like apples dipped in cinnamon and honey.

His body perked up, taking extreme notice. A growl of possession threatened to tear out of his throat, and an ancient, primal energy stirred to life inside him, accelerating his pulse.

Holy hell, she’s my potential mate.

The scent of her blood spurred him into action. He lowered her gently to the floor. “Are you okay?”

His instincts urged him to check her for wounds everywhere, but he was a stranger and didn’t want to spook her. But goddamn, he wanted to touch her. Peel off her wet clothes. To see all of her and warm her with his body.

With a jacket covering her torso, baggy jeans hiding her legs, and a ball cap pulled low over her face, all he could see so far was her quivering pale chin, full red lips, and delicate, trembling fingers peeking out from her coat sleeves.

“S-s-sorry, d-dripping all ov-v-ver your f-f-floor,” she said, her teeth chattering.

Her snow-white fingers curled into fists, her arms trembling with the effort to keep herself upright. Blood droplets dotted the floor plank near her hip.

To hell with propriety. “You’re injured. Let me help you.” He pulled up her cap and damn near swallowed his tongue.

Big green eyes blinked up at him from a face so pale it made him think of moonlight. Drenched, short black hair lay plastered to her head, the ends framing features reminiscent of the fairies his sister loved to draw.

Ethereal beauty. Want her to be my beauty.

She flinched and batted his hand away. “Stop,” she rasped before listing to her side, her body trembling.

With the cold or fear?

He desperately didn’t want her to be afraid. “Sorry. Please, let me help you. I’m Ross. You’re safe here. I promise.”


About the Author:

Celia Breslin lives in San Francisco, California, USA, with her family, including three feisty felines who like to stalk across her keyboard while she’s hard at work crafting urban fantasy, sci-fi and paranormal romances. Her current creature obsessions are wolf shifters, the Fae, vampires, warrior-class angels, and cyborgs, and her action-packed stories include some of her favorite tropes: fated mates, second chance, grumpy sunshine, opposites attract, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, and more.

When not glued to her laptop, Celia likes to work out, read books (of course!), hang with her family, and binge-watch sci-fi and fantasy TV shows and movies. Matcha lattes keep her fueled for All The Life Stuff!

Website: http://www.celiabreslin.com       






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