Blurb:
A shifter with no control...
A shifter with no control...
As a panther shifter stripped of her control Kassity has no choice but to be a killer for Lucius. Obeying the vampire was simply her way of life. Until Jaxon comes to town, bring trouble with him. When she recognizes Jaxon as her fated mate, Kassity must deal with betrayal, secrets and Lucius in order to be with him.
A war rages on...
Jaxon must decide who he is fighting for and against. What started as a simple job turns into a complicated game of hearts when he meets Kassity, the woman he thought he was rescuing.
But not everything is as it seems in Lucius' territory...
Available at (FREE in ebook):
Excerpt:
Kass ran her hand against one of the evergreen trees that dominated
Lucius’ mountain side property. Snow still dusted the peaks above the tree
line, forming a nice white cap. The sounds of wild life running about around
the land graced her ears and called to her panther, but she was forbidden from
shifting. Some type of metaphysical block had been placed so she could feel her
panther but not call it to the surface herself, the beast even leaned against
it, fought against it, but nothing worked. She cursed Lucius and took a deep
breath. Cold mountain air cleared her lungs, easing her anger as the crisp
smell of spring leaves and another panther filled her senses. Her heart skipped
a beat. Impossible. With another breath she knew there was no mistaking the
scent.
Footsteps echoed behind her, she spun in time
to see a blur fly towards her and knock her to the ground. Air rushed from her
lungs, but she managed to recover and rolled. Pinning the stranger to the
ground with a hand to his throat, she met his gaze, sky blue eyes set in a soft
face. The almost-too-delicate-for-a-male jaw line was sun kissed, and that
amazing tan continued to the chiseled line of his abs and the delicious view
disappeared into a pair of faded blue jeans. Kass licked her lips as the idea
of tracing her tongue up his chest crossed her mind.
“Hey
princess, eyes are up here.” He grumbled, putting an arm between them and
pushing her off.
She
didn’t fight him as she backed off and raised her eyes to meet his again. Now
his shaggy light brown hair, a tad too dark to call blond, shadowed them,
making the blue look darker. The panther in her urged Kass to nuzzle the
stranger in front of her as they recognized the scent. “You’re a panther.”
“Just
like you.” He nodded giving her a slow, sexy grin that showed just a hint of
teeth with enough attitude to make a woman melt. “Do you pin every cat you meet
to the ground?”
She
snorted and looked away, toying with a strand of her hair. “Only the ones who
pounce me first.”
He
sat up and leaned in close to her. “I was just excited to see a female cat.
Lucius said that there were none.”
Her
cat tried to rush to the surface and caused Kass to stiffen as it hit the block
in her. “He apparently had no intentions of us meeting, because he never
mentioned you either.”
“I’m
Jaxon.” He leaned in and nuzzled her neck in a classic greeting. She sighed
against him, taking in his scent and missing the type of contact he offered.
She
returned the greeting, rubbing against him, “Kassity.” The longer she touched
him the more her beast hesitated against the block in her, calming and edging
back to wherever it hid inside her.
“My
beast rises to your touch.” He whispered with his lips against her cheek.
Heat
tinted her face red. “And yours calms mine.” Panic crept up on her as she
struggled to breathe, his scent overwhelming her. She scooted away from him,
the wet grass soaking through her pants. He crawled towards her the muscles in
his arms moving like liquid grace. He peered up at her through his shaggy hair.
She
expected to see hurt in his eyes, but they were narrow and calculating how to
get what he wanted. Her. She froze when she felt her beast collide with the
block inside her, knowing that it was Jax’s beast that called to her. Clenching
her fists, she fought against the instinct to call to him and his cry of need.
As she closed her eyes, she tried to find her fading connection with the cat
inside her, tried to control and channel it. The want to run in fear of the
male overcame the beast and tried to force its way out.
Kass’
jaw tightened as he moved closer. He straddled her legs and kissed her. Parting
her lips with his tongue caused her cat to hesitate. Her body tightened in all
the right places as she melted into the kiss and allowed him access to her
mouth. She pulled her legs under her to get closer to him. He moved so he knelt
in front of her and cradled her face with his big hands. Her beast settled
against the block, content with the connection.
The
tingling of happiness broke when their lips were ripped apart. Kass opened her
eyes just in time to see Lucius throw Jaxon a few yards away. Kass swallowed
and backed away from the vampire while Jaxon let out an inhuman snarl, but
remained where he was.
Lucius
glared at him. “Stand down cat, she isn’t yours.”
“That’s
not your choice.” Jaxon stood. “If our beasts-“
“Your
beasts will not be meeting again.” Lucius spun to Kass. “Room. Now.”
She
opened her mouth to protest, but when she met the narrow pure black eyes of
Lucius she thought better. She stole one last look at the male panther before
running back to the mansion.
Blurb:
Renee’s life had been normal until the shadows reappeared and the legendary stone was sent to her. As the arrival drags her further into the paranormal world, the last thing Renee expects is to be swept off her feet by a brooding werewolf.
Yet Coran captures her heart and attention. Small problem—he doesn't want a mate. Coran still suffers from the loss of his first mate, but when Renee is attacked by shifters he is forced to protect her at all costs. Things heat up when he realizes fate has wickedly granted him a second chance at love. With the war causing the body count to rise, now is not the ideal time to find a mate.
The Circle is becoming desperate and something has Lucius worried which means trouble for his followers. It's a dance between danger and fate in this second installment of the Dark War Chronicles.
Available at:
Excerpt:
Renee downed another drink from her
housemate. Another whiskey down after an hour of drinking games made the room
spin around her. Danielle laughed and grabbed Renee's wrist. "Okay
birthday girl, I think you've had enough."
Renee
shook her head. "Nooo, I need more. Rum. Where is the rum?" She stood
and tried to get to the kitchen, but Danielle held her back.
"It's
gone." Someone else in the house cried out.
"Why
is the rum always gone?" Renee asked, feigning a pirate voice. She giggled
as she headed towards the kitchen, escaping Danielle's clutch. She searched
through the bottles but froze when a person she didn't know passed on the other
side of the counter. Swearing, she saw an animal waver behind him, just like
she had with Coran at the bar. Then she blamed it on being stressed. Now she
blamed it on being drunk. Placing her shot glass on the counter, she drew in a
couple deep breaths and closed her eyes. When she opened them the room stopped
spinning and the man with the shadow was no longer in the room.
"You
okay?" Danielle's voice made Renee jump.
Nodding,
she pulled away from her friend. "I just need some fresh air." She grinned.
Danielle
motioned to the door. "You know where the door is, use it."
Renee
stumbled outside and took a deep breath, closing her eyes again. The heat from
the day still clung to the air and thoughts from the chase the night before
returned to her. Footsteps still echoed in her head, reminding her of the men
who chased her. Her eyes flew open when someone grabbed her wrist. Stumbling,
her heart pounded as she shoved at the stranger, frantically slapping him with
her other free hand, trying to get them to let go. Drinking made her more
clumsy than normal, but she tried to pry the man’s hand off her. The world spun
around her as she struggled with the stranger. The man's grip bruised her arm
as he pulled her off her stumbling feet. Renee crashed to the ground taking her
attacker with her. He landed next to her with a yell and two other men came
running. Her eyes widened when she could see the other forms — a wolf, a big
cat of some sort, and a bear. A scream bubbled up in her throat, but one of the
other men clapped a hand over her mouth. She tried to kick, but her
alcohol-laden system moved too slowly to surprise him.
"Shut
it, you little bitch."
An
accent she couldn’t place tinged his voice. She thrashed against the man, her
mind racing through the worse possible scenarios.
Within
a moment the man disappeared, yanked away from her. Renee glanced up, surprised
filling her hazy brain when she recognized the hunky bartender. Coran held an
attacker in the air by the shirt collar, a foot off the ground. She couldn't
believe it, exactly what kind of bartender was this guy? Coran smirked at her
and in that moment the image of the wolf flickered behind him, snarling. She
swallowed and gave him a shy wave.
He
set the man down. "I suggest you run before I rip your head off."
The
man quickly nodded in agreement and he and his comrades took off. Coran turned
back to Renee and held a hand out to her. "What was that all about?"
he asked as he pulled her up. She stumbled into him. "Are you drunk?"
"Beats
hot milk and butter." She grinned before turning in the direction the
attackers ran off in. "Those butt faced miscreants."
Coran
laughed and put an arm around her trying to lead her back to the house.
"That's a new one."
Renee
leaned into him, using him for balance. Here she was drunk and about to screw
up a chance with the hot bartender...again. "I don't want to go back in
there." Her mind flashed to all the images flickering behind people and
tears formed in her eyes. She was tired of these forms reappearing. She swore
that time of her life was over.
"What?
Why? It looks like a fun party." He turned to her and tilted her chin up
to meet her eyes. "Are you crying?"
She
sniffled, trying to keep the little drops from falling. "It's my party and
I'll cry if I want to...gosh darn it! I'll leave if I want to."
"I'm
so going to be dead for this." He grumbled and picked her up, cradling her
against his chest. "How drunk are you?"
"You're
only going to be mostly dead." She laid her head against his chest. "And
I'm not as think as you drunk I am." She could feel his chest rumble with
laughter as he started to walk away from the house. He tucked her into the
passenger side of his truck, buckled her in and kissed her forehead.
"To
the bat cave," she muttered and pointed out the windshield.
He got in on the other side,
chuckling as he started the truck. "Something like that, sweetheart."
Blurb:
A Hunter
Danielle is on a mission to take down a killer, when all signs point to vampire she recruits Orion to help. Bribing him with information on the Fae Queen who stole his crown takes her further into the supernatural world than she wanted. Working side by side, they start to realize there is more there than a forced work relationship, but Orion is still pining over the disappearance of Tegan.
A missing human
Tegan’s kidnapping is taking a toll on the whole territory, Lucius is losing his sanity and the war has taken a turn for the worst. Fed up with the chaos Orion seeks to escape the territory, but other than death there’s only one other option —taking back his crown. After centuries of working under the vampire Danielle offers him the chance and ability to take his rightful place.
Available at:
Excerpt:
The sun was rising as Orion left the club. He had
changed from his stage clothes into his regular torn jeans and t-shirt. He
wandered to the coffee shop and saw the man there again. Shaking his head, he
realized who he was now. Kaden. Jaxon had mentioned meeting the demon here when
he took the job to find the stone. He inclined his head to the demon, before
continuing in to get coffee. He intended to enjoy the cup outside in the sun
before going home and sleeping.
His eyes scanned over the crowd, but there was no
Tegan. His heart dropped at that, what he would give for her just to walk in
and get her coffee like normal. He sat down and sipped his coffee, growling
when a shadow came over him. "What?" He met the gaze of Danielle who
blinked at him a few times.
"Grumpy without your morning coffee, are
ya?" She put her hands on her hips. "Really Orion, I just came to
tell you that we have a surviving victim."
He nearly jumped out of his chair, but forced
himself to remain calm. "A surviving one, are they conscious?"
"No, not yet, but her vitals are stable. I was
hoping you'd come to headquarters and see her. Look at the bite again, maybe
talk to her if she wakes up. I did some research, but I wasn't able to find
anything." She sat down across from him. "I'm at a loss, Orion, the
Elder Masters keep giving me these assignments that seem impossible. This is
one of those. It's like they want to peg Lucius with this."
Something in her eyes made him want to console her,
reach out and kiss her and whisper calming words to her. He couldn’t figure out
if it was the desperation in her voice, or the pleading in those big blue eyes,
but something drew him to her. He glanced at her red lips. They almost had a
pout to them, perfectly kissable, but he needed to focus. He jerked his gaze
away from her mouth and reminded himself not think with his lower head.
"Do you have anyone there you can trust?"
"Possibly Joey, but I don't know enough about
him to confide what I think. That being said, I'm hoping no one asks any
questions about you being there."
"I didn't agree to go," He muttered and
sipped his coffee. "The idea of being stuck in Hunter's HQ with a victim
makes me queasy."
She snorted and tucked her hair behind her ear.
“It's not like I'm going to lock you in there and I'm sure you can just poof
yourself out of there, dusty."
He glared at her over his coffee. "Did you
just call me ‘dusty’? Like fairy dust? Seriously?"
"Would you prefer Tinker Bell?"
No, no he wouldn't. She smiled and the sun caught
her eyes. He wondered where the flirting came from. "Okay, let's get this
over with. I want to sleep at some point."
"Work all night? Or were you out working for
Lucius?"
"I was at the club, there's not a whole lot
that I can do for Lucius right now. Not unless I want to open a vein." He
stood and stretched, a quick look at the human and then he would be able to go
home and sleep.
She stood with him, "I'll drive us, it'll be
easier to get you in if you're riding with me. Less questions, less security,
and please tell me you aren't carrying weapons."
"Not in this realm. I can summon them if I so
choose, but I promise that I won't do that. I won't put your rank in danger,
Danielle, I know the society means the world to you."
She bit her lip and turned away from him. "The
society is the only family I have that understands my hate for the blood
suckers."
"You have living family then?" he asked
lightly as he followed her.
"Yeah, a mother and father, I'm an only child
and when my attack happened they thought I was crazy. They think that the
Hunting Society is a military branch that allows me to use special skills and
they provide everything I need to stay sane."
Orion nodded. "But at least you have them,
it's a lonely world without family."
"Family isn't always blood."
He recalled saying something similar to Renee when
she first came around. "Yeah I know, but it seems to me that my family is
falling apart."
"Do you keep in contact much with the Fae
world?" She pulled out her keys and unlocked a shiny black SUV with tinted
windows.
Orion raised a brow. "Standard issue?"
"Yep, though I chose the color." She
laughed. "Most of us prefer black, we've got one smart ass at this HQ who
has a lime green one. You can spot him a mile away." She shook her head as
she climbed in.
Pulling himself into the passenger side, he looked
at the sleek leather interior. "They don't skimp on the details, eh?"
"They treat us well, as they should, but we're
also only partially funded by the government, a lot of our money comes from
syndicates that like to remain anonymous." She started the vehicle and
drove out of the parking lot.
He watched the cars go by and didn't speak until
they got on the highway, "I should be honored that you're taking me to
headquarters."
"Yes, because not many outsiders see it, but I
trust you. I don't know why, because you work for Lucius, but I trust
you."
Author BIO
A.L. Kessler is a paranormal romance
and steampunk author
residing in Colorado Springs. Since she
was a teenager
she's loved weaving stories and
spinning tales. When she's not at
the beck-and-call of the Lord and Lady
of the House, two
black cats by the names of Jynx and
Sophie, training a
playful puppy named Zelda, playing with
her daughter, or killing
creepers and mining all the things with
her husband of 4
years, she's either reading,
participating in NaNoWriMo, or
writing in her Blog Writing Rambles.
Published work: In the Light of the
Moon (DWC #1)- Novel
The Touch of Night (DWC #0.5) Note:
This short story is not required to read to understand the over all arc of the
story.
In the Light of the Moon (DWC #1)
Kassity's & Jaxon's Book
Dance in the Moonlight (DWC #2) Renee's
& Coran's Book
On Torn Wings (DWC #3) Orion's
& Dani's Book
Past Demons (DWC #4) Tegan's Book, Due
out Feb 2015
Character Interview:
Please welcome Tegan from A. L. Kessler's The Dark War Chronicles to Diane's Book Blog.
What is your name? Do you have a nickname?
My name is Tegan, I don’t really have a nickname, but Tegan
is not my original name. My original name has been long forgotten.
What is in your refrigerator right now?
Ale, leftover pizza
and Chinese takeout is what is probably in my fridge right now, assuming
someone hasn’t eaten the leftovers.
What is on your bedroom floor?
On my bedroom floor
is a discarded book, a pile of laundry in the corner and my laptop, yeah I
know, not a good place for it.
What is on your nightstand?
My nightstand is
covered in books that have been read or I plan on reading soon.
Who is your funniest friend?
Renee is the funniest, because she knows just the right time
to use her sarcasm to lighten the mood. If I’m in a bad mood, she’s the first
person I call to talk to.
What is your biggest fear?
My biggest fear is going back to the life I had before
Lucius rescued me. The past has left scars on my body and nightmares in my
dreams.
What is your most treasured possession?
My butterfly collection, Lucius gives me a new butterfly
figurine every year to add. It reminds me of the freedom I’ve gained when
agreeing to become his bonded human.
Which living person do you most despise?
Markus. Pretty sure if I’m ever given the chance I will
murder that bloodsucker.
What is your greatest regret?
Going into the market for the butterfly figurine that Lucius
would have bought for me anyways.
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