I’m excited to bring you lovelies a taste of the new, improved, darker version of my novella ‘The Rite’. It’s appearing in an incredibly fun anthology coming out TODAY called ‘Dark Fantasies‘ and it’s only 99 cents! The cover was revealed yesterday, so check that out. ^_^ It has some amazing bestselling authors in it: Cari Silverwood, Charity Parkerson, Lee Savino, and me! Angels and demons, witches and shifters – it’s about time we had some monsters in our bed. I had wanted to go back and do a solid rework of ‘The Rite’ since I’d held back on the darkness when I first wrote it for a different anthology, but now it’s back and more evil than ever.

No spoilers, because I want you to enjoy the rewrite, but here’s a teaser.

—

It was probably the fear of facing what the rite could do to her, or more likely just the complete desperation for normalcy that had her knocking on Rick’s door at two o’clock in the morning. The first knocks hadn’t roused him and she thought she might leave, but she tried once more. The third time her knuckles rapped on the wood she heard the sound of the deadbolt turning.

“Who is – …Heather?” Rick was all messy dark hair, his voice deep with sleep. A shadow of facial hair covered his cheeks, and his mouth tilted up at the edge as his eyes focused on her.

“Hi,” she mumbled, completely self-conscious about waking him up like a crazy person.

“Hi.” He let the door fall open and leaned against the doorframe. He was shirtless, and his tanned skin caught the light from the street. Hello, six pack. This was exactly what she needed. “What brings you here in the middle of the night?”

“I thought you might want company.” Heather realized as she stood there that her outfit wasn’t exactly what she would normally show up at Rick’s door in. A big coat over a plain top, jeans, and boots. Her hair was probably a mess, and she’d been crying off and on for the last several hours, so she knew she looked like shit, but Rick’s laugh sent a buzz over her skin anyway.

“Your company? You know I’m always open to that.” His dark eyes were trailing down her, and she wished it were spring so she could have at least been in a short dress. “But I thought you couldn’t see me anymore.” Rick’s voice was a playful purr and her decision solidified in her brain.

“I need a distraction. Are you going to invite me in?” She matched his cocky tone and was rewarded with another low chuckle as he backed away from the door and waved an arm towards the dark interior.

“You seem to be feeling a little bossy to be standing at my door, Heather.” He shut it behind her and a thrill ran down her spine.

“Maybe you should punish me then.” Dropping her messenger bag on the table by his door she started to pull off her coat and scarf. Rick just crossed his arms to watch.

“Is that what you want, pretty girl? You came here to be punished?” He was waking up fast. Nothing like a willing woman delivering herself to your doorstep to smooth over a late night wake-up call.

“I came here to be distracted. Think you could help me out?”

—

Rick is wonderful, and we all adore him, but there are other darker forces in Heather’s life that make this kinky Dom completely off-limits. What is The Rite? What will happen when she attempts it? Well, you’ll just have to grab a copy to find out! It’s available TODAY! 1-click your copy for 99 cents, right over here.