This is short, lovelies, as I am at Wild Wicked weekend with Livia and Measha, however I wanted to bring you this amazing story by Maggie! Ronan definitely took some liberties with the kink and it turned out amazingly well! Make sure you read how he handled the sizzling hot Dom’s Choice and let your imagination fly.
* * *
Savor
How high would you bid for a fantasy night with your celebrity crush?
Black Light is back for the 3rd year in a row with nine *brand new* sexy stories set in their new West Coast club! This year you’re invited to celebrate Valentine’s Day VIP-style as Black Light combines their annual kinky game of BDSM roulette with a celebrity charity auction. Three hours of fun. Five hard limits.
We’ve loaded the wheel with naughty new kinks for our couples as they play to win a free month at the exclusive club… but there’s more than money on the line when hearts get involved.
Drama, fame, and fantasies await if you’re brave enough to spin the wheel!
* * *
Excerpt
I took a second to gather my thoughts and then lifted the scalpel. I began at the hollow of her throat, placing the tip of the blade against her skin and watching her pulse jump. Slowly, I drew it down, thousands of tiny goose pebbles instantly appearing as the cold steel blade glided across her flesh. I watched her chest expand and then freeze as she held her breath the moment I began to circle her left nipple with the blade. I didn’t have to look up to know her head was tilted as far forward as she could, her eyes watching every move I made. She could be frightened, but, by God, her nipples had hardened even further, drawing into tight little buds that I was pretty sure could cut glass.
A final slow circle and then the blade slid over the hill and down into the valley between her breasts. As if she understood my reasoning for taking that path, she took a long deep breath before holding it again as the scalpel moved up the hill to circle her right nipple. She didn’t breathe again until it was snaking down to circle her belly button. Reaching my ultimate destination, I heard her inhale again and knew she understood that I hadn’t forgotten to remove her panties… I simply wanted to remove them in a much more dramatic way. The scalpel was sharp, easily slicing through first one side of the waistband and then the other. With a flick of my wrist, the severed front of the satin flipped down to lay between her legs, baring her to my view.
“Very nice”
* * *
Isn’t that hot? It gets so much hotter too, Maggie took the Watersports spin in a WHOLE new direction which blew my mind. Great job Maggie! I hope I am going to see you today in San Antonio at Wild Wicked Weekend, I have my pen ready to sign everything for you!
Maggie Ryan is a USA Today and #1 international best selling author in the USA and UK. Often found in Top 100 authors on Amazon and is a Multi-award Winning Author in Victorian/ Historical, Western, and Contemporary Erotic Romance.
Take something sweet, drop in a bit of spice, mix with a dash of taboo and what do you get? A story that will take you on a journey. I love the thought that fiction offers a world of endless possibilities. I hope you will curl up in your favorite chair and take the journey with me. Happy Reading!
Happy Thursday, and an early weekend for me because I am headed to Wild Wicked Weekend with Livia Grant and Measha Stone. We are going to totally celebrate because ‘Black Light: Celebrity Roulette’ has done amazing on the charts and ‘Jazzed’ is one story that dozens of fans are calling for more story. We are really hopeful that Lesley Clark will expand on her characters, because there was so much more story we wanted and EVERYONE wants to know about Jazz’ friend and his story! Take a peek at ‘Jazzed’ and get ready for want even more.
* * *
Jazzed
How high would you bid for a fantasy night with your celebrity crush?
Black Light is back for the 3rd year in a row with nine *brand new* sexy stories set in their new West Coast club! This year you’re invited to celebrate Valentine’s Day VIP-style as Black Light combines their annual kinky game of BDSM roulette with a celebrity charity auction. Three hours of fun. Five hard limits.
We’ve loaded the wheel with naughty new kinks for our couples as they play to win a free month at the exclusive club… but there’s more than money on the line when hearts get involved.
Drama, fame, and fantasies await if you’re brave enough to spin the wheel!
* * *
Excerpt
“Pixie, I need you to wake up and drink some water.” He brought the bottle to her lips as her eyes fluttered open, reminding him of a butterfly’s wings. She sipped the water as he held it to her mouth. When she had her fill, he placed the bottle on the desk and a piece of chocolate to her lips. She followed his nonverbal instruction and opened her mouth, moaning when the chocolate hit her tongue. It only made him want her more, but this moment wasn’t about that.
Michael held her for several minutes while she came down from her endorphin high. When she eventually sat up, she looked him in the eyes then leaned forward and kissed him. It took him completely by surprise because he’d never had a sub make a move like that before. He may have been surprised, but he wasn’t bothered at all by the turn of events. Holding her tightly, he deepened the kiss, tasting her and the chocolate as their tongues danced. Eventually, they both needed to come up for air and he pulled back, taking a moment to gaze at her beautiful face.
“You’re going to be trouble little pixie,” he said and leaned in with a quick nip of her bottom lip. Standing up, he placed her gently on her feet. Once she was steady, he patted her on the ass and smiled when she yelped.
“Go ahead and get dressed in your personal clothes. Then we’ll head back to the wheel of wonders to see what we will get to do next.” And he was anxious to see what would happen.
“Yes, Sir,” she responded. Her voice was soft, almost shy.
“And, Pixie, you might as well leave the panties. You won’t need them for the rest of the night.”
* * *
It is going to be a great way to recharge my batteries, surrounded by so many friends and some serious BDSM vibes. Make sure to stop by our table and play our wheel, Black Collar Press will have tons of stuff to give away AND you can earn some cool swag by completing punishments. Are you brave enough to survive a smack with a crop?
Until then, read ‘Jazzed’ and tell me just how hot Michael is and just how well he handles the issues Jazz has!
Lesley is first and foremost a wife and mother. She has been married for 26 years to a wonderful guy. She has 2 beautiful daughters who have both kept her on her toes since entering this world. Lesley has been a RN for the last 14 years and truly enjoys taking care of her patients.
Lesley writes stories with hot alpha men and sexy sassy ladies that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
This week I wanted to share a special, super fucked up story by Zoe Blake. She wrote a story called Broken Doll, which was AMAZING and then she followed it up with books 2 and 3 of a series! It is a totally new and downright scary take on a horror story, and I fucking loved every word of it. I hope you are ready, lovelies, because the conclusion, ‘Damned Doll’, is now live and there is no happy ending. Because it is SO twisted and fucked up, I am sharing part of Chapter 1 of Broken Doll so you can be as surprised as I was when I found out what was happening!
* * *
Damned Doll
God doesn’t listen to the pleas of the damned. I’ve been given a second chance. A chance to set things right. A chance for revenge. I will make them pay. They all will pay for every degradation, every humiliation, every moment they treated me like an object…like their property. God didn’t listen to my pleas for mercy…let’s see if he will listen to theirs. * * *
Excerpt I can’t tell if my eyes are open. That was my first lucid thought. I couldn’t tell if my eyes were open or closed. It wasn’t just the darkness. I couldn’t feel myself blink. I tried lifting my hands to feel my way around whatever room I was in, but my arms felt weighted down. As if they were trying to move but couldn’t. My heart beat faster. I could feel the panic rising. A fist in my chest painfully squeezed my heart. I needed to stay calm and focus. The last thing I remembered was the accident. Jesus fuck. The accident. All that crushed metal and the acrid smell of smoke. I remember the fire, then nothing. I must have blacked out before they pulled me free. I must be in a hospital. I must… I must…I must be…. Jesus fuck. I must calm the fuck down and think. I couldn’t move my body. Nothing seemed to work. Did that mean I was paralyzed? No. No. I might not be able to move but I could still feel. I could feel the clothes against my skin. The press of fabric against my back. The hard floor beneath my feet. The hard floor? Was I standing? That didn’t make sense. I was probably lying down in a hospital bed. Jesus fuck. Why couldn’t I see anything? I tried to speak, to call out for help, but was met with only silence. Silence and darkness. Darkness and silence. Just like the accident. Was I still trapped in the car? Was my mind playing tricks on me? I have heard of people in extreme situations hallucinating. Was that what this was? Would I know it if I were? Jesus fuck! Wait. I can hear movement. The shuffling of feet. A nurse? Doctor? A thin beam of light in the shape of a rectangle appears before me. The outline of a door. But if I’m facing it, then does that mean I’m standing? I try to close my eyes to the bright flash of light as the door is opened but nothing happens. The light hurts. “There you are!” Framed by the white light, the person in front of me is in shadow. I don’t recognize his voice. I try to speak but nothing happens. The man grabs me by the waist and spins me around. I see clothes dangling from hangers. Shelves with shoe boxes and a clear container filled with ribbons and hair brushes. It’s a closet. Was I in a closet? No, I must be confused. Jesus fuck, what the fuck is going on? The man lifts me off my feet and carries me. I can’t move. Can’t cry out. I’m trapped inside my own body. I can’t tell if my eyes are open. That was my first lucid thought. I couldn’t tell if my eyes were open or closed. It wasn’t just the darkness. I couldn’t feel myself blink. I tried lifting my hands to feel my way around whatever room I was in, but my arms felt weighted down. As if they were trying to move but couldn’t. My heart beat faster. I could feel the panic rising. A fist in my chest painfully squeezed my heart. I needed to stay calm and focus. The last thing I remembered was the accident. Jesus fuck. The accident. All that crushed metal and the acrid smell of smoke. I remember the fire, then nothing. I must have blacked out before they pulled me free. I must be in a hospital. I must… I must…I must be…. Jesus fuck. I must calm the fuck down and think. I couldn’t move my body. Nothing seemed to work. Did that mean I was paralyzed? No. No. I might not be able to move but I could still feel. I could feel the clothes against my skin. The press of fabric against my back. The hard floor beneath my feet. The hard floor? Was I standing? That didn’t make sense. I was probably lying down in a hospital bed. Jesus fuck. Why couldn’t I see anything? I tried to speak, to call out for help, but was met with only silence. Silence and darkness. Darkness and silence. Just like the accident. Was I still trapped in the car? Was my mind playing tricks on me? I have heard of people in extreme situations hallucinating. Was that what this was? Would I know it if I were? Jesus fuck! Wait. I can hear movement. The shuffling of feet. A nurse? Doctor? A thin beam of light in the shape of a rectangle appears before me. The outline of a door. But if I’m facing it, then does that mean I’m standing? I try to close my eyes to the bright flash of light as the door is opened but nothing happens. The light hurts. “There you are!” Framed by the white light, the person in front of me is in shadow. I don’t recognize his voice. I try to speak but nothing happens. The man grabs me by the waist and spins me around. I see clothes dangling from hangers. Shelves with shoe boxes and a clear container filled with ribbons and hair brushes. It’s a closet. Was I in a closet? No, I must be confused. Jesus fuck, what the fuck is going on? The man lifts me off my feet and carries me. I can’t move. Can’t cry out. I’m trapped inside my own body. I should be dead weight, but he lifts me as if I weigh nothing. The room is a spinning flash of color and distorted shapes before I am set down. I cannot move my head, but I see he’s placed me on a sofa. He moves away to walk behind me. I take the moment to observe my surroundings. Expecting to see the usual white linoleum floors and bad pastel artwork of a hospital room, my stomach clenches with fear as I observe the dark, wood paneled room. There is a massive flat screen TV with two leather recliners in front. A small bar with several glowing neon signs, one of which says Steve’s Man Cave. A pinball machine and several black book shelves filled with what looks like movies and video games. The walls are covered in those cheap beer mirrors you see in dive bars. I can hear what sounds like the opening of a refrigerator. Then the pop and hiss of a beer bottle being opened. The man steps back into my line of vision. Is this Steve? He’s older than me. Much older. And tall. He has the sort of build you see in older men who used to be jocks in high school. Broad shoulders and strong arms but with a bit of a soft belly. His hair is dark, but I can’t make out his eyes. Who the fuck are you? Where the fuck am I? I scream but I hear no sound. His face shows no reaction as he just takes a sip of his beer and stares down at me.
* * * This series just so dark, twisted, and fucked up, it makes my black heart sing with delight. I hope you pick it up and find out just how dark things are for poor Jane! If you are looking for something to do this weekend, come see me in San Antonio at Wild Wicked Weekend! I will be co-presenting a BDSM Q&A on Friday and will be at the signing on Saturday with Livia Grant. AND we will have the first ever paperback copies of Black Light: Celebrity Roulette to debut. Otherwise, grab Damned Doll and make sure you leave a light on.
Amazon: 1-Click Now! * * * Want more of Zoe Blake?
There is something delicious in our desire for the corrupt, our ravenous appetite for the brutal, the profane, the unspeakable. The taboo. I write the type of books that give you a frisson of unease; that will have you questioning your own resolve as I take you on a dark ride of twists, kinks and perversions of both the flesh and mind. Enjoy the blush and tremble as you read each decadent word. XOXO Zoe
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Thank god it’s the weekend, I have so much to get done before I go to Wild Wicked Weekend in San Antonio next weekend. The day job is trying it’s best to kill me and the break next weekend will hopefully do just the trick to recharge my batteries.
But first, I totally forgot to put this up on Thursday and you REALLY need to grab Black Light: Celebrity Roulette. The reviews are AMAZING and Dani’s story is getting some really fabulous comments. Look at this excerpt and just imagine the trouble Kaelin has in store for Jed!
* * * Control
How high would you bid for a fantasy night with your celebrity crush?
Black Light is back for the 3rd year in a row with nine *brand new* sexy stories set in their new West Coast club! This year you’re invited to celebrate Valentine’s Day VIP-style as Black Light combines their annual kinky game of BDSM roulette with a celebrity charity auction. Three hours of fun. Five hard limits.
We’ve loaded the wheel with naughty new kinks for our couples as they play to win a free month at the exclusive club… but there’s more than money on the line when hearts get involved.
Drama, fame, and fantasies await if you’re brave enough to spin the wheel!
* * *
Excerpt
“What?” My voice is one of shock, but her smile never falters. When I glance at the crowd once more, there, inching closer to the stage is the woman of my wet dreams, my fantasies, and the one woman I never thought I’d see inside a BDSM club.
“Congratulations,” Madison grins at Kaelin who shyly smiles and nods. “You’re welcome to step up to the wheel and take a spin on your activity for the night.” Everything is far too loud.
My ears ring as Kaelin’s big green eyes meet my gaze. Her expression matches mine—shock. I’m not sure she was expecting to win, perhaps she was, but didn’t think about her actions until the moment she was called up on stage. I observe her body language as she reaches for the little white marble Madison offers. Her attempt at not trembling fails miserably as she takes the small object. Her nervousness enamors me even more. My eyes are glued to the ball as it drops, bouncing from one kink to another. They spin— round and round and round—until finally the wheel slows and my body is rigid as I hold my breath.
Clink. Clink. Clank.
The wheel stops.
Her body turns rigid.
And I smile.
Wild Card.
It’s my choice. I can decide anything, and she has to go along with it.
* * *
I just loved this story and I am very happy that Dani wrote another story with us. It is so hot, you need to read it! Also, if you haven’t already, make sure you join my Dark Haven group and RVSP to my super secret Live Chat on March 8th! I have a bunch of news to share and I want you to know about it!
A fan of dark romance that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. It’s from this passion that her writing has evolved from sweet and romantic, to dark and delicious. It’s in this world she’s found her calling, growing from strength to strength and hitting her stride.
On a daily basis, she has a few hundred characters, storylines, and ideas floating around in her head. From the feisty heroines she delivers to the dark, dominant alphas that grace the pages of her books, she promises light in a world filled with danger and darkness.
She has a healthy addiction to reading, tv series, music, tattoos, chocolate, and ice cream.
Black Light: Celebrity Roulette is finally live and my story is ‘Hooked’ is getting fabulous reviews. But then again, the entire anthology is getting amazing reviews! Have you picked it up yet? Because Season 3 is starting off with a BANG and you won’t want to miss it, take a peek at what Sue Lyndon has brought to Black Light. * * *
Black Light: Celebrity Roulette
How high would you bid for a fantasy night with your celebrity crush?
Black Light is back for the 3rd year in a row with nine *brand new* sexy stories set in their new West Coast club! This year you’re invited to celebrate Valentine’s Day VIP-style as Black Light combines their annual kinky game of BDSM roulette with a celebrity charity auction. Three hours of fun. Five hard limits.
We’ve loaded the wheel with naughty new kinks for our couples as they play to win a free month at the exclusive club… but there’s more than money on the line when hearts get involved.
Drama, fame, and fantasies await if you’re brave enough to spin the wheel!
* * * Excerpt
The wheel came to a stop on…ABDL. Trenton’s cock hardened further. Fuck yes. He would enjoy this one. He glanced down at Sunshine, only to see a look of mild confusion spreading over her lovely features. But she soon plastered on a polite smile, as if to prove she was happy with the activity. “ABDL!” Madison announced into the mic. Several loud whoops came from the crowd. Trenton escorted Sunshine off to the side, where the other paired couples were standing, keeping his arm wrapped tight around her. A surge of protectiveness for the little blonde pummeled through him. As the remaining pairings got underway, she fidgeted beside him. Finally, she peered up at him from underneath thick dark eyelashes. “So, um, ADBL. Is that one of your favorite activities?” “It’s ABDL, not ADBL,” he gently corrected. When the confusion in her eyes from earlier returned, he wondered how experienced she was. “Sunshine, do you know what ABDL stands for?” Her eyes widened, then she bit her bottom lip and glanced away. “I-I…” Her voice trailed off. “No, Mr. Banks, I do not. I’m sorry, I hope you aren’t disappointed. I confess I sort of skimmed over the list of activities and simply focused on checking off my hard limits, which as it so happens are the same as yours. But I’m a fast learner and I’ve very much enjoyed the last month I’ve been a member of Black Light.” A newbie. All the blood in his body rushed to his cock. No wonder there was an innocence about her. She was in way, way over her head. With a bit of arrogance, he mused how lucky she was to have won the night with him, rather than some of the other less experienced celebrity doms standing on stage. He leaned down, placing his lips to her ear. “ABDL stands for adult baby diaper lover.” She gasped and turned to peer directly at him. “It stands for what?” “Adult baby diaper lover,” he repeated.
?”
“Well, they’re actual celebrities, so… there’s that.” A quiet laugh almost escaped her lips, but then his grip really did tighten. Higher on her throat now, just under her jaw, and he used the hold to tilt her head back again until his face filled her view.
“Let me add on to your friend’s requirements. While we’re playing tonight, you won’t refer to ballet, or yourself, in a negative way or you’ll earn a punishment, and it will be one you don’t enjoy. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” she whispered, practically breathless, but that had a lot less to do with his relatively gentle hold on her throat and a lot more to do with the arousal currently buzzing through her bloodstream and concentrating the pulse between her thighs.
“Wonderful.” He removed his hand and smiled again. “Thank you for your trust.”
“Trust?” she echoed.
“Yes. Not every sub will let you touch their throat like that without proving yourself first, establishing the trust. I appreciate that you gave me that on faith alone. You trusted that I would keep you safe, and I swear that I will.” Wyatt’s smile changed a bit, widening into a grin that made him seem a lot less serious, more… playful. “That doesn’t mean I won’t hurt you, though. I admit that I’m looking forward to pulling some of those sweet cries from your lips myself.”
And, boom.
The pulse between her thighs turned into an all-out fire, which didn’t help the fact that she already felt too hot in the stifling room.
* * * There are SO MANY stories I can’t wait to bring you, and the best part? I am working on Inheritance again. I am so happy that I will be able to bring this to you within the next few months, so fingers crossed I can get enough words down to give you some excerpts to tease you along.
USA TODAY bestselling author Sue Lyndon writes steamy D/s romance in a variety of genres, from contemporary to historical to fantasy. She’s a #1 Amazon bestseller in multiple categories, including BDSM Erotica and Sci-Fi Erotica. She also writes non-bdsm sci-fi romance under the name Sue Mercury. When she’s not busy working on her next book, you’ll find her hanging out with her family, watching sci-fi movies, reading, or sneaking chocolate.
IT’S HERE! IT’S HERE! AHHHH!!!!! I am so freaking excited because I cannot believe I’m finally going to get to hold the first book in Myra Danvers‘s The Last Tritan series in my greedy little hands. The paperback isn’t live yet, but it is on Kindle (which you can bet your sweet ass I’ve already 1-clicked)
In case you’re curious, here’s what I had to say: “Myra Danvers always creates dark and alluring universes that pull you in and refuse to let you go! In Ravenous Innocence she drags you into a heart-wrenching political power struggle and mixes in the kind of sexual tension that has you begging for more. 5 intense and HOT stars!” * * *
Ravenous Innocence
“I’ll be good to you,” he purred and
swept his thumb over my pendant, caressing, making me feel it on my lower lip.
His ki surged into my mind, hammering at me with a soothing promise, abusing
the link he’d left behind with a kiss. “You’ll never want for anything…”
Asher promises to teach me the forbidden
while my city—my home—burns at his
back. Because of him, Tritan falls,
and the Caledonian forces take the best of my people for their own sick uses.
To fight, those of us who remain must
flee. Regroup, or submit.
But he’s coming, hunting me, and Asher won’t stop until I wear
his mark. Until my goddess-given power is his
to command.
He’s tasted my lips and fed me nothing but
lies, but his betrayal has given me strength even he didn’t expect.
His
people took everything from me, and
Goddess be damned if I won’t take it back.
* * * Excerpt
An
Elite.
Not just a ranking Imperial soldier, but a
full-blooded, Caledonian Elite. It wasn’t
the formal black and gold uniform, the dark hair and eyes, or the tanned,
bronze skin that gave it away. No. It was his ki.
Brilliant. Blinding. Beautiful.
So much more
than anything I’d ever felt before. Next to him, the
merchant was nothing. A blip of empty space, forgotten as soon as my gaze moved
away. This man, this Elite was impossible and
wrong, for I’d heard tales of the Imperial ki-wielders,
but nothing in working memory could match the fire burning through my veins. My
blood. More powerful than anything I’d ever sensed, his ki breezed past the
Glaith’s protection. Stunning me into complete stillness with nothing more than
his touch.
My head fell back as a set of large,
calloused hands landed on the bare skin of my shoulders. Steadying me.
Goddess, his touch! His was not a secret whisper beckoning me
closer, but a primal demand that sent power surging through my veins, pendant
be damned.
“H-How?”
I breathed.
He shook his head, lips tight, eyes fixed
to my face as he jerked his chin toward the exit. “A
word? In private?”
The breath leaked from my lungs in a
single, slow exhale. “A… word?” I returned,
blinking, ensnared by his foreign, inky gaze. Such power! It called to me, even
through the Glaith, setting my skin ablaze. Urging me to toss years of caution
into the flames. So beautiful…
“Come,”
he said, and—point made—returned his ring to smallest finger.
A tiny, fractured sound burst from my lips
at the loss and the ensuing wash of numbing cold, and I stumbled forward,
reaching. “Wait—”
The intruder turned without answer, pulling
me from the tent as if he had any right to touch me, let alone direct where I
went. But… I didn’t fight like I might have. Like I should have. Didn’t
resist his touch on my skin.
I relished
it.
“Thank
you, sir,” the merchant trilled. “It’s been a pleasure to do business with one
of the Empire’s finest.” He waved, baring a golden tooth and glossy smile, his
pockets heavy with Caledonian gold. So far removed from my influence that his
fatherly instincts didn’t seem to mind me being pulled from the tent by a man
who thought he could buy my time.
Without a backward glance, the Captain
steered me through the crowd of my country-folk with a rough hand on my upper
arm. Dark eyes flicking from face to face. Ceaseless. Vigilant.
Sweat bloomed along my hairline as Tritans
made way for the dark-haired foreigner, giving me a moment to inspect the broad
cut of his shoulders. Long, lean legs that screamed of strength and health.
Deaf and blind to the sweltering masses going about their business. My every
available sense fixed to him and the
ki I could no longer feel.
And yet, that sweet taste lingered upon my
skin.
More.
I needed
more.
If I could just reach out and touch it
again… Goddess, what would it feel like without the Glaith between us? Skin to skin.
“Do
you have any idea how lucky you are?” the Captain hissed, hustling me into some
dark little corner between two buildings. He shook his head, fingers tightening
on my bicep. “If one of the others had found you first…”
I blinked, left hand moving to the pendant
of Glaith about my neck, eyes never leaving his face.
“To
risk revealing yourself for the sake of a trinket,” he snorted, dark eyes
flicking over my shoulder, watching a shadow pass the mouth of the alley.
“Stupid. So bloody stupid.”
The insult prickled my skin, but I took a
step toward him and thumbed the clasp securing the pendant around my neck. So…
savage… so raw. I just wanted to touch it…
“You’re
lucky I’m the only one who can sense you,” he continued, uttering a breathless
laugh, turning dark eyes down once more. Pinning my soul to the back of my
spine.
Skin
to skin…
The Glaith slipped from lax fingers,
clinking and clattering on the cobbled street. Well and truly separate for the
first time in four years, my ki-sense unfurled great dark wings behind my ribs.
“What
is wrong with you?”
he hissed, stooping to recover my pendant. Going to his knees in the cramped
alley.
Eyes fixed to the crown of dark hair bowed
before me, the entire population of the market made itself known. Men and
women, each with varying degrees of health, emotional spectrums, and available
ki. So much information. Flooding my
senses with the brilliant pulse of ki, burning me from the inside out.
But I swallowed it down, for next to him,
they were worthless. Utterly eclipsed by the mere memory of the only one I couldn’t
sense. Somehow, incredibly, blocking
my efforts to break through his Glaith and drink until I couldn’t.
“Did
you hear me? You are a beacon without this pendant, girl.” The stone atop his
finger caught a beam of sunlight between the passing shadows of my kin,
throwing off the Glaith’s trinity of colors as he knelt before me.
My eyes fell, landing on his ring.
Skin
to skin…
I smiled.
“I
felt it the instant you took it off.” He jangled my pendant, making it dance.
“Felt you clear across the market.” He stood, towering above me once more.
“Even now, your ki is…”
Meeting that dark gaze, I placed my palm on
his chest. Fingers splayed. Trying to turn his heat into fire before I withered
in the cold without it.
“What…”
He shook his head. “What are you?”
“Take
off your ring and find out.”
Eyes narrowed, he lifted his finger,
letting my pendant dangle in the tight space between us. “No.”
But I would not be denied. “Have you ever sensed
another like me?” I pushed him back, holding him with the weight of my palm.
“Can you imagine what it would feel like? Without the Glaith?”
Skin
to skin…
He shook his head, brows furrowed.
“You
have ki I’ve never tasted before, Captain Rawlings,” I breathed, heart pounding
in my ears, close enough to see the darker ring of his pupil. To watch it
dilate as he stared down at me. Shadows from the street flicking over us both.
“I just want to touch it. Just for a moment.”
Silent, he said nothing. Did nothing but
breathe. Watching me.
And because silence wasn’t
a ‘no’, I reached for his hand, thumb tracing the stony edge of his ring.
Feeling the distant sparkle of numbness laced with something… wild. Something
burning just out of sight. Trembling, I tugged, and for a moment his fist
refused me. Kept the ring secure.
“Please?
Just for a moment.”
He exhaled, nostrils flared. Pupils blown
out. Allowing the ring to slide off his finger for the second time before the
sun had risen to its full height. Swinging from my index finger, the Glaith
lost its power over us.
With no warning, awareness of him exploded
behind my eyes, ki searing everything it touched.
Back arched, a scream died in my throat as
I tried to deal with the surge. Tried to cope with my skin touching his, and
nothing between us. Every muscle tight with effort, blind to everything but the
ki ravaging me from within.
He was hiding an impossible secret—I knew
it the moment he faltered, echoing my shock, lips parting on a silent gasp. I
knew it even before his nostrils flared, eyes wide. I knew it before his
ki-sense whirled through my system and the link between us took root. Twitching
with a living power all its own.
I knew it, because I felt him.
Blood to Blood.
A young man in the prime of his life.
Powerful. Elite. Raw and savage, yet braced by an iron fist of control I simply
did not possess. Blood surged through his veins as his ki whipped through me.
Touching, learning me in the same way I now knew him.
“What—”
He cursed, strong fingers flexing, crushing me to his chest. “What are you?”
My knees wobbled, but I didn’t
give voice to the answer he already knew. Head spinning with molten waves of
stone and wind, reducing me to a gasping, wide-eyed fool.
Too much! Goddess, it was too much!
I couldn’t
contain this! I needed—
I reached for my Glaith and came up short,
fingernails scraping my breastbone, desperate for somewhere to dump the excess
before I forgot why I should care. Needing something to distract from this
impossible Caledonian Elite. And when I could not speak, lost as I was, he
pulled me closer.
Impossibly strong, inside and out.
“What are you?”
I bared my teeth, refusing to be outdone. “You’re…”
I swallowed the sopping wet ashes powdering the back of my tongue, unsure if
they existed outside of my overwrought brain or not. “You’re Elite. Such
power—it’s reserved for the Goddess’ chosen few…” A tremor rippled through me…
his eyes… so dark. Begging me to tip forward. To fall into their depths and
drink from the Void itself. “You shouldn’t…” Lifting trembling hand, I traced
the stubble on his chin with my forefinger, gasping at the ki that sparkled
between us. “Impossible.”
A low groan rumbled in his throat, and he
swallowed, catching my wrist in a much larger hand. For a long moment, he
simply stared down at me, but when my tongue darted out to wet lips dried by
searing winds of ki and living shadows, something in him snapped. I felt it happen.
Even before he pressed his lips to mine, I felt it.
Warm and soft, his kiss spoke of the
forbidden. The impossible. Making my core clench with unnatural speed and
fervor as ki whirled between us. Sending blood surging in delicate tissue. All
around us. Invisible to the hoards of sightless mundane going about their
business a scant few feet away, where only their shades could see us. The
scrape of a day-old beard dragged a splintered groan from my chest, and, hands
slipping down my back, he seized the taught globes of my bottom. Spreading me.
Pulling me closer.
Would that he could drag me inside his
skin, where I could drink him dry and soothe this blessed, painful ache.
His teeth traced my lower lip, filling my
lungs with breath and heated ki, pressing a thick bulge against my belly.
I gasped, drinking him in, demanding more.
Gorging until my every cell was filled to bursting. Drawing on him as heavily
as I drew upon his lips. Needing it.
More. There would never be enough.
A puff of breath warmed my cheek when he
twisted, breaking away from my lips with a curse, his fingers bunching the
fabric of my shift. Inching it indecently high. But he drew back, setting his
forehead against mine. Petting my hair back with calloused hands. Obsidian eyes
concealed behind scrunched eyelids, labored breath leaving my skin damp. “God,
the taste of you, girl.” He released my bottom and cupped the back of my neck,
forcing me to still. “What are you?”
“I’m—”
my voice cracked, and I cleared my throat, blinking as the world settled around
us. Dazed, I squinted up at the man, admiring the rugged, handsome features so
different to my own. Alien. Bronzed skin, muscular frame, dark hair and darker
eyes—everything I wasn’t.
A Caledonian.
Kissing a Caledonian Elite in public? Had I
lost my damned mind? My father would…
Nothing.
My father wasn’t
here. And I hadn’t had enough. Not now. Not ever.
I buried my fist in his hair, pulling him
back. Driven by instinct I didn’t recognize as my own.
By a needy itch below the skin, the likes of which I’d never felt before.
Before him.
“Wait—”
he gasped against my lips, capturing my wrist. And then, marshaling every last
drop of willpower either of us possessed, he folded my fingers
about his ring. Pressing his Glaith into the palm of my hand.
A squeal tore free of my lungs as the
Glaith stole it. Stole everything I’d never known I needed.
Slapping me with a wash of freezing numb I hadn’t the skills to bypass.
Hissing, I broke away, trying to fling the offensive shard of blistering cold
into the street.
“Stop,”
he choked, pulling me with him as he sank to the ground. Back thumping against
brick, hands wrapped about mine. Keeping the Glaith secure between us as my
pendant dangled from his wrist. Pooling in his lap. “We have to stop before—”
“No!”
I snarled, trying to jerk free, to reclaim that inferno and inject it beneath
my skin once more. “Who are you to deny me?”
Hot and hard, his hand found purchase on my
nape, pressing his forehead to mine. Dark gaze forcing compliance. “Your
equal.
Now stop—Stop!” he snarled, teeth bared, sweat peppering
his skin. “You need to learn control before you lose it and get yourself
killed. Or worse. You have no idea the kind of danger you’re in, girl.”
I shook my head, fingers of my free hand
burrowing beneath his collar, thin skin of my knees imprinting on the cobbles
between his spread thighs.
But he pressed on before I could utter a
word of denial. “I’ll teach you that control.” His fingers
flexed, knotting the fine hairs at the back of my skull, his voice a breathy
whisper loud enough for only my ears. “No one knows better than me what you’re
hiding. What you are.”
One hand braced above his heart, the other
forced to clutch a ring of Glaith with a foreign family crest, it was my turn
to be silent. Trying to think through the haze clouding my brain.
Releasing my neck, he gentled, setting a
thumb to my bottom lip. “What’s your name?”
“Mm, yes.” A dainty cough made us flinch as one, for there, standing at the mouth of the alley were two Tritan ladies, their long, silver-blonde hair tied in elegant knots. Both wearing the silver mantle of a Priestess. “That’s what I’d rather like to know.”
* * * There has been so much going on that I am going to bombard you with teasers over the next couple of weeks, but I couldn’t WAIT to bring you Myra’s book because it is just so amazing. It is simply everything and I am so eager to get book 2 in my hands! Until then, join a HUGE party I am attending tonight in the BRAND NEW Black Light Central group on Facebook. Someone who has joined by the time the party kicks off will win a ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR gift card!! I can’t wait to see you there!
Raised by her awesome parents in Canada’s snowy north, Myra learned perseverance from an early age. She learned to speak in third person, via extensive reading as a child, because… well… Northern Canada gets a LOT of snow. And when one isn’t snowboarding, building quinzees, or waking up to teddy bears frozen to the floor, one tends to read about places that are warm–even if being cold is preferable to being hot, every-damn-time.
All that reading gave Myra the gypsy bug. So, after college, (where she majored in professional gypsying) she moved to a ski resort in British Colombia to be a ski bum and chase the winter, because the cold was in her bones and it never bothered her anyway. (Points because Elsa of Frozen is her spirit animal?) But then life caught up with her, as it does, and now she’s stuffed full of enough life experience to write until transcendence (where she will be first in line to get a sweet android body and travel the universe until the end of time). So that’s what she does, when she’s not listening to the voices or taking apart the electronics just to see their insides.
