Her Demigod Complex, the first book in my Legendary Consultants series, is up for a RONE Award for best novella. This week I’ll be at InD’Scribe Con and will find out the RONE winners Saturday night. I’m really looking forward to it! 🙂
Here’s a short excerpt from Demigod, just for fun!
EXCERPT
“How’d it go?” Castor’s voice had her swinging her gaze sharply right as she walked in the main door of the hotel.
She frowned when she found him lounging in one of the big leather chairs close to a big stone fireplace in the lobby, a happy fire crackling away, giving off a comforting campfire odor. While the early May days were warm, the nights were still crisply chilly, which was why she’d added a long brown sweater over her pink dress and changed out her heels for a pair of tall suede boots. “Were you waiting for me?”
He held up a leather-bound book, The Shining. “Nope.”
She moved closer, took the book from him, and flipped through the pages. “Creep-tastic.”
“It seemed appropriate, giving the surroundings.”
“You know this place is haunted, right?”
“You believe in ghosts?”
She shrugged and handed the book back. “I know a couple.”
“I guess you do then. How’d it go with Calliadne?”
She wrinkled her nose. “About what I expected.” Honestly, their meeting had been weird. Calli had been afraid—more than seeing Leia should have warranted. Calli’d practically jumped out of her skin at every noise or person who walked by. For someone who used to like humans, her behavior seemed odd. But she wouldn’t admit anything was wrong, and she refused to help Leia with her cause, muttering something about it being too late.
“Marrok and Tala will be disappointed.” Castor interrupted her thoughts.
“I have a plan.” Of sorts. She thumbed over her shoulder toward the stairs. “I’m going to our room now. Are you going to stay down here?”
“I’ll come up with you. I want to hear this plan.” He unfolded his long length from the overstuffed chair.
That’s when her worst nightmare appeared across the room, laughing with a group of five or six other men—Kaios. The werewolf was still drop dead handsome, still remarkably young for one so old. She’d bet money he was also still the same total and utter ass.
“Shit,” she hissed through clenched teeth. Panic flipped her heartrate to max. She frantically scanned the room for an escape. Seeing none close enough, she stepped closer to Castor, letting his size hide her.
“What the—” Cas glanced over his shoulder at whatever had captured her attention.
She yanked on his arm. “Don’t look,” she pleaded.
“What’s going on?”
She peeped around her human shield. Crap. Kaios was walking this way. He’d see her any second. She glanced up at Cas, who stared at her like she’d lost her mind. Because she had.
“Kiss me,” she demanded.
His eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” Only a few more seconds.
“You want me to—”
“Screw it,” she muttered.
Going up on tiptoe, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her. Taken by surprise, he didn’t resist as she planted her lips over his.
He was unresponsive at first, which didn’t matter because she was more occupied with where her nemesis was in the room. But then Cas took over the kiss. She went from distracted to completely focused…on Castor.
Electricity burst through her body, her nerves alive to his every touch, starting from what his lips were doing, then spreading outward. Those lips—warm against her own—they mastered, they coaxed, they tempted. She gave a small moan as he ran his tongue along hers. She opened for him like a flower to the sun, and heat pooled in her core. His hands smoothed under her sweater, over her back to her hips, where he used a light grip to tug her in closer to his body.
For a demigod he was amazingly gentle. A warm glow of rightness joined the heat of passion. In his arms was where she was meant to be. Nothing had ever felt this right.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
The warning bells went off in her head. This was her boss. And a demigod. And a man still in love with his dead wife. Nothing was right about this.
With a gasp she jerked back, stepping out of his arms before he could stop her. Her hand flew to her lips, which throbbed from his touch. Oh great gods, she’d just kissed her boss like the nymph she’d once been.
He pinned her with his blazing blue eyes. “Wow.” His voice was low and raspy and skittered along her nerves in a delicious way.
She pulled her shoulders back. Time to act casual. “Thanks for helping me with that. I’m sorry if it got out of hand. I couldn’t think of any other way to avoid that son of a hell hound.”
Passion shifted to confusion as his brows lowered. “Helping you with what?”
He’d only been playing along… hadn’t he? “I was hiding from someone. I thought you realized.”
She checked over her shoulder, belatedly. There was no sign of her tormentor, thank the gods.
Great read,I liked it give it a five