Sarai’s Fortune

ARTWORK | EXTRAS

CHAPTER 1

Sarai shivered as the chill from the early morning air seeped into her bones. A faint mist swirled through the surrounding trees, leaving drops of dew on the grass, and clinging to her clothes and hair. Sarai ignored the discomfort and concentrated on her training.

The sun wasn’t quite up and the only light came from the large mansion-like compound at her back. Sarai stood at the edge of the sparring mat, facing a dummy across the way. She focused on her target, threw, then hissed through her teeth, unhappy with her aim. She was off her game today. She knew why. With a deep breath, she forced the thoughts plaguing her to the back of her mind and instead focused on the moment.

Sarai set her stance, right foot in back, feet apart but in line, as though she were walking on a tight rope. Shoulders square to the target. Putting her left hand out to line up, she gripped the knife handle between her fingers and hurled it, releasing the weapon just as her hand came in line with the dummy across the mat. The blade sank in at the windpipe with a very satisfying thud.

An image flashed in her mind—that of a form prowling toward her in the darkness. With a gasp, Sarai dropped into a crouch. Unfortunately, her timing was off. She knew it as soon as a body ploughed into her, knocking her over.

Sarai hit the ground with a muffled oomf. She didn’t bother to sit up. Instead, she stayed where she lay on the ground and turned her head to meet the laughing eyes of her best friend. The feisty brunette Andie Keller lay on the ground beside her.

“Was that really necessary?” Sarai asked with a single raised eyebrow.

Andie chuckled. “Your visions are still getting in the way of your fighting skills, I see.”

A Seer since the day she was born, Sarai often received visions of the past, present, and future. The ability was the bane of her existence, having brought her nothing but sadness, fear, and oppression. Seeing the future was a gift she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy.

She sighed. “Obviously.”

“Sarai!” A male voice sounded in the air, off to the right, behind the trees.

“I’m all right,” Sarai called back. “It’s just Andie.”

Sarai’s guard appeared from the tree line at the edge of the mat. He mock-glared at Andie for a moment. “Figures it’d be you. You gave me a heart attack, you know.”

Andie rolled her eyes. She trained all the guards; consequently, she knew how to get around them. “I practically walked right in front of your face.”

He grumbled in response as he moved back to his position. Sarai kept her smile to herself. The only person better at stealth than Andie was her new husband and Fated Mate, Jaxon Keller, the Alpha of the Keller Dare of mountain lion shifters.

Andie shifted her gaze back to Sarai. “You don’t look surprised to see me.”

Sarai sat up, leaning back against her hands. “I saw you coming home from your honeymoon several days ago.” She tilted her head. “Why the early return?”

Andie also sat up, wrapping her arms around her knees. “Keeps anyone watching on their toes.”

Sarai nodded. It made sense.

These days the world was not a safe one for cougar shifters. If it wasn’t direct enemies like the pack shifters—wolves, coyotes, and so forth—it was infighting within the dares. The Shadowcat Nation was still relatively new, attempting to force something unnatural for the sake of survival. Like their wild animal counterparts, cougar shifters did not function well in society. Only the preservation of their lives and their lands had forced their hands.

Each of the dares in the Nation was led by an Alpha. At one point, her greatest fear was that the new Alpha in her dare would be Kyle Carstairs. He’d once been in line to inherit the Alpha position of the Carstairs Dare from his father, Walter. After Andie killed Walter, and her mate, Jaxon, kicked Kyle’s ass, the sadistic bastard escaped, gone rogue. Sarai knew better than anyone that they shouldn’t assume he was out of the picture.

In fact, the threat he, among others, posed was one of the reasons Andie and Jaxon, who were each an Alpha of their own dare, needed to come home sooner rather than later. Taking a long honeymoon at this time really wasn’t an option.

Andie looked over at the knife-throwing dummy Sarai had been working on before being tackled to the ground. “You’re getting better.”

“I wasn’t very focused today actually. Usually I’m more accurate with the throws.”

“Dad not helping you anymore?”

Andie had been the one to start teaching Sarai basic fighting skills. She’d insisted Sarai needed to be able to defend herself. Of course, Andie had no idea at the time how true that statement was, and Sarai had accepted her friend’s tutelage gratefully. It had been Andie who’d discovered Sarai’s talent for knife throwing. Unfortunately, knives weren’t Andie’s strength, not like hand-to-hand combat. However, they were her father’s forte. She’d had him secretly teach Sarai the subtler arts.

Sarai shook her head. “He says I left him behind a long time ago.”

Andie raised her eyebrows. “Good for you!” Then she frowned. “But why are you still practicing this early? I know we had to hide your training at our old dare, but here you’re safe.”

Sarai took her time answering. Eventually, she said, “Keeping my training a secret is important.” I think.

“Ah,” Andie said, immediately getting the hint.

Sarai only shared her visions when she felt it could help. Even then, she often didn’t share everything. Knowing your future was not always a good thing. Keeping secrets had become habit. Including the unfortunate fact that if her visions involved her, they weren’t always clear. They could be hazy at best, patchy often, and a black hole when it was really bad.

Andie hopped up, dusting her hands off on the seat of her running shorts. She held out a hand to pull Sarai up.

“I’m going for a run,” Andie said. “But there are some things we need to discuss.”

“Okay.”

“After breakfast?” Andie asked as she started to back away. “My room?”

“Sounds good.” Sarai raised her hand as her friend spun around and ran into the woods at a fast clip.

As she gathered her gear and put away the dummies, the rhythm of Sarai’s heartbeat picked up a little. Was she finally going to have her answer to the question that had been tormenting her for months?

She glanced up at the large building that made up the safe haven, home, and business of the Keller Dare. A single structure, from her vantage point behind the buildings, she could see the extensive wings. Made of natural stone and wood, it fit beautifully in the surrounding Bitterroot mountain range in Idaho.

All of the compounds of the Shadowcat Nation were similarly impressive, though in different ways. When the original Alphas had formed the Nation, they’d done something crazy-stupid. They’d pooled all the resources of every cougar joining the dares to bet it all in an insane series of big gambles in Las Vegas.

Sarai still couldn’t understand the logic, but she did understand desperate times called for desperate measures. They’d needed money to support this method they’d chosen to ensure their survival. To give them credit, they’d had a Seer to guide their every move. The risk had paid off and been the basis for starting the wealth of the Nation. One of the results was the compounds like this one. The main base for each dare.

But, try as she might, she just couldn’t see it as her home. This one wasn’t a prison like the Carstairs Dare compound where she’d lived the last twenty years. It wasn’t home either. She wasn’t safe here. She wasn’t sure she was safe anywhere.

She just hoped that whatever solution Andie had devised, it had nothing to do with Zac Montclair. Any future where Sarai and Zac were together was doomed.

✭✭✭✭✭ SARAI’S FORTUNE is a book you will not put down; I read it in one sitting and still didn’t want it to end. I hope Ms. Owen has a few more of these up her sleeve because I have room on my shelves for more. ~Fresh Fiction

✭✭✭✭1/2 Ms. Owen brings another tale of shifters sliding around the bases an into home plate for another win! ~TomeTender

✭✭✭✭✭ I couldn’t wait to read Sarai’s Fortune. It lived up to my expectations and will make my “worth-a-second-read list. ~The Jeep Diva

✭✭✭✭✭ I couldn’t get enough of this fast paced, action packed, super sexy romance. Keep them coming Abigail Owen. ~Romance Authors that Rock

✭✭✭✭ This is one fast paced story that you most definitely will not want to put down. ~The Reading Head

✭✭✭✭✭ What a great next book in this series. I didn’t want to put it down!!! The lead-in from the last book to this one was fantastic! I just can’t wait to read the next book and see how all these great stories continue! ~Fanatical Paranormal Romantical

✭✭✭✭✭ Sarai’s Fortune is a suspenseful journey of how far one would go to protect the ones they love. ~Hines & Bigham Reviews

✭✭✭✭✭ Another fabulous read. I read this book entirety in one sitting. ~Paranormal Romance Guild

✭✭✭✭ We enjoyed the slowly burning romance between Zac and Sarai.  Although their story didn’t go in the direction we anticipated, we enjoyed the journey. ~That’s What I’m Talking About

✭✭✭✭✭ It gripped me from the very beginning and her and Zac’s relationship seemed to evolve very naturally. Nothing felt forced. In fact, it was very steamy…Great balance and very creative! Can’t see what happens next. I am guess Shane is up next. Watch out, Mr. Hottie! ~BB’s Book Reviews

✭✭✭✭1/2 Reads like action movie I really wish someone would make. …There is plenty of sexiness. Like I said, Zac is a real treat. I must add that, this is an understatement. The passion connecting Zac and Sarai is powerful and convincing. The heat is done with a touch of class and plenty of love. That is the best kind of heat by the way. ~Boom Baby Reviews

✭✭✭✭ Fantastic second book in the Shadowcat Nation series. Sarai is an intriguing heroine she is trying to save Zac, however Zac has his own plans where Sarai is concerned. This continues to be an exciting series, can’t wait for what is next. –Musings from an Addicted Reader

✭✭✭✭✭ Wow, here is another story I was dying to sit and read and not be bothered until I was done, but my 14 year old just wouldn’t cooperate…lol! I really love this unique and wonderful shifter world that Abigail has created. ~Cassandra Lost In Books

✭✭✭✭ The fight scenes are fantastic and the love scenes are not erotic, but adult. The cast of characters had me eating out of their hands, wanting to know what happens next. The world building made it easy for me to visualize the surroundings. Abigail Owens ability to spin a tale captivated me and I look forward to reading more of her work. ~Fundimental

✭✭✭✭✭ I don’t want to give too much away, but this story took me only a few hours to read. Abigail really knows how to write page turners. ~IAmMoLaShea

All my stories feature elements that might not be suitable for all readers, including but not limited to: violence (human, god, and monster alike), blood and gore, death, war, murder, bullying, abuse, use of alcohol, perilous situations, illness, injury, vomiting, hospitalization, death, loss of loved ones, grief, common phobias (including heights, burning, drowning, bugs, and darkness), supernatural or magical themes, graphic language, sexual activity on the page (sometimes on a lot of pages), and an irreverent and often morbid sense of humor. It is my hope and personal goal that all elements have been handled sensitively and in an age-appropriate manner. I trust you to know your own age, history, beliefs, values, triggers and limits. Please take note, take care, and read at your own discretion. I very much hope you enjoy the ride!

Under 18: Get permission from your parent or guardian to read my books.

Publications | Release Dates:
Blue Violet Publishing | 2022
The Wild Rose Press | 2015

Age/Heat Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Tropes: Mountain Lion Shifters