Showing posts with label paranormal romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paranormal romance. Show all posts

Friday, February 3, 2017

DESTINED FOR EACH OTHER by Tina Donahue


DESTINED FOR EACH OTHER
A Wiccan Haus novel 
By 
Tina Donahue 

Buy Links:

She’s caught between the para and human world…he’s always been an outcast.
At the Wiccan Haus, they’ll find each other and paradise.

As a crossbreed good fairy, Bliss is tired of goodness, light, and everything that’s right. Talk about boring. Her human half demands a bad boy. Someone who’ll curl her hair and toes, while also cherishing her. In other words, the whole enchilada.

Enter Fallon. Tall, dark, handsome, and seriously dangerous. No, seriously. He’s a reaper. Trouble is he’s started to covet human emotions. Longing. Lust. Love. He needs healing fast to get his head screwed on right and go back to the way he was.

Bliss doesn’t agree and is determined to show him another way. Sometimes you have to break all the rules to find your destiny.

Excerpt:

Of all the places Fallon wanted to be, the Wiccan Haus wasn’t one of them. Of course, innumerable problems awaited him off the island he couldn’t escape any longer. His superior ordered him here to heal or else.
Fallon couldn’t imagine what new stuff he’d get stuck with that’d be worse than what he’d known his entire existence.
Dread dogged him, but he slung his knapsack over his shoulder. Time to get this show on the road. Then again, maybe not.
Bliss loitered in the doorway, gaze hopeful, lips parted, her fragrance lingering as she did. She smelled of the first warm breeze in spring. Air wrapped in sunshine. Yet her musk conjured visions of decadent nights lost in her carnal embrace. An enticing paradox.
No one had to tell him she was a good fairy with a darker, human side. Sin flared in her gray eyes. Oatmeal-colored freckles sprinkled her small nose and rosy cheeks. For a fae, her height amazed, but her hair color was the ultimate giveaway as to her true ancestry, being a crossbreed. The top part was startling white, the bottom half that grazed her shoulders was pure black. Two toned like Myron’s, but naturally so.
Bliss couldn’t hide what she was any more than Fallon could with himself. Beneath his T-shirt, he bore a mark that revealed his heritage. The seer didn’t have to see it to know what Fallon was. Humans didn’t either. Eventually and instinctively, they caught onto the danger he posed for them or their loved ones.
Bliss hadn’t noticed. Yet.
Her smile invited—a come-on no sane man could resist. Sugar and spice with loads of vice. By all the gods in the universe, she was something. Rather than walk, she glided and wore clothes once popular in the nineteen-sixties: a sheer white blouse with puffy sleeves and faded blue jeans. She was and wasn’t barefoot, having tied strings around her slender toes and ankles then decorated them with silver and crystal hearts. Wickedly cute.
She should leave.
She had no business being around him. For her to believe he could deliver anything but grief, as he had to countless others, was seriously nuts. His outer appearance and persona attracted her, not the monster inside. The reaper he was and would always be.
Contrary to what humans or many paras believed, reapers weren’t skeletal, decked out in funeral attire, their hair oily and slicked back, skin icy, breath fetid.
Even the bravest fool would run from someone like that, which made reaping far too difficult.
TGR, or The Grim Reaper, Fallon’s boss, came up with a solution. He made his male and female soldiers attractive so they could easily seduce those whose souls they sought. Like a moth drawn to a flame or a fly stuck in a spider’s web, the poor suckers didn’t see anything but good looks and forgot to protect themselves until it was too late. That’s when Fallon and his fellow reapers pounced. The mortals still fought, pleaded, and wailed, but by then they didn’t have a prayer.  

About Tina:

Tina is an Amazon and international bestselling novelist in erotic, paranormal, contemporary and historical romance for traditional publishers and indie. Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Romantic Times and numerous online sites have praised her work. Three of her erotic novels were Readers' Choice Award winners. Another three were named finalists in the EPIC competition. One of her erotic contemporary romances was chosen Book of the Year at the French review site Blue Moon reviews. The Golden Nib Award at Miz Love Loves Books was created specifically for one of her erotic romances. Two of her titles received an Award of Merit in the RWA Holt Medallion competition. Another two won second place in the NEC RWA contest (different years). Tina is featured in the Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market. Before penning romances, she worked at a major Hollywood production company in Story Direction.

Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/1ChWFkO
My page at TRR: http://bit.ly/1vb7eEc
Samhain Author Page: http://bit.ly/1Bvw6mL
Sweet ‘n Sexy Divas: http://bit.ly/1ChWN3K
Romance Books 4 US: http://bit.ly/1JPtfeS


Saturday, June 18, 2016

AMBER'S ACE...coming soon!



AMBER'S ACE
By
Taryn Kincaid

A Black Hills Wolves 
Matchmaker Story 


Coming July 15

Amazon US ; http://amzn.to/28TJTli
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/28QRPiO
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/28VS6V7
All Romance ebooks: http://bit.ly/290U18f
Kobo: http://bit.ly/28Zui2z
Google: http://bit.ly/28UiAoc
iBooks: http://apple.co/28Tkjel
Bookstrand:  http://bit.ly/28R9A1y

BLURB:

Riley Morgan, the all-star ace pitcher of the world champion New York Kings, has long hid his secret from his adoring fans and the clamoring metropolitan press. But when Riley is distracted on the mound by a long-distance mate call and the sweet voice from home he couldn't possibly have heard, he suffers a freak, career-ending injury that sends him back to his South Dakota wolf pack to heal.

Stolen from her family along with her twin sister years earlier, Amber Northridge was held prisoner and abused by the crazed former alpha and his henchmen since she was a teen, managing to survive through resourcefulness and wits. Now, at long last the pack has located them and set them free.

Returned home to Los Lobos, Amber recognizes the hunky baseball player she's seen on TV as her mate, but she doubts she can be with any man after all she has suffered.

Can the romantic machinations of Los Lobos' four renowned matchmakers unite the damaged pair?


EXCERPT:

Plop.

Something sloshed into the creek from the nearby falls and briefly splashed about before emerging onto an island of rock—beaver or badger out to play and test the cold spring waters, most likely. Amber jerked her head up, gazing through the filmy curtain of spray, and sucked in a sharp breath.

A man.

Not “a man.” The man. The one she’d seen on the flickering TV screen seven months ago on the day of her rescue. The man who’d fallen to the ground in centerfield, writhing in agony. The man she could not forget. She rubbed her ring. The amber heated and seemed to glow. 

Everything inside her melted.

He seemed blissfully unaware of her, so she gaped her fill. Luna. Such a sinfully handsome naked man, droplets of water glistening like diamonds on his lickable, strokable, sun-kissed skin, his taut muscles bulging and rippling with every movement.

Tendrils of his rich, unique scent wafted across the water, curling around her, into her nose, into her brain, seeping into her body and setting a carnal fire between her legs. Goddess. He smelled delicious—as she’d known he would. She sniffed again. He smelled like summer, like hot sun and freshly mown grass, like the whisper of clean, soothing rain, bringing with it the barest hint of a dangerous thunderstorm. Like Cracker Jacks and cotton candy and roasted peanuts and salted caramel fudge at a state fair…or a baseball game. Not that she’d ever been to either. Still, she could taste him on her tongue, a feast for all her senses.

Lickable?

Strokable?

She wanted to devour him. A tremor ran through her, both excitement and fear. One thing to fantasize about the erotic delights she might share with an imaginary lover, another thing when confronted with a real, living, breathing, flesh-and-blood male. A big, clearly dominant male. When she could hardly bear to touch or be touched, when everything in her readied to flee, how had heated words like “lickable” and “strokable” entered her mind? How had she conjured images of her skimming her hungry lips in delight over his tanned skin, savoring the salty, masculine taste of him?

Amber dipped her hand in her pocket to run her fingers over the features of the small wolf Brick had given her, calling forth its protective powers. Instead, the little stone sculpture fairly buzzed, reflecting her own excitement. Warmth filled her palm. Something hummed and sang within her. She could not be imagining the sizzle of fiery energy coursing through her. Could not be imagining him. The amber ring on her finger lit with an inner fire, radiating light. Her hot blood scorched through her veins.

Her mind told her to run, to leap up and shift and bound away, to escape the solitary confines of the woods invaded by the threat of the strange man.

But her wolf struggled inside her, rebelling and whining at the notion of flight, claws abrading her skin, urging her instead to plunge into the crystal water and twine herself around the man. Amber shook her head and curled her fingers into the grass, willing the motion to ground her to solid earth.

Her wolf howled its displeasure, compelling her to at least remain where she was and watch the naked man—if she refused to run to him, to bask in his proximity and loll in his scrumptious scent. The beast scampered in a confusion of joy and frustration, sensing something nearby that would bring it endless delight and crying in hungry need when she deprived it of the satisfaction it craved.

Amber remained rooted to the spot, unable to tear her gaze from a masculine form as perfect as a sculpture, so beautiful and hunky she wanted to weep.

Well, except for the weird angles of his left hand, the fingers somewhat gnarled and twisted, and the muscles of his thinner left arm not quite as toned and bulging as those of his right.
Water slapped around the wide granite pedestal on which he stood. 

As she stared, he went into a windup like the one she’d seen him perform on the TV screen so long ago. He ceased his movement before the throwing action, though, bringing his left arm back to his side with a disgusted shake of his head.Instead, he bent, gathered up a few stones, and skipped them expertly across the creek with his right hand.

Plop...plop...plop.

His sharp gaze followed the progress of the stones, the splashes they made as they traveled to the other side.

Then he looked up and their gazes met, his eyes locking with hers, his own wintry and dazzling, a mercurial quicksilver freezing her in place like a bee in amber.



Friday, June 17, 2016

Merryn Dexter's MATING DANCE


MATING DANCE
a Black Hills Wolves Matchmaker story
By Merryn Dexter
Releasing June 17th 2016

Publisher: Decadent Publishing Company, LLC
ISBN: 9781683610489
Word Count: 30,000
Cover Art: Fiona Jayde

Blurb

The Matrons of the Tao Pack are on the hunt, seeking out unmated couples who would be a perfect match – even if they don’t know it yet.
Sander Burrows is a wolf with a broken spirit. Thirty-five years from home and pack, he made a life for himself amongst the humans. Tragedy and a sense of failure drive him home into the loving arms of his family.
Aurora ‘Rory’ Hanson hates Sander almost as much as she loves him. Humiliated at seventeen when he stood her up at the annual Spring Dance she has lived a life of relative solitude on the fringes of the pack.
When Sander catches sight and scent of Rory, feelings run hot. His wolf recognizes his mate and he’ll do just about anything to overcome Rory’s dislike of him. Even accept the assistance of four interfering busybodies.
The matrons want the old Spring Dance revived and what better way to ‘help’ two fated wolves to happiness than to force them to work together on the organizing committee.
Rory and Sander discover that finding love doesn’t get any easier even when you’re in your fifties.  Misunderstandings, old hurts and the sharp edge of Miss Kathy’s tongue must all be overcome if two old friends are to achieve true happiness.
Buy Links

About the Author
Merryn Dexter is a military spouse who, after a varied employment career (from selling sandals to old ladies with bunions to being a health and safety coordinator for a construction company), is thrilled to be pursuing her dream career as a romance writer. She likes The Winchesters, Spike, Hotch, Loki and watching complicated European Noir. Her hobbies include crying at books, crying at movies, crying at tv serials (there’s a theme!) and believes all stories should have a Happy Ending.  

Contact links

Excerpt
Familiar aqua eyes peered up from beneath scowling brows as he studied the source of the alluring scent. Wild blonde curls snarled around her head, her curves emphasized by the simplicity of her clothing, a white T-shirt covered in dirt and boot-cut jeans. Tiny feet clad in practical sneakers added nothing to her five foot five height. A warm smile curled his lips as he recognized the little hellion beneath the womanly guise. “Hey, Rory, it’s great to see you again.”
The scowl didn’t soften in response to his greeting. If anything, it deepened as the small woman reared back as though struck. “I’ll see you later, Margie.” The words were a direct snub, and he moved away from Marjorie, blocking Rory’s path when she would have retreated.
“Hold up a minute, honey. I haven’t been back in town five minutes. What can I possibly have done to upset you?” The restraining hand Marjorie placed on his arm should have warned him, but the fragrance that was uniquely Rory, fried his brain. The irrational anger she projected at him added a sharper undertone to her sweetness and rocked him on his heels. Rory Hanson was all grown up and Sander’s wolf was very happy about it.
“What can you have possibly done to upset me? I see age hasn’t lessened your arrogance, honey.” The sarcasm dripping from her lips made him grin. Far from being deterred by it, Sander’s natural dominance rose to the challenge of her glare. He wanted to scoop the scruffy little woman up and turn her over his knee until all her anger melted into sweet compliance. He stepped closer, deliberately putting himself within her personal space, knowing she would feel the heat boiling off his skin. He wanted her to know his scent, yearn for it the way he suddenly yearned for hers. He wanted to rub all up against her until forest green and sweet fruit intermingled.



Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Spotlight on CLAIMING TRINITY by Kali Willows


 CLAIMING TRINITY
a Wiccan Haus story
By
Kali Willows


Tears of blood…

Trinity is the last of her bloodline and cursed with a bizarre ability for a Banshee. Living a mundane façade, she became a psychologist who helps her clients work through their own grief—or at least she did until her life took a sinister twist. Soon after the murder of her uncle, her traumatic past comes back to haunt her. She’s faced with a few other challenges she can’t control, along with her empathic talents. An unexpected offer of help comes from the Rowan siblings when she receives a ticket to the Wiccan Haus for a much needed retreat, along with some sizzling adventure she doesn’t bank on. The evil that stalks her has bigger plans than anyone on the island realizes.

Two heroes with a dark past…

Arawn, an Immortal, rose up against his namesake and abdicated his thrown to the Underworld. Conflicted between his lineage of war and vengeance and his desire to protect those in need, he serves on the Para Elite Forces. Kane, a tortured soul with a profound fear of showing anyone his Gargoyle form, is forever indebted to his best friend. They attend the Wiccan Haus for additional security training, but an unexpected run in with a voluptuous white-haired beauty brings about a change of assignment—and sleeping quarters.  How will they maintain the safety and wellbeing of this mystifying woman from looming threats, while battling their deep-seated desire for her?

Welcome back to the Wiccan Haus. Where the staff have some unusual quirks and the herbal tea is sometimes more than you bargain for. The proprietors always do their best to make the resort a place of healing and peace. It’s also a place some never want to leave!
  

Excerpt:

With a deep breath and her Wiccan Haus charm in hand, Trinity folded her completed checklist for items to pack and shoved it into her pocket. She clutched the handle of her suitcase and mustered the courage to step into the portal.
In a flash, lights swirled around her, the sensation of gravity dissipated, her body lightened, and her limbs lingered in the air. She floated up, twisted, and spun on the spot. A faint, but deep voice echoed in the distance, “Incoming.”
In the blink of an eye, she bounced through the end of the portal, crashing into three large, burly men and toppling over a dark-haired stranger.
“Whoa!” He stopped their rolling together and landed on his back. Heated hands gripped her sides as she came to rest on top of his rock solid-chest, face to face. He chuckled. “You okay, princess?”
The sweetness of his warm breath brushed her lips and tingles of electricity ran over her sides where his hands held her steady. A delectable aroma of amber and patchouli wafted past her nose. Trinity leaned closer to his neck and inhaled then jerked. Lost in the depths of his dark eyes and chiseled features. His stare penetrated her and his touch stirred something deep inside. “I’m…oh, my….” She bit her lip.
“Are you hurt?” He frowned.
“No.” She rested her palms on his hard chest. But I don’t think I would notice if I was. My word, you’re handsome. A warmth curled around her spine, followed by giddy tickles in her tummy. Her body responded to the contact and lulled her other senses. In the next instant, she snapped out of her lustful daze with dread. “I’m so sorry,” she sucked in a sharp inhale and eased herself to sit up.
His hands settled on her hips. “I’m not.”
Trinity slammed her eyes shut, her cheeks burned with embarrassment at the sudden realization she now straddled the stranger she had just tackled to the ground. “By the gods, please tell me this did not just happen.” She slung her leg over to kneel on the floor and scrambled to get up. Another set of heated hands gripped her under the arms and lifted her to her feet.
“You landed pretty hard, are you sure you didn’t get hurt?” A second hunk straightened her glasses and brushed her shoulder off.
“I had a cushion to break my fall,” she whispered. Trinity smoothed back her hair to find the tight bun she had slicked her mane into had loosened and stray strands of hair littered her vision. She brushed away the rogue locks, and her breath hitched as her focus landed on another delectable vision.




 “Gripping from cover to cover- the suspenseful plot kept me on the edge of my seat and you’ll find a novel that just won’t let you go...I was on the edge of my seat throughout…exquisitely vibrant bedroom scenes that set the pages aflame and you won’t be able to put this one down.” Amazon Reader

Claiming Trinity begins with a bang...Right from the beginning we are off on a wild ride of mystery and intrigue…This was a totally unexpected and greatly appreciated book.” Amazon Reader

BUY LINKS

PAPERBACK:


EBook:

~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~



Born and raised in Toronto, Kali now resides in the exquisite eastern Ontario countryside where she enjoys the serenity of nature. When she isn't busy being the married mother of two, certified trainer or counsellor extraordinaire, she shadows worlds of paranormal passion & intrigue.

Kali strives to create emotional, compelling stories and characters you can't help but love, hate and cheer for. Captivated by her love of dragons, gargoyles and everything paranormal, she pens these delightful creatures into epic tales of romance and adventure and often infuses her passions
of martial arts, music and ironic twists even she didn't foresee.

A good cup of tea with the crackling fire gets her creative juices flowing in the wee hours of the night, when the house is quiet and she can type away to her heart's desire. Learn more at: www.kaliwillows.com

You can visit Kali at:

Links:


Website:
Blog:
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Friday, November 20, 2015

Louisa Bacio's WINTER SOLSTICE MENAGE


Winter Solstice Ménage
by Louisa Bacio


A Black Hills Wolves story


Join the Black Hills Wolves as they celebrate a year of good fortune, love and rebuilding since Drew became Alpha with authors Melissa Limoges, TL Reeve, Louisa Bacio and series creators Rebecca Royce and Heather Long.


Sugar isn’t as sweet as her big brother, Yas, believes. After he leaves the big city to venture a small pack in the hills he’s heard about from their mom, she decides to let loose in all the best ways. Except when all hell breaks loose and she’s faced with some tough decisions, she runs … to her family.

After growing up in Los Lobos, twins Derek and Tyler Baker lived through all the hardships under the former Alpha leader. While one twin is happy playing the dating field, the other wants something more special. They both find what they’re looking for when newcomer Sugar comes for a visit.

Where Sugar goes, trouble follows. It’ll take more than one member of this pack to tame the new shifter she-wolf. But will the Winter Solstice Ménage be enough to convince her to settle down?



Available via Amazon, ARe, iBooks, Kobo.


About the Author:
A Southern California native, Louisa Bacio can’t imagine living far away from the ocean. The multi-published author of erotic romance enjoys writing within all realms – from short stories to full-length novels.Bacio shares her household with a supportive husband, two daughters growing “too fast,” and a multitude pet craziness: Two dogs, five fish tanks, an aviary, hamsters, rabbits and hermit crabs. In her other life, she teaches college classes in English, journalism and popular culture.


Contact Details:
Website http://www.louisabacio.com
 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/louisabacio
 https://www.facebook.com/Louisabacioauthor/ 
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/louisabacio



Excerpt:

Towel in hand, Sugar snuck down the stairs as quietly as possible. As expected, the love-Wolves had excused themselves to bed early. The only people who turned in by nine either worked super early, were old, or planned some private extracurricular activities.

Once outside, she opened her senses and took in the solitude of being so far out in nature. Without the conflicting sensory information, everything from the stars shining above to the slight breeze took on another dimension. Growing up in the city, she never realized how much she’d been missing. She headed to the hangout spot, following the directions Tala had grudgingly given her earlier, along with the advice to “be careful.”

Despite being a little bit reserved at first, her new “sis” seemed pretty cool, especially when playing go-between with Yas. If left to him, she’d stay in twenty-four/seven.

As she drew closer, she heard a whoop, whoop, whoop of laughter and a huge splash. A rope swung, and, below, a few people swam. She wasn’t feeling quite that adventurous yet and made her way over to another watering hole. She dipped a toe in and sighed at the luxurious heat. A natural hot springs? Here?

Forget the fancy spas; she’d take this spot any day. Before stripping down, she got as close to the hot spring as possible, and made a mental plan of attack. For the briefest of moments, she’d be butt-ass cold, but as soon as she hit the warmth…. Ahhh. She tossed her jacket and clothes on a nearby chair, uncovering a white bathing suit with pink flowers, and sank into the waters. Leaning back against the side, she closed her eyes. The contrast between the blustery winter weather and the bliss of the heat shocked the system, in the best way. Getting away from it all was unnatural. After the onslaught of harassing text messages from her ex, she’d left her phone home. Who’d be contacting her anyway? Plus, cell service here sucked. The idea was to get away from it all and let Jerry get some breathing space. Hopefully, he’d find someone else to focus on and leave her alone. He hadn’t been such a loser when she first met him, but, then again, he hadn’t been honest either. She’d been duped into thinking he was a college student. Then she learned he only saw them as an easy pickup.

“Mind if I join you?” A man’s deep voice broke through her thoughts, and she opened her eyes. Have mercy.

He towered over the spa, and she looked up, up, up—past those tapered hips and sculpted stomach to broad shoulders and a mouth that promised all sorts of wicked goodness. The cold didn’t seem to bother him much, except for those hard nipples.

“Come on in. There’s plenty of room.”

Rather than taking up residence on the other side, where someone who followed social norms might have, he sat next to her. Real close. The water level rose as he got in.

“You must be new to these parts. Haven’t seen you around. I’m Derek.”

The tone of his voice moved over her body, eliciting a physical response. Her nipples perked up, and the weight of his gaze settled on her chest, which just about floated on the water. Feeling uncharacteristically self-conscious, she dipped below.

“Ah, perceptive. I’m Sugar,” she said. “I’m staying with my brother Yas and Tala at the B&B.”

“Is Sugar short for anything?” he asked.

“You mean like “Sugar-licious?” She licked her lips, overemphasizing the way she ran her tongue over the full bottom one. The way his eyes zeroed in on her mouth gave her a thrill.

Men were so obvious.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CBhzaG61Lc

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Halloween at the Northridges

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!


Here's a free read I wrote for the Black Hills Wolves newsletter, which came out yesterday. It features Brick Northridge and Summer McCoy, hero and heroine of WOLF'S SONG, their kids; Brick's brother, Chance Northridge, and Chance's squeeze, Julie Pembroke.  You'll be able to read Chance and Julie's story in ANOTHER CHANCE, releasing in February!
Halloween at the Northridges
Brick Northridge surveyed with satisfaction the lawn of the cabin--really more of a luxury lodge these days--that he'd rebuilt and renovated during his ten year banishment from Los Lobos. About halfway between Wolf territory and the big cat town of Shady Heart, South Dakota, the log and stone structure now housed his young family.
A fire pit, surrounded by a circular mound of cut rocks, crackled merrily in front of the wraparound porch. The flames spread warmth to the darkest corners of the property, as his little twins, a wolf pup named Clay and a kitten cub named Autumn, frolicked nearby under his mate’s watchful eyes. Summer toasted hot dogs and melted s’mores for them until they were coated in chocolate and bouncing from their sugar highs.

An enormous Harvest moon glowed golden and low in the sky. Gossamer spider webs and fluttery ghosts dripped from the trees ringing the dense forest and pumpkin-headed scarecrows already dotted the grass where his little ones rolled, an irony his mate enjoyed.

“Do I look terrified to you?” Summer inquired, her head tilted with amusement, as she brought him another armful of pumpkins and set them out on the picnic table where he worked, careful to keep the tools of his trade away from his inquisitive kids.

 Born half-cougar and half skinwalker and able to assume various animal forms, Summer still preferred her guise as a raven. The winged form allowed her to soar above him when he ran as a wolf, or to check out that all remained well in Los Lobos below.  His mate had proven her fearlessness. It’d take more than a few straw-stuffed dummies to ever scare her away.

He and Summer loved this time of year. In fact, they’d named their baby girl, a kitten cub who looked just like her gorgeous, green-eyed mother, for the season.

An artisan and master carver gaining reknown for his exquisitely detailed signature figurines, sold by commission, as well as from an online website and in Summer’s friend’s boutique in Shady Heart, Brick set aside one week a year to work his knife skills exclusively on the orange vegetables, which he and Summer distributed throughout Los Lobos. Twinkling jack-o-lanterns were gracing almost every porch or windowsill in town, including the bar and tables at Gee’s place, The Den, as well as the desk in the office of their Alpha, Drew Tao.

Much to the younger Wolves great delight, Brick’s artistry turned Los Lobos into a twinkling Halloween central this time of year.  He loved that the littlest cubs came by with their parents or older siblings to drop off small orange globes they’d picked in the pumpkin patch in the Community Garden behind the schoolhouse.

Most of the time, they were content to let him surprise them. But some of the more ambitious—clearly young dominants in the making—brought him rudimentary sketches and gave him instructions about what they wanted—which tickled him to no end. More than a few demanded the pack Enforcer: “Ryker, with his scariest ‘you’re going to be grounded for that’ face.”  Or “Gee, when he’s growling over a pot of honey.” Or, from the bravest of them, “Bad Magnum.”

Growing up, his own family had been decimated by the machinations of the evil former Alpha, Magnum Tao.  Having just been reunited with his older brother, Chance, and his twin siblings, Amber and Garnet, it gave Brick a special feeling of community and family to do this for the pack to which he and his kin once again belonged.

Still shy around people, Amber and Garnet sat rocking on the main porch, which was strewn with festive holiday lights, twinkling bats and glowing ghoul lanterns for the carving party. Chance arrived with Julie Pembroke, whose tray of delectable mini-cupcakes distracted Clay and Amber from their hot dog and chocolate-marshmallow-graham cracker feasting or periodic study of their dad’s work.

Summer brought out a giant tub filled with cider and apples, in case any youngsters happened by with an urge to bob. The tub proved an attraction too tantalizing to Autumn’s cat curiosity.  After watching Uncle Chance demonstrate how to bob and come up with a ripe one stuck in his mouth, Autumn hissed, shifting into a pint-sized furball. With mischief brewing in her green eyes, she stuck out a paw and speared an apple for herself.

The adults—even Amber and Garnet—convulsed with laughter as the little kitten basked in the praise and applause then trotted around the lawn with her prize.

Clay watched her for awhile and then, not to be outdone by his twin sister, he shifted into his pup form, let out a squeaky howl and sprang onto the picnic table where Brick worked. Although he managed to whisk his sharp tools away from his small tyke in the nick of time, he wasn’t quite quick enough for Clay.

Small claws jutting from his little paws, he advanced on the biggest pumpkin on the table and slashed at it. With a howl of satisfaction, he jumped off the table and took a victory lap, his fuzzy tail waving triumphantly in the air.

“Sweet Luna,” said Uncle Chance. He whistled long and low, as he turned the jack-o-lantern for the other’s to see. A small but perfect wolf, howling at the moon above. “Beginner’s luck?”

“No way,” said Summer, sweeping up her twins and cuddling each of them in an arm. “Like father, like son.”

Brick’s chest swelled with pride as he gazed at his family. He took his own victory lap.
 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM THE NORTHRIDGES! 

(c) 2015, Taryn Kincaid
Read Brick and Summer's story in WOLF'S SONG
Available from Amazon: US | Canada UK | Australia  | Barnes and Noble 
And watch for ANOTHER CHANCE, coming soon!