Blurb:
He can run, but he can’t hide…
Centuries ago, Hawk made a terrible mistake which has haunted him since. Fear of responsibility and feelings of unworthiness leads him to denying the mate Wha-tay showed him in a vision. So now Hawk runs his bar, has casual sex, and never, ever dates men with blond hair and brown eyes. But then Simon walks into his bar, and the future he’s feared is about to end up in a brawl if Hawk doesn’t do something—fast.
Simon Carter has a smart mouth and a bulldog temperament. So when Hawk runs, Simon pursues the sexy man, only to be rejected. Just as Simon decides to give up, someone—or something—visits him to change his mind… and scares him to death. Now Simon is backpedaling, and Hawk is in pursuit.
Desperate to reassure Simon and keep him safe, Hawk is forced to reveal his secrets before he’s ready. Can Simon learn to accept things aren’t always as they seem? Is the connection between them strong enough to help Hawk overcome centuries of pain? The only way the two men will move beyond Hawk’s past is for both of them to take a leap of faith.
Excerpt:
The
thrill of the hunt washed over him; his heart pounded in his chest. Nothing made him feel more alive short
of taking to the skies. Sounds assaulted his ears—the dying shrieks of the
animals, the howls of the wolves, the screams of the cougars, and the steady
fall of hooves coming close….
Much
too close.
“Oh
spirits,” Chetan whispered. He’d let his attention drift from his nephew, and
now…. His own cries joined the madness as a monstrous bull darted from the
stampede and charged Isi.
The
maddened animal had several spears embedded in its body. The night was cool, and
steam blew from its nose. The rank smell of the animal nearly gagged Chetan. As
reality slowed to a crawl, he saw Isi standing still, his hands by his side,
staring. Sound distorted and warped as Chetan yelled for Isi to move, draw his
bow, do something. His voice was
hopelessly lost in the pandemonium raging around him.
Isi
stood frozen as the buffalo charged.
Chetan
continued to yell as he ran toward the young brave, waving his arms
frantically. If he could just get the bull’s attention… if he could just get to
Isi’s side before…. He saw a black cougar casing the buffalo, gaining rapidly.
More cat shifters landed on the buffalo’s back and attacked, sinking their
great canines into the animal. It still wasn’t enough. The bull was now a short
distance from Isi and bearing down, the young warrior in its sights.
Oh, Wha-tay, I’m
not going to make it!
His legs pumped, his breath wheezed… and it didn’t matter. Oh please, Great Mother, no. Not this young one. Please. It’s my fault.
I let myself get distracted. Don’t take him. Take me instead.
The
cougar raced beside the buffalo, then darted in close as it latched on to the
throat in an effort to suffocate the massive beast. The danger was immense; the
buffalo would trample the cougar if given the chance. The bull was too close,
and still Isi stood unmoving. Why is he
just standing there? There was no way, no way for him to get to Isi in
time.
Chetan
stumbled to a stop and raised his bow, carefully taking aim. Please, please, let my aim be true. The
arrow struck the buffalo dead in the face, but it was too late. It plowed into
Isi with its mighty horns. Isi’s body flew high into the air, blood spurting
from terrible gouges. A scream filled the air. Was that Isi? Isi’s mother? Or
the bull?
“No.
No!” Chetan’s own scream joined the
ones around him.
Present Day
Hawk’s
eyes snapped open as the last of the—dream? Vision? Memory? Nightmare?—faded.
Dammit, why was he remembering this now? It’d been hundreds of years since that
night. Frankly he could stand to go hundreds more.
“Shit,”
he muttered.
So
much had changed since then. He now went by Gus Hawkins, his real name of
Chetan nearly forgotten. Most everyone called him Hawk. Hania, the black cougar
shifter, was now Jason Sky. Lootah’s name was Owen Woods. Hawk snorted in
remembrance. As time passed they finally did find a name that described
Lootah’s totem spirit—he was a Bengal tiger. Owen was the sheriff of the small
town where Jason, Mapiya, and several other shifters lived. She was one of the
few who still used her original name.
Buy link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6219
Cover Artist: LC Chase
