Tuesday Teaser

 

This is a teaser from Day's Light, book #2 in the Mystic Bay series. The book is now done and off to the editor!

“Mark!”

They’d given those fuckers what they wanted, and they still killed them in cold blood. And now he couldn’t say his final goodbyes? Help Michael? Mourn with his own damn brother?

There was a scramble of feet and cussing, but he didn’t care. His head spun with the need to destroy, to rip and tear. It was the only thing that matter. Blood. A need rose in him. Yes, he wanted blood.

The burning anger whispered to him, insisting he destroy the ones who did this, that the ones who killed his mom and dad must pay. He’d rip their guts out, tie them around their throats, and use it to choke the life out of those assholes. He would… he would….

The reflection of something tall and furry caught his attention. Snarling, he whipped around and peered across the hall into a bedroom where a full-length mirror stood. A wolf-like monstrosity, humanoid in shape, stood upright on two powerful legs. Unable to help himself, he moved toward the mirror.

The creature easily stood eight foot tall but slouched slightly. A fluffy tail whipped behind it. He studied the absolute lack of human-like features in the facial structure: the defined muzzle with razor sharp teeth, the wolf-like ears that stood upright on the skull, the bright yellow eyes that dominated the face.

Me. That’s me.

Lifting his arm, he studied his paw-hands that had long, deadly nails and an opposable thumb. His heart raced as his human side retreated in horror while the predator woke fully.

One breath in.  

Kill.

One breath out.

Kill them.

One breath in.

KILL THEM!

Blackness threatened to descend.

“I can hear your thoughts clearly, and you’ll have your revenge, I promise you that.” Nonchalantly Hunter leaned against the doorframe. “But for now, I need you to not let the predator take over. Find your human side—the side that’s capable of love. Of happiness. The side that isn’t bloodthirsty and feral. It’s there. Look into your heart, Mark, and find your humanity.”

Mark searched for that part of him, the part he knew so well. This side of him still wanted blood to flow, and he kinda did too, but… but his mate had asked him to not lose himself to the predator. This side of him might thirst for blood, but Mark wanted justice—in whatever form that was for werewolves. Not bloodshed.

Mark shuddered as he turned away from his reflection. Monster.

Hunter tilted his head. “Beautiful.”

Hideous.

Hunter pushed off the doorframe and strolled to Mark. Calmly he grasped Mark’s massive muzzle, and he definitely had to reach since Mark towered over him. Hunter’s eyes blazed yellow too as he stared at Mark. “Breathtakingly beautiful.”

Tuesday Teaser

 

This is a teaser from Day's Light, book #2 in the Mystic Bay series. 

THE NUMEROUS odors were overwhelming, but that damn woodsy scent with a hint of pine stood out. He inhaled deeply. He’d noticed it before but hadn’t known then what it was.

Comfort.

Home.

Pack.

Mate!

The words streamed through his mind, and there was a rightness to them. They made absolute sense. It all made sense, especially that last one. He now knew what the enticing scent was—it was the wolf who was his, who belonged to only him. Silly human worries about how that came to be faded from his mind. He wanted to properly greet his mate, and then go exploring.

Struggling up, he lurched around the room. He hit the dresser and snarled. Getting used to four paws instead of two legs was a trip. Out of the corner of his eye, something furry caught his attention, and he twisted around to see what it was. It wagged at him. He yipped at it. It wagged again, almost as if taunting him. Huh. Couldn’t have that. Maybe he should try and catch it!

Round and round he went, chasing that thing that was apparently attached to the back end of him. Dizzy, he staggered against the ruined bed, caught the sheet with his claws, and down he went. Hind leg kicking, he snarled at the offending object.

Tuesday Teaser

 

This is a teaser from Day's Light, book #2 in the Mystic Bay series. 

“No one asked me if I wanted to be your mate!”

Okay, that hurt. But Mark was born human and didn’t understand the significance of a mate bond. “It’s fated!”

“You had the choice to bite me. You had the choice to take me as a mate. What about my choice? Did I get a choice in any of this?” Mark yelled.

Hunter eyes widened when he saw the fangs in Mark’s mouth.

“What fucking choice did I have in any of this!” Mark growled, his claws ripping through the sheet. He looked down, surprise crossing his face. “Oh my God, what the hell? Hunter? I….” Mark pressed his hand to his stomach. “There’s something wrong. I feel weird.” Mark glanced back at Hunter.

The fear in Mark’s eyes scared Hunter to his soul.

“I… I….” Anguish twisted Mark’s features, then he threw his head back and howled. A full throated, loud as hell, howl.

Hunter’s heart damn near stopped. Mark howled. Fucking howled, which he absolutely shouldn’t be able to do right now anyway, but even more shocking? That was an Alpha howl.

Tuesday Teaser

This is a teaser from Day's Light, book #2 in the Mystic Bay series. 

“There was no way you could’ve known I was awake. Hell, I didn’t even move when I first opened my eyes.”

Hunter let out a long breath. “Your heart rate changed, so yes, I did know you were awake. Werewolves have excellent hearing and sight, plus our sense of smell is ridiculously strong too. That one can be a bit of a pain in the ass, though. I’m sure you’ve noticed your vision is better. You’ve already mentioned you’re hearing things a human can’t. The sense of smell will be next, if it isn’t already improving.”

Mark dropped the spoon, and it clattered against the bowl.

“You’ve noticed things, huh?”

“That… that just isn’t possible.”

“I know this is hard to believe, but you have got to stop denying what is right in front of your face. Yes, it is possible,” Hunter said. “Werewolves exist. I exist. I bit you, and now you are going to be a werewolf. I can’t know how scary this must be since I’m a born werewolf, but you’re still the same person, Mark. You’re just a bit more than you were before, that’s all.”

Tuesday Teaser

This is a teaser from Day's Light, book #2 in the Mystic Bay series. I'm a little over halfway through on it!

“Okay, so, I haven’t had a lot of time to go deep on your mate, but what I’ve found so far is all good. He’s the son of Judy and Gerald James, now deceased.”

“Speaking of, what’s going on with that?”

“The humans are investigating, but you know as well as I do they’ll never find who shot them. I don’t know if they’ve identified the parents yet, but it shouldn’t be much longer.”

“They haven’t?”

“No, those assholes took their wallets. I guess it was a miracle they dropped Mark’s, or we’d be in the same position. Mark has one brother, named Michael James. He’s a year younger. They lived in a suburb on the outskirts of New York City and appeared to be solid middle-class.”

“Any priors?” Hunter dumped the dressing on his salad and dug in.

“Nothing so far. There’s a couple of speeding tickets spread out through the family, but that’s it. I haven’t really had a chance to dig into the financials, but what I’ve seen says they lived within their means.”

Hunter bit into one of the rolls that came with his meal. Sissy really did have the best rolls in town. “Good.”

“On the surface they look like your average American family, and I really think they are.”

Tuesday Teaser

This is a teaser from Day's Light, book #2 in the Mystic Bay series. I'm a little over halfway through on it!

“Who are you? What’s happening to me? Why am I here? Why did you take me?” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an alarm clock. It read ten at night, but ten at night on what day? How long had he been missing?

“My name is Hunter Day. What’s happening to you is that you’re going through the transformation. Being so ill is part of that. I wish there was something I could do to help, but there really isn’t, outside of making you comfortable.”

“Transformation? What does that mean?” What the hell was this dude talking about? Was this some kind of secret government operation where they experimented on innocent people off the streets?

“Where do you get this stuff from? Of course I’m not experimenting on you. I’m not planning to harvest your organs, by the way.”

So, he must’ve said that aloud.

“As to why you’re here, and why did I take you? Well, that’s a long story.”

Weren’t they all.

Tuesday Teaser (on a Wednesday lol)

This is a teaser from Day's Light, book #2 in the Mystic Bay series

THIS TIME he dreamed of those men shooting his parents, of a smirking smile and yellow eyes. He woke screaming.

“It’s okay. I promise you, you’re safe.”

Mark jackknifed up in bed. The lack of agonizing pain in his belly barely registered. He glanced in the direction of that voice and screamed again.

“Mark, please, it’s okay. You’re okay. No one is going to hurt you.”

The stranger was one of those men with the funky eyes and fangs. Not a man. That insidious thought left him reeling. Visions of yellow eyes—he was calling it asshole yellow—and pointy teeth, along with sounds no human throat could possibly make, danced in his head. But that shit wasn’t possible. It was make-believe bullshit for movies and books. He must’ve been hallucinating due to shock and blood loss.

He’s not human.

Nope, he wasn’t going there. No way. Shit like that was not real, dammit. Neither are fangs and yellow eyes.

Tuesday Teaser

This is an teaser from Day's Light, book#2 in the Mystic Bay series. Mark is still going through the change and still kinda out of it, but that's all about to change.

NAUSEA CLAWED at Mark’s throat. He tried to force it back, but nope. Not happening. A small trashcan appeared in front of him, and he grabbed it. His stomach contracted violently, forcing whatever was still in him, out. The disgusting stench invaded his nostrils, and he heaved again, even though there was nothing left.

Had the food at one of the many casinos’ been spoiled? Food poisoning—just what he did not need. His belly cramped again. Yup, he’d learned that the hard way. Had he managed to catch Michael’s damn flu?

Michael had been puking up his toenails shortly before they left for vacation. If he’d caught the plague from Michael, he’d kick Michael’s ass when he got home just on principle.

“Why don’t I take that? The smell can’t be doing you any favors.”

Thoughts of the flu, promised ass kicking, possible food poisoning, and just about everything else vanished as his gaze flew to the owner of that compelling voice. It all came rushing back. Sure enough, the blond god was sitting there as calm as could be—as if puking into a trashcan was the most normal thing in the world. Maybe it was. Maybe for a kidnapper this was business as usual.

Tuesday Teaser

This is an teaser from Day's Light, book#2 in the Mystic Bay series. 

Faced with the choice of watching Mark die and losing his mate forever, or forcing the transformation on him in the hope he’d live, Hunter went with option two.

He couldn’t watch Mark die. He couldn’t. His wolf wouldn’t let him. But how steep of a price was he going to pay for turning Mark without his consent? Hell, Mark didn’t even know werewolves existed, and now suddenly Mark was one. Or he would be if the transformation didn’t kill him.

Would Mark ever forgive him?

Saliva in an open wound was all it took. But biting Mark where his shoulder and neck met—well, that had nothing to do with the transformation and everything to do with claiming Mark at his mate. 

He hoped the mating bond would give Mark the added strength he’d need to survive. But it was a risk. Turning him and mating him at the same time…. yeah. While it might save him, it could also be more than his body could handle.

Tuesday Teaser

This is an teaser from Day's Light, book#2 in the Mystic Bay series. Mark is running a fever and delirious. He's going through the transformation to be a werewolf. 

Nothing had gone according to plan. Instead of apprehending the two werewolves who stole from their pack, he and Brax blundered into a mugging that left two innocent humans dead and another fighting for his life—a human who just happened to also be Hunter’s mate.

The one lucky break they had was that those fuckers dropped a wallet and that he noticed it. As soon as they got in the SUV, he had Brax check it. His mate’s name was Mark James, was twenty-six years old, and was from New York City.

Mark. He liked it. It was a good, strong name, just like his right hook. Hunter flexed his jar. He still couldn’t believe Mark punched him. Not that he blamed him, of course. For a human, Mark hit pretty hard.

“Bad idea. Going this way was a bad idea.”

“I know, but you’re not in that little alleyway now.”

“Those eyes. Those eyes! Yellow? Asshole yellow! What the fuck?”

Hunter blinked in surprise. Asshole yellow? That wasn’t a color he’d ever heard of. “Don’t worry about those eyes. Mark? Can you hear me? Look somewhere else, okay? Don’t look at those eyes.”

“Dad? No! Mom? Mom, please!”

“I’m so sorry,” Hunter said softly as Mark twisted on the bed. If only he could do more. Maybe if they’d gotten there sooner, maybe if they’d reacted quicker, things would have been different.

Tuesday Teaser

Excerpt from Day's Light

“He’s my mate.”

“Oh, fucking fuck,” Brax wheezed.

“What’s a—” Mark screamed. Flat out screamed—and lost his train of thought, along with his dignity—when the blond-headed god’s eyes suddenly turned yellow. Yellow. Just like the assholes who killed his parents.

But those eyes were nothing compared to the sudden mouthful of really pointed fangs coming at him. They clamped onto where his shoulder and neck met. Agony, unlike anything he’d ever felt, made him forget about the unrelenting burn in his gut. He screamed again, yelling bloody blue murder because that shit hurt. He struggled, not that it did any good.

Mark moaned, panting through his mouth as he waited for… he had no idea what. To finish dying? Then a cooling sensation started at the bite site. It slowly spread outward. The pain receded, and his muscles relaxed.

Finally the blond god lifted his head. His fangs were still showing, his eyes were still that awful yellow, and his mouth was smeared with blood. The encroaching darkness washed over him just as he swung at whatever the hell it was that took bite out of him.

Tuesday Teaser

“Please sedate me before you harvest anything of mine. Please.”

“What?” the blond god growled. “What did you just say? Jesus Christ.”

That sound. There was that sound again. Every hair on his body stood up, but the effect on him was outrageously different this time. Last time fear rode him. This time his cocked perked up. What. The. Fuck? Didn’t think I had enough blood left in my body to do that. Also, what the fuck?

“Did he say what I think he said?” Brax climbed the backseat with them.

The blond god pulled Mark into a sitting position. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for this, but I can’t lose you. I can’t.”

“What are you—oh fuck. You’re going to change him? Forget the kittens, Zane is going to lose his entire damn mind. You just can’t go around changing humans. We know nothing about this dude! Nothing! Why—”

“He’s my mate.”

“Oh, fucking fuck,” Brax wheezed.

Tuesday Teaser

“I’m losing him! Pull over, dammit.”

Tires squealed as the vehicle braked to a stop. Why were they so worried about keeping him alive? Not that he didn’t want to live. He did. But he was no one to these people. Just a random stranger bleeding out in some dude’s SUV, who was going to shit kittens over it, apparently.

Mark giggled, and a sudden burst of liquid bubbled from his lips. Ugh. That tasted metallic-like and gross. So why didn’t he feel whatever was trickling down his chin? Where was his chin? He couldn’t feel it. Or his lips. Or much of anything else.

I’m dying. I don’t what to fucking die, and not in the fucking back of some stupid fucking SUV that some fucking asshole is going to have fucking kittens over because I’m fucking bleeding all over it. They were going to harvest his organs for the black market, weren’t they? That had to be it and made as sense as anything else.