My Halloween-smug Big Cats, yes, the time has arrived, like trick or treaters at the front door, for edits. The Kougar received her first round of edits for Black Cat Beauty, coming soon from Liquid Silver Books...but, meow-sadly, the naughty kitty girl will not be available before the Great Pumpkin rises into the midnight sky on All Hallow’s Eve. Yowl-happily however, the modern gothic tale, or the modern shifter tail, transcends this one night of spooky fun.
Now, with a flirty meow...just for the Big Cool Cats, the first stanza of a promo poem moi is working on...
Midnight, Starbright, I wonder where my Black Cat is this Halloween night?
I
Before the costumed kiddies giggle and roam from house-to-house, filling their bags full of candy goodies, before the first blink of starlight,
my black cat shifter girl gives a sassy wink to the terrier, trapped behind his chain link fence, while he leaps and yips, threatening to chase and bite.
Sleekly, with an air of nonchalant cattitude, she strolls down the middle of the suburb street, her long tail held high. With not one speck of white,
a witch’s black cat, she crosses the path of every unwary driver, her feline grin smug, as their vehicles swerve, then slide around her in freaked-out fright.
And! the Halloween Treat from Halloween Treats, available from Liquid Silver Books, a blood-curdling werewolf excerpt ~
Familiar Magic – by AJ Hampton
With only two days until the full moon Trenton Gregory realizes he’s got a lot more to worry about than being the area enforcer. Samantha Monroe, his destined mate, wants him to be her familiar. Fighting hormones, a pack of wolves who want him dead, the real challenge will be making it to Halloween in one piece.
An excerpt from Familiar Magic…
Trees rustled along the edge of forest that lined the western side of the bar. Through the cars and trucks, he watched branches sway. Leaves crunched, giving off a subtle sent. He tilted his head, studied the shadows that appeared between the trees. As the hunger inside him mounted, the scents around him shifted. A tight sensation puckered the skin below his fur, and his hackles rose.
If Trent could have grinned, he would have. It appeared the wolf pack he’d tangled with earlier was just as ready as he was to finish their business. He sprinted forward. Pleasure filled him, made his blood sing. The air caressed his fur. Each strand that moved tickled his skin, invigorated him. The faster he ran the more scents he took in. Their mixing changed the taste in his mouth with every inch of earth he passed. All those smells stayed with him, told him where to go, when to hide, and when to hunt.
He stopped at the edge of the clearing and let out a bellowing roar that reverberated through the night. If they wanted to play, he was more than willing to unleash his anger. One by one, the glimmering sheen of their eyes pierced the darkness. Padding forward, he drew them out, into his sight. He’d either have to drag their bodies deep in the woods to bury them, or save himself the trouble and drop them right where he wanted them. This was going to be a dirty fight. Once an animal tasted blood, it only spurred on the need for more. No, this was a fight to the death. They closed in around him, filtered out through the trees in wolf form.
Trent moved in a circle, baring his teeth and eying each one of his prey. He swatted– razor-sharp claws gleaming in the light of the moon. The pack began the dance. They snarled, advanced, and then retreated. Power leaked into the air. It was potent, unsettling. It should have been a warning, a sign that he might be outclassed. At six to one, he knew he was being foolish. Everything went silent, as if the earth sensed the danger and backed off. Pride wouldn’t let him bow out. He was Alpha. Male. Stronger, quicker, more powerful than these dogs, and he’d show them.
The first wolf attacked, jumped into the air. He pushed off the ground with his hind legs and sprang to meet him. His tail moved, lashed against a solid body before they collided in air. The rest was just a tussle of fur and teeth. The wolf went straight for his neck. He was quicker. Blood filled his mouth, the rich, salty taste just whetting his appetite for more. The ground crashed under his feet, and he rolled, pulling his attacker with him. The wolf yelped, a pitiful cry that was silenced when he dug his teeth into its neck and shook. Bones popped. As the wolf’s heart thudded into silence, Trent’s heart beat harder.
Two wolves jumped on his back. The sting of claws forced him to drop their brethren. He reared back in an attempt to throw them off. Two more leaped, sharp teeth dripping with saliva, aiming for his neck. As he pulled on his strength, a fierce snarl ripped from his throat. He shook the beasts off his back, curving his neck enough to grip one of their napes and pull. The wolf crashed to the ground, yelping before it sprang upright. The wolf growled and limped forward, blood dripping to the ground.
They circled, never taking their eyes off each other. He swatted, his paw colliding with solid muscle. The wolf tumbled to the ground. He watched its snout slide through gravel. Triumph gave him a burst of adrenaline. The wolf didn’t get up. Teeth pierced Trent’s thigh. It forced him around in a circle. He tried to shake off the attack. Another wolf jumped, hit him on the opposite side. Pain shot through his lungs and made it hard to draw in a breath. He staggered, thrashed with claws and teeth to fight free. His tail twitched, sliding through dirt. The beast biting him shook its head, tried to separate muscle from bone. Heat pierced his leg, spread into his back.
Crying out, he swung and managed to take down another wolf. For every one he threw to the ground, another rose. It was becoming hard to breathe. Adrenaline coursed through, kept him upright. Blood dripped from the wounds along his back and limbs. The pack surged, fed off the doubt that began to crawl inside him. They lunged, knocked him to his side.
The world grew black, the sound of snarls dampening out everything else. Sam. He shouldn’t have been such a coward. He would jump headfirst into a fight with a pack of bloodthirsty beasts, yet he wasn’t man enough to take her, to claim her as his own. A guttural cry rent through the night, and teeth closed around his neck. Heaviness pressed along his back and legs. The pack howled, the jaw at his neck tightened, teeth piercing his skin. Trent was too weak to move, to fight them off. Samantha
Treats and smooches from the Kougar...
No comments:
Post a Comment