Beast in Me
Book 2 of the Divination Falls Trilogy
By
Sommer Marsden
Blurb:
Weather worker Cameron Bale rolls into
Divination Falls after being prompted by Spirit and Brother Lighting. He
discovers that the small, hidden town full of shifters and magical types is
suffering a series of unsettling events. There’s speculation from the town
seers that he could be the answer they’ve been looking for. Cameron’s willing
to try and help: he’s got nowhere to go and nothing to lose. His life is simply
about loneliness and it turns out that Trace, a grumpy wolf with stunning eyes,
knows just what that feels like. Cam finds himself wishing maybe they could be
alone … together. Oh yeah, and battle whatever evil it is that still lurks in
Divination Falls.
Available
from:
~ * ~
Excerpt:
A dragonfly zipped past and Cam watched
it go. What next? Bluebirds and butterflies and singing cartoon woodland
animals? It was all too nice, too perfect … Surreal.
‘You OK?’ The voice was deep and dark
and full of secrets. That was his first impression.
Cameron jumped, clutched at his pounding
chest. Inside his heart was going berserk and he felt a little lightheaded with
it.
‘I was. Jesus Christ, you scared me.’
Trace grinned with half his mouth.
Somehow that little smirk made Cameron think of the big bad wolf. Made him
flash back to that body sprawled, lean and powerful, over a small, lumpy bed.
Made him remember one of those huge hands on a powerful, hard cock. He licked
his lips.
‘Careful, lightning rider. I can smell
your emotions.’ Then the wolf chuckled, bending to tie his work boot.
‘I – I’m sorry I spied on you.’ It was
all Cameron could think to say.
Trace shrugged. Cameron watched his big
shoulders flex with power. He was stunning with his huge body, big, fat
attitude, and purple eyes. Just being so close to him made Cameron feel
slow-witted and thick-tongued.
‘It was the most excitement I’ve had in
ages,’ the wolf said and started to walk.
Cameron watched him go off, his heart
sinking. He wanted the man to take his apology seriously. He also admitted to
himself he wanted to be close to the wolf. There was no hope of anything
happening between them. There was very little hope of anything happening for
Cam with anyone. He’d come to terms with that long ago. But still, he could
just be near Trace. Remembering the sight of his body and the sound of his
voice just outside Cam’s barricaded bedroom door as he brought himself off.
Wolf at the door, he thought, and then
shook it off.
Fifty feet away, Trace stopped, and
Cameron felt his spine go rigid, his pulse pick up. The man turned to him and
shielded his eyes from a bright beam of sunlight between the thick tree
branches. ‘You gonna stand there all day admiring my ass, or are you coming?’
Cameron blinked, feeling a wild urge to
laugh but pushing it away. ‘Yes! Right!’ he called, bouncing on his toes like
one of those perky, hyper dogs. He blushed, but refused to let himself feel
silly or embarrassed. He very much wanted to go along.
He hurried along the path until he was
almost even with the wolf. Then Trace turned and continued to walk, Cameron
right on his heels.
‘Why are you here?’ Trace asked.
The question stunned Cameron but he
swallowed hard and tried to focus enough to answer. ‘Good question. I … work
with weather. Lightning to be specific. I guess the best way to put it is I was
nudged here.’
‘Like with voltage?’ Trace asked with a
gruff laugh.
‘Yeah. Sadly, I do get nudged with
voltage.’
The wolf turned those deep purple eyes
on Cameron and said, ‘What for? What’s here?’
How did eyes get that colour? Cam
wondered. Had he been born with them or was it a shifter thing? He had no idea;
all he knew was they were the most amazing eyes he’d ever seen. And they were
attached to one of the most amazing bodies he’d ever seen.
Trace cocked his head, giving a half
grin. ‘Hello?’
‘Sorry! I was just looking –’ He
flushed, caught in the act. ‘Your eyes, they’re amazing.’
That closed the bigger man down. He’d
had a nice amused and open expression on his handsome face and that fast, it
shut down like someone turning the lights off in an empty house. ‘Thanks. I
guess. They’re the product of a very bad infection when I was a kid.’ He turned
on his heels and kept walking without further explanation.
Cameron had to force himself to swallow.
He had just complimented the first man he’d lusted after in goodness knew how
many years on some sort of mutation? Something that clearly upset him when
discussed. Good going, dumbass!
Cameron hurried along the patch, ducking
reaching branches and praying there was no poison ivy to be found here in
Divination Falls. ‘I’m sorry! I didn’t know. And I don’t know what’s here. Or
why I am,’ he gasped, finally catching up.
The wolf shrugged. He shot Cameron a
sideways glance and said, ‘Why would you know what’s here?’ He stopped fast and
Cam found himself almost crying out from the sudden shift in motion. ‘As for
why you’re here, how could you not know that?’
‘I never really know until it’s
revealed,’ Cameron said. He kept his gaze pinned at Trace’s chin so he wouldn’t
get mesmerized by those stunning eyes that clearly upset the custodian.
‘Was it me, maybe?’ Trace asked, his
lips twisting into a grin. ‘Was it secretly watching me jack off? Was that your
big mission?’ He took a step toward Cameron which forced the lightning rider to
step back. Or get crushed against an angry wolf.
‘I’m sorry,’ Cam breathed. ‘It wasn’t my
intention and then I couldn’t …’ He shook his head. His skin was tingling and
he wondered if he was going to get struck. Or worse yet, if Trace would strike
him. ‘You might want to step back,’ he said without thinking.
‘Why is that?’ the wolf asked, taking a
step forward. ‘Am I invading your space?’
‘I get it,’ Cam stammered. ‘I invaded
your privacy. I’m no better than a pervert. I know! But you could get …’
The wind kicked up. It often did when he
was frightened or excited and his blood leapt in his veins and his heart beat
fast with arousal. His last lover had been zinged by energy one too many times
and when some of his hair had actually caught fire, he’d bailed. Calling
Cameron a freak in the process. Cam wasn’t up for either Trace being hurt or
thinking him a freak.
‘I might get what? And it’s OK – you
invaded my privacy, now give me an excuse to invade yours.’ He pushed his face
closer and Cameron caught a flickering of animal shine in the man’s eyes. They
turned golden around the very iris and a fast, steady pulse beat at the base of
Trace’s neck. When he took Cameron’s wrist in his big hand and squeezed, Cam
felt the air rush out of him. His cock pressed eagerly to his jeans and he
tried his best to focus on something – anything! – besides the wolf so maybe
his hard-on would abate. No such luck because Trace took his warm hand and very
briefly cupped the evidence of arousal in Cam’s pants. ‘Looks like you’re still
a bit worked up from last night.’
‘You were watching me in wolf form.’
‘I was.’
‘You heard me.’ It wasn’t a question.
Very briefly, Cam wished for Trace to put his hand back. To touch him.
‘I did. I also smelled you and tasted
you on the wind. Do you know when you come your breath does this shuddery
little sigh thing?’
‘No.’
‘Well, it does.’
~ * ~
Bio:
Sommer Marsden’s been called “…one of
the top storytellers in the erotica genre” (Violet Blue), “Unapologetic”
(Alison Tyler), “…the whirling dervish of erotica” (Craig J. Sorensen),and
"Erotica royalty..." (Lucy Felthouse).
Her erotic novels include Restless
Spirit, Boys Next Door, Big Bad, Learning to Drown, Wanderlust and the Zombie
Exterminator series. Sommer currently writes erotica and erotic romance for
Xcite Books, eXcessica, Ellora's Cave, Pretty Things Press, Resplendence
Publishing and Mischief Books. The wine-swigging, dachshund-owning, wannabe
runner author writes work that runs the gamut from bondage to zombies to humor.
Sommer's short works can be found in
well over one hundred (and counting) erotic anthologies. Her short stories have
also been included numerous adult and romance magazines--both in print and
online.
Links:
Links:
Blog: http://sommermarsden.blogspot.com
Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/sommer_marsden
Facebook: http://facebook.com/sommermarsden
Twitter: @sommer_marsden
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sommermarsden
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