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Excerpt & Pre-Order Links – When An Omega Snaps (A Lion’s Pride series #3) by Eve Langlais

When An Omega Snaps
by EVE LANGLAIS

Excerpt & Pre-Order Links

A were-liger/alpha romance


Blurb:

Leo is the calm guy. The nice guy. The one nobody screws with. So could someone explain that to Meena so she stops driving him insane—with desire.

When Meena literally throws herself at Leo and declares he’s her mate, his first reaction is to deny—and run far, far away. This lion/tiger mix doesn’t do drama and chaos. Problem is, once he sets eyes on her, he can’t help but want the vivacious blonde with plus-sized curves, perfect for a big man like himself.

He wants her even if it breaks all his rules when it comes to women.
Wants her even if she destroys his serenity.
Wants her more than a perfectly grilled piece of steak with a dash of garlic, pepper, and salt.

Thing is, someone else wants her too.

This poor omega is about to have his world turned upside down, which means everyone better watch out because when Leo experiences love, jealousy, and frustration for the first time, he doesn’t just snap—he roars!

A Lion’s Pride Series: Each can be read as a stand a alone.

 


Excerpt:

Chapter One

Leo was just minding his own business when he heard someone shout, “Heads up! Or is that heads down?”

Thunk.

Either way it didn’t matter. Leo caught the Frisbee with his noggin, which, given he was in the lobby of the condo complex he lived in, didn’t impress him one bit.

Some might have acted on that irritation—gone after the Frisbee tosser and scalped her. Others would have engaged in an unladylike tussle. But as the Pride’s omega, he had a certain standard to adhere to. Leo let the irritation roll off his really wide—so wide the college football coach almost cried when he wouldn’t play—shoulders.

With a nonchalance and calm that Leo strove to teach others, he kept walking toward the elevator, which happened to be where the purple disc landed. He refrained from crushing it. No need to blame the disc just because its thrower had poor aim.

An unfamiliar scent—feline and delicious—surrounded and brushed past him as a woman skipped by, intent on the Frisbee. The blonde, whom he didn’t recognize, stooped over to grab the plastic disc, her cropped athletic shorts molding every curve of her made-for-gripping ass and nibble-worthy thighs.

Everything about her was big, bold, and luscious.

Yummy. And it wasn’t just his inner beast that thought so.

Who is this delicious handful? He didn’t recall meeting her, and he certainly wouldn’t have forgotten her.

The unknown woman straightened and faced him, and by face him, he meant almost eye to eye, which was unheard of given he boasted a height of almost seven feet. Yet this woman with the wicked curves must have stood at least six foot one or a touch more.

She wasn’t dainty, not by any stretch, not with the way her impressive breasts strained at her T-shirt, distorting the cartoon on it that said, Delicate Freakn’ Flower. Her indented waist was accented by the flare of her hips, the quirk of her lips matched by the mirth in her eyes.

While not a man to allow himself to indulge in strong emotion, Leo was suddenly possessed of a powerful urge to drag this woman into his arms and…do decadent things that would get even his steady heart racing.

“Well, hello there, big fellow. I don’t think we’ve met.”

Indeed they hadn’t, or he would have remembered her—and remembered to avoid her because anyone could see by the saucy tilt to her hips and the appraising look in her eye that she spelled trouble.

Leo didn’t do trouble. He preferred calm moments. Serene outings. Quiet evenings. Very quiet. A quiet she disrupted with her Frisbee antics, so he took her to task. “You’re not supposed to play Frisbee inside. It’s one of the association rules.” He’d know since he helped draft them.

Leo liked rules, and he expected people to follow them. When any group of predators lived in close proximity, keeping hot tempers under control was important, hence his job to enforce the edicts and keep the peace.

“Aw, come on. Are you telling me there’s no playing inside either?” Her plump lower lip jutted. “Do you know I got in trouble by a nice policeman for playing on the street? Which was totally unfair. As if it was my fault that guy wasn’t pay attention and rear ended someone at the red light.”

“You were playing in the road?”

“Road, sidewalk, does it really matter? What’s more important is, if I can’t play inside, and I can’t play outside, where is a girl supposed to play?”

Upstairs, eleventh floor, condo unit 1101. His bedroom had plenty of room. Of course the sport he pictured didn’t involve any props. Nor did it include any clothes. But telling her she could play with him naked probably wasn’t the answer she looked for. “We don’t play in the city. Not enough room. That’s what the ranch is for.”

“Ah, the farm. That place is still around? Awesome.”

“You know of it?” He frowned. While not a closely guarded secret, only those with permission were allowed on the property. Since Leo tended to curate that list, he tended to know anyone who visited. But he couldn’t place her. “Who are you? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

“Yeah, it’s been a while since I visited. That’s what happens when a girl gets banned for a few years because of a few silly misunderstandings. Explode one carved pumpkin and people lose their minds. I see the lobby got repainted, no permanent harm done.”

Banned? Wait a second. He did know who this lady was. He’d heard Arik mention something about a cousin on his father’s side visiting for a bit. His words were actually, “Damned uncle asked me to let the brat come and hide out for a bit while some kind of calamity blows over in her hometown.”

To which Leo replied, “You know you can use the word ‘no’. I find it quite effective if I don’t want to get embroiled in unsavory situations.” The word no helped prevent a lot of unnecessary chaos.

Arik had laughed. “Say no to my uncle? Not happening. You haven’t met him yet. He’s the one guy I know who would make you look normal sized and when he’s not threatening to twist you into a pretzel, he’s the nicest guy you ever met. He’s also besieged by a set of troublemaking daughters.”

Both of whom had been banned by the previous pride alpha for causing too much damage and being a general nuisance.

While she had only recently arrived, Leo could already understand why the old king banished her. “You’re that troublemaker from out West, aren’t you?”

“Me, a troublemaker?” She fluttered her lashes. The problem was, with a mouth like hers, twisted into a smirk, she failed at the whole innocent look. “No, that’s my sister, Teena. I’m Meena, her twin, more commonly known as catastrophe. But you can call me your mate.”

With that, she flung herself on him and planted a big, juicy smooch on his lips.

And he liked it.

Rawr.

Chapter Two

Okay, so maybe throwing herself on a stranger and planting a big ol’ kiss on his stern lips wasn’t the most ladylike thing to do. Then again, Meena had failed her decorum classes—more than once—which drove her mother absolutely mental.

In her defense, she didn’t see why a woman needed to learn how to simper, curtsy, or wait for a man to open the door. If it had a handle and her hands weren’t full, then why the hell couldn’t she open it herself?

Her manners teacher also said nice girls didn’t plant smooches on boys. Oh and tell them they were fated mates. That kind of thing tended to freak a guy out.

Freaked or not, he didn’t shove her away. As a matter of fact, he let his tongue shove its way into her mouth for a fun and slippery dance. A very short dance that proved quite titillating while it lasted.

“Check it out! Leo’s making out with Meena!”

The shouted interruption really deserved a smack, but apparently that wasn’t allowed either, at least not with family members, even distantly related ones.

…to be continued

 


 

A were-liger/alpha romance

Coming August 6th, 2015

United States Barnes and Noble Kobo
Australia Apple
United Kingdom Germany Allromance.com
France Spain Bookstrand
Italy Canada Smashwords, Worldwide

Genre:
Paranormal/Shapeshifter/Wereliger Romance

A hero that RAWRS!


About the Author

~ A New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author ~

Hello, my name is Eve. I’m a stay at home mom who writes full time in between juggling my three kids, hubby, and housework, I write hot romance with a bit of a twist.

I am a Canadian author who belongs to ORWA, the local chapter for Ottawa Romance Writers. I am what is known as hybrid published which means I have  works with some small e-publishers, some indie published titles and more recently, I signed a contract with St. Martin’s Press for 3 hot shifter stories.

I am the first person to admit I am totally boring and lead a mundane life. Seriously. My idea of fun is shopping at our local Walmart lol. I like to play video games, cook, and read. My inspiration, hmm, I guess you could say hubby as he is a total alpha male which means I often want to club him over head with a frying pan. But, despite his ornery, ‘I-am-man’ nature, I love him dearly.

I’m writing romance, my way. I do have a twisted imagination and a sarcastic sense of humor something I like to let loose in my writing. I like strong alpha males, naked chests and shifters. Lots of different breeds of shifters. I am also extremely partial to aliens, you know the kind who abduct their woman and then drive them insane…with pleasure of course.

My heroines, they kind of run the gamut. I have some that are shy and soft spoken, others that will kick a man in the balls and laugh. Many of them are chubby, because in my world, girls with curves ROCK! Oh and some of my heroines are a teeny tiny bit evil, but in their defense, they need love too.

Some of my work does push boundaries and cross lines. Good and evil aren’t always clear in my tales, and in some cases, I’ve stomped on well known religious ideologies. Have I mentioned my imagination is a tad bit warped?

I tend to have a lot of sexual tension in my tales because I think all torrid love affairs start with a tingle in our tummies. And when my characters do finally give in to the needs of their flesh? Well, let’s just say, you shouldn’t be reading my stuff at work. The door is wide open, explicit and hot. Really, really hot.

I love to write, and while I don’t always know what my mind is going to come up with next, I can promise it will be fun, probably humorous and most of all romantic, because I love a happily ever after.

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PRE-ORDER LINKS – When A Beta Roars (A Lion’s Pride #2) by Eve Langlais

A were-lion/alpha romance
When A Beta Roars
(A Lion’s Pride #2)
by Eve Langlais

Release Date: 7 July 2015

Hayder’s met his mate, there’s  just one little problem, she’s allergic to cats.

 


BLURB:

How degrading. Stuck babysitting a woman because his alpha said so. As Pride Beta, he has better things to do with his time, like washing his impressive mane, hunting down thugs for fun, and chasing tail—sometimes his own if his lion is feeling playful.

But his babysitting job takes an unexpected turn when the woman he’s assigned guard duty over turns out to be his mate.

A female threatened by an outside wolf pack.

A woman he wants to call his own.

A mate who doesn’t fall for his charm.

Usually Beta’s leave the roaring to the Pride’s alpha, but in this case given his level of frustration, he might have to make an exception. And if anyone doesn’t like it, they can kiss his furry tail.

Rawr!

 


A Lion’s Pride Series:

Each can be read as stand a alone.

Click For More Info
When an Alpha Purrs

Click For More Info
When a Beta Roars

Click For More Info
When an Omega Snaps

 


 

Excerpt:

A hand clasped hers, and the jolt of awareness sucked her from her thoughts as it struck all her senses with lightning strength. Every nerve ending tingled, sensations amplified. She sucked in a breath, and her first impulse was to pull away. However, Hayder wasn’t letting go. On the contrary, his fingers tightened around hers, lacing them together as he tugged her toward the door.

“I—We shouldn’t—But—” Half-hearted protests slid past her lips, none of them complete or coherent, not that he would have listened. He seemed intent on going to dinner, and she was coming with him whether she liked it or not.

Sneezing or not.

Achoo.

She managed to only let the tickle overtake her once in the elevator and ducked her head even as her cheeks heated at the growl that rumbled through him. She wasn’t doing it on purpose. “I’m sorry.”

“Would you stop apologizing?” he snapped.

She didn’t want to anger him so she nodded and kept her head tucked low.

“And stop doing that. You’re not some beaten slave. Hold your head up, baby. Tell me to fuck off.”

The language didn’t shock her and cause the O of surprise. It was his insistence she defend herself.

She shot him a wary gaze, waiting to see the challenging smirk. She knew how this worked. Tell her to do something, and then tear into her because she dared.

“There’s those beautiful eyes,” he teased. “Now keep them up here. I want to see you staring at my face. You’re safe here. Especially with me. You can say what you want. Whatever you want. I would never hurt you.”

He wouldn’t.

Where did that certainty come from? So what if perhaps, thus far, despite their less-than-auspicious introduction, Hayder had shown her nothing but kindness? She didn’t know him well enough to gauge if it was an act. She’d fallen for the lies before. “How do I know I can trust you? How do I know you won’t turn around and hurt me when I do?” The words spilled from her, painful in their honesty, and shocking him into momentary silence.

“Because you can,” was what he finally muttered.

“Of course I can,” she said in a soothing, placating tone. Best to not antagonize him and call his word into question. He might seem sincere, but Harry seemed nice once upon a time too. Don’t fall for his charm. He’ll hurt you too.

How insidious her inner voice proved, cautioning and warning her not to trust so easily. Words were easy. Actions, though, proved much harder, and fists harder still. Honor was easier to break than maintain.

When the doors to the elevator slid open, Hayder, his hand still laced with hers, stepped in to a large lobby. Arabella couldn’t help but stare. When they’d arrived earlier, Jeoff had smuggled her in through an alley at the back, not daring to have her brazenly come through the front doors.

“The longer we keep you hidden, the better chance we have of any trackers abandoning their hunt and leaving you alone.”

It seemed Hayder harbored a much different view. He showed no qualms at all. As nonchalant—and handsome—as ever, he dragged—and, yes, she dug her feet in and tried to stand still—her out onto the marble floor. The wide gleaming expanse boasted a polished mahogany reception desk manned by a security guard in a dark blue uniform. The rest of the floor space was overtaken by a lounge area carefully arranged with leather chairs and divans.

The vast area also contained a multitude of curious eyes, all of them focused on her. Noses twitched. Being the object of so many stares had her tucking in closer to Hayder. He draped an arm around her, tucking her into the comforting strength of his body, which had the unfortunate effect of making her sneeze. Again. And again. And…

When she finished her attempt at breaking a record, she opened tearing eyes to see a half-dozen hands holding out tissues.

“Um, thank you,” she said as she plucked one. She dabbed at her nose one-handed since Hayder still hadn’t relinquished his grip. Brave man considering she’d only barely missed his shoes during her latest spell.

“Hey, Hayder, whatcha doing holding hands with a wolf in cat territory?” At the shouted question, the hum in the room quelled.

Damn, she’d forgotten for a moment she was surrounded by shifters. Lionesses to be exact, the true hunters in any pride. Vicious felines she wouldn’t stand a chance against, especially with her wolf in hiding.

“She better not pee in the halls. I hear their kind like to do that you know.”

“No they don’t,” said a young girl with rainbow-streaked hair. “It’s trees and fire hydrants you gotta watch out for.”

A woman with a ring in her nose snorted. “You’re all idiots. Those are the spots dogs mark. She’s a wolf, and you’re scaring the crap out of her.” Blue eyes, set in a face creased with age, turned to face her. The woman spoke to her soothingly. “Don’t worry about what they’re saying. We’re allies. You’ll come to no harm among us.”

“Unless you pee in the halls.”

“Or eat the last piece of cake.” Someone poked the chubby speaker in the side, and she whirled with a, “What? Just saying what we’re all thinking.”

“Forget thinking. It’s obvious it hurts too much,” yet another lioness muttered. “What I’d like to know, the smart questions here are, who is this girl, and what is she doing here?”

In a panic, Arabella peered up at her guard. Should she answer, and what should she say? Give the truth or spout a lie? Or would lying be worse? What if Hayder and his alpha had already established an identity for her? What—

Hayder saved her from answering. “Ladies—”

Snickers. “He called us ladies.”

“—this is Arabella, Jeoff’s sister. You all know Jeoff.”

“Yeah, he’s the hottie in the tight jeans who sings in that band.”

“He sings?”

“Among other things.”

The matronly one, who asked who Arabella was, sighed as she planted her hands on her hips. “Would you all shut up? Some of us are trying to get answers here. I sense something juicy, so zip it before I do something that requires you getting your jaw wired shut.”

Funny how they all quieted, and yet none of them looked cowed at the threat. They were all, however, united in their curious stares aimed at her.

When Arabella would have tucked behind Hayder’s back to make herself less of a visual target, he pulled her forward and stood her before him, one hand on each shoulder, anchoring her in place. “Jeoff asked the pride to lend its protection. Some assholes want to force Arabella here into marrying some dick so he can get his hands on her fortune. There’s also talk of killing her once the paperwork is done. I don’t think we should allow that.”

As summaries went, it was accurate and succinct. What she didn’t expect was the outrage and…support?

Forget the cowed women of her old pack. The females surrounding her all bore a challenging glint in their eye and boastful suggestions.

“Let them come and try to take her. We’ll show them what women’s lib is all about,” one of them shouted.

“Woo hoo! A new fur coat and in time for winter,” another hollered.

“Someone make sure we replaced the mop from the last time we had to show someone a lesson.”

“Luna, we need to make an appointment to get our nails sharpened.”

Arabella blinked, several times, but she somehow resisted the urge to jam a finger in her ear and wiggle. Why bother? It wasn’t her ears that were defective. Either she’d finally snapped, or she surely dreamed. It was the only explanation for the insanity she’d encountered since her arrival.

More than likely, she’d fallen asleep in her old prison and dreamed everything from the rescue to the improbability surrounding her.

But what a dream. If only it were true. And if only she had an ounce of their courage so she could face her old pack and fight for her right to make her own choices.

Fighting hurts.

The faint whimper and reminder quelled any exhilaration she might have briefly felt. While their spirit and intentions were good, reality was another thing.

Apparently Hayder thought so, too, because he said, “Now, now, ladies. No starting any shit.”

Hayder was right. Head down. Voice meek. Don’t—

It seemed Hayder wasn’t done. “I mean it. No starting trouble, but you can taunt. Taunt loud. Taunt mercilessly. Drive them to the brink and make them hit first. Then you can bring it. Just be sure to save a piece of those curs for me. I’ve got a few words my knuckles would like to say.” He shook a fist as his utterly male announcement was met with cheers and fist pumps.

They’re nuts. All of them. Or high on catnip.

Something was obviously whacky about their enthusiasm. Even her old pack never planned for mayhem with such glee.

It was to an excited hum—and talk of nail-filing methods—that Hayder once again dragged her, this time toward the glass doors at the front of the building.

She tried one last-ditch protest. “We shouldn’t go out. We’ll order in.”

He halted. “You mean go back up to your condo where we’ll be alone, just you, and me, and”—he purred—“chow down on takeout Chinese food while we watch Indiana Jones?”

She couldn’t help but gape at him.

“Were you expecting me to say something else?”


PRE-ORDER LINKS:

 

United States Barnes and Noble Kobo
Australia Apple
United Kingdom Germany Allromance.com
France Spain Bookstrand
Italy Canada Smashwords, Worldwide

Genre: Paranormal/Shapeshifter/Werelion Romance
A hero that RAWRS!


ABOUT EVE:

~ A New York Times & USA Today Bestseller

Hello, my name is Eve. I’m a stay at home mom who writes full time in between juggling my three kids, hubby, and housework, I write hot romance with a bit of a twist.

I am a Canadian author who belongs to ORWA, the local chapter for Ottawa Romance Writers. I am what is known as hybrid published which means I have  works with some small e-publishers, some indie published titles and more recently, I signed a contract with St. Martin’s Press for 3 hot shifter stories.

I am the first person to admit I am totally boring and lead a mundane life. Seriously. My idea of fun is shopping at our local Walmart lol. I like to play video games, cook, and read. My inspiration, hmm, I guess you could say hubby as he is a total alpha male which means I often want to club him over head with a frying pan. But, despite his ornery, ‘I-am-man’ nature, I love him dearly.

I’m writing romance, my way. I do have a twisted imagination and a sarcastic sense of humor something I like to let loose in my writing. I like strong alpha males, naked chests and shifters. Lots of different breeds of shifters. I am also extremely partial to aliens, you know the kind who abduct their woman and then drive them insane…with pleasure of course.

My heroines, they kind of run the gamut. I have some that are shy and soft spoken, others that will kick a man in the balls and laugh. Many of them are chubby, because in my world, girls with curves ROCK! Oh and some of my heroines are a teeny tiny bit evil, but in their defense, they need love too.

Some of my work does push boundaries and cross lines. Good and evil aren’t always clear in my tales, and in some cases, I’ve stomped on well known religious ideologies. Have I mentioned my imagination is a tad bit warped?

I tend to have a lot of sexual tension in my tales because I think all torrid love affairs start with a tingle in our tummies. And when my characters do finally give in to the needs of their flesh? Well, let’s just say, you shouldn’t be reading my stuff at work. The door is wide open, explicit and hot. Really, really hot.

I love to write, and while I don’t always know what my mind is going to come up with next, I can promise it will be fun, probably humorous and most of all romantic, because I love a happily ever after.


 

PRE-ORDER LINKS ~ When a Beta Roars (A Lion’s Pride Book 2) by Eve Langlais

25525645

BLURB:

Hayder’s met his mate, there’s just one little problem, she’s allergic to cats.

How degrading. Stuck babysitting a woman because his alpha said so. As Pride Beta, he has better things to do with his time, like washing his impressive mane, hunting down thugs for fun, and chasing tail–sometimes his own if his lion is feeling playful.

But his babysitting job takes an unexpected turn when the woman he’s assigned guard duty over turns out to be his mate.

A female threatened by an outside wolf pack.

A woman he wants to call his own.

A mate who doesn’t fall for his charm.

Usually Beta’s leave the roaring to the Pride’s alpha, but in this case given his level of frustration, he might have to make an exception. And if anyone doesn’t like it, they can kiss his furry tail.

Rawr!

 

A Lion’s Pride Series: Each can be read as stand a alone.

 

 



PRE-ORDER LINKS:

 

Coming July 7th, 2015

United States Barnes and Noble Kobo
Australia Apple
United Kingdom Germany Allromance.com
France Spain Bookstrand
Italy Canada Smashwords, Worldwide

Genre: Paranormal/Shapeshifter/Werelion Romance

A hero that RAWRS!



EXCERPT:

A hand clasped hers, and the jolt of awareness sucked her from her thoughts as it struck all her senses with lightning strength. Every nerve ending tingled, sensations amplified. She sucked in a breath, and her first impulse was to pull away. However, Hayder wasn’t letting go. On the contrary, his fingers tightened around hers, lacing them together as he tugged her toward the door.

“I—We shouldn’t—But—” Half-hearted protests slid past her lips, none of them complete or coherent, not that he would have listened. He seemed intent on going to dinner, and she was coming with him whether she liked it or not.

Sneezing or not.

Achoo.

She managed to only let the tickle overtake her once in the elevator and ducked her head even as her cheeks heated at the growl that rumbled through him. She wasn’t doing it on purpose. “I’m sorry.”

“Would you stop apologizing?” he snapped.

She didn’t want to anger him so she nodded and kept her head tucked low.

“And stop doing that. You’re not some beaten slave. Hold your head up, baby. Tell me to fuck off.”

The language didn’t shock her and cause the O of surprise. It was his insistence she defend herself.

She shot him a wary gaze, waiting to see the challenging smirk. She knew how this worked. Tell her to do something, and then tear into her because she dared.

“There’s those beautiful eyes,” he teased. “Now keep them up here. I want to see you staring at my face. You’re safe here. Especially with me. You can say what you want. Whatever you want. I would never hurt you.”

He wouldn’t.

Where did that certainty come from? So what if perhaps, thus far, despite their less-than-auspicious introduction, Hayder had shown her nothing but kindness? She didn’t know him well enough to gauge if it was an act. She’d fallen for the lies before. “How do I know I can trust you? How do I know you won’t turn around and hurt me when I do?” The words spilled from her, painful in their honesty, and shocking him into momentary silence.

“Because you can,” was what he finally muttered.

“Of course I can,” she said in a soothing, placating tone. Best to not antagonize him and call his word into question. He might seem sincere, but Harry seemed nice once upon a time too. Don’t fall for his charm. He’ll hurt you too.

How insidious her inner voice proved, cautioning and warning her not to trust so easily. Words were easy. Actions, though, proved much harder, and fists harder still. Honor was easier to break than maintain.

When the doors to the elevator slid open, Hayder, his hand still laced with hers, stepped in to a large lobby. Arabella couldn’t help but stare. When they’d arrived earlier, Jeoff had smuggled her in through an alley at the back, not daring to have her brazenly come through the front doors.

“The longer we keep you hidden, the better chance we have of any trackers abandoning their hunt and leaving you alone.”

It seemed Hayder harbored a much different view. He showed no qualms at all. As nonchalant—and handsome—as ever, he dragged—and, yes, she dug her feet in and tried to stand still—her out onto the marble floor. The wide gleaming expanse boasted a polished mahogany reception desk manned by a security guard in a dark blue uniform. The rest of the floor space was overtaken by a lounge area carefully arranged with leather chairs and divans.

The vast area also contained a multitude of curious eyes, all of them focused on her. Noses twitched. Being the object of so many stares had her tucking in closer to Hayder. He draped an arm around her, tucking her into the comforting strength of his body, which had the unfortunate effect of making her sneeze. Again. And again. And…

When she finished her attempt at breaking a record, she opened tearing eyes to see a half-dozen hands holding out tissues.

“Um, thank you,” she said as she plucked one. She dabbed at her nose one-handed since Hayder still hadn’t relinquished his grip. Brave man considering she’d only barely missed his shoes during her latest spell.

“Hey, Hayder, whatcha doing holding hands with a wolf in cat territory?” At the shouted question, the hum in the room quelled.

Damn, she’d forgotten for a moment she was surrounded by shifters. Lionesses to be exact, the true hunters in any pride. Vicious felines she wouldn’t stand a chance against, especially with her wolf in hiding.

“She better not pee in the halls. I hear their kind like to do that you know.”

“No they don’t,” said a young girl with rainbow-streaked hair. “It’s trees and fire hydrants you gotta watch out for.”

A woman with a ring in her nose snorted. “You’re all idiots. Those are the spots dogs mark. She’s a wolf, and you’re scaring the crap out of her.” Blue eyes, set in a face creased with age, turned to face her. The woman spoke to her soothingly. “Don’t worry about what they’re saying. We’re allies. You’ll come to no harm among us.”

“Unless you pee in the halls.”

“Or eat the last piece of cake.” Someone poked the chubby speaker in the side, and she whirled with a, “What? Just saying what we’re all thinking.”

“Forget thinking. It’s obvious it hurts too much,” yet another lioness muttered. “What I’d like to know, the smart questions here are, who is this girl, and what is she doing here?”

In a panic, Arabella peered up at her guard. Should she answer, and what should she say? Give the truth or spout a lie? Or would lying be worse? What if Hayder and his alpha had already established an identity for her? What—

Hayder saved her from answering. “Ladies—”

Snickers. “He called us ladies.”

“—this is Arabella, Jeoff’s sister. You all know Jeoff.”

“Yeah, he’s the hottie in the tight jeans who sings in that band.”

“He sings?”

“Among other things.”

The matronly one, who asked who Arabella was, sighed as she planted her hands on her hips. “Would you all shut up? Some of us are trying to get answers here. I sense something juicy, so zip it before I do something that requires you getting your jaw wired shut.”

Funny how they all quieted, and yet none of them looked cowed at the threat. They were all, however, united in their curious stares aimed at her.

When Arabella would have tucked behind Hayder’s back to make herself less of a visual target, he pulled her forward and stood her before him, one hand on each shoulder, anchoring her in place. “Jeoff asked the pride to lend its protection. Some assholes want to force Arabella here into marrying some dick so he can get his hands on her fortune. There’s also talk of killing her once the paperwork is done. I don’t think we should allow that.”

As summaries went, it was accurate and succinct. What she didn’t expect was the outrage and…support?

Forget the cowed women of her old pack. The females surrounding her all bore a challenging glint in their eye and boastful suggestions.

“Let them come and try to take her. We’ll show them what women’s lib is all about,” one of them shouted.

“Woo hoo! A new fur coat and in time for winter,” another hollered.

“Someone make sure we replaced the mop from the last time we had to show someone a lesson.”

“Luna, we need to make an appointment to get our nails sharpened.”

Arabella blinked, several times, but she somehow resisted the urge to jam a finger in her ear and wiggle. Why bother? It wasn’t her ears that were defective. Either she’d finally snapped, or she surely dreamed. It was the only explanation for the insanity she’d encountered since her arrival.

More than likely, she’d fallen asleep in her old prison and dreamed everything from the rescue to the improbability surrounding her.

But what a dream. If only it were true. And if only she had an ounce of their courage so she could face her old pack and fight for her right to make her own choices.

Fighting hurts.

The faint whimper and reminder quelled any exhilaration she might have briefly felt. While their spirit and intentions were good, reality was another thing.

Apparently Hayder thought so, too, because he said, “Now, now, ladies. No starting any shit.”

Hayder was right. Head down. Voice meek. Don’t—

It seemed Hayder wasn’t done. “I mean it. No starting trouble, but you can taunt. Taunt loud. Taunt mercilessly. Drive them to the brink and make them hit first. Then you can bring it. Just be sure to save a piece of those curs for me. I’ve got a few words my knuckles would like to say.” He shook a fist as his utterly male announcement was met with cheers and fist pumps.

They’re nuts. All of them. Or high on catnip.

Something was obviously whacky about their enthusiasm. Even her old pack never planned for mayhem with such glee.

It was to an excited hum—and talk of nail-filing methods—that Hayder once again dragged her, this time toward the glass doors at the front of the building.

She tried one last-ditch protest. “We shouldn’t go out. We’ll order in.”

He halted. “You mean go back up to your condo where we’ll be alone, just you, and me, and”—he purred—“chow down on takeout Chinese food while we watch Indiana Jones?”

She couldn’t help but gape at him.

“Were you expecting me to say something else?”

*~*~*

Content Editor: Devin Govaere
Copy Editor:Amanda L. Pederick
Cover Artist: Yocla Designs


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

~  A New York Times & USA Today Bestseller  ~

Hello, my name is Eve. I’m a stay at home mom who writes full time in between juggling my three kids, hubby, and housework, I write hot romance with a bit of a twist.

I am a Canadian author who belongs to ORWA, the local chapter for Ottawa Romance Writers. I am what is known as hybrid published which means I have  works with some small e-publishers, some indie published titles and more recently, I signed a contract with St. Martin’s Press for 3 hot shifter stories.

I am the first person to admit I am totally boring and lead a mundane life. Seriously. My idea of fun is shopping at our local Walmart lol. I like to play video games, cook, and read. My inspiration, hmm, I guess you could say hubby as he is a total alpha male which means I often want to club him over head with a frying pan. But, despite his ornery, ‘I-am-man’ nature, I love him dearly.

I’m writing romance, my way. I do have a twisted imagination and a sarcastic sense of humor something I like to let loose in my writing. I like strong alpha males, naked chests and shifters. Lots of different breeds of shifters. I am also extremely partial to aliens, you know the kind who abduct their woman and then drive them insane…with pleasure of course.

My heroines, they kind of run the gamut. I have some that are shy and soft spoken, others that will kick a man in the balls and laugh. Many of them are chubby, because in my world, girls with curves ROCK! Oh and some of my heroines are a teeny tiny bit evil, but in their defense, they need love too.

Some of my work does push boundaries and cross lines. Good and evil aren’t always clear in my tales, and in some cases, I’ve stomped on well known religious ideologies. Have I mentioned my imagination is a tad bit warped?

I tend to have a lot of sexual tension in my tales because I think all torrid love affairs start with a tingle in our tummies. And when my characters do finally give in to the needs of their flesh? Well, let’s just say, you shouldn’t be reading my stuff at work. The door is wide open, explicit and hot. Really, really hot.

I love to write, and while I don’t always know what my mind is going to come up with next, I can promise it will be fun, probably humorous and most of all romantic, because I love a happily ever after.


 

 

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