Violet’s spent her
whole life searching for where she belongs. When she finds it and her
shadow comes to life, it’s only the beginning.
Two weeks alone in a secluded cabin is music to Violet’s ears. Until
she sees a shadow in the forest with red glowing eyes. Red eyes she’s
seen in her dreams for as long as she can remember. Eyes that make her
want to forget the rest of the world. But she doesn’t believe in fairy
tales anymore.
Rayden was sent to protect her. To keep her safe. Nothing more than
to guide her as she transitions into a Shadow and takes her rightful
place in the pack. What he finds instead is the mate he’s been unwilling
to search for and a passion so fierce he’ll never be able to walk away.
Violet’s
spent her entire life aching to belong and she finally finds it in the
pack of Shadows she is destined to join. Everything she’s ever wanted in
life and love is finally at her fingertips if she’s brave enough to
embrace…her Shadow.
Excerpt
Violet
Clare slammed the flimsy wooden door to her cabin, then threw the lock.
It was somewhere around an inch of steel away from comforting.
Retreating while keeping her eyes trained on the only entry point, she
strained to identify what she could do to avoid the inevitable if the
animal wanted in. With only moonlight illuminating the cabin she tried
to convince her heart to evac out of her throat and settle into a more
subdued rhythm. Instead, it had a mind of its own, and continued on the
Jesus, Mary and what the fuck gravy train it was currently joy riding
atop.
It was out there. Chasing after her. She’d seen him. Not him. It. A shadow. Or a wolf. Both?
At
least she thought it was a wolf. But wolves weren’t so damn big and
they sure as hell weren’t born with red, almost glowing eyes…
Remove the almost part.
Emphasis on the what the fuck part.
“It’s just a dream,” she whispered, trying desperately to stop shaking. “Only another dream. And I’m going to wake up. I am.”
Shaking her head didn’t work. Squeezing her eyes shut did nothing, but freak her out more.
Beyond the cabin, in the shadows of the huge pine trees—no from
the shadows of the trees a wolf had appeared. Watching her. It was like
something out of a children’s book. Not moving a single muscle but she
knew every fiber of his being was ready to…what?
Pounce. Attack. Seduce?
“Heheheheeeheheeee—”
A high-pitched giggle, the love child of her frayed nerves and
anticipation, bubbled out until she slapped a hand over her mouth.
Holy
nut house, Batman! Her mother had told her for as long as she could
remember to get her head out of the clouds. Fairytales weren’t real and
the sooner she learned to live in the real world the better off she’d
be. At twenty-five, she still couldn’t seem to get that one right.
If
someone needed a random prediction of the future she couldn’t control?
She was their girl. For as long as she could remember, she experienced
foresight—visions which came true. Every. Single. Time. She’d been
hiding her freaky ability since the first time she’d made the mistake of
telling her mother something she knew was going to happen. When her
predictions came true, her mom had been furious. Violet’s backside still
stung when she thought about how angry her Mom had been. Scared even.
So she’d tried to act the part. Perfect daughter. Perfect student.
Perfect employee. Living a lie in the real world? It didn’t fit her so
well. Never had.
But what if her dreams were true? She shook her head again as she continued to retreat from the door. Not possible. It’s just not possible. A wolf with red eyes appearing right outside a cabin she’d rented and only one other person knew she was at.
The
travel agent promised her a remote, picturesque secluded getaway
located in the middle of a protected forest in East Texas. Perfect for a
couple weeks of rest and relaxation in the summer where nature walks
abound and it was almost expected to sunbathe for hours—all described in
the brochure. Didn’t say anything about creatures stalking her in the
forest or appearing out of thin fucking air.
“It’s
beautiful there,” the travel agent told her as she’d booked Violet’s
flights from where she lived in Destin, Florida. “It will be a trip to
remember. Fresh air, sunshine, and you’ll be surrounded by wild
flowers.”
“Wild
flowers my ass,” Violet murmured as she finally hit the far wall. Being
jarred out of her inner monologue, she ran clammy hands across the wood
behind her. A weapon wasn’t forth coming along the wall as her heart
got good and comfy on its seat on the holy shit train to freakoutville.
Violet
slid down the wall and wrapped her arms over her knees seeing nothing
but the pair of bright red eyes following her all the way to the cabin
as she’d sprinted for the only structure within fifty miles. Out for a
walk to get some fresh air, she’d caught a whole heck of a lot more
nature than she’d planned on. God she had felt the gaze on her like a
caress. Her body had responded like someone had licked her up the
middle. Her breathing grew labored, her nipples pebbled and wetness
coated the lips of her pussy preparing to be penetrated clear through to
her soul. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as if she’d had someone
seducing her for hours. A lover dedicated to showing her what it was
going to feel like when she came so hard reality fell away and the only
thing left was her desire staring at her with those red eyes. The same
red eyes she’d been dreaming of for the entire twenty-five years she’d
been breathing. She’d known them forever. Which is why she’d run.
Terrified he was real. More terrified he wasn’t.
Fear and desire fought for dominance inside her and she had no idea how to process either.
She
closed her eyes, tucked her hair behind her ears and held her breath,
straining to listen. Rationalizing came next and she hoped going crazy
had some kind of user’s manual or flow chart like the five stages of
grief.
Step one. Run through the forest at night like a crazy woman. Check.
Two. Embrace the crazy person laugh. Check.
Three.
Sit in a dark cabin, hiding from the boogeyman and rationalize
everything that happened in the last few minutes, ending with the
assertion you most certainly are NOT crazy?
Yes it had been dark out, and yes she had partaken in a glass of wine with dinner, but she wasn’t crazy.
Double. Check.
This
was supposed to be the vacation of a lifetime so she could find some
direction. Figure out what she really wanted to do with her life, but
her focus was shittier than a fertilizer convention. And now here she
sat, huddled in the corner, wondering what she could use for a weapon. Damn. Not the best time to remember her cell phone didn’t work out here either.
A
couple weeks alone in the wilderness to take stock of her life was
supposed to be uneventful to downright boring so she could decide what
she was going to do when she got home. It seemed destiny had arrived a
few days early to get the low down on the here and now.
Well the here and now was about to pee herself if—
Her
inner Oprah went mute when a faint creak sounded right outside the
door. Someone or something had just stepped onto the porch.
Yesterday it could have been the wind or a bunny. Cause bunnies are soft and cuddly and a bunny didn’t eat people, right? But her current circumstances were so not yesterday.
A louder snort echoed outside, followed by another creak and a dark shadow passing across the small crack under the door.
“I’ve waited for you for years and when I find you, you run?”
What. The. Hell.
Decadently Yours,
Jennifer Kacey
Jennifer Kacey is a writer, mother, and business owner living
with her miniman in Texas. She sings in the shower, plays piano in her
dreams, and has to have a different color of nail polish every week. The
best advice she’s ever been given? Find the real you and never settle
for anything less.
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