UNFORGIVABLE, Book 1 in the Immortal Redeemer series releases December 12, 2013 from Changeling Press. And *sound the trumpets* signed contract for UNREDEEMABLE, Book 2. YAY!
Here's a snippet:
One careless shot in the dark, and their lives collided.
Nola Lester finally had enough of life in the city’s fast lane. She needed to get away, get back to her
roots, but tending a wounded hunter whose controlling and charismatic personality triggered strange desires threatened Nola’s plans. Perhaps changing her agenda may not be such a bad idea.
Rand Mitchell anticipated relaxing in the secluded mountains he felt drawn to year after year. There would be no rescuing animals or hunting humans, just peace and quiet while searching for clues to explain the mystery of who he is. Instead, Rand found himself ensnared by a sharp-tongued spitfire more than willing to provide a diversion.
Neither of them knew what a deadly creature she held in the palm of her hand.
“Turn
it loose.” Nola Lester couldn’t take it anymore. She had been snatched from
sleep and out of bed by the bleats and cries of deer one time too many and just
last week she saved a coyote. An insane rescue, but leaving the injured animal
to gnaw its leg off in the snare trap was unthinkable. The drive almost thirty
miles into the nearest small town was excruciating, and clunking the doddering
old vet on his bald head crossed her mind when he asked what she wanted him to
do. Her reminder to him he took an oath to help all creatures spurred him into
action. She released the poor dog back into the wild yesterday.
Here
she stood, in the dead of night -- doing it again.
Blinded
by headlights, she could only make out a dark outline of the bastard who knelt
above the braying deer and murmured gibberish. What the hell? Nola breathed heavy from running damn near a half
mile and couldn’t make out what he said. Didn’t really care, she only knew his
damn traps and snares snagged and maimed animals and that was unfair. Did he
plan on butchering it right there? After moving back to where she’d spent a
good bit of her childhood, she determined in her tiny neck of the woods it
would end. Nola had not counted on men with a penchant for killing all God’s
four-legged creatures surrounding her.
Not
tonight, not on her watch. “Turn it loose now!”
The
decision to renovate and spend time north of Shenandoah in the cabin left by
her grandmother came after selling her gift and greeting card company two
months ago to a large corporation. A deal leaving Nola more than well-off. In
fact, she could afford to live anywhere, do things only dreamed about. Escaping
Philadelphia with its constantly blaring sirens and the goddamn random shots
ringing out had been a blessing. The city was no place for anyone seeking peace
and quiet or security. Her mind teemed with these issues when she realized the
man spoke.
“Easy,
lady. This isn’t what you think.” The jerk wanted to explain. “Why don’t you
put the gun down?”
Chilled
to the bone, she shivered from head to toe. How
stupid? Damn near naked and alone in the woods with a man she didn’t know
from squat with a freaking little twenty-two in her hand. Her girlfriends
called it her pop gun, said it wouldn’t faze anything other than a small rat.
Maybe
she should pay more attention to the guy in front of her.
* * *
Rand
Mitchell remained on his knees soothing the animal as he worked to release the
trap. Damn, she wore a pair of pink bunny slippers. If he laughed at the sight
she presented, the woman would probably shoot him for sure. He bit hard on his
tongue as he looked up at the crazy lady standing a short distance away. She
had evidently climbed straight out of bed and headed here without a thought to
the fact her thin nightgown was see-through. It danced in the breeze around a
voluptuous body outlined by the high beams of his truck. His dick came to
attention and brought to mind how long it had been since he’d sought comfort
from a female.
“If
you put down the gun, I can explain. I heard the cries myself and came to check
it out.”
“You
cretins don’t give the animal a chance. You trap the poor thing and then what?
I’m sick and tired of this. I came here for peace and quiet and I’m surrounded
by more death than I was in the city.” The whole time she babbled, her arms
flailed and the gun waved all over the place. “I understand hunters but this? What you do is senseless and
cruel. You bastards are all alike.”
Son-of-a-bitch. The woman began to get under his skin and had she been a
man, her ass would be on the ground. In a quiet voice, Rand said, “Lady, you
don’t know me so don’t lump me in with a bunch of mean, sadistic killers. I
don’t like it.” In control of the situation, at least with the animal, Rand
continued. “Where the hell did you come from anyway?” The teeth of the trap had
missed damaging the small deer’s leg seriously, and once loose it sprang free
and disappeared into the trees. Had it not been for the animal’s bleats and
concentrating on removing the loathsome contraption, the woman holding the gun
wouldn’t have taken him by surprise. Getting to his feet, he focused on her.
“You’ll get yourself killed or raped running around out here in the dark waving
around a peashooter.” The tiny weapon concerned him a little. “Put the gun down
and we can talk.”
“You’re
on my property,” she blurted out.
“Where’d you come from?”
Rand
inched forward as he spoke and hoped the movement went unnoticed. “I’m camped
over by the lake.” He tilted his head to the right in an attempt to draw
attention in that direction. She
looked like a deer caught in headlights with eyes stretched so wide he could
see the whites gleaming in the light from his truck, and her body trembled
either from her angry tirade or the cool breeze whipping through the trees.
“Like I said before, I heard the animal, came to see if I could help.” Close enough
to reach out and disarm her, he made his move.
But Rand ’s life had never been that easy.
The
blast in the quiet night shocked him and he jumped back. Pain sliced through
his left side. He touched the spot and looked at his hand. Blood.
“You fucking shot me.”
If you'd like to meet Chance from UNREDEEMABLE, you can catch last
week's interview with him over at A Sovereign Spot, and stay tuned - these guys fly in flocks!
Growl and roar-it's okay
to let the beast out.-J. Hali
Steele
3 comments:
Congratulations on the new contract and best wishes with the release! Happy December!
Congrats on the contract! Love the cover here and sounds like a great read, I enjoyed the snippet ;)
Thank you, it's a fun story and I'm enjoying writing these guys!
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