Some excerpts & Chit Chat

Hello Lovelies,

I've had a really LONG week already. My new puppy, Nola Bijou, decided to get very, very sick on me and so I've been understandably distracted. Nola, thankfully, is feeling better now and since she is my new writing buddy/assistant, I thought I'd introduce you all to her.

Nola is a beautiful little Havanese who enjoys short sprints around the yard, long luxurious naps, and eating pretty much anything that will fit into her mouth, French Fries are her favorite though. Her favorite genres are, of course, romance which features food, and suspense, though she doesn't necessarily enjoy them if they include black cats since she's scared of them. You can usually find her nibbling on her peanut butter covered milk bone and begging for more right afterward because one milk bone may be good but more than one is just better.

I hope you've enjoyed meeting Nola and getting to know her a little bit better. I will be working on the angels and bringing you more fun soon! Until then, enjoy an excerpt from Healed by Hope. 

Excerpt

 Steve trembled as he sat on the front porch swing and watched the parking lot fill up. When Mustang had a shindig, he literally invited everyone and their mother. He was surprised to see a few familiar faces make their way out to the meeting house Mustang had built a couple of months back. He’d gone to school with some of them.

“Is everyone a freaking werewolf around here?” he muttered to himself. His wolf was already antsy as well, pacing back and forth in the shadow that clung to his peripheral vision. These were unfamiliar wolves, wolves who had the potential to hurt him.

Stop thinking like that. It’s crazy and this is how we end up biting people.

He’d never forgive himself if he actually killed someone. He’d come damn close to really hurting Billy Carrigan’s mate. Mauling the poor kid had seemed a piss poor way to return all the kindnesses the dear doctor had given him over the course of his “recovery”. He’d really crushed on Billy before he’d gotten into a really fast, really intense relationship with JP. He still regretted not saying anything even if Grayson reassured him that he had found his mate and that sort of bond was unshakeable. He wasn’t sure he bought the insta-lust and ridiculously high potential of happily ever after mating promised.

It seemed half the town showed up for Mustang’s get together as the sun slowly sank below the horizon and the moon began its ascent into the sky. Steve listened to the jovial hum of conversation from the porch, steeling himself for what his inevitable fuck up would end up doing. He hated being the one to always ruin everything. Grayson hadn’t smiled since Mustang had brought him home.

He jumped as Mustang laid a hand on his shoulder. He hadn’t even heard the door open and shut behind him. “Hey,” he murmured in greeting. “Is it time?” He knew it was. Already the pull of the moon and the shift that would follow was coaxing him to shed his human form. Some big guys had brought in half a dozen dear and set them loose in the forest this morning. The promise of a good hunt definitely added to the anticipation. It was animalistic and felt weird to even think about considering the only thing he had hunted in his former life had been tail and a choice hamburger.

Mustang nodded. “It’s time.” The grim set to his jaw made Steve think that Mustang probably had about as much faith in Steve’s ability to control his wolf as Steve did. He often got the impression that Mustang really didn’t care for him all that much. Steve didn’t really blame him considering what he put Grayson through but still, he hadn’t been meaning to piss in the guy’s Wheaties.

“Bet you can’t wait to get this over with, huh?” Steve asked. He’d meant it as a joke but the words came out just as grim as Mustang’s expression.

“What do you mean?”

Steve waved his hand to encompass all of himself. “My bullshit. I mean, once you hand me over to the big wigs, it’s over right? You and Gray can live happily doing your wolf thing.”

He knew he’d never be able to have the peace that he and Grayson had. Even though he knew logically that not all wolves were like the psycho who turned him, his animal had a deep distrust of all of them. It had been weeks before he could prevent himself from attacking Mustang every time he walked into the room. He still didn’t trust himself.

Mustang blinked. “You really think I want you to go off to be executed?”

Steve frowned at the confusion in Mustang’s voice. “Why not? It’d be easier for everyone.”

The Alpha shook his head. “I love my people and I claimed you as one of mine through Grayson. I would never want something bad to happen to you. Besides that, if the Circle decided to kill you, Grayson would never forgive himself.” He crossed his arms over his well-muscled chest. “I’m not going to tell you that you’re being selfish because I understand that you’re in a lot of pain and limbo isn’t a great place to exist. However, I am going to tell you that if you pulled your head out of your own ass and stopped thinking about what you’ve lost, your wolf might settle down enough for you to see what you’ve gained.”

The words gave him pause. As much as he wanted to get annoyed with Mustang, he knew that some of what he said held weight.

“What? No smart comment? You’re getting slow, Steven.”

Steve sighed. “It’s Steve.”

Mustang huffed. “Yeah, well, your mother named you Steven and that’s whose judgment I’m trusting right now.”