Blurb:
For many centuries the
shape-shifters of the world have lived in chaos, fighting clan against clan and
breed killing breed. All Were-beings knew of the prophecy that spoke of the
ones who would come and bring peace to those who lived among the humans in
secrecy. And to those who lived under the thumb of an overbearing ruler. A Wolf
King who gained his thrown after the death of his parents, killed by the hands
of a crazed matriarch, she-ruler, of the foulest shape-shifting kind…, finds
what Mother Earth places in all unnatural being’s soul mates. The other half of
his soul and the one thing that can set the prophecy on its foretold path.
Only, Sky Delaney is no shape shifter. What will Anthony the clan leader do once
he realizes the other half of his soul is in a frail, pure…Human? His beast has
made its choice; the question is…will the human comply?
EXCERPT:
“Yes, honey, this is a woman thing. You go enjoy
yourself and don’t worry. She’ll be fine,” Bonny jabbered and moved up by
Anthony, moving her hands up and down, not knowing what to do with herself.
“If you do not calm yourself, you will pass out
just like she did,” Adella smiled, patting her on the back. “Come, you’ll be
alright.”
“I haven’t had a baby, well, since I had a baby,”
Bonny giggled, causing Adella to look back at Henry, who made the motion
indicating that she had a little to drink.
“I think we have several months to worry about
having a baby…don’t we?” Anthony asked, pausing on the staircase.
“Of course, don’t be foolish. Move yourself, boy,”
Adella replied, swatting him on the butt.
“That is so funny,” Bonny snickered, tilting
backwards.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Adella said, grabbing her
around the waist and pushing her up against the banister.
“Did I just hiccup?” Bonny asked, laughing out
loud. “That blue stuff was really good.”
“For the sake of Mother Earth, she drank your
grandfather’s tonic.”
“She did what?” Anthony replied, so shocked he
almost tripped and dropped Sky.
“Oh, this is not going to be good.”
Anthony lightly kicked Adella’s bedroom door open,
and laid Sky—who was already asking what was going on, on the bed. He told her
she had fainted, while Adella sat Bonny on the chair by the fireplace.
Afterwards she grabbed a cold wash cloth out of the bathroom that was connected
to the bedroom.
Sky sat up on the edge of the bed, turning three
shades whiter, and then announced that she was going to be sick. Adella slid to
a stop right at the foot of the bed, throwing the rag at Anthony and rushing
back into the bathroom, grabbing the waste basket. She spun around and slung it
in Anthony’s direction, with him catching it putting it under Sky’s head just
in time to catch the contents of her stomach.
“I’m going to be ill,” Bonny burped, scooting to
the edge of the chair, reaching for her mouth.
“What has cursed me this day?” Adella rolled her
eyes and threw her head back.
She grabbed Bonny under the arm, dragged her to the
toilet, where she held her head up so she could relieve herself of the blue
tonic. The same tonic that Anthony’s grandfather had made for years and been
drunker than a skunk off of every time he opened the jug.
Sky laid back and started crying for no apparent
reason, while Bonny on the other hand was hugging the toilet singing a song
that couldn’t be understood by anyone.
Adella left Bonny to entertain herself and went
around to the other side of the bed, and lay down next to Sky. “I do not
remember reading anything about this in the book of prophecies,” she said
turning her head, looking into Sky’s tear filled eyes.
“I don’t feel so good,” Sky sniffled.
“It will pass, child. We all go through it. As for
your mother in the other room, she will feel the effects of her day for hours
to come.” Then she and Anthony both started laughing.
“I don’t get it,” Sky said, rolling over wiping her
nose on her sleeve.
“Bonny drank a mixture that grandfather makes,
claiming it helps his bones. It is so powerful, that no man can drink a full
glass without becoming so drunk that he cannot stand straight,” Adella
explained, smiling and closing her eyes.
“You should see her daughter drunk.”
“I believe I will pass. That reminds me. She and
Parker should be returning anytime. Carter took them with a few of the
enforcers to your father’s home to retrieve her, what she called, suitable clothing,” Adella said, putting
her arm over her forehead.
“Tell me again…why didn’t we get rid of her?”
“Ladies,” Anthony snickered, moving the trash can
back and sitting on the edge of the bed.
“She’s such a bitch,” Sky whispered, sitting up on
her elbow. “Think that’s gonna change, because she’s a new pig?”
“Her mother will hear you,” he said putting his
finger to his lips, smiling the whole time.
“She will not remember,” Adella interjected, as she
sat up. “I better get Kayla to help me put this one in the tub, then directly
in the bed.”
“Adella?” Sky reached up taking her hand.
“Yes, child?”
“Will there really be others trying to kill our
baby?”
“In his future,” she paused. “I fear so.” She
squeezed her hand, then left to find, Kayla.
©Copyright Robin Renee Ray
July 2013
Available
right now at…
BLURB:
Crystal
Rivers had suffered many things throughout her life, but none was more shocking
than the untimely death of her husband. Learning that her in-laws were not the
loving people they claimed to be, she soon finds herself in the arms of her
only living relative…her elderly, Aunt Milly.
Now with
child, Crystal is determined to create a new world for her and her unborn baby
on the majestic farm that she herself once enjoyed as a child. Falling in love was not part of that plan,
but many things were about to come to pass that Crystal could have never
imagined. Deceit and an attempt on her and her child’s life would test her will
to survive, to the very core of Crystal’s sanity.
EXCERPT:
Milly cleared her throat several times on
the way to the chicken coop to keep from laughing. She didn’t want to spill the
beans, so to speak. She knew the best way to learn how to do anything on a farm
was to get down and get your hands dirty, and that was just what she was going
to let Crystal do. Once they were at the chicken coop, Milly opened the door
and ushered Crystal in.
“Why do I have to go first?”
“Cause you have the feed and I need to
lock the door.”
“You’re going to lock me in?” Crystal yelped,
panic setting in.
“I’ll be in there with ya, gathering eggs.
They ain’t gonna hurt ya,” she promised as Crystal walked through the door.
“Just don’t turn your back on the rooster.”
Crystal tried to turn and go back out, but
the door was already closed and Milly was walking toward another one. Crystal
was on her heels in one huge step.
“How will I know which one's the rooster?”
“He has a pecker,” she replied and burst
out laughing.
“Milly!”
“He’ll be the one that’s trying to get at
your leg,” Milly laughed, then opened the door where the chickens had been
throughout the night. She shuffled in and started gathering the eggs while the
flock of fowl scurried out. When she didn’t hear anything coming from outside
the coop, she stepped back out to see Crystal frozen in the middle of fifteen
chickens and one cocky rooster.
“Just toss the grain on the ground and
they’ll move away from ya,” Milly said, smiling ear to ear.
Crystal turned the bucket upside down,
pouring it all in a single pile, then tossed the bucket toward the corner of
the pen. The chickens began flocking around the front of her feet and she
jumped back, hitting the rooster with the back of her leg. The startled bird
jumped up and angrily flogged the back of her thigh. She screamed and took off
running from the creature that came up no higher than her shin, with that
rooster on her every step of the way.
She circled around the inside of the cage
three or four times before she finally put her back to the chicken-wire wall
and started screaming at the rooster to, “stay back or else!” Milly got so
tickled that she couldn’t have helped the poor girl if she’d wanted to. She was
doubled over in laughter, holding her side, trying to suppress the pain that
shot through it from laughing so hard. Every time the rooster jumped at
Crystal, she would kick out her foot and try to hit him back.
“That’s right, you have to show him who’s
boss!” Milly said between hiccups of laughter.
“I’m done, can I get out now? Please?”
Crystal begged as she kicked once again at the rooster that seemed determined
to show her who the boss was and it certainly wasn’t her.
Milly turned around and grabbed the last
few eggs before walking over to where she and the rooster were engaging in
their little war. Milly hollered, “Get!” waving her hand toward the rooster. He
bobbed his head, scratched his foot across the ground a few times, and then
joined his females.
Crystal carefully slid with her back to
the cage wall toward the door that would let her out, not once taking her eyes
off of her new-found friend. Milly unhooked the latch and in a split second,
Crystal was out in the open with her hands on her knees and her head hanging
down.
“I guess fried chicken is out of the
question for supper tonight,” Milly joked, knowing she wouldn’t let Crystal
live this one down for some time.
Crystal started to lift her head to
retaliate when she noticed her tennis shoes were no longer white. “What the
heck is that on my shoes?”
“Well, good night child, it’s chicken
shit,” Milly said, shaking her head smiling, knowing the day was going to be a
little longer than she had anticipated. “Think you’re ready to help me with the
horses?”
“You really don’t give a person time to think about
their problems, do you? Are your horses very big?” she inquired, scraping her
shoes on the gravel at her feet.
©Copyright Robin Renee Ray
July 2013
Available
right now at…
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