TWILIGHT THURSDAY

A CUPID INTERVIEW

My guests today are, Wyatt and Mattie – please, have a seat on our lovely couch! – from the North Carolina barrier islands. Their tale can be found in RUN TO YOU, a novel creation by Sarah Ballance.

Before we begin, I must remind everyone to please try and keep your responses to a PG13 atmosphere – the Moonlight Mistresses rules, not mine *eye roll*. Double entendres are acceptable and widely encouraged for events and phrases we don’t want our young readers to really know about. Oooh, it will be so much fun trying to guess what you’re really saying!

*Settling comfortably onto the sofa, draping his arm over the back and sipping his bubbly* That Miss Havana in Reaper’s Domain is one hot teacher and boy would I love to get into her…class! I might actually learn something…oh…did I say that out loud? *Clears throat* Sorry. Let’s get back to the interview.

You two make one fine pair! I did a wonderful job pairing you two up if I do say so myself! Then, I just love all of my matches!

Cupid: Please, Wyatt, tell our readers how you two first met. Was it by your design, or hers?

Wyatt: Hers, of course. I was working - *ahem* - and Mattie, who has never worked a day in her life, I might add, introduced herself by taking my hat and holding it ransom until I agreed to go out with her. It was blackmail.

Cupid: Mattie, would you say it was love at first sight or did you find him repulsive?

Mattie: It was love at first sight. NOW I'm finding him repulsive. I have worked a day in my life, thank you.

Wyatt: *Omph.* Ow. Don't elbow me in front of Cupid.

Cupid: This one’s for both of you. Since chaotic happenstance tends to put characters like yourselves in situations where they must work together or live together for one reason or another, tell us what chaotic happenstance “forced” the two of you to work or live together. How did you feel about this?

Mattie: Wyatt is the local sheriff, and he saved me from becoming the third victim of a killer. That kind of intensity makes you re-evaluate your life in a hurry.

Wyatt: Well, there's that and the little issue with her taking my hat. It was department issue. I had to go out with her just to get it back. She's not above manhandling me to get what she wants.

Mattie: He gets all squirmy when I manhandle him. He likes it.

Cupid: This one is also for both of you. How long did it take you to know your true feelings for the other? At what point did you know, “this is the one”?

Mattie: He's always been different. The day I met him, I saw everything I've wanted. I just wouldn’t admit how right it felt because my track record for picking men isn't the best. It wasn't until I went home that I couldn't deny what we had was real.

Wyatt: Am I supposed to think she's "the one?" Who said that?

Mattie: Notice I said *was* real. Hmph.

Cupid: Wyatt, what would you say was your biggest obstacle to overcome before you could settle into a relationship with Mattie?

Wyatt: Well, I'd have to say my biggest obstacle was her. *Omph.* Quit it!

Mattie: You quit it. My elbow is getting sore. Anyway, I'd never dated anyone like Wyatt before—

Wyatt: Yeah, she's not into us blue-collar paupers.

Mattie: Perhaps, Wyatt, I could find a more effective place to elbow you? Anyway, I came from a high-profile political family. Most of the guys I've known fit the country club stereotype of being spoiled rich kids without much of a work ethic. Wyatt is the total opposite of that.

Wyatt: See? Poor. Pauper. Not into us.

Mattie: Hey, I wasn't your type either! If you had any idea who I was you probably wouldn't have touched me with a ten foot pole. But you got *into me* - ten foot pole and all – and the rest is history.

Wyatt: Oh, gosh. Am I blushing? I think I'm blushing. It sure is hot in here for February. Anyone got a beer?

Cupid: This is for either of you. Would you like to thank anyone – other than me, of course – for getting you two together?

Mattie: My ex boyfriend Hutch dragged me down to the beach. I guess he gets some of the credit, although he's not on my list of favorite people at the moment.

Wyatt: Hey, don't forget that Drew guy. If not for that minor indiscretion of his, you probably wouldn't have stripped him of his family jewels in front of all of those cameras. Otherwise, you never would have agreed to go with Hutch.

Mattie: Minor indiscretion? There was nothing minor about it! Even think about trying anything like that yourself, Wyatt, and I'll cut that ten foot pole of yours down to size, cameras or not.

Wyatt: See? Manhandled.

Cupid: I know our readers have enjoyed learning about you two so far, but I’m getting a little bored, so I’m going to heat things up. Mattie, how would you end this sentence, "I wish Wyatt would _____?" *leans forward to eagerly hear your response*

Mattie: I'd like to get a little action on the beach.

Wyatt: It's a public beach, Mattie.

Mattie: What's your point?

Wyatt: I'm the Sheriff.

Mattie: You're a wimp. So we get caught. Who are they gonna tell?

Wyatt: Sand chafes.

Cupid: Sand does chafe, but I'm not touching that argument with a pole of any length. Wyatt, would you prefer to give Mattie a bubble bath or a back massage? Why?

Wyatt: Can't she give me a back massage? She's on it all the time - it's the least she could do.

Mattie: That's not the only thing I'm on all the time, dear. But that can change.

Cupid: How many of you remember that old show, The Dating Game? Well, these next questions are going to help us play a similar game. Wyatt, what would Mattie say is your aphrodisiac? *waggles eyebrows*

Wyatt: It must be her. Every time I lay eyes on her—

Mattie: He gets laid.

Cupid: Mattie, is he right? How would you have answered that question?

Mattie: I would have said oxygen. But I'll give him that one – I'm glad he thinks it's me and not his mere existence.

Wyatt rebuttal, if there is one: I think she just said I was right. Can we get a transcript after we're done? I need proof this moment existed.

Cupid: *crosses ankles and rubs his chin* Wyatt, what would Mattie say is a spot guaranteed to drive you crazy with passion? Is she correct in that assumption?

Wyatt: The back of my neck. She grazes her fingers over it at the most inappropriate times, and I'm stuck trying to find a clipboard to hide behind so no one can see the effect she has on me.

Mattie rebuttal, if there is one: A clipboard? You've got to give yourself more credit – I've never seen a ten foot clipboard. Besides, when is it ever inappropriate to touch someone's neck?

Cupid: Mattie, as far as you know, what is Wyatt’s idea of a perfect date?

Mattie: Oh, that's easy. Beer, music, and a pool table. But he never gets drunk – even when he's off he's not off. We learned that on our first date.

Cupid: Wyatt, is she correct? If not, what is your idea of a perfect date?

Wyatt: Yep, she's got me nailed. Although any time spent on or by the water is perfect.

Cupid: Wyatt, your turn in the hot seat. What is Mattie’s idea of a perfect date?

Wyatt: Sounds to me like it would involve action on the beach. See? I pay attention.

Cupid: Mattie, is he correct? If not, what is your idea of a perfect date?

Mattie: Did you see that? He's nudging me. I think that's cheating. Anyway, yes, I'd take that. We'll see how well he pays attention later.

Cupid: The next two questions are for both of you. What's the most romantic thing your lover has ever done for you?

Mattie: He's not exactly the romantic type, so –

Wyatt: Who has to be romantic when they've got a ten foot pole?

Mattie: Clearly. Anyway, what I was going to say is a couple of days after I moved into his bachelor pad he did some redecorating. I can't tell you how much it meant for me for him to take what he had and make it ours. It's not exactly pink or anything –

Wyatt: Nor will it ever be.

Mattie: AHEM. But his beach cottage is no longer frat house meets man cave. The comforter is just gorgeous. It's light blue and so plush. I can't believe he picked it out, and he repainted the walls in soft shades of blues and cream. It's perfect for the beach.

Wyatt: The most romantic thing she's ever done for me is NOT telling anyone I "redecorated." I bought paint. I asked the sales girl which comforter to get. I don't decorate.

Mattie: Call it what you want – it was still romantic. Idiot.

Cupid: If you could change one thing about your relationship, what would it be?

Mattie: Wyatt works too much.

Wyatt: Um, no. Wyatt works. Shall we drop the "blue collar" and just become paupers?

Cupid: Besides, how could he afford to *redecorate* without a job? Have the two of you had time to settle into any Valentine's Day traditions?

Mattie: Just one. If he wastes a bunch of money on flowers for Valentine's Day, he's dead. He's supposed to express his undying gratitude for me because he can't help himself, not because the calendar says he must.

Wyatt: Let me translate. I'm not on the hook for Valentine's Day - I'm on the hook EVERY day. *Omph.* Watch that elbow!

Cupid: Thanks to Wyatt and Mattie for joining us today. We hope you’ll check out their story, RUN TO YOU.

To learn more about Wyatt and Mattie's author, Sarah Ballance, visit: http://sarahballance.com/

Buy link e-ditions: https://www.nobleromance.com/ItemDisplay.aspx?i=214
Buy link Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Run-to-You-ebook/dp/B004GXB0IS

Blurb:
Mattie James can't pinpoint exactly when she lost control of her life, but the moment she decided to take it back made the front page of the local paper. Desperate to dodge the fallout— and the tabloids—she jumps at the chance to spend an off-season week in a tiny resort community by the sea. Making the trip with her ex-lover is a complication she can live with; coming face to face with a dead woman is not.

The last thing Sheriff Wyatt Reed expected to find on the storm-ravaged beach was a beautiful blonde with a jealous sidekick, but one look at Mattie left him wanting more. Their first date takes an ominous turn when he gets the call that a woman was found murdered. With a killer on the loose and a troubling lack of suspects or motive, Wyatt has to put his feelings aside to focus on the case. But his vow not to become personally involved is shattered when he discovers Mattie's life is on the line, and this time the truth leaves her with a deadly choice . . . and nowhere to run.

Excerpt:
Wyatt saw it coming from a mile away. In fact, he’d seen it clear from the beach, even as he watched Mattie sway her way back to the house.

Deputies Dwight Edmunds and Travis Baker were about to piss themselves, right there in the sheriff’s office.

"I should fire you both," he growled.

"Wouldn’t leave you much time for dating, now, would it, Sheriff?" Dwight grinned widely.

"It’s not a—" Wyatt stopped and swore under his breath. How had he, of all people, ended up with a date? He’d all but sworn off dating after his former fiancée made herself an ex, and in spite of spending several months of the year with bikini-clad tourists in his line of sight, no woman had captured his attention. Not until Mattie, who’d not only captured his attention, but demanded it.

"Come on, man. Don’t leave us hanging!" Travis leaned back in his chair, laughter splayed on his face. Wyatt had to resist the urge to put his foot out and knock him backward to the floor.

Leaving them hanging sounded like one hell of an idea to him.

"Can you imbeciles handle things around here tonight?" Wyatt glared the smiles right off their faces.

"Yeah, boss." Travis dropped the chair to all fours and shot a sideways glance to Dwight. Within seconds, the two deputies were back to snickering.

Stone-faced— more out of a need to hide the slight giddiness in his gut than anything—Wyatt left his deputies to their giggling and shut himself in his office. The closed door did a sorry job of stopping the tide of laughter from barging in after him.

A string of curse words traipsed through his mind. He couldn’t blame the guys for laughing. When it came to dating, he was a dinosaur. He’d engaged in one serious relationship in his life, and that particular piece of his past—and the betrayal that ended it—just wouldn’t leave him alone. He couldn’t say he was over the sting, but he didn’t carry a torch for his ex anymore. If he did, he’d be tempted to set fire to something—or someone—with the damned thing.

Wyatt Reed did not date. He was a washed-up bachelor no one ever accused of having a good time. And now, he had plans with a woman who was on the rebound from a bad breakup and quite likely sleeping with someone else. Son of a bitch, he sure could pick ‘em.

Wyatt didn’t do flings, yet he’d set himself up good with this one. Hell, he’d forget all about hanging his deputies and hang himself if Dwight or Travis knew he sat there trying to figure out what to wear. And wondering where he could take her left him thinking all sorts of thoughts he wouldn’t admit to—none of which had to do with dinner or a movie.

Wyatt opened his door just to give himself the opportunity to slam it, hoping one of them—Dwight, Travis, or himself—would get the point. Peals of laughter from the other side made it clear he'd failed on all three counts.

TWILIGHT THURSDAY

The Moonlighters Welcome Jess Anastasi

Please welcome Jess Anastasi into the Moonlight. Jess is the author of Sanctuary, which was recently released by Noble Romance Publishing. Jess also has another book, Dead Reality, coming out on the 10th of January 2011.

Now, it's time to create a little mayhem and get to the good stuff by revealing all of Jess's deepest darkest secrets in the moonlight. LOL Yeah, you wish! ;-D Grab your favorite wicked drink, sink your teeth into something decadent, sit back, relax and enjoy getting to know Jess Anastasi.


MLM: The holidays are fast approaching and things always seem to get busier during this time of year. Do you have a relaxing technique that helps you de-stress? If so, please share, because this is advice we all need!

JESS: My relaxing technique is to do my Christmas shopping in June, so I don't have to go anywhere near the shops at this time of year – people out there are crazy! This plan usually serves me well, except this year, the depart
ment store where I'd put all my Christmas pressies on layby had lost half of it when I went to pick it up last week. What have I been paying for in the last 6 months? That's what I want to know! Anyway, so this year it didn't work out so well because I had to go re-shopping for the items that were misplaced.


MLM: Not everyone celebrates Christmas, but most of us still have traditions we participate in, such as attending holiday parties, decorating your house, baking cookies, etc. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

JESS: We always put the Christmas tree up on the 1st of December. But other than that, my family doesn't have any traditions as such. I suppose it's more about all being together, since our lives are so busy these days. That’s probably what I love most about the holidays. It's like a 'time out' from real life. There's nothing to worry about except spending time with the family, exchanging gifts and enjoying good food.


MLM: In the south, holidays are centered around food, with huge meals and lots of baked sweets. Do you have a favorite holiday recipe you'd like to share with us? If not, how about an all-year-round favorite recipe?

JESS: We tend to cook up a roast pork (mmm, crackle…) with veggies - nothing very exciting. But, we do make up a big bowl of fruit punch that only gets made at Christmas. Except, it's my mum's recipe and I'm not a hundred per cent sure what goes in it, LOL!
My favorite all-year-round recipe is chicken, spinach and fetta pie. It's simple and very tasty. And, I'm sorry, but I only have Australian measurements:
500gm chicken (I usually use breast, but you could use thigh or something else if you want)
200gm Greek fetta (make sure its Greek fetta, other types tend to be too salty)
1-2 bunches of spinach.

Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and pan fry until cooked and starting to brown.
Wash spinach and throw into pan with chicken (I know this sounds odd, but it really is the best way to cook it. If you boil the spinach first, it tends to make for watery pie.)
Cook on low heat until spinach has wilted.
Turn heat off and crumble fetta into chicken and spinach mixture. Mix only a little until fetta is combined. If you mix it too much, the fetta will melt. It's ok if this happens, but I like to keep my fetta a bit chunky. You don't have to use all of the fetta, it's a matter of taste. Also, it can be nice to use half fetta, half ricotta, to give it a slightly different taste.
Line a pie dish with pastry. I use puff pastry, ready to use from the supermarket. But feel free to make your own if you're that good in the kitchen, I can only assume it would make it that much nicer.

Cook in a medium-heat oven until the pastry has turned golden brown and then serve with salad or veggies!



MLM: Have you ever made your own holiday presents and/or decorations? If so, what were they? Were they successes or failures? Did you have fun while making them?

JESS: One year I had a go at making hampers. I bought some soda glasses, colorful soda spoons a few lollies and other treats – turned out it wasn't as much fun putting them together as I'd thought and no one seemed very excited over them, so I never bothered doing them again!


MLM: If "Santa Claus" could bring you any gift you wanted, what would be your ultimate gift? (Please refrain from saying "money" because who doesn't want more of that!)

JESS: Can I say an agent? My one biggest aspiration is to get an agent. I'm hoping 2011 will be the year. If I had to pick something for myself, then I'd probably pass the choice onto my kids – and I'm sure they'd say something along the lines of 'a Barbie!' So, Santa, Barbie dolls all 'round!


MLM: Odd question, but my 9 year old thinks Rudolph and the reindeers "guiding Santa's sleigh" have GPS navigation. So, if you could give Santa and his sleigh any one modern technology, what would it be and why?

JESS: Shock absorbers? I imagine the take off and landing must be a bit rough.



MLM: Now, let’s get to your writing, Jess… what genre do you write and what is the draw for you?

JESS: I've dabbled in just about all sub-genres of romance. At the moment, I'm working on a series of sci-fi romances for Noble. Sanctuary is the first, and hopefully the second, Severance, will be coming out early in the New Year. I've also got a stand-alone romantic suspense coming out on the 10th of January. My WIP is another stand-alone rom sus, and then I'll start writing the third book in the Sanctuary series. I have a different sci-fi romance I'm trying to lure an agent with at the moment.

I think what I love about writing sci-fi is the ultimate possibilities – the future can be anything you want it to be! I feel like there aren't as many restrictions on writing sci-fi. As long as I've got a plausible way of explaining it, I can make just about anything happen.


MLM: If you could describe your writing with a word or phrase, what would it be? Please delve into the core of your writing to tell us what word or phrase you want readers to take with them when they've finished reading your story.

JESS: I find it hard to analyze my own writing! I suppose when it comes down to it, I want to tell a good story that will impact on people (doesn't every author?). The idea behind Sanctuary is a bit different, it's about a war between angels and demons, but its set 500 years in the future and everyone's flying around in spaceships. Sounds a bit silly when you look at it like that. So I'd love people to read the Sanctuary series and just think 'wow' because it is a little different, and for them to see that somehow, the idea does work.


MLM: With the current movement to encourage people to give books as gifts, what, in your opinion, makes your story unique? What makes it stand out among all of the other books out there?

JESS: Like I was just saying, I don't know that there are any other series out there at the moment that has angels and demons in a sci-fi setting, so it does make it a little bit unique in that sense. Otherwise, I really want people to get on board with the sci-fi romance movement. Paranormal romances have been big for a few years now, and I think the market is ready to move more into the sci-fi side of things. I've loved sci-fi romances (like those by Linnea Sinclair) for many years now, but we need some more great authors out there to give the genre some more oomph! There really is something great about sci-fi romance that other romances don't have.


MLM: Do you prefer throwing snowballs or serving hot cocoa? Does that show through in your writing? If so, how?

JESS: I prefer serving cocoa, but I actually think my writing loves throwing snowballs! My characters tend to go and do things on me I don’t see coming. When I was writing Severance, something was revealed about the heroine, Nakita, that I NEVER saw coming until it happened. I should have realized, because it made too much sense.

And yes, I do talk about my characters as if they're real, independent people. I'm serious when I tell you I have no control over them!


MLM: If you could give any of your characters a holiday gift, which character would it be and what would you give them? Why do they deserve this gift?

JESS: My favorite character at the moment is Rian, he's the captain of a ship called the Imojenna in the sci-fi series I'm trying to get an agent for. If I could give him something, it'd be to be able to see that he needs Elle, and it won't make him weak to admit that. However, Rian is nothing if not stubborn and very emotionally scarred. He's going to have to go through a lot of crap and face some hard truths before he gets his HEA. He does deserve it, though, probably more than any other character I've written.


MLM: Who decides what your characters do, you or your muse? What kind of influence do you have over your story, or is the muse always the one stuffing the stocking?

JESS: I have NOOOO influence over my story. I suppose you could say my muse is the one holding the reins, but I actually tend to think my characters are in control – all I'm doing is telling a story that's already happened. Or, is happening as I'm telling it. I know it sounds totally nuts, but that's the way I operate.


MLM: What character did you have the most fun creating and why?

JESS: The character I've probably had the most fun with is Bryce in Dead Reality. He could be such a smart-ass when he wanted, but when it came time to man up and do what needed to be done, he didn't hesitate.


MLM: If you had the opportunity to meet just one of your characters in real life, who would it be and why?

JESS: Wow, tough one! Probably Archangel Michael from my Sanctuary series. I'd like to meet him to find out what all the fuss is about! I'm getting feedback from readers who are just head-over-heels about him, wanting to know when he's going to get a book. He just keeps taking over every scene he's in! The funny thing is I didn't plan to write his story, because he's kind of apart from everyone else. I'm not promising anything, but if Michael comes across someone and I suddenly realize she's the one, I'll definitely go ahead with it. But I'm not going to force someone on the poor guy!


MLM: Which of your characters would you never want to meet under any circumstance and why?

JESS: The creepy serial killer in Dead Reality. I don't think anyone would want to meet that guy!


MLM: If you were interviewing yourself, what is the one question you would ask yourself and please give us the answer to that question?

JESS: What are my plans for the future?

World domination! No, not really. I'm going to spend the next 12 to 18 months working my butt off to establish myself with Noble and I'm hoping to have a whole bunch of books available by this time next year. I'm absolutely determined that at some point I will get an agent and a publishing contract with a bigger house, like HarperCollins of Ballantine. So really, I just want to say keep an eye on my webpage and blog, because things will be happening all the time.


MLM: Thanks so much for joining us, Jess! It's been a treat getting to know you better!

Website: www.jessanastasi.com or http://www.jessanastasi.blogspot.com/
Buy Link: https://www.nobleromance.com/ItemDisplay.aspx?i=204
Twitter: @JessAnastasi
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Jess-Anastasi/129441077081452


BLURB for SANCTUARY:

For four hundred years, angels have been at war with demons while humans fight both, trying to survive. As the conflict destroys world after world, there is a race to terra-form planets for colonization before humankind is wiped out altogether.

Toriane Cresol is part of a team leading the terra-forming charge. On assignment, she stumbles across a scribe and six warrior angels hiding sacred relics. Within a few hours, she comes face to face with A'albiel, an angel sent by Archangel Michael to protect her from the demons, who want to know what she saw.

A'albiel rips Tori from her life and takes her on a flight across the galaxy. Their destination is Sanctuary, a planet protected by ancient pacts, and the only place the demons can't get her. Although hate for angels and demons alike is ingrained deeply within her, Tori can't fight the growing spark of attraction between her and A'albiel. Bit by bit, everything she once thought or believed is eroded away, replaced by the knowledge that if she and A'albiel don't make it to Sanctuary, the fate of the entire universe could be in peril.



EXCERPT for SANCTUARY:

Tori, my office. Now."

The message from Tio came through abruptly. No explanation. No niceties. Nothing but an order. Oh geezus. The angels. Tio must have found out, and now she would have to answer for it because she hadn't gone straight up to report the sighting herself.

She'd just gotten back to her cabin after doing overtime down on X-702. Now, long past dinner, she'd forgone the inevitability of Laranian stew and eaten a couple of protein bars instead. She'd been on her way to shower when Tio's command had come through. Which was probably why when she stepped on the elevator to go up to the administrative center, the two other occupants on the lift stood as far away from her as possible. No doubt, she smelled like a swamp.

Striding into Tio's office, she found Nakita already seated in front of their supervisor's desk.

"Sit down, Tori." Tio ordered as the door slid closed behind her.

She complied, keeping her expression neutral, while her insides quivered, and her pulse fluttered. People had been fired over less than this.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told Nakita. I'm giving you one chance to tell me truthfully whether or not you saw anything, anything, in your sector this morning."

She took a deep, silent breath and glanced across at Nakita, knowing her closest friend wouldn't have said anything. It'd been such a dumb idea to keep the revelation quiet in the first place. Why did Nakita put up with her? "Since you obviously already know, there's no point in denying it, is there?"

"How many?" Tio's already tense form tightened up even further, making him look like he was about to explode right out of his uniform.

She shifted position, wishing Tio had something other than the utilitarian, hard plastic seats in his office. But her fidgeting went to waste since her butt and thighs still ached. Of course his chair>/i> looked more than comfortable. Releasing a breath and giving up on the idea of comfort, she related with brief words what she'd seen that morning. Might as well get used to it. Who knew how many times she'd have to repeat the story?

"Did you know about this?" Tio narrowed his gaze on Nakita.

Nakita shrugged and crossed her legs. "Only what Tori told me on the way back to the station. I didn't see any sign of them myself."

Tio's shoulders became even tenser, his knuckles white where his fingers were clasped together on the desk, as if Nakita's unconcerned attitude was tipping him further toward the edge.

"How did you know?" Tori asked, drawing Tio's attention from Nakita.

Tio tapped a few keys on his inset control panel in front of him.

"In the past month, we've had some new technology loaded onto the station, which can detect angels and demons. Some tech-head worked out they have different energy signatures to humans because of their supernatural abilities." A see-through holo-screen came up in the middle of the desk, showing various blobs of color on a scan of the planet's surface. "We're hoping this equipment will be able to prevent us losing anymore planets to the sons of bitches."

"Oh, come now. We're not so bad, are we?"

The voice behind her sent a jolt of surprise through her system. Tori glanced over her shoulder and took a swift breath as she pushed to her feet, away from the chair. She backed up until she bumped into the desk and then skirted around it. Not that she wanted to be any closer to Tio, but he seemed the lesser of two evils when put up against the angel who'd manifested into the room.
Like all angels, he stood over six feet tall, with broad shoulders, a trim waist and totally gorgeous. His black hair was cut short, almost military, while his blue eyes were crystalline in clarity. He wore a loose, dark shirt over dark leather pants, a luxury in this day and age. No doubt about it. If he'd been human, she'd be trying to work out the quickest way to get him naked. So much hotness wasted on scuzbag.

Tio pushed the security alert, causing the angel's lips to curl into a sardonic grin. "Inter-ship security, you really think I can't block that?"

"What do you want?" she demanded. A sickening chill swept through her, far worse than the apprehension she'd felt this morning. He didn't need to respond to her question, because she already knew the answer.

"I want you, Toriane." His sharp, blue gaze settled on her with disconcerting intensity.

For a moment, there was silence, and the chill turned into a full blizzard, numbing her from the inside out, causing fine tremors to spill through her.

"I think you forgot to finish that sentence. Like, I want you to answer some questions, or, I want you to pretend you didn't see anything." She gripped the edge of the desk, thanking geezus it stood between them. Though if he wanted, he could blast it into oblivion or even walk right through the damn thing. Despite that, the solid barrier gave her some measure of feeling protected.

"No, there was nothing else after that. Archangel Michael sent me to get you."

"And you are?" Though why it should matter, she didn't know. There was no way in hell she'd go anywhere with him, even if he'd been sent by God himself.

He made a small inflection, though it wasn't anywhere near polite. "I am A'albiel. And yes, you will come with me."

Tori felt heat bloom along her cheekbones. The bastard had read her mind. It wasn't surprising. An angel couldn't be trusted. And she hoped he got that thought loud and clear.

She crossed her arms, trying to stem some of the nervous quivers as she glared at him. "You can stop with the mind-reading thing right now."

Ignoring her, he turned his gaze to Tio and Nakita. "Leave us."

Both of their faces took on similar blank expressions, and they left the office with stiff, unnatural movements. The door slid shut again with a soft hiss, and then she found herself alone with someone who could smite her where she stood just by blinking.

"The smiting will come later." Dropping into the hard, plastic chair she'd abandoned earlier, he sent her a mocking smile.

Huh. An angel with a sense of humor. She'd never have believed it if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes.

For some reason, his sarcastic quip calmed some of her trembling. A sense of composure stole through her by small degrees. Either A'albiel was doing some mind-control thing on her, or her sanity had snapped. Neither prospect seemed agreeable.

"Stop reading my thoughts and tell me what you want."

"You're in danger, Toriane. We know you saw one of our scribe angels on assignment this morning and so do the demons. They've already sent Alastor after you, and if he finds you, it won't be pretty."

A shaft of fear shot through her, causing sweat to break out on her lower back. How could the demons have found out so quickly? "But I don't know anything."

"You know the location." His tone came out flat, devoid of emotion. He didn't seem concerned about any of this. And why would he be? She was probably just another job in a long line of jobs. If he failed, and she was killed, she doubted he'd even flinch, just poof himself off to his next assignment. The thought made anger stir, replacing the fear. He could go to hell. Her life and work was important. People depended on her and her team getting X-702 terra-formed so they had homes, not just rooms on over-crowded space stations.

"So move the damn thing, and then I won't know. Problem solved." Surely he didn't expect her to just go happily along with him?

"It's not as simple as just moving it—"

"Why not?"

Getting angry at an angel probably wasn't the smartest move she could make, but she didn't want to be dragged into the middle of some stupid four-hundred-year-long war she couldn't care less about, even if it was for the good of all people. According to the scuzbags, anyway.

A'albiel sat forward in the seat, clasping his hands together, his gaze hard on her. "Because it is complicated in a way a human cannot understand, and Alastor will still kill you, if only to prove a point."

The way he said human left her with no doubt about his feelings toward her. Less important than a space-roach squashed under his boot.

She straightened, antagonism making her shoulders tight. "Tell me what was in the chest then, and I'll think about complying."

His lips compressed into a thin line. "You're lying. You have no intention of cooperating, and even if you did happen to be telling the truth, I would not allow you that knowledge."

Not allow her the knowledge? Resentment turned into a full blaze of fury. Bastard! Treating her as if she was some sub-par piece of garbage. Did he really think he could deal with people like this? "You're an ass, you know that?"

It was possible she was more surprised than he was after the words slipped out of her mouth. He stood, unfolding from the chair in a slow, measured movement, his huge body somehow managing to take up more space in the office than it did before.

"You will show me some respect, girl." He took a step toward her and the desk no longer felt like any form of protection against six foot-plus of pissed off angel.

"Or what?" she countered. She might as well stick with the idiotic bravado. No doubt, he'd do whatever he pleased with her anyway. "You'll kill me? No need to get your shirt dirty; apparently I can just sit around here and wait for Alastor to do that for you."

An intent gleam lit his blue eyes to bright azure. "Yes, I am going to do whatever I please with you, but I can make it pleasant or it could be disagreeable. The choice is yours."

Time to call his bluff. "How about none of the above?"

Skirting the desk, she walked toward the office door, keeping as far from him as possible in the small space.

"Stop," he commanded.

She got to the sliding panel. He could go to hell before she'd do anything he told her.

"Stop."

Rolling her eyes, she reached for the door's control board since it hadn't opened automatically when she'd approached. Instead, her hand crashed into a solid, male chest.

Shock ricocheted through her, and she jumped back, feeling a strange kind of energy buzz up her arm. Cradling her hand against her chest, she looked up at him looming over her.

"I told you to stop."

He glared at her, an emotion that looked to be confusion on his too-handsome features. But that seemed dumb. Angels didn't feel things like confusion, did they?

"And I told you to go to hell. Or maybe I just thought it. Either way, I'm sure you heard."

The perplexed expression was replaced by one of annoyance, his lips pressing together as his brows lowered. She got a perverse thrill out of irritating him, which was stupid by anyone's standards. Did she have a death wish? It wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination to say he could kill her or banish her somewhere to die a slow death.

The door slid open behind him, and he took her upper-arm in an unyielding grip, hard enough that she'd probably have bruises later. His message was loud and clear—she wouldn't be getting away from him.

Rather than be dragged, she walked with him out into the corridor where Tio and Nakita were waiting, still with identical vacant expressions.

A'albiel glanced at them as he towed her past. "Be on your way." Both of them blinked, as if coming out of a trance.

"What did you do to them?" she demanded, looking back over her shoulder at Nakita's surprised face.

Hauling her along, A'albiel barreled down the hall, sending people scurrying out of his way. Nothing said move like six feet of determined angel. She almost had to run to keep up with him.

"Nothing serious, I just made sure they wouldn't interfere."

Tori opened her mouth to give him another piece of her mind when the ceiling above them exploded into a shower of flames and sparks. She ducked and A'albiel pulled her against his side, sheltering her from the worst of the blast. All solid muscle and heat, it left a strange sensation humming through her again. Must have been an angel thing. They did have all sorts of weirdo powers, after all.

"Geezus, what was that?" The wail of fire alarms sliced through her brain as people rushed past them, evacuating the area.

"Alastor."

BLURB for DEAD REALITY:

FBI Special Agent Ella Waverly is wrapping up one last assignment before heading off on her first holiday in five years. But flip-flops and cocktails are the last thing on her mind when she meets the new team leader, Special Agent Bryce Lain, and finds out her holiday is being scuttled for an undercover assignment.

Agent Lain is gorgeous, the kind of gorgeous that guarantees he’s an arrogant jerk. The news that he’ll be her partner in the dangerous mission is almost enough to make her head explode. Before the day is out, Ella finds herself at Little Palm Island Resort in Florida , masquerading as a contestant on the latest reality TV show – Lord Bachelor. The bachelor in question, a disgraced British peer, is suspected of raping and murdering several women back in London .

As humidity frizzes her hair beyond the help of any type of de-frizzing, smoothing, glossing product, Ella tries to wrangle working against nineteen husband-hungry bimbos, one suspected serial killer and one seriously hot agent who’s trying everything he can to get under her skin.

EXCERPT for DEAD REALITY:

"Ella Waverly, this is Special Agent Bryce Lain, the new team leader," Jim introduced. She automatically held out her hand, which Agent Lain shook in a straightforward manner, giving her a charming smile which all but yelled 'I'm-hot-and-I-know-it', making her civility slip yet another notch.

But then what Jim said sunk in. He was the new team leader they'd been expecting? She would have to work with him on a permanent basis? Worse, she was going to have to answer to him? She'd have to look at that movie-star handsome face and put up with his attitude every day? Her head was quite possibly going to explode from the mere thought of it.

"He wasn't supposed to start until next week, but a situation has come to our attention that we thought we could use him on," Jim continued as she fought to keep her expression neutral. "And I've been meaning to talk to you all day. I understand you're taking a few weeks off. Going to Florida, the La Playa Beach Resort?"

Her shoulders tensed, since her boss's interest in her holiday could only be leading to one thing. They were going to tell her she couldn't go, or needed her to postpone. There'd be some dire situation pertaining to national security they just couldn't resolve without her.

"Sir—" she began, trying to come up with a really good reason fast as to why they could put someone else on it. She didn't want to hear the details, because as soon as she did, her interest would be piqued and her goddamn sense of duty would over-ride her sense of self preservation. Self preservation meant holding onto her sanity by taking this holiday and not working with Mr. Intense until she'd had a few weeks to chill out.

Jim steam-rolled right over her. "We've made a slight adjustment to your reservations. You're going on our time, undercover. Don't worry; we'll still let you have your holiday after this situation is taken care of."

"Sir, I really think—"

Jim took a folder out of his briefcase and laid it open on the hood of the car. "You and Agent Lain here will be going to Little Palm Island Resort. There's a bachelor-type reality TV show being filmed there at the moment in which we've organized for you to participate."

Her brain stopped and snagged on the first part of Jim's announcement. You and Agent Lain. Of course, she'd guessed it was coming, but it still hit her hard. She'd been teamed up with a guy she didn't even know to go on an undercover assignment? Bad enough that on first impressions Agent Lain seemed so arrogant his ego would probably need it's own seat on the plane, but for all she knew, he could be a total maverick to top it all off. Then her mind ran over the rest of the statement. She would be participating in a reality TV show. Just what in the hell sort of messed up assignment was this?

Jim ran through the remaining particulars and then handed over the folder, plane tickets, and resort reservation details.

"Get back to the hotel and pack, Waverly. You've got a flight to catch. And I've got a meeting I was supposed to be at an hour ago." Jim nodded, giving a curt good-bye and then walking off.

"Let's go, Agent Waverly, I don't want to miss our flight."

She closed her eyes for a brief moment before turning to Lain. When had this day gone from run-of-the-mill cult take-down to Twilight Zone? Did that conversation actually just happen? Had her long-awaited holiday really been scuttled for an undercover assignment with Mr. Intense?

"Agent Waverly?"

Releasing a breath and hoping some of the stress would go with it, she turned and opened her eyes to see Agent Lain standing next to an old, dark blue car almost right where her rental car had been parked a few minutes ago.

"Where did my rental go?" Why did she ask when she could already guess the answer? Which if she thought about too closely would only add to the tension bunching up her shoulders and making her neck ache.

"One of the other agents took care of it. We don't have time to mess around."

"And you expect me to go anywhere with you… in that?"

Agent Lain gave a half smile, a dimple appearing in his cheek, which made her fume like sooty exhaust on an old car. He would have to have dimples. And her heart had not fluttered at the sight. No, more like she'd started having palpitations from bottling up all the pressure. Why couldn't he have a funny shaped mole or wart? Something to flaw his damned gorgeous face.

Standing next to him made her more aware of her current sweat and dust covered condition. Not that she could be considered anything beyond average when she wasn't sweaty and dirty. Her career had always meant more to her than looks. So she refused to start feeling inadequate about anything now, especially in front of Lain.

"By that I assume you're talking about my 1967 Pontiac GTO. There's absolutely nothing bad you can say about my baby."

His baby? Typical.

She sighed, approaching the passenger side where he held the door open. "Let's go then, the quicker we get this done, the sooner I can get away from you."

Agent Lain shut the door after she slid into the bucket seat and then he jogged around to the driver side.

"You mean 'get away from work'," he said as the car started with a roar, the revs from the engine vibrating right up from the ground and through her seat. A moment later the audio system kicked in and Metallica came blasting out near to deafening.

"No, I meant get away from you." She flipped open the folder Jim had given her, prepared to ignore Bryce Lain for the entire trip and duration of the assignment.

From corner of her eye, she saw Bryce smiling, as if he found her amusing. It went a little way to making up for the arrogance, but not much. Some of her discord went up in a puff of smoke as those dimples appeared again.

Hell. If only he wasn't so damn gorgeous.

**Disclaimer - This is not the final draft of Dead Reality, therefore, there may be some slight changes by the time this book goes to print. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

TANTALIZING TUESDAY

Thinking like Rosella Cartwright

The writing and editing process for Fallen from Disgrace really took me out of my comfort zone. Not only was this my first category romance, but for once, I didn't have bazillions of characters to keep track of, leaving me free to entirely explore one, namely my protagonist, Rosella Cartwright. Getting inside the head of a murderous strategic genius was certainly an experience, and it's scary to admit just how much I started to think like her in everyday life. Since not everything made it from the outline to the final draft, I thought I'd share with the readers a couple of Rosella-esque hacks for life that wouldn't fit plotwise. Now, I won't be explaining the subtle mechanics of how to keep an alibi straight or enumerating the poisonous properties of seemingly harmless household plants (and if I didn't tell you otherwise, you might believe I actually knew something about those things!) But for anyone looking to make mind games and chessmastery a part of your everyday life, here's a few things to try at home…under close adult supervision, of course!

This first one is bizarre, but it's an effective means of telling who your friends are. When you first show up somewhere--a new class or club, for instance, or a social event--feign a foreign accent. If you're slightly harder to understand then everyone around you, it will polarize the surrounding crowd. Those who like you for you will find the accent endearing, while suck-ups and opportunists will tend not to bother with you, annoyed with the inconvenience. (Let it be noted that I do not endorse the use of this technique in the workplace or in any situation where a lot is at stake.)

Next: how to get free money.

Well, not exactly. I'm no proponent of swindling the masses, and, as such, won't give instructions on how to do it, but if you're collecting for a worthy cause and would like to speed up the donations coming your way, here's how the professionals do it. Load your jar with some cash beforehand. People are more prone to donate if they think "everybody's doing it". Again, this should not be exploited for free cash. Just because my heroine almost ended up doing it doesn't mean you should.

To wrap it up with a bit of humor, here's a true account of a mind-game that didn't work out according to plan. When I took first-year psychology, my teacher told the class about this friend of his who tried to classically condition his girlfriend. He planned out his route so that when he drove her to dinner and back, he would have to take a lot of right turns. He took each turn sharply, throwing her towards the driver's seat, and as centripetal force propelled her towards him, he gave her compliments in the hope that she would associate the positive emotions induced by compliments with physical proximity to him. By the end of the car ride, all he managed to accomplish was making her sick.

Buy link: https://www.nobleromance.com/ItemDisplay.aspx?i=201
Author website: www.mindymackay.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mindy-MacKay/127228420656362

TWILIGHT THURSDAY

The Moonlighters Welcome Lydia Nyx

Please welcome Lydia Nyx into the Moonlight. Lydia Nyx is the author of Fire in the Desert which was recently released by Noble Romance Publishing. Other works written by Lydia Nyx are Merger and The Game in Spain, also from Noble Romance, and Impasto and Le Ankou, both from Torquere Press.

Now, it's time to create a little mayhem and get to the good stuff by revealing all of Lydia Nyx's deepest darkest secrets in the moonlight. LOL Yeah, you wish! ;-D Grab your favorite wicked drink, sink your teeth into something decadent, sit back, relax and enjoy getting to know Lydia Nyx.


MLM: The holidays are fast approaching and things always seem to get busier during this time of year. Do you have a relaxing technique that helps you de-stress? If so, please share, because this is advice we all need!

LYDIA: My stress around the holidays comes from my 'day job' (or in my case, night job). I'm a waitress in a popular upscale restaurant and December is always our busiest month: lots of Christmas parties! I love my job and getting to hang out with all the festive people around this time of year; however, we also have bands five nights a week and it's always a party, so my way to de-stress is the opposite of everyone else's—I DON'T party! There's nothing better to me than a night not on the town. New Year's Eve is the final hurrah and it's always such a relief when it's over, knowing things will go back to normal after one last, huge party. Customers always say to me, "this must be the funnest place to work!" I tell them it can be fun, but you only think a constant party atmosphere is fun because you don't work here!


MLM: Not everyone celebrates Christmas, but most of us still have traditions we participate in, such as attending holiday parties, decorating your house, baking cookies, etc. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

LYDIA: My mother was a big decorator—she would put garland and tinsel on anything that would hold still. I ended up being the same way, decorating anything not alive (and sometimes alive—oh the poor cats), but I only did this while my son was growing up. Now that he's an adult, I don't decorate at all and I'm not much of a holiday person. Not to say I don't enjoy other's decorations or the way they decorate the streets around here: I quite do!


MLM: In the south, holidays are centered around food, with huge meals and lots of baked sweets. Do you have a favorite holiday recipe you'd like to share with us? If not, how about an all-year-round favorite recipe?

LYDIA: Not a holiday recipe, but a friend once taught me how to make a Diet Coke cake and it's marvelous. It's quite simple: you need a box of chocolate cake mix, a 12 oz. can of Diet Coke, fat free Jello instant pudding, and fat free Cool Whip. Instead of making the cake according to the directions on the box, simply put the Diet Coke in the cake mix and bake. For the frosting, mix up the pudding (use skim milk), mix with the Cool Whip, and frost! It tastes incredible and it's very low fat and calories!


MLM: Oh, my, that's sounds wonderful and so easy to make with my kids! Have you ever made your own holiday presents and/or decorations? If so, what were they? Were they successes or failures? Did you have fun while making them?

LYDIA: I am not a crafty person at all, trust me! Everything is going to look much better if I just buy it at the store.


MLM: If "Santa Claus" could bring you any gift you wanted, what would be your ultimate gift? (Please refrain from saying "money" because who doesn't want more of that!)

LYDIA: Happiness, fulfillment, and (even though it's bending the rule a bit) financial security for all the people I love and care about.


MLM: Odd question, but my 9 year old thinks Rudolph and the reindeers "guiding Santa's sleigh" have GPS navigation. So, if you could give Santa and his sleigh any one modern technology, what would it be and why?

LYDIA: Laser beams! Then if he ended up in an area with a lot of snow (like here) and the roofs were covered, he could just melt it right off!


MLM: Fantastic gift! Now, let’s get to your writing, Lydia Nyx, what genre do you write and what is the draw for you?

LYDIA: I write male/male romance and erotica. I've yet to make a clear 'niche' for myself in that genre, but I'm starting to work my way toward being a rather rare species: I want to be an erotic horror author. I've always been attracted to horror novels and darker themes like gothic, noir, urban fantasy, and paranormal. My story 'Le Ankou' with Torquere Press is historical horror and I've just had a story accepted by Freaky Fountain Press titled 'Maleficent' which will be out in the new year and is erotic horror/noir. I like the darkness! Since I write male/male, I'll be in a niche within a niche. I've always enjoyed writing male/male over straight romance; it just appeals to me more.


MLM: If you could describe your writing with a word or phrase, what would it be? Please delve into the core of your writing to tell us what word or phrase you want readers to take with them when they've finished reading your story.

LYDIA: Differently twisted—it's the motto I use on my website. I adopted it because while my work can be considered 'twisted,' it also has many unusual elements coming together to—hopefully—make it interesting. Like I said above, if I'm writing horror, and making it erotic, and it's male/male—you've got a pretty differently twisted product there!


MLM: With the current movement to encourage people to give books as gifts, what, in your opinion, makes your story unique? What makes it stand out among all of the other books out there?

LYDIA: Continuing the theme above, I would say it's the blend of different elements. I may attract some readers just curious as to how I make everything work together!


MLM: Do you prefer throwing snowballs or serving hot cocoa? Does that show through in your writing? If so, how?

LYDIA: Definitely serving cocoa—I am not an outdoors person and I hate the cold! This shows in some of my characters, but oddly enough, I do write a lot of 'outdoorsy' elements. That's what research is for. 'The wild' is pretty to look at, but I don't want to be out in it!


MLM: If you could give any of your characters a holiday gift, which character would it be and what would you give them? Why do they deserve this gift?

LYDIA: I would give Keegan Richards from 'Fire in the Desert' a novel of his own, so he'll stop talking about how much he should have one! He really is interesting and he does deserve some spotlight time I suppose…


MLM: Who decides what your characters do, you or your muse? What kind of influence do you have over your story, or is the muse always the one stuffing the stocking?

LYDIA: I try to tell my characters what to do, and then they frolic about and do whatever they please, like a group of unruly preschoolers. I try to make just a general outline when I'm planning a story, because I know the muse will come along and fill in most of the details as I go—saves me a lot of wasted effort thinking I know what I'm doing!


MLM: What character did you have the most fun creating and why?

LYDIA: In my upcoming novel from Torquere Press, 'From Morocco to Paris,' one of the lead characters is a gregarious, saucy, infuriating man named Davey Alexander. He's everything I wish I could be: outgoing, confident, owns himself, and knows what he wants at all times. He was so much fun to write, especially since the other leading man was so opposite him they achieved sublime comedic interaction. I usually have two types of characters: ones I want to be when I grow up, and ones I want to grow out of being.


MLM: If you had the opportunity to meet just one of your characters in real life, who would it be and why?

LYDIA: I have a gay urban fantasy I'm shopping around at the moment, entitled 'Black Shore of the White City,' and one of the characters, Sam, I would love to meet if he were real. He's fierce and over-the-top and if he walked into a room he would probably knock you over with his very presence.


MLM: Which of your characters would you never want to meet under any circumstance and why?

LYDIA: Jordan Maleficent from my upcoming story 'Maleficent' with Freaky Fountain Press. He's a nightmare and if you meet him, you'll never be sane again.


MLM: If you were interviewing yourself, what is the one question you would ask yourself and please give us the answer to that question?

LYDIA:
Q: If you weren't a writer, what would you be?

A: An artist. I can't imagine life without creativity.


MLM: Thanks so much for joining us, Lydia Nyx! It's been a treat getting to know you better!

Website: http://www.lydianyx.com
Buy Link: https://www.nobleromance.com/ItemDisplay.aspx?i=175

Any other links/sites you wish to offer readers so they can find you on the world wide web, such as buy links for other books, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/lydianyx
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Lydia-Nyx/100001226228308
My currently published works: http://www.lydianyx.com/?page_id=48





BLURB:

Garrett Thomas is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists. When he gets a tip a dragon—the holy grail of his field—has been spotted in the Sahara desert, he jumps at the chance to locate and document this elusive creature. As further incentive, his old college friend—and lover—Keegan Richards is currently on an archeological dig in Egypt.

Keegan possesses a powerful supernatural ability called the Mystic. When Garrett sees his old flame after a year of separation, he finds not only has Keegan’s power increased so he has full command of the element of fire but he’s grown a thousand times more beautiful and exotic. After Garrett has a strange and erotic dream about him, Keegan inexplicably grows cold and tries to send Garrett home with his mission unfulfilled. Garrett stays in Egypt, however, and when he finally enters the dragon’s lair, he finds what he’s looking for—but not the way he expected.


EXCERPT:

Two weeks before venturing to the desert, Garrett received an email from a colleague who told him a group of nomads saw what they claimed to be a dragon in the Egyptian Sahara. Garrett, one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists—a title meaning little, according to his father—jumped at the opportunity to investigate such a claim. No known lizard-like creatures in deserts grew to the size described, so even if the animal wasn’t a dragon it was certainly a new species. In a magnificent coincidence, he received a letter from Keegan a week before the email saying he was on his way to Egypt. Garrett hadn’t seen him in nearly a year and hoped he could contact him when he arrived in Cairo. Contact him he did, and Keegan agreed to lead him into the desert with a band of nomads who had taken him on as a sort of shaman. Garrett was ecstatic at the news. His own adventures with strange creatures paled in comparison to Keegan’s tales of the world—though, the strangest creature Garrett ever met, really, was Keegan.

By evening, Keegan had bathed, eaten, and spoken with the people, who’d gathered around him like children around a storyteller. As Garrett sorted through his pack—carefully examined for scorpions beforehand—in the tent he and Keegan shared, Keegan entered. Garrett wore a sweatshirt and jeans, as night in the desert could get very cold. Keegan seemed unaffected by the temperature. He wore linen pants, a pair of sandals, and nothing else. Garrett wondered if his power kept him warm.

“Cold?” Keegan asked with a smirk. He knelt by his own pack, his back to Garrett. A tattoo crawled down his spine, starting somewhere beneath his long, sun-bleached hair and extending downward to the top of his pants, the work exquisitely intricate, an interwoven design of many colors. A torch outside the tent flap cast flickering light on Keegan’s skin, making the colors shine iridescent. The lines moved with the subtle flexing of Keegan’s muscles.

“That’s new,” Garrett said.

Keegan looked over his shoulder. “Huh? Oh, my back?” He looked away. “Yeah.”

“When did you get that done?”

“A few months ago.” He rose and turned. He held a shirt but didn’t immediately put it on. The torchlight twinkled off the twin rings through his nipples. Those were new too. Garrett tried not to focus on how attractive he was, even more so than when they were in school together. Garrett had a job to do, after all—even if he had come there hoping for a little something else.

“Still working on your canvas I see,” Garrett said. “Every time I see you it’s a new tattoo or piercing. You’ll never get a job in the real world.” He said the last bit with a mock-fatherly tone.

Keegan rubbed a hand over the snake around his arm. “I don’t think I’m going back to the real world. As much as I love archeology, I’m leaving the field.”

Garrett looked at him in disbelief. “You are?”

“There’s much more to this world than we ever imagined at Cornell.” Keegan pulled his shirt on, a plain white t-shirt, so tight it clung to the sculpted landscape of his chest and abs. “I think you know that better than anyone, Garrett. I can’t work in a structured system anymore.”

“What about your travels? Your adventures? You couldn’t give those up; I know you! You want to see the world.”

“The world is bigger than what I can see now, working under measly grants.” Keegan grew stoic. “You shouldn’t have come here, Garrett.”

Garrett’s bewilderment increased. “Why not? This is what I do. And besides, I get to see you. I haven’t seen you in ages!”

“It’s dangerous.”

Garrett laughed sarcastically. “I’ve been handling dangerous creatures for a long time, Keegan. A dragon? That’s the holy grail of my field! My grants come from people with “special interests,” but if I found a dragon and could document it? The scientific community would come crawling back to me to apologize! I wouldn’t need to beg on the doorsteps of eccentric millionaires.”

Keegan shifted his jaw. His gaze met Garrett’s, the gleaming blue depths of his eyes capturing the torchlight, and then he looked away. “I just don’t want you to get hurt,” he said.

“Keegan, I know what I’m doing.” Garrett rose, smiling, and grasped his shoulders. Indeed, he felt warm. “Trust me.”

TWILIGHT THURSDAY

The Moonlighters Welcome Kari Gregg

Please welcome Kari Gregg into the Moonlight. Kari is the author of Spoils of War, which was recently released by Noble Romance Publishing. Other books written by Kari are Lovely Wicked and Blood Oath: What Rough Beast (to be released by Loose Id on January 25, 2011).

Now, it's time to create a little mayhem and get to the good stuff by revealing all of Kari’s deepest darkest secrets in the moonlight. LOL Yeah, you wish! ;-D Grab your favorite wicked drink, sink your teeth into something decadent, sit back, relax and enjoy getting to know Kari.


MLM: The holidays are fast approaching and things always seem to get busier during this time of year. Do you have a relaxing technique that helps you de-stress? If so, please share, because this is advice we all need!

KARI: When I’m fed up and need a break, I turn off the phones, the TV, the laptop -- everything. As far as the world is concerned, I’m Out Of Order. The silence, even if it’s only for a few minutes? WONDERFUL!


MLM: Not everyone celebrates Christmas, but most of us still have traditions we participate in, such as attending holiday parties, decorating your house, baking cookies, etc. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

KARI: We, as a family, attend a candlelight service every Christmas Eve and then go home to take turns reading from Twas the Night Before Christmas and the biblical narratives of Jesus’ birth. Even my grown daughter (who is an atheist) goes to church and takes her turn reading. (When she first professed to not believe in the existence of a god, forget my Judeo-Christian God, my husband and I told her she was off the hook, but she insisted, LOL.) It’s a nice, soothing evening for us to pause and reflect before the gluttony of commercialist greed the next morning. :D


MLM: In the south, holidays are centered around food, with huge meals and lots of baked sweets. Do you have a favorite holiday recipe you'd like to share with us? If not, how about an all-year-round favorite recipe?

KARI: Nothing says “holidays” to me like my cranberry pumpkin bread! Probably because I only make it during the holidays.

Cranberry-Pumpkin Bread
3 ½ c all-purpose flour
2 c brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
4 eggs
1 (16 oz) can of whole cranberry sauce
1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin puree
1/3 c vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 and spray 2 loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine: flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cloves.

Mix eggs, pumpkin and vegetable oil. Gently fold in cranberry sauce.

Add cranberry-pumpkin mixture to flour mixture & mix until just moistened. Pour batter in prepared loaf pans.

Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.


MLM: Mmmm…that sounds delicious! Have you ever made your own holiday presents and/or decorations? If so, what were they? Were they successes or failures? Did you have fun while making them?

KARI: Oh my. When we first married, my husband and I were economic vegetarians -- we couldn’t afford to buy meat, LOL, so every holiday/birthday gift was handmade. I quilted and sewed. I crotcheted (yarn and thread). I painted ceramics and learned to make temari balls (Japanese thread balls -- Google it, I guarantee you will lose your minds at how exquisite they are). I cross-stitched and embroidered…I adored it all, really. Some projects turned out better than others, of course, but I think the holiday-themed appliqué quilted wall hangings I did one year was everyone’s favorite, a keepsake both sides of our respective families drag out year after year after year. That, or an Irish lace table runner I made for my mother from a very thin thread…That one’s still going strong and it’s out year-round.


MLM: If "Santa Claus" could bring you any gift you wanted, what would be your ultimate gift? (Please refrain from saying "money" because who doesn't want more of that!)

KARI: My twelve year-old second cousin is dying of a rare but aggressive cancer. Barring a cure and full recovery (which is #1 on my list), I’d want him to make it through the holidays. My cousin and older son were born within weeks of each other so watching him going through this and how the whole family has pulled together even in their suffering…It really hits hard and reminds me what’s truly important.


MLM: I'll pray he makes he through the holidays as well! Odd question, but my 9 year old thinks Rudolph and the reindeers "guiding Santa's sleigh" have GPS navigation. So, if you could give Santa and his sleigh any one modern technology, what would it be and why?

KARI: An iPhone. Because the idea of Santa using the Farmville app just cracks me up.


MLM: LOL I can just picture him now playing Farmville in-between house stops!! Now, let’s get to your writing, Kari...what genre do you write and what is the draw for you?

KARI: I write m/f, m/m & ménage contemporaries, fantasies and paranormals. The draw? Building the storyworlds. As I flesh out the worlds these characters move in (and even in the contemporaries, I’m world-building), the characters come to life, but for me, it almost always starts with the world my characters will move inside first. How each of these worlds work (and don’t work) fascinates me endlessly.


MLM: If you could describe your writing with a word or phrase, what would it be? Please delve into the core of your writing to tell us what word or phrase you want readers to take with them when they've finished reading your story.

KARI: I’ll have to defer to my tag line: A World More Extraordinary--Intense, Erotic Romance. Why a world more extraordinary? Because even in my contemporaries, the worlds my characters move in or the way these characters relate to their story worlds are unique. Intense? Well, you’d have to read one of my books, but a reviewer called one of my books “emotionally wrenching in places.” I agree. If the book doesn’t make you squirm or stir your heart? As far as I’m concerned, I’ve failed to deliver the goods.


MLM: With the current movement to encourage people to give books as gifts, what, in your opinion, makes your story unique? What makes it stand out among all of the other books out there?

KARI: It’s not just a love story, although the romance is the focus of the story and the book’s key. But in telling the love story, Spoils of War also shows the endurance--and triumph--of the human spirit. Micah is so emotionally damaged at book’s start. He has to work his way through that to grow in his relationship with not only Eli, but also how he fits in his world. The reader will see more of that in the sequel, but in Spoils, we see Micah’s strength in surviving the horror of his childhood and watch him take his first steps (with Eli’s love and support) toward healing. It’s a love story, yes, but it’s a love story that shows us that love finds us where we are and helps us along to a better place.


MLM: Do you prefer throwing snowballs or serving hot cocoa? Does that show through in your writing? If so, how?

KARI: Oh, I’m a hot cocoa woman. Turn down chocolate? That’s an alternative that just does not exist in my universe, LOL.

Does it show in my writing? Hm. Perhaps. Really, it depends on my characters. When I’m writing, I more or less crawl into my character’s head and breathe in their skin for a while. If my character declares merciless war with snowballs? I become a heavily armed snow fiend, too. If my character rolls his/her eyes at impending snow-pocalypse? My eyes are rolling, too. Depends on who I’m writing and who that character is.


MLM: If you could give any of your characters a holiday gift, which character would it be and what would you give them? Why do they deserve this gift?

KARI: I’d give Micah his voice back. He has slowly, painfully begun to speak again at the close of Spoils, but he’s nowhere close to reclaiming it. Micah’s voice, his willingness & ability to speak, operates as a metaphor for Micah reclaiming who he is and who he wants to become so I really, really want him to feel comfortable speaking again. Unfortunately, at the start of the sequel, he’s regressed due to the stress and pressures of his new life in “freedom” and I’m working on that now so how badly I want him to speak is absurd. Micah is such a sweetheart. He’s suffered enough. He’s earned his happily ever after with Eli--and then some. ;-)


MLM: Who decides what your characters do, you or your muse? What kind of influence do you have over your story, or is the muse always the one stuffing the stocking?

KARI: Muse? I kicked that bitch to the curb years ago, LOL. My characters decide what they do. I start every book with an outline of how I expect the story to progress, but the characters declare mutiny at some point. I’m more than happy to let them. I consider it a good sign that I’m on the right track. I can’t say that I’ve ever had a character totally derail a plot or the basic flow of a book, but how my characters move within that basic framework tends to be fluid.


MLM: Hmm…*taps chin*…I want the courage to kick mine to the curb too! =D What character did you have the most fun creating and why?

KARI: Oh my. It seems like my favorite is always the character whose story I’m working on at the time is the most fun. So much to explore, so many lovely possibilities. And when the book’s done? I adore them all, for their strengths and especially for their weaknesses. Impossible to pick only one. Very like picking a favorite among my children. There’s no such thing as favorite or most fun because I love them all, each of them, in different ways.


MLM: If you had the opportunity to meet just one of your characters in real life, who would it be and why?

KARI: I’d want to meet Mitch from Lovely Wicked. He is so unabashed about what he likes and relentless in his pursuit of what he wants. And of all my characters, his sense of humor is the closest to mine. I think we’d laugh our fool heads off. :D


MLM: Which of your characters would you never want to meet under any circumstance and why?

KARI: Oooh, Zechariah, the Dark Master vampyr who is determined to win the hero, Garrick, back from the Rebels in Blood Oath: What Rough Beast. Zechariah is chillingly sociopathic.


MLM: If you were interviewing yourself, what is the one question you would ask yourself and please give us the answer to that question?

KARI: What one piece of advice would you give to pre-published writers?

KEEP WORKING. Keep writing. Keep submitting your books, novellas and short stories. Continue honing your craft and learning the business side of the industry. Your day is coming.


MLM: Excellent advice! Thanks so much for joining us, Kari! It's been a treat getting to know you better!

KARI: Thanks for having me! It’s been fun. :D

Website: http://www.karigregg.com/
Buy Link:
Noble Romance: https://www.nobleromance.com/ItemDisplay.aspx?i=192
ARe: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-spoilsofwar-478622-143.html
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Spoils-of-War-ebook/dp/B004AYDHHA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291414838&sr=8-1
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/karigregg
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/Kari.M.Gregg
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4366316.Kari_Gregg

Lovely Wicked at…
Noble Romance: https://www.nobleromance.com/ItemDisplay.aspx?i=181
ARe: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-lovelywicked-471842-144.html
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lovely-Wicked-ebook/dp/B004AHKCW0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1291414838&sr=8-2

BLURB:

Enslaved during the invasion of the rival King of Herra, Micah cut off his emotions and adapted to his new life in servitude. Xerxes, the Herran King, abuses his captive to keep the neighboring kingdom of Alekia under his yoke, but after Micah nearly dies when plague sweeps Herra, the Alekian King sends Eli to bring his beloved son home.

Institutionalized by his slavery, unable to cope with his freedom, Micah seeks to please the new master he's found in Eli throughout their harrowing journey to a homeland he no longer remembers. Eli protects the young man and introduces Micah to the pleasures denied him as a prisoner.

Will Micah accept his noble birthright when they reach Alekia, and more importantly, can he accept Eli as the devoted slave his father has given him rather than the master he's come to love?


EXCERPT:

Eventually, my abductor shifted me behind him, stringing my thin arms around his neck and clasping my thighs about his thickly muscled waist. My body felt frozen, like the blocks of muddy ice stored in the kitchen cellars, but I could not swim so I hung on as best I could. He pushed away from the protective cover of our tree, striking toward the dark riverbank with supple and efficient strokes. When we'd almost reached it, he rose up out of the water. I clung to his back as he strode onto dry land and into the veil of trees skirting the shoreline.

"Can you walk?"

I shook my head against the blade of his shoulder, shivering again as a night breeze skimmed over my wet skin, spiking into my bones through the wet layer of clothing he'd provided me.

He marched through the trees, his steps sure. Certain. I both envied his self-assurance and feared it. Envy, because I'd never been confident of anything except my servitude. Fear, because . . . I knew not how to please my new master, and I desperately needed to please him. I could accept this change and my new lot with the hulking stranger. I could wrap my mind around it, but only if I satisfied what he required of me. He'd demanded so little, and the lack of instruction balled my stomach.

He abruptly halted and stooped to a crouch, untangling my arms from his neck. My thighs sprang open. My backside settled to the hard ground. I lolled, the sparse reserves of my body depleted by the harrowing journey.

"Xerxes will not expect his own people to hide you, so we travel with a band of merchants to the border." He pivoted and yanked at my sodden clothing. "But we dare not enter camp wet."

I could not force my leaden arms and legs to cooperate, but he made short work of stripping me until I sprawled under him shivering and naked. Gooseflesh pebbled my fair skin, which glowed in the miserly light cast by the fingernail moon. He stretched to the side and unfolded a blanket, tucking it over my nudity before his hands rose to remove his own drenched clothes.

Ah.

He'd plow me.

My curious eyes watched him peel his shirt over his head and kick off his boots. I admired the bunch of muscle, his broad shoulders, the sculpted expanse of his absurdly large chest. My glance darted from him, heat creeping into my cheeks, when his fingers plucked at the laces of his breeches. Even I, practiced whore that I was, would never be so bold as to examine his prick until bidden to do so.

When his hands fell to the wool blanket covering my thin chest, I startled nonetheless, my stare returning to him. Rather than groping for me, those hands set to a brisk rub. He scoured the blanket over my chilled skin, throat to groin, then back again. The touch wasn't unpleasant. The impersonal caress was actually rather . . . enjoyable. My wicked heart skipped a beat at the forbidden delight of his big hands warming me, but I resisted the urge to squirm.

Immobile.

I must forebear.

I must do as my new master willed of me.

His attention focused to the left, his fingers yet working the blanket over my flesh. "Miriam comes. She will tend to you."

I stiffened.

Blood roared in my ears.

A woman?

I was to be given to a woman?

Shrieking anguish lanced through me, locking the air in my chest. I had never been bedded by a woman, never been touched by one. I'd seen them in the kitchen, of course, but I'd been commanded well away from them and they from me, which I'd been secretly glad of. Females perplexed me. I knew men shoved their pricks inside them, that they were plowed as I was, but I'd never wanted to do the plowing and the idea of placing my mouth to them made me shudder in revulsion.

Surely, my new master didn't expect me to—

The stranger's eyes softened at my quick sound of distress. He smiled and playfully tugged the fat, yellow braid that slid and dripped down my shoulder. "To tend to your hair, little prince. Only that."

Fresh worry curled in my gut.

My hair?

What of my hair?

I had no rights, no privileges. None knew that better than I, but I had never been able to squash vanity over my unique coloring. Everyone else's hair was as dark as their eyes, either brown or black, their skin tan and swarthy. Not me. I was a novelty, every hair on my body a rich yellow the same shade as honey, and my eyes shone with the sparkling luster of emeralds. I knew this to be so because my masters often told me. They unplaited my hair and fisted it in their hands as they rutted with me, fanned it over their chests and stroked it when they'd finished. They kissed my eyelids and praised my odd coloring. They enjoyed stroking my creamy skin, murmuring in wonder at the stark contrast of my small, pale body against theirs.

I was a slave and the lowliest among them, but I was also prized by my masters, my physical weakness forgiven by virtue of my exceptional coloring and my compliance to the demands of their pricks.

My stomach churned.

The threatened woman eased from the surrounding trees, short like me but very round. She carried a crude basket. She stared at me, and this time, I did wriggle under my blanket, though the stranger's hand patted my bony arm, as though to soothe me.

The woman's mouth thinned. She spoke to the man in a tongue I did not understand. My eyes narrowed as they conversed in low voices, the rolling cadence of the words familiar yet at the same time foreign. It seemed I should know this language, and indeed, a niggle in the back of my mind suggested a translation for a word or two. But when the female looked at me, spoke, I could only stare at her, mystified.

"She needs you to sit up, my lord," the stranger supplied.

I sat up.

She scurried to my rear, twitching my braid over my shoulder, and when my eyes focused with alarm on my abductor, he lifted a palm to cup my cheek. "Easy, little one. It will grow back."

Terror squeezed my belly. My hair had never been cut. But if my new master bid it then cut it would be. He could shave me bald, advertising my whore's body to the world if he chose, and I concentrated on my gratitude that he didn't require that much. Tears burned my eyes, though, when I felt the gentle tug on my braid and I whimpered at the lightening pressure on my scalp as the woman cleaved the thick hank of my hair through.

Wispy ends escaped the ravaged tail of my braid to brush my neck.

A single tear slid from one eye.

He threaded his fingers through the hair above my temple, helping the woman free what remained of my hair from the loosened plait. "It will grow back," he repeated when I opened my eyes.

My gaze lowered.

I nodded.

The woman spoke again and the stranger translated once more. "Lean back."

When I did, a horrible, rancid scent clogged my throat and a hoarse, pained moan worked from my chest because I knew that scent, too—dye.

"Only temporary." My abductor stroked the line of my jaw and smiled at my cringe as the female worked the foul mixture into my newly shorn hair. "After we've crossed the border, we'll wash it away. I swear to you."

"Keep him dry or the stain will run. Xerxes' soldiers will search for the yellow-haired boy-man first, but they'll arrest anyone small enough who's leeching dye onto their clothes."

I blinked in surprise, momentarily shocked from my misery.

She could speak Herran.

Oddly, that made me cry harder.

"He'll be fine." The man switched to the other, almost-familiar language, and the two of them talked while her fingers kneaded the stain into my shorter hair, bunching it in her fists to evenly distribute the color. My abductor's fingers stroked my tears from my face as soon as they fell, silently comforting me, though his resolution as to what the woman did to me did not falter.

I let the sounds of their conversation roll over me, a soft buzz in the back of my mind as I wept. I wanted to stop. Eventually, my new master's patience would wane, and he'd tolerate my sniveling far less now that I was ugly. But the horrible pressure in my chest didn't loosen. Every caress of the woman's hands in my hideous hair lashed another stripe into my heart. My exhaustion married with my grief and both overwhelmed me.

The woman disappeared into the trees when she finished. The stranger retrieved dry clothes from a neat pile nearby, and he dressed me like a child's doll, cinching me into thick robes. I wept, though the material brushed sinfully indulgent against my skin, and the sleeves draped to my wrists and ankles instead of dwarfing me as my wet tunic and breeches had. I wept while my captor shrugged into his own robes, belting the sash around his waist, and I wept when he bent to scoop me into his arms, cradling me against him.

He tucked my head into the crook of his shoulder and carried me through the trees into his camp. He dropped to one knee next to a crackling fire and laid me upon a pallet of blankets beside it. He stretched out behind me, pressing his front to my back. "Now you will be warm."

I squirmed when his breath tickled the sensitive skin at my exposed nape, but the heat of the fire felt so good. His warmth to my back sandwiched me in a delicious cocoon of security.

I sniffled.

His heavy arm settled over my hip. "Sleep."

I slept.

***

One lucky commenter will win a copy of SPOILS OF WAR! Be sure to leave your EMAIL in the comment so Kari can contact the winner!!

TANTALIZING TUESDAY

The Moonlighters Welcome Billi Jean

Please welcome Billi Jean into the Moonlight. Billi Jean is the author of Midnight Star, which was recently released by Noble Romance Publishing. For those of us who didn't win NaNo (waves hand...that'd be me!), a big huge CONGRATS to Billi Jean for being a NaNo winner!!!



Now, it's time to create a little mayhem and get to the good stuff by revealing all of Billi Jean's deepest darkest secrets in the moonlight. LOL Yeah, you wish! ;-D Grab your favorite wicked drink, sink your teeth into something decadent, sit back, relax and enjoy getting to know Billi Jean.


MLM: The holidays are fast approaching and things always seem to get busier during this time of year. Do you have a relaxing technique that helps you de-stress? If so, please share, because this is advice we all need!

Billi Jean: Ummmm, relaxing techniques, you mean besides alcohol?? Jus kiddin'! Okay, well one thing I can't do without during this bustling and sometimes completely stressful time of year is hiking. I love it. Slip on a pair of hiking boots, a warm jacket, snuggly warm gloves and a scarf and I'm gone. Out here in New England, it can be a bit challenge, but once I get out of house and start on the trails I can almost feel the stress unwinding from in-between my shoulder blades. Love that.


MLM: Not everyone celebrates Christmas, but most of us still have traditions we participate in, such as attending holiday parties, decorating your house, baking cookies, etc. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Billi Jean: Gingerbread houses. Yeah, I know, I know, am I nuts? The more kids the better, too. Nothing like filling other people's kids up with sugar, and then setting them free. LOL, seriously, gingerbread houses can be a lot of fun, even if you cheat (use your common sense) and buy graham crackers. The look on the kids faces when they've made their little cottage? Really kewl!!! ;) I also make tons of cookies to give away. Breads too, but over the years I've settled on just a few cookies and some breads along with my homemade jams. Only special peeps get the jam, but hey, most of my buddies are pretty special!


MLM: In the south, holidays are centered around food, with huge meals and lots of baked sweets. Do you have a favorite holiday recipe you'd like to share with us? If not, how about an all-year-round favorite recipe?

Billi Jean: Mmmm, a favorite recipe? I think most people make fudge, love it and only make it around the holidays. I've never gone wrong with it, and to be honest, I use the recipe on the back of the marshmellow fluff jar! But for a wonderful recipe I always get asked for? Pie crust recipes. I found one in Bon Appetite around …oh, a few years ago…lol, and it's sooo yummy. Well worth the trouble.

Fudge: *you can also find this recipe here: http://www.marshmallowfluff.com/pages/neverfailfudge.html

• 2 1/2 c. sugar
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 stick butter or margarine
• 1 5 oz. can evaporated milk (2/3 c.)
• 1 Jar (7 1/2oz) Marshmallow Fluff
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla
• 1 12-oz. package semi-sweet chocolate pieces
• 1 /2 c. chopped walnuts (I used more, like one to one and a half cups…lol)
Grease a 9-inch square baking pan; set aside. In large saucepan combine the first 5 ingredients. Stir over low heat until blended. Increase heat to Medium and bring to a full-rolling boil being careful not to mistake escaping air bubbles for boiling. Boil slowly, stirring constantly for 5 minutes (use Soft-Ball test). Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and chocolate until chocolate is melted. Add nuts. Turn into greased pan and cool. Makes 2 1/2 pounds.

Pie crust:
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2/3 cup solid vegetable shortening, frozen, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 6 tablespoons (or more) ice water
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Preparation
Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add shortening and butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer mixture to bowl. Mix 6 tablespoons ice water and vinegar in small bowl; pour over flour mixture. Stir with fork until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into 2 balls; flatten each into disk. Wrap each in plastic and chill 30 minutes. (Can be prepared ahead and refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 1 month. If frozen, thaw overnight in refrigerator. Soften slightly at room temperature before using.)



MLM: Have you ever made your own holiday presents and/or decorations? If so, what were they? Were they successes or failures? Did you have fun while making them?

Billi Jean: Well….other than my homemade jams? I can't think of anything else I've made other than picture frames with my children in them….lol And the jams were a huge success. =D And yes, loads of fun making jam. I once had a friend over because she wanted to learn to make jam….she said afterwards it was like watching a tornado at work. She just stood back and mashed the berries, careful not to get caught up in the storm!! It was great fun though and we put up around eighty five jars of Blackberry Jam. Yummmmy!


MLM: I want some homemade jam!!! If "Santa Claus" could bring you any gift you wanted, what would be your ultimate gift? (Please refrain from saying "money" because who doesn't want more of that!)

Billi Jean: Mmmmm, let's see, if Santa were a hunky hottie that romance authors have on covers….oh, wait, is this sight PG? Sorry! Okay, seriously, I think I'd like a Ipad! =D I know, I know, so materialistic, but wow, you can do like PUZZLES on those things. And watch TV, movies, read books, if I had time, and chat….sigh. Yeah, I want an Ipad. Not very original, but I doubt Gerald Butler would fit in my stocking….although I would consider sewing a bigger one if I could have him for Christmas. ;)


MLM: Odd question, but my 9 year old thinks Rudolph and the reindeers "guiding Santa's sleigh" have GPS navigation. So, if you could give Santa and his sleigh any one modern technology, what would it be and why?

Billi Jean: Hydrolics, because my 16 year old son, says he'd be riding in style!!! He could bump to the music of Black Eyed Peas while he traveled around the world breaking and entering!!!


MLM: Now, let’s get to your writing, Billi Jean...what genre do you write and what is the draw for you?

Billi Jean: I write romance, paranormal, historical and I dabble a bit with contemporary, but my real favorite is paranormal. I love the world of characters I've created in my paranormal series: Sisters of the Moon. The world they live in is one I'd love to be in myself. Dangerous, dark at times, but heck so is our world and we don't have cool vampires, werewolves and wicked cool witches to play around with. =D


MLM: If you could describe your writing with a word or phrase, what would it be? Please delve into the core of your writing to tell us what word or phrase you want readers to take with them when they've finished reading your story.

Billi Jean: I write characters, that I hope, come to life for my readers. Each of my heroes and heroines has a story to tell, a life they've lived that for better or worse has made them who they are and when the two meet? I hope together they make a better whole than did separately. If that makes sense? I hope so. I guess what I am trying to say, is I want my readers to feel what my characters feel, cry when they cry, laugh when they do. I hope the one thing my readers can do is feel so lost in the story, they forget dinner, or even what time it is! Overall, I'd like my readers to experience the joy my characters do when the couple finally make it through their journey. And, of course, months later, when a reader walks by a book shelf and see my book? Pet it!!! LOL


MLM: With the current movement to encourage people to give books as gifts, what, in your opinion, makes your story unique? What makes it stand out among all of the other books out there?

Billi Jean: I think my paranormals stand out for the strong characters and the fast paced, fun journeys they often slip into just to be near each other. The Sisters of the Moon series will combine several of my adventures by bringing back well loved characters and drop in on new ones, all the while entertaining my readers with a story full of twists and turns from start to finish. (I hope!)


MLM: Do you prefer throwing snowballs or serving hot cocoa? Does that show through in your writing? If so, how?

Billi Jean: I like a good surprise snowball fight, then hot chocolate. And yes, funny enough this tricky little trait does crop up in my writing…. My female characters, for instance, are all fun loving and full of tricks, but in the end they know how to take care of their men.  You will never, never say one of my women is 'whiny' or whimpy. No way, no how!!!


MLM: If you could give any of your characters a holiday gift, which character would it be and what would you give them? Why do they deserve this gift?

Billi Jean: I'd give a snowball music thingy to Star. You know, those things that come out this time of year that you turn upside down and they rain snow down on the little town inside? And play mucis of course. Star's a tough vampire, with a tender heart. Her hottie hunk of a mate, Ranger, would forget to get her something so whimsical. He would probably baby her with jewelry and breakfast in bed.


MLM: Who decides what your characters do, you or your muse? What kind of influence do you have over your story, or is the muse always the one stuffing the stocking?

Billi Jean: I have no say in what my characters do, unless, as a means of threatening them, I threaten to never send off their story to Jill at Noble Romance Publishing. Otherwise, my characters have huge opinions on what they do, where, when and with whom. Now, I have been known to play them a bit. For instance, when Samantha was dragging her feet on letting me in on what the heck was going on with her and Derrick, I moved over and wrote Midnight Star from start to finish. Needless to say, Sammie is still pissed, but she's realized I don't have to fight with a sword, I have the pen…er, keyboard. LOL. She will be next though, in Dark Moon Rising, the second in my Sisters of the Moon series.


MLM: What character did you have the most fun creating and why?

Billi Jean: I think one of my favorites was a genie who paired up with two hunkie cowboys. She's just one of those women you wish you could hate, you know, but can't? Cute, perfect body, sweet, innocent to the point of not being much fun to make fun of because she's just not getting it, and all in all, a great little person. She was so sweet, and her story was so sad, it wasn't a stretch for me to see why she needed twice the love in her life.


MLM: If you had the opportunity to meet just one of your characters in real life, who would it be and why?

Billi Jean: Oh, man, that's tough. Well, if I meet them as me, Billi Jean, the author that brought their lives to life in a book, well then I'd love to meet any of them, most definitely Star. She just seems like one of those people you can sit and have a girl's night out with. Not necessary a tequila night, since you’d have to carry me home, but one of those tell -all -your -story -to night outs. But if you're saying meet them as in casually met up for a drink without them knowing me? Forget it, they'd cut my head off! :P


MLM: Which of your characters would you never want to meet under any circumstance and why?

Billi Jean: Oh, I think that's easy. I'd never want to meet Mr. Psycho, otherwise known as Demetrick, an evil Faye Prince out to win Samantha one way or another. I think he was dropped on his head as a babe, but whom I to say? I just never want to meet him in a dark alley. Not only is he kinda rabid, but he hates humans and doesn't think too much of anyone other than himself. So, yeah, not on my favorite list.


MLM: If you were interviewing yourself, what is the one question you would ask yourself and please give us the answer to that question?

Billi Jean: Why do you write? Because I just can't stop the voices in my head any other way!! No, seriously, I write because, first of all, I love it. Secondly, as a kid I really found my own escape from a not so nice childhood in books. They brought such happiness. Stories I devoured in hours never really ended when I put the book down, but lived on in my own adventures and dreams. I used to wait and wait for authors to come out with a new book. I can remember lurking in book stores, spending money I just didn’t have, to buy a new book. I guess, I’d like to do that same thing for someone else, you know? Brighten their lives with my stories.


MLM: Thanks so much for joining us, Billi Jean! It's been a treat getting to know you better!





BLURB: Ranger is a werewolf, a Lykae with a problem. He's found his one true mate, the only female who can complete him. Only trouble is, he's denied his instinct to claim her. Now his mate hates him as much as she believes he hates her. He will have to risk both their lives to finally prove to his stubborn vampire he loves her?

Star is a half-breed vampire with a past of not being accepted because of her mixed blood. Ranger is just one more example of how much she doesn't fit into the immortal world no matter how much she tries to fool herself into believing otherwise. She's a strong female, a fighter, but when it comes to the opinions of others, she has no defenses. Why fight what she knows is true? She is a half breed, less than those around her. She has a home, friends and females she loves like family. Only trouble is, her family is now related to the mangy wolf man who hates her.

EXCERPT: The club music blared, the bass from the speakers making the room thud around them. Star glanced up from adjusting her sword grips and tried to ignore the irritating wolf on the sidelines. As if. Ranger was a force of nature, like some crazy hurricane blowing through her control. She just couldn't ignore the irritating male.

She spotted her next opponent through the sea of onlookers. Finally, a real challenge. A fight would take her mind off Ranger like nothing else could. The mixed crowd of immortal species crowding the fight club's floor parted to let the big blond demon through.

"Agni, so good of you to give me some sport."

Dark eyes reflected the low lights of the club as he grinned. Shoving his golden hair off his forehead, he gave her a full once over. Tall, at least six-foot-six, the golden demon was an eyeful, and knew it.

"Always willing to oblige a female; you know me, Star."

Tilting her head, she eyed him closely, biting the inside of her cheek to keep in a grin at his teasing. They'd been friends for a long time, since she'd cared for him after his family beat him nearly to death. If that was possible for a demon. Families were a pain in the ass. At least blood related families. Agni, or Fire as she liked to tag him, 'cause he was a hottie, had a family rivaling her vampire "House" for evil. House. The term had her anger, already high, stroking up a notch. The vampire's took pride in their pure lines, their little Houses and the lineage they could trace back to the father, or in her case, mother of their line.

She snorted. She'd rather drive a stake in her own heart than claim any kind of relation to her House. She had her few friends, and an adopted family; she didn't need or want anything from the past. Agni should feel the same, but she'd heard he still bowed to the wishes of his messed up brother. Still, the male had always come through for her, always been there since the first years of her freedom. He'd even returned the favor she'd shown him years later when her world had crashed down around her with Selenia’s death.

"Ah, good, then. You'll be hitting the mats soon, Fire."

Tipping his head back, he gave her one of those full-body laughs she loved.

"Ah, vamp-baby, you have no idea how much I love to hear those words fall from a female's lips." Flexing his arms, he proudly displayed all his golden muscles from his biceps to his hands. His tight, black tee didn't hide anything either, merely added to his sensuous strength. The fabric clung to his hard chest and tight six-pack above his loose fitting jeans. Too bad all his hot skin and intensity just didn't turn her on. She'd been vaguely considered taking a lover over the last few months, but not her demon friend.

Ranger stepped forward into her line of sight. Her stomach bottomed out. She turned her attention to her sword, trying not to notice how her hand trembled a little. Gripping the hilt tighter, she wished she could avoid him, put him out of her thoughts.

Glancing at him from under her lashes, she wanted to groan. Her heart rate increased and she grew wet between her thighs; both reactions irritated her even more. Taking a deep, sweat-scented breath, she frowned. Did she smell something spicy, a bit warm and musky, over the heat of the demon's fire? The subtle scent tickled her senses then drifted on. Ranger. She knew him, his scent. Sadly, an irresistible pull she fought tugged at her whenever the male appeared.

Shaking her head to rid herself of such distractions, she focused on Agni still facing her, his handsome face tilted as he read more than she probably wanted. She lifted a brow, held out one hand and pretended to exam the back for the shakes. "Nope, not quivering in fear."

"Damn right, I only want my females shivering in delight, not in fear." Agni laughed again. Winking, he pulled her in for a quick hug. He smelled clean—like soap and something woodsy. Warmth radiated off his skin, skin almost too hot to touch, much like his nickname. Fire, she thought with a smile.

She tossed her head, not impressed, but amused. They'd been flirting like this for over a century. "Yeah? I'd heard you lost your vibe in some alley? Flat on your back, knife at your throat, a wolf ready to skin your hide? Samantha was all over you like nobody’s business and you had nothing to do but spill."

She'd heard more than that from a grumbling Derrick, the one Lykae worth a spit, in her opinion. He'd not been too happy when Samantha had dodged him to go make a play for information from Agni about Susanna. Star had told Samantha she could trust Agni, but at the time, Samantha hadn't trusted anyone, least of all a demon she thought had fed her misinformation while she was on her hunt for her sister. All was well now though. So well, it was almost eerie. Samantha was mated to Derrick, a Lykae who'd supported and loved Samantha when word had come that her sister, Susanna, had been murdered. Even now, the pain sliced at her when she thought of Susanna gone from this world. Susanna, so sweet, so kind, so willing to do whatever she had to do to make everyone around her happy, gone from them all. It was beyond cruel.

Even Agni had played his part in trying to find Susanna. The man was worth his weight. And knew it.

A big grin split his handsome face, revealing his own set of impressive fangs. Demons were so cool. They made a vampire feel at home. "Damn, that's low, Star."

"Aw, don't be such a baby. Your ego seems still intact."

"Baby? Damn, you don't even have a hint of sympathy for me, do you?"

Grinning at his wounded act, she shrugged, examining her black nail polish. "Not really, since you're going to be flat on your back again real soon."

He laughed harder and shot her another wink. "Fine, let the games begin, vamp-baby."

She smirked and returned to her corner, accepting a bottle of water from her friend, Tara, a Fae with a touch of witch blood. She and her bonded, Daren, also from the Fae, had come with her tonight, but she could tell they were both interested in other things. Other things being themselves and a bed. Star tried not to let jealousy sour her stomach, but the green monster still did. Both immortals had been her friends for centuries. They'd always been looking for a bed. And in all that time, their bond never bothered her. A lot of things never bothered her before, she thought with a glare at the wolf man. Ranger hovered near the edge of the crowd, gazing in her direction.

"Are you going to be done any time soon?"

Eyeing Tara's beautiful but impatient face, Star shrugged. "You don't have to stay," she reminded her. She needed this night. Thus, the past two hours of fighting. Even now, the workout had barely taken the edge off. What she wouldn't do for a real battle, Death Stalkers or something equally bloody.

"Well, that's comforting." Tara ran a hand up Daren's arm, curling her long, slender fingers around his big biceps before reaching up to brush his dark chestnut hair off his brow. The two were making her sick. "We might get that fun time sooner rather than later, hunk."

"Simmering is good, no, my love?" Daren was dressed as usual in a hip gray pin-striped vest with a soft tee underneath. The combo looked good on the lean mage. And Tara matched him hip for hip in her jade silk blouse and black, skintight leggings with killer knee-high, black-heeled boots. The two made a stunning couple, and knew it. The Fae always did, she thought with another irritating glance at the two.

Gag her. Really. The two needed a bed.

She resisted the urge to glance around the club, feeling eyes on her and betting on Ranger. His elusive scent tickled her nose again, distracting her and making her blood race. She just couldn't be attracted to the big lug like this. Her interest in him bordered on insane. Not to mention it was wrong on so many levels she wanted to hit someone, herself first of all, him second.

Across from her, Agni tested his blade, and she stifled her unease and focused on him and their impending fight.
Anticipation rushed through her system like a triple shot of espresso. It wasn't often she could fight without having to worry over harming her opponent too badly.

"Fighters, ready?"

Glancing at the immortal keeping score, she nodded. There were no referees in this level. The fight ran for six rounds with no rules. The huge male, a cloud demon judging by the blue swirls traced around his broad face and shaved head, merely kept time, made certain they broke off when the bell rang, and called the match. He waited until Agni nodded before hitting the bell and getting the hell out of the way.

She didn't have long to wait. Agni never let her being a female hinder his attacks. Swords out, they met in the middle with a loud scream of steel on steel. Blue sparks shot off their blades. Grinning, she shoved hard, loving the strain of muscle. She knew his tricks and wasn't about to let him get her too close. Knocking him back with a swift kick, she went low and hit him hard enough to unbalance him. Jumping back up, she tried to beat him to the punch, but he waited for her when she landed, forcing her to give him ground or get her head nearly taken.

She grinned. This was why she fought. Fighting was a dance, but with pain.

Excitement hummed through her veins, awaking every nerve, every muscle, every sense. She was the fight. Her twin swords were merely an extension of herself.

Not ducking back fast enough, she took a blow to the ribs, catching most of his wicked blade with her own. Gaining his back, she hit him hard enough to knock him to his knees. She jumped at the opportunity and gave him three swift blows with her sword hilt to the upper back then topped off her attack with a knee to his jaw.

In response, he growled low, and suddenly she found herself flying through the air, only to land flat on her back, her jaw aching. A low, threatening growl sounded near her, but she focused all her energy on the fight, barely registering the noise above the cheering crowd.

Arching, she pivoted and landed on her feet in time to stop Agni's downward stroke. Twisting away to meet him with one of her own, she caught his big feet with hers and nearly had him down.

The bell rang and they slowly lowered their weapons.

She grinned. Power throbbed through her.

He split a smile too and shook his head.

"Damn, female. What has your panties in a bind?"

"Males like you," she shot back before thinking. Ah, so very true. Males like him. Handsome, too-masculine-for-their-own-good males. Muttering a soft curse, she refused to glance around for Ranger.

"Damn," Agni grumbled, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "You're taking out your male troubles on me?"

"Quit your whining. Why shouldn't I?"

The bell rang and they were back on.

For the next hour they fought well, taking and giving blow after blow. In the end, they settled on a draw. The crowd resurfaced around her with a roar of approval. The music blared, pounding in time with her heart.

"Well, Star, if I can give you some advice?" Agni grumbled, rubbing his shoulder dramatically. "Be patient. Males take a while to train."

Like she wanted to train some male, she almost shot back at him but swallowed the words as she spotted Ranger's name go on the list of competitors. If she'd known he'd be here, let alone fighting, she never would have come.

"Later, Agni."

Touching her arm lightly, he halted her. "Hey, not so fast, come share a drink, I have a question for you."
That got her attention. She came here to fight not talk. Rubbing his hair with a towel, he watched her. He looped the towel over his big shoulders and pinned her with a grin.

She sighed. That look always worked on her.

Behind him, she spied Torment, a demon from another family, but a close friend of Agni's. The two of them had both aided her more than a few times over the years. She didn't know the dark-haired, dark-eyed demon as well as Agni, but she knew him as an honorable male. He nodded when their eyes met.

Agni didn't relax until she took his towel. She wiped her own sweat off before she walked with them to a table. She tried not to grumble as she took a seat.

"So, talk, huh?" She watched Agni for a moment more before she sighed, nodding to the bar and the watchful barmaids for a round of drinks. She had time before her next fight. Maybe she wouldn't have to fight Ranger. He might lose, after all. Or maybe she would face the arrogant wolf and make him eat mat.

"Yeah, talk, you know the concept, right, gorgeous?"

Rolling her eyes at Torment's endearment, she sank deeper into the soft leather booth. She knew males, and he wasn't as interested as he put out. But they were both friends, males she'd fought back-to-back with, so maybe they were just teasing her.

"Goose." She ordered from the little barmaid.

Flashing a grin, the witch winked. "Nice match, Star; what'll it be, boys?"

"Damn, Star, I forgot you know how to drink. I'll have one as well," Agni said.

Torment nodded. "Good choice."

As soon as the young witch swished off, Star turned her attention to the demons. "So, what's up?" she asked, nervously tapping her claws on the scarred tabletop, trying not to glance around for Ranger.

"Shit, female. What's up with you?" Agni asked, casting her fingers a frown.

Stilling them, she sat back for her drink and tried for calm. Daren and Tara shot her questioning looks from their table but stayed put when she shook her head.

"Nada, what's the topic?"

"We wanted to ask you about the Immortal Council."

Tossing the vodka down, she glared at Agni. "Gods, not you too. I'm not joining some council of pompous idiots who think they can order others about."

Torment snorted a soft chuckle and belatedly she remembered both males were on the council.

"Damn, I didn't realize I was pompous. An idiot occasionally, but pompous?" Torment's deep voice rumbled in reply.

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean; there's no chance of it."

Watching him sink his big frame back in the booth, she waited. No way he'd give up so easily. Demons were worse than a dog with a bone. Once they thought something, wanted something, they were like little kids trying every angle to get their way.

"But Samantha and her mate are on the council," Torment murmured, rolling his drink between his big hands.
"Yeah, they are." Pride swelled inside for her family, but her? No way. "And before you say another word, I can fight Death Stalkers all by my little immortal self; I don't need the council telling me how."

"True. You can fight them when you happen to run into them."

She gave Torment a look for his sarcasm but he only grinned again. Did the male really find her gorgeous? His look seemed to say so. Hard and huge, Torment had always struck her as a deeply, intensely honorable fighter with hot scars. She loved scars on a male. The silver eyebrow piercing did something for him too. Unique. Both Agni and Torment didn't go with the flow; they struck out on their own course. So why did they seem intent on pushing her down a path now?

"Your family is insisting, eh?" Agni asked then.

She sighed, depressed at how easily he cut to her problem. How much did he know? Probably a great deal. He had family problems too, but not like hers. Her beautiful females wanted her respected, honored for her strength. She just wanted to be left alone. She liked being alone. Or she had, until recently. Now she just itched all the time, like her skin stretched too tight over her restless body. "I just want to be left alone, not bothered by all the drama."

"Yeah, well, let me know how that works out, 'kay?"

Frowning at Agni, she stretched her legs, trying to ease the muscles after such a long match. He looked a bit somber, as if the world weighed on him. She'd seen him suffering from depression, overwhelmed with the responsibilities his title earned him. Years ago, she'd even been one of the only immortals he trusted with his life during the worst of his family's battles. Families. Ties of blood. She preferred to choose her own family. And why not? Agni's had given him nothing but grief, and maybe a sword to the back. He'd suffered a great deal in the past from his siblings and their little wars.

Tilting her head, she considered his question and him. He looked off. Quiet, almost pensive, the demon hung his head a moment more before meeting her eyes. Intense, he simply waited for her to speak, obviously knowing she'd respond. He was probably one of the only immortals alive that could move her with a look.

"Yeah, maybe it's not working too well lately, but things will settle down, I'm sure."

"Yeah, you think so, huh? I doubt it, Star. Things are coming to a head in the immortal world. Too many are taking the dark vow. Too many are siding with the evil they spread. Soon there will be no standing back and trying to wait for this to pass. Soon, we'll all be forced to take action. And sides."

Agni nodded his agreement. His blond brows drew down sharply in a fierce frown. "This isn't something new. Through the years, the balance has to be struck, then shifted, re-aligned. Soon, immortals will be forced to try and stem the flow of evil, or darkness will overcome."

"And the immortal council knows how to stop this from happening, huh?" She watched Torment, then Agni. Both looked seriously concerned.

But they were wrong. Agni was wrong. Things would settle down.

"You feel it. You're more aggressive lately, aren't you? Damn, you nearly floored me."

She rolled her eyes. "I always almost floor you."

She wasn't more aggressive from some imminent battle. She itched with a constant state of . . . arousal. She awoke hot and bothered by her dreams. Glancing toward the mats, she spotted Ranger watching her with a deep frown. A shiver raced down her spine and her body tingled into awareness. Her libido kicked into overdrive and her response to him pissed her off.

Irritated with herself, she turned away, only to meet the gazes of the two demons watching her closely. She couldn't believe she'd been caught ogling some wolf man who was so disgusted with her he barely held himself in check. Not when she had two fine looking males sitting with her. She could take either male home and work out all her pent up frustration over the course of the evening. Right? If only she felt even a smidgeon of attraction for either demon, her theory might work.

Agni glanced at the mats. His blond brows snapped down into a scowl before he met her gaze. His eyes flared dark black, the slit irises disappearing. Handsome face creased, he leaned forward on his arms. "Ranger? You're attracted to . . . Ranger?"

"She is?" Tor sat forward too, even glancing in surprise from her to Ranger, then back.

"Star?" Agni drummed his fingers on the table, trying to get her attention.

If she could have shifted home without looking like a complete baby she would have. She ignored them both, instead focusing on her empty glass like it held the answers to the universe. "Not going there."

"Damn, Starbright. Could you pick a male who hates you more?"

"He's an ass." Agni snorted right over Torment's sharp question.

They were, sad to say, both right. "Damn, Tor, why not jab the knife deeper and twist?"

Torment looked suitably sheepish. "Sorry, Star, I wasn't thinking. I mean, you've been . . . well, we noticed you've been showing the signs, but . . . well, I might have thought, well, that—"

"He thought you might be interested in him." Agni chuckled.

Torment scowled, quickly glancing at her with as close to a blush on his high cheekbones as the fierce demon would ever get. "A male can dream, right? You're beautiful, strong, honorable, any male would be damn lucky to have you and that"—he jerked his thumb at the mats, frowning harder—"ass doesn't deserve you if he doesn't realize it."
Well, so much for keeping her embarrassing attraction to the enemy under wraps. Did Torment really think such things of her? If so, he'd managed to shock her. Women sought the male out, as much as they chased after Agni, and both looked willing to step in to replace the obsession she was forming over the wolf.

Too bad it wouldn't work. Really. Life sucked sometimes.

Glancing at the demon again, she sighed before focusing on her drink. So, Torment thought her beautiful and strong. Good thing he didn't know her well. The thought, the subtle self doubt, caught her off guard. She squelched it quickly. She had enough embarrassing things occurring without her inner wimp rising up. Her face heated and she wanted to groan. She never blushed. Blushing wasted good blood.

Blood she happened to be low on at the moment because for some reason she'd been unable to take much from the victims she chose. Usually, she hunted human evil. Rapists. Child molesters. Killers. All her victims were the vilest she could find. Humans were completely unaware something much more powerful than themselves haunted the back alleys and deserted places of this shared world. Something powerful but hidden in plain sight. Over the centuries, she’d not once been spotted. And she wasn’t as careful as some immortals were in blending in. She might not flaunt her fangs, but she didn’t hide them either.

Vampires had the ability to take a victim's thoughts. When they bit, a vampire often needed to erase they'd ever been near the human. Erasing memories, seeing their past, all of that was there for the taking. She took memories, and disgusting ones at that, and shoved them back at her victims. But she added a twist, a bit of role reversal. When her targets awoke from her bite? They not only lacked a few pints of blood but awoke thinking they'd been a victim of a violent crime. Most stayed straight for quite some time after she gave them what Bethany dubbed "Star Justice." She called it fun.

Her fun hadn't been so fun lately. Even the taste of her victims' blood had been affected by her mood, it seemed. The blood tasted off, like it'd gone bad and she had to force herself to swallow even the few mouthfuls she could stomach. She'd almost rather go hungry, chance being weak rather than put her lips on the neck of some foul, disgusting human, she realized. And that sucked. Because, really, what else was there? She couldn't ask an immortal to donate. Hopefully this affliction would pass, and soon. Otherwise she might start hitting the next Red Cross truck when it drove by. Drive by blood snatching. Shit, she could just see it now.

Rubbing the thought away with a hand on her brow, she looked up to meet both demons watching her closely, like she might have the answers to the universe. As if. She was barely holding herself together here, let alone anyone else.

"Look, let's just ignore all this. It'll go away. Obviously, I have some misplaced fascination for jerks that I'll outgrow. Maybe it's a vampire thing. You know? Pain and all that . . . ."

Both demons eyed her with twin frowns. Males—they just didn't give up, did they? Both of them looked at Ranger again before they turned back to focus on her.

"Huh, tell me how that works out, 'kay?"

Grumbling under her breath, she chose to ignore Agni.

Torment eyed her skeptically when she looked up again. He resembled Ranger in a lot of ways. If he had blue, lighter-than-the-sky eyes, he might be related. With his ebony hair he kept way too short, square, stubborn jaw and big, broad shoulders, he could pass for a distant relative. If you ignored his slit pupils and body heat. And the fact he was a demon. "Well, if it helps any, we're all feeling the rise in tension. Maybe your attraction to the male is part of it."

"Yeah, we all get jittery before a big battle. It's no different now. You've been in immortal conflicts before; you know what I speak of." Agni nodded, sitting back to give her an apprising look. Like he'd somehow won a point for his immortal battle argument because of her out of control sexual attraction to a silly wolf? Geesh, she had been in many immortal battles, and not once had she felt like this. Not that she was telling either of them that little jewel. Oh, no.

He raised a brow at her silence, like he'd won a point. Men.

"Geesh, give me a break, Fire."

Torment's frown deepened. "Makes sense. The battle will be soon, no doubt about it."

Soon. A shiver raced down her spine unexpectedly at Torment's deep-voiced concern.

Yes, she'd fought before. The life of an immortal overflowed with fighting. But she'd also given up causes like the demons were talking about. Who cared if someone took vows with the dark side? Evil spread like oil on water, both for immortals and humans. Fighting against it seemed useless. Pointless. The world was balanced with good and evil, it just worked out that way. There wasn't some evil plot to rule the world by some stupid Death Stalkers. What the hell would they do with it anyway? They couldn't really use the humans, after all, so they'd be what? Ruling over immortals? Like they could find them all? Geesh. It was too farfetched to believe. Impossible, really.

Once again her gaze drifted to Ranger. Did he believe this crap? An imminent battle between good and evil? She doubted it. By all accounts, the male owed his loyalty to the pack. Hell, she knew first hand he did. Six months ago he'd tried to take her head for trespassing on their sacred stronghold. But the Lykae rarely took sides in the immortal battles.

The last time had been centuries ago and that battle still burned her dreams more often than not. Losing Selenia, the only person who had ever shown her kindness and even love, had nearly killed her. Without Agni coming to her in those dark hours after Selenia’s passing, she might not have survived.

In that battle, she’d been good enough to fight side by side with the Lykae. She’d saved many of the clan that long ago, chilly night. But not the one person who meant more to her than anyone. Selenia. Yet, now, she had Selenia’s kin, and she’d not lose their love to the mangy wolf glaring at her.

Standing near the mats, he looked more than ready for battle. Hot and flushed from his match, not even breathing hard, he embodied the image of a confident, immortal male. He gave her the scratch. Not a swift and heavy arousal. No, no, no, she told her overeager sex drive. He wasn't the reason she'd been considering taking a lover. No, he couldn't be.

"I have a hard time believing there will be some huge battle in the near future. The world has changed. We've changed. The last battle was long ago, in another age." She reminded both demons. And she'd lost too much. She couldn't believe in something that might take away all she'd gained.

Torment watched her with a thoughtful expression, his dark eyes not missing much, she knew. Did he truly believe there would be some battle?

"There are rumors of evil corrupting immortals. Not asking for vows, but demanding them, and turning immortals to beasts if they resist."

Shivers raced over her skin. Turning immortals to beasts? Her eyes shifted to Agni, but he looked grim.

"Is this true? Have you seen such a thing?"

Torment shifted and grimaced. "No, I've not seen the transformation, but the information comes from a source I trust. The darkness is spreading. I've heard rumors of these beasts from several sources, one right here in London. A lab was found under a human club where the procedure"—he snorted and shook his head in disgust—"was being tried out. The source—"

"Hey, what's with the source? Don't I get a name?"

In other words, didn't he trust her?

"Hell, Star, he's deep in this, I can't just be throwing his name out there."

"Well, why are you telling me all this secret stuff then? I mean, why?"

He nodded to her swords again. "If the balance is being disrupted, unbalanced, it would explain your increasing need to fight."

She laughed. She couldn't help it. Some immortal bogey man was changing immortals into beasts if they didn't sign up for the dark side and Torment believed this rumor because her long-dormant sex drive had kicked in and to quell the urge she needed to fight?

Agni shifted and tipped back his head, drinking his vodka in a big swallow. "Perhaps you just need to fight more because you're just blood thirsty, eh?"

"Yep, glad you finally noticed." She flashed her fangs and smiled when Agni and Torment both laughed. The tension between them eased, but inside her stomach rippled with anxiousness, making her shift in her seat. If the Death Stalkers had found a way to change immortals into beasts that they then used, would that shift the necessary balance needed for good and evil to exist? Could this world, both mortal and immortal, continue with only one or the other?

"Ah, Ranger is up again. He must have some. . . aggression to work off as well." Agni shot a grin at her when she snorted.

"Hey, are you going on this mission of his? I heard a rumor one of the pack females, a youngling still, was taken, or missing?" Torment asked suddenly, bringing her back to all the reasons she hated the wolf man.

Shaking her head, she glared at him for even asking. The female wasn't even clearly missing yet and Ranger wanted her to aid him? Hell no. "No. Not going."

"Ah . . . and you aren't taking the position on the council either, I take it?" Agni asked.

"Nope. Not going to do that either."

Agni shrugged, giving her his half grin. "Huh. Interesting."

The male in question sauntered off the mat then, drawing her eye. As she watched, he grabbed a bottle of water, broke the cap and drank it down.

He stood tall, at least six and a half feet, and like all wolves he sported highly developed shoulders and the lean, mean look of the wolf. Like all his kind, the loss of temper could bring out their inner beast, not that he'd turn to a wolf, or wolf man, but she'd seen more than one Lykae with his beast out and impressive didn't even begin to describe the change. Fierce, bigger than their normal selves . . . when the beast was loose, he drove the bus, so to speak. And, being a beast, he drove on pure instinct and very little thought. Ranger wouldn't beast-out at a competition; he had an iron-like control, but still, she imagined him, all hot and huge, his wolf flashing his eyes a lighter blue, and for some reason she shivered.

He usually wore jeans and a t-shirt; tonight was no different. His faded jeans cupped his ass and fit his long, muscular legs to perfection, loose in all the right places, snug in so many fascinating others. And the leather belt. Gods, it was hot. Brown, wide and just plain sexy. Tonight, he had on a faded green T with some band branded over the chest. Godsmack, she noticed when he turned. She snorted. Typical. Such a hard rock band would fit him since he was a bone head, so why not?

But why did he look so sexy hot just drinking from the damned water bottle? Her breasts felt heavy and achy, her stomach contracted painfully, and she shut her eyes to block her view.

Gods, she needed to get a grip. Corralling her lust into a ball of anger, she glared at the male. He hated her, huh? Yet, now he wanted to use her like a dog to aid his hunt for a missing female pack mate? Well, wolf man, I'm about ready to educate you on how far I've come from being anyone's little pet.

He turned then and those blue eyes met hers from across the sea of people. Her stomach bottomed out. Damn it. She couldn't be attracted to the arrogant ass.

Somehow repeating herself wasn't helping.

Where you can find Billi Jean:

Website: http://readingwritingromance.blogspot.com/
Buy Link: https://www.nobleromance.com/ItemDisplay.aspx?i=182, http://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Star-ebook/dp/B004AHKC8Y/ref=sr11?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1291076252&sr=8-1
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/billijeanJD
Twitter: BilliJean2