Title: Wild Hearts
Series: Blood & Judgment #1
Authors: Eve Newton & Franca Storm
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: February 22, 2016
BLURB
Two alpha women on a mission. Two alpha males hungry to claim them.
But can these wild hearts be tamed?
Rough and hard-as-nails Alpha wolf, Aria. Classy and fierce vampire, Ember.
The strongest of their kind, they reluctantly join forces to protect the supernatural world from extinction.
Things become complicated when an all-powerful warlock sets his sights on Ember, while a soldier of the enemy seeks to claim Aria. Passions and desires ignite. Loyalties are tested. Enemies abound.
The stage is set for one hell of an epic battle in the first installment of this smoldering paranormal romance saga.
PURCHASE LINKS
EXCERPTS
Excerpt 1
I gasp in shock as the foggy darkness dissipates and the intruder is revealed.
He’s standing over by the door in a rigid, ready-for-anything pose. A soldier’s stance if I ever saw one. My eyes wander over him. His brown hair that’s styled in a military crew cut. Those deep, enthralling hazel eyes that have this uncanny ability to hold me captive in a way I’ve never known before. The golden breastplate covering his broad, muscular torso. My gaze dips lower to some sort of kilt-like thing extending to the top of his thighs. His legs are protected by golden armor and his knee-high boots appear metallic too. But the thing that stands out above all else is that awful Sword of Judgment holstered at his right hip.
Cahl.
Fuck. He’s here to finish the job. How the hell did he find me?
I scramble to wrap the duvet around me to hide my nakedness. That, in itself, is an odd reaction for me. I feel shy about being exposed to him. That’s never been the case for me before. I’ve never been ill at ease with being unclothed.
I hurry off the bed, clutching the duvet tightly to my chest with one hand, while keeping my other free to defend myself with if he makes a sudden move.
I can feel that I’m healed now and back at full strength, so I only need one to take this Ambassador asshole down. That’s pretty cocky, but I know my power. Even though I definitely felt that he was stronger than the other Ambassadors I’ve come into contact with in the past, I know I can still hold my own.
He tenses up as I approach. But he’s not tensing in preparation for a fight. No, I can see it in his eyes. He’s…nervous. Nervous? That’s weird.
“Why couldn’t I see you? Smell you?”
“Black magic,” he answers, simply. “I could not allow your wolf pack to sense my presence.”
Oh my God. “What have you done?”
His brow furrows. “Done?”
“To my wolves? If you’ve hurt them—”
“I am not here for that.”
“How did you track us here?” I demand, getting ready to call my wolf claws to the surface. He might not be readying for battle, but I’m not a fool. It must just be a trick; a new tactic to try to get me to lower my defenses, or something.
“Your pack does not concern me. Neither does your vampire ally.”
Nice try at deflecting the question. “How?” I thunder.
He seems confused. “It was you.”
Huh. Wasn’t expecting that. “What?”
“You called me to you.”
He steps forward, leaving merely a few inches between us as his towering six-foot-five wall of muscle and armor looms over me. “What spell have you cursed me with?”
What the actual hell? “Spell? I’m not a witch, asshole.”
“You may not be, but you could certainly have employed one.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your scent is more potent than any other Tainted breed I have encountered and I cannot dispel it from my consciousness. You plague me with thoughts of you and…sentiment for you.”
It takes me a moment, but then realization dawns on me. Wow. “It’s called attraction.”
“Attraction?”
“It’s not a spell. You’re attracted to me.” Of course he thinks it’s the result of a spell, because Ambassadors are not known for feeling or showing any sort of emotion. He probably has no idea what to do with it.
Oh, this is nice. I can use this.
“I do not accept that. I have a mission. I do not desire any woman, especially not a Tainted target. You have spelled me.”
I glare at him. “Don’t flatter yourself, soldier boy. Do you really think I want you anywhere near me?”
I see him take that in, thinking it over. And then he says, “Then this is a ruse.”
I step closer until we’re only inches apart. His eyes widen, that nervousness back again as he struggles to maintain eye contact. Hmm…Imake him nervous? Very interesting. That works for me.
“I don’t play games. And the idea that you’re attracted to me, disgusts me.” Okay, maybe that’s not the whole truth when it comes to the attraction thing, but I need it to be. “Your kind murdered my dad! I hate you all!” I snarl, rage rising within me from just recalling that awful day.
He catches me off guard, making me gasp, as he suddenly grabs my chin. Just like back at that hotel, his touch is gentle.
He regards me curiously for several excruciating long moments of incredible awkwardness. For the life of me, I don’t know why the hell I don’t pull away. Jesus. What is this? Why isn’t my hatred for him pure and straightforward like it is for the rest of his Ambassador kind?
“You feel it too,” he says. “I can see it in your eyes. You are right. This is not a spell.” He releases me and he backs away, shaking his head. “How is this possible?”
“Hell if I know. I don’t care.”
“You should be no more than a target,” he goes on, turning his back to me as he continues shaking his head with disbelief.
I can’t believe he’s actually turning his back. A soldier turning his back to his enemy? Talk about letting his guard down in a major way. He’s really affected by this. He’s not thinking clearly. I know I should take advantage of it. Ambassadors are my enemies. He is my enemy.
But a part of me is hesitating. I don’t understand it. Get a fucking grip, Aria! I need to take this asshole down and he’s just given me an in that won’t result in me sustaining so much damage for once, unlike every other time I’ve come up against one of his kind.
I draw in a breath to clear my damn head. Do it! Do it!
“Cahl,” I say in a voice purposely full of sugary sweetness.
He turns back to me.
I release my grip on the duvet. It pools at my feet, leaving me standing there before him completely naked.
My odd shyness from before is nowhere to be found. This is a mission now. I have the upper hand here. He’s completely out of his element. Weak. He attacked me back at the hotel when I was wounded and weak. This is just me returning the favor. Taking advantage of hisvulnerability.
But his reaction surprises me.
He shields his eyes with his hand and demands, “Cover yourself.”
Wow. I’ve never heard those words from any male before. But I’m not backing down now. I can seduce him into subjugation. “You want to touch me.”
He doesn’t say anything. He just takes a step back from me.
“This is what you came here for, Cahl. Take it.” Like hell, he will be. Fucker.
Still, he says nothing.
“Come on! You had your hands on me earlier without my permission and now I’m offering it up to you!”
Oh my God. Still nothing. He’s not making a move. How is this happening? “Don’t tell me you’re afraid,” I bite at him, getting frustrated. “Take it!” I hiss harshly.
He moves so fast then and I suddenly find myself wrapped in the duvet again, my back against the wall, with him pinning my arms tightly at my sides in a matter of seconds. Holy hell!
“It is you who is afraid,” he says, glaring down at me.
“What?” I seethe.
“You hide the truth from them all and even from yourself.”
“The truth?” I scoff. “The only truth here is that you want me dead, so I’m gonna do whatever it takes to stop that from fucking happening.”
His eyes flash with realization. “You exposed yourself to manipulate me?”
“Damn right, I did. And I will kill you.”
“I do not wish to kill you, Aria.”
Urgh. I hate the way he says my name. It has my body reacting in a way I don’t fucking want it to. “I hate you! I hate your kind!” I yell at him, loathing that he’s able to affect me.
He smiles with amusement. “Your fear speaks lies to me.”
“I don’t have the fucking fear gene!”
He shifts his grip on my arms, grabbing my wrists in a single hand and raising them up above my head. With his free hand, he presses his fingers gently to my heart. “This is what possesses such fear. You hide it from them all.” His enthralling hazel eyes lock with mine. “You are pure of heart. You are not like the other Tainted. There is no real malice. You do not possess a desire to kill, at least, not when you are in human form.”
Is he saying I’m weak? Hell, no. “I’ve killed plenty,” I growl at him.
“To protect your life and those of your pack. Not for pleasure. You do not relish the kill. It disgusts you, does it not? Except when you are wolf.”
The fact that he knows any of this is fucking worrying. Shit. “Get off me.”
Confusion flickers in his eyes. “You are upset with my observation?”
I growl at him.
“Ah, I see. You believe it to be a weakness. It is why you hide it.”
“I will kill you.”
“Then, by all means, try,” he challenges, releasing me suddenly and stepping back.
What the hell?
I push off the wall. His eyes are on me. All over me.
“You should not expose yourself so brazenly,” he tells me. “It is a gift,” he says, gesturing to my body. “It should be treated as such and only given to those who are worthy.”
“Is that a come on?”
“Merely a statement of fact”.
Excerpt 2
“Well, Draven, it seems that I am here for you then.” Yeah, my confidence is returning as I suddenly get a sense that everything is going to work out. The Head of the Coven! No wonder I felt his power in my vision. This warlock standing before me is probably the most powerful creature on Earth. I swallow loudly and feel my cheeks turn red again. It also means he is Jacob’s brother. I remember Simon’s words: “His brother is the Head of the Coven that Sasha is a member of.”
“Me?” he scoffs derisively. “I don’t do sloppy seconds.” He stalks off, leaving me reeling at the insult he just casually threw my way. Aria is snickering behind her hand and Jacob is smiling at me with that too-friendly smile.
“Jackass,” I hiss at him and stalk off after Draven.
I find him in a very elegant drawing room, pouring expensive scotch into a cut crystal glass. I give him a frosty glare, all of my previous girly feelings completely shattered under his scorn for me. No one insults me and gets away with it.
“What makes you think I came here for that?” I ask him with my arms crossed.
“They all come here for that,” he says mildly and sits on a comfortable looking sofa and props his ankle on his knee.
“Such modesty,” I growl at him.
“I tell it like it is,” Draven says. “They use Jacob to get to me and, like I said, I don’t touch my brother’s whores.”
“You bastard,” I spit out at him. “You wouldn’t know class if it smacked you around your thick skull with an antique candlestick.”
“Class,” he repeats and gives me another raking once-over. “Mm, perhaps, once. Fucking my little brother to get yourself into my Coven HQ is something only a whore would do.”
“Call me a whore one more time and I will rip your tongue out,” I snarl.
“Oh, feisty,” he says, totally unconcerned that he has brought forth the beast. I can feel my fangs and claws pop out, but I pull back before I take a swipe at him and ruin any chance of making my life’s work a reality.
“Sexy too, in a common sort of way,” he drawls and takes a sip of his scotch.
“Common?” I repeat, utterly outraged. That’s a worse insult than ‘whore’. “Why you…” I launch myself at him, giving him a well-deserved, resounding slap across his face.
His look of surprise is almost comical as he gapes at me and then stands up, towering over my five-five frame.
“Do you have any idea who you are messing with, vampire?” he says, clearly trying not to roar at me.
“Do you?” I retort. “Warlock.” I put every ounce of disgust I can into my last word and it makes two red spots on his cheeks flare up.
For a split second I think how cute he looks, but push it aside. This idiot has gotten on my proper bad side and there is no coming back from that. Even if he is the one to pull this circle together.
“Good enough to fuck…” He leaves the sentence hanging.
“I wouldn’t touch you if you begged me to,” I say with my hands on my hips. “Ask your brother what you are missing out on.”
I hear Aria clear her throat behind me and Jacob lets out a strangled chuckle.
“Mmm, hmm,” he mutters lewdly.
“Get out!” Draven roars at the two of them, holding out his hand and letting off a current of magic that has them stumbling back and the double doors slamming shut. He slams his glass down on the antique end table, making it rock unsteadily. I flinch when I think about how he nearly broke such a priceless item. That, coupled with his show of magic, makes me take a deep breath.
“Let’s start again,” he says, clutching at his self-control like a lifeline in a tempestuous storm.
“Why?” I ask obnoxiously.
“You are a difficult woman,” he broods, straightening his jacket and picking up his scotch again. This time he sits himself in a straight-backed armchair. “Take the olive branch, or you can get the hell out of here, never to return.”
“Fine,” I grumble, knowing that I have no choice.
“Now, Ember, what is it that I can do for you?” he asks politely. Too politely. Dick.
“Well, Draven, it seems that my vision has led me to you and you are to help me and Aria—”
He frowns at me.
“The wolf,” I elaborate and he nods slowly, a surprising realization dawning on his handsome face. “We need to form a circle...”
“To fulfill the prophecy,” he mumbles and sits up straighter.
“To fulfill an ancient prophecy… Wait? What?” I ask a bit sideswiped. He knows?
“Before my mother passed, she told me a vampire and a wolf would appear at my door and that, together, we would bring down the Jurisdiction,” he explains quietly.
“Your mother was a Seer?” I ask amazed, losing my defensive stance and sitting on the coffee table in front of him, scooting it back several inches so that our knees aren’t touching.
“Yes,” he says. “How do you know?”
“I, too, am a Seer,” I say. “I have had visions for many years, all of which have led me to Aria and now to you.”
He takes that in, his brow furrowing even deeper. Geez, the man knows how to brood.
“Your mother… was she from the other Realm?” I ask carefully.
He looks up in surprise. “Yes,” he confirms.
I nod and it all makes sense now. “So was mine and Aria’s.”
“You had a mother?” he asks incredulously.
“For fuck’s sake. Have the lot of you never heard of born vampires? Do you all live under rocks or something?” I snap at him.
“You are a rarity,” he says, the look in his eye now back to the glowing desire that he had before he found out I banged his little brother. “Such a treasure.”
“Eurgh, please,” I say, really not going back to the doe-eyed moron I was earlier. I have been well and truly snapped out of that nonsense.
“You are,” he says, sitting forward.
I lean back as his face is inches from mine and I’m worried he is going to try to kiss me or something.
“Back to the prophecy,” I say clearing my throat, glad that I don’t have to explain it to him.
“Yes,” he says softly. “I was never sure if what my mother said was true, but I guess it is.” He takes a sip of his scotch and then holds the glass out to me. “To our new endeavor.”
I stare at the glass with a frown at the intimate gesture. I wouldn’t even share a drink with Simon, never mind this buffoon.
“I didn’t spit in it,” he says to me with a smile that lights up his eyes.
“I might.” I take it from him anyway as he laughs at me.
I take a teeny sip with a moue of distaste and hand it back to him.
“I am not easily offended, Ember,” he says. “You could have refused.”
Now he tells me. I lick my lips and stand up. A very bad idea as his face is now perfectly in line with my pussy and he is licking his own lips, like he wants to delve his tongue right down my slit.
“Uh,” I say and stumble backwards. “We should get going, you know, daylight...”
“You can stay here,” he says grandly, offering us his home for the day.
“Aren’t you afraid I might corrupt your brother?” I say stupidly, thinking of a reason not to stay. I don’t trust him. His turnaround was far too quick and accepting for my liking and that can only mean he wants something. As I’ve said, his kind are sneaky and devious and he is the Head of all of this sneakiness. It makes me very nervous.
He grimaces at me, but then his face relaxes. “I am not worried about Jacob,” he says dismissively. “You are mine, Ember. We belong together. I know that, because my mother told me. She had a vision on her death bed and it appears she was right about everything else.”
“W-what?” I stammer and head for the doorway. “No, no. I am here for one reason only.” His? His? Is he fucking joking? No one has the right to claim me, especially not him.
He boxes me in, coming up so close behind me that his body is touching mine. I reach for the door handle, but he slams a big hand to it, keeping it closed. I can feel the magic coming off him in waves and it is making me feel lightheaded. I need to feed and soon.
“Two reasons,” he whispers in my ear.
“But you don’t do sloppy seconds,” I say, not liking to refer to myself in such a way, but needing to get him off me.
“Think of Jacob as a warm-up,” he says darkly. “When I take you to my bed, Ember, you will know what it is like to be with a real man.”
“Ah,” I choke, trying to regroup my thoughts. “I have been around for two hundred years. There isn’t a single thing that you can do for me that others haven’t,” I tell him, feeling beads of sweat pop out on my forehead.
“Just wait,” he says with a dark laugh and steps back from me.
AUTHOR BIOS & LINKS
Romance authors, Eve Newton and Franca Storm have joined forces to bring forth an epic paranormal romance series, BLOOD & JUDGMENT.
Between them, Eve and Franca have penned over 40 romance novels.
EVE NEWTON
Eve is a British novelist with a passion for anything paranormal & erotic. She loves Louboutins, good wine, and of course, a good book!
Eve has always loved to read, anything paranormal catches her interest, and writing has always been a passion of hers, so she decided to take the plunge and combine the two into a series of paranormal erotica novels. This led Eve to try out contemporary and erotic romance novels as well. Eve has loads more ideas churning around in her head and can't wait to see them develop into books for you to enjoy.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1SXJD4A
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+EveNewtonForever/posts
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evenewtonforever
Website: https://evenewtonauthor.wordpress.com/
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorEve
FRANCA STORM
Franca was born in Surrey, England and currently lives in Niagara Falls, Canada with her husband and their labrador, Rocky.
She is a long-time lover of erotica and romance novels, especially those with sexy-as-sin alpha males. She decided to try her hand at writing her own and writing romance is now her obsession and the perfect way to put her dirty mind to good use!
She writes stories about bad boys with big hearts. She's penned more than 20 novels. Her writing spans many different sub-genres of romance: contemporary, biker romance, paranormal romance, new adult, romantic erotica and romance suspense. She’s got a ton of stories to tell and many more works up her sleeve.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1SXJJt1
Google+: https://plus.google.com/108952648617607490213/posts
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/francastormauthor
Website: http://francastorm.com/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/francastorm
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FrancaStorm
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