Paranormally Yours: A Boxed Set

by Alisha Basso

He turned and walked into the ray of sunshine. Cassie watched him glow, his whole body infused in light so bright it hurt her eyes.

  Just like that he was gone.

  She raced forward into the same sunshine. Just as she reached the spot, the sun went behind a cloud and the golden ray disappeared.

  She sobbed once. Todd was gone. But instead of sadness, her heart swelled with poignant joy, even as tears raced down her cheeks. She spun around in circles, her arms wide open. He was where he belonged now, instead of being caught in a half existence wandering the earth alone.

  She'd miss him. Always. But she was so happy for him, too.

  Slowly, her energy running down, she retook her seat on the swing and picked up her forgotten coffee. Her heart was full of joy. She loved Todd and always would. He had a place in her heart forever.

  Taking a sip of her drink, she looked around. Colors were brighter, the sunshine stronger. Life was truly a gift. Maybe death wasn't the horrible experience everyone believed it to be. She watched moms and kids walking across the grass, dogs bouncing alongside. At the old sandbox behind her, a young child was building a sandcastle.

  Cassie smiled with pleasure. She heard her name and turned around.

  Jessie waved at her from across the street; that special smile on his face was just for her. She waved back, watching him pick up the pace to the crosswalk. He'd be with her in a few minutes.

  "Can you help me find my mommy?"

  Cassie grinned down at the toddler staring up at her. "Of course I can. I'm sure she can't be far away." Cassie, her heart still full of exuberance, spun around looking for the missing parent. She searched the playground then out to the grassy fields. She frowned. There were no adults close by.

  "Honey, what does your mommy look like?"

  A child's laugh broke free. "Mommy's pretty."

  Cassie grinned and turned back to smile at the cherub. "Is she?" Her smile fell away. The child was there, only the edges of the sandbox were visible behind her. Through her.

  Shakes started to ripple down Cassie's spine. She closed the distance between them. The child laughed and her form slowly dissipated in front of Cassie. The sand in the box was flat and hard from years of being walked on. No sand sat heaped in the center as she thought she'd seen earlier.

  Could she have been mistaken? Hearing a child's laughter, she glanced toward the hedge to see the same little girl running through the brush. Through the brush?

  "Oh my," she whispered under her breath. The little girl was a giggling ghost. She laughed again, waved at Cassie and disappeared.

  Standing stock still, Cassie finally understood a fundamental truth.

  It's not that Todd could manifest in front of her, but that Cassie could see Todd. She, sixteen-year-old Cassie Merchant, owner of a boring average life in a boring average small town – could see ghosts.

  "Cassie. Sorry I'm late." Jessie loped toward her across the grass.

  With a last stunned look at the spot where she'd seen the child, Cassie turned and was instantly comforted by the warmth in Jessie's eyes. It didn't matter if she saw another spirit or a hundred spirits. She had Todd in her heart and Jessie in her life. Gorgeous Jessie, caring Jessie, special Jessie – her cohort in solving the mystery behind his brother's death and her friend all rolled up together. She laughed out loud for sheer joy.

  Her life was complete.

  -The End-

  Tuesday's Child

  What she doesn't want...is exactly what he needs.

  Shunned and ridiculed all her life for something she can't control, Samantha Blair hides her psychic abilities and lives on the fringes of society. Against her will, however, she's tapped into a killer – or rather, his victims. Each woman's murder, blow-by-blow, ravages her mind until their death releases her back to her body. Sam knows she must go to the authorities, but will the rugged, no-nonsense detective in charge of tracking down the killer believe her?

  Detective Brandt Sutherland only trusts hard evidence, yet Sam's visions offer clues he needs to catch a killer. The more he learns about her incredible abilities, however, the clearer it becomes that Sam's visions have put her in the killer's line of fire. Now Brandt must save her from something he cannot see or understand...and risk losing his heart in the process.

  As danger and desire collide, passion raises the stakes in a game Sam and Brandt don't dare lose.

  About the Author

  Dale Mayer is a prolific multi-published writer. She's best known for her Psychic Visions series. Besides her romantic suspense/thrillers, Dale also writes paranormal romance and crossover young adult books in several different genres. To go with her fiction, she also writes nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. She has recently published her Career Essentials Series. All her books are available in digital and print formats.

  Books by Dale Mayer

  Published Young Adult books include:

  Family Blood Ties Series

  Vampire in Denial

  Vampire in Distress

  Vampire in Design

  Vampire in Deceit

  Vampire in Defiance

  Family Blood Ties Trilogy : Books 1-3

  Sian's Solution - a Family Blood Ties short story

  Design series

  Dangerous Designs

  Deadly Designs

  Darkest Designs

  Design Series Trilogy

  Standalone

  In Cassie's Corner

  Gem Stone

  Published Adult Books:

  Psychic Vision Series:

  Tuesday's Child

  Hide'n Go Seek

  Maddy's Floor

  Garden of Sorrow

  Knock, Knock...

  Rare Find

  Psychic Visions Set, Books 1-3

  By Death Series

  Touched by Death – Part 1

  Touched by Death – Part 2

  Touched by Death – complete book (Parts 1 & 2)

  Haunted By Death

  Second Chances...at Love Series

  Second Chances – Part 1

  Second Chances – Part 2

  Second Chances – complete book (Parts 1 & 2)

  Charmin Marvin Romantic Comedy Series

  Broken Protocols

  Broken Protocols #2

  Broken Protocols #3

  Other Books:

  Romance x3: An Anthology

  It's a Dog's Life

  Riana's Revenge - a fantasy short story

  SKIN

  Non-fiction:

  Career Essentials: The Resume

  Career Essentials: The Cover Letter

  Career Essentials: The Interview

  Career Essentials: 3 in 1

  Connect with Dale Online

  Website:

  www.dalemayer.com

  Facebook:

  https://www.facebook.com/DaleMayer.author

  Newsletter:

  http://dalemayer.com/category/blog/

  A Dragon Blues Novella

  Dragon Mama Blues

  By

  Edie Ramer

  She’s not quite human...

  Jin Long is in love and pregnant.

  But there’s one big problem...

  She’s a dragon turned into a woman.

  And her lover is all human.

  But a half dragon, half man knows what she is.

  And he wants her for himself.

  She steals away to her dragon son in Nashville.

  Her lover is following her...

  And so is trouble...

  Acknowledgments

  I’m so grateful to so many people. First, there’s Dale Mayer, who’s my sounding board and was my first reader for Dragon Mama Blues. Then the fabulous Amy Knupp, who not only is a wonderful copy editor but a brilliant content editor, too. I’m sending double gratitude to Mary and Gregg Hughes, who know their way around saxophones and flutes and generously share their knowledge. Lastly, thank
you to Judy DeVries, my proofreader, for her eagle eyes that spot all the stuff that my lazier eyes skim right over. I am exceptionally lucky to know such smart, talented, and amazingly good looking people.

  Chapter 1

  Jin Long’s winemaker smelled like the sun with notes of sweet grapes and more notes of masculine musk brought out by the August heat. For a human, Hamish Drummond was beautiful, his skin nearly as golden as hers, though his color came from the sun and hers from her ancient heritage. More ancient than anyone knew.

  On the terrace outside her bedroom, she set down the glass. The taste was perfection with the blackberry and plum notes, and so was the view of the vineyard in her Northern California winery, with the rows of grapevines and the brilliant red and orange sunset.

  “You’re so beautiful,” Hamish said, his voice husky.

  She looked at him, and passion rose up inside her. This man with the strong shoulders and the golden hair and skin and cerulean blue eyes like the sky on hot summer days warmed her blood.

  And, worse, her heart.

  The thought that someday she would have to leave him already hurt.

  But the time wasn’t yet.

  A hunger came over her to make love with him again.

  This time, not just sex. More than that. Mate. Be with him.

  She grew still. Not acting on her thought.

  She chose her men carefully, the way she chose her clothes and her food and her houses. And all the treasures in her homes.

  At one time, she’d collected all of these indiscriminately. If it sparkled or shone, she’d wanted it. And she’d taken it.

  That was in the past. She no longer took so quickly and easily. For the last few centuries or so, she’d sat and considered. Usually she’d decided ... no. It would lead to clutter, and she’d discovered an elegance in simplicity.

  She’d first met Hamish at an interview in her office after her last winemaker had retired. At first sight, her breath had sucked in and she’d felt the instant storm of attraction. She’d imagined his tongue and teeth on her skin, and her skin had prickled with heat.

  From the way he had kept looking at her then glancing away, she’d known he was having similar feelings of delicious discomfort.

  Hiring a man she was so powerfully attracted to was not a good idea. But his reputation had been excellent, and as she’d listened to him, she’d realized he was a man who knew his way around a vineyard.

  Even after she’d told him he had the job, she knew he still wanted her by the way he watched her out of the corner of his eye.

  And the way he grew still when she was nearby. As if listening for her to whisper his name. To murmur, “Come here, lover.”

  And the way he curled his fingers. Holding back from reaching out and touching her.

  She was sure he’d noticed all the same signals from her.

  Still, she hadn’t taken him to her bed. Not at first. She could find a lover anytime. Good winemakers were harder to find.

  But, oh, he was glorious, this wine genius who loved the product of the grape as much as she did. Between the two of them, their wines were so lovely that after the first successful harvest, the grape crushing, the blending, the fermentation ... they had finally succumbed to the passion that had simmered between them with every meeting, every glance, every word.

  Despite her slenderness, she was strong, and she had ridden him for a long time that first magnificent night.

  And he had ridden her.

  “You’re glowing,” he’d said when it was over, hushed wonder in his voice. “You’re really glowing.”

  She’d laughed and said it was just sweat. She admitted to herself that if she’d been entirely human, she might love this sweet, golden man.

  Since that night, more than two years ago, they’d had many other amazing nights. But this evening felt different.

  Like the night when she was still all dragon and she’d first felt the change in her body.

  That had happened long ago. Millenniums. It had been a choice for her. She’d seen her son change to human, and soon after, she’d wanted it for herself.

  Dragons were vanishing. There was no reason for them to live anymore. Their passion was gone, and without passion, there was no reason for life.

  Like Noah, her only child, she was a fan of music. Unlike him, music wasn’t a fever inside her. A need that would require her to go through the transformation to human. Her passion had bloomed the first time she’d tasted wine, caught first by the blood-red color and then by the tannic taste of the fermented grapes.

  Oh, bliss, oh, paradise, oh, humanity.

  She remembered perfectly the dusty roadside in China. She’d been parched, and she had drunk the wine of a merchant who’d been delivering it to the next village. She’d never tasted anything so good, so heavenly.

  It hadn’t taken long to realize there were not enough humans traveling with wine whom she could waylay. Changing to human was the only way she could have more. And if her son could change ... perhaps she could, too.

  And so she had.

  She ached to tell this man, her new love, what she was, but of course, she couldn’t.

  He put his hand over hers. She looked down at his big hand, imagining it touching her.

  It wouldn’t be the first time, but this time didn’t feel the same. It felt one hundred times more potent. As if instead of breathing air, they were breathing fumes of wine.

  “It feels like there’s magic in the air.” He pulled her up and kissed her, then she kissed him back.

  They shed their clothes on their way to the large bed, where they could do all sorts of wonderful things.

  And the magic followed them....

  * * *

  Two months later, the sun was shining again when she was informed that Claude Willowby, a Toronto businessman, had called and wanted to see her.

  Her assistant, Sonja, said he was a very wealthy man. Her eyebrows rose as she added, “And handsome.”

  Jin laughed. She’d been feeling good lately. Happier than usual. She knew why, of course, and wasn’t sure what to do about it or what would happen.

  That was the problem with life. No matter what happened, it had a good side ... and a very, very bad side.

  “What does this handsome Mr. Willowby do?”

  “He’s an investor.”

  “I don’t need money.” Indeed, she had plenty of her own. And she was an investor, too. Though she invested most of her money in jewels, antiques, and gold bars—and a lesser amount in her winery—she also invested in businesses that appealed to her. She even invested in businesses for women in other countries—especially the poorest countries.

  After living for so long in this human woman’s body and seeing the disparities of women’s lives compared to men—all because they were built to perform childbirth, which should have been the most celebrated job in the world—even she, who was mired in the selfishness of dragon-kind, wanted to do something to empower other women.

  “Didn’t you hear me say that he’s handsome? And very wealthy?” Sonja tittered, her eyes bright. Sonja made no secret that she was on the lookout for a rich husband who would shower her with gifts. After all, she was pretty enough to snag one. A blonde with bright blue eyes, her teeth a brilliant white, and large breasts that never jiggled. One of her favorite things about her job was meeting wealthy men.

  Jin laughed, amused by her. “For you, Sonja, I will see him.”

  The next day, a tall and muscular dark-haired man with thick lips and eyes the color of a stormy sky came to see her, and he didn’t give Sonja, with her tight dress, false eyelashes, and enhanced breasts, a glance.

  Instead, he stared at Jin with his piercing gray eyes as if he wanted to gobble her up, though she had done nothing to catch this gaze. She wore cream-colored slacks and a gray top that skimmed her body instead of hugging tightly. Her hair was pulled back, and her face was naked of makeup.

  She raised her eyebrows and gave him what Hamish called her i
mperious stare that asked, What are you looking at? But this man didn’t notice, too busy eating her face with his eyes.

  She continued to stare back at him. He was handsome in an I’m so sexy way, and there was something wrong with his complexion. It appeared thicker than normal skin. And on the side where the sun’s rays beamed in through her window, his skin glittered, even though...

  Her eyes narrowed. Was that powder on his face? Why...?

  Oh, no. Oh, no.

  Oh, hell no.

  She hissed, and his smile straightened, his lips clamping together as if he realized what she saw.

  There were no scars on his face. There were no tattoos that he was covering up.

  There were scales.

  Perhaps another human wouldn’t notice, but she wasn’t completely human.

  And neither was he.

  “You can go,” she said to Sonja, who shrugged. A smart woman, she’d probably understood that Mr. Willowby was only interested in Jin. She no doubt had concluded it was due to Jin’s wealth or her property.

  She’d be wrong.

  “Would you like me to bring a special wine first?” Sonja lingered despite the direct order, secure in the knowledge that her cheekiness amused Jin.

  The coolness of Jin’s voice reflected the iciness she felt inside. “I don’t believe Mr. Willowby is here for the wine.”

  Sonja blinked her surprise then glided out of the office and shut the door behind her. Jin didn’t track her, keeping her eyes on her guest.

  When a poisonous snake was in the same room with you, it was wise to keep your gaze on it.

  And didn’t it figure that just when her life was the happiest it had been for maybe ever, this snake had slithered into it, ready to spew his venom?

  Then she took a deep breath, telling herself that maybe she was wrong. Maybe the suspicious dragon nature that had kept her kind secluded in caves for so long was popping up.