by G. Bailey
My smile dies as I look towards the sound of Drew’s voice, he is stood in the kitchen doorway and I drop the phone on the floor in shock. Drew is dressed in a suit, his hair styled neatly and yet I can’t see why I ever found him attractive.
“What are you doing in here, Drew?” I say sharply, taking a step back.
“Don’t you miss me? I miss you, Ellie,” he says with a cold smile. It’s calculated and I know he doesn’t really want an answer.
“Get out,” I say and point a shaky finger at the door.
“No chance, see, I want to talk and you are going to listen.” He says and puts his hands on his hips, shoving his jacket away from his hips.
So, I can see the shiny black gun he has strapped onto his belt.
“We are going to talk Ellie, or things are going to get nasty.” He says with a big smile.
I just nod.
Author’s Note
Hello and thank you for reading Strip for Me (Part Three).
Sorry about the little cliff-hanger (It’s kind of my thing.)
A review would be amazing and I would love you for it.
A big thank you to Carol, Taylor, Anna and Jackie!
Most of all, I want to say thank you to everyone that brought this book, you guys or gals are amazing!
The next part is up for pre-order and one new part will be released once a month.
I also have a newsletter, an easy way to keep up with new releases.
Come and say hello on my Facebook page, Twitter or my website listed below. I post teasers, new covers and some giveaways on my Facebook group, Bailey’s Pack.
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Please keep reading for a small excerpt of My Winter Wolf by Arizona Tape…
It was time. Today was the day. The winter was finally here. And this year it was my turn.
This winter, the Wolf would be mine. An honour that was only granted every seven years. And this year, it was my year.
At least, it was supposed to be.
I vividly remembered the coldness from that day like it had only just happened. The wind had howled as the whole tribe had gathered in half a circle around the ancient altar. The first snow had only fallen yesterday.
The winter was here.
My whole family had respectfully bowed their heads for me as I approached the stone altar. I had always been the youngest, the forgotten one. But the Guardians had chosen me. And now, finally, it was my turn.
If everything had gone right, I would've gotten my wolf and the Great Wolf would've gotten me. But things didn't go right, no, they went horribly wrong.
I angrily gritted my teeth at the sour memory and groaned as I felt the straps of my backpack dig painfully into my shoulders, all because I wanted to climb this slope. If I didn't get over this stupid hillside, I would have to make a two days detour. And two days was a lot of time, time I didn't have to spare.
I dug my bare fingers in the cold snow as I ran up the slippery side screaming as a madman. Exhausted, I fell down on top of the hill and I happily threw a handful of snow into the air. I mentally patted myself on the back, congratulating myself for shaving off two days of harsh walking.
As I stared at the night sky, it became quite clear that sundown wouldn't be far away. I groaned as I realised I had wasted a lot of time on this slope and that there wasn't much time left to set up camp.
Instead of relaxing in the snow, I should find a clearing, get a fire going, and find suitable branches to set up my tent.
Reluctantly, I heaved the lumpy sack that didn't even deserve the name backpack on my shoulders and orientated myself back towards the East. Step by step, my feet disappeared into the fresh snow as I left a trail behind for nobody.
I had insisted that retrieving the Winter Stone was my duty as the next Guardian. I need to prove everyone I deserved to be chosen by returning our most valuable possession. The Elders had protested and told me that the Winter Stone was too valuable and that its fate shouldn't rest solely my hands, but when they asked if there was anyone willing to join me, nobody had risen to the occasion.
Instead, I had felt a bunch of angry eyes prickle on my back. The same eyes I had felt since the very moment the Elders announced I would become the next Winter Wolf.
Not that that would happen anytime soon without the Winter Stone. Our ritual was worthless without the ancient magic stowed away in the artefact. Magic that was given to us directly by the Great Wolf, a revered spirit and common ancestor.
So I had kissed my mother goodbye, hugged my grandparents and left on my journey to the East. Why East? There was only one tribe dumb enough to steal the Winter Stone and that was the Coyote Clan.
Our distant nephews and long time rivals. They would do anything to spite us and after many attempts, they finally seemed to have succeeded in stealing our most important relic.
With a burning hatred in my chest for the Coyotes, I stomped through the forest with more resolve until I finally found myself at a deserted clearing.
There was a heap of rocks that would more or less protect me from the howling wind and a relatively flat spot where I could sleep without the blood rushing to either my head or toes.
I dropped my backpack down and with a branch, started sweeping the snow away from the floor, hoping to expose enough terrain for a campfire and at least my tent. That was the easy task. Now I needed to find enough dry wood to get a fire going and a sturdy long branch that would support the hides I had brought with me. With the whole forest covered in a thick bed of snow, finding dry wood was like finding water in the desert. Not an easy task.
It took me until nightfall to find enough suitable branches and the darkness had fallen before I managed to spark the first bunch of tinder.
A small flame danced in my hands as I carefully fed it more wood, my breathing hitched in my throat as I prayed for the twigs to catch fire.
Luckily, it did. I let out a sigh of relief as my camp was now accompanied by a warm fire and with my heart at ease I let myself fall down on a big lump of wood that was now my chair.
From my pack, I conjured a strip of dried elk and with the fire happily dancing away, I chewed on the jerky as it filled my mouth with savoury goodness.
I looked around me. A small fire, a tent that looked like it could break any moment and a wooden stump with maggots crawling out of it. Ahhh, home sweet home.
But I smiled. I was alone and there was no one here that could look at me with mean eyes or whisper behind my back that I wasn't worthy of having my wolf released.
To be honest, I wasn't sure why they picked me. I know there weren't many candidates. I mean, from my age group, there were only four more people that still had a wolf inside them. It meant that the chances were extremely low that the next generation of kids would still possess wolves.
If that was the case, I could very well be the last Guardian of our tribe. I could be the last Winter Wolf.
About My Winter Wolf
Blurb: What would you call a werewolf that can't shift?
The Rafe clan has long lost their ability to shift into their true wolf form. Akira Rafe is one of the few people who is still born with a wolf. Only every seven years, one person is given the honour to release the animal inside their chest. This year, it is Akira's turn to become the Winter Wolf. But for this once in a life time ritual, she needs the blessing from the Winter Stone. Which has gone missing. Just her luck.
On her desperate quest to retrieve the Stone and finally embrace her true nature, she comes across wolf shifters – real ones, who can still shift. One of them seems to be her mate. Maybe even two of them... But how can she be sure without her wolf there to guide her?
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Strip For Me Serial
Part One
Part Two
Part Three (Coming October)
Part Four (Coming November)
Part Five (Coming December)
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G. Bailey, Strip For Me: Part Three (Reverse Harem Serial Book 3)
