Carnage.
No one had seen him arrive. They never did. That was how it should be. He needed to be someone the supernaturals he worked with trusted fully without fearing or questioning his loyalty.
His allegiances were his own and not up for debate with the group or the organization. When he’d been brought into the Immortal Ops program, it had not been lightly. The people who thought they had control of it were wrong.
Dead wrong.
Bad decisions had been made. Good people had lost their lives. Brooks was their answer to that. A one-man clean-up crew, if you will.
He checked his watch. The current crew should have already been done with the warehouse and the pier. The I-Ops and the PSI-Ops had left one hell of a mess. He couldn’t blame them. Helmuth had an army at the ready and had used a portion of it to attack the I-Ops. Sure, the dead were paranormal thugs hell bent on being part of the new wave of supernaturals, but still, a mess was a mess.
Your men all returned alive. You can’t ask for anything better.
He could ask that the violence stop, period, but that would never happen. Since the dawn of time, good had been pitted against evil. It would continue to be until the end. There was no changing it.
He knew. He’d tried.
He walked up behind the cleanup crew, who had yet to notice his arrival. He’d have a talk with them later about that. They should always be on the ready.
“Speed it up,” he barked. The two nearest him almost jumped out of their skin.
They needed to get their shit together and clear out soon. He wouldn’t risk any of them learning personal information about him. He’d been alive too long and seen too many turncoats to trust anyone with what he held precious.
Or rather, who.
Loup Garou by Mandy M. Roth
Book One in the Tempting Fate Series
Lindsay Willows craves a simple life. One where she can make a difference without drawing too much attention to herself. As the daughter of both a vampire and a fae, the cards were already stacked against her. Finding out she’s the supposed mate of a dark fae prince doesn’t help matters. Especially when there are those who will stop at nothing to prevent her from mating with a prince she’s never even met.
When Exavier Kedmen, the incredibly sexy front man for a world-famous band, shows up wanting her to go back to working in a field she left three years ago, she can’t explain the strong feelings that surface for a man she barely knows.
Lindsay finds herself confronting demons from her past, coming to terms with the ones in the present, and finally looking forward to a future with the man she was created for. And she discovers evil doesn’t care who it hurts to obtain its goals, but even the evilest of things fear something, or in the case of Exavier, someone.
WARNING: This book contains vampires, werewolves, sexy bedroom scenes and violence explained with contemporary, graphic language.
Excerpt from Loup Garou
“Tell me again who I’m meeting today,” I said, holding on to one of my closest friend’s shoulders while I stretched my leg high in the air. The need to work the kinks out of my sore muscles before daring to go on with a day filled with exercise seemed wise when I started. Now, as I stood there with visions of caffeine dancing through my head, I began to second-guess myself. Coffee was up next to sex on my list of things I’d rather be doing. So far, my caffeine intake was lower than it should be. I thought about wearing a button warning others to exercise extreme caution when dealing with me, but with the skimpy outfits I wore to work out in, there really weren’t a lot of places I could pin it to.
“Exavier Kedmen, he’s the front man for the rock band Loup Garou,” Myra said, never missing a beat. She was a machine when it came to her quest to keep me on track and I loved her for it. At least one of us knew what the hell I was supposed to be doing. I was happy when I remembered what day of the week it was. I’d say it was an exaggeration, but I’d already thought it was the wrong day twice and had only been awake a little over an hour.
“I love the name Exavier. I once knew a boy with that name.” Slight understatement if I’d ever heard myself voice one. I’d more than known that Exavier. He’d been my best friend, first love and greatest letdown. Too many years had passed to bother thinking hard about it now. I missed him and most likely always would. Since I hadn’t seen him since I was seven and he was ten, it was safe to say he’d had an impact on me. Sighing, I dipped my head down and pressed my forehead to Myra’s shoulder. Thankfully she was tall too. She made a wonderful mobile “post” for me to hang on to. I’m sure she’d rather I not do it, but since she hadn’t verbalized a concern, I went with it.
I stared at the dark grey Berber carpeting in Myra’s office as I continued to stretch. I’d rather be staring at a latte. The carpet would do nothing to chase away my bitchiness or help me stay awake. Though it did have a rather odd and nearly impossible pattern in it.
I shook my head. If I was to the point I was willing to stare at carpet, the day was going to be a long one. At least I was in Myra’s office and not at the police station in my friend Jay’s office. He was a detective and seemed to be able to locate everything but his desk with the mess he had in his office. I spent more time wondering if I saw a stack of papers move with the help of rodents and trying to figure out what the mystery odor was than I did visiting Jay.
Probably why I stopped visiting him there.
Myra’s neat-freak tendencies never left me concerned about things crawling up my leg. Her office was done in shades of grey with black and white accents. To me, it was depressing. To Myra, it was perfect. Whatever made her happy worked for me. She’d given up a life in corporate America to help me with the center and had never once complained.
“Why exactly is a front man of a rock band meeting with me? I’m not in the business of choreographing anymore. I’m sure the word is out by now. If not, I’m happy to spread it.”
Myra held her day planner up behind my head and ignored me. The planner was her version of a bible. I learned very quickly that touching it was begging for the death penalty. I was also informed, in the event of a fire I was to save the day planner first, small puppies and endangered species second. Strangely, small children were not on her list. I also did not point out that her plan had a flaw. In order to rescue the day planner I’d have to touch the book, so I was a bit confused on what Myra wanted. “You have a ten o’clock appointment with the Ferris family. They want us to protect their great-grandfather who is convinced the reaper, I kid you not, is coming for him.”
Strange, but truth be told we’d had weirder. “How old is he?”
“One hundred and two,” she said, somehow managing to keep a straight face. You had to hand it to her. I wanted to burst into laughter. I resisted.
Grinning, I switched legs. “Would it be wrong for me to confirm his suspicions? I think he’s right. The reaper is after him.”
“Lindsay, pretend to have a heart. It makes us all feel better about being near you.”
“Fine.” I rolled my eyes and let out a soft laugh. The man was one hundred and two. Of course the reaper was on his heels. Unless he was immortal. Somehow, I doubted it. “I still don’t know why word keeps spreading about us. It’s not like we’ve got a mystery machine parked out front with our own talking dog. Why come to us for the paranormal?”
She snorted but didn’t give me an answer.
“Anything else I need to know about? There aren’t any more surprises this week are there? I’ve had no coffee yet today and have already taken an abnormal interest in your carpeting. Please tell me my week’s looking up.”
She murmured something I couldn’t quite catch. Never a good sign. “Umm, try that again, this time in English.”
Myra rolled eyes and gave me a wry grin. “You are supposed to have dinner with your parents tomorrow night.”
“Sun sets around eight lately so I have a while to come up with a good excuse as to why I’m not going to be able to make it.”
“Lindsay!”
Grinning, I kissed her cheek quickly. “You know you love me.”
Myra snickered as she thumped her hip to mine. “God help me, I do.”
“The idea of my mother trying to set me up with someone else makes my stomach tight. You go in my place. She always picks men who are right up your alley.” It was true. Myra’s idea of the perfect man was my idea of a boring one. She seemed drawn to the executives. My idea of the perfect guy generally swayed more towards bad boys with big toys. Basically, everything she hated in a man. It made for a great friendship. It wasn’t like we ever had to worry we would try to steal each other’s’ boyfriend.
“Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
“Suit yourself.” I dropped my leg down and walked towards Myra’s black desk. The oversized unit had a raised glass top with silver feet. A matching wall unit sat against the wall behind her and went to the ceiling. Every tiny paperclip had a home in Myra’s office. I moved things around once and she spent a week complaining. The temptation to do it again was great. I held back. It was hard.
“Want to fill me in on this Loup Garou guy?”
She arched a well-defined brow and gave me a questioning look. “I thought you weren’t entertaining going back into the business again.”
“I’m not.” I didn’t want to admit the second she told me the band’s name I had actually considered taking the job. “I’m curious as to why they’d name themselves after the French word for werewolves. That’s all. Are they supernaturals?”
So many supernaturals gravitated towards careers in the entertainment industry. What better way to hide from humans than right under their noses. Plus, I’m fairly sure god complexes came into play, but since I too had worked in the field, I thought it best not to dwell on the topic.
A King’s Ransom by Reagan Hawk
(pen name of Mandy M. Roth)
Book One in the Masters of Pleasure Series
On a quest to find his brother, King Kritan of Katarius on the planet of Panucia finds himself ambushed, beaten, tortured and then sold to fight in the arena games. The people of Tamonius—his rival kingdom—condone slavery, take public sex to new lows and try to turn a profit off anything they can. Nothing can change his hatred for everything Tamonius… That is, until he meets the most breathtakingly beautiful woman he’s ever laid eyes upon. Surina of the House of Argyros, daughter to a powerful senator, stirs the beast within him, making it want to lay claim to her as badly as the man does.
Free or not, Kritan is a master of seduction, and has selected Surina as his newest prey. But this virginal beauty has secrets of her own—ones that change everything. And destiny just might have the last laugh.
Excerpt from A King’s Ransom (Masters of Pleasure)
City of Vesta in the Kingdom of Tamonius on the Planet Panucia…
Kritan of Katarius walked through the streets of Vesta, a city known across the planet for its corruption and wickedness. He drew his black cloak around him more—to hide the sword at his side and the dagger in the top of his left boot. The clothing he wore was appropriate for the area, though nothing he’d normally want upon his body—the material was something a commoner would wear and not to his liking. He preferred trews to the tunic with a roped belt. He liked his boots, not the ones he wore now that were more of a sandal, leaving some of his foot exposed. He disliked, too, the ring that held his sword, preferring his sheath. He had not dared to bring his personal sword and shield. They were things that would give his origins—and his role—away.
It was important to blend. At least for now.
Cool wind from the north, from across the Ice Seas, blew past him. It was welcome against the heat of Tamonius’s summer. Kritan preferred slightly cooler weather. While he could warm his body naturally by allowing his beast to rise, he could not cool it as easily.
His lip curled at the sight of three women standing, their breasts hanging out of the tops of their tunics. They were whores. His homeland, Katarius, was not without pleasures of the flesh, but they did not openly display their sexuality as the people of Tamonius did. While Katarius had whores, the guards there policed the streets better, making sure the women who charged were corralled into taverns or brothels, not left to wander the streets aimlessly for any and all to see. So far Kritan had lost count of the number of women he’d seen since entering the walls of Vesta who were selling their bodies for a few measly coins or even stale bread.
Such a state of things. And the Tamoni thought they were so superior to the six occupied countries on their home planet.
Kritan walked with his head up, moving with purpose, though he was not yet sure of where he needed to be. His informant had spoken of a tavern four roads within the gates of Vesta. As Kritan walked the length of the fourth row, he could count at least five taverns directly around him, each filthier than the last.
Unease settled over him. He had known this would be a fool’s mission. One he should not have undertaken himself, but he’d had no choice. He had to find his brother. He had to make amends, and he would walk through the cesspool called Vesta a thousand times over if he thought it would give him a chance to make things right. Banishing Jaelyn all those years ago had been a mistake. One he’d lived with for nearly two decades. Lies and a woman—a woman Kritan had believed meant more to him than she did—had fostered an environment that left him speaking words he could not take back, and sending his brother far from home. So long had gone by with no word on his brother’s whereabouts, that when a missive arrived telling a tall tale—one that spoke of Jaelyn not only being alive but in grave danger, so much so that his brother was suddenly on borrowed time, Kritan could not stop himself. He’d mounted a steed and set forth on a quest to find the man—to hell with the cost. Regardless that he had men to do such things for him. That, as King of Katarius, rushing alone into the kingdom of Tamonius was not simply reckless, it was suicide. This was his brother and he would right the wrong he’d committed long ago.
“You look like you like it rough,” a whore said, cupping her unimpressive breasts as she wiggled for him. It was clear to see the woman had serviced many cocks in her days and life had not been kind to her.
Her friend and fellow whore slinked her arms over the woman’s shoulders and flicked her tongue, as if being offered a threesome would create a more appealing sight for him to behold. Kritan was no stranger to threesomes, foursomes and more. But he would never soil himself with the likes of these women. All the face paint in the kingdom could not hide the signs of disease on their skin, and the reek of strong spirits they’d been drinking could not mask the fact they had not bathed in months. Maybe more. Both looked heavily used and past their prime. Neither motivated his cock.
He had been too long between fucks and should have felt his beast stirring, wanting release. As a Katarian male shifter he was immune to the diseases that plagued the non-shifters—sexual or not. Though dirty whores never tempted him. He had certain standards, ones belonging to a king. There were many women who begged to be at his service within his castle, ready to ease his cock should he but click his fingers. All were screened by him before being granted such a coveted position. And sometimes, when he felt randy, he would sneak away to the buttery with a serving wench or two.
Regardless how long it had been since he’d fucked, his focus remained firm—find his brother.
Find Jaelyn.
Nothing else mattered.
For more information about these titles and other bestselling Mandy M. Roth titles please visit www.MandyRoth.com
The Impatient Lord by Michelle M. Pillow
Bestselling Dragon Shifter Romance
An unlucky bride…
Riona Grey lives life on her own terms, traveling wherever the next spaceship is flying and doing what she must in order to get by. When her luck turns sour, she finds herself on a bridal ship heading to a marriage ceremony. A planet full of dragon shifters seeking mates wasn't exactly what she had in mind as a final destination.
Just when she thinks things couldn't possibly get worse, she wakes up months later in an isolation chamber with a sexy, hovering dragon shifter by her side telling her they're meant to be together...forever.
The impatient groom...
After years of failed marriage attempts at the Breeding Festivals, the gods finally revealed Lord Mirek's bride...a day too late. Eager to have her, he defied tradition and laid claim. But it is a mistake to go against the gods and his new wife was the one to pay the price of his impatience.
Now almost a year later, his bride is finally waking from her deep sleep. With one look from her, he feels the eagerness to claim her overtaking him once more. Fearful she'll slip through his grasp once again, he's hesitant to anger the gods by taking her to his bed too soon. But, how can he resist the one thing that would make his life complete, especially when she looks at him with eyes of a seductress? This is one test he can't fail, and yet with one of her sweet kisses he knows he may already have lost.
The Impatient Lord (Dragon Lords) Excerpt
“What happened to you?” Alek eyed Mirek in concern. “Did you have to wrestle negotiate with the Syog again?”
“My wife.” Mirek stopped his slow, ambling walk and leaned against the corridor wall. Not that he would complain, but Riona had taken to intimacy with a vivacious force he’d ever dreamed possible. “She’s, ah, fully recovered now.”
Alek quirked a brow. It took him a long moment to understand what was happening. His concern turned into hard, full laughter. He clutched his stomach and bent over, struggling to breathe.
“What’s going on out here?” Bron appeared from the scroll room, holding a stack of yellowed parchments. He eyed his brothers curiously.
“Lady…learned…sex…balls,” was about all of Alek’s answer they could understand.
Act of Mercy (PSI-Ops / Immortal Ops) Page 17
