"Wow, fancy."
"I know, right? Check it out." She slipped the card out of it and handed it to me. It said only "You've been selected."
I waved the card. "What does this even mean?"
Sam looked at it. "Oh my God, you got into IPI? That's awesome!"
"This is how they invite people?"
Sam nodded. "It's how my friends were chosen. Congrats, Ocean. You'll fit in well there, from what I hear. International Paranormal Investigators have a lot of fun in their hunt for not-so-nice paranormals."
It definitely sounded like something Ocean would enjoy. Me? I was content to live the most perfectly boring life, waking up with my husband everyday, kissing him goodnight each night, and filling our days with everyday acts of love. Nothing sounded more amazing to me than that.
Drake joined us with Ana in tow, looking so sweet in her frilly pink dress. Sam reached for her daughter, and Ana smiled a dimply smile at her mommy. Sam settled the little girl on her lap. "So, any plans for babies?"
I choked on my champagne. "Um, no. We're good for now. We're going to wait awhile before we dive into that adventure."
Derek joined us, hiding something behind his back. "I haven't given you your present yet."
I stood and kissed him, wanting to run my hands over his body, but holding back as people watched us. "I thought you were the gift. I have plans to unwrap you later."
He nipped at my earlobe. "You're naughty. And yes, you get that too, but I have something else for you now."
Something whimpered from behind him, and he brought forward a beautiful Alaskan Husky pup. "For you. I tracked down the people who bought Sandy's puppy and told them what happened. Well, the muggle version of what happened. They wouldn't even let me pay them for her."
Tears threatened to destroy the hard work Ocean had done on my makeup as I took the puppy from him and nuzzled her to my face. "What's her name?"
"They called her Hope."
Hope. The perfect name. She licked a tear that had escaped and I fell in love, my heart bursting with joy knowing a part of Sandy lived on in this beautiful girl.
"Thank you, Derek. This is the most amazing present ever."
When the guests left and the sky filled with stars, the next ceremony began— the one I was most looking forward to and most nervous about.
My new father-in-law raised his hands to the sky and spoke in a big voice. "Tonight we welcome a new member into our pack. She and my son will one day lead this group and take up guardianship of the roses they risked their lives to save. We owe her our lives and tonight, we open our family to her and take her as one of our own."
He presented a cup to me, and I drank the bittersweet brew. It burned down my throat and into my gut. Clouds blocking the moon moved aside as if in honor of this night, and under the moonlight my body cracked, bent over, DNA reconfiguring itself into something new.
I landed on all fours, nails digging into the soft earth. The air changed around me, coming alive with sounds and smells I'd never noticed before. Each rose had a different scent, and I found I could tell what properties they would hold. I understood then how the O'Conners chose what to use in their salve and creams.
Derek, in wolf form, howled, and I joined him, enjoying the rumble in my chest. We ran through the woods, chasing each other and leaping over rocks. I'd never felt so free, so connected with the world around me.
For hours we played under the moon as the rest of the pack went to bed.
Exhausted, happy, and right where I wanted to be, I collapsed onto a soft bed of grass and shifted back into human form, stretching sore muscles that still had to get used to being a wolf.
Derek shifted as well, and we held each other, bodies naked and hungry for each other.
We hadn't needed pain to make love in months, though we still enjoyed it rough from time to time. But tonight we took it slow, savoring each taste, each touch, each moment together. When he entered me, hard and huge, my body shuddered, and I pressed my hips against him, taking him deeper even as it ached. My hair fell around my shoulders as we switched places and I straddled him, riding his cock as he sucked on my hard nipples and teased my clit.
I felt powerful. Loved. Completely filled.
A golden hue of light embraced us as fireworks exploded in our bodies.
Overhead, a shooting star streaked across the sky.
"Make a wish, love." His voice was low and husky.
I leaned down to kiss him. "I already have everything I could ever want. My wishes all came true when I met you."
~THE END~
*Sign up for Kimberly Kinrade's newsletter for email updates about her latest releases. Coming soon, Kiss Me in Paris by Kimberly Kinrade & Dmytry Karpov. Follow the Deveaux sisters as they travel the world finding love—and trouble—in all the right places.
Also keep an eye out for more in the Seduced Saga, including Seduced by Love (Blake's story) and Seduced by the Sea (Ocean's Story).
If you enjoyed Kimberly Kinrade's writing, consider subscribing to her short story site called A Gathering of Tales, and get the first look at short stories and bonus content written by her and her husband, Dmytry Karpov. Fans of the Seduced Saga and the Forbidden Trilogy will be excited to know that they will get emails of short stories within those worlds, with exciting adventures of their favorite characters. Check it out today and sign up at A Gathering of Tales.
If you're a fan of New Adult and Young Adult books with paranormal and fantasy elements, check out these three award-winning novels.
THE FORBIDDEN TRILOGY
By Kimberly Kinrade
Winner of the Forward National Literature Award
Available now on Amazon.
~~~~~
"A thrilling, dark and deeply romantic read." ~ Refracted Light Young Adult Book Reviews
"THE best trilogy I have read EVER since The Hunger Games!" ~ Sharon Hughes
"The plot is very ALIAS and DARK ANGEL-like with X-MEN as its backdrop (awesome combo!)." ~ Sour Skittles Book Blog
"Kinrade's talent lies in weaving stories together, telling multiple points of view with clarity and precision while making you love her characters through their humanity and unwillingness to quit no matter what." ~Patti Larsen, Author
Those inside are special, gifted with unique abilities that make them dangerous to the outside world. Since childhood, they're trained to control their powers and to defend themselves. For years they practice, honing their gifts for one purpose: to be rented out to the highest bidder as a spy, to be used as a weapon against others.
Sam never questions her role at the secret organization dubbed Rent-A-Kid.
Until she meets Drake.
She reads minds. He controls minds. Together, they might get out alive.
THIS SPECIAL EDITION INCLUDES:
*Award-Winning Book #1 - Forbidden Mind
*Book #2 - Forbidden Fire
*Book #3 - Forbidden Life
*In-Depth Q&A with Author Kimberly Kinrade
*Extensive Bonus Content (Available ONLY in this Special Edition)
Get the whole trilogy, plus bonus content and save money... even if you already bought Forbidden Mind. This special edition gives readers the best deal with the best content!
Get it now on Amazon.
RECOMMENDED BY KIMBERLY KINRADE:
Books by Andy Gavin, creator of the popular video games Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter and fantasy/sci-fi author.
UNTIMED
By Andy Gavin
Available now on Amazon.
An Upper YA Time Travel Adventure with Romance!
"A masterful storyteller, Gavin builds a solid plot with believable characters." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Andy Gavin has fast become one of my favorite authors." -- Kimberly Kinrade, author of The Forbidden Trilogy
"A time travel romance-mystery-steampunkish-science fiction-coming of age story with an endearing set of characters." -- Mallory Heart Reviews
Charlie’s the kind o
f boy that no one notices. Hell, even his own mother can’t remember his name. And girls? The invisible man gets more dates.
As if that weren’t enough, when a mysterious clockwork man tries to kill him in modern day Philadelphia, and they tumble through a hole into 1725 London, Charlie realizes even the laws of time don’t take him seriously.
Still, this isn’t all bad. In fact, there’s this girl, another time traveler, who not only remembers his name, but might even like him! Unfortunately, Yvaine carries more than her share of baggage: like a baby boy and at least two ex-boyfriends! One’s famous, the other’s murderous, and Charlie doesn’t know who is the bigger problem.
When one kills the other — and the other is nineteen year-old Ben Franklin — things get really crazy. Can their relationship survive? Can the future? Charlie and Yvaine are time travelers, they can fix this — theoretically — but the rules are complicated and the stakes are history as we know it.
And there's one more wrinkle: he can only travel into the past, and she can only travel into the future!
Get your copy today on Amazon.
THE DARKENING DREAM
By Andy Gavin
Available now on Amazon.
An award-winning dark fantasy
"Gorgeously creepy, strangely humorous, and sincerely terrifying" -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Wonderfully twisted sense of humor" -- Kirkus Reviews
"This is a story that is rich in visual and verbal treasures. The Darkening Dream is an unbelievable first novel." -- Vampire Librarian
Even as the modern world pushes the supernatural aside in favor of science and steel, the old ways remain. God, demon, monster, and sorcerer alike plot to regain what was theirs.
1913, Salem, Massachusetts – Sarah Engelmann’s life is full of friends, books, and avoiding the pressure to choose a husband, until an ominous vision and the haunting call of an otherworldly trumpet shake her. When she stumbles across a gruesome corpse, she fears that her vision was more of a premonition. And when she sees the murdered boy moving through the crowd at an amusement park, Sarah is thrust into a dark battle she does not understand.
With the help of Alex, an attractive Greek immigrant who knows a startling amount about the undead, Sarah sets out to uncover the truth. Their quest takes them to the factory mills of Salem, on a midnight boat ride to spy on an eerie coastal lair, and back, unexpectedly, to their own homes. What can Alex’s elderly, vampire-hunting grandfather and Sarah’s own rabbi father tell them? And what do Sarah’s continuing visions reveal?
No less than Gabriel’s Trumpet, the tool that will announce the End of Days, is at stake, and the forces that have banded to recover it include a 900 year-old vampire, a trio of disgruntled Egyptian gods, and a demon-loving Puritan minister. At the center of this swirling cast is Sarah, who must fight a millennia-old battle against unspeakable forces, knowing the ultimate prize might be her very soul.
Pick up your copy on Amazon.
Books by Kimberly Kinrade
The Seduced Saga
Seduced by Innocence by Kimberly Kinrade
Seduced by Pain by Kimberly Kinrade
Seduced by Power* by Kimberly Kinrade
Seduced (The Seduced Saga 1-3, Rose's Story)* by Kimberly Kinrade
Seduced by the Sea (The Seduced Saga, Ocean's Story)
Confessions of a Splintered Heart* (A Contemporary New Adult Romance by Kimberly Kinrade)
The Kiss Me Series
Kiss Me in Paris by Kimberly Kinrade
The Forbidden Trilogy
Forbidden Mind (The Forbidden Trilogy, #1) by Kimberly Kinrade
Forbidden Fire (The Forbidden Trilogy, #2) by Kimberly Kinrade
Forbidden Life (The Forbidden Trilogy, #3) by Kimberly Kinrade
The Forbidden Trilogy (Omnibus Edition) by Kimberly Kinrade
Sunrise & Nightfall by Kimberly Kinrade & Dmytry Karpov *
Short Stories
Sapphire Eyes (An Erotic Short Story)
Only Forever (A Romantic Short Story Inspired by True Events)
Son of Destiny (An Urban Fantasy Short Story)
Eye of Newt (A Fantasy Short Story) with Dmytry Karpov
The Hunter Riley Series
The Black Thorn (Hunter Riley Series, #1) by Kimberly Kinrade & Dmytry Karpov
The Fallen Trilogy
Blood of the Fallen (The Fallen Trilogy, #1) by Kimberly Kinrade & Dmytry Karpov *
Tears of the Fallen (The Fallen Trilogy, #2) by Kimberly Kinrade & Dmytry Karpov *
Flight of the Fallen (The Fallen Trilogy, #3) by Kimberly Kinrade & Dmytry Karpov *
The Chronicles of Corinne
Death by Destiny by Kimberly Kinrade & Dmytry Karpov
Myths of Magic by Kimberly Kinrade & Dmytry Karpov
Paths to Power by Kimberly Kinrade & Dmytry Karpov
The Reluctant Familiar Series
The Reluctant Familiar (The Reluctant Familiar, #1) by Kimberly Kinrade*
The Egyptian Queen (Prequel) by Kimberly Kinrade*
The Three Lost Kids Series
Lexie World (The Three Lost Kids Special Edition Trilogy - Illustrated)
Bella World (The Three Lost Kids Special Edition Trilogy - Illustrated)
Maddie World (The Three Lost Kids Special Edition Trilogy - Illustrated)
The Three Lost Kids & The Death of the Sugar Fairy
The Three Lost Kids & The Christmas Curse
The Three Lost Kids & Cupid's Capture
Bits of You & Pieces of Me by Kimberly Kinrade
* Coming Soon
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, thank you to my husband, Dmytry Karpov. He's part story consultant, part editor, part formatter, part cover artist and 100% inspiration for the juicier parts of this book. I couldn't do what I do without him by my side.
A huge thank you to all my amazing fans who have supported my work and joined me in celebrating the launch of this series. You've shared this book, told your friends, and been so amazing on this journey. It's for you that I write these books.
Thanks to Brittany Carrigan, for not only being my favorite stalker, but also taking the time to proof my books. You rock, lady!
To my parents, who are still proud of me even though my books have sex in them now. (I know you're reading this, Mom!)
Oh, and a note from the author: I have the best parents and most amazing family. The extreme dysfunction in this book is not based on real life. I get to make stuff up, remember?
Finally, my deepest gratitude to Vickie Dold of IO Book Tours and Daring Books Design & Marketing for supporting my work and looking for ways to give my books more visibility, and to Jan Rippingale, for believing in me even when I didn't believe in myself.
About Kimberly Kinrade
Kimberly Kinrade was born with ink in her veins and magic in her heart. As a child, where others saw shapes in clouds, she saw words. But she was also an entrepreneur at heart. So when her business arrangement with the Tooth Fairy ended, she went pro by writing her fantastical stories and selling them to all her neighbors.
Fast forward… um… many years and many college degrees later… and she is now a published author after a long career as a journalist and freelance writer.
Though she has written in many genres and fields, she's most passionate about the world of romance, paranormal and fantasy where she writes award-winning books for children, teens and adults.
When Kimberly's not writing, editing and writing some more, she runs Daring Books Design & Marketing with her husband.
Kimberly lives with her three little girls who think they are princess ninjas with hidden supernatural powers, her two dogs who think they are human, her two cats who think they are gods (and probably are) and the one man who is her husband, soul mate and writing and business partner—Dmytry Karpov.
Find her at www.KimberlyKinrade.com
On Twitter: @KimberlyKinrade
On Facebook: /KimberlyKinrade
And s
ubscribe to her newsletter for special perks. For a fun fan-based experience, check out IPIAcademy.com and become an Agent-in-Training with International Paranormal Investigations.
Available Now from Kimberly Kinrade
SAPPHIRE EYES
An erotic short story
Get it on Amazon.
"We are pulled to each other like magnets. Or moths to a flame perhaps? Let's hope the burn doesn't scorch too badly. Can you handle the heat?
Time and space disappear and we are alone. The where is irrelevant. Only the who is of any consequence. You and I. For now. Until such a time that there is no you and I to speak of. Bodies merged into one.
And then we dance."
***
Escape into this erotic short story by award-winning, bestselling author, Kimberly Kinrade and get lost in the seduction that can happen between heartbeats.
Adult sexual content. Graphic sex.
Look for other romance titles from Kimberly Kinrade.
Coming Soon
KISS ME IN PARIS
By Kimberly Kinrade & Dmytry Karpov
New Adult Contemporary Romance
Add it on Goodreads here.
Travel the world with the Deveaux sisters as they find love (and trouble) in all the right places.
This is the first book in a contemporary new adult romance series following the lives of the Deveaux Sisters as they each travel the world and find love (and trouble) in all the right places.
Seduced by Power Page 11
