I’m please to welcome Shari Elder and her new release, Unnatural Allies, to my blog today. After reading the excerpt, this book is going on my TBR list!
Thank
you so much for having me on your blog. I’m very excited to share
Unnatural Allies, Book Two in the paranormal romance series, Shifting
Alliances. Although part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone
novel.
Blurb
A
World in Transition
Violent
fae encroachment on shifter land is heating up. With death tolls
rising, the impossible becomes necessary – an alliance among
predator and prey shifters.
An
Inconceivable Love
Nicca
Baron, lone wolf and wolf clan beta, finds herself under the command
of Evan Grant, the rat alpha. In different circumstances,
he’d be dinner. Or so her wolf keeps reminding her. Evan
proves to be a perceptive leader, a skilled fighter and irresistible
to her lonely heart.
To
rule the rats, you have to rule the pack. Evan is a whiz at managing
people and groups. Until he finds himself leading a mission made up
of every single large animal that thrives on rat flesh. And not the
kind between his legs. The only bright light is Nicca. Her
storm gray eyes miss nothing, her brilliant mind
comprehends everything and her succulent curves offer the
perfect place for a rat to nestle.
An
Impossible Future
In
each other’s arms, Nicca and Evan discover love and a new
perspective in an off-kilter world. But a wolf cannot mate
with a rat, no matter the strength of the human attraction.
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Links
Excerpt
Evan
had never seen Nicca look frightened before. Those silver eyes
expanded into saucers, and they were still beautiful. He wanted to
wrap her in his arms, just hold her close as they both tried to
process a world spinning out of control. Even his rat wanted to
comfort her.
She
was getting under skin and fur.
The
last leaves hung limp on the branches, resisting winter’s pull.
Away from the sidhe, the air had warmed, although the sky retained a
grayish winter hue. Shifter bodies held heat, keeping them
comfortable in the most brutal frost. Evan burned hot from continuous
movement, the too frequent adrenaline spikes, and Nicca’s nearness.
Everything about her fit, like she was made for him. That agile mind,
open-mindedness, those lush curves. Hell, she even spouted poetry. He
yearned to put a sign around her neck—no trespassing, this woman
belongs to Evan Grant.
Except
for that whole wolf thing…
“Why
don’t we find a comfortable place to set up camp near Fairy Falls
and call it a day?” he said to get his mind back to practical
things, not wishing for something he couldn’t have. He told himself
he selected the location as part of the mission. All species declared
the pristine, wild falls a safe zone, so they wouldn’t need the
wolves or eagles to stand guard. The fact that it was the number one
rated site for shifter romances had nothing to do with the selection.
Nothing at all.
No
one would ever accuse Nicca of talking too much, but she was
withdrawn even for her on the hike to the Falls. “Any suggestions
on places to sleep?” he asked when her silence got too loud for
him.
“I’ve,
uh, never really been here,” she whispered, looking at the ground.
“Just run by it on patrols sometimes.”
“And
that makes you sad?” He itched to run his hand down her cheek.
“This
mission makes me sad.” Her gaze stayed lowered as she walked.
His
rat senses perceived a deep despondency wrapped around her like a
black aura.
“This
mission makes you angry, anxious, and confused. Not sad.”
“Who
are you to correct my
assessment of my
emotional state?” She gave him a half-hearted snarl. He figured
he’d hit an open, raw nerve.
“I
lead this mission, and I will not have you fall apart on me. Right
now, you are not okay.” He opened his arm, aping Rafe’s earlier
action, inviting her to him to take comfort. “Let me help.” Let
me touch you.
She
visibly shook herself, ignoring his outstretched limb. “You’re
right. I need space. Let me run as wolf.”
He
dropped his hand, then nodded to cover the ripping sound his heart
was making. “Stay close,” he said over the lump of disappointment
lodged in his throat. “Give me your backpack, and I’ll find a
place to sleep. Meet me at the falls when you’re done.”
Relief
brightened her eyes. Once shifted, she brushed against his leg, then
licked at his hand dangling by his side. He ran his fingers through
her thick, gray fur touched with black and silver as she trotted off.
“Grab some happy, Nicca,” he said into the air, as she raced out
of sight. Come back to
me. Accept me.
Alone,
he hummed as he walked toward the falls. The low tune soothed his
skittish rat, who hated being alone and wasn’t too fond of the
woods. Rats felt secure in the pack. The human in him appreciated the
red gold of the sunset streaking across the powder blue of the sky,
weaving in and out of spiky, hunter green firs that ate up the
landscape. Beauty truly did soothe an aching heart. The whirr of
winter birds, a chorus to his ears, unnerved the rat. He picked up
his pace, following the smell of ice and the roar of the falling
water.
When
he arrived at the falls, he saw Nicca standing at the edge of the
descending water, running her fingers through the stream. That
sadness he’d sensed earlier scented the air and dulled those unique
gray eyes. Following a powerful intuition, he approached quietly,
staying upwind so she wouldn’t notice until he stood directly
behind her. She may have rejected his offer of support earlier, but
he was determined to try again. His way.
She
turned to face him, and tilted her head up to meet his gaze. He
pushed behind one ear a lock of hair that was draped along her cheek.
The tresses felt like silk, the skin velvet against his fingertips.
“Evan?”
He
leaned over, touching lips to lips ever so gently. Giving comfort.
Sneaking a taste. Exploring what might be. She pressed back, her
mouth opening slightly beneath his. He sank into cherry and cinnamon,
shyness and heat. She didn’t require a friend; she needed a lover.
He desperately wanted to be that man.
He
pulled back, falling hard for the blush staining her cheeks a bright
pink.
“Follow
me,” he said, taking her hand, and led her to the camping spot he
noticed along the way.
To
love a wolf.
About
Shari
Hello,
I’m Shari. By day, I crawl out of bed, mainline coffee, walk the dog,
get my kid off to school, hop on the metro, and save cities within
the four walls of my office. Usually by email.
At
night, the other Shari emerges. I take off the suit, curl up on
the couch and let my imagination play, with words and images until
stories take shape (while periodically checking on my teenager,
hiding out in the bedroom and plotting world domination with her
furry minions). As my alter ego, I save cities in a cape and
spangled tights, wander space and time on a surfboard, fly over the
Himalayas on feathered wings, make six-toed footprints in indigo talc
snow on the sixth planet in the Andromeda galaxy or eavesdrop on
Olympian gods while pretending to whip up a bowl of ambrosia.
In
all these wondrous worlds, romance and passion blossom. I can’t
resist a happy ending. And I am particularly prone to writing happy
endings for those who have given up on ever getting one. That gives
me immense satisfaction.
Join
me on my journey. The best ideas emerge
from team work.
Hang
out with Shari on the Web
