A Victoria Storm novel
#2 Loki's Wolves series
Genre: Paranormal/urban fantasy
Published April 25, 2013
ISBN-10: 1492107581
ISBN-13: 978-1492107583Amazon ASBN B00CJ1D1BI
Blurb:
Victoria Storm faces seemingly insurmountable odds to keep
her dwindling pack of werewolves alive and together. She fights hunters-
including the brother and father of her deceased lover-and the pack takes
another devastating loss. When they seek sanctuary in a small town near Lake Tahoe,
high in the secluded Sierra Nevada Mountains, Victoria discovers they are
infringing on the territory of a vastly more powerful Alpha wolf. To save her
pack, she uses her feminine wiles to seduce the Alpha. Nothing comes easily for
Victoria. Her plans are complicated by the Alpha's erratic son, a ghostly wife,
and a vengeful witch. Not even her status as a Valkyrie or the favor of the
Goddess Freya can change the course of destiny for Victoria or her packmates.
Excerpt:
"You
killed my brother, bitch."
"Worry
about your own life, Sawyer. Daniel is dead."
Victoria
held the blade of her dagger even with his jawline, against the strong column
of his throat. Cold steel kissed flesh, but she lacked the will to make the
final thrust to sever his carotid artery.
"Because
of you." His brown eyes blazed with hatred, more intense and consuming
than the inferno raging around them.
Every
part of the warehouse was on fire, and there was no way to know how much longer
the structure would stand. Cinder and smoke swirled everywhere.
Red-hot
embers dusted the bare skin of her face and arms faster than her enhanced
healing could repair the damage, but she didn't feel the burn. Fury consumed
her heart and protected her from the wrath of flames, but the pain of her loss,
the weight of her guilt, crippled her.
"Yes,
because of me," she said. She blinked back tears. She should kill him.
There was no other choice, because the survival of her pack depended upon
stopping the hunters who pursued them, the hunters he led. Doubt stilled her
hand. The man's life hung in fragile balance between her desire for revenge and
uncertainty.
"Do
it," Sawyer said with a sneer, as if he sensed her hesitation. She
straddled his chest, keeping one of his arms pinned against his side with her knee.
His free hand groped for the shotgun on the ground, just out of reach.
"Has
your death wish gotten so strong you're committed to joining him?" She
sniffed, attempting to scent his fear, but inhaled a lungful of thick smoke
that scalded her throat. Tears filled her eyes and a cough racked her chest.
"I'm
going to rip you to shreds." Teeth bared, Sawyer's upper body heaved while
he attempted to unseat her. The hunter had plenty of fight in him. Her wolf's
strength far exceeded that of any human, even a skilled hunter such as a
Barrett man. He gave up obtaining the
shotgun and grabbed for her throat with his free hand.
Victoria
placed her palm flat on his breastbone and shoved him back.
"Yeah,
yeah, I've heard it all before, and yet I'm still here. I'm starting to think
you're incompetent, Sawyer."
"Give
me a knife. I'll show you incompetent!"
"Now,
why would I do something stupid like that?" Despite her taunting tone,
doubt twisted her gut into knots. Her hand remained rock steady. The dagger
never wavered; the fine edge of the blade bit into his flesh and drew a thin
line of blood across the side of his throat.
He's Daniel's
brother.
He
was also the man who had helped murder her parents and most of her packmates.
The
pain of the cut caused Sawyer to grunt; his throat worked while he swallowed, a
convulsive clench that betrayed his fear, though his features remained set in a
stoic mask.
A
hand brushed her wrist, confident and intimate, cool to the touch. Victoria glanced
up to stare into a face she knew by heart, every plane and angle committed to
memory, although he was far more handsome than her imperfect recollection.
She
stiffened.
Impossible! It
can't be.
She
gazed into the man's familiar face, and the entire world beyond his warm brown
eyes ceased to exist: the fire, her pack, the man at the business end of her
knife—all of it simply stopped.
She
blinked, and her surprise faded. Her mind made the logical leap: it was
possible.
He's a ghost.
A
strangled snarl emerged from Sawyer's throat, but Victoria did not look at him.
The hunter shouldn't have been able to see his brother's ghost. He lacked her
gift of spirit sight. She kept a steady grip on the hilt, discouraging him from
moving lest he slit his own throat on the blade.
"Daniel?"
she whispered. The roar of the inferno engulfed her voice.
A
faint smile fluttered across his lips but the expression remained deadly
serious. His hand locked tightly about her wrist. Daniel leaned forward. His
lips feathered a soft kiss upon the shell of her ear. His honeyed voice
murmured as sweet as her memories, causing her excruciating pain, soul deep.
She missed him so damned much.
"Not
my brother, lover. You can't kill Sawyer."
Victoria's
fingers relaxed. The knife fell from her hand. "I won't, for you."
Daniel
turned his head and looked his brother in the eye. "There's been enough
killing."
Sawyer's
features contorted in agony and his hand rose, reaching for his brother.
"Danny, I—"
Before
Sawyer's hand touched his brother's face, Daniel's body lost substance. Energy
crackled in the air, and his form shimmered about the edges. His firm grip grew
weaker with each passing second until his hand opened, and he released her
wrist.
Her
eyes filled with tears. "Please, don't go."
Daniel
looked at her; a sad smile touched his lips. "I've got to go, baby."
She
closed her eyes, and tears slid down her cheeks. The hot air of the burning
warehouse sucked moisture from her skin. Her aching heart pounded, full and
heavy, ready to burst. She opened her eyes and forced a brave smile. She
extended her arm and brushed his fingertips. "I miss you."
His
hand closed on her fingers, and he squeezed. A smiled played on his lips.
"I
miss you, too," he said. Then he was gone.
Buy
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Author Bio:
A
friend asked me once how I chose my pen name. I told her the following:
"Melissa, because when people mix up my first name, it's the most common
goof up. Snark, because it amuses me. A) I love the word 'snarky' and B) I love
Lewis Carroll." As
an individual, I'm sarcastic, stubborn and blunt to a fault. I have a strange
sense of humor and I like to laugh (usually at my husband or children), but
also at myself. I'm not particularly extroverted, although I do enjoy time with
my family and close friends a great deal.
At
the moment, I'm a stay at home mom who writes in my spare time. I've got a B.S.
from Arizona State University in Business, and I've worked a variety of
different jobs, including as a medical device documentation specialist, a
technical writer, and an auto liability adjuster. I
live in the San Francisco East Bay of Northern California with my husband,
three kids, and three cats. My hobbies include roleplaying, cooking and
reading.
Where
to find Melissa on the Internet:
Email: melissasnark at gmail.com
The author is hosting a giveaway for the following prizes:
(Paperbacks are limited to continental United States delivery)
- 2 signed paperback copies of Hunger Moon
- 2 $5 Amazon Gift Cards
