An Excerpt from Heart and Soul

Laughtry and Mary share more than hot, adventurous sex. They’re bounty hunters–business partners, who may have met by accident, but more likely were linked through destiny. Lovers of the same magnetic man–at different times–they are now bound to each other. Half Cherokee, Ray Blackhawk remains a shadow that hovers over both of them, or maybe between them. A man whose mark they both carry and whose memory still burns hot as the Oklahoma sun. A lover who disappeared from their lives like a ghostly mist at sunrise, leaving them both with heartache, questions, and no closure.

Now it’s time to resolve the past. A motorcycle journey takes Laughtry and Mary from Tulsa to Freedom to confront Blackhawk and discover what changes time has wrought and whether love and memory can withstand the ravages of remembered passion. Or will the journey’s end tear Laughtry and Mary apart? Will Blackhawk remember and choose one of them over the other? And can they accept what fate has planned? What will happen when the three of them finally confront each other for the first time? Together.

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Excerpt

“Can I help you folks?”

“We’re looking for Ray Blackhawk. I understand he’s here. Can you tell me where we can find him?”

The cowboy’s lips tightened as he looked Laughtry up and down. Mary couldn’t see his expression because his hat shadowed the upper portion of his face. But his stance told her he was wary of the new arrivals and she had a feeling they weren’t going to get much information from him.

“Who’s asking?”

Mary could feel Laughtry tense. It was a testosterone pissing contest as the two men eyed each other. Well, shit. She stepped in front of Laughtry, hands on hips.

“Look, mister, we’ve driven a long way to see an old friend. And we’re pretty hot and tired. Let’s quit tap dancing here and just tell us if he’s here or not.”

The man tipped his hat back and turned his attention to Mary. Interesting face. Weathered and tanned, deep lines etched into his features. She couldn’t quite figure his age from this distance. His gaze slid over her body. Another woman might have been embarrassed, but Mary was used to rude men trying to put her in her place. It never had gotten them very far.

She straightened her shoulders, lifted her chin, and glared right back at him, not giving an inch. Her gaze slid over his body, hopefully with a touch of insolence in the look. Right back at you, cowboy. Not bad if she was actually in the market for his type. She stepped toward him.

“It’s okay, Johnny. I think I know them. They aren’t strangers.”

Mary whirled around at the softly spoken words. It was a voice she heard in her dreams, it hadn’t changed over the years. It was just as powerful as it had always been. Maybe more so after such a lengthy lapse of time. Deep and raspy, like tequila going down hot, blindsiding you if you weren’t paying attention.

“Ray Blackhawk.” Her focus turned on him, drinking in the effects time had rendered on the hard, lean body, the long ebony black hair, the deep sable brown of his eyes. He wore faded jeans, brown scuffed boots, and a loose-fitting cream-colored shirt. The ties crisscrossed over his chest, showing a generous amount of bronzed flesh. Skin she suddenly remembered the taste of very well. Her gaze rose higher, fastening onto his mouth. There was a slight curl to his sensuous lips as he studied the pair. The air stilled and immediately she felt the magnetic draw of his personality as though the years just melted away.

“Who’d have thought,” he said. His attention turned to Laughtry and he held out a hand. She watched as Laughtry took it in a firm grip, the men eyeing each other for long moments, and then he pulled Laughtry into a hug, fingers flexed against his broad back.

“I’ve missed you, man.” The words were raw, filled with some deep emotion.

Still hugging Laughtry, Ray turned his dark gaze on Mary and he reached out a hand. Something broke apart inside her as she accepted his hand and he drew her into the huddle of three. She gripped his back, but still managed to hang onto Laughtry as well.

Ray tilted her head and his hard lips claimed hers, tongue thrusting deep and claiming the past as though there had never been a separation of years intervening. He lifted his head and turned to Laughtry, kissing him with the same deep probe that Mary had just experienced with him.

“I’ve missed you both. I know you probably won’t believe that, but it’s true.”

He took a deep shuddering breath and then released them, stepping back to look at both of them. “I’ve a feeling there’s a story here. I can’t believe it. The two of you. Here. You can’t imagine how many times I’ve fantasized about this.”

HeartandSoul

Now available at most ebook retailers.

 

Insight into Keelan

Insight into Keelan, from Morganna’s Sacrifice.

Most days I do morning writings. And sometimes these writings give me insight into a character in one of my stories. And sometimes, even though I’ve written and published the story, the characters won’t leave me alone. Such is the case for Keelan and Morganna. And this is one such morning flash writing that came about regarding Keelan.

I use images to inspire and I begin by describing what I see, which soon enough morphs into something entirely different. Keelan was not in my thoughts as I started writing, but he entered soon enough. these are truly stream of consciousness writings that sometimes relate to a story or world that I’ve already created, and sometimes it brings about something new, leading to a longer story later. I usually start with a lot of questions – sometimes they’re answered, sometimes not. But then they might be answered later at the oddest moments.

Keelan and the Celebration

A raven sits atop his shoulder, eyes of red. the man with long hair cries tears of blood as he cradles a Venetian-like mask. He wears a black poet’s shirt. He is elven and has pointed ears and long sharp fingernails.

Perhaps he is Morganna’s lover, the vampire elf. why is he sad? Blood droplets  mark hiMorgannasSacrifices  chest. Yes, that is who he is, and he is caught up in his warring thoughts – the needs of his two very different lovers that at times like this tear him in two different directions.

Has there been a masquerade? Perhaps a night of celebration as he and Daffyd, the vampire he serves, recall how each  escaped from Romulus. Romulus, their hated sire.

Keelan is with Daffyd now. He cries for all he has lost because of Romulus. The appetite he’d left Keelan with. The need for a special kind of  pain, which now only Daffyd can provide, because Daffyd had taught Keelan how to survive, how to derive pleasure from the pain he now craved.

He wishes he could be the man Morganna had once loved, but that dark elven boy exists no more. Romulus had seen to that.

As much as Keelan loves his beautiful fairy lover, Morganna, he needs Daffyd. Daffyd, his vampire lover, his partner in the dark arts. Daffyd, who knows how to draw out the exquisiteness of the pain to a sharp, needful edge and make Keelan beg for more. And once they are both satisfied, Keelan will go to Morganna to be healed, to be loved. And as much as Morganna accepts these truths about Keelen, it doesn’t stop the guilt he experiences each time he must leave her side when Daffyd summons.

Daffyd calls to him from across the room. With hesitation, Keelan sets the mask aside. He stares off into the darkness thinking of the what-might-have-beens if he had never left the fairy realm in search of adventure in the human world. Daffyd calls again, his voice more insistent this time. Keelan turns to face him. He feels the pull of need, his skin eager for a demanding touch. Keelan will submit as he always does. There is no help for it. His appetite is far too fierce, his need too great, as is Daffyd’s.

He thinks of Morganna as he crosses the room to Daffyd, shedding his clothing as he goes. Morganna, his light. He holds out his arms, and Daffyd affixes the iron bands to his wrists, then his ankles. Keelan closes his eyes.

His Morganna will be waiting, but now, in this moment, it is Daffyd who commands his every attention and will quench his need. The blindfold is set in place, and all is darkness.

 

Read more about Morganna, Keelan, and Daffyd in Morganna’s Sacrifice now available on Amazon.

 

 

 

Unicorn Craving – An Excerpt

UnicornCraving_smUnicorn Craving, a quirky little erotic fantasy with fairies and magic and sexy shapeshifting unicorns.

Gillian Darby took a ride in the country to pick apples for a pie. She never expected to end up dropped in a whole other realm, apparently as the birthday gift for a unicorn prince. Gillian is an adventurous girl and takes up the offer of the sexy man with the thick white tail as his only adornment, to become his consort for the day in exchange for a basket of magical fruit. Being a chef with an eye toward fame, she was certain she was on her way and had made a very shrewd deal. Or had she? The handcuffs and the matching white tail accessory he present to her–might be another matter entirely.

Excerpt:

“Ah,” she said as she reached out with gnarled hands to clasp Gillian’s. “You have come. Excellent. Step inside, I have a gift for you.”

“B-but I don’t know you. How can you have a gift for me? How did you know I’d be here?”

The old woman chuckled softly. “I know who you are.” She turned and tapped the front of Gillian’s shirt where the gold-horned unicorn was displayed on the front. “This gift is for you, only for you.”

Hesitantly, Gillian followed her into the tent. What could it hurt? A person didn’t discover special one-of-a-kind items by being shy and reluctant. That’s one thing she’d learned over the years. A person had to take a chance or two if they wanted to break away from the pack.

The interior of the tent was dark and smelled of sandalwood incense, and her tense muscles eased as she inhaled the woodsy aroma. The old woman turned to face her, blue eyes glittering like sapphires in the gloomy interior.

“Yes, you will do nicely. He’s waited long enough.”

“Do for what? Who are you talking about?”

She waved a hand in the air above her head and Gillian heard the jangle of her bracelets. The sound was bell-like and sultry, almost rhythmically hypnotic. She blinked and shook her head. How eerie.

The old woman turned away to a display shelf, rustled around and then turned back. She held something out. “This is for you. You must take it with you on your journeys.”

Gillian looked down and her eyes rounded. “What is it?”

The old woman chuckled. “What do you think it is? It’s the unicorn’s horn. Today is his birthday and you must take it to him. Tell them Derrika sends a gift.”

“Derrika? Are you Derrika?”

The woman nodded. She then reached into a tan leather pouch hooked to her belt. She pulled out a pinch of sparkly blue powder and threw it into Gillian’s eyes.

Gillian quickly reached up to wipe it away. “What are you doing? Trying to blind me?”

“A little glamour to ease your journey. Nothing harmful…just a bit of magic.” Then Gillian felt the touch of the woman’s hand as she stroked the left side of her face. She traced a fingertip brow to jaw. “So lovely. He will not mind, I’m sure.” She tapped her cheek lightly and then lowered her hand. “That should protect you from the wrong sort.”

Gillian blinked, tearing up, and then her vision cleared. She gasped when she saw the woman clearly again. Or maybe not so clearly, for now she looked like she was at least forty years younger.

“Where—where—” she babbled incoherently.

The woman nodded and smiled. “You see? Not everything is quite what it appears.” She walked to the back of the tent and opened the flap. “It’s time for you to go. Remember to tell them Derrika sent you. Then they will know the gift is true. Maybe we’ll meet again when you least expect it.”

Slowly, Gillian walked over to the flap and peered out. “You want me to go down this alley?” It didn’t look like it was particularly inviting and there wasn’t another person in sight.

Derrika nodded. “Oh, yes. You will be quite safe. You’ll see when you reach the end.”

With amazing strength, the woman yanked her out beyond the tent and then closed the flap. Gillian hesitated, ready to turn back and circle around the tent that belonged to a crazy woman. But then something caught her eye at the end of the alley. A light that almost blinded her with its intensity. And there were apple trees with the brightest crimson apples, almost as though they had been dipped into wet glitter. They were certainly the largest she’d ever seen. She simply had to get a closer look.

The leaves on the trees were very close to a fluorescent shade of green. It felt like they were drawing her forward, one step at a time. Her spirit of adventure kicked in, and cautiously she made her way down the darkened alley toward the bright light at the end, clutching the golden horn close against her breast.

She thought she heard the soft echo of a feminine chuckle as she drew closer to the source of the bright light. And then she was at the end of the alley and poised at a world that seemed vastly different from what she had ever known. The trees were a bit farther away than she had at first thought. She didn’t see another soul around and all she heard was the whisper of the trees, the wind pulling at her to continue. And the smell of ripe, juicy apples.

How could she resist? She stepped from the dirt gravel of the alley onto the green grassy lawn. And screamed as the green lawn swallowed her up and she fell into empty space. Tumbling and somersaulting, unable to grab onto anything to stop her rapid descent, it seemed like she fell a long way.

And then she landed with a thump onto soft ground. She lay for a moment to catch her breath before trying to move. Finally, opening her eyes, she gazed around. Everything was so very green. She heard a noise coming from the other side of the bushes where she had landed. Curiosity got the better of her and, rising to her knees, she slowly separated the branches. Her mouth rounded in a shocked “oh” at what she saw.

“Oh, my.”

Unicorn Cravingpreorder now on Amazon, releasing December 26th.

Body Parts – Redacted Excerpts

Redacted passages from the final version of Body Parts…

The photos of the journal pages had been acquired by a fluke of opportunity.  It had been a young man’s prank when her father had just finished college.  His friends had dared him to find a way inside the Ransom estate and bring back pictures to prove he had done negativejournal pagesso.  Surprisingly, he had returned with more than he could have ever guessed.  It was from that young man’s dare that his hunger for more knowledge about the Ransom experiments had grown.

On that long ago night when he had first shown her the yellow envelope Korrie hadn’t understood the fierce, haunted expression on his face.  But a year later, when she sat before that fire and read the journal entries for the first time, that same burning desire had begun to build inside her as well.  And now she was the only one left to make her father’s deepest desire come true.

He said on that night when he’d entered the empty house, not long after the fire that had claimed the Ransoms’ lives, he’d had an eerie feeling, as though he was being watched.  To his way of thinking the journal had been revealed to him for a reason.  He hadn’t dared try to take the journal with him, fearing he would be caught red-handed, but he’d wanted to return because he knew there had to be more.  And there were ghosts in the house, hadeleimagee was certain of it and it was they who had led him to discovery of the private journal.  Would they have done so, he reasoned, if they hadn’t wanted the secrets of the estate to be revealed?

Somehow, along the way, as happens with life, he’d been sidetracked, but he’d never forgotten.  And neither would Korrie.

 

Read excerpts from Dr. Sheba Ransom’s journal at my website: http://www.adriannadane.com/body-parts.html

 

Images adapted/revised from www.pixabay.com

 

 

Body Parts

 

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Body Parts by Adrianna Dane. An erotic twisted romance to Frankenstein mythology.

…The concept of this story is highly original and the Frankenstein element is very interesting…” one reviewer says. #erotic #gothic #dark fantasy #romance #bisexual

Athan is the embodiment of male virility unbound: eternal lust designed by and for the pleasure of his makers and their thirst to discover the secret to eternal life. An incomparable Frankenstein creation without flaw, his parts melded by alchemy and science, infused and fed by sexual energies of lust and desire, Athan survives through the acts of pleasure, in all its varied and seductive forms.

Yet Athan is a tortured soul who walks eternally alone, always hungry, forever hunting for his one, true perfect mate, that one person who can accept who and what he is. Not a monster, not a collection of perfect parts, but a man.

Read a #free lost journal entry from Dr. Sheba Ransom (not included in the final release) and watch the video trailer: http://www.adriannadane.com/bodyparts.html

Purchase it at Loose Id: http://www.loose-id.com/body-parts.html

Universal Purchase Link for other ebook retailers: http://books2read.com/bodyparts

Published by Loose Id. A Dream Realm Award Winner…

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