Crystal Jordan

Walk on the Wild Side of Romance

Crystal Jordan

Walk on the Wild Side of Romance

The Between. A race of people between light and dark. Good and evil. Human and animal. The world discovered their existence over a decade ago, and so far the balance between humans and Between has been precarious at best. One bite is all it takes to cross the line from human to Between. It doesn't matter what species of shapeshifter bites a human—only the soul can dictate what kind of animal is most suited to a Between. Many humans think they're dangerous and should be locked away, while others covet their power...

BETWEEN LOVERS
On a fateful camping trip, fiery Oregon beauty Rhiannon Reid is kidnapped and turned into a Between. Now forced to prove her worthiness to the group's golden king, lion-shifter Elan Delacourt, the two test each other's strength and character—but lose themselves in the hot-blooded battle...

TAKEN BETWEEN
As an arctic fox-shifter and royal bodyguard, Kira Seaton lives to protect her queen, but the king's brother Max Delacourt is the one who commands her desire. She longs for him with a feral sexuality and ferocious passion she can barely control...

Please note: the ebook version of the book is available exclusively on Kindle Unlimited. All other links are for the paperback print version. The individual stories in this anthology are available widely as ebooks.

Excerpt:

It was time to put up or shut up.

A spurt of adrenaline flooded Kira's veins, and she felt a feral smile pull at her lips. Her fangs pricked at her flesh, and she ran her tongue down one long canine to the wicked point.

The fox-shifter within her easily caught the scent of the man she wanted. He was a Between, like her. A shape-shifter. Max Delacourt. The rich male scent of human male edged with the animalistic scent of a red wolf. It was a smell she knew as well as her own, one she'd craved for far too long. And she would have him. Soon. Whether he knew it or not.

She was through waiting. Tonight she would have him.

A low moan sounded through the door she stood guard beside, and she smoothed her expression into a professional mask. If anyone knew how to wear a professional mask, it was her--she'd learned from her butler father. No one could poker face like a butler born and bred in England.

READ MORE

Kira's replacement turned a corner in the hallway to walk toward the royal suite. The Between king and his fiancée had been closeted inside for the seven hours since Rhiannon had returned to the palace. Kira had to work to smother a smile. King Elan hadn't been able to hide his impatience to have Rhiannon back on the island nation of San Amaro. He'd barely managed to slam the door in his Guards' faces before the carnal sounds of mating had begun filtering into the hall.

In many ways, it was a relief to have Rhiannon here instead of running her health club in Oregon. The stubborn woman had insisted that she didn't need to be followed around by security guards if she wasn't royalty yet, so Kira had had to arrange for more covert means to assure the future queen's safety. As second in command of the King's Guard, Kira had been pulling double duty for months taking care of her normal job assignment, plus handling her unspoken position as the head of the future Queen's Guard.

With all the details of her business tied up and the wedding the next day, Rhiannon was on San Amaro to stay. Finally. The only person happier about that than Elan was Kira. No more juggling jobs for her. No more pretending. She was openly in charge of Rhiannon's security detail, which would officially become the Queen's Guard after the wedding ceremony.

“Everything okay?” Her replacement for the next guard rotation stopped in front of her, his face serious.

They both froze when a pleasured female scream echoed out of the king's room. Using every one of the skills she'd learned at her father's knee, Kira cleared her throat. “Yes. Everything's going just fine.”

“So it seems,” the man quipped, a faint grin on his face.

Kira clapped him on the shoulder as she headed down the hallway. “Enjoy your evening. Or something.”

He snorted, and she glanced back to see him settling into place beside the door. Good.

Pushing open a side door, she stepped out into the cool night. The sea breeze off the Pacific carried the hints of salt and open water, mixing with the deeper scents of garden blooms and the people on the island. Even as the familiar environment encouraged her to relax, she did an automatic sweep of the area to make sure that the palace was as secure as it should be. They'd had several serious threat against the king's life recently--one in particular that had the entire Guard on alert--and it paid to be cautious. More than that, old habits died hard, and she'd been a cop for the LAPD before she'd joined Elan's Guard when he'd become king.

It had been a crazy time for the Between. The former king had outted their kind to the human population just before he died, which left Elan scrambling to protect the rights of Between all over the world. His family had owned San Amaro, an island off the coast of southern California, and the United States annexed the land as a sovereign nation for the half-animal shifters.

Kira thought Elan had done a better job for their race than his father Phillip ever had. Good riddance to the old bastard.

The hot smell of Max swirled through the air, scattering her thoughts. She automatically moved in that direction. It was like a Lorelei, that scent. Calling to her, tempting her, taunting her. Her heartbeat quickened, blood throbbing in her veins as her body readied itself for what she had in mind. Yes. All she needed now was Max.

COLLAPSE
R.G. Alexander
The Priestess cover - a woman hugging herself, with long black hair, wearing an outfit made of white scarves.
Part of the Wasteland series:

To survive in the new world, there are some rules that can never be broken...

High Priestess Xian has willingly embraced the role chosen for her since birth. Yet the joy she receives from helping others is overshadowed by her feelings for the personal guard she must never touch, and the growing belief that the world she lives in is wrong.

On their journey to the ancient city, Hel can’t prevent Xian from aiding a man who belongs to no caste and follows no rules but his own. But the curiosity and growing desire of his priestess may force Hel to cross lines he'd never before dared…and reveal the one secret he's kept hidden for years.

Damn the rules. Even if he has to share her, she belongs to him.

Note: This book was previously published. It has been extensively revised and expanded from its original version.

Published:
Tags:
Eden Bradley

Destined to serve the desires of an entire city, all she wants is one man. Or maybe two…

There is only one rule in the Wasteland: survive.

A Breeder born to the Temple, Nitara knows the Great Goddess’s plan for her: to bring life to what is left of an arid and wasted Earth. Since puberty she has been trained to arouse and titillate, to ensure the continuation of the human race. But when she meets Akaash, she begins to question her purpose, and the only life she’s ever known. As is the custom, the warrior and hunter captured for her is strong of blood, though considered little more than a wild animal. Yet in his eyes she sees no primitive creature, but the man whose face and hands haunt her sensual dreams.

For Akaash, it is his shame that he has been captured by the Temple guards, his seed to be used to keep the blood of the city of Kroy Wen strong. He will be sacrificed to a goddess he doesn’t believe in, for a people who are not his own, leaving his Wanderer clan—and his bonded lover, Dhatri—behind. Locked in the bowels of the Temple, he has a month to think of his plight. And to think of Nitara, the young Breeder whose virginity he is to take before she takes his life on the altar of her goddess. With each tortuously erotic encounter, however, Akaash realizes that Nitara is as much a prisoner as he is…and as he contemplates his escape, he comes to understand he must take her with him. Akaash faces a nearly certain death either way, but only love can set them both free.

Note: This book was previously published.

Published:
Tags:
Loribelle Hunt

Though Sara Beth Reynard shuns the spotlight, her sensual animal nature always draws unwanted attention. On the rare occasions she leaves fox territory to supervise a construction project, humans are her number one hassle.

When the discovery of human/animal DNA makes her a sleazy tabloid’s lead story, Sara finds the whole thing laughable. Right up until some goon attempts to kidnap her. Worse, her alpha sends her to the wereeagles, clan of her childhood nemesis, for help.

Patrick Aquila takes one look at the grown-up version of “Foxy,” and wants to peel away all her layers of uptight and proper. His attempt to show her a night of lighthearted fun turns into an off-the-charts explosion of passion. But romance among weres is never that simple.

Patrick is in a race against time to convince Sara Beth they belong together, and find the snitch who is feeding information to not just one stalker, but two. The reporter who wants to hang her out to dry, and a hunter who wants to hand her over to her worst nightmare.

Published:
Cover Artists:
Tags:
Excerpt:

Sara Beth Reynard had been on edge since leaving her house that morning. Her apprehension had eased when she reached the job site and was surrounded by the work crews, but as everyone began to leave for their lunch, the feeling intensified so much she decided she’d better finish and leave too, rather than be the last on site. She loved the house she’d designed and its country setting, but it had never felt so isolated before today.

READ MORE

It was that damned tabloid reporter’s fault. Somehow a handful of scientists had gained access to blood and tissue samples from werekind. Sara Beth didn’t believe for one second this had happened by accident—someone inside the community had to be responsible. The world’s shapeshifters had kept their existence secret far too long for a small group of humans to accidentally discover them. Most of the scientific and news communities had dismissed the findings, but Jeff Nichols, the crackpot journalist, was all over the story.

Worse, he’d identified her as a werewolf. A werewolf! The wolves were descendants of King Lycaon, who, along with his sons had been granted the ability to shift by the Greek god Zeus. They were completely unrelated to the foxes, who’d been created by ancient Germanic gods as warriors. Their common ancestor was Reginhard. As the legends and fables were passed from generations and crossed cultures, Reginhard became the surname of the werefox alpha, Reynard.

She had no idea how Nichols had stumbled on her, but he could at least get the story straight. She was a fox, dammit, not some overgrown, bad-tempered puppy. Her clan thought it was hilarious. The whole mess appealed to them. After all, foxes were known as pranksters in most mythology. Of course, they weren’t the ones with their faces plastered all over those awful rags, were they?

She heard a truck crank up and—glancing out the window—saw it drive away. She finished washing the grout off her hands and hurried upstairs. The house was almost finished. She’d come to see how the final stages were progressing and had been roped into assisting with tiling the kitchen backsplash. Truthfully, she didn’t mind. It was the kind of thing she loved and also the reason she’d got degrees in architecture and design. After school, she’d joined the family construction business. She’d only been in charge of the residential side of the company for three years, but she’d been working in it since she was a kid.

The stairs opened onto a large landing that had been designed at the client’s request as a library/lounge area. The second story had natural teak floors, which contrasted nicely with the crisp white built-in bookcases that surrounded the landing. The bedrooms on either side of the library differed only in color. She went through the guest room before moving to the opposite end of the landing to the master suite. She’d given the client exactly what he wanted and had to admit the man had good taste.

The back wall was all windows and French doors that led to a balcony, which stretched the length of the house. The room had a sitting area in an alcove that managed to feel private even though it was open, and the bathroom was to die for. She took her time checking it out. It was done in warm earth tones, had a huge walk-in shower and a tub she was convinced would hold four. It was positively decadent. Sighing, she flipped off the light switch and went back downstairs.

In contrast to the traditional upstairs, the first story looked like something out of a slick urban magazine. The floors were polished concrete and the front half of the house was an open living, dining and kitchen area. A small guest bath was tucked into a short hall which led to the final room. The house featured the first studio she’d built for a working artist and so far it was the least-finished room. Only the floors and walls were complete. She had an appointment with the artist later in the week to discuss work surfaces and storage areas.

She heard the front door close as more of the guys left and hastened to follow them. As soon as she stepped outside, she felt watched. Damn, she was getting sick of this. She let her fox side rise to the surface and sharpen her vision, but she didn’t see anything or anyone who didn’t belong when she looked around. Was danger really lurking or was she just paranoid? It seemed ludicrous to believe someone was watching her, but she couldn’t shake the feeling. She decided to swing by her parents’ house. One of her brothers was bound to be there for lunch. It would be easy to rope one into having a look around.

She stepped off the porch to the sidewalk, giving the area another visual sweep. Nothing looked suspicious. There were a couple of guys getting in a truck and another couple on the far side of the yard, packing up the tools by the new retaining wall. She waved as she headed toward her own vehicle. She’d arrived late and had to park a bit down the street.

It was broad daylight, bright and growing chilly as the first storm of the season moved in. She felt like she was walking through town alone at night, though. She dug her keys out of her pocket, eyeing the tree line beside her, and activated the remote when she was in range. By then her senses were screaming. She took a deep breath to test the air. At first all she scented was woods, the last honeysuckle of the season and fresh cut grass. Then there was the faintest hint of man. When the scent’s owner stepped out from behind a tree, she cried out, more from surprise than fear.

She was damned glad she had when she met his gaze and took another deep breath. His scent was putrid in a way she’d learned to associate with violence. Malevolence. His eyes glittered, his expression anticipatory. He was several inches taller than her, bulky the way bodybuilders were, balding and scary as hell. Then he lunged for her. Her heart thudded in her chest and she backpedaled, just managing to stay on her feet and pivot to run away. She had agility and a shifter’s heightened speed on her side, but if the last two guys on today’s crew—both werewolves—hadn’t been so close she would have been caught. She felt something sting her shoulder through the thin long-sleeved shirt she wore. The two shifters, raced toward her in human form, yelling her name. She made it another couple of steps before her knees went out and her vision dimmed.

COLLAPSE
Loribelle Hunt

As a member of the elite Messenger Corps, werebird Alexandra “Ajax” Petros is in her element. Under the protection of her people’s steadfast political neutrality, the only thing she can’t outfly are the secrets of her past—and her birthright as destined queen.

Which is exactly what she’s trying to do when she lands, literally, in the arms of a man with claws—and cold, methodical wits—as razor sharp as her own eagle talons.

For Nicodemus Leonidas, information is power. The journey into werebird territory to find out what happened to his father is a calculated risk, but nothing is more dangerous than his and Ajax’s instant, explosive chemistry. In the heat of the moment, he senses the stubbornly independent woman is his mate…and that she’s hiding something.

Evasive maneuvers do Ajax no good. Inexorably, Nico peels away her layers until he holds her very soul in his hands. And when she uncovers a plot to steal her throne, he is the one man with the power to force her to make the one choice she never wanted to face…

Published:
Cover Artists:
Tags:
Excerpt:

Nicodemus Leonidas stopped the rental car, turning off the engine while he studied the house’s long front porch. He hadn’t warned Jason he was coming. His brother lifted his head but didn’t move from his position wrapped around the human woman in a slightly swaying hammock. He couldn’t make out his brother’s expression, and it was a good thing Jason couldn’t see his in return.

READ MORE

His lip curled in derision. His scorn wasn’t even at taking up with a human associated with the werewolves. That was bad enough. Hell, his youngest brother had gone further and mated a werewolf. No, it was because Jason was completely whipped. It was one thing to shack up with a woman. His practiced eye looked her over, and she was one hell of a woman, but mating? Mating made you weak. Mating made you stupid. He’d seen it over and over again the last few months as each of his brothers fell. Definitely not for him.

Calling on his experience as the family’s security expert, he schooled his expression into one of disinterest and got out of the car. The north Florida humidity hit him like a blow. Dolphin territory. Even in early winter it was warm and balmy. How could anyone live here? The leopard clan claimed everything west of the Mississippi, and he’d be glad to get back to his own land and more specifically home, to the family’s resort, Refuge, in the Arizona desert. At least they had seasons.

Scanning the area as he walked, he strode through the yard. Scrub and small trees. There was nothing appealing in it and its proximity to the wolves just made it worse. The Gulf Coast may belong to the dolphins, but almost everything east of the Mississippi was wolf land. Jason had escaped here after Celeste’s alleged death and other than finding her alive hadn’t had much luck with the place. This was the area where Jason had a fought a werewolf and a hurricane. The need to take action also ruffled his fur.

As he approached, the couple moved. Jason came to meet him at the porch’s edge while Celeste remained seated on the hammock. She watched him warily, suspicion and unease clear on her face. Nico tried to force some of the predator that lived in him farther below the surface. He needed answers from the woman. Scaring her silly was unlikely to get them.

“Brother.” Jason stood with his feet braced apart and his arms crossed over his chest. “What brings you here?”

It was like that, was it? Could be he had the cool reception coming. He hadn’t been very diplomatic the last time they spoke, but his focus was single-minded. He cocked an eyebrow.

“You know why I’m here.”

He and his brother both looked at Celeste. She shifted under the double scrutiny, and Nico was shocked to see her expression and body language change. Gone was the timid mouse, replaced by someone harder, someone bolder. A she-wolf readying to protect her own. He wondered why that image popped into his mind. Her family may be wolves, descendants of King Lycoan and his one hundred sons granted the ability to shift into wolves by Zeus, but she was human. That must be it.

She stood, and he approached, forcing his features to relax, hoping his smile wasn’t a grimace. When he’d first met her over a year ago, she would have shrunk back from his advance regardless. Now she stood her ground, eyes stony. Jason joined her, and she took his hand. Nico noticed it was shaking a little. Not as brave as she pretended to be, but there was no smell of fear from her, no sign of retreat. He had to admire her backbone.

“Celeste. It’s good to see you well.”

She nodded. Curtly. Once. “Thank you.”

He sighed. This was going to be more difficult that he’d anticipated. He turned to his brother, forcing his voice to be free of censure. “I had to come. Dad wouldn’t have given up on any of us.”

Instantly, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Jason stiffened, his eyes growing glacial and a low growl welling in his throat. Nico’s statement hadn’t only accused his brother of giving their father up for dead but also his mate. He was relieved when Celeste slid her hand up the inside of Jason’s arm and calmed the beast lurking inside him. She turned cold, angry eyes on him.

“I do have one thing that may help you.” She held up a hand to hold off the questions rushing through his mind. “Inside.”

He followed them to a small kitchen and sat at the table she pointed out. Jason sat across from him and glowered. Nico was on thin ice here in the warm southern winter. Celeste poured three cups of coffee and placed a bowl of sugar on the center of the table. When she would have taken her own seat, Jason pulled her into his lap. She sat there easily, and Nico ignored the twist in his gut. He didn’t want that. The easy companionship. The warm willing woman who would always be his responsibility.

He stirred sugar into his cup and waited for her to speak. The silence stretched, and when he looked up again she had a faraway look on her face. He cleared his throat, and she jerked. Jason’s arms tightened around her waist, and he glared at Nico. Celeste rubbed circles on his arm and whispered in his ear. He relaxed, but only marginally. Nico almost sighed again. He didn’t like this armed truce that had developed between him and his brothers. Celeste twisted and looked him in the eye.

“I don’t remember anything. That hasn’t changed. No amount of badgering me is going to change that either.”

It was irritation not awkwardness that made him want to fidget. There was no way being dressed down by this human slip of a woman embarrassed him. He forced himself to sit still. He needed her information too badly to go cat on her right now. She was the sole—and surprise—survivor of the plane crash that had taken his father’s life. But if the human had lived in secrecy, why not the wereleopard leader?

“I don’t remember,” she emphasized again. Did he imagine the apology in her voice? “But my dad finally told me that it was the birds who found me. The plane…went down in their territory. It was a Messenger—Ajax Petros—who found me and notified my family.”

He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. The birds who made up the Messenger Corps were reputed to all be trained fighters and they zealously protected the neutrality of the group. This Messenger though, this Ajax Petros, kept popping up, kept feeding his family pieces of information. Now it appeared she had another connection to them, a more tangible connection. He was the only Leonidas brother not to meet her yet, and he was damned curious. He’d been on his way to see her when he’d decided to visit Jason first. Now he was glad he did—it provided the perfect excuse to enter bird territory.

It was a start. It was something to go on. He knew the crash was on bird land, of course, but other than a video they’d sent only after he badgered them into it, he knew almost nothing about it. Now he had a name to go by at least.

“Thank you, Celeste,” he said gently. Looking at the tense lines around her eyes, he had an idea how much it cost her to try to remember that time. He stayed only long enough to be polite. Determined to find answers. Determined to find the truth.

COLLAPSE