Teaser Tuesday 1/14/14: Wolf’s Lady pt 2
Here is the second installment of Sand and Amanda’s story. Actually, I’m starting from the beginning this time, but next week I’ll just give you the next installment. Enjoy!
Wolf’s Lady
Chapter 1
Omaha, Nebraska – the new Sin City of what had once been the United States
September 2070
Sand Wolfe looked at the distant wall enclosing the city of Omaha, hiding the distaste wrestling with curiosity in his belly behind a blank face. He had been here only two months ago as part of the group escorting a cousin’s mate to her uncle, but on that trip he had stayed outside the wall. He liked to run free, and living inside a dirty city was something he’d never wanted to do. Damn Snow for talking him into this.
“C’mon,” his cousin Snow muttered. “The gate is right ahead.”
They walked, leading their single horse behind them, through an area which had once been the outskirts of Omaha. Now it was empty, all buildings and trees burned away decades before he was born to prevent attackers from sneaking up on the city. Sand flicked a glance up at one of the watch towers built into the wall, his excellent eyesight finding two men there, and the long barrels of rifles aimed at him and Snow. The barrenness of the land gave the guards a clear line of fire. Sand forced his shoulders not to twitch.
The road led them directly to the gate. More guards were there, armed with rifles and questions.
“Names,” one guard barked at them.
“I’m Snow Wolfe,” Snow said in his quiet, gentle voice. “This is my cousin, Sand Wolfe.”
The two guards, beefy and well fed in their olive drab uniforms and black boots, exchanged a glance, but they said nothing about the names as one wrote them in a book. Snow was actually Snow On His Fur of the Lakota Wolf Clan, and Sand’s full name was Wolf Running In Sand. The cousins showed their Lakota heritage in their waist length black braids and dark skin.
“What’s your business in Omaha?”
“We’re visiting family.”
The man poised his pen over his book. “What’s the name of the people you’re visiting?”
“Sky Wolfe.”
The guard who wasn’t writing gave a low whistle. “Sky, huh? Lucky. Or does he make you pay full price?”
Sand scowled to hide his confusion. Pay full price for what? The guard writing paused with his pen above the paper. “Cute. Snow, sand, and sky. No sun?”
“No.” Snow’s voice was flat.
“Alright. Ages?”
“Twenty-eight,” Sand answered.
“Twenty-seven,” said Snow.
The man wrote it down. “How long are you staying?”
Snow raised his eyebrows at Sand. “Two months maybe. We’ll head out before winter comes.”
Maybe he could stick it out that long, but Sand doubted it. He was sure they could have snuck into the city and avoided all this gab. No wolf warrior liked to be interrogated by human men who were clearly inferior. One of the guards went to their horses and searched through the saddlebags, inventorying their spare clothes and scant food stores. Sand tensed with a low growl bubbling up his throat when he pawed through the sealed letters Taye, Rose, and others from the den had sent for Sky, but the guard only noted the letters down in his book too.
“No weapons?” he barked.
“We both have a knife,” Snow said, touching the grip of the knife in his belt.
The guard wrote for a while longer, then tore the sheets out of his book to hand one to Sand and the other to Snow. “Your Visitor Permits. Keep those with you at all times. They’re good for two months, until December 1. The City Guard can ask to see them at any time and if you don’t have your visitor’s permit with you, you will be escorted out of the city.”
Sand read the words on his permit. It identified him as Sand Wolf, age twenty-eight, six feet two inches tall, 170 pounds, slender build, black hair very long, brown eyes. Nose aquiline, mouth full. All accurate enough, he supposed, folding the paper and putting it on the breast pocket of his plaid cotton shirt. He rolled his lips together, wondering what the paper meant by “full”. He hadn’t eaten anything since the rabbit his wolf had caught and eaten last night.
Once they were past the gates Sand took a deep breath and steeled himself to enter the city. “Let’s find Sky.”
***
Feeling like a wide-eyed boy from the country made Sand scowl. The city was said to have ten thousand residents. What were they all doing on the street at this moment? He could see only a few yards ahead of him on the sidewalk because it was so crowded with pedestrians. Some of them were women, and as far as he could tell they had no male escort.
Women, walking alone? What were their men thinking? Were they crazy? Anyone could snatch them away!
Well, maybe not. The sidewalk was full of people. If a woman screamed for help, there were plenty of men to step in. He saw more men in the olive drab uniforms and black boots standing at corners, watching the people on the sidewalk with sharp attention, noting each wagon or rider than passed on the street.
“I don’t like this place,” he muttered to Snow. “What is that noise?”
His cousin grabbed his arm. “Look! It’s the bus!”
A large wooden rectangle on wheels rolled laboriously up the street toward them, accompanied by a roar, like a fierce wind in January. A team pulling a wagon shied, half rearing, until the driver jumped down to pull them to the side of the road out of the way of the box. He soothed them with gentle hands until they stood quietly, only little shudders rolling through them. Sand felt kinship with them. He didn’t like the noise either. He didn’t see horses pulling the box, and when it passed them he saw no one pushing it. The stench it emitted made him want to gag.
“Isn’t that marvelous?” Snow said enthusiastically. “I saw it last time I was here, but I didn’t get to ride it. Let’s go!”
Ride in the belly of that thing? “What about the horse?” he said, keeping his tone mild so Snow wouldn’t know he was unsettled by the evil thing. With the noxious odor lingering behind the bus, even Snow’s keen nose wouldn’t detect his unease.
“Oh. Right.” Shoulders slumped, Snow watched a door open in the box and steps lower. A dozen people crowded around the opening, and one by one they disappeared inside. “Well, I’ll ride it later, after we stable the horse.”
Sand started walking again. “Why do you want to ride it? It stinks.”
“But it goes all over Omaha. Omaha is big! Instead of walking from the river to the outer wall you could sit and ride.”
Sand slanted a glance at his cousin. “We have feet for a reason. How hard is it to…?”
A splash of color on a pale bare arm, a hand with long fingers tipped with red paint holding a railing as a woman stepped up into the bus. Sand’s heart stuttered when he noticed her. Long brown hair, glossy with health, rippled in the breeze as the woman disappeared into the box. He’d had only the briefest glimpse of her, but the sight was seared into his brain. He watched the box roll away, almost too stunned to register his wolf’s frantic attempts to burst out, almost too stunned to be able to think. But one piece of knowledge swirled in his belly.
His mate was in Omaha. His mate was in that noisy, stinking box and she was going away from him. The hell she was going away from him! He tore at the buttons on his shirt to strip to let his wolf out, but Snow grabbed his arm hard.
“What are you doing?” his cousin hissed at him.
Tuesday Teaser 1/7/14 – Wolf’s Lady
For my Tuesday Teaser I am going to be presenting a short story from the After the Crash world. This is about Sand Wolfe, one of Taye’s cousins, and the woman who will become his mate. I had already started this story, but I’ve decided to go back and tell it from the beginning. There has been no–zero, zip, zilch–editing or even proof reading to this, so please excuse the roughness.
Wolf’s Lady
by Maddy Barone
Chapter 1
Omaha, Nebraska – the new Sin City of what had once been the United States
September 30, 2070
Sand Wolfe looked at the distant wall enclosing the city of Omaha, hiding the distaste wrestling with curiosity in his belly behind a blank face. He had been here only two months ago as part of the group escorting his cousin’s mate to her uncle, but on that trip he had stayed outside the wall. He liked to run free, and living inside a dirty city was something he’d never wanted to do.
“C’mon,” his cousin Snow muttered. “The gate is right ahead.”
They walked, leading their single horse behind them, through an area which had once been a suburb of Omaha. Now it was empty, all buildings and trees cleared away decades before he was born to prevent attackers from sneaking up on the city. Sand flicked a glance up at one of the watch towers built into the wall, his excellent eyesight finding two men there. The barrenness of the land gave the guards a clear line of fire. Sand forced his shoulders not to twitch.
The road led them directly to the gate. More guards were there, with guns and questions.
“Names,” one guard barked at them.
“I’m Snow Wolfe,” Snow said in his quiet, gentle voice. “This is my cousin Sand Wolfe.”
The two guards, beefy and well fed in their olive drab uniforms, exchanged a glance, but they said nothing about the names as one wrote them in a book. Snow was actually Snow On His Fur of the Lakota Wolf Clan, and Sand’s full name was Wolf Running In Sand. The cousins showed their Lakota heritage in their waist length black braids and dark skin.
“What’s your business in Omaha?”
“We’re visiting family.”
The man poised his pen over his book. “What’s your family’s name?”
“Sky Wolfe.”
“Cute. Snow, sand, and sky. No sun?”
“No.” Snow’s voice was flat.
“Alright. Ages?”
“Twenty-eight,” Sand answered.
“Twenty-seven,” said Snow.
The man wrote it down. “How long are you staying?”
Snow raised his eyebrows at Sand. “Two months maybe. We’ll head out before winter comes.”
Maybe he could stick it out that long, but Sand doubted it. He was sure they could have snuck into the city without all this gab. One of the guards went to their horses and searched through the saddlebags, inventorying their spare clothes and scant food stores.
“No weapons?” the guard barked.
“We both have a knife,” Snow said, touching the grip of the knife in his belt.
The guard wrote for a while longer, then tore the sheets out of his book to hand one to Sand and the other to Snow. “Your Visitor Permits. Keep those with you at all times. They’re good for two months, until December 1. The City Guard can ask to see them at any time and if you don’t have a visitor’s permit you will be escorted out of the city.”
Sand read the words on his permit. It identified him as Sand Wolf, age twenty-eight, six feet two inches tall, 170 pounds, slender build, black hair very long, brown eyes. Nose aquiline, mouth full. All accurate enough, he supposed.
Once they were past the gates Sand took a deep breath and steeled himself to enter the city. “Let’s find Sky.”
Tuesday Teaser 11/26/13: Wolf’s Vengeance
So here is a little snip from Mel and Snake’s story. Thursday is Thanksgiving here in the States. I don’t know if this little snip is worth giving thanks for, but I hope you enjoy!
“I’ve waited all my life to have a mate of my own.” Snake’s voice was low. “Between the ages of ten and twenty I barely ever saw a woman up close, but I always wondered what it would be like to have a mate. Someone who was mine to take care of and love. I dreamed of it. In my dreams my mate loved me and I would do anything for her.” His dark eyes looked directly at her. “I would never do anything to hurt you, Melissa.”
She hated being called her full name. “I believe you,” she told the bedpost.
“No.” His hand lifted and swayed from side to side as if to disperse her words like campfire smoke drifting in his face. “You’re afraid of me. I smell it on you from time to time.”
Mel resisted the urge to hunch her shoulders. She also forced her instant denial back. “Maybe I am. But I know I don’t need to be. You’ve been really decent to me. All your friends have been nice too.”
“Then why? Is it my wolf?”
Her shabby bedroom faded to be replaced by a nearly bare hotel room. She felt Randy Fosse’s hard hands digging cruelly into her shoulders to hold her down on the bed while Jim yanked on her shirt. The bruising pressure on her shoulders suddenly lifted, and a huge gray wolf tore into Jim Fosse, slinging saliva and blood over her…
“Yeah,” Snake said in a near whisper. “There’s that scent. It is my wolf, isn’t it?”
After the Crash Timeline
Have you ever wondered which story takes place when? Do they overlap? Well, even I get confused so I made this nifty little chart to help me keep track. This is actually a simplified version of the one I use. (Mine has actual events listed, but I don’t want to give possible spoilers for those who haven’t read all the books yet) Anyway, I thought maybe you would enjoy this. 🙂
Tuesday Teaser: 11/19/13-Wolf’s Vengeance
So… Mel and Snake were married yesterday, but he spent his wedding night on the floor. Tonight he has other ideas. Mel and Snake are in the kitchen, washing the supper dishes and talking.
“I can take care of myself.” Mel swept her thumb over the butt of her pistol. “Dad taught me to shoot before I was ten, and I’ve been wearing this gun ever since. I’m never unprotected.”
His laugh surprised her. “Glad to hear it.” He glanced over at the pot of wash water on the stove. “Looks like the water’s warm. Let’s get going on these dishes.”
Mel let out a shaky laugh. “Okay. I’ll get started if you’ll bring in the dishes from the dining room.”
After he went out to collect dishes, Mel braced herself with her hands against the sink’s rim for a long breath. Her husband was a stranger. A strange stranger, whose attitudes threw her off stride, but she thought she liked him. He didn’t push for details she’d rather forget. And he wasn’t grabby.
When he came in, holding a pile of dishes that would have taken two of her brothers to carry, she was busy at the sink. He set the dishes on the counter and took the washrag himself. “I’ll wash and you dry. You know where things go better than I do.”
How odd that a werewolf washed dishes with deft hands and hummed while he scrubbed. Again, that domestic image clashed with her memory of his snarls and growls in the hotel room. Which was the real Snake?
“Oh,” he remarked, as if the thought had just come to him, “I won’t be sleeping on the floor tonight. I’ll be joining you on your bed.”
A plate slipped from her hands to shatter on the floor. She blinked down at the scattered shards for a moment before realizing her mouth was gaping wide. She closed her mouth and stared at him. This shouldn’t be a surprise. They were married. Her uncle had performed the ceremony yesterday. Last night she had expected him to claim his marital rights, but he had only lain down on the floor in her bedroom. She swallowed now, her breath oddly cold in her lungs, and bent to pick up the pieces of the plate.
Snake stopped her with a wet hand on her wrist. His eyes were shadowed by thick stubby lashes, and it seemed to Mel they were carefully blank. “Was that such a shock?”
“Well, ye— I mean, no. Well, sort of.” Mel inwardly cursed herself for fumbling her words as well as the plate. She drew in a calming breath and tried to smile at him. “We’re married. You’ve been pretty patient, but I know you want to, uh …” She waved the dishtowel. “You know.”
He took a step closer, so close she could make out each individual eyelash that shaded his eyes. “Do you want to?”
Did she? In her mind’s eye she could see through his clothes to the thickly muscled body beneath. During their trip to the ranch she had seen him switch from man to wolf and from wolf to man often enough to have memorized how he looked naked. What kind of lover would he be? Sweetly fumbling like Danny? Viciously aggressive like Rob? He was strong, stronger than a normal man. He could do serious damage to her with a single blow. Her heart slowed to sluggish thumps, as if it were beating in a vat of icy molasses.
Fingertips rough with calluses grazed her cheek. “Mel?”
Her heart magically leapt free of the molasses to take off at a gallop. Staring at Snake, she jerked her head from side to side. “No, I don’t want to.”
His hand fell away. “Okay, we’ll wait until you’re ready.” He turned back to the unwashed dishes and spoke quietly. “Please don’t be afraid of me.”
Tuesday Teaser 11/12/13-Sky vs Mr. Magic
About a year before Wolf’s Princess starts, Rose rescued a battered tomcat from a bunch of boys who were torturing him. She named him Mr. Magic 8 Ball. The name was shortened to Mr. Magic, or just Magic. The cat is now overweight, scarred, missing most of one ear, and his tail has been broken more than once. He hates every living thing except Rose. He purrs for her. Taye would dearly love to chuck the cat out, but the creature won’t go. Rose loves that cat, and insisted on bringing him to Omaha with her. You can imagine how Sky feels about him, especially since Mr Magic believes Sky is an interloper and won’t let him near Rose’s bed.
Sky glanced around the hallway to be sure no one was watching, then lowered himself into a crouch so he could stare the nasty feline right in his baleful gold eyes. “Look, cat, this is my house. Rose is my mate. You behave yourself, or you’ll be out in the street, waddling after mice for your dinner.”
The cat yawned insultingly, the scent of fish rank on his breath. Realization ground Sky’s teeth together.
“You thieving feline,” he said with disbelief. “You ate my lunch! I’m going to– Dammit!”
He jerked back the hand he’d reached for the cat with.
Light footsteps sounded behind him. He rose swiftly to meet his mate’s angry glare. “Don’t you dare lay a hand on Mr. Magic!” she hissed.
He shoved his bleeding hand toward her. “Me? He’s the one who attacked me!”
“That’s because you scared him.” She bent to scoop the black butterball up and held him to her face, making kissing noises at him. “Poor Mr. Magic. I won’t let the nasty man hurt you. Poor little sweetie. I’m here now. You’re safe.”
Sky could swear the little beast smirked at him.
Wolf Tracker Audiobook!
Do you enjoy listening to audiobooks while you drive, clean, knit, etc? Why not try Wolf Tracker? An author, like a parent, shouldn’t have favorites, but I have to say, Tracker and Tami have a big part of my heart. I love, love, love Tracker! And Tami is strong enough to be perfect for him. Wolf Tracker is available now from audible.com. The narrator, Clementine Cage, captures Tami’s voice so well that you can hear the mix of vulnerability and strength in it that makes Tami who she is. Head over and give the sample a listen.
Tuesday Teaser 11/5/13 Wolf’s Princess
I’m TRYING to focus on Snake and Mel, but Rose and Sky keep blocking me! So I wrote this little scene to try to pacify them enough for me to get back to Wolf’s Vengeance. Let me set the scene. Rose has been in Omaha now for about 10 days, and it’s been three days since Sky moved her into his room. That afternoon they kissed–REALLY kissed– for the first time. All day Rose had thought about that kiss, wondering what it would be like to make love with Sky. This is the night he usually joins the mayor of Omaha and his cronies for their weekly poker game. This usually involves lots of liquor and women. Rose is just getting ready for bed when this scene opens. What do you think?
At the sound of the door opening, Rose snatched her discarded blouse off the bed and held it protectively over her chest. “Sky! What are you doing here? I thought you were going to be out late.”
He stood in the door, crisp white shirt unbuttoned to hang open, suit coat slung carelessly over his shoulder, the glare of electric light gleaming on the hard ripple of his abs. His stare was almost tangible. Rose shivered under the weight of it. “I’m back,” he said. “I couldn’t concentrate on my cards because all I could think about was the kiss we shared this afternoon.”
A flush of pleasure warmed her. Not sexual pleasure –well, maybe a little of it was sexual—but happiness that the kiss had affected him as much as it had her. “Well, step out for a minute so I can put on my nightgown and robe.”
The door closed with a quiet snick. “You won’t need them tonight.” Sky moved to her with the easy saunter of a predator who’d found his prey, the same glide she’d seen so often in his cousins, and then his hands fisted in her hair and his mouth fastened over hers with hot greed.
With her hands exploring the feel of his arms and shoulders, only the press of his chest against hers kept her blouse from falling and leaving her exposed. He was hard muscle covered by smooth satiny skin under the cotton of his shirt, and his mouth pushed all other thoughts out of her head. His hand, large and warm, smoothed down her bare back, and then up to cup her breast.
Her bare breast.
She managed to force an inch of space between them, panting. “Wait! What are you doing?”
“Princess, if you have to ask that, I must be doing something wrong.”
He clamped his hands over her rear end and hauled her so close to him she could feel the ridge his arousal dig into her belly. She couldn’t stop herself from rubbing her core against him, needing to ease the hot ache in her body. She was a virgin, but she knew what her body wanted. She just wasn’t sure she was ready for it.
“Tonight,” he said in a harsh whisper into her neck. “I’ve waited a long time for you, Rose. Tonight, in the bed right behind you, you’re going to accept my mate claim.”
“I am?” Her voice lifted in a cracked squeak that turned to a breathy moan when his mouth closed over her breast. She had never felt anything like it. All her curiosity about sex, her private carnal longings, rushed to the place between her thighs. “Oh, God, Sky, I am.”
Tuesday Teaser 10/29/13-Wolf’s Vengeance
I’m writing Wolf’s Vengeance and thought you’d like a quick snip from that story. This takes place at supper the night after Mel and Snake were married.
Her brother Mord’s face creased with sly humor that Mel immediately recognized, though he tried to disguise it by setting his mouth into an earnest line. He leaned over the supper table, gazing at Snake with faked concern. Snake sat so close beside her on the wooden bench she could smell his subtle scent and feel his thigh pressed to hers.
“Are you sure you want to be my sister’s husband?”
Snake’s profile was calm as he swallowed the last bite of his blueberry pie. One thick brow arched and he cocked his head. “Yeah.”
Mike joined in the sly teasing with a tsking sound. “You positive? You know what her track record with husbands is?”
Mel slammed her fork onto the table. “Cut it out, Mikey.”
Her new husband put a hand on her knee beneath the table and gave her a gentle squeeze. “I don’t know what a track record is.”
It cheered her to see her brothers shut up, but it was only a momentary reprieve. “You know what happened to Rob Fosse?”
Snake cut Mord off. “Sure. He got what he deserved.”
“Melissa Ann is quick to shoot,” Mikey said with a sad shake of his head. “Mind your toes, and other parts.”
Mel gave him a furious snort.
Mord smirked. “And then there was Danny Bell.”
Mel’s hand went weak. Oh, God. Danny. The name cut a burning gash over her heart. She leaped to her feet and grabbed her plate. “Sara, wanna give me a hand with these dishes?”
Snake waved the girl back. “I’ll help with dishes.”
He sent a cold glare at the twins, and maybe he would have said something to them if Marc hadn’t intervened.
“You boys have time to flap your mouths, you have time to clean the outhouse,” he said evenly.
Amid protests at the late hour and other complaints, Mel made her escape to the kitchen. Snake followed her, a muscular wall of silence as he set the kettle to heat for dishwater. When it was done he took her hand and looked into her eyes.
“Who is Danny Bell?” he asked.
Tuesday Truth 10/22/13-Wolf’s Oath is here!
Yes, Wolf’s Oath is out and available at some retailers!
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Smashwords
And will be at Barnes & Noble, the iBookstore, Kobo, Sony, etc in a few weeks. If your reading device requires .epub or .pdf, and you don’t want to wait to read the book, you can buy it at Smashwords in the format of your choice. I am very excited about Connie and Des’ story. Did you wonder why Connie went from declaring she would never marry to showing up at the den with Des for the wedding ceremony? What happened to change her mind? Find out in Wolf’s Oath.
Connie Mondale, co-pilot of a plane that crashed in a future where women are rare, has no intention of being forced into marriage, thank you very much. A former fighter pilot, she’s accustomed to being in charge. But leading two dozen undisciplined women is harder than flying missions over Iraq and Afghanistan. Scarier, too, with woman-hungry men outnumbering them two hundred to one, and demanding marriage. When Des, the grim-faced werewolf who is always there for her, offers to share the load, how can she refuse?
Des Wolfe knows Connie is his mate. When she refused him, he tried to settle for being her friend. But when an opportunity comes to have her for his own, he grabs it with both hands, determined to have her love. If that means taking on a whole house full of women and making them his Pack, he’ll do it. There is no price too high for Des to pay to have Connie for his mate.
Can Connie give her heart to a werewolf, or will Des have to settle for only her body in his bed?
