Taken By Storm

Overview

Tal dar Aune, a powerful shape-shifting mage, comes to Earth on a desperate quest to find a mysterious woman before his nemesis destroys her. Little does Tal know the “helpless” female he’s come to save is the key to peace on his war-torn world…or that he’ll long to touch her, take her, make her his.

Unaware of her royal roots or alien origins, Charlotte spends her first thirty years on Earth. Then Tal bursts into her life with all the subtlety of a thunder storm. He’s rude, arrogant, and easily the most desirable man she’s ever encountered. With a ruthless madman hot on their heels, they can’t afford to be distracted by the attraction rapidly growing between them, but the emotions are too powerful to ignore.

SNEAK A PEEK:
Smoke stung her eyes and made it difficult to see, but she moved as quickly as her sloppy burden would allow. She reached the rock formation and waved her hand back and forth, trying to disperse the smoke.

A soft moan emanated from the shadows. Oh dear God, someone was out there. She set down the bucket, wishing she had grabbed a flashlight. Had someone been struck by lightning?

Or had they started the fire?

Suspicion drove her back a step. She couldn't just abandon someone if they needed help. Taking a deep breath, she started to call out to the firefighters.

Before the cry could pass her lips, some unseen force pulled her forward and buckled her knees. A strong hand clamped around her wrist and Charlotte screamed. She scuttled backward, but the hand held tight to her wrist.

A man pulled himself from the bushes using her resistance as leverage. She cried out again as more and more of him was revealed. His chest was wide, hairless, and bare to the frigid night air. Moonlight gleamed off his smooth, pale skin. A long, loose garment hung open from his shoulders to tangle about his legs. The sculpted contours of his chest and arms were offered no protection by the garment.

The man's other hand found Charlotte's upper arm, pulling her forward. Long black hair streamed all around him, disappearing into the leafy debris. She couldn't see his features, but it was obvious he had no intention of letting her go. She tugged against him frantically, her heart hammering in her chest.

He spoke rapidly but she couldn't understand his words, could hardly hear him over the roaring in her ears. His voice snapped with authority and urgency. Trembling uncontrollably, she continued to resist.

The intensity in his tone suddenly faltered. He collapsed against the ground, dragging her with him. An exotic, spicy scent filled her nose as she sprawled across his chest. She lay there helpless for a moment, inhaling the unusual scent. It made her dizzy and weak.

His hand grasped her hair painfully and pulled her face toward his. Charlotte tried to scream but his mouth managed to find hers through the tangle of their hair.

It wasn't a kiss. She felt the cool pressure of his lips connecting with hers but the contact wasn't tender or intimate. It was as if he were merely forming a seal between their bodies. For a long moment he just held her there, molding his mouth to hers. She couldn't move. Was he paralyzing her somehow or had her fear rendered her motionless?

Her skin tingled. Her muscles vibrated with a subtle pulsation. His mouth moved and the tingling became painful. She arched away from him, struggling to separate their mouths. His hand tightened in her hair and his arm firmly encircled her back.

Charlotte panicked, writhing desperately to break his hold. He rolled over, dragging her beneath him and pinning her against the frozen ground. She felt heat gathering in the center of her abdomen, burning and building until her whole body shook with tension. Then he drew it out of her, like sucking soda through a straw.

He finally tore his mouth from hers and Charlotte screamed. She shoved against his chest but he was no longer solid. Her hands passed through him and she screamed again. He shimmered, wavering between substance and spirit for just a second and then disintegrated entirely.