Legacy Series Book Three
Breathless Press
Available in e-book and Print
Some
decisions are easy to make, especially when it comes to the well-being of your
mate. Even if the decision means ending the life of another...
Just
when Shawnee thought her life would finally settle down, an unexpected visit
from Vanessa’s family sparks an unraveling of a different sort. The visitors
bring news that the Pride is in trouble. Dugan, a weretiger who relentlessly
bullies the most vulnerable members, threatens to take over. Shawnee returns
with Vanessa to her homeland and, with the help of Xany and an unsuspecting
submissive, works to bring down Dugan before he dismembers the Pride. Can
Vanessa stand up to her nemesis and restore the Pride to safety? Will she break
under the pressure, or can Shawnee protect her mate from the torment? Shawnee
quickly learns to draw on the strength of her pack family and with a keen bit
of luck, may very well be the key to saving the Pride and her mate.
Excerpt:
"Doctor Twofeathers?" The charge nurse
called my name as I stood on the desk, reaching for a book on the highest shelf
of the medical library.
"Yes?"
"There's someone here to see you," she
said, her lips pursed in a way that tried to stifle a small smile.
"Is it a walk-in?" I hopped down from
the desk and straightened my lab coat. It wasn't everyday that I got caught
climbing for answers. The look on the nurse's face told me I hadn't played it
off as coolly as I'd hoped.
"You...could say that." A wry grin
lifted the corners of her mouth. "A very handsome walk-in."
Could
it be Mal? A rush of excitement shot through me as the nurse nodded
toward the door. I followed her to the nurses' station by the entrance of
Stormhill Hospital Center's emergency room. I'd worked here for a few weeks,
part-time at the request of my pack. Despite the hospital administrator urging
me to work full-time, it just wasn't in my best interest. Ultimately, it was my
decision. I knew that spending too much time away wouldn't be the best approach
to strengthening our new bonds. Even though I only spent less than twenty-four
hours a week out of the house, it seemed like a lot more. The part-time
position afforded me the opportunity to work on building up a private practice
at the cabin. This made Vanessa happy and soothed by the fact that my work
outside the house was temporary.
Waiting for me by the front desk was my mate,
Mal. I tried my best to keep the surprise from my doctorly poker face, but I
couldn't help it, really. He greeted me with a casual hug, then held up the
brown paper bag he carried.
"I thought we'd have dinner together
tonight. I bribed Beth into telling me when you were taking your break,"
he said, shooting a glance at the young brunette receptionist.
"Bribed her with what?" I laughed.
Beth turned in her chair, a cheeky smile
plastered across her face. She held out her hands and Mal tossed her a giant
wrapped sandwich.
"With food." A grin spread across his
lips, lending light to the stark curve of his jaw. The overwhelming desire to
kiss him was hard to suppress.
"Thanks, handsome boyfriend of Doctor
T," Beth's voice carried on a light chuckle as she set her dinner on the
desk.
"She's the best." I smiled at Beth
before waving at Mal to follow me. "We can eat in my office."
My office at the hospital was a cozy space
tucked into the corner of the first floor. The windows looked out into the
parking lot and the trees beyond it. It was the first time that Mal had visited
me, and I wanted to show him everything. He looked around at the charts and
graphs on the walls, then lifted an eyebrow at the chalkboard someone had used
for a game of hangman.
"The residents sometimes share the
office," I explained through a laugh. His expression lightened as I nudged
the door closed behind me.
"Is it usually this quiet here?"
"Only after midnight," I said as he
set the bag of food down on the desk. Mal turned around to lean against it and
smiled at me. His eyes wandered over me from head to toe.
"What?" I asked and followed his gaze,
wondering if some sort of ER goo or hospital stench covered me.
"You really do look like a doctor," he said, voice laced with surprise as
his eyebrows flicked upward.
"I am
a doctor." I laughed and made my way over to wrap my arms around his neck.
He gave a light tug to the stethoscope that dangled along my chest then used it
to pull me closer.
"You sure are," he said, and in an
instant, his lips pressed to mine.
Relief flooded me as the soothing mate bond
thrummed happily between us like an invisible strand connecting our souls. The
heat between our bodies was wonderfully unbearable. He let go of the
stethoscope, then slipped his hands under my lab coat to rest on my waist.
"How are things at home?" My voice
seemed to sigh.
"Vanessa is driving Xany crazy." He
laughed as his fingers stroked along the waistband of my scrubs, igniting the
familiar ache of desire in my belly. "When she tries to start a
conversation or ask her a question, Vanessa's responses are just totally
weird."
"Poor Xany." I couldn't help grinning
at the notion. Vanessa's responses were peculiar on a regular basis, and during
heat time, they were practically unfathomable.
"I think Xany and Ana went to Imogene's
this afternoon to escape for a while. It's been strange for everyone hanging
around a feral weretiger that's in heat." His hands came to rest on the
small of my back. The heat of him swallowed me whole.
"I don't usually notice until she completely stops speaking in full
sentences." I shook my head. "Is Mom okay?" I asked, and toyed
with the collar of his shirt. I couldn't bring myself to query any further. My
mother had been back in my life for barely a month before I started working
again and, I had to admit, I wasn't putting in my best effort to reconnect with
her. What would she think when she discovered all of my secrets?
"She's the most patient wolf I've ever
seen." He smiled.
"I know." I closed my eyes. His chin
pressed against my forehead. "Thank you for coming to see me
tonight."
"My pleasure." With a grin that seemed
malevolent at best, his hands dipped into my pants and cupped my rear. I gave
his ponytail a firm tug when his hardness pressed against me.
"Is it?" I smiled. If my werewolf had
taught me anything, he'd taught me how to play. And to take the bait.
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Max
grew up just outside of New York City, spending most of her formative years
outdoors creating wild ghost hunts with neighborhood kids, setting booby-traps
to capture unwitting family members, and building clubhouses on top of ten-foot
walls. Max wrote her first story at the age of twelve and titled it Circles
of Friendship. Through the years, Max has written several short-stories and
poems, all of which met the wrath of the “Not Good Enough” monster and ended in
fiery demise.
Max
regained her confidence when she began writing scholarly articles and research
theses on her first trip through graduate school. It took several years for her
to break the habit of the formal writing that marred her creativity. An
additional Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing was Max’s biggest
support in this. Max writes primarily sci-fi/fantasy, paranormal romance, and
Young Adult stories.
For more information visit: www.maxellendale.com
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