Between Darkness and Daylight (54 page)

He had time and energy to indulge his desires. He was, as she had just put it, a healthy red-blooded male, after all. He didn’t, however, like to waste his time or energy on anger and a past he could not change. Life was too short. For Ms. Arrogant Nubian Queen though, he thought he might make an exception. “I’m not afraid of you,” he said and as he peered at her, she returned his glare tenfold. He didn’t flinch, would die before letting this woman intimidate him.

“Oh, you are a spirited one, so worth the effort of taking you. I am going to enjoy breaking you in, Mateo.”

He just bet she would enjoy breaking him in if he allowed her to, but he had no intentions on allowing her to break him in.

All this time he had thought she was a figment of his traumatized, juvenile imagination, something he had conjured up to help him deal with the bizarre nature of his brother’s death. He thought she was something he had created to help him deal with the horrendous circumstances surrounding his parents’ murder/suicide.

She was real, however, and before him now, the woman at the root of all three losses, a being he had grown to despise.

Mateo pulled against his manacles. “Undo these cuffs,” he

commanded, sudden rage fueling his bravado. He knew very well what she was capable of, how powerful and lethal she could be. He didn’t care.

“You are giving me, LaMia Enlil, an order?”

“I’m giving you an order, yes,” he bit out.

She laughed, reached out a hand to smooth a stray lock of light-brown hair from his face, and his dick twitched in his boxer briefs at the unexpected gentleness of the contact. “You are absolutely precious,” she murmured.

She said it like he was a cute poodle or kitten who had just done a neat trick.

Mateo snarled and jerked his wrists against the cuffs again. “Bitch. Let me out of here, now!”

REVIEWS for
Predator's Salvation (Book 2)

"Ms. McKeever has a sharp, sexy book with
Predator’s
Salvation
...Mateo is a complex character. He reeks of heartbreak and seems fragile but my first impression of him was that he is an aggressive alpha male waiting to break out of a civilized form. LaMia appears to be, quite frankly, the bitch from hell. At first I was appalled at what she intended to do to Mateo and how she went about it. Yet, through Mateo and his connection to her I began to understand her heartbreak and vulnerability. Their passionate, boiling sex made my toes curl and I was panting. The switch from each of them taking dominant and submissive roles had me running for my significant other and even then a cold shower. I was particularly impressed with LaMia’s physical dominance of Mateo and the heat that poured off of both of them from the pages. The plot moved at a very good pace but I felt Mara’s appearance was unnecessary. Whereas, the reappearance of Genesis and Alex will make those fans of Ms. McKeever’s first book in this series very happy. Overall, I loved the world Ms. McKeever and look forward to going back to read
Guardian Seductress
and any future works involving this world.
4.5 Stars/Orgasmic
" —
Julie Esparza,

Just Erotic Romance Reviews

"The Sisters of Emsharra, Book 2,
Predator's Salvation
was exceptional. I loved this book. There was not only love, life, explosive sexual tension, friendship, political intrigue, mystery, forgiveness and a plot that will keep you involved from the start to the finish. I recommend you read The Sisters of Emsharra, Book 1,
Guardian
Seductress
, so as to fully understand everything going on in this book and why the characters are where they are, but this book does stand alone just fine. Gracie C. McKeever creates an interesting world with characters that must work hard to find the balance that will let them co-exist together. I highly recommend this book to anyone.
4.5

Kisses
" —
Tara,
Two Lips Reviews

"This is one hot tamale of a good story! At first, I thought it would not be realistic, for how could he love the murderess of his family, but I was pleasantly surprised. The author did an excellent job of portraying Mia in a realistic fashion so that the reader is able to understand and even relate to her motives. The love scenes are scorching, yet sensual and loving at the same time. The world building is creative and easy to grasp, which made the book that much more enjoyable. This is the first book of Ms. McKeever's I've had the pleasure to read; it will certainly not be the last!
4 Cups
" —
Regina,
Coffee Time Romance

'Ms. McKeever's triumphant return,
Predator's Salvation
, features the main protagonists in the first story, Alex and Genesis, as well as their enemy Mia, whose story this is...This reviewer found this story to be a fascinating look into the life of LaMia Enlil, who truly seemed to be unredeemable in Book 1. Ms. McKeever has done a marvelous job of humanizing Mia and making her sympathetic. Mateo is a remarkable man whose empathic abilities make this story work as well. Their sex scenes are inflammatory they are so hot! The exciting conclusion to this story was noteworthy as well. For those readers of erotic fantasy, Ms. McKeever's tales of Emsharra are not to be missed! Highly recommended!
4 Hearts
" —
Leah,
Love Romances

Spells Cast in Shadows

Driven by recurrent dreams to take an ill-advised predawn ride around her ranch, Montana Freeborn stumbles across something in the road from those wildest dreams: a real live centaur. At least she thinks so.

By the time she reaches the supine figure trampled beneath the hooves of her prize Appaloosa, she begins to wonder if her eyes deceived her, since before them now is a man, a magnificent, unconscious and very naked man.

Cast out from his tribe as a punishment for causing the death of a fellow Sapphiran, Seth Phoenix is an arrogant young centaur of royal heritage infatuated with the human race, and now, after a twist of fate, forced to count on one of its ranks for his survival.

His one chance at redemption––brokered with the Black Elf by his desperate mother, Thyra Phoenix––could be the key to his mother's freedom, or his own downfall…

Sensuality Rating:
Sizzling

Genre:
African-American/Paranormal/Psychic/Shape-shifter/Urban Fantasy

STORY EXCERPT

SPELLS CAST IN SHADOWS

By Gracie C. McKeever

Copyright © 2006

Nearing the edge of the grove where the forest began and the ranch ended, Montana raised her face to the dimly lit sky, reveling in spring's airy fingers gently lifting her hair and lightly brushing her face. She hadn't closed her eyes or taken them from the road for more than a second before the shadow appeared out of the darkness without warning.

Sunny instantly reared up, blowing rollers as he tried to avoid colliding with—
Pony-man.

"Whoa, Sunny, whoa, boy!" Montana gripped the horse's reins, squeezing her thighs tight against his flanks as she tried to calm the animal. Good thing she wasn't having one of her clumsier moments, or she'd have taken a header off the horse right to the hard ground!

She looked on in horror, heart pounding in her ears as Sunspot's front hooves came down, knocking the creature over and pounding his torso into the ground.

She watched him roll from his side to his back. As he moved, his lower half transformed, changing into two human legs before her eyes.

She couldn’t believe it. Had she really seen a half-horse, half-man?

Sunspot grew quiet beneath her, prancing and walking a wide berth around the figure on the ground. Montana leaned forward and rubbed his glistening neck, gently murmuring to the horse. "It's all right boy.

Everything's going to be just fine." When she was sure he was okay and hadn't hurt himself, she carefully dismounted and crept to the stranger's side.

What struck her first wasn't that he was indeed a man and not the centaur she had initially seen—and she
knew
that she had—but that he was naked, just completely and totally
na
-
ked.

Montana pulled in a deep breath as she crouched beside him to check for injuries. Her fingers glided over the hard, smooth curves of his chest and abdomen, all the while trying to avoid that sizable area of his anatomy several inches lower and resting peacefully against one thigh.

God, he was magnificent!

Not that she'd been exposed to that many naked men before, except maybe when she indulged in her guilty pleasure, watching hunk-inhabited soaps every once in awhile. Or when she'd splurge on one of those novelty beefcake calendars embellished with pictures for every month of shirtless cowboys clad in snug jeans that hugged all the right curves.

As far as beefcake and shirtless went, her unconscious stranger was beautifully formed from head to toe. Long, lean-muscled flanks curved up into a slim waist accented by a sectioned abdomen and well-defined pectorals. He had a swimmer's body, elegant, poised, and powerful, even in repose.

Her clit swelled beneath her jeans, and Montana simultaneously squeezed her eyes and her legs shut as if this could stop her tsunami-force lust.

She bit her bottom lip, contemplating. Heart speeding, palms moist, she itched to touch him, feeling like she was about to do something intrinsically illicit as her hand drifted of its own accord, closer and closer until her fingertips caressed one male nipple.

She brushed her hand across his chest, acquainting herself with his smooth pecs, then drifted further down to his abdomen….lower, lower until she made contact with the hair around his cock. She froze.

Montana's eyes shot open when she realized what she was doing.

Shit, she was horny! How else could she explain this instant hot attraction? Why did she have a sudden uncontrollable urge to molest an unconscious man as he lay injured?

Montana stopped gaping long enough to scold herself for her

unconscionable act as she berated her foolishness in not heeding Jason's warnings about riding around the ranch in the dim light. She could just hear the I-told-you-so's now, which gave her some pause.

She needed to get her injured stranger some help, but how to do that without going back to the ranch and submitting to an interrogation or righteous censure?

She certainly couldn't lift him herself. True, she was made of sturdy stock at five-nine, one-fifty, and was in pretty good physical condition having worked hard all her life on the ranch and at various positions with the Forestry Service, but this man had to be six-four and two-hundred pounds of solid muscle. Dead-weight muscle at that. Not to mention he was naked.

Montana realized she had more qualms about the latter than the idea of actually trying to lift and carry an unconscious and injured man to the house by her lonesome.

She pivoted and marched back to Sunspot to retrieve the heavy blanket from beneath her saddle, returned, and crouched beside the stranger before gently covering him with the coarse material.

The stranger.

Her
stranger, she thought, feeling connected to him and oddly possessive, as if he belonged to her and she to him.

Montana pulled the cell phone from her belt, flipped it open without much hope of getting a signal. She had to walk several yards away toward the ranch until she was out of a dead zone and able to get an open line. She dialed 911, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Sunspot and her stranger were okay. He’d disappeared.

ADULT EXCERPT

SPELLS CAST IN SHADOWS

By Gracie C. McKeever

Copyright © 2006

He pulled back to peer at her for a long moment before he bent his head to tease her slightly parted lips. Montana opened her mouth to him on a long moan and flung her arms around him, almost throwing him off-balance.

Seth planted one palm against the wall adjacent them and lowered her to the carpeted steps with his free arm. He pushed her legs apart with his knee as she wantonly sprawled across the several bottom steps, then he cupped her moist pussy with a palm. “Shall I please you before you take your leave?”

“Yes, Seth. Please…” She grasped his soft ‘locks with both hands and held on as he lifted her T-shirt up past her breasts. She writhed beneath him anticipating the feel of his lips on her a second before he wrapped his hot mouth around one nipple. “More, Seth. I want more of you…”

His hair was like cotton balls in her hands, and she reveled in the soft feel against her palms, reveled in the musky clean scent that wafted up to her from his skin and hair as she inhaled deep and held him tight.

Seth slid a hand into her panties, slowly eased two fingers into her wet pussy, and Montana immediately clamped down on the two digits with her inner muscles, desperate for more.

He laved, nipped, and sucked both nipples until they stood at attention, then found her engorged clit with his thumb and flicked it. He scissored his fingers inside her, working them in concert with his thumb and making Montana shudder.

She gripped his hair so tight her knuckles hurt, and still he tortured her. “If you want me to beg, Seth…” She gasped as he hit a particularly sensitive area deep inside her. “I will. Please…”