Title: Changing Moon
Series: Paranorm World #3
Author: June Stevens
Published: June 30th, 2016
Publisher: Crimson Tree Publishing
Genre: NA mature Paranormal Romance
Content Warning: Contains adult and sexual content
Recommended Age: 17+
Synopsis:
A brutal attack has left Anya’s body and life forever changed.
The man she loved is gone, her relationship with her family is in tatters, and her future is dead. With the woman who attacked her still at large, her growing friendship with Luca is the one comfort keeping her sane.
Determined to take control of her life and her body, she finds her purpose to move forward… getting revenge.
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Excerpt:
As the fog in my brain lifted and I climbed towards
consciousness, it was as if I could feel every cell in my body, and they were
all throbbing. There wasn’t any real pain; it was more like every nerve ending
in my body was on high alert. I tried lifting my eyelids and was surprised to
find they were working properly. The room was dim, yet I could see everything
clearly—not that there was much to see other than a darkly painted ceiling.
When I turned my head, a sharp pain stabbed through my brain.
“Ouch,” I said, my voice coming out in a loud croak.
“You’re awake,” a familiar voice said. Pinky’s face hovered
over mine. “Welcome back, darling girl.”
His voice was breathy as if he were whispering, yet it was
so loud I couldn’t help but wince. Pain and worry etched his face, and he
looked tired in a way I’d never seen before.
“What happened? Where am I?” My voice sounded dry, cracked,
and a little panicky. I couldn’t help it. Fear was starting to bubble up inside
my stomach, churning it. I felt so odd. So much of my body hurt, and then there
was the pain that wasn’t pain, but more of an odd sensation. Where was I and
why was Pinky staring down at me as if I’d just come back from the dead?
“Shh, it’s okay,” Pinky said, trying to soothe me.
He laid his hand on my arm, but it hurt and I flinched away.
“Ouch,” I said, tears filling my voice. “Pinky, what’s going on? Why does it
hurt?”
“Shh, don’t talk. I need to get you some tea to soothe your
throat. Lie there and rest.”
Too weak to argue, I did as he bade, closing my eyes as I
waited. I didn’t drift back off to sleep, though. I was painfully aware of
Pinky moving around the room. It was as if every sound was amplified, and every
shift in the air blew across my skin. From the sounds, I’d guessed there was a
teapot and crystal warming plate in the room. The scent of herbs and something
else I couldn’t name burst into the room as he slid the lids off glass
containers. The odor grew stronger before softening as he combined them and
poured hot water over the mixture.
Within a few minutes, Pinky was back by my side, though he
had never actually left the room.
“Are you ready to try to sit up?” he asked, placing a mug on
a table near my head.
“I think so,” I said, opening my eyes and gazing up at his
concerned face. I wasn’t completely sure I was telling the truth, but curiosity
was gnawing at me. I wanted to know what had happened, but I knew Pinky
wouldn’t tell me anything unless he thought I was doing better. Though better than
what, I had no idea.
Several minutes later, I was cursing my curiosity and
wishing I’d just told Pinky I wasn’t ready to sit up yet. But I hadn’t, and I
was sitting up. If you could call propped against six pillows that forced me
into a sitting position ‘sitting up’. I wasn’t even sure propped was the
correct word because the moment Pinky let go of me after putting the last
pillow into place, I’d collapsed back onto them, heaving from the pain and
effort of getting into the position. Even with Pinky’s help, it had been
excruciating and exhausting.
“Here, this will help,” Pinky said, holding the mug of warm
liquid to my lips.
I sipped it, the strong flavor exploding in my mouth. “What
is that?” I asked after swallowing several mouthfuls.
“An herbal tea from River’s garden. Chamomile, I think.
There’s some medicine to help your pain mixed in,” he answered, setting the
empty mug down. “Are you feeling any better?”
The medicine must be why it tasted so strong, but I was
feeling a little better. “My throat doesn’t hurt as much.”
He smiled. “Good.”
“Pinky, what happened? How did I get sick? What’s wrong with
me?” As I asked the questions, I watched my father’s face grow serious, dread
filling his eyes.
“I’m not sure right now is the best time. I think you need more
rest.”
“No,” I said. It took every bit of energy I had, but I
pushed his hand away as he tried to pull the blanket up around me. “I don’t
want to rest. Please, what happened? Why does everything hurt? Why are you the
one taking care of me? Where’s River and Fiona?”
With every question, my voice got more and more shrill. As I
asked about my sisters, I realized just how strange, how wrong, it was for them
not to be in the room. Were they sick too? Had something happened to them?
“Shh, Anya, calm down, baby. Fiona and River are okay,”
Pinky crooned as he gripped my hands between his. I realized I had been
screaming out the thoughts in my head and that I was sobbing. “If you’ll drink
another mug of tea, I’ll tell you, okay?”
I nodded, the motion making my head ache. “Okay,” I said,
trying to stop crying now that I realized I was doing it.
Pinky prepared another mug of tea, and we sat in silence as
I drank it. The drink soothed me, sending a warming calm throughout my body. I
suspected Pinky had put some sort of sedative in it that would knock me out
soon, but I wasn’t about to be deterred.
I held the mug out. “It’s all gone. Now tell me what’s wrong
with me. I don’t want to wake up again feeling so confused and scared.”
The moment I spoke the words, I could see the determination
to keep me in the dark fade from Pinky’s demeanor. “Okay. I suppose knowing
will be better than the fear of not knowing. What do you remember?”
I shook my head, grateful that the last cup of tea had taken
away the stabbing pain behind my eyes. “I don’t know. What do you mean?”
“Before you woke up here, what is the very last thing you
remember doing?”
I thought hard, trying to focus. An image of Farrah and
River formed in my mind. They were laughing. “I was at the market with Farrah
and River. We were having lunch.”
“You don’t remember anything else? Do you know what you did
after you left the market?”
I tried to think. I remembered telling River goodbye and
walking towards the bridge with Farrah, but as we neared the bridge, everything
got fuzzy, and then it was black. I couldn’t remember. As I concentrated,
another sharp throbbing started behind my left eye. I rubbed at my temple.
“I don’t know, Pinky. I can’t remember.” My voice was
nearing hysteria.
“Shh, it’s okay,” Pinky said, sitting on the edge of the bed
and pulling me into his arms. “I’m going to tell you what happened, but I need
you to promise to try to stay calm. You are safe and loved, and no matter what,
you will be okay. Promise to remember that?”
I nestled my head against his chest, much as I did when I
was a child. The comfort of his arms was accompanied by the feeling of dozens
of tiny bees stinging my skin at every point where we touched, but I ignored
it. A sense of dread was slipping over me, but I needed to know. “I promise.”
As my adoptive father cradled me in his arms and rocked me
like a baby, my entire world was pulled out from under my feet. He told me
Farrah and I had been attacked, and that Farrah was fine, but I’d been
kidnapped. He didn’t have any other details except that Jarrett and Fiona tried
to get me back, but the kidnapper, some woman named Cora, had cut my throat.
I’d been dying and the only chance they’d had to save me was to infect me with
the N-V virus.
The only way to save my life had been to change it forever.
To change me forever. I was now a vampire.
About the Author:
JUNE STEVENS WESTERFIELD writes romantic fiction with strong, confident heroines. Her non-fiction work includes collections of real life stories that help give other women a voice. In addition to writing, she runs two small businesses designing greeting cards and websites. When not working she can be found reading, making jewelry, or snuggling on the sofa with her husband and six furbabies binge watching Netflix.
Crimson Tree Publishing Links:
(an adult division of Clean Teen)
Giveaway Details:
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Giveaway is US only.
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