A
Cat's Chance in Hell
Hellcat
Series Book 1
by
Sharon Hannaford
Genre:
Urban Fantasy
If
the Demon Master gets his way the City is about to become Hell on
Earth.
Gabi
has some extraordinary talents. Some might call them supernatural,
but for her they’re just part of everyday life. What she knows
about the supernatural would give most humans nightmares forever.
Ridding the streets of bad-ass creatures of the night is Gabi’s
other job. Taking up the mantle of her father’s legacy, she is a
Hunter for the Societas Malus Venatori. The first female ever
bestowed the title. Her day job is a little less dangerous. Most of
the time.
Being
ambushed and kidnapped by the sinfully sexy Master Vampire of the
City should have been just another night on the job, except for the
fact that Julius has other plans for her. When he reveals that his
nemesis wants control of the City and has plans to fill it with
Demons from the Etherworld, creating an army of Ghouls and turning
humans into nothing more than cattle to feed his Clan, Gabi must
choose her path. She must decide whether to join with Julius in a
stand against the Demon Master or flee the City with her friends and
family, leaving the Vampires to wage their own war and the rest of
the residents to their fate.
But
it’s not in Gabi’s nature to back down from a fight, no matter
how impossible the odds. As the Malus Venatori prepare for war, Gabi
finds herself pulled deeper into Julius’s world and she makes some
disturbing discoveries about her unusual supernatural abilities. Her
existence might just be the answer to a mystery as old as the Vampire
race. Even more unsettling than that is her undeniable attraction to
Julius and the taste of his blood. But before she can come to terms
with her conflicting desires they must all survive the Demon
onslaught and find a way to safeguard the truth of her
heritage.
While
the supernatural bad guys know her as Angeli Morte, her friends call
her Hellcat!
If
you like your heroine smart, sassy and absolutely kick-ass and your
Vampire hero sexy as sin and twice as dangerous you’re going to
love the Hellcat Series.
Contains
adult content.
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The
flames in the fire-place suddenly surged brighter, as though hit by a blast of
oxygen, and in the brief surge of amber light Gabi saw Julius’s eyes flare with
their own dark flame. He quickly dropped
his gaze from hers and turned his head to stare out into the night. “In fact, I think it’s probably a good time
for me to leave. I just needed to know
that you were alright.”
The
need inside Gabi flared more insistently, resisting the thought of him leaving,
and demanding she act to draw him closer.
“Why
should you leave, it is your room isn’t it?” she asked, trying to keep her
voice from betraying her desperation.
He
turned his face back towards her, a strange kind of anguish sharpening his
features. “I,” he began, then broke off,
as his eyes stroked down the length of her body and legs, lying sprawled across
the bed.
Gabi
realised she was wearing only a loosely buttoned man’s silk shirt and nothing
else. All her clothes must’ve been covered in blood.
“I’m
not sure I could… resist,” he continued finally, “if I come any closer to
you. You call to me like a Siren.”
She
watched him swallow convulsively.
“I
said come here,” she enunciated the words slowly and forcefully.
He
closed his eyes, shaking his head slightly.
“I’m not sure exactly what’s happening right now, I’ve never felt
anything like it, but I don’t want you regretting your actions in the morning
and hating me for it.” He forced out the
words through a tightly clenched jaw. “I
need to go.” He set the wineglass on a
low table and stood up abruptly, as ungracefully as she’d ever seen him move,
and headed towards the closed bedroom door.
“No,”
she said low and fervently. Before he
could reach the door, she was standing in front of it. Moving quicker than she’d ever moved before,
she turned the key in the lock and spun to face him, leaning back against the
handle so he’d have to go through her to open it.
“Last
chance, Gabrielle,” he ground out warningly as he placed his hands against the
door on either side of her face.
“Last. Chance.”
She
answered him by slowing beginning to undo the buttons down the front of the
silk shirt she was wearing.
All
Hell Breaks Loose
Hellcat
Series Book 2
In
the City, the Werewolves are restless.
Gabi
is striving to get back to life as usual. Dealing with the aftermath
of being kidnapped and tortured by Dantè, wrapping her head around
being a Dhampir, and trying to figure out Julius’s unexpected
attitude as he withdraws from her and becomes cool and distant. As if
that isn’t enough to cope with, she receives the disturbing news
that someone she cares about has been dragged unwillingly into her
world after a brutal and calculated Werewolf attack.
As
rogue Werewolves run rampant through the City, it becomes clear there
will be no gentle reintroduction to Gabi's duties as Hunter for the
Societas Malus Venatori. Once again the Vampires join forces with the
SMV to contain the threat, but the odds seem stacked against them and
the casualties keep mounting. Tensions run high as the perpetrators
manage to stay one step ahead of the Hunters and the senseless
violence continues. No one suspects betrayal from within, until
Gabi’s pets unmask a traitor. But the traitor isn’t the real
threat and the war has only just begun.
This
time their nemesis isn’t playing by any rules and no one is safe in
this deadly, new game. Not even the Master Vampire of the City. As
the undeniable chemistry between Gabi and Julius reignites, they
realise the danger isn’t only to the human population of the City,
but threatens to overwhelm them all. What they finally uncover brings
Gabi into very real conflict with the SMV Council and leaves her
questioning her life-long allegiances.
Not
all monsters come in obvious monster packages and sometimes what
you’re fighting to protect is what you should be fighting
against.
Not
everyone will walk away from this fight intact.
Strap
in, hang on and grab a breath while you can. All hell is about to
break loose!
"The
Hellcat series is one wild ride ... one of the best new series to hit
the dark urban fantasy world, ever! Two words: more, please."
Diane Nelson (Sand in my Shoes Reviews)
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* Amazon
“My name is Gabrielle Bradford,” she
said in a deceptively friendly tone. She
didn’t hold back her smile as the four new Werewolves sucked in a collective
hiss of breath.
The Alpha went absolutely still, his
expression frozen. Apparently they’d
heard of her.
“Angeli Morte,” one of them whispered.
“You must be consorting with a very bad
element to know that nickname,” she said.
“Now tell me what you really want with Derek.”
She groaned inwardly as Derek chose that
moment to come up behind her to see what was going on. He hissed in a breath.
“It’s them,” he shouted hoarsely. “From the alley, the ones who attacked me.”
Gabi’s suspicions were officially
confirmed. As soon as she knew they were
Werewolves, she figured they’d come to claim their Pack mate. She didn’t turn to check on Derek, she had to
trust that he’d stay out of her way. Nex
was in her hand before the Alpha had done more than blink. When his eyes flicked back to her after
Derek’s brief distraction, Nex was levelled at his chest. The black suits, who’d begun to spread out in
an offensive fan, froze as one. Mr
Alpha’s face contorted in rage, but he didn’t twitch a muscle.
“This is none of your business, Ms
Bradford,” he ground out between clenched teeth. “I have come to claim one of mine. It would be better for all concerned if you
stood aside and let Mr Collins come with me.”
Gabi’s eyes narrowed even as an
unpleasant smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “Au contraire, my dear Alpha,” she drawled.
“I think if you know anything about me, you’ll know that this is very much my
business.”
She heard Derek fall to his knees behind
her and knew he was fighting another transformation. She wasn’t sure he had the strength for a
third shift, but if he did, she couldn’t be sure his wolf wouldn’t mistake her
for the enemy. She needed to get the
situation under control fast.
“I know a few people who would be very
interested to meet you and your Pack.”
Nex’s blade touched his suit jacket directly over his heart. “You do know the penalty for intentionally
spreading the lycanthropy virus, don’t you?” she asked in an ice-filled tone.
The Alpha’s eyes narrowed, as his Pack
stirred nervously.
“Leave me a business card, and I’ll have
my superiors contact you to discuss your recent transgressions. They may spare some of your Pack members if
you decide to co-operate.” She let the
cold certainty of his death fill her eyes.
She watched the appraisal running
through his mind. Wondering if she truly
was as good as the stories said she was.
Her intuition kicked in, and she knew a second before he did that he was
going to call, what he assumed was, her bluff.
Not for the first time, she cursed the fact that she couldn’t simply
kill a rogue without a kill order from the SMV.
Not without an enquiry and paperwork and the chance of suspension,
anyway. As the thought hit his
consciousness, Gabi dropped Nex’s tip from his heart and powered a knee strike
into his chest, sending him careening backwards into his compatriots. The move took him by surprise and annoyed the
shit out of him.
He regained his balance instantly and
yelled, “Get her,” at his lackeys. He
stepped back to watch the show, allowing his minions to do the dirty work. She’d already picked out the weak links in
the pack. They were big and muscular,
but they were new Lycanthropes, and they didn’t move like fighters. They’d probably never even been in a decent
street brawl. She was praying this would
tip the balance in her favour; otherwise she was up the proverbial creek.
A
Cold Day in Hell
Hellcat
Series Book 3
The
City may be calm, but is the Hunter about to become the hunted?
For
the first time in months the City is peaceful, so peaceful that
Gabi’s suspension from the Societas Malus Venatori doesn’t feel
like a punishment. Her relationship with Julius is stronger than ever
and Kyle has finally found his soul mate, even if he seems to need
some convincing. Gabi thinks boredom is her most serious problem. She
couldn’t be more wrong.
The
visitor Julius has been both expecting and dreading arrives, bringing
with him dire news. An old enemy, out to destroy them, has revealed
to the Masters of the Vampire race that Gabi is a Dhampir. The
visitor’s presence also answers the question that’s been
simmering in Gabi’s head for years; the truth of her origins. This
truth brings with it a deeper understanding of the implications of
her very existence, and she doesn’t like what she discovers. But
it’s too late to change what’s been done and Julius must now
answer to the Princeps’ Court.
As
Gabi makes plans to leave the City, drawing danger away from friends
and family, a dark prophesy by the Magi Oracles forces her to change
course. She will not be leaving the City alone, and she will not be
running from the threat. She, Julius and a handful of others will be
heading straight into the mouth of the beast. They must present
themselves at Court before the Princeps travel to the City and
inadvertently uncover one of the most closely guarded secrets of the
Magi world.
While
the Princeps wear a face of impartiality and civility, what boils
beneath the surface is a storm of selfishness, greed, lust and
perversion. Danger lurks in every corner and it soon becomes clear
that someone is determined to ensure that Gabi will never get the
chance of a fair hearing.
Old
friends and old enemies do what they have always done best, while new
friends and new enemies emerge at every turn. Only one thing is sure;
it’ll be a cold day in Hell before Hellcat goes down without a
fight.
Put
the coffee on and warm up your page-turning finger, it’s going to
be a long night.
This
is a full length novel.
Please
note this novel is written in UK English and contains some adult
content.
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* Amazon
A man was standing on the far side of the
rectangular twelve-seater boardroom table, pretending to admire the artwork on
the wall. Gabi could sense his
watchfulness from the other side of the room.
He'd been waiting with keen anticipation for them. He took her in from head to toe with a
polite, enigmatic smile, just as she studied him. He didn't have a European complexion; she would
hazard a guess at Middle Eastern origins or possibly South American. He wasn't particularly tall, stockily built,
boasting a neat moustache and goatee, and neatly trimmed, dark hair. He must have been in his mid-forties when he
was turned, but he held his age with grace.
He was dressed in a three-piece suit that she could only describe as
dapper, and carried an elegant cane, which he obviously didn't need. She allowed her Vamp-sense out to play and
immediately picked up on his age, which was close to Julius's, but his power
level was confusing to her. Not anywhere
near as powerful as Julius, but his power had a strange feel to it, and it
seemed somehow familiar.
"Caspian." Julius's tone was sharp,
but outwardly calm and controlled. He
stalked further into the room, keeping the boardroom table with its plush
leather executive chairs between them.
Gabi kept pace with him, but didn't crowd him. She always allowed enough room to draw a
sword in tense situations.
"Julius." The man greeted him with
a slight nod of the head in a polite, almost paternal tone. It bordered on patronising, and Nathan and
Fergus stirred slightly at the mild insult to their Sire. They were standing against the walls on
either side of the room, the newcomer sandwiched between them. Julius didn't give them the nod to subside;
he allowed the tension to rise to a firm simmer.
"I am not here to pick a fight with you,
Julius," Caspian said soothingly, his strong accent negating Gabi’s
previous assumption of his origins and making her think more of Spain or
Portugal. His grasp of English was
excellent, though. "I have simply
requested an audience with you and safe passage in the City for a few
days."
He took two steps away from the artwork on
the wall, closer to the table, and hefted the cane so that the head was clearly
visible. It was an intricately carved
wolf's head with rubies for eyes and ivory fangs. Both guards tensed, hands on weapons, but he
ignored them as though they didn't exist.
"Are you going to introduce me to the lovely lady at your side, or
should I introduce myself?"
Spanish, Gabi decided, hearing his heavily
accented English.
"This is Gabrielle Bradford,"
Julius said stiffly. "Gabrielle,
this is Carlos Medina, now known as Caspian."
The other man inclined his head respectfully
and took another step closer so that he was pressed up against the table, one
hand on the back of a chair as he laid the wolf's head cane across the highly
polished surface of the table.
"Enchanted to meet you, Gabrielle,"
he said in a slow, lazy drawl.
"Please don't consider me rude for keeping my distance." He indicated the table between them. "I don't want to upset my host; he seems
a little…highly strung tonight."
His eyes flashed to Julius, and something passed between them.
Julius remained silent, but a muscle ticked
along his jawline. Gabi wasn't in the
mood for obeying the rules and niceties of Vampire society. She narrowed her eyes.
"Is there a reason for your visit to our
City, Caspian, or are you simply here to make trouble?" she asked.
A genial smile curved the Spaniard's mouth
despite her curt question, and his nostrils flared, clearly drawing in the
scents around him. He opened his mouth
to reply and then froze, his eyes going wide.
He drew in another breath. His
eyes raked over Gabi's body from head to toe and then narrowed on Julius; a
riot of emotions flashed across his face before he shut them down. His smile had suddenly become stiff and
forced.
"I have recently spent some time at the
Court of the Princeps and simply have some information that I wished to share
with Julius," he replied to Gabi, but his attention was fully on Julius
now, who, while no less tense, was radiating a degree of smugness.
In a flash of intuition Gabi realised why Julius
hadn't protested her refusal to get changed.
The essence of Julius and sex cloaked her body, and her scent clung to
every inch of him. He'd marked his
territory as effectively as if his name was tattooed on her forehead. She had no right to be angry at him; the sex
hadn't been one-sided, and he hadn't known about his unwanted guest until they
arrived home. And he had given her the
chance to clean up and change before coming to this meeting. But that didn't stop the annoyance flaring;
men could be so…pubescent.
"How interesting." Caspian drew the words out into distinct
syllables as his pensive gaze flicked between the two of them. "Have you told her yet, Julius? About our conversation on the telephone a few
weeks ago?"
The question was mild, but the jolt of fury
that slammed through Julius was enough to make her want to move away from
him. Her blood ran cold as she realised
this was all about her.
To
Hell and Back
Hellcat
Series Book 4
SOME
SECRETS ARE WORTH DYING TO PROTECT
When
Werewolves start turning up dead, drained of blood, the City’s
Alphas turn accusing eyes on the Vampires. It doesn’t take much to
get the newly-formed Werewolf Alliance riled up. But once Vampires
start dying the same way it becomes clear they have a mutual
enemy.
An
unexpected visitor brings news that vulnerable supernaturals from
neighbouring towns are also being kidnapped and murdered, and that
the City seems to be the focus of the violence. With no idea of the
motives behind the attacks, Gabi and the rest of the City’s
defenders immediately commit to eliminating whoever, or whatever, is
behind the bizarre and gruesome acts.
Adding
to the chaos, demons suddenly attack in unprecedented numbers,
stretching the City’s supernatural resources thin. The reappearance
of an old foe from the Etherworld sparks fears that Mariska is back
and still seeking revenge. And that once again, she’s made
powerful, dark alliances. When all fingers point to something
hellbent on uncovering whatever secrets the City hides, eyes finally
turn to the Magi.
A
war will be waged for the greatest supernatural prize of them all,
and the outcome is impossible to predict. Not even the presence of a
powerful Princep and the shocking revelation of Julius’s true
potential can assure victory for the pure of heart.
This
time Gabi is determined to get Mariska in her crosshairs, and she’s
ready and willing to even the score. But there is no guarantee that
everyone will survive this trip to Hell and back!
“Make your pretty little cohort hand back my
things, and nobody gets hurt,” Gabi growled, only barely holding onto her
temper now. Mr Tall-muscled-and-stupid
was either too witless or too unobservant to take the hint. He took another step closer, actually lifting
his right hand as though ready to backhand her.
“What you going to do?” Gabi challenged him
snarkily. “Assault me in front of dozens
of witnesses. Gods, you’re even more
moronic than I originally thought.” It
seemed there was only going to be one way to conclude this little set-to, but
she wasn’t walking away from her wallet and phone.
The man raised his eyebrows incredulously,
shocked that she hadn’t backed down from his aggression. Then, emboldened by the gathering crowd’s
lack of action against him, his eyes narrowed deviously.
“Twenty bucks on the lady,” a rough,
gravelly, masculine voice called lazily from her left.
Gabi allowed her attention to dart in that
direction for a fraction of a second, assessing the newcomer. He’d shouldered his way through the crowd to
stand a foot closer than the rest of the humans, with his arms loosely
crossed. He was a tall, older man, maybe
in his fifties. Grey flecked the dark
brown hair at his temples and punctuated the five-day-old stubble on his
chin. Grizzled was the word that popped
into Gabi’s mind, the sort of man you expected to see playing the lead in a
fifties Western. While there was nothing
overtly dangerous about the man, even his casual dress code of jeans and a
button-down, checked shirt didn’t detract from the air of unconscious swagger
that marked the man a fighter to Gabi’s experienced eye. Mr Stupid seemed confused. Again.
“I’m not sure there are any ladies here,”
Gabi quipped, buying time to work out if the older man was in on the con. He was human, so no real threat to Gabi, but
if he was on their side, things weren’t looking good for the recovery of her
personal items.
A slow, wry grin broke through the stubble on
the man’s face, and he inclined his head ever so slightly. “I use the term loosely,” he conceded.
“What the fuck do you want, old man?” Stupid
snarled.
Gabi noticed that the girl was trying to back
away from the fray. She could run, but
she couldn’t hide, not from Gabi. The
chase might be fun though.
“Hey, it’s your funeral. I just thought it was fair to warn you, you
know, man to man?” the newcomer told him.
“You see, this lady,” his lips twitched in amusement, “works out at a
dojo I used to do maintenance work for.
She’s pretty notorious there; not too many women achieve black belts in
three different martial arts, and she has a reputation for a pretty short
fuse. I think you’ve caught her on a
good day if you’re still standing here arguing with her.”
Gabi was hard-pressed to keep back the snort
of laughter that bubbled up from her chest.
Did this man have any idea of how close to the truth he’d just hit? Or did he?
Still keeping half her attention on Stupid, she flicked her gaze back to
the older man, studying him more deeply, trying to discern if she’d ever come
across him before. Aside from his
fighter’s bearing, nothing about him seemed familiar to her.
With a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, he
turned dismissively from Stupid. “Don’t
say I didn’t warn you.” Then he lifted
his leather-booted foot onto the lip of a sturdy, cement flower box and leaned
one elbow against his upraised knee as though preparing to watch the showdown.
Something must have finally penetrated
Stupid’s thick skull because he looked around at the gathering crowd, took a
couple of steps back from her, and twitched his head at the girl. She gave a sullen snarl and threw the wallet
and phone at Gabi before the two of them took off at a dead run, straight
towards the nearby train station.
Come
Hell or High Water
Hellcat
Series Book 5
IS
IT WRONG TO FEAR SHADOWS WHEN THOSE SHADOWS HAVE THE POWER TO DESTROY
YOU?
The
City’s supernatural community is still in mourning, but there’s
no time to spend licking their wounds. The face of the City has
changed forever and now her citizens must keep up or risk succumbing
to the darkness.
As
the Magi withdraw to protect themselves and their vulnerable power
source, it falls to the Werewolves to step into the void left by a
crippled SMV. The Vampires are more than willing to help, but things
are moving in the shadows; bad things that threaten to destroy
everything Julius has worked for. Princep scheming seems suspicious,
but in truth the greater danger lurks much closer to home.
When
one of Gabi’s Werewolf friends is kidnapped by tech-savvy
vigilantes it seems like an open and shut case of humans fearing what
they do not understand. But as Julius travels from the City to answer
the Princeps’ summons, leaving Gabi in the relative safety of the
Clan, it soon becomes clear that they’ve misjudged the real
enemy.
Left
confused and floundering, it’s the Princep Benedict who finally
provides the information they desperately seek. But his answers do
not come without a price.
Defending
their beloved City may seem overwhelming, but, come Hell or high
water, Hellcat and Co will do whatever it takes.
Batten
down the hatches, a tempest is imminent.
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“Wait,
wait, wait,” Sally cried out, holding placating hands up towards Julius as he
turned warning eyes on her. “I won’t say
anyfing, I swear it.” She tugged a
cotton handkerchief from the pocket of her apron to dab at her forehead, her
heart was racing, but she was taking deep calming breaths. “Oh, sweet muver of God, I’m getting too old
for excitement like this.”
“Why
don’t you have a seat, Sally,” Julius said, pulling a chair away from the table.
The woman’s blood pressure had spiked
alarmingly. “You, eat.” He pointed to the seat on the opposite side
of the table with a commanding glance at Kimberley. He remained standing; the woman was human,
and an older one, but he wasn’t taking any chances.
Sally
was staring with open-mouthed amazement at Kimberley, who was already buttering
a warm muffin. “’Ow on God’s green earf
did you find one to look exactly like ’er?”
And then her open mouth curved into a wry smile, and she shook her head
in wonder. “A Doppelganger,” she
breathed. “Neva in all my years did I
fink to see one. And one so gifted. You got some interesting cards up yor sleeve,
Master Julius, that you hav’.” The woman’s
reactions were consistent with the signals her body was giving off; unless she
was a world-class actress, she was on the level. She was genuinely pleased, relieved and
amazed. “I was so worried about that
fekking hair. You know, I swear I
cleaned that place from top to bottom, and everyone that ’elped was there
because they themselves would’ve done the deed if they knew they ’ad even the
tiniest chance of pullin’ it off.” She
turned her gaze up to Julius. “That lady
of yors, she’s a true gem, she is. The
kind that restores my faith in this world.
I ’ope you neva forget ’ow special she is.”
“Don’t
worry,” Julius assured her, “she reminds me on a regular basis.”
Sally
threw her head back and let out a raucous laugh.
“Now
tell me how you knew this wasn’t Gabi.”
Sally
sobered. “I’m good at noticing details,
you know.” She looked over at
Kimberley. “Your Doppelganger has the
looks down exactly right, but I’m guessing she didn’t spend very much time wiv
yor lady. It was mostly a collection of
small fings, you see—the cat not bein’ ’ere; how easily you ’ad agreed to the
testing of the hair, even though Xavier is sure it’s genuine—but two fings
really gave it away. First was the way
you looked at ’er when she came out the room.
A man in luv wiv a lady has a certain look in ’is eye when he sees ’er;
eiva you weren’t in luv with Lady ’Ellcat, or that wasn’t Lady ’Ellcat. And second, you can’t fake sass, a girl eiva ’as
it or she doesn’t. This one ’as a good
go, but she ain’t got nuffin’ on yor lady.”
Sally
was right, Julius mused, she did have an excellent eye for details, luckily it
was the kind of details most overlooked, but they’d have to tread more
carefully over the next couple of days.
“You
can drop the mask, Kimberley,” he told the younger woman. “You’ll be needing your strength later.”
The
Shifter looked at him, checking he was sure, and then she put her coffee cup
down and rolled her head across her shoulders, as though she was relieving a
stiff neck, and when she looked at them again, she wore her own face. It took a few more seconds for her hair to
return to its usual shade of light brown.
“Well, I’ll be…” Sally stared in absolute astonishment. And then Derek chose to join them, perhaps
roused by the smell of breakfast. He was
wearing a pair of boxer shorts and nothing else. “Well, I’ll be…” Sally repeated, this time
taking in the Werewolf’s muscled body from head to toe.
There'll
Be Hell to Pay
Hellcat
Series Book 6
THIS
TIME IT’S PERSONAL
Just
a few months ago Gabi thought her life was damn near perfect. She
could never have imagined that meeting one man would spark a chain of
events that would change everything. The only resemblance to her
previous life is her relentless hunt for supernatural criminals.
Right now, her world has narrowed to two points of focus; co-leading
the newly formed Special Investigations Department alongside Julius,
her Master Vampire Consort, and searching for the traitorous Vampire
Caspian and his pregnant Dark Magus cohort, Mariska. Catching up with
friends and making peace with her mother are also on her agenda for
the week, but life may just have other plans.
Even
the most rookie supernatural investigator would figure out that
things aren’t going well for the Magi of the City, but the High
Council is maintaining its silence and remaining distant from the
other races. The safety and security of the City’s population is
falling ever more heavily on the shoulders of the fledgling Werewolf
Alliance, leaving Kyle, Trish and the other Pack Alphas to handle a
rising influx of demons committed to infiltrating the City and
wreaking havoc.
There
are many scenarios that keep Gabi from her sleep, and when one of
those concerns becomes a sickening reality, it rocks her to the core.
Taking one of those most dear to her is a dangerous game, one that
few would play, knowing what she and Julius are capable of. The list
of suspects is short and the guilty party soon shows their hand, but
is this all just a ruse and what could they hope to accomplish by
riling up such powerful enemies?
There
is no rest for the team as, with one emergency over, they are handed
a scrap of information that will ultimately lead them straight to
Caspian and Mariska. But are they truly ready for the final
standoff?
Who
will make the ultimate sacrifice and how will the rest deal with the
repercussions of an ancient prophesy that culminates in the birth of
Mariska’s twin children?
This
is the nail-biting conclusion to the Hellcat Series.
Buckle
up boys and girls - there’s turbulence ahead.
The inside of the large cave was
unexpected, to say the least. Gabi
couldn’t stop her eyebrows shooting skyward as she followed Julius and the
Decurian Number One inside. The entrance
was more than large enough to accommodate a horse or pack mule. The floor was smooth and flat, the ground so
hard-packed that it felt like concrete beneath her hiking boots. Nearly a dozen bronze wall sconces hugged the
rock walls surrounding them, each supporting a lit candle, illuminating most of
the cave and creating a warm, comforting glow.
Another fire crackled near the back of the cave, the smoke drawn upward
by an unseen chimney. A cave-in marred
the rear of the otherwise smoothly excavated cavern, leaving large rocks and
boulders strewn for several metres, but the rest of the cave was clean and
clear of vermin, cobwebs, animal droppings and anything else you’d expect to
find in a long disused cave in the middle of undisturbed jungle. To add to the surreal scene, three wingback
chairs, opulently upholstered in red and gold, sat in the centre of the room,
facing each other, a large hand-woven rug spread out beneath them, and in their
midst was a low table with crystal glasses and several carafes of what Gabi
could only assume was wine.
“Please come, sit and relax.” Eka strode to the chairs. “I hear that you both indulge in some fruit
of the vine. Can I pour for you?”
Julius walked forward as Gabi threw a
quick glance behind them to check that Fergus was in position. He gave her a small nod from just outside and
flicked his wrist so that the firelight from the cave danced off the blade of
his broadsword. They were protected from
the outside; now they just needed protection against whatever the Decurian
threw at them inside. Gabi was curiously
dismayed that the alarm bell in the back of her mind was utterly quiet. She prayed it wasn’t on the fritz.
“My dearest Consort,” Eka called to her,
“you have nothing to fear. There is no
ill will here. I would not expose my
dearest Flora to violence unless I have absolutely no other choice.”
Gabi turned away from the door and
mentally steadied herself before going to join the two men.
“I have kept her terribly protected from
the brutal reality of my life, and I will keep it that way for as long as I
possibly can. Being a parent is such a
joy and such a burden at the same time, but what can we do?” He turned a dazzling smile on Gabi, the edge
of madness doused. Now he was pure,
unadulterated charm. “What can I pour
you? I have a wonderful Domaine
Jean-Louis Chave Ermitage Cuvee Cathelin.”
He rattled off the name of the wine in a near perfect French accent and,
though Gabi was no sommelier, even she recognised it. “It’s a wonderful wine from the Syrah grape,”
he continued, unaffected by Julius’s twitch and Gabi’s audible swallow. “This is my last bottle. I’ve been saving it for a special
occasion.”
Gabi wondered when she’d fallen down the
rabbit hole again. This particular wine
probably made the list for the top twenty most expensive bottles of wine in the
world, and she was being offered it in a cave on a remote mountaintop in
central Mauritania by the leader of the group who opposed just about everything
she and Julius stood for.
“Come, come,” he continued, holding out one
of the flawlessly cut crystal decanters.
“If it makes you feel better, I will take the first sip or I can call in
one of my people, but I swear to you there is nothing but exceptionally good
wine in here.”
Raising
Hell
A
Hellcat World Novel
The
rest period is over and the ultimate endgame round has just
begun.
The
City has seen a peaceful lull for the past three years. The Werewolf
Alliance has settled into their role as peacekeepers, stamping out
threats the moment they rear their heads. The Magi have recovered
from their losses both in numbers and strength and the Veil is more
solid than ever. The Vampires never rest; the desire to create
Dhampirs grows despite the law and the deadly consequences, but even
their weapons are gathering dust.
And
yet all of them know this peace is an illusion; a small space in time
to rest and regroup. Because the Decuria still exist in the shadows
and the Prophesy calls to all sides. The battle of the millennium is
looming and only one side can win.
A
new player has joined the game as old foes prepare to once more roll
the dice. The board pieces are set, the gameplan is decided and the
protectors of the City are the only ones who don’t know the
rules.
Kyle
and Trish have the family they never dared to wish for. Not only two
daughters but an ever-growing, ever-strengthening Werewolf Pack. The
love and security of family is everything they desired, but the
weight of responsibility is burdensome and they can never let down
their guard. Just when they thought everything was black and white,
they are faced with a new choice; one that is all shades of grey, one
that could change the Werewolf world forever.
Still
reeling from the shock of the decision they must make, the fragile
peace is inevitably broken, leaving the Pack blind-sided and chasing
their tails. It will take everything they have to keep their family
and friends safe. They will have to find strength in their weaknesses
and vulnerability in their strengths if they are to survive this
assault. Can they ever be prepared for the consequences of that which
has been prophesied?
Fasten
that safety belt and grab a handhold, this will not be a quiet Sunday
afternoon drive.
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Riley
swallowed. “You’ll…you’ll bring me back,
right? I’m not going to get stuck as a…as a…”
Her voice broke and her knuckles turned white.
“Yes,
I swear, if you can’t do it yourself, we will help you Change back,” Gabi
promised. “Just trust us when the time
comes.”
“It’s
alright.” Kyle couldn’t help but try to
reassure her. “You’ll be fine.”
Riley
nodded jerkily and closed her eyes, a person awaiting execution. Gabi looked over at him, and he nodded.
He
imagined he could feel the energy in the air, an invisible pull, a
heaviness. His wolf emerged from the
recesses of his mind, curious and a little uneasy. He relaxed as soon as he understood what was
happening but stayed close. Riley might
not be one of his, but his Alpha strength could still be useful if this
experiment turned to crap.
Riley
leaned forward, breathing heavily through clenched teeth. Sweat dotted her forehead as her head tilted
up, her eyes unseeing. Slowly she
collapsed onto all fours, her hands flat on the bare concrete floor, her spine
arching unnaturally. Then her head
dropped forward, her hair falling over her face, and a harsh growl tore from
her throat.
Next
to him, Gabi’s breathing grew laboured.
He spared her a glance. Her jaw
was set, her eyes fixed on Riley, her hands raised in front of herself. He’d seen her force the Change many times,
but mostly it was in the heat of battle or in self-defence; in those times
she’d had them writhing on the ground in seconds, their bodies convulsing into
wolf form in a matter of moments, leaving them in exhausted agony. She’d never done it to him, but he could
imagine that it was something akin to being turned inside out. This time she was trying to do it gently,
coaxing the wolf into being in a similar way to the natural Change. Better for Riley, far harder for Gabi.
Riley
curled into a foetal position, panting as small whimpers escaped. Her arms and legs were already lengthening,
contorting, her shoulders hunching, fingernails turning to claws.
It
seemed to take an interminable amount of time, even longer than the first time
Trish Changed, but at last a fully formed wolf lay on the ground
in front of them, growling very quietly.
She was larger than any of the other females Kyle had
seen, as big as many of the males, her colouring a remarkable mix of cinnamon,
cream and fawn. She was quite breathtaking.
“Wow,”
Gabi said quietly, once again channelling his own sentiments.
The
wolf opened citrine
eyes
and stared at them, without moving. Kyle
held his breath, allowing his wolf to move even closer, near enough to the
surface of his consciousness that he knew his eyes would be changing
colour. His world narrowed down to the
animal on the ground before him, alert to the faintest movement, the slightest
twitch. If she chose to attack, he could
Change quickly enough to meet her, but he didn’t want Gabi in the blast zone if
it came to a fight. Gabi was tough, but
she wasn’t invincible. Or immortal.
The
wolf lay quiet, her eyes roving the room as though seeing it for the first
time. Gabi moved a step closer to Kyle,
and he understood immediately that she needed time to regroup and recover
before she conversed with Riley’s wolf.
This Change had taken more out of her than she expected, but she
wouldn’t show weakness in front of the wolf.
Kyle
stepped forward and pulled the chair away from Riley, as though making room for
the wolf, but he thrust it closer to Gabi.
She turned it and used the back as support, keeping her movements casual
and calm.
“You’re
safe. No one will hurt you,” Kyle told
the wolf as he put himself between her and Gabi.
The
wolf finally moved, lifting her head to look him in the eyes. His wolf responded, surging forward, ready to
demand her submission. But as their eyes
met, he stopped in what Kyle could only describe as mid-stride, almost as
though one of his paws was still in the air, such was the shock that rocked
him.
Recognition.
Not
of her personally, but of what she was.
They
were the same. His wolf knew it
instantly.
They
were the same.
“Kyle. Wolf.”
Gabi’s low, urgent voice brought him back to himself. “What’s going on?”
He
released a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, and looked back. She had one hand raised in the direction of
the CCTV camera, warning them to stand down, but tension tightened her jaw.
“She’s…” He cleared his throat and tried again. “She wasn’t lying about being born a
Werewolf. She’s definitely like me.”
Sharon
has been calling herself a writer since she was eight years old. She
wrote her first auto-biography at age ten. As a teenager, she was
teased about being a witch, because she wore lots of black and walked
around with her black, Oriental cat on a lead. She never disagreed
too loudly, after all, that may have drawn attention to the herd of
unicorns that lived in her back garden.
Born
and raised in South Africa, she has called New Zealand home since
2008. Her life consists largely of looking after her husband, two
kids, three cats, a dog, a pony and a horse, but her working day is
spent writing, and her occasional hours off usually include books,
horses or a glass of good red wine.
Though
she has had many jobs over the years, her favourite is, without
doubt, being paid to write about the characters who take up residence
in her head. After an early foray into writing for children, Sharon
discovered Urban Fantasy; the genre that felt as though it had been
created with her in mind. She loves nothing more than to create
strong-willed, female lead characters, who challenge those around
them almost as much as they challenge themselves.
Sharon
also loves animals of all shapes and sizes. She has owned all the
usual suspects one would keep as a pet, and a few more exotic ones
thrown in for good measure. She spent her teens working at a tourist
farm and animal park, and as a result has handled everything from
porcupines and warthogs, to ferrets and hedgehogs. She has been
surrogate mom to many orphans including; kittens, lambs and an eagle
owl. No matter how hard she tries, animals always seem to steal the
limelight in her novels.
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