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What’s coming soon! 5 Open Contests! New Contest–2 Winners!
Monday, February 21st, 2022

UPDATE: The winners are…Colleen, Miki, bn100, Jennifer Beyer, Debra Guyette, and Stacey Kinzebach!
*~*~*

It’s Monday, a holiday (so kids are home), and it’s the beginning of a week of bad weather. The 8-year-old slept over with me last night and told me to turn off my alarms because she wanted to sleep in. Wish I could sleep in!!!!

Thought I’d take a moment to remind you about the pre-orders I have up. No, I don’t have big old blurbs to tell you about the last two because I haven’t written them yet, and I never know what the story is about until I’m midway through. I know that sounds crazy, but that’s what works for me.

Both of the first two books are EROTIC romance, so be warned! No Tender Mercy comes out on March 22nd! It’s the sequel to Her Sanctuary. If you love Texas and vampires, you’re in for a sexy ride! Dark Seduction, which releases on April 19th, is the sequel to Dark Legacy and is a story I’m republishing. It’s a full-length novel, very sexy, smutty, involves a police investigation, and is full of twists and turns involving vampires and demons. I love the story. It’s my third favorite thing I ever wrote.

No Tender Mercy Dark Seduction

These next two are part of a series you should be very familiar with by now! Hot SEAL, Wild Thing releases May 24th! The authors in this series are using song titles as our theme this time around. Of course, I jumped on one of my old favorites. All I know about my hero is that he’s living his life as wild and freely as he can. If you have any ideas why that is, I’d love to hear them! 🙂

If you read my latest bounty hunter story, Eli, then you’ve met Gabriel. And I gave you a huge hint about his possible love interest, so be sure to pre-order so you read their adventure! It releases on June 28th—my birthday!

Hot SEAL, Wild Thing Montana Bounty Hunters: Dead Horse

Contest

For a chance to win your choice of a download from my ginormous backlist, let me know if you plan to read any of these stories! Also, if you want to gripe at me to write a story you’ve been waiting for, let me know! I’ll choose two commenters!

Open Contests

  1. Diana Cosby: Valentine’s Day – Birds & Animal’s Love Liam MacGruder! (Contest)This one ends soon! Win a pretty mug!
  2. Story Cubes: Tell me a story… (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
  3. Cheryl St. John: My Character’s Clothing Choices (and what it says about her!) FREE in KU! — Get your FREE small-town romance!
  4. A Reminder! A Puzzle! And a Contest! Oh, my! — Win an Amazon gift card!
  5. January George: The Way Back Home (Contest & Excerpt) — Win an Amazon gift card!
N.J. Walters: New Year, New Covers, New Book
Thursday, January 27th, 2022

 

By now, most of us are settled into the new year. Some resolutions have fallen by the wayside. Others are still with us. I hope you’re all doing well and staying safe and happy.

This year has started out on the upbeat, for me. My publisher reissued brand new covers for my SALVATION PACK series. I absolutely love them!

I’d originally planned this series to be five books, but I loved it so much, I didn’t want to leave the characters behind. It ended up being nine books: Wolf at the Door, Wolf in her Bed, Wolf on the Run, Wolf from the Past, Wolf on the Hunt, Wolf on a Mission, Wolf in his Heart, Wolf in her Soul, and Wolf of her Own.

But readers kept asking what happened to the children of the original pack. Thus, the SALVATION PACK: THE NEXT GENERATION series was born. So far, Wolf in the Woods has been released. I’m thrilled readers are loving it. And now, Wolf in Pursuit is coming on February 8th!

I’d originally had quite different stories planned for these two characters, but they had other ideas…

Wolf in Pursuit
Salvation Pack: The Next Generation, Book 2

Etienne Rollins is in hot pursuit of Amy Blanchard, the female he wants to mate. Her sheltered upbringing has left her questioning her future and place in the pack. The sizzling attraction between them, the change in their relationship from friend to romantic interest, confused her even more, so she fled. He’s tracked her to a bar in Tennessee and not a moment too soon, as she’s caught the attention of two unattached, unknown male wolves—the Landry brothers.

Amy uses Etienne’s unexpected arrival to explore the sensual heat pulsing between them. Not easy to do while handling the Landry brothers, a violent confrontation with some humans, a kidnapping, and fleeing a crazed wolf who wants to use her to get back at the Landrys. If she survives, she’ll need to confront her feelings for Etienne once and for all.

Snippet from Wolf in Pursuit

Amy turned her head, her eyes devouring the big man who stepped inside.

The black T-shirt clung to his broad chest and wide shoulders, the short sleeves stretched by his biceps. The faded jeans hugged his powerful thighs. Shoulder-length hair was pulled back in a short tail at his nape. Laser blue eyes landed on her.

Her heart took off at a gallop. Sweat beaded her brow. Oh, God. Why here? Why now? A chill washed over her before a flash of heat blasted through her.

She licked her lips, her mouth dry.

Etienne had found her.

*~*~*

Want to find out more? Go to: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QLR7JLR/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1127607
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wolf-in-pursuit-n-j-walters/1140901326
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wolf-in-pursuit

And if you’re interested in finding out more about the original SALVATION PACK series, go here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0753H2PLQ/

About the Author

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, assassins, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Visit her at:
Website: https://www.njwalters.com
Blog: https://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Sign Up: https://eepurl.com/gdblg5
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

Open Contests and a Reminder!
Monday, January 10th, 2022

Just wanted to share the pretty meme my daughter made and to remind you that After Dark, a short story, is out there—FREE IN KU—for your enjoyment.

Be sure to check out all the contests you still have a chance to win listed below!

Open Contests

  1. Tell me a story… (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
  2. Flashback: Fun with Dick and Jane (Contest–2 Winners–and Excerpt) — Win a FREE book!
  3. A New Short Story and a Puzzle Contest! You couldn’t ask for more on a Saturday, right? — Win an Amazon gift card!
  4. Diana Cosby: Nature’s Beauty – A Year to Remember! (Contest) — Win a SIGNED BOOK!
A New Short Story and a Puzzle Contest! You couldn’t ask for more on a Saturday, right?
Saturday, January 8th, 2022

UPDATE: The winner is…Mary Preston!
*~*~*

Eli (Montana Bounty Hunters: Dead Horse, MT Book 6)It’s early a.m. on Saturday. I have to rise at the butt-crack of dawn for a little quiet! I’m busy writing the book releasing later this month, Eli. Plus, I have three books to edit for other authors. Looooong books. So, I don’t have any time to waste. Did I mention that I started on Weight Watchers on January 1st? So far, so good; I’m down six pounds. And I love the new points system—you know, all foods have certain points and you can only eat so many points a day, blah-blah. If I want to eat something really bad, I can “earn” points by eating my veggies. I can’t tell you how many cans of green beans and spinach I’ve consumed whole to get those extra points!!! I’ve found a recipe for artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh spinach that you sauté and toss over spaghetti or onto pita bread that is to die for. And here’s me obsessing over food, again!

Anyway, I released a short story yesterday. It can be read alone but follows my novel, Dark Legacy. Anyway, if you’re looking for a quick sexy read, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!

After stepping through a mage’s portal with her lover into a distant past, newly Born vampire Natalie Lambert is ready to give Rene Broussard the ultimate bite and make him hers forever. It’s time for this vampire to get her man.

Get your copy here!

This is a SHORT STORY and picks up after the events in my full-length novel, DARK LEGACY.
And it’s FREE in KU! DARK LEGACY is still in KU, too!

Puzzle Contest

To win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle and then tell me this…

When the weather’s cold outside, what’s your favorite thing to do?

 

N.J. Walters: Christmas Traditions (Recipe!)
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2021

I love this time of year—the music, the colored lights, the tree, the holiday movies, and the excitement. Like most families, we have various traditions that have changed or evolved over the years. But one tradition that never changes is my mother’s fruit cake.

Yes, I said it. Fruit cake. We’re big on this holiday staple in my family and all of us would feel slighted if our mother didn’t make us one of her amazing cakes. Heck, when I was a kid, I used to ask for one for my birthday every year. Mom would make a fruit cake for the family celebration and a chocolate one for the party with my friends. I don’t know what makes hers so special. Maybe it’s the rum, maybe it’s the love. All I know is Christmas wouldn’t be the same without it.

Another tradition is chocolate fudge, but not just any fudge. I use the same recipe my mother used when I was a kid. It’s fast and delicious.

Five Minute Fudge (From the Carnation Milk Cookbook)

2/3 cup of Carnation milk

1 2/3 cups of sugar

~Bring sugar and milk to a boil and boil on low heat for 5 minutes. Stir constantly. Remove from heat.

Add:

1 ½ cups chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet dark chips)

1 ½ cups of plain mini marshmallows (I use Kraft minis)

1 tsp of vanilla flavouring

Stir until smooth and pour into greased 8” X 8” pan.

Cool and cut into squares.

And if you’re looking for a calorie-free treat to help get you through the season, be sure to check out WOLF IN THE WOODS, book 1 of the Salvation Pack: The Next Generation series.

Wolf in the Woods
Salvation Pack: The Next Generation, Book 1

Not wanting to be forced to mate to an eligible male in her pack who won’t take no for an answer, Addie Fuller is on the run.

Billy Gallagher might be human, but he understands werewolf culture all too well after being raised in the Salvation Pack.

When their paths cross, he helps her, even knowing it will likely mean his death. He’s no match for a full-blooded male wolf. A short, brutal fight, leaves him near death and Addie fighting to save his life.

He recovers, but he’s not the same man he was. The one thing he does know for sure—he and Addie are meant to be together. All he has to do is convince her of that and deal with the threat looming over them.

Snippet from Wolf in the Woods

Spellbound, he watched her morph from tall, gorgeous, brave woman to multihued, sleek, powerful wolf. Her body contorted—bones reshaping, forehead flattening, and jaw elongating.

It was pure magic.

She growled, prepared to fight, but it was an uneven battle, lost before it even began. Two full-blooded werewolf males against a female werewolf and a human? Yeah, the odds weren’t in their favor.

*~*~*

Want to read more? Click on one of the links below.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09K6TDQ3H/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1111548
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wolf-in-the-woods-n-j-walters/1140407948
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wolf-in-the-woods-2
Evernight Publishing: https://www.evernightpublishing.com/wolf-in-the-woods-by-n-j-walters/

About the Author

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, assassins, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Visit N.J. at:

Website: https://www.njwalters.com
Blog: https://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Sign Up: https://eepurl.com/gdblg5
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

M.D. Stewart: Let me introduce myself…
Monday, December 6th, 2021

Thank you, Delilah Devlin for having me today!

Let me introduce myself, my name is M.D. Stewart and I live in southern West Virginia. I was born and raised here, but due to marrying a Navy man, moved around from age eighteen to twenty-two. I came home and, after much trial and error, I finally found my forever-person and moved to rural Boone County fifteen years ago. We have three indoor cats, three old lady chickens, and when I’m not writing, I’m canning and freezing our garden veggies. He’s also a hunter, so we process deer in the fall.

As the only girl child in my family, I grew up watching soap operas, sci-fi programs (Star Trek reruns mostly), and sneaking my mom’s Harlequin romance books into my room where I devoured them cover-to-cover! All these things combined to give me a vivid imagination and a desire to create my own Universe! I’ve always dreamed of becoming an author and in 2018, I self-published my first book.

This entire journey has been a learning experience! I also think I’ve evolved as a writer. I started with sci-fi romance, dabbled in paranormal romance, and now I’m writing contemporary motorcycle club romance. My Fae Shifters duo is mmf and some books in my series do have menage of mfm and mm merging to mmf throuples. Basically, I think love is essential for survival if you’re an alien, shifter, or human.

I also exclusively pen LGBTQ paranormal romance for Changeling Press. My books with CP feature mm, mmm, and mmf romances with ghosts, psychic vampires, hellhound shifters, demons, angels, and trolls! Like I said I think love is for everybody!

If your interested in my backlist, there is my Amazon Author page! I’d love for you to take a peek!

Let me tell you what I’m working on right now! My most recent release that came out on December 3rd is Her Three Bears. It’s a retelling of Goldilocks if it were set in modern-day West Virginia with a motorcycle club romance trope. Her Three Bears is part of the Bleeding Souls Saved by Love! Anthology.

The BSSBL books are all MC romance or dark Mafia romance based on fairytale retelling. The series started releasing in March 2021 and various authors are scheduled for release through 2023. Each book is a standalone. While not all the BSSBL books are, Her Three Bears is exclusive to Amazon so you can read it FREE though Kindle Unlimited.

Here’s the description of Her Three Bears.

Amber Gold needs to escape and hide from her treacherous family. 

Her dad is a mean drunk, her brother is abusive and her life at home is deteriorating fast. When she stumbles on a cabin in the woods, Amber thinks she’s found a safe shelter. Sneaking in at night while the owners are away, she doesn’t realize the danger her heart is in.

Parker “Papa Bear” Kodiak has earned his grumpy, hardcore reputation.

Growing up poor in a rural West Virginia town, he struck out on his own at sixteen. He found acceptance as a Prospect in the Wicked Warriors MC. Through brutality and determination, he became the youngest Sergeant-at-Arms in their history. No one crosses Parker and lives to talk about it.

Someone has been breaking into Parker’s home.

While his brothers Max and Bryson aren’t concerned, Parker is determined to make the intruder pay for their crime. But is Parker willing to pay the ultimate price when he finds the golden-haired beauty asleep in his baby brother’s bed?

I had so much fun writing Her Three Bears, that the story just came to me and flowed to the page. Trust me, it is a gift when that happens. It was different for me to have a little bit darker characters than I was used to writing. It is a romance though, so an HEA is guaranteed!

When I wrote Her Three Bears, a character showed up that intrigued me. Well, two characters actually; Mark and Mac “Rogue” Steele. Mark is a West Virginia State Policeman and his twin, Mac is a member of the Black Dagger MC. I knew they were twins, but it wasn’t until I started writing Rogue’s story that they revealed they were mirror twins. So fascinating!

Even though it is a spin-off of Her Three Bears, Rogue, Black Dagger MC, begins a new series but has a lot of cross-over characters. I also introduce a badass female MC, Devil’s Daughters. The leader, Sammi Jo, is based on a friend of mine.  My beta readers loved this story, and I’m so happy to bring it to you!

Here’s the description of Rogue.

With a corrupt cop and an escaped killer hunting them, can Rogue do the impossible and save Stevie?

Stevie Anderson barely eluded death when deranged serial killer, Paul Turner, murdered her entire family before setting their house on fire. While in protective custody, she’s hidden where the killer would least suspect — the home of a biker in the Black Dagger Motorcycle Club.

Mac “Rogue” Steele resisted his twin’s suggestion to hide a federal protection witness at his home until he got      to know the shy but charming woman. With a bruised heart, scarred body, and beautiful soul, it doesn’t take long for Stevie to claim his cynical heart.

After her family’s killer contacts Stevie from his prison cell, Rogue takes her on the run through the hills and hollows of southern West Virginia. Relying on the help of his MC, Rogue desperately searches for a way to keep Stevie alive.

If you’re interested in Rogue, and his twin, you can preorder on Amazon, and they will show up on your Kindle on January 21st! It will also be FREE on Kindle Unlimited.

While writing Rogue, I met a character that I really didn’t like. He was rude, bitter, and just angry at the world. Rogue wanted to kill him, even though he’s part of the same MC! I decided to get to know Dodge a little more and what I learned was heartbreaking.

Dirk “Dodge” Hodges had a hard life as a kid. His dad was both physically and sexually abusive to him and his brother. But he found a home with the Black Dagger MC as a teenager. Dodge was a strong character, and I knew he needed a woman who could go toe-to-toe with him and not back down. Kira Taylor is that woman.

Here’s a little more about Dodge.

Someone made the fatal mistake of abducting Dodge’s son

When Dodge’s Old Lady suddenly wants out, and his brother goes to prison for murder, all Dodge has left is the Black Dagger MC. Abandoning the club that gave him acceptance and safety is simply out of the question. Six years later, his old childhood sweetheart, Kira returns with a surprise — their son. What should be a happy reunion is cut short when the boy goes missing.

Kira Taylor once found club life thrilling, but as a nurse she saw first-hand how quickly things get bloody. After becoming pregnant she leaves town and made a clean break from everyone. But the freedom for her son only lasts until a tragedy befalls them and she must return home.

Now Kira’s only chance at happiness is to confess everything she hid from Dodge. With his help, they might be able to rescue their son. But with both of their lives shattered by this news, can they learn to forgive each other and finally become the family they were meant to be years ago?

If you would just love to fall for a bad boy with a tragic past, you can preorder Dodge now and you’ll have him on your Kindle March 21st. Again, Dodge will be FREE on KU.

I don’t want to take up all of your time, so I’ll leave you and Delilah with my thanks and the links to my social media if you’d like to follow me. If you go to my website, you can sign up for my newsletter which, to be honest, only comes out when I have new releases. I don’t flood your email, that’s for sure!

MD Stewart’s Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MDStewartAuthor
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mdstewart8
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gooseandmindi
BookBub: www.bookbub.com/profile/m-d-stewart
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18294133.M_D_Stewart
Website: https://mdstewartauthor.com
Blog: https://wordpress.com/mdstew.art.blog
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B07GBFKNDP
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mdstewartauthor

Alexa Piper: The Things We Wish For (Excerpt)
Friday, December 3rd, 2021

December is for wishes, whether it be gifts we desire or things we hope for in the next year. And sometimes, we are given things we newer knew to wish for.

Take Aaron, for example. He seems to have everything a person could want: he’s good-looking, a powerful witch, and his family is rich. He goes to wintry Fairview to look for a missing girl.

Then there’s Ilya. Ilya’s a bartender who likes his job. He’s also a banshee and mildly psychic, but he doesn’t tell people about that, because it makes him a target, desirable for his skill.

These two men run into each other, and while the reason for their meeting isn’t a happy one, they do get something out of it: each other. But not without a fight. Not without a risk.

Meet Aaron and Ilya this holiday season in The Night Bartender.

The Night Bartender (Fairview Chronicles 9)

Ilya stays safe by trusting no one, but Aaron, a wealthy witch, makes Ilya want to trust.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3DjlWNU
Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/3wLbmwQ
Apple: https://apple.co/3Di9UEK
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3qQMsLh
Changeling Press: https://bit.ly/3HwmLpj

Aaron has come to Fairview to find his ex’s teenage sister, who went missing in the city. As a witch both rich and powerful, Aaron follows a trail that leads him to a bar frequented by supernaturals and to a bartender who attracts Aaron’s attention — and not just because the bartender is keeping something from Aaron. When Aaron runs out of leads, he follows the mysterious and pretty bartender, and the next thing Aaron knows, he’s foiling an attempted abduction.

Ilya has built a quiet life in Fairview mixing drinks and flying under the radar. He is a banshee, and the psychic ability and mild telepathy that comes with that makes Ilya a sought-after commodity. That carefully constructed life Ilya built for himself breaks into a thousand pieces when a handsome witch starts asking questions and becomes Ilya’s rescuer mere hours after they meet.

The witch, Aaron, vows to protect Ilya and to keep his secret. Now Ilya has to decide whether he will give Aaron his trust and risk a lonely but safe life as a night bartender in a wintry city in which people disappear only to then turn up murdered.

Excerpt from The Night Bartender…

Copyright ©2021 Alexa Piper

Aaron buried his hands in his coat pockets and gave the bleak Fairview midday sky a hard look. Not that the sky gave much of a damn. It was late November, just after the Thanksgiving weekend, and for most of the morning, it had sleeted in a way Aaron had never before experienced in his life. It was like a hot shower, except the cold, freezing water got all the way through to your skin and passed the cold to every inch of your body.

“Damn city just might be cursed with bad weather,” Aaron mumbled as he walked along a street in the Old Town, which should lead him to a bar friendly to the not-quite-human clientele if his online research skills hadn’t failed him. A deep black cloud caught his attention. It zapped across the horizon as if blown by a particularly vicious breeze. Aaron frowned before he picked up his pace. The sooner I’m done here, the sooner I can go back to Morrowvale where November doesn’t suck so bad your balls want to freeze off in surrender, he thought.

In all honesty, Fairview wasn’t a bad place. The city itself was nice enough. The parks and trees here littered the streets with the bones of leaves turning to sludge in the puddles left from the earlier sleet showers, and the people, while ignoring both other people and the suck-tastic weather, dressed a little nicer than the average Morrowvaler. Aaron had also never had Japanese food as good as he’d had an hour ago in a small, unassuming place he’d accidentally walked into, at least not outside Japan. That counted for something, at least in Aaron’s book.

Traffic was in what passed for a bit of a midday lull in Fairview. The honking had ebbed to a not-eardrum-shattering noise, and Aaron managed to cross the street without it feeling like he was gambling with his life.

The Ragdoll was a basement bar, and if Aaron hadn’t been looking for it, he probably would have missed the small neon sign that was either broken or just off this early in the day. A wrought-iron fence further hid the sign and the door, which lay at the bottom of a flight of stairs. This could be a private gambling den or the hideout of a bunch of Russian spies, Aaron thought.

He walked down the stairs and pulled the door open just as another sleet shower was getting ready to wash the streets and everyone walking outside with icy wetness. Aaron shivered as he crossed the threshold and blinked into the softly lit bar.

Last week’s Thanksgiving paper turkeys and fall-colored garlands were still up, though a busboy collected the decorations into a cardboard box labeled “Turkey Day” in black sharpie. There were no Russian spies and no gambling going on here.

Surprisingly, there were several patrons in the bar this early in the day. Aaron spotted a handful starting their day’s drinking early, but most nursed mugs of coffee or were digging into sandwiches which, admittedly, looked better than was right in a basement bar. Judging by their business suits, those were just office workers who knew where the good sandwiches were at. The music was pop, playing just loud enough to offer background noise without becoming obnoxious. This place, despite the outward appearance, looked hip, trendy even. Fucking Fairview. This city is as confusing as a clown at a dinner party, Aaron thought.

Aaron’s fingers closed around the talisman in his pocket. With his touch and the smallest pinch of magic, he felt the worked metal coin activate and the spellbound to it sizzle to life. Three people, including the strawberry-blonde girl behind the bar, whipped their heads around to look at him. So, this place really is supernatural friendly, Aaron thought. The talisman heated rapidly in his pocket. And Dora definitely was here before she disappeared.

That confirmed, he let go of the talisman and walked straight to the bartender. The other two patrons who’d noticed his magic had gone back to ignoring him like the good Fairviewers they were.

“Hi,” Aaron said, giving the strawberry blonde his best winning smile. “What’s good here?”

She shrugged. “Depends on whether it’s drink-o’clock in your world or not. If not, the pumpkin spice latte kills. If yes, you look like a Macallan kind of guy.”

Aaron grinned at her. “You’d be right about the whiskey, but I think I’ll go with the latte,” he told her.

He was doing his best with the charming vibes, which usually worked even if he turned it on women, but the bartender just nodded and went about preparing his coffee. Aaron watched her, more interested in the fact that she was making coffee at a bar decked out with an impressive assortment of liquor than anything else. The coffee machine was one of those intimidating ones that took up some primo counter real estate, and from the looks of it, it saw some use.

When she was done, she brought the latte over to him and puffed a dash of cinnamon over the foamy top right in front of him. The warm scent of the spice immediately made Aaron feel just a little more optimistic about everything. The mug was the cutesy kind with a grinning, red-nosed reindeer on the side.

“There you go,” she said with little enthusiasm, though not exactly unfriendly.

“Thanks, miss,” Aaron said. Before she could walk away again, he focused on her instead of the latte. “Could I ask you something?”

“I’m guessing I’m not your type, so go right ahead,” she said.

Aaron’s eyes widened, and it was the girl’s turn to chuckle. “Half-succubus,” she said in a whisper. “The gay-dar is practically built-in.”

He nodded, fighting the color rising to his cheeks. “Right. Makes sense.” Aaron cleared his throat. “I was wondering if you’ve seen this girl,” he said and pulled the photo Patrick had given him from his pocket. It showed Dora smiling, her blond hair shimmering in the sun.

The half-succubus took a look, then shook her head. “No, sorry. Friend of yours?”

“My ex’s sister, believe it or not,” Aaron said. “She went missing, and I tracked her first to Fairview, and now here.” Aaron had the cellphone gods to thank for that. It made using his magic almost unnecessary, although Aaron still liked to confirm the actual person had been to a place, not just their phone, hence his talisman.

About Alexa Piper

Alexa Piper writes steamy romance that ranges from light to dark, from straight to queer. She’s also a coffee addict. Alexa loves writing stories that make her readers laugh and fall in love with the characters in them.

Connect with Alexa: https://linktr.ee/AlexaPiper