Sale for Christmas

As a little treat, I’m putting my entire General’s series (The Sangrian Tiger’s Tale) up for sale for the next week. Starting on Monday, December 21, each of the first three books will be just 99 cents. You can find them on Amazon.

The General’s Guardian: A Sangrian Tiger’s Tale: Book I  

The General’s Choice: A Sangrian Tiger’s Tale: Book II

The Guardian’s Ground Rules: A Sangrian Tiger’s Tale: Book III 

As another special treat, I’m going to give you a little snippet from Book IV. I’m still working on this book, but here is a bit from the begining :).

The General’s Challenge: The Sangrian Tiger’s Tale, Book IV

“Keridwen…”

“What,” Keridwen snapped before Silver could get any more out.  “Can’t you see I’m busy?”

Silver frowned, not liking Keridwen comment at all.  They’d had a busy day, but that didn’t excuse Keridwen being curt with her. The camp had been cleaned out, with the bulk of the troops being sent back with the twins and the mothers to Fort Hawk. The rest had moved into more secure quarters at the inn.  Keridwen, Silver, and Kaileigh had taken rooms, while Keridwen’s men filled in the rest, including a few tents on the immediate grounds. Keridwen also sent out multiple messages; to Fort Lion, Keridwen’s men who had already left for Fort Lion, Fort Hawk, and along the path that would eventually reach the Capital.

It had taken quite a bit of talking on Silver’s part to keep Keridwen in town and not follow her men to Fort Lion. The ransom note was rather cryptic and made demands that weren’t possible.  Keridwen wasn’t going to leave without her niece, and although she’d pulled the troops back, she wasn’t going to leave Silver or herself vulnerable either. After a bit of back and forth, Keridwen had reluctantly agreed that banging on Arther’s door personally probably wouldn’t be the best thing for their niece.  Staying in town was a compromise, one that Silver hoped didn’t backfire.

Instead, they’d settled in and decided it was best to wait for more information.  There would have to be a second contact and Keridwen was hoping that showing that she’d was willing to compromise would be enough.  Currently, she was studying a map that was spread out across the table, and she was clearly irritated.

Silver frowned. She could understand Keridwen’s worry.  She was also terrified that something would happen to their niece, but until they had more information, they simply couldn’t act.  Keridwen, however, wasn’t doing either of them a favor by neglecting herself. 

Even before Little Keridwen had gone missing, Silver had been told that the General had not been eating or sleeping.  She had hoped that the chat they’d had before the fire would have made Keridwen more willing, but then she could hardly blame her either.  Even though they’d talked about it, Keridwen hadn’t been the only one neglecting herself.  Silver hadn’t been doing much better.  Now that they were back together, she was going to try harder.  She was also was going to make sure Keridwen was a least making the barest effort to keep herself healthy.

With that thought in mind, Silver put a hand on Keridwen’s shoulder, forcing her to look up from the map.  “I want you to take a break and eat,” she ordered simply.

“Silver,” Keridwen responded, her tone clearly a whine.  “I’m trying to think here.”

Silver raised an eyebrow, which only seemed to make Keridwen pout.  The General was tired, and her actions were doing nothing but advertising it.  “Come over to the bed, Keridwen. Sit with me and eat.  We can talk. Maybe we can brainstorm this a bit.”

“With all due respect, that’s all I’ve been doing since we got that blasted note.  There is something about it that just doesn’t add up, and I can’t figure it out.  I’m missing something.”

“Then let’s talk about it.  Maybe we can figure it out together.”

Keridwen set her jaw, but after a moment, finally snapped, “Fine.”

Silver set her own jaw and in one swift motion, gave the General a swat with her palm across her backside.

“Hey!” Keridwen immediately protested.  Her own hand went to her bottom as she strategically turned away from Silver.  “What was that for?”

“Where do I start?” Silver countered.  “Sit. Eat.  And drop the attitude.”

Keridwen’s lip actually tucked into a pout, but she wisely didn’t argue as she scooted past Silver and took a seat on the bed.  Silver joined her and after a long minute, Keridwen looked up and met Silver’s eyes.  “I’m sorry,” she said.  “This whole mess.  It’s too much.”

Silver reached across the bed and hugged Keridwen.  “It’s going to be okay, honey.  I know, I worried about her too, but they wouldn’t dare hurt her.  It’s only a stalling tactic to gain some sort of advantage.  Arther is probably going to make a run for the border.”

Keridwen slowly shook her head.  “I should have gone with them.”

“I know it feels like we are doing nothing but think about it — the biggest way we can put Little Keridwen in danger is to pressure them.  We have to step back, for her sake.”

Keridwen again shook her head but let out a long sigh.  When she again met Silver’s eyes, they were glazed over with tears.  “How can I ever face my sister again if something happens to my niece.  I’m such a failure.  I feel helpless and trapped.  How could this even happen?”

Silver shifted again and pulled Keridwen closer. She could feel her own eyes begin to sting with tears.  “It’s my fault.  I should have taken her back.  I let my own worry about you and the twins overshadow my senses.  I should have just turned around and brought her straight back to the castle.”

“No, you did the right thing.  You had to take the chance for our girls.  Who knows how long they could have evaded those imposters?  It is I that should have had my men guarding them.  I should have had more patrols.  That fire should have never happened.”

“A lot shouldn’t have happened, Keridwen, but we can’t change the past.  We can only move forward.”

“Even if Little Keridwen pays the price?”

Silver frowned.  “We won’t let that happen.”

“Silver, we have no control.”

Silver fingered the locket around her neck.  “I’m tired of having no control.  We’re going to take it back.”

“How?”

“We are going to start by eating dinner and getting a good night’s sleep.  Tomorrow is a new day, and we are going to face it together.”

The Guardian’s Ground Rules is in the 20s!

The Guardian’s Ground Rules is now available on KU!  It’s also ranking all the way down to #27.   Thank you to everyone who has bought/borrowed/and or is currently reading it!  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

 

 

 

Tomorrow — The Guardian’s Ground Rules — goes live!

Tomorrow, May 10th, the 3rd book in my Sangrian Tiger’s Tale Series goes live.  This is an all-new story which picks up approximately 5 years after the 2nd book ended.  It’s available for presale now, but tomorrow it’ll be live and available for everyone to read.  To celebrate I thought I’d share another little snippet… this one a bit steamer.

As Keridwen lay, however, her thoughts slipped from her sister and returned to Silver and their girls.  She was reasonably sure that Silver was safe back in the Capital, but the unknown of her daughters weighed heavily on her.   It was both flustering and tearing her apart that she couldn’t do anything about it now.  In the morning, they’d start searching the nearby villages. Her soldiers would take at least a week to arrive, but by then they would ready to expand the search.  She just hoped that that wouldn’t be necessary. With a sigh, she forced her eyes closed.  She was exhausted, and even if she didn’t want to sleep, her little body was demanding it.

It seemed only a minute or two passed before Keridwen felt someone next to her. She wasn’t alarmed, as she recognized the presence, although in retrospect she should have been, as her wife was several hundred miles away.  “Silver?” she couldn’t help asking as her eyes finally opened.

“Hey honey,” Silver smiled, her green eyes sparkling as they reflected the light of the fire. Silver was lying next to her under a shared blanket, and Keridwen couldn’t help reaching out a hand, only to smile as it came in contact with soft, naked, flesh.

“What are you doing here?” Keridwen asked. She turned, noticing the rest of the world had melted away. It was just her and Silver, on a blanket, under the stars, next to a warm fire. They were on soft grass, with only one single thin blanket covering them.

“Can’t I make love to my wife?” Silver countered.  She leaned forward and started to nip and kiss Keridwen neck.

Keridwen ran a hand down her own body, taking one of her fully adult breasts and then squeezing the nipple.  “I’m big, and this is a dream.”

Silver’s attention moved from Keridwen’s neck and down to the now very pert breast.  “These are the best kind of dreams,” she agreed.

“My favorite kind,” Keridwen seconded, taking Silver’s lips in a long and very slow kiss.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Silver whispered.  “Make love to me, Keridwen.”

“I thought we were already doing that,” Keridwen teased.  She ran a hand down Silver’s body, caressing a breast, before trailing down Silver’s belly and down between her legs.  “You’re already wet,” Keridwen practically purred. “I’ve missed playing with my naughty wife.”

Silver’s eyes widened as if she was faking her innocence.  “You’re the naughty one.”

“I’ve been an angel, and you know that has to be the truth.”

“Oh, come now, General.  I know you too well for that.  It hasn’t been that long since I’ve flipped you over my knee.”

“No, although it has been a very long time since I’ve returned the favor.  Do you need me to take charge tonight, Silver?  Are you willing to obey my commands?”

“I’m yours, my love.”

“Well then,” Keridwen drew out.  She stroked her finger along Silver’s clit, rubbing it in a small circle before withdrawing and signaling to Silver to roll over on her back.  She then pulled the blanket free of them both, leaving them both naked and vulnerable.  They were in the middle of a grassy plain, no trees or bushes for cover, and only stars above to serve as witness.

Silver shivered.  It was warm, especially with the heat of the fire next to them, but Keridwen knew that Silver’s perfect fantasy was to be out in the open like this.  It was a common dream for them both. “Put your hands above your head,” Keridwen directed, making sure to drop her voice, so there was no mistake of the command.  “You may only make sounds of pleasure, but you are not to move your hands until I give you permission, is that clear?”

Silver knew better than to speak, but she nodded her head in agreement.  This was also part of their play, and although they’d never actually succeeded outside of a securely bolted door before, in the dreamworld anything was possible.

Keridwen bent and kissed Silver’s neck.  Silver again shivered as goosebumps rose on her arms and thighs.  This amused Keridwen, she gave her lover a chuckle and continued her ministrations down to Silver’s breasts.  She took the closest one between her lips, sucking it to attention as she rolled the other nipple between her fingers.  The one in her mouth she rolled with her tongue, and then bit down just hard enough to elicit a moan from Silver.

“You like it when I hurt you, don’t you?” Keridwen said, her voice deep and laced with determination.  Keridwen emphasized her words by moving her hand from Silver’s breast down to her thigh, where she gave her a purposeful slap.  “Tell me, Silvia Amanda Wheldon, have you been a good girl?”

Silver bit her lip but shook her head negatively.  “No,” she added in a whisper.

“Tell me, what makes you so naughty?”

Silver squirmed.  “I keep thinking about you, and how… how I’m not a good wife to you.  I don’t always hear what you are telling me or do what you tell me to do.”

Keridwen wrinkled her brow.  That was a complex answer for a dream, but then she’d been a little more stressed than usual.  “And what should I do about that?”

“Pu.. Punish me,” Silver said.

“How should I punish you? Should I roll you over and spank your backside until it’s a rosy pink?”

“Ohhhh,” Silver squirmed.  “I need more.”

“More than a spanking?” Keridwen asked.  This dream was becoming more and more interesting by the moment.  She then looked up and noticed a leather belt on the ground next to them.  She could have sworn it wasn’t there a moment ago, but then this dream seemed to have a mind of its own.  Reaching across Silver, she picked it up, making sure Silver saw it.  “Is this what you had in mind?”

The Guardian’s Ground Rules is Ranking!

Thank you to everyone who has pre-ordered my newest book!  You have it ranking!  #33 baby!   To celebrate, I thought I’d share a little snippet from the new book!

Silver shook her head as she watched Keridwen play in the water.   The Little General had been at it for almost two hours, finding pure delight in the water and the rolling waves.   They’d played with most of the things Silver had purchased, including the inflatable beach ball, the Frisbee, and finally the boogie board, which Keridwen was currently experimenting with.            They’d seen some older kids run along the water’s edge and ride the board across the wet sand.  Keridwen was trying to mimic them and was having a marginal amount of luck. Silver had finally left to her to play and returned to the towels to rest.   She was exhausted, and she didn’t know where Keridwen found the energy to continue.

The beach had gotten more crowded as the day wore on.  There were many more people both on the sand and in the water, and so Silver didn’t interfere when a small group of children engaged Keridwen.  There were two boys and a girl, all around Keridwen ‘age,’ and one of the boys had a boogie board as well.  They talked for a while, and then one of the boys took a turn on his boogie board, riding more into a wave then along the shore.   He crashed and went into the water, only to pop up a moment later laughing.

The rest of the children and Keridwen joined in in his laughter and seeing that they were having a good time, Silver relaxed.  Keridwen had taken to the water like a duck, as she usually did, and after making sure she was feeling secure, Silver wasn’t really worried about her.  Deciding to let her play for a while, Silver picked a book out of her bag before getting comfortable and enjoying the sun.

Over the last few years, Silver had rediscovered reading.  In Sangria they didn’t have television or even electric lights, so often nights were spent around the fire with a good book.  She’d read a lot of Sangrian literature, but also had her own stash which was available to only to those who had knowledge of Earth.  Stephen, her brother, would often raid her collection and Aderyn and occasionally Jayson or Seth would as well.  As her girls got older, she would make sure they had a library of Earth literature as well.  There were good lessons and good stories from both cultures, and she hoped that it would help round out their education as they grew.  Turning her attention to her book, Silver managed to let herself get lost in its pages while still keeping an ear and the occasional glance out toward Keridwen.

A good half hour or so passed before Silver looked up and saw Keridwen and her new friends heading her way.  “Having fun?” Silver quipped as Keridwen plopped down on the towel next to her.

“Yes, although,” Keridwen paused, looking back to her friends.  “I was invited to go get some ice cream.”

“The shop is just down at the end of this block,” the oldest boy spoke up.  “We go there all the time.”

“They live here,” Keridwen supplied.  “That’s Joey, by the way, his brother, Andrew, and their cousin, Silvia.”

“My name is Silvia too,” Silver smiled.  “But everyone calls me Silver.”

“I told her that,” Keridwen informed Silver.  “We were hoping we could leave their stuff here with you and we could go.  I’ll bring you back something.”

Silver chewed her lip for a moment.  “I don’t like the idea of you being out of my sight.”

“It’s not like we’ll be in the water, and it’s just down the street.  Please?”

“How about I just go with you?”

“Silver,” Keridwen’s voice dropped. “What about the stuff?”

“The stuff is fine, no one will mess with it, and if they do, who cares?”

“Silver…”

“Keridwen, what’s rule number two?” Silver’s voice dropped down into a whisper.

Keridwen’s cheeks reddened, and before Silver knew what was happening, she turned to her new-found friends.  “I changed my mind; I don’t feel like ice cream anymore.  You can still leave your stuff if you want.”

“You sure?” Joey asked.

“Yes, I forgot ice cream sometimes hurts my stomach.  I’ll see you when you get back.”

Silver was quiet for a moment as the boy shrugged and dumped his boogie board down next to Keridwen’s before leaving with the two others.  “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Neither did you,” Keridwen huffed, pulling her knees up under her chin as she dripped into her towel.  “It was just down the street.”

“I know, but I told you I don’t want you out of my line of sight.”

“I’m going to go back to the water.”

“I think you need to stay up here for a bit.”

“Why? You left me alone a few minutes ago.”

“One, the attitude, and two I think you could use a break.  How about a snack?  I’m hungry, I bet you are too.”

“I want ice cream.”

“Well, it’s too late for that.  I have trail mix or chips, or how about a cupcake?  I have some chocolate…”

“I don’t want any of that,” Keridwen cut Silver off.

“Well at least have some water,” Silver pulled out a bottle and opened it for Keridwen.  “You’ve been in the water too long without drinking.  You’ll get dehydrated.”

Keridwen gave her a hard look before taking the bottle and managing a small slip.  She then wrinkled her nose.  “It’s not cold.  Ice cream would have been cold.”

“You know what?  That’s enough.  You just earned yourself a time out.  Ten minutes, Keridwen.  You can sit there and think about your attitude.  Drink the water, but no talking.”

Keridwen narrowed her eyes.  Planting the bottle down in the sand between them, she turned away from Silver and lay down on her towel.   Silver felt the initial surge of annoyance, but after a moment of studying Keridwen’s posture, she felt it just as quickly leave.

Uncharacteristically, Keridwen hadn’t argued with her.  She’d simply turned away and seeing the pose made Silver frown.  She wondered if maybe she’d gone too far.  Keridwen seemed almost excited when they agreed that Silver was going to be tougher on her, but now with the attitude, she was confused.

Finally giving out a long sigh, she reached out and put at hand on Keridwen’s lower back.  “Am I being a total jack ass?”

Keridwen turned her head back toward Silver.  She wrinkled her brow, but slowly nodded her head.  “Yes.”

Silver chuckled; well at least I know you’re still not able to lie to me.  “If you want to hurry up, you can probably catch up with them.”

“What about rule number two?”

“Promise you’ll go get the ice cream and come right back?”

“Of course.”

“And you’ll bring me back something chocolate?”

Keridwen nodded.

Silver grabbed her wallet and handed over a $10.  “Hurry up.  It’s hot, and that ice cream is going to melt fast.”

“Okay,” Keridwen smiled, jumping up and kissing Silver on the cheek.  “I know you are trying to step up.  I appreciate it, even if you need to relax a bit.”