Medallion of Protection

The gothic looking structure that sits high upon a hill has intrigued Luke for years.  The rumors about the place are rampant and have become more unbelievable with every passing year.  Luke drives past the gated entrance every day, but today the gate is open and the young man cannot resist.  The door to the secretive domicile is unlocked and it appears that no one is home.  As Luke swishes dirt from his hands, the clapping sound summons a peculiar little man who takes him directly to Papa.  Papa is the man who must be pleased by everyone who dares to enter his refuge uninvited, and Papa’s requirements for pleasure are very specific and must never be questioned.

Excerpt:
“This is Luke.  He has come for a visit.” 

Luke opened his mouth to correct PQ, but then immediately closed it.  The man called Papa grabbed him by the arm and pulled him onto his lap.  Papa was a big attractive man and not at all like the little man assumed by Luke to be his son.  He held Luke tightly, bending him backward over the arm of the chair.  He draped Luke’s legs over the opposite arm of the chair.  Luke tried to sit up, but the man was not going to let him go anywhere.  Papa stared at him. 

“What have you brought me, Luke?” 

“I…uh, nothing.” 

With one swift movement the big man ran the zipper down and pulled Luke’s hidden gift from the tightening jeans.  Luke began to squirm. 

“You have brought me something.” 

******

Luke grabbed onto the arm of the chair, and the man smiled.  He heard the shuffling of PQ’s feet and then he caught a glimpse of the head as he walked into the room. 

“You are one of our larger guests, Luke.” 

PQ giggled and put his hand over his mouth.  He removed the measuring device and held it in his hand.  “Now what, Papa?” 

The older man glared at his son.  “We will give our visitor the house special.”

Anaxantis, Prince of Ximerion…

Lorsanthia, the giant southern enemy, has suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Anaxantis's oldest brother, Prince Tenaxos, but it is far from beaten. If anything, it has become more dangerous now that a more warlike regime has taken over the reins.

The warlord fears his own dominions will come under siege if his father and older brothers don't manage to keep the behemoth in check. To make matters more complicated he isn't convinced the settlement of the Renuvian Plains is going all that well. In the Highlands the proud nobility starts plotting to regain its independence. And, as always, there is the love of Anaxantis's life, Ehandar.

Meanwhile strife breaks loose between the independent city states of Rhonoma and Naodyma. In the latter city, Lexyntas still has a difficult time adapting to being Thenoclon's slave in a household where dark secrets weigh on both masters and servants. In Rhonoma, Yorn falls more and more under the beguiling influence and nonchalant charms of his adopted cousin, Antybion.

Concerned about the vulnerabilities of his dominions, and amidst the intrigues of his family and the nobles of the Highlands of Great Renuvia, Anaxantis starts looking for allies.

Should he return to the fold and join forces with his father?

MOONRAZER was already a famous warrior when she drove the Navin from her homeworld, wrested the Sword of Justice from dragons, and became the first Exalted Warrior of the Sarl in seven generations. But now, as she is approaching her 40th birthday, she faces her most terrifying challenge of all--finding a mate and conceiving a child.

PRINCE VARIAN of Tellan needs an heir to his throne before the Festival of the Dragon Moon or the Dragons will kill him and his sisters. Twice, he has taken Dragonmarked wives to beget such an heir. His first wife, Violetta, ran away from him and after years of searching, he declared her dead and took another wife. Five months ago, his second wife and child were found dead. Now, Violetta has contacted him on her own deathbed to tell him he had a daughter sixteen years ago.

When he learns that his lost daughter may be living among the Sarl, and that the Exalted Warrior of the Sarl herself is looking for a mate, he discovers two chances to save his kingdom.

Together, Moonrazer and Varian must deal with intrigue, treachery, and even an assassin to help each other and save their kingdoms. However, even love may not be strong enough to save either world from destruction.

Dusty Calhoun, recovering from wounds from a train robbery gone wrong, must leave the Wind River Reservation and catch up to his gang of wild boys before it is too late to save them and the gold.  A message of a traitor sets Dusty off to embark on a ride through the west with unexpected encounters and places; where he must decide who he can trust, who his pals really are, and finally put the haunting memories of the Blakely Gang to rest.  Dusty knows he never should have let Jake Willowford go on without him after all the hell and high water they have been through together.  The time has come to make it right, to see it through and to find his cowboy where the trails end.

Excerpt:
Dusty’s eyes flutter and he cannot make out the words but he understands them inside, he sees them on her lips in the dim glow and smiles.  The fire returns but it is cool, so cool, over his naked flesh.  No one is inside the lodge now.  He shivers, the sweat rolling off his skin as his muscles strain.  The raw wounds have been covered with more powder and leaves.  The warmth returns starting at his loins and slowly spreads throughout his body.  Dusty can smell his own scent over the sage, a rich masculine scent of sex, and he is filled with thoughts of desire and of Jake’s touch.  The dark hair slicked back, calm brown eyes showing lust and love and Jake’s lithe body so eager to please take Dusty to the limit.  Jake is all that matters in Dusty’s mind’s eye.  In the semi darkness he feels release without laying a hand on himself and he breathes heavy, feeling the hurt all over again. 

******

The melancholy wail of the train whistle sounds off from down El Paso way where the border and the freedom of Mexico beyond its imaginary boundaries lie.  An oasis has been created a few miles outside the Texas town by the recent plentiful rains.  Jake Willowford and Frank Ward are skinny dipping in the newly formed watering hole, their clothes, boots and guns stowed away in the saddlebags of their horses.  Jake’s bobbing body is tanned from the long ride to the south while Frank’s hide is more burned than brown especially on his shoulders and back.  Jake’s dark eyes meet Frank’s lighter ones as both of them tread cool water in the deeper middle.  A warm breeze gritty with sand strikes them from the desert surroundings complementing the coolness of the pond. 

“Now this is something special.”  Jake drifts and relaxes enjoying the cool calming sensation over his bare skin. 

“It sure is.”  Frank speaks his devious thoughts.  “You want to….?”

Jake shakes his head, “Ain’t gonna happen.”

No greater love has a vampire than for his dentist.

Deeply in debt to a loan shark, oversexed dentist Cary Drewel lives in fear of foreclosure and bodily harm. His new practice is missing one rather crucial element: patients. Which, terrifyingly enough, is the one thing his creditors also don’t have.

Pierce Sharpe, a powerful vampire with a drinking problem—or, more accurately, a problem drinking—can’t feed through the pain in his damaged eye teeth. In danger of losing his standing in the vampire community, Pierce seeks Cary's dental services. When Cary extracts his canines, Pierce must turn to other bodily fluids for sustenance.

Together, Cary and Pierce find a mutually pleasurable solution to both their problems. Turns out, though, there’s more to this dentist-patient relationship than simple suction, and what began with raw hunger from each of them might just end in love.

Prince Akim's slave, Mateo, has learned much about satisfying his master's sexual needs. But while the prince considers his slave nothing more than a toy to be used, Mateo craves the affection of the man who holds his life in his hands. Will Mateo find a way to show the prince that he is more than just a fuck toy? WARNING: Contains intense male three-way action and a prince with a sadistic streak.

Excerpt:
It was a command Mateo obeyed gladly. He shrugged out of his clothes and entered the stream while feeling Akim’s eyes on him. Closing his eyes and holding his breath, he stepped beneath the waterfall.
The cool water did its part in rejuvenating his tired body. Bathing was such a luxury, and it felt so very, very good to be able to wash the sweat and dust away. He took his time. Akim liked him clean, and the prince liked to watch him in the water. And Mateo certainly was not in any hurry to get back onto dry land.
He jumped when he felt a hand on his waist.
Akim often helped him wash, and he was used to it, but the grip tightening on him was not that of the prince. Turning and blinking his eyes open, he saw one of the other two slaves before him. This one was a blond youth, barely into his twenties, lithe and of small statue. He looked reluctant even as his other hand reached to touch Mateo’s chest.
He realized at once that the boy had joined him because he had been ordered to. Nearby, Akim was watching the both of them with unveiled interest.
Mateo had developed a measure of confidence and skill in the months of pleasing the prince. The youth seemed to lack it. He was pale, his wide eyes betraying his fright. He also looked like he had no idea what to do.
Mateo was starved for touch - Akim’s touch, but the prince seemed to want to watch for the moment, so he would take what he could get. He reached out for the other slave and pulled him closer. The boy’s hot body had the feel of hard muscle and nothing but. No wonder Akim had chosen him.

Jake’s body is as cold as ice when Dusty finds him struggling to stay alive.  He takes him to his camp, pulls him close, and soon the young body begins to stir.  The young man turns toward the warmth and snuggles close, opens his eyes to see Dusty’s peaceful face, and feels the touch of naked skin to skin.  In shock, he jumps back, stands, and trips in the tangled blanket.  Dusty is up lightning quick, the sun placing his nude body in perfect silhouette.  He soon learns that the young cowboy he saved from a sure death is in more trouble than even he knows, daring to cross one of the roughest gangs in the Southwest.  Dusty knows the gang well.  They take no prisoners.  They took his friend, his lover, his soul mate years ago, and now they are after Jake.  The young cowboy stirs up old feelings, good and bad, from Dusty’s past, a past he has come here to put behind him once and for all.  But can he save Jake from the lawless, or will he lose another cowboy?

Excerpt:
“If it feels right, it’s right.  Don’t you get it?  That’s just the way it is.”

Jake roughly grabs Dusty and pulls him in, body to body.  “Does this feel right?”

Dusty grabs him back face to face.  “It could.” 

Jake breathes in scared and elated all at once.  Dusty kisses him hard, slamming him back into a tree.  The young man seems lost at first, but then forcefully kisses back. 

A twig snaps and Dusty draws his gun as Misty walks into the moonlight, scaring Jake.

“How long have you been there, girl?”

“Long enough to get an eyeful of you two.”

“Come on, Jake.”  Dusty holsters his gun and grabs the young man’s arm.

“Wait, I don’t care.  I’ve seen worse.  You two can come up to my room and nobody will know.”

Jake is mesmerized, not having felt this way before.  “You are the best thing that has happened to me.”

Dusty turns and looks back at Jake’s innocent eyes, and his stern features soften.  “It’s been a long time.” 

******

Chad turns to creep to safety and another bullet comes from the house splashing in the mud by his feet.  Unsure of which way to go, he stops and a strong hand palming a hunting knife comes to his throat stopping him.
 
“I guess you don’t like it when somebody takes you from behind,” Dusty meanly says in Chad’s ear.

“No, wait!  I ain’t done you no harm.”  He turns his head far enough to see Dusty.

“That’s a lie.  You’ve had this coming since what you did to Jimmy at the cabin.”

Chad’s eyes widen in sudden recognition.  “It can’t be you…you burned… years ago.”