STOLEN
DESIRE
BOOK FOUR –
OUTLAWED REALM SERIES
EROTIC
PARANORMAL
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Blurb:
Her freedom depends on one
man. A criminal to his realm…
Outlawed Realm, Book 4
One minute, Paige Ross is
outside a Seattle bar, grieving a failed engagement. The next, she jerks awake
in a weird, candlelit room with velvet walls, black silk sheets, and a man who
motions for silence.
Paige has little choice but to
trust the powerful stranger who promises a way out of what looks like Satan’s
brothel. And pray his promise to keep her safe is as real as the heat burning
in his eyes.
Banished from E2’s ruling elite
for supposed crimes against the realm, Zekin risks everything to rescue those
brought to E5 for the guards’ carnal pleasure. Paige will be leaving this
inhospitable realm of fire and ice—if he can somehow forget the way her
trembling body melts in his arms.
Safe—temporarily—in an
underwater world populated by strange creatures, Paige’s sexual awakening
explodes into an unquenchable need that consumes them both. But the guards will
be looking for her. And Zekin’s plan to send her home is a dangerous journey
she cannot—will not—take without him.
Warning: Scorching-hot sex and loads of
aching tenderness between a drool-worthy hunk who’s determined to do the right
thing and a woman who’s not about to give him up.
Excerpt:
Thick
gray clouds rolled above them, heavy with more snow. A sliver of bluish-white
light poured through a gap in the cloud cover, as though the moon were trying
to bleed through. Its rays swept across the land, which shimmered in the frail
glow, sparkling like thousands of diamonds. The effect lasted only a moment,
and then the light receded, with shadows once again taking over the hostile
terrain.
As
though that worried him, Zekin increased his already fast pace, pausing only
once to shove her clothing into a snowdrift, burying it.
Why?
Paige
wasn’t able to ask. She struggled to keep up, gulping air. It should have been
icy, hurting her throat, but wasn’t. The transparent mask no doubt heated it.
How was that possible? Desperate for answers, she cried out, “Where are we
going?”
Zekin
looked over. “A colony where you’ll be safe.”
Paige
dug her fingers into his hand. “Where are we? What is this place?”
“E5.”
What
in the hell was that? A government installation where scientists conducted
classified studies and had pleasure slaves on the side? That made absolutely
no—
Wait
a sec. Suddenly, Paige recalled Zekin mentioning E1 when he’d first come into
her room.
“I’ll do all I
can to bring you back to E1,” he’d promised her then.
Instinctively,
she held back. Just as quickly, Zekin yanked her forward.
“Don’t
fight me,” he warned, “or you’ll end up like the others you saw outside the
guards’ outpost.”
Paige
shivered so badly, her voice shook. “Did those bastards throw the bodies out
there after they murdered those people?”
“Only
some. The others they pushed out there to die.”
“Why?”
“They
weren’t useful any longer.” Again, he glanced over. “When one of the guards
found you and brought you here, they got rid of the other woman. That’s what
they do when they tire of females from your realm, or the pleasure slaves they
haven’t already killed.”
Paige
was about to pepper him with more questions. Instead, her mind snagged on one
word—realm.
“You
mean country?” Maybe she’d been wrong about his nationality. It wasn’t Greek or
Middle-Eastern but Russian. Could be this was Siberia. In a weird sort of way,
that made sense. “Is that what you meant—my country? The USA? America?”
He
regarded the landscape past her. “We have to hurry before the other guards
return and see us.”
Paige
couldn’t imagine how that was possible. The material covering them was the same
tint as their surroundings, making them virtually invisible…unless the guards
had some kind of special eyewear, like night-vision goggles, that allowed them
to see what the naked eye couldn’t. “How far is the colony?”
“Past
that body of water.” He gestured toward what appeared to be an enormous frozen
lake ringed by drifts.
As
Paige scanned the area beyond it, searching for some sort of building, a flock
of birds flew over the lake. At least she thought they were birds. Their thick
feathers were an ashy white, their wingspans enormous, like nothing she’d ever
seen.
They
flew in an odd formation, not the usual V pattern, but in a perfect circle.
Paige couldn’t help but stare at the phenomenon. How in the world did they do—
A
thunderous crackling sound interrupted her thoughts, and the again screeching
wind.
She
flinched. Zekin released her hand and moved in front, his body pushing hers
back, shielding Paige as something shattered the ice from beneath the center of
the lake. Within seconds, a creature pushed through, hurling its milky body
upward. The waves that followed it froze instantly in the raw air, the ends of
the water curled over like a fine crystal sculpture. As massive as a blue
whale, the creature surged from the lake, a horn protruding from its snout, no
doubt what pierced the ice. With blinding speed, it penetrated the circle made
by the birdlike creatures.
Shrieking
wildly, they scattered, but it did no good. The whale-like thing swung its
monstrous head back and forth, gulping several of the creatures before gravity
pulled it back down to the water. A thin sheet of ice formed instantly, hiding
its exit. Harsh winds toppled the frozen waves as easily as if they’d been a
house of cards, then pushed them against the snowdrifts, returning the scene to
the relative calm of a few minutes before as though none of the carnage had
occurred.
Paige
continued to hyperventilate. What kind of fucking nightmare had she stumbled
into? Was it possible she’d been drugged and was hallucinating? If not… Aw
crap, she didn’t want to think about that.
“There’s
nothing to fear,” Zekin assured. “The thing has had its fill for the moment. It
won’t harm—”
Her
embrace stopped him. She clung to Zekin, her face pressed against his back,
praying he wouldn’t push her away. “Don’t leave me, please,” she begged.
Her
fiancé, Johnny, had done that, calling off their wedding after she’d worked so
hard on the plans and getting him to want her. He never apologized. He’d just
told her the score, saying they could still live together. As if she’d want that.
Before he’d bugged out on her, her mother and then eventually her father had
also left. She’d had no one for too long and by God, right now, Paige needed
the warmth of Zekin’s body, the security and comfort of his size to preserve
her sanity. To give her hope that they’d both get through this.
“Please,”
she repeated.
“I
won’t,” he murmured. “It’s all right.” With his hands on her wrists, Zekin
gently pulled her arms from him but didn’t step away.
If
he had, Paige would have followed. Out here, she had no shame, no pride, just
an unbearable need to be close.
He
turned to face her, then hesitated only a moment before wrapping his arms
around her in a sheltering caress. She couldn’t stop shaking. As he ran his
hand down her back, he whispered, “You’re safe.”
No,
she wasn’t. Neither was he. Not out here in arctic-land. Deep inside, Paige was
terrified they weren’t on Earth any longer. It was crazy to even consider that,
but how else to explain all of this? How could either of them survive? Why had
he even risked his life to rescue her? Who was he? Where had he come from?
She
pressed her cheek against his shoulder. The transparent material covering her
face was exactly like skin, letting her feel his solid frame, his heat. She
snuggled, unable to stop herself, indulging in this small, welcome intimacy as
the world went crazy around them.
The
wind died for a moment, then picked up again, slamming against her body as it
screamed past. Clouds continued to sink, weighted with snow.
“I’m
sorry,” she whispered.
His
hand stalled on her back. “For what?”
Being
scared and being a burden, asking too many questions, not knowing how to make
this better. All her life, Paige had done whatever she could so people wouldn’t
leave her. Didn’t work. They always had.
“Getting
you into this,” she finally said.
If
she hadn’t had those stupid drinks at Rozie’s, if she hadn’t gotten involved
with Johnny—a damn fool who couldn’t commit to marriage much less save her ass
out here—none of this would have happened.
“You
had nothing to do with this,” Zekin said. “It was my choice to come.”
Release: March 11
Other books in the
Outlawed Realm series:
Unending Desire – Book One
Illicit Desire – Book Two
Shameless Desire – Book Three
About Tina:
Tina Donahue is an award-winning,
bestselling novelist in erotic, paranormal, contemporary and historical romance
for Samhain Publishing, Ellora’s Cave, and Kensington. Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Romantic
Times and numerous online sites have praised her work. Three of her erotic
romances (Adored, Lush Velvet Nights, and
Deep, Dark, Delicious) were named
finalists in the 2011 EPIC competition. The French review site, Blue Moon
reviews, chose her erotic romance Sensual
Stranger as their Book of the Year 2010 (erotic category). The Golden Nib
Award at Miz Love Loves Books was created specifically for Lush Velvet Nights, and two of her titles (The Yearning and Deep, Dark,
Delicious) received an Award of Merit in the RWA Holt Medallion competition
(2011 and 2012). Take Me Away and Adored both won second place in the NEC
RWA contest (different years). Tina is featured in the 2012 Novel & Short
Story Writer’s Market. She was the editor of an award–winning Midwestern
newspaper and worked in Story Direction for a Hollywood production company.
Email: tina@tinadonahue.com
Website: http://www.tinadonahue.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tinadonahue
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tina.donahue.75
FB Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/TinaDonahueBooks
Triberr: http://triberr.com/tinadonahue
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/authortina/my-books/
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/tinadonahue
CONTEST DETAILS:
Tina
will choose one commenter as her winner. Winner gets her choice of one of
Tina’s award-winning, bestselling ebooks from this list:
1. Adored – RWA
award-winning; EPIC 2011 Finalist; 4 Stars RT
2. Deep, Dark, Delicious
– EPIC 2011 Finalist; Holt Medallion Award of Merit
3. Lush Velvet Nights –
EPIC 2011 Finalist; Golden Nib Award
4. In His Arms – SIX 5
Star Reviews; 4 Stars RT
5. Sensual Stranger –
2010 Book of the Year (erotic); 4 Stars RT
6. The Yearning – Top
Ten Bestseller
7. Take Me Away – #1
Pick, Miz Love Loves Books
8. Unending Desire –
Best Book Rating LASR
9. SiNN – Nominated for
Book of the Week LASR
10. Sinfully Wicked –
Magnificent – Romancing the Book
11. Claiming Magique – Top Pick – NOR
12. Illicit Desire –
Four Stars Romantic Times
13. Come Fill Me – Five
Stars – Guilty Pleasures
