[BookStrand Fantasy Romance, shape-shifters]
Banished as a child, Lucan Hawk has grown to be a bitter warlord with a bad reputation. Now someone is killing the king's heirs. King Patton wants him named heir, assuming a shifter lord trained by black elves will be a harder target for an assassin. But Luc can't forgive his uncle for allowing the banishment ten years ago. Then he's offered a boon he can't refuse--the right to marry the only woman he ever loved!
Caitriona, a human-born cat shifter, was orphaned as a young child and brought to Aintoch to be raised by the captain of the guard. Feisty and beautiful, Cait was Luc's childhood best friend and teen sweetheart. Though she knew she could never marry her elfin lover, she never forgot him. The night Luc comes for her, she thinks she's dreaming. But the dream turns to a nightmare when the assassin targets her!
A BookStrand Mainstream Romance
4.5 BOOKS: "Hawk by name - Wolf by nature. Lucan Hawk defends himself when his uncaring father attacks him for protecting the only other shape shifter in the castle. The King then banishes Luc to the protection of the Wild Lords. Many years later the King recalls Luc to become his heir. This is due to the sudden death of the heirs close to the throne. Luc agrees as long as he can marry a woman of his own choosing. The King agrees with one proviso, the maiden must be someone of his household. Both know Luc will choose Cait, the cat shifter he protected so many years ago. Luc, tall dark and with the dangerous personality of a wolf, is the only one for Cait. They protect one another from the dangerous, jealous elements in the castle. The deaths of the previous heirs look like accidents, but were they? Luc is one of those dangerous but gorgeous males a woman can't resist. Cait is sweet but with the athletic, fighting abilities of a cat. Many courtiers believe Cait is not good enough to become queen, but only a handful decide to take matters into their own hands. Luc is aware of the danger from these renegades. He's also aware his ability to keep himself under control might falter if Cait is hurt. He might release the wolf to run free. This book, although short, is compelling reading. Dark and dangerous, svelte and catlike, two wonderful main characters who merge into one. I thought the ones who tried to tear them apart were fools. They might get rid of Cait but this didn't mean Luc would do as they wanted. The story was at times fast paced, at others leisurely and emotional. The shape shifting came to the fore in a very natural and acceptable way. I'm not a great fan of shape shifting books, but I liked this one as this aspect did not overshadow every page. It took its place in the natural progression of the story. A good book to ease the reader into this genre." -- Orchid, Long and Short Reviews
“Something amuses you, lass,” a warm, honey voice whispered into her ear, sending chills of another sort down her spine. Cait closed her eyes and inhaled his scent deeply, vaguely recognizing it. Odd, she thought. She only knew one shifter lord well enough to recognize his scent, though she hadn't seen him in years. She didn't remember him talking like a human.
She heard him inhale her scent as he buried his face in her neck, and felt his tongue licking her tender skin. Liquid heat seared her skin, starting at the spot he’d licked and running straight for her core. He breathed deeply again, inhaling the pheromones her body had released with her desire. Cait was vaguely aware that her arousal was not normal, but couldn’t bring herself to care.
She felt the elf lick her again. Another shot of heat sizzled her skin. He groaned and latched onto her neck with a deep, sucking kiss. Falling to her knees, Cait felt the hand that had been clamped around her belly loosen into a soft caress, and felt the one around her shoulders drop and fondle a breast.
“Let me hae ye.” The desire in his voice thickened the brogue she’d only slightly detected before. Cait whimpered. This had to be a dream. One's dinner didn't usually turn into a seductive stranger wanting a mate!
“Please, little kitten,” the voice whispered softly in her ear. He licked the lobe of her ear before purring, “Please let me hae ye.” Then, he gently bit down. Cait splintered apart. She felt his growl of satisfaction more than heard it. The elf lowered her to the ground. She sprawled on a mossy bit of earth on her belly and rolled over to see him hastily stripping off his clothes. Her breath caught in her throat. He was tall with long, curly, golden hair, a couple of locks at his temples in thin braids that dangled halfway down his chest. He had a very well-defined chest, ripped without being bulky. On second thought, Cait figured this elf's seduction might be more enjoyable than snacking on a slimy, raw bird.
The dream buck, sensing Cait's cautious willingness to be seduced, placed his knee boots beside his discarded tunic, dropping to his knees in front of her. He grabbed her legs and parted them on either side of him, pulling her in close.Cait felt her breath catch in her chest at the sight of his sex straining the top of his unfastened pants.
He noticed where she was gazing and smiled wickedly. He pulled his sex out and began stroking it, groaning softly at the top of each up stroke. Cait watched raptly, breathing fast and shallow at the sight of this divine male pleasuring himself for her.
She was so wrapped up in watching him that she didn’t notice his other hand smoothing the skin of her inner thigh until a large, calloused finger nudged gently at the folds of her mound. She shuddered violently as that finger burrowed between the folds to find her swollen nub, the nail lightly scraping as he flicked his finger over it in time with the hand pumping for his own pleasure. Cait’s hips started to rock in time with the primal rhythm he was creating.
The elf changed the finger to his thumb, rubbing more firmly now, and slipped the rest of his hand under her butt, urging her to lift up onto her heels, to raise her woman’s core up to where he could reach it better. He scooted closer, sliding his knees under her thighs, holding her hips high, and then placed his sex against her folds, not entering her. Instead, he used the hand that he'd been stroking himself with, firmly pressing it into her dampness.
Cait felt the head slipping over her nub, slick from her own juices. She felt the elf penetrate her with the thumb that had been stroking her nub, plunging it into her counter to his thrusting hips.
“Please!” she whimpered. “More! I need more!”
