Read on and then click the links at the end for a sweet giveaway and more authors who have posted teasers. And if you want more info on Bitterroot (teasers, release date, cover reveal, etc) make sure you get signed up for my Love Birds newsletter and be the first to know!
I bounded down the steps and darted in among the parked cars, heading straight for the treeline at the edge of the blacktop. I glanced around as I ran, making sure no one witnessed my strange exit--you never knew who’d stepped out the back door to sneak a cigarette--but it looked like the coast was clear.
I sniffed. Yep. I was alone.
My body relaxed when I stepped off the pavement and onto the soft ground of the woods. A collective exhale.
The change was fast and easy these days, but it wasn’t always that way. It was kind of embarrassing as a kid. Lots of torn clothes and nudity. But there was a trick to it, and my mom and I had practiced enough that everything went much smoother these days. Now, I knew how to shift at will--and still have my clothes on when I shifted back.
I held my breath and focused on keeping everything together as I shifted into my wolf form. Skin and muscles rippled. The air around me shivered. I fell onto all fours, and it was paws that hit the ground instead of fingers.
Starting out with an easy run, I increased my speed until the depressions of my prints were so slight, they barely left a mark. I’d been denying myself this all week. It was too difficult to give in often here, among so many humans. But tonight, with the rain to mask my scent, and all of the nocturnal creatures hiding from the deluge, I could run. I gave in to my stolen minutes of guilty freedom and let everything fall away but my wolf.
The run home was entirely too short, but at least I made curfew. I shifted at the edge of the woods, bracing against the chill of the night air on my bare skin as my fur fell away. My dress remained intact, though a little muddy around the hem (which would annoy my mom to no end). The shoes weren’t so lucky. I must have left them behind.
“Stupid heels,” I muttered. For whatever reason, they were so much harder to hang on to than sneakers.
I stomped toward the house, bare feet sucking in and out of the mud. Halfway up the back steps, voices drifted over. I halted mid-step and looked around for the source.
“I’m telling you, I just scented someone, and it wasn’t Anita. I think she’s almost here,” said a voice. The speaker sounded young, close to my age maybe.
“Must be on foot, then,” said another. This one was deeply male. Older.
Their conversation caught my attention. They smelled me? A human couldn’t have…
No way. It couldn’t be.
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I was kind of uncertain about posting this or putting it out. Some people say paranormal romance is dead right now. I think they're crazy. In the comments, let me know what you think!
When you're finished, click the links below to read more great teasers from some authors I love....
From now until June 17, I'm giving away one of my favorite planners: The Passion Planner! The best way to keep focused and balanced as it prompts you to remember things like self-care and introspection along with your daily life and work.
To get entered, share about the Connective Collective, a monthly conference call for authors, and use the rafflecopter to record your entry.
