STORM CROSSED by Dani Harper
A fae who doesn’t believe in love.
A mortal who has no time for it.
And a desire that defies everything they know.
Some people are counting the days until Christmas. Usually, I do too, but this year I’m excitedly counting down the days until my newest release on January 9th. I can hardly wait to share Storm Crossed with my readers! This is the 4th stand-alone novel in my Grim Series.
While many people grow up associating faeries with the tiny benevolent beings of children’s picture books, I learned early from my Welsh gramma that the fae are not little. They are not cute. And they are definitely not nice!
Rather, the fae are cunning, powerful and often cruel. The most beautiful among them are often the most deadly. Hidden far beneath the mortal world, the timeless faery realm plays by its own rules—and those rules can change on a whim. Now and again, the unpredictable residents of that mystical land cross the supernatural threshold…
And that’s where my own stories begin. The Grim Series brings ancient faery legends into modern-day America, to people unaccustomed to dealing with these alluring beings. People who may be unaware of this cardinal rule: NEVER TRUST A FAE!
That rule was both underscored and bent in Storm Crossed. As a writer, I’m used to my characters being unruly. It’s not uncommon for them to disregard my carefully constructed plot and veer off in another direction entirely. But the characters of Storm Crossed truly surprised me, and legend collided with love...
Today I’m excited to visit one of my all-time favorite places: I Smell Sheep. It’s like my home away from home. I’ve brought along an exclusive excerpt for all my sheeply friends, plus a one-of-a-kind giveaway to enter!
Heir to a noble fae house, Trahern is forced to watch helplessly as his twin brother is cruelly changed into a grim—a death dog—as punishment for falling in love with the wrong person. Trahern doesn’t believe love exists, but he will do anything to keep his brother alive—even join the Wild Hunt and ride the night skies of the human world.
Lissy Santiago-Callahan believes in love but has no time for it. She’s busy juggling her career as an academic and her home life as a single mom to a young son with Asperger’s. Her hectic life in sleepy Eastern Washington is made even more chaotic with the sudden arrival of a demanding fae and his unusual “dog.”
Mortal and immortal have nothing in common, and the attraction between Lissy and Trahern surprises them both. But when their desire places Lissy and her child in the path of a deadly faery feud, will the connection last, or will their separate worlds prove too great a divide?
EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT for I SMELL SHEEP
“I explained to Fox that you’d like to be his magic teacher,” said Lissy. “And he didn’t quite understand, so I used a movie he knows to help make the point. I don’t suppose you’ve seen Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone?”Trahern frowned. “Who is Harry Potter? Is another sorcerer seeking to interfere with the child?”
“No, no, no. Harry Potter is a character from a famous series of books written by J.K. Rowling. He’s a little boy who finds out that he’s really a wizard and gets invited to attend a wizarding school. They made the whole series into eight wonderful movies—those are stories you watch instead of reading, kind of like a play.”
“A form of entertainment,” he supplied.
“Yes! The problem is, I could never get Fox to watch more than one of them.”
Her words brought up a wealth of questions, but Trahern forced himself to focus on the issue. “Why would that be a problem?”
“Fox just wasn’t very interested in Harry and his exciting magical adventures. The only character he really liked was Hagrid, the man who talked to animals.” She sat on the edge of the couch with her hands folded on her knees. “You know, a little of it might be because Hagrid lives by himself in a house near the forest. Fox would be very attracted to that—he does better with peace and quiet, and the fewer people around, the better. But most of all, my son definitely has a thing about animals.”
“A thing?”
“An affinity. It’s more than just liking animals, he’s comfortable with them. Fox would really rather be with animals than people.”
“So he has said to me.”
“Well, he’s also mentioned more than once that they talk to him. I made the mistake of chalking that up to a child’s imagination. Now I think that he really can communicate with them, all of them, just like he seems to do with your brother.”
Trahern committed Lissy’s words to memory. “Knowing such details may prove helpful as I instruct him.”
“I just don’t want you to be disappointed if he isn’t interested in your instruction.”
“Any disappointment I might experience will be the least of our concerns. I must find a way to encourage Fox to learn. And I must make a beginning.” They stood, and he took a step toward the staircase. Stopped. “Do you require your son to remain in his room?”
“Of course not! He ate supper, and then he said he wanted to play with some of his toys. That’s pretty normal for a nine-year-old.” She shrugged. “And his room is kind of a sanctuary for him—he likes it a lot.”
“This night, with such an auspicious moon, I would like to work with him outside. If he is willing, of course,” he added quickly. “We would remain close to your home, and—” Trahern thought for a long moment. “It is possible that I may be more successful in gaining Fox’s attention if you are not present. Will that cause you concern?”
She shook her head. “Not at all. I trust you. How about our backyard? It’s not very big, but it’s completely private, and there’s even a fire pit if that’s something you need. Although it’s pretty small, too.”
I trust you. He heard little else. Words possessed power, and these were words Lissy had not spoken before. The truth in them shook his senses. Trust was no light thing between mortal and fae, but he hadn’t been expecting the relief that washed through him like a cool mountain stream, and a kind of giddiness took hold. Before he formed the thought, he’d already pulled Lissy to him and pressed his lips to hers.
Sight and sound fell away, leaving a world composed solely of subtle sensations. They were no less powerful for their simplicity. Lissy’s delicate breath against his cheek and the spicy-sweetness of her mouth. The warmth of her skin and the softness of her hair. He nuzzled her face and throat, kissing, licking, indulging in her scent that had so captivated him. Her arms slid around his neck and pulled him close, even as he molded her gently rounded body to his angular one as tightly as he dared. By all the stars, he wanted more, all, everything—
Something hit the side of his head. He barely gave it any heed before several more somethings pelted him in quick succession—and stung like fire-bees! Trahern pulled back mid-kiss, instinctively placing his body between the mysterious attack and Lissy, just in time to be hit squarely in the center of the forehead. He threw up a spell, and a dozen small objects struck an invisible wall and clattered to the floor.
Acorns?
“It’s about time ya came up fer air, ya lecherous son of Oak!”
Ranyon stood on the back of the living room couch, twiggy hands planted on his hips, his strange blue cap on backward and his gnarled face screwed up into a frown of epic proportions. “You’d best be steppin’ away from her!”
Self-control and discipline were the greatest powers a master sorcerer possessed, and Trahern found himself exerting a great deal of both to keep from tossing the little ellyll out the nearest window. “I see no reason for your concern,” he began as soon as he got reliable control of his voice. Too late. Lissy had already marched around him and confronted her friend practically nose to nose.
“What on earth do you think you’re doing, and why are you in my house?”
“Well, no one answered the door, now did they? I looked in the window fer fear that ya might be in danger, and here ya are snoggin’ with a fae!” he sputtered. “He’s Tylwyth Teg—yer lucky he didn’t steal yer breath like a shadowcat!”
“Ranyon! I can’t believe you’d say such a thing!” She thrust her palm out, displaying the blue symbol. “I trust my child with this man, and you yourself said Trahern could not break his oath.”
“Well, I didn’t say he couldn’t break yer heart, now did I?” The ellyll folded his arms in front of his bright-blue shirt and harrumphed loudly.
Her voice rose. “Listen, mister, I’ll damn well snog with whomever I want to, and it’s none of your business!”
“None o’ my business? None o’ my business?” he shouted, and threw his hat to the floor. “Lissy, darlin’, ya said yerself we’re family.”
“Then you should be happy for me! For the love of little fishes, my own mother’s been giving me a bad time about not trying harder to meet men. Now you’re upset because I’m actually enjoying a little male companionship?”
“No, I’m givin’ ya the fifth degree because he’s not a man, he’s a fae!”
“It’s third degree, buddy. And you don’t have the right to—”
“Dude! How come everybody’s yelling?”
The three of them froze. Lissy turned slowly to see a wide-eyed Fox standing on the staircase above them.
* * * * *
GIVEAWAY
“It’s about time ya came up fer air, ya lecherous son of Oak!”
Ranyon stood on the back of the living room couch, twiggy hands planted on his hips, his strange blue cap on backward and his gnarled face screwed up into a frown of epic proportions. “You’d best be steppin’ away from her!”
Self-control and discipline were the greatest powers a master sorcerer possessed, and Trahern found himself exerting a great deal of both to keep from tossing the little ellyll out the nearest window. “I see no reason for your concern,” he began as soon as he got reliable control of his voice. Too late. Lissy had already marched around him and confronted her friend practically nose to nose.
“What on earth do you think you’re doing, and why are you in my house?”
“Well, no one answered the door, now did they? I looked in the window fer fear that ya might be in danger, and here ya are snoggin’ with a fae!” he sputtered. “He’s Tylwyth Teg—yer lucky he didn’t steal yer breath like a shadowcat!”
“Ranyon! I can’t believe you’d say such a thing!” She thrust her palm out, displaying the blue symbol. “I trust my child with this man, and you yourself said Trahern could not break his oath.”
“Well, I didn’t say he couldn’t break yer heart, now did I?” The ellyll folded his arms in front of his bright-blue shirt and harrumphed loudly.
Her voice rose. “Listen, mister, I’ll damn well snog with whomever I want to, and it’s none of your business!”
“None o’ my business? None o’ my business?” he shouted, and threw his hat to the floor. “Lissy, darlin’, ya said yerself we’re family.”
“Then you should be happy for me! For the love of little fishes, my own mother’s been giving me a bad time about not trying harder to meet men. Now you’re upset because I’m actually enjoying a little male companionship?”
“No, I’m givin’ ya the fifth degree because he’s not a man, he’s a fae!”
“It’s third degree, buddy. And you don’t have the right to—”
“Dude! How come everybody’s yelling?”
The three of them froze. Lissy turned slowly to see a wide-eyed Fox standing on the staircase above them.
* * * * *
Storm Crossed releases January 9th on Amazon
Available NOW for pre-order in Kindle eBook, paperback, and audiobook.
GIVEAWAY
