Giveaway and Excerpt of Destined Mates by Katie Reus

Publisher: Harlequin

Published: 10/01/2011

Buy here

Rating: Appetizer











Blurb: Almost a century ago, Angela Lavigne and Alpha werewolf Knox had a shared passion neither could control. Then Angela was turned into a vampire and disappeared.


The last thing Knox expects is for Angela to show up on his doorstep on a rescue mission as sexy and irresistible as ever. And he can sense how much she still wants him, too. She's’ gone against both their species’ rules and trespassed on his land. By law he can keep her as long as he wants --- and Knox doesn’t intend to let her go ever again.


As their desire explodes once again, Knox is more sure than ever that he must claim her forever. But as vampire and werewolf, they are natural born enemies. Can she truly be his destined mate?


Warning: Expect a red-hot shower scene, a smartass heroine who isn’t afraid to use her teeth and an alpha wolf who willing to fight anyone and anything to keep his vampire lover by his side.


Excerpt


Angela inhaled the various forest scents and tried to steady her breathing. She knew she was insane to sneak onto the land of the most powerful werewolf in the United States. But she had no choice.


Her best friend had been taken by these animals and she planned to get her back. She didn’t care what her tribe leader, Titus, said. She’d been stuck living with his coven for the past fifty years and while she normally didn’t mind his Draconian rules, she’d gladly suffer the consequences to get Natalia back. If she was still alive. Who knew what those animals had done to her by now? Natalia had only been gone about a week but the animosity between vampires and werewolves went back thousands of years. It didn’t matter that in a few months their two species would be signing a peace treaty. Right now nothing had been signed and her friend was fair game.

The icy wind whistled through the leaves of the giant red oak trees. Even though it was January, a lot of the foliage was still thick and would help block her scent.
She peered around the giant tree she’d been using as cover. her eyes narrowed when she spotted the outline of a huge male by another tree about forty yards away. Even though he was in human form, she knew he was a shifter. Of the wolf variety if she scented right.

Luck was on her side since she was downwind of him. Withdrawing her gun, she glanced around the rest of the forest but didn’t see or smell anything else unusual. Since his back was to her, she darted twenty yards closer until she hid behind another large tree.

She wasn’t sure if she could take on a trained, warrior wolf by herself so she knew she couldn’t miss the first shot. Raising her weapon, she held her breath and aimed directly for the spot below his skull.

The small puff of noise the tranquilizer dart made as it shot through the suppressor was enough for him to notice.

He stiffened but it was too late.

By the time he turned toward her, the tranq was already embedded deep in his skin. The giant shifter stumbled once, twisted in her direction then narrowed his gaze at her before he fell face-first in the dirt and grass.

Her friend Mick had been right. Those sedatives did their job fast. Unfortunately it wouldn't last long on a shifter his size. She quickly secured his hands behind his back with silver bindings, took his weapons and his radio.

If others found out about her presence, she'd know about it soon enough. She hooked the radio on her belt and tossed his guns and blades behind a nearby tree before continuing north. She'd been traveling on foot for miles so she knew it wouldn't be long until she reached her destination.

The sound of nearby male voices made her freeze in her tracks. Instead of trying to hide, she crouched down where she was. Until she figured out where the voices were coming from, she didn't want to make any sudden movements or risk anyone scenting her.

"I've been trying to get King on his radio but he won't pick up," one of them said.

Another male chuckled. "He's probably getting a piece of tail .... Hey, what the ..."

Crap. They'd spotted her. With her heightened night vision she could finally see the two outlines of male figures near a tree line. Judging by their stiff and alert postures, they'd seen her, too. It didn't matter that she wore dark camouflage, blended in with her surroundings and had a much lower heat signature than they did. All they'd have to do was see something about her that didn't blend in with nature. Like her eyes. They likely looked like freaking Christmas lights to them.

She had two options. One was running. Even if she escaped it wouldn't matter. her friend would still be captive.

She'd have to take the other option --- go on the offensive.

Wordlessly she jumped from her position and sprinted at them. from what she could scent, there were only two of them and they hadn't made a move to notify anyone of her presence. Probably because they thought they could take her on their own. And maybe they could.

As she ran, they silently spread out to her right and left. Despite her keen awareness she couldn't read their expressions in the dark. Knowing she'd only be able to bring one down at a time, she raised her gun and fired at the one on her right.

The soft thud of the tranq hitting flesh was music to her ears.

"Oh, shit ....." He hit the ground faster than the first guy.

Before she could even think about swinging her arm around to take a second shot, a heavy weight rammed into her. Damn wolves were just as fast as she was. She flew through the air and landed on her side.

all the air rushed from her lungs but she quickly jumped to her feet to square off with the werewolf. to her surprise, the male hadn't shifted form. He still wore black cargo pants and a long sleeved black shirt.

"What are you doing on our land, little vampire?" His voice was almost mocking.

Little? She lunged at him, fist raised.

He dodged her punch but she was ready for him. She might be one of the youngest of her species but she was agile and she trained every day. As he moved his head to the left, she kicked out, high and hard.

When her booted foot made contact with the other side of his head, he grunted a string of curses. He hit the ground with a thud and she heard the unmistakable growl of the beast within him.

He'd be shifting soon. And while he did, she'd be hauling ass away from him. Werewolves were weakest when they shifted form and she knew it would give her time to run. She could stick around and try to tranq him too, but knocking out a wolf in shifted form was a lot harder. As his body started to change form, she turned and ran.

Behind her, she heard the breaking and snapping of his bones. Her heart slammed against her ribs. Wouldn't be much longer now before she was being hunted. her legs pumped hard and her palms dampened.

Now wasn't the time to freak out. She had to keep a level head. As she breached the clearing of trees, her heart jumped into her throat.

A brick house --- a freaking mansion --- lay on a giant spread of land surrounded by the forest. she didn't know how many rooms it had but the mansion had to be as big, if not bigger, than the one she lived in with thirty other vampires.

There were at least a dozen males patrolling the grounds and judging from their outlines, they were all armed to the teeth.

Flipping on the radio she'd taken, she kept the volume low. As she listened to the chatter, she realized she'd been discovered. it was only a matter of time before everyone knew of her presence. Her instinct to fight kicked in with a rush or raw rage she'd never experienced before. She might be outnumbered but she'd come this far. No turning back now.

Using one of her main advantages --- lightening fast speed --- she rushed towards the house. Her boots barely touched the earth as she sprinted right into the den of wolves.

*****************************************************

My Review: Ladies, gentleman, and genders of indeterminate origins……read this story. It was HOT!! Very well written, with a kick ass heroine that I whole heartedly approved of.  Angela was fearless, loyal and not afraid to throw hands with the big boys. She was also intelligent enough to stop and weigh her options and not wade in recklessly, unless that was the only way. Knox was a superb example of what an Alpha should be. Dominant, compassionate when the occasion called for it and ruthless when he needed to be. He was also not afraid to follow his heart. *sigh* There is also a great little story connecting all the sexy hotness, with enough action and drama to keep you on the edge of your seat for the short time it takes to gobble this little gem up. I could definitely see myself quickly becoming addicted to this group of shifters. I will certainly be a die hard fan of Katie’s from now on. Good job!
  
*****************************************************
Katie is generously offering an e-book copy of Destined Mates to one lucky person. Just jump on the Rafflecopter below and do your thing.