Red (36 page)

Authors: Kate Serine

Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Paranormal, #Fantasy

BOOK: Red

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Read on for a sneak peek at the next
Transplanted Tales novel,
The Better to See You
,
available in February 2013!

There was no point in trying to summon my magic now—it had deserted me; that was pretty freaking clear. I just hoped like hell my death would be quick.

The creature prowled toward me, its massive bulk a mercifully indistinct silhouette, and I swear I thought I heard it chuckle, the sound sending chills down my spine. Then from behind me came the whisper-soft padding of paws on the underbrush. In the next instant, a great white wolf leaped over me and slammed into the shadow-creature. The two rolled end-over-end in a tangle of claws and teeth, coming to rest with the wolf on top, its lips peeled back in a vicious snarl.

I turned my head to get a better look just in time to see the wolf grab the creature’s throat in its teeth. The beast’s howl ended abruptly as the wolf gave a powerful shake of its head, tearing out a large section of demon dog’s throat.

The wolf flung the chunk of flesh into the underbrush, then cautiously padded toward me, its head down between its shoulders, sizing me up. As it came closer, I realized it wasn’t an ordinary timber wolf. This animal was easily twice the size of any wolf I’d ever seen and had a distinctly human intelligence shining in its eyes.

I didn’t stand a chance.

It bit through the pine needle rope and shook its head, scattering the needles all over the ground. The rest of the needles instantly fell away and the trees halted their brutal assault.

I raised a bloody, trembling hand, not sure if I’d just exchanged one predator for another. “Please,” I managed to gasp between the quick, shallow breaths that were all my punctured lung would now allow. “Please . . .”

In response, a soft shimmering light encased the wolf, and where the beautiful creature had stood, now crouched a man, his ice-green eyes still glowing. As he gently lifted me into his arms, I cried out, pain engulfing me.

“It’s all right,” he said softly, cradling me against him. “You’re safe now.”

I looked up into the grim face of my rescuer, now recognizing him. How could I not when I’d seen his face on WANTED posters and in the Tale news so often over the centuries?

As pain and nausea sent me careening toward a dark abyss, his name drifted to me.

Seth Wolf.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kate SeRine (pronounced “serene”) faithfully watched weekend monster-movie marathons while growing up, each week hoping that maybe
this
time the creature du jour would get the girl. But every week she was disappointed. So when she began writing her own stories, Kate vowed that
her
characters would always have a happily-ever-after. And, thus, her love for paranormal romance was born.

Kate lives in a smallish, quintessentially Midwestern town with her husband and two sons, who share her love of storytelling. She never tires of creating new worlds to share and is even now working on her next project.

To learn more about Kate and her novels, please visit
www.kateserine.com
.

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Sweet Plains, Texas, wasn’t so sweet to
Cody, Noah, and Beau Tucker. But now
the Tucker boys are men, ready to take on
the questions that have haunted them
since they left home . . .

Cody Tucker shook the dust of his two-bit hometown off his boots ten years ago—right about the time his college sweetheart, Shelby Lynn Harris, married his so-called best friend. But when his dad dies, Cody finds himself home again and knee deep in the past. Except now his rowdy beer buddy is the sheriff, his housekeeper is a blue-ribbon chili chef, and the family ranch is in the red. The only thing that hasn’t changed is Shelby Lynn . . .

Shelby Lynn has gone through a lot of heartache thanks to Cody. But that’s all over now. She just wants a chance to live the life she’s made for herself in peace. The trouble is, the Sweet Plains chili cook-off is heating up, the Ladies of Sweet are as riled as hornets, and as soon as Cody gets near, she forgets all about peace. Cody is pure temptation—and she knows just how good it feels to give in . . .