Amazon

Available in Print:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Stormkins Book One

One vibrant hope…

Bar owner Kayla Benson never thought of herself as extraordinary until the battle between Stormkins and Sunkins blew her comfortable life apart. Dropped headfirst into the wild complications of court politics and dangerous insurrection, Kayla is drawn to three seductive and powerful men. Will she be able to stand on her own and rule Storm Hollow or will her mixed heritage be her demise?

Two determined warriors…

Nightmare and Dreamer searched all their lives for the Queen who would restore the Stormkins to their rightful glory. Never did they suspect a common bar owner would be the answer to their prayers. Now they’ve found her, they will do whatever it takes to keep her safe and in their arms.

His last chance…

Darkness only knows one life—the path of the assassin—but Kayla provides him with promise for the future, a desperate hope for a better existence. He never could have imagined the place he would find it was in her bed.

Three powerful men and one vibrant woman must find passion and redemption to survive.

Kayla must shed her expectations and become Queen of Storm Hollow, claim her men, and change the world…no pressure.

To use the word amazing is not too strong when describing this book. I’ve never read anything like it and I loved every minute of it. Do yourself a favor of buying this book, if you don’t you’ll be missing out. ~Rebecca Royce, bestselling author of the The Westervelt Wolves.

“How the hell did you get in here?” She spoke the words on a harsh exhale.

“That is not imperative at the moment. You must come with me.” His voice was a smooth as velvet but with a constant edge to it.

“Like that’s going to happen.” Covering her anxiety with a snort, she backed up to the door, wishing Trey had stayed. Adrenaline chased away her fatigue as she grabbed for the handle. “It’s time for you to leave. The bar’s closed.”

Between one heartbeat and the next, he was in front of her. The overhead light glistened off his skin. An intangible force pushed her back against the cool metal door. Desire washed away her fear.

“Who are you?” Violent, inexplicable need harshened her tone.

“That matters not.”

“It matters to me. You’re in my bar after hours. I have the right to know your name.”

“Nightmare.”

It sent chills up her spine. “Nightmare, huh?” Just what I need, some punk from the local gang trying to shake me down. She looked him over. His dark gray suit cast a question on gang affiliation. He’s not the type I’d expect to cause problems for business owners. What is he into? Maybe not a gang…could the mob have moved into Sweetwater?

“I can bring your deepest fears to life.” His rich voice sent a rush of heat through her body.

She raised an eyebrow in question. Great, an escaped mental patient walks into the bar. Can this night get any worse?

“If you don’t believe me, look down.” The cool dare interweaving the words drew her gaze toward the floor—and it disappeared beneath her feet.

She stood on a steel beam in the air, suspended over the town in the dark with no one there to help her. Frozen and unable to move, her heart thundered in her ears. Squeezing her eyes shut, she swallowed the hard lump in her throat. This isn’t real. She repeated the refrain, but not even the knowledge of standing in the bar dissuaded her mind from what her eyes told it. She was a thousand feet up, panic engulfing her.

“Believe me now?” He taunted.

“Please…” I’m going to die. A tear escaped her clenched eyes and she peeked down again, the acrid taste of bile in the back of her throat. The floor became solid once more and she collapsed. Sucking in noisy gulps of air, she tried to reconcile the insane with the real but her mind rebelled.

“Come with me now before we are late,” Nightmare ordered, his impassive visage cold and unforgiving.

“What do you want?” She choked out.

“I mean you no harm.”

“No harm? Are you out of your mind?” It took everything she had not to vomit. “Get out.”

He squatted in front of her, remorseless. Catching her upper arm in his hand, she thought he wanted to pull her up, but froze and instead dropped to his knees beside her, his head bowed.

Alarmed further, she watched him warily. “What is it? Are you okay?”

“Kayla, you are a Queen.” His voice barely rose above a whisper. “A Stormkin Queen. The one I have searched for.”

Kayla Benson leaned against the bar, fighting to keep her eyes open. Saturday nights were Stormie’s busiest, but after one of the bartenders called in sick, forcing her to pull a double, her feet ached. Exhaustion tensed every muscle in her body, making her wish she could call it a night.

“Boss, you okay?” Trey—the bar’s bouncer—came out of the kitchen, shrugging on his leather jacket. He had stayed behind after they closed, helping her lock up.

“Sure. It’s just been a long night.” One that wouldn’t be ending for a few more hours. The bar needed setting up for the Sunday lunch crowd, and payroll waited on her desk.

Molly couldn’t have called off on a worse night.

Instead of telling Kayla directly, she’d left a message with one of the waitresses. Tomorrow, Kayla planned to put an ad in the paper for a new bartender. The lackadaisical Molly was done for.

“You sure you don’t want me to stay?” He shifted, ready to take his jacket off. “I can—”

She raised her hand, stopping him. “No, thanks though. You go home and enjoy the rest of your weekend. I’ll see you on Monday.”

“I don’t like leaving you here by yourself.” He looked dangerous, one of the main reasons she hired him, but he also had the heart of a saint. He was six-foot-five, his preference for jeans and a white T-shirt showing off his corded muscles. The rough leather jacket and motorcycle added to his bad boy persona. He was the kind of man every woman lusted over, hard and dangerous yet blessed with a heart of gold. When he cared about someone, he looked out for them.

“I’m fine.” She rubbed the small of her back, trying to relieve the tension. “I’ve got a few hours of payroll to do yet. Not to mention orders to place.”

He eyed her, one hand on the side door the staff used. “You got my number. Call me if you need anything. I’m just around the corner and can be here in a few minutes.”

“A lucky woman is going to steal you away from me one day and then where will I be?” She teased. When that sad day came, she’d be at a loss. He was one of the best bouncers Stormie’s ever had. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine, but I have your number on speed dial.” She waved him off.

He nodded and opened the door. “I checked the other entrances. Everything’s locked tight. Make sure this door locks behind me and take the back steps up.”

“Were you this demanding with the last owner?” Biting her tongue would have been kinder and far less careless. The former owner had been killed in the bar and she didn’t need Trey’s pointed look to remind her. Pushing away from the bar, she paced over to the door.

Over the last few years, Sweetwater had changed. She couldn’t put her finger on what caused the transformation, but there was something different about the town where she had grown up. It had gone from being a small town with friendly neighbors to being sinister and dangerous. After dark, people didn’t venture out alone unless they absolutely had to. The sun rarely shined; it seemed as if the gloom refused to leave.

The door shut and she heard him try the handle once, checking that it was secure, and a couple of minutes later his motorcycle rumbled to life.

Payroll isn’t going to do itself. She rubbed her eyes and patted the door. All secure. The hair on the back of her neck rose and she turned to find a man standing on the other side of the bar.

“How the hell did you get in here?” She spoke the words on a harsh exhale.

“That is not imperative at the moment. You must come with me.” His voice was a smooth as velvet but with a constant edge to it.

“Like that’s going to happen.” Covering her anxiety with a snort, she backed up to the door, wishing Trey had stayed. Adrenaline chased away her fatigue as she grabbed for the handle. “It’s time for you to leave. The bar’s closed.”

Between one heartbeat and the next, he was in front of her. The overhead light glistened off his skin. An intangible force pushed her back against the cool metal door. Desire washed away her fear.

“Who are you?” Violent, inexplicable need harshened her tone.

“That matters not.”

“It matters to me. You’re in my bar after hours. I have the right to know your name.”

“Nightmare.”

It sent chills up her spine. “Nightmare, huh?” Just what I need, some punk from the local gang trying to shake me down. She looked him over. His dark gray suit cast a question on gang affiliation. He’s not the type I’d expect to cause problems for business owners. What is he into? Maybe not a gang…could the mob have moved into Sweetwater?

 “I can bring your deepest fears to life.” His rich voice sent a rush of heat through her body.

She raised an eyebrow in question. Great, an escaped mental patient walks into the bar. Can this night get any worse?

“If you don’t believe me, look down.” The cool dare interweaving the words drew her gaze toward the floor—and it disappeared beneath her feet.

She stood on a steel beam in the air, suspended over the town in the dark with no one there to help her. Frozen and unable to move, her heart thundered in her ears. Squeezing her eyes shut, she swallowed the hard lump in her throat. This isn’t real. She repeated the refrain, but not even the knowledge of standing in the bar dissuaded her mind from what her eyes told it. She was a thousand feet up, panic engulfing her.

“Believe me now?” He taunted.

“Please…” I’m going to die. A tear escaped her clenched eyes and she peeked down again, the acrid taste of bile in the back of her throat. The floor became solid once more and she collapsed. Sucking in noisy gulps of air, she tried to reconcile the insane with the real but her mind rebelled.

“Come with me now before we are late,” Nightmare ordered, his impassive visage cold and unforgiving.

“What do you want?” She choked out.

“I mean you no harm.”

“No harm? Are you out of your mind?” It took everything she had not to vomit. “Get out.”

He squatted in front of her, remorseless. Catching her upper arm in his hand, she thought he wanted to pull her up, but froze and instead dropped to his knees beside her, his head bowed.

Alarmed further, she watched him warily. “What is it? Are you okay?”

“Kayla, you are a Queen.” His voice barely rose above a whisper. “A Stormkin Queen. The one I have searched for.”

“What are you babbling about?”

“Come, let’s get you off the floor and I will explain.” He pulled her to her feet and helped her to a nearby booth, almost reverently. “You are a Stormkin Queen,” he repeated.

“You’re crazy.” Maybe calling him on it wasn’t the smartest move, but nothing that happened since Trey left seemed to resemble anything sane. She would have already fled if not for shakiness lingering in her trembling muscles. At least that’s what she told herself. “You said that all ready, but I don’t know what you mean. I’ve never heard of Stormkin and I’m nobody’s queen.”

“Stormkin is our race. We come from Shadow Providence. It’s a parallel plane to your world. We are divided into territories as you are divided into states. Each territory has its own Queen, with Enforcers chosen by the Queen to carry out her rulings. Our land is similar to how your government runs, only it has harsher laws and punishments. Some rulers are unforgiving. If you disobey the command of a Queen, the penalties can be severe. Shadow Mother rules over Shadow Providence as a whole, as your president rules over your land.” The tidal wave of information battered her.

“But what do you mean I’m a Queen?” Kayla debated the swiftest way out—a phone call to the police or the door.

“It was prophesized long ago. A Queen, unlike any other, would be born. She will take in the half-breeds, the unwanted, and those too dangerous for other monarchs to keep around. She’ll return the Stormkins to their former glory and help defeat the Sunkins. It has been my mission to find her—you. I’ve searched for you my whole life. I’ve been sent to your realm for more than one reason but I will protect you with my life if necessary.”

“I don’t need to be protected,” except from you. But she swallowed that addendum. “I’m just a bar owner. There’s no need for you to lay your life down for me but you can get out of my bar.”

“Forgive me your highness, but we have waited for you for so long. You’ll be a safe haven for those in need, a protector for those who cannot protect themselves. We need you.” He stared at her from across the booth, his gaze drilling holes into her.

Her heart began to jackhammer. Bartender slain after being trapped with a lunatic.

Stay calm. Breathe. Focus. Keep him talking.

“How can I be a Queen to the Stormkins? I’m human. I was born here. I didn’t come from another world; I grew up just a few blocks away.” How do I get the crazy guy out of my bar?

“You might have been born here, but you are still one of us. Your father was one of the greatest Stormkin Enforcers. He left Shadow Providence to be with your mother, who was not a Stormkin. He gave up everything for her. You have to return to our people. Many are dying, we need you.” The man—what the hell kind of a name is Nightmare?—seemed to genuinely believe every word he spoke.

But who is more the fool? The fool telling the tale or the fool sitting here listening to it?

She sat there in silence for some time, staring down at the ring her father gave her on her birthday years ago. She never thought much of that day, but her father wove a fanciful story when he slipped it on her finger. One day a man will come for you and you’ll need this. It will provide you with the knowledge of who to trust. Trust in it, for though I won’t be there with you, it won’t lead you astray.

Shaking free of the cobwebbed memory, she stared at the man across from her. He couldn’t…no, there was no way Dad meant this. I finally own Stormie’s. My life is getting back on track. Now some guy shows up and tells me I’m from another world. This has to be some kind of cruel joke. Am I being punked?

“But how can I help? As you said, I’m human.”

“Not entirely. Your mother might not have been one of us, but the blood that runs through you is Stormkin. You have abilities you have tried to keep hidden and yet more you don’t know exist. Being reunited with your people will bring on your abilities quicker than you ever thought possible. The ones you have been trying to suppress need to be set free. If any of us are going to survive, we need you to be at your strongest. We have time before we must return to Shadow Providence—to the Mother Shadow—and during that time we will need to work on your abilities.”

“How can there be more than one Queen?” The memory of the ring opened her mind a little more to what he was saying. Little things about her past made it more believable and as much as she’d like to deny it, she did have one ability that came to mind. She’d hear him out before she made the decision as to whether she needed to call the men in the white coats.

“Our land is separated into many divisions with a Queen ruling her own territory. They meet four times a year, or as emergencies call for, to discuss issues that affect them all. Mother Shadow rules over each Queen. I’m here on Mother Shadow’s orders. I was not given complete instructions, only that I must familiarize myself with Stormie’s new owner. I must contact Mother Shadow to start the process of acquiring your territory.”

Good, an excuse to get rid of him. It will give me time to talk to Dad.

Kayla scooted to the edge of the booth, ready to stand. “Do what you must; I have payroll to attend to.”

He caught her arm. “The Stormkin people need you. Don’t you comprehend that? You will need to find somebody to run the bar for you. You now have more important things to attend to.”

“Excuse me, but who the hell do you think you are? You might be able to come in here, tell me I’m some Queen and I might just believe you.” Believe him? She wasn’t sure how she got to that part, but at least part of her believed him. He wasn’t some escaped mental patient. There was a truth to his words she couldn’t deny, especially not when she added in the small hints her father gave her throughout her life. “But you will not come in here and take away the bar I’ve worked so hard for. For years, I’ve put away every penny I could so that one day I could own this place. I’m not sure what it is that drew me to Stormie’s, but I won’t give it up now.” She rose, furious, her hands balled into fists. She felt ready to take on the world, or at least the man before her.

“We require your help. You cannot turn your back on your people.” Nightmare rose from the booth, looming over her. The weight of his gaze intimidated her. “People are suffering and dying while they wait for the Queen that has been prophesied.”

“My people? Up until twenty minutes ago, I had no idea there was another race of people. The Stormkins are not my people. Where were they all my life? Were they around when I needed them? If Dad left them to be with my mother, why didn’t he return after her death? Why did we stay here?”