Summary: As frontman of up-and-coming rock band, High
Velocity, werewolf Zane Alexander has everything a man could want: Fame,
fortune, friendship, and a pack to call home. Well, almost everything. Despite
being able to take his pick of pretty much any woman, he wants the one girl he
can’t have—the one girl who’s eluded his every advance.
Charlie Banks has always had a thing for Zane, but being the band’s head of
security, she knows firsthand just the sort of guy he is. She’s determined not
to become just another notch on his bedpost, but if doesn’t stop the want for a
mate curling in her gut. It’ll happen, someday—it just won’t be Zane. She’s
decided that it’s time to leave High Velocity, to find a nice little home and
settle down to live the rest of her life, away from sexy smiles and ripped
bodies of rock stars.
But when someone threatens Zane’s life, she’s the only one he wants to protect
him. Except, Zane has a hidden agenda. One that involves claiming Charlie as
his mate, once and for all.
Short Review:
I don't usually read a lot of books with rock band or musicians. There has to be something other than the music and band that pulls me in. So when I read that the members of High Velocity were werewolves, I was intrigued. Add in a crazed stalker and the story is golden. I mean, what's a rock band without some crazy fan stalking them? But it quickly turns deadly as gun shots ring out. I also really liked the tug-of-war on the heartstrings between Zane and Charlie. Resisting Velocity definitely kept my heart pounding, in more ways than one.
EXCERPT:
Breathing in short, sharp breaths, Zane followed her through
the winding corridors of the Richter Stadium, past the women’s bathrooms and
down a flight of stairs. He held his breath for a moment as he slid through the
remaining security crew. His golden eyes zeroed in on the whipcord lean beauty,
a few dark curls coiling down from the sensible bun she always wore it in.
She stopped, hesitating right outside the doors. Two more
steps and he’d lose her to the nightlife, his identity keeping him from following
her any farther. If fans saw him, his life would become a hurricane of screams
and groping hands. He wasn’t in the mood to put on his usual charming-playboy
air to deal with them and he knew that going furry on their asses would damage
his career.
Now or never. As
she stepped out, he lurched forward, his pulse pounding furiously at his
throat, and he crossed the floor in three strides. His fingers curled around
her shoulders, firm and commanding, though he knew she hated it when he pulled
the alpha role. She spun and her lips formed a thin line, as if she’d been
expecting this. She’d known. You couldn’t really lie to pack and get away with
it.
“Charlie.” The one word was all he could say before her eyes
pinned him. They were pale as a sheet of blue ice, staring up at him with a
gentle ferocity that she’d only ever reserved for him. He had no doubts that
she wanted him—he’d smelled it on her in the past, saw the way she looked at
him sometimes, as if she was seeing through to his soul—but she was wary. Guarded.
The walls around her heart were made of marble and he was left pounding both
fists against the cool stone.
“You can’t leave.” His words were a statement. A fact.
“I can and I am,” she replied coolly.
“What about the guys? What about High Velocity? You’re just
going to throw it all away?” He was surprised at the intensity behind his
words, but he was far from done. “Are we not paying you enough? There’s always
ways around that. How much will it take?”
She blew out a harsh expel of air and glanced down at his
hand clamped around her arm, but she didn’t bother to pull away. Her winter
gaze met his molten gold once more. “I’ve made my decision, Zane. You need to
respect it. There comes a time in everyone’s career where they have to make a
choice and take a stand. This is it. I’ve put in my notice, I’ve followed
protocol. There shouldn’t be a problem.”
A growl slid up his throat, escaping with a rumble. “I don’t
give a damn about protocol. You could
flash your tits to the crowd if you wanted and we still wouldn’t fire you. I
don’t care. You’re part of our group. And, like it or not, you’re part of the
pack. My pack.”
“You and I both know that I’ve never really been part of the
pack.” Her voice carried a touch of wistfulness. She was right—she’d always
been a bit of a loner, keeping herself estranged from the members of Elysium,
try as his parents might to welcome her in. But she’d never been distant with
Zane and the guys and he wasn’t about to let that happen. Not now.
“You’re staying.”
She lifted a brow. “Since when are you my master?”
“Since you started talking crazy shit about leaving us!” He
tamped his anger back down. He never had a temper. What was up with him? He
took a deep breath, letting it whistle out his nose as he tried to soften his
posture, tried to be less demanding. “We need you. Okay? I respect your
decision to quit, but you don’t have to skip town and leave us. Just stay.” Please…
Her smile was tight. She shook her head slowly, like he just
didn’t get it, and pulled free of his grasp. “Goodbye, Zane.”
His mind spun, thoughts bouncing off the walls of his head
as he tried to scrape ideas together in a last-minute rush. He needed more
time. He needed a damn good reason for her to stay, but damn it, he couldn’t
think! She turned around, agonizingly slow, and he could see the muscles in her
back through the crispness of her suit.
“Charlie. One last night.” His voice was soft, a plea in the
undercurrent that he cursed himself for exposing. She stopped and he moved
forward until his chest was pressed against her back, one arm wrapping around
her waist. He pulled her against him, her body cupping his perfectly, like it
was made for him.
She stiffened, but he didn’t let her go. His arm snug around
her, he rubbed his chin lightly across the back of her neck, letting the
stubble scrape gently against her skin. He murmured in her ear, using the
sexiest voice he could muster. His beautiful-girl voice. “Go for a run with me.
Tonight. One run.”
He’d figure something out between then and now. He’d get her
back.
About these Authors:
Trinity Evans is an upbeat, slightly off-color
author with a wild imagination and a taste for the eclectic. Born and raised in
a small-town Americana, she loves the lighter and fluffier side of life with
some paranormal spice thrown in. She definitely enjoys the more comical side of
relationships. She adores hearing from fans and you can find her at
trinityevans.wordpress.com.
Xoe Xanders is a quirky small-town punk princess whose ideas range from dark
and dangerous to light and fluffy. She enjoys writing in the vein of
paranormal, fantasy, and soft sci-fi, all of it with a romantic edge. She
believes that love is love—no matter what gender, race, or color—and writes
both straight and LBGT romance. Wanna stalk her? You can find her site at xoexanders.wordpress.com
Twitter: @xoexanders
The Shamanic Detective
