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Tesla is coming!

1/20/2019

8 Comments

 
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Tesla is coming January 24th!

To celebrate, I thought we'd do another caption contest! Caption one or both of these pictures of ANIMAL ODD COUPLES!

Two winners will get either a signed paperback (US only) or an eBook (outside the US)!

I can't wait to see what you guys come up with! Thanks so much for playing along and making the release lead-up so much fun!

Winners will receive an email. As always, you must reply to the email within 7 days in order to claim your prize.
Reserve Your Copy of Tesla!
8 Comments

Stargazer Alien Barbarian Brides are COMING!

12/30/2018

28 Comments

 
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I'm so excited that the first book of my new series, Tolstoy, is coming on 1/3!
While we wait for the big day, let's have some fun!

CAPTION CONTEST!

Here are two pictures of aliens with babies (yes, we had to stay on-theme)!
​Caption one or both in the comments! I'll be back on Friday to choose two winners. Each winner will receive a signed paperback of one of my books!
And if you haven't already, CLICK HERE to reserve your copy of Tolstoy!
28 Comments

Welcome to Tarker's Hollow...

3/16/2017

12 Comments

 
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With the upcoming release of Heir to the Alpha, I've had lots of questions about the series and related books! Here's a guide to help you figure out reading order (and extra credit reading) for the Tarker's Hollow serials and spin-off series!

Required Reading...

To get the most enjoyment out of Heir to the Alpha, you'll want to begin by reading the complete Curse of the Alpha serial and then the complete Fate of the Alpha serial.
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Once you're caught up with those two, you could go straight to Heir to the Alpha, and enjoy the continuation of the story of Tarker's Hollow, or...

Bonus Reading...

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You could read Tales from Tarker's Hollow!

The three standalone novellas that make up this collection give background on many of the characters in the serials.

The Talented Mr. MAcGregor is a steamy mystery prequel to the whole series.

The other two take place at the same time as the first episode of Heir to the Alpha!

A scene from The Clockwork Dragon  is replicated during an overlapping portion of Heir to the Alpha, but from another character's perspective! 

And one of the characters introduced in the novella 
Ghost of Shifters Past becomes important in Heir to the Alpha
!

After reading these three novellas, you'll be REALLY ready to jump into Heir to the Alpha!

​OR...

Spin-off Reading...

The 300 Moons series of steamy shifter standalone romances do not further the plot of the Curse/Fate/Heir serials. Rather, they tell the story of the grown-up shifter orphans who were raised at Harkness Farms! Enjoy these tales of love, surrounded by the mystery of Tarker's Hollow...
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Now it's DEFINITELY time for​ Heir to the Alpha!

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A timeline...

If you're like me, you enjoy seeing a timeline of how events occur. In the graphic below, you can see the books that are labeled 1, 2 & 3 are required reading - the unlabeled books are optional! In between you can see the order in which the stories occur during the course of the year and a half that goes by in Tarker's Hollow as our story unfolds...

I hope you enjoy your adventure! And remember, when it comes to Tarker's Hollow stories - as long as you keep reading them, I'll keep writing them!

xox
​Tasha
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12 Comments

Alphas for the Holidays!

11/15/2016

0 Comments

 
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It's the holiday season, so we both know you're putting others first - volunteering, planning gifts or special meals - doing your best to make the world a happier place!

My fellow authors and I wanted to make sure you have something fun for yourself! Welcome to Alphas for the Holidays - more than THIRTY standalone tales of paranormal romance. Enjoy one each day to prepare for the season! (Or gorge yourself on as many as you can read in a day! It's up to you!) 

Grab your copy here:

http://ravenhappyhour.com/alphas-for-the-holidays/

Want to know what you're getting for that $0.99? Here are just SOME of the books included in the set:
Grab your copy here on ALL VENDORS: 

http://ravenhappyhour.com/alphas-for-the-holidays/
0 Comments

Contest Over

11/15/2016

0 Comments

 
0 Comments

Taming the Vampire

10/28/2016

95 Comments

 
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Taming the Vampire is HERE!
27 ALL NEW vampire romances
​ available on Amazon, Nook, iBooks & Kobo!
​
Links to buy your copy on all vendors:
http://ravenhappyhour.com/taming-the-vampire/

If you haven't already grabbed your copy (release week price is $0.99) then let us convince you with the blurbs below! 
​

Just to make it fun, I'm going to give away two $5 gift cards to the eBook vendor of your choice to celebrate!
1- Check out the blurbs below!
​

2- Comment with the name of the story that most captured your imagination and why!
"They all look good" doesn't count! Winners have to be specific! Yes, you can name more than one!


​Be sure to click that BUY link and TREAT YOURSELF this Halloween!
Nobody’s Home
Tasha Black
After a century of drowning his guilt in blood and debauchery, William Ogden has returned to the old family estate to go down with the rotting house. But an unexpected visitor arrives and William struggles to restrain his wild hunger for the girl with the uncanny gift. When the moon rises, will his desire to protect Adia from what waits in the woods outmatch his determination to resist the siren song of her blood?

Until Dawn
Erin Kellison
During the live end-of-season Tell All episode of the reality television show, Witching Wild, cast member Judith Kress opens fan mail expecting the usual personal questions, but gets cursed instead. Vampire Calvin Blake is charged with saving her life and discovering the source of the curse, but ends up in deeper trouble than he thought possible. Survival is going to be a dangerous affair until dawn.


The Vampire’s True Love Trials
Kristen Painter
Vampire Sebastian Ellingham wants one thing: to marry Tessa Blythe, the Valkyrie he’s fallen madly in love with. So meeting her parents seems like the natural thing to do. He’s even looking forward to it, until he discovers they’ve already found her a husband. Now the only way to keep Tessa in his life is to complete a series of tests meant for a very different kind of supernatural. And failing means losing her forever.

In Her Shadows
Michelle M. Pillow
When Olivia was a child, she witnessed the slaying of a pack of vampires and now refuses to tell who did it. Some of the elders of the vampire tribes want her turned, the others just want her dead. The seductive Jaxon may be her only hope for survival, unfortunately, since he is a vampire she’s not sure where his loyalties lie.

Forbidden Taste
Jennifer Ashley
Mariah, a telepath for the paranormal division of the LAPD, is sent to find a vampire buried deep beneath a newly renovated vampire club. Mariah senses he’s an Old One, an ancient vamp from the dawn of time. She needs to get him behind bars and away from her, because letting a vamp come too close will drain her powers and render her helpless against the death-magic creatures it’s her job to pursue.

Love Bite
Celia Kyle
Zoe got fired, bounced a check, came up short on rent, and sold her blood. All in one week. How’d she sell her blood? It sure as heck wasn’t at a plasma center. Nope, she went all out and headed to the vampire club, Claret, to get her fang on. She hadn’t counted on the vamp to be over six feet of Viking god and sexiness. Arik can put his fangs anywhere as far as she’s concerned.

A Mate for Brynn
Charlene Hartnady
Brynn is competing as one of ten elite males, one of the strongest of his coven. All he has to do is win over one of the human females taking part in The Program and it’s just a hop, skip and a jump to having the family he’s always dreamed of.

The Enforcer
Teresa Gabelman
When worlds collide, will true love heal a broken heart and a life altered beyond repair.

Midnight Echoes
Mandy M. Roth
He’s a bad-boy vampire feared the world over… She’s off limits… Vampire and Crimson Operative Bhaltair hasn’t always played for the side of good. He’s walked a fine line throughout his immortally long life and has very few regrets. He’s always had everything he’s ever wanted— that is until Meena. As a human descendant to the master vampire he serves, Meena isn’t on the menu. That is until he learns he’s in danger of losing her to another supernatural male.

Breaking the Skin
P. Jameson
Michael “Hatch” Jacobson is a hired human, working with the blood-bag drinking Daybreakers to keep a rogue faction of vamps from feasting on humans. When sexy Lola, who works at the local blood bank and has his heart in her hands, is put in their crosshairs, Hatch will risk the people closest to him to save her.

Immortal Glamour
Colleen Gleason
Hollywood, California: The last time DEA Agent Lyla Harris saw Gunnar Malkensen, the super-sexy stuntman/ vampire nearly killed her— through no fault of his own. But now she needs his help, and she’s willing to do anything to gain access to him— including taking the place of his weekly call-girl.

Blood Music
Yasmine Galenorn
When Maddy Gallowglass moves to Bedlam to restore an old mansion and turn it into a magical bed-and-breakfast, the last thing she expects is to meet her match in the gorgeous vampire Aegis, a former servant of Apollo.

Hart Attack
V. Vaughn
Maggie Evans listens to her transplanted heart, but it’s not telling her everything she needs to know. Maggie Evan’s heart used to belong to someone else, and when she received her transplant she got more than a vital organ – she got a piece of the donor’s soul. When Maggie sets on an adventure with a new job, her heart is more excited than she is, and once Maggie arrives at the Hart mansion, she’s determined to learn why. But she discovers far more than she expected as she’s drawn in by the two sexy Hart brothers, and finds her dream to live life in a big way just might happen.

Inescapable
Elle Thorne
Who wants to be immortal in a land where death feels like the only true escape? Étienne Arceneaux. Ancestor of Lézare. Released from the bonds of slavery by death. Only this was not the death any man would have wanted. The only remedy to avoiding that death was the last one he would have wanted. 


Highlander Blood Moon
Carmen Caine
A message summons Dorian Ramsey home to discover his village ravaged by a mysterious Night Viper and his sister caught in web of treachery. To save her, he must make a choice— a choice that alters his destiny forever.

Being Naughty with the Vampire
Marie Mason
When her grandmother passed away, Sage Montgomery promised her father she would take care of her estate. Her drive to North Carolina took a horror movie turn when she found herself stranded on the side of a mountain, a storm looming on the horizon. And just like the movies, a tall, dark and mysterious man appeared rescue her.

Vampire’s Kiss
Mina Carter
A born vampire, Zane is mad, bad and dangerous… feared by all vampirekind in the city, probably the continent. The youngest vampire earl in living memory, he’s also the most powerful of his kind he’s ever encountered. But he has a secret… darkness lurks within him, deeper that the black blood of a vampire. Darkness and power that scares even him. Until her… 

Conquered
Chloe Cole
When Phin first met Steph, he thought she was the most irritating, annoying, sexy, unforgettable woman he’d ever met. He fought his attraction to her because she was human and could never be his. But even after he used every trick in the nightwalker arsenal to make her forget him, her heart remembers. Can he stay strong enough for both of them, or will he give in to the chemistry between them that not even magic can stop?

Bite of Betrayal
Deanna Chase
One hot vampire. One hot night. And one hot betrayal. Blake Douvant is a woman with one thing on her mind: find her missing best friend. But when Jackson Barré, a sexy east coast billionaire, comes into her life, she lets her guard down for just one night full of lust, passion and betrayal.

Twice Bitten, Once Tamed
Emma Storm
Three years ago, Ian North was bitten by a werewolf and ripped from the life he’d built. Seeking revenge and freedom from the beast, he turned to witch Molly Ward, who imprisoned the wolf in a cage forged of magic. As he was on the verge of destroying his sire and reclaiming his humanity, betrayal led to an ambush and a vampire’s bite, which transformed him into a creature that only one woman could tame

Preacher
Patricia A. Rasey
His life irrevocably changed when he’s made a creature of the night, Preacher leaves behind his vampire MC brethren, the Sons of Sangue, hoping to shield the woman he desires most from discovering what he’s become. Problem is Tena isn’t about to let him walk out of her life. To protect her heart, Preacher can’t stay. To protect her life, he has no choice but to keep her close.

William’s Witch
Alyssa Day
What happens when a centuries-old vampire who's allergic to magic falls for a very modern witch? Mayhem, madness, and romance!

Unraveled by Blood
Laurie London
Guardian Mateo Carrera hasn’t been home in years— not since he almost killed the woman he loved when his dark nature couldn’t resist her sweet blood. But when he uncovers a deadly plot against her, he’ll risk everything to save her… even if it means losing himself.

Fae Bridge Over Troubled Waters
Selene Charles
Mercer McCarrick of the Silver Creek shifters is in trouble and only Scarlett Smith, Vampire Detective, can save him from the hangman’s noose…

Dare to Love
Caridad Pineiro
Can Ben and Rhiannon dare to defy the rules of the Slayers and find love or will Fate make them enemies sworn to kill one another.

Black Blood
J.C. Andrijeski
Forced to work for a creature she despises, Miri finds herself drawn into his personal life in a way she never could have imagined, even as she fights to stay alive.

Blood Fever
Jaide Fox
Pain and loss led Arsen to search the borderlands of Shadowmere, seeking the monster who’d taken away everything he’d ever cared for. In a tiny village, he found the bait he needed to set his trap— Amaria of the sun people--bitten and turning, cursed by the master vampire. She would rather die than live a twisted existence in the dark, but with Arsen she sees not only a chance at redemption, but a man who needs her as much as she needs him— if only he can see beyond his pain.

Love Me Hard
Tracey H. Kitts
Vampire hunter Tris Grima is having difficulty finding those responsible for her mother’s murder, and making her a vampire. With the help of her guardian/ sexy gargoyle Hugh, she will begin to uncover the truth.

Grab your copy of Taming the Vampire for just $0.99 here on all vendors:
​
http://ravenhappyhour.com/taming-the-vampire/

And don't forget to comment below, guys!

95 Comments

BOND: Stargazer Alien Mail Order Brides Cover Reveal!

8/19/2016

115 Comments

 
 (Intergalactic Dating Agency)
Okay, my friends - you've been hearing about the sexy aliens I'm writing about for months!
​Here's Bond!!!
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This series has been so much fun to write! Intergalactic Dating Agency is a group project with several amazing authors, a few of whom you've heard me go fangirl about in the past (squee!!!) Each of us is writing our own series about sexy aliens and the Earth girls who drive them to distraction! I'll be sharing their books with you soon, but for now, here's the scoop with my series: Stargazer Alien Mail Order Brides!

Educated about humankind by the 1980s movies that  came to them in an interstellar time capsule, these gorgeous gentleman are eager to meet Earth girls...

When aliens arrive, they expect a warm welcome…


Posey Quinn has always believed there was more to the world than what she can see. So when she arrives in Stargazer with her head full of conspiracies and high-end hairspray, she isn’t entirely surprised to learn that instead of donating eggs for tuition money, she is being asked to make an alien fall in love with her, and become an ambassador for humankind. What she doesn’t expect is how irresistible Bond is, and how hard it will be not to lose her own heart to the man who plays her body like a violin. 

Bond is on Earth to fill one human female with as much pleasure as she can bear, a mission he’s finding very agreeable. But he’s not here to fall in love. Tasked with using his powers of human seduction to learn what he can about Earth and its inhabitants, Bond knows that if the planet’s resources are worthy and its residents aren’t, his days of pleasing Posey will soon be at an end. 

Come to Stargazer, Pennsylvania for the pancakes. Stay for the boys.
Reserve your copy now:
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Coming soon to:
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Have YOU ever wondered what it would be like to date an alien? What superpowers do you think that alien might have? Would you enjoy introducing him or her to our culture? What do you think would be the biggest challenge? The most fun part? Shout out in the comments!
115 Comments

Full Moon Reads - Flower Moon

5/22/2016

73 Comments

 
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This month's Full Moon Read is Barbarian Prince from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Michelle M. Pillow.

Michelle is a tremendously witty person on social media and I've had her books on my TBR list for a long time. When I saw the expanded anniversary edition of  Barbarian Prince on sale for $0.99 I decided it was the right time to share her work with The Black List and to read it myself! Here's the official blurb:

Prince Ualan is prepared to follow dragon-shifter tradition and marry the woman revealed to him during the Breeding Festival. When the stubborn, yet achingly sexy, Morrigan refuses to accept their shared fate and his supreme authority over her, it is all he can do to keep from acting like the barbarian she accuses him of being.

Going undercover at a mass wedding as a bartered bride, Morrigan Blake has every intention of getting off the barbaric planet just as soon as it's over. Or, more correctly, just as soon as she captures footage of the mysterious princes rumored to be in attendance.

But after a euphoric night, Morrigan discovers her ride left without her, and Ualan of Draig is claiming she's his wife. It's not exactly the story this reporter had in mind. And to make matters worse, the all-to-seductive alpha refuses to take no for an answer.


One chapter into this fantastic Sci Fi, dragon shifter tale and I knew I was hooked and would be up all night.

The Dragon Lords world building is detailed and interesting, but it doesn't get in the way of the storyline. We get just enough details for local flavor, and a touch of cultural lore, and then it's right into the action.

The main character, Morrigan, is strong and savvy, yet she manages to get herself into one mortifying situation after another, because of her foolish pride and assumptions - reminding me more than a little bit of Shakespeare's Kate in Taming of the Shrew. Is there a scene where she throws up? Yes. Is there a spit take? Yes. Does someone drink too much of something, not even knowing what it is? Yes, yes, she does. Does she deny the hot as blazes man she is supposed to marry, even as her whole body craves him like he was a box of specialty chocolate? Yep. More than once. And as a reader I challenge you not to follow along yelling, "No, Morrigan, oh, god, no," but secretly clap your hands together with glee, dying to see what will happen next.

Prince Ualan is tall dark and handsome, really, really, really handsome. His wicked desire for Morrigan is palpable from the very first scene. Unlike many of the alpha male heroes we meet in romance novels, Ualan seems like a really nice guy, other than that hot temper.

SO... if you are in the mood to alternately laugh, drool, and burn with lust for a towering five hundred page, tension-filled journey into becoming the bride of an alien dragon... This. Is. Your. Book. (And it's a series, so guess what else I'll be reading this week?)


Here are the links to find Barbarian Prince for $0.99 on all vendors:

Grab it on Amazon!

Grab it on Nook!

Grab it on iBooks!

Grab it on Kobo!

Have YOU read Barbarian Prince or another book by Michelle M. Pillow? What did you think?

Be sure to sound off in the comments!

73 Comments

Winter Heat & more

5/4/2016

54 Comments

 
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Today is an exciting day!

Summer before last, while I was waiting for Curse of the Alpha to be edited, I wrote a book for Bella Andre's Game for Love sports romance Kindle World**.

Winter Heat is the story of Becca McCall, woman who has postponed pursuing an art career in order to help her twin brother become a world-ranked figure skater. When Becca meets Samir Andrews, a championship snowboarder who is stealing her brother's media thunder with his stormy good looks and tragic backstory, sparks fly! Between Becca's fierce loyalty to her brother and Samir jealously guarding a terrible secret, only one wild night and the most inconvenient and inescapable attraction can pull them together to solve both their problems. 

Winter Heat is a standalone romance!

And of course because I wrote it, of course there is a DECIDEDLY PARANORMAL TWIST to the story!
Spoiler alert: This book features a shifter - and not a kind of shifter I've ever written about before or since!

When Bella's assistant reached out to invite me to relaunch the book as part of her Kindle Worlds push I was delighted! So today, I'm reintroducing you to the book, with a new cover! I hope that if you haven't already, you'll check out Winter Heat here:


http://www.amazon.com/Game-Love-Winter-Kindle-Novella-ebook/dp/B00N178SS0?tag=13thsto09-20

​
And check out all of the books in the launch, as featured here on USA Today's Happily Ever After page:

http://happyeverafter.usatoday.com/2016/05/04/20-new-stories-arrive-in-2-kindle-worlds-of-bella-andre-aka-lucy-kevin/

​
*****Unfortunately, Kindle Worlds books are available only on Amazon US. This has to do with the already understandably complicated copyright legalities of allowing one author to write in another author's world. For my non-US, and non-Amazon fans, I LOVE YOU GUYS. Please know that this book is 100% standalone and is NOT part of my Tarker's Hollow world.
ALSO, to cheer you up, below please find the links to a free and VERY STEAMY shorty from my author buddy, Jessie Donovan!!!!***

Books from Friends!

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You guys know already that I'm a fan and friend of the Mother of Dragons (or at least, the Mother of Dragon Shifter Romances), Jessie Donovan! But did you know she wrote about cougars?

This VERY STEAMY short tale can be read in a sitting and is the perfect feel-good pick-me-up for a long day! 

Kian Murray is a cougar-shifter clan leader with a problem--he has a limp. Despite earning the injury protecting a group of cubs, he feels helpless. His clan and mate deserves someone hearty and whole, and he's nothing more than a liability. The best thing he can do is give up his clan and his mate and find a way to start over.

Trinity Perez-Murray refuses to watch her mate give up his clan because of a small limp. After four months of trying and failing to bring him back from the edge, she only has one card left to play--she's going to seduce her mate. But just as her charms start to pay off, she and Kian are attacked by a group of unusual shifters.

Now it's up to Kian to help fight off the intruders. But in the heat of the moment, will his alpha instincts return and release the warrior inside?


Grab your free copy now!

Amazon

Nook

iBooks

Kobo

GooglePlay
​
Have you read Winter Heat or Convincing the Cougar?
​What did you think?
You know I love to hear what you think, so please be sure to shout out in the comments! :) 


54 Comments

Bite This! (A 300 Moons Book) is here! 

4/30/2016

18 Comments

 
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I'm so excited to share Finn & Darcy's story with you!!! Here's the first chapter, just for you! You can grab your copy of the whole standalone romance HERE!

***

Darcy watched over the casino floor with the relaxed alertness of a lioness following the movements of a herd on the Serengeti. Darcy wasn’t a lioness, though she was a natural predator.


The soft glow of a thousand tiny faux-Chinese lantern ceiling fixtures provided the only light in the huge room, lending Stackhouse Casino’s poker room an air of perpetual twilight, no matter the time of day. 

Nothing in a casino was ever by accident. Every twist and turn of the corridors leading in, each swirl in Stackhouse’s ocean of carpet had been painstakingly crafted to soothe or stimulate the clientele’s experience. 
Darcy assumed that the sensation of fading light was meant to evoke the sense that something big was about to happen. 

As easily as it convinced the players that they were about to win big, so the light left Darcy eternally convinced that something terrible was about to go down.

Which was probably the perfect state of mind for a cooler.

While her job title might be Executive Facilitator, Darcy held no illusions that her role was materially different from the job of barroom cooler that Patrick Swayze’s character had in that eighties movie. And while she seldom had to duck from a flying barstool, she’d taken down her fair share of drunk frat boys and sore losers.
Usually though, she preferred a much gentler approach.

And so far, tonight was no exception - just a typical crowd for a Saturday. Most likely, she could keep the peace by making sure everyone had a good time, and deftly convincing any undesirables that there was somewhere else they’d rather be.

Darcy was a very convincing woman. 

In part it was because of her physique, a heady combination of hard muscles and ample curves. Darcy had a body like a pin-up girl turned assassin, and she was too straightforward to think that being modest about it would make her any more popular with her fellow women, or any less popular with the opposite sex.

But the truth of it was that her wolf gave her an even bigger advantage than her appearance.

Never seen, yet ever present just beneath the surface of her skin, the wolf heard with clever ears, saw even in darkness, and sniffed out lies from truths as easily as Darcy could discern between black and white.

“Hey, new kid,” one of the house dealers winked at her on his way to a shift on the tables. 

“Frank,” she nodded coolly as he passed, studiously ignoring his denim blue eyes and wide shoulders.

Sooner or later they’d all catch on that she never fraternized with colleagues. Mixing business with pleasure was a huge no-no for a cooler. She’d learned that the hard way in Vegas.

As it turned out, what happened in Vegas did not always stay in Vegas. 

As a matter of fact, sometimes it fled back to the east coast and did a long stint in Atlantic City - that purgatory of casino scenes - before finally being courted for an ideal gig with Stackhouse in Philly.

And boy was Darcy happy to be at Stackhouse. 

It wasn’t just because the place was brand spanking new. The facilities were top notch - state of the art machines and pristine decor. But that wouldn’t last. Sooner or later, the glitter always rubbed off. 

No, she was mostly glad to be close to home, or the closest thing to home she had ever known. 

In spite of the sequin gown and the stilettos, Darcy felt most herself when she was curled up on the rag rug in front of the fireplace in the modest white stucco farmhouse at Harkess Farms, where her foster mother and siblings lived. And Stackhouse was only half an hour from Tarker’s Hollow, making it paradise as far as Darcy was concerned.

Besides, the Philly casino scene was quieter than Atlantic City - less flashy. Way fewer Sopranos and Goodfellas wannabes. It was still a pretty new thing to gamble here, a novelty in the land of Ben Franklin and the Quakers.
 

And tonight was shaping up into another comfortable evening. A couple of idiots at one of the lower stakes tables were trying to work together to increase their odds. She could probably bust them for collusion, but it wasn’t really cheating when you weren’t winning. She’d let them have their fun. For now. 

The wolf huffed in her head and she turned back to the handsome middle-aged guy at table six she’d been keeping an eye on.

Not good. He’d just lost big for the third hand in a row. 

Darcy could see the bad decisions he hadn’t made yet written all over him. He didn’t like losing. No one did. But he especially didn’t like doing it in front of the woman next to him. She had to be 20 years younger than he was, and he was trying so hard to impress her. 

Darcy nodded to Mason, who was working the door. The huge guy in the black suit nodded back. He didn’t move, but she knew he was watching as she headed over. 

Never work alone. It was a good motto in Darcy’s line of work. As much as she preferred to work alone, she couldn’t argue with common sense. She was good, but a situation could go sour fast. You didn’t want to start looking for help when the shit had already hit the fan. Confrontation upset everyone. And that was bad for business. 

She eased up to the guy at the poker table, and placed a gentle hand on his elbow. 

The wolf had begun noting signs of strain. The guy’s posture was stiff. There was a sour edge to his sweat. His heart, already beating too quickly, accelerated harshly at Darcy’s touch.

The man spun a bit too fast to face her, fury twisting his features.

She gave him a fraction of a second, then he responded just as she expected. 

His anger ratcheted down a few notches as he took her in, his eyes inevitably sliding down her body and lingering at the place where her dress barely covered her breasts on the way back up. 

The fit and hang of the dress was on purpose, its effect calculated by Darcy as much as the lighting had been calculated by the owners of the casino. Men found her attractive and she had no qualms about using that fact to do her job well. Even if it meant using double-sided tape on a plunge bra as if she were dancing in a cabaret instead bouncing at a casino. If she had sent the more linebacker-esque Mason over here, this interaction would be playing out very differently. Anyone could justify getting mad at the goon in the suit, but no one wanted to be the guy yelling at the girl in the pretty dress. 

“Sir, your private table is waiting for you in our VIP dining area,” she said in her friendliest voice. Tone was important, it had to be soft enough that it wasn’t confrontational, but loud and clear, so everyone at the table could hear. “The chef has taken the liberty of starting you off with some complimentary oysters on the half shell with his own mignonette sauce. I hope that will be to your liking.”

He stared at her a moment, his anger turning to confusion.

Then there was the magical instant when she saw his expression relax into understanding and then relief. She had thrown him a safety line and he was going to be able to save face.

“Yes. That will be fine,” he said nonchalantly.

But the wolf noted that his voice was deeper than before, a telltale sign of gratitude.

Darcy gave him a winsome smile, then swept both the man and his guest off through the maze of gaming tables to the VIP dining area. 

The casino was more like a wasp’s nest than a building. Though every inch was covered in shimmering chandeliers and plush carpet, Darcy still would have described the path to the safety of the dining room as a walk through the catacombs. Clientele could get lost in here. And with opportunities to bet around every corner, it was in the Stackhouse’s best interests that it not be particularly easy to find your way out.

At last they reached the VIP dining room. The subtle gold leaf on the wallpaper and the creamy white coffered ceilings made diners feel prosperous, and the complimentary drinks relaxed them. 

Darcy was still feeling everyone out, but she was quickly realizing that Mason was good at his job. He must have had heard her conversation back in the poker room and texted the kitchen ahead, because when they arrived, they found their oysters on the table waiting, just as Darcy had promised.

The man held out a chair for his date and then sat. 

Darcy leaned in over his shoulder.

“Mr. Panchenko is delighted that you could join us at the Stackhouse again, sir,” she murmured just loudly enough that the date could hear it. 

“Enjoy your meal,” she told them, straightening up. 

The man winked at her, clearly feeling happy again, and she took off hoping she hadn’t missed too much in the poker room.

When she was about to turn the final corner, a voice spoke from behind her.

“Hey there, beautiful.”

She didn’t have to turn to recognize it - deep, and a little rough, but with a playful Irish lilt around the edges. 

“If it isn’t The Amazing Finn,” she teased, without turning to him.

“Fantastic, actually. It’s The Fantastic Finn. At least that’s what they tell me. But you don’t have to take my word for it, love.”

Jesus. She could actually hear the wink in his voice.

Finn was the casino’s magician in residence, if that was a thing.

He was also an immensely handsome and deeply masculine guy. Tall and muscular, with long hair that made him look like the man-bun video guy, Finn’s eyes were always full of mischief. 

It was all just insult to injury that he made a mockery of himself by working as a magician. Only a ridiculous person would chose magic as a career.

Against her better judgment, she turned to him.

She could tell by the way he was dressed, like a pallbearer at Liberace’s funeral, that he must be between shows. 

“I’m a little busy right now, Finn,” she said. “So if you were hoping to wow me by pulling a rabbit out of your pants, or whatever, it’ll have to wait.”

“I wouldn’t dream of wasting your time, love,” he told her, his hazel eyes flashing down at her conspiratorially. “But I thought you might like to know that the gentleman at Trish’s blackjack table just pulled a Savannah.”
Shit. 

She dashed around the corner and used her wolf’s amped up hearing.

“Sir, you can’t touch your chips after the cards have been dealt,” Trish was saying, an edge of anxiety in her normally sultry voice.

The man across from her was wearing a cheap suit that was probably meant to look fancy. He apologized, making drunkenly exaggerated hand gestures. 

As Darcy approached, her wolf’s nose told her he was not even tipsy.

“Is there a problem here, Trish?” she asked.

Trish looked up at her in gratitude.

“This guy keeps messing with his chips after he bets. And all night long, he’s been betting 20 bucks. Now, all of a sudden, he wins a big hand, and there’s a $500 chip in his bet,” she explained.

That was how the cheat move known as the Savannah worked. You hid a big money chip in your bet once in a while, but then snuck it out if you lost. That meant touching your chips to hand them to the dealer, instead of letting her pick them up, which was a no-no. And the best way to cover it up was to be drunkenly enthusiastic and overly apologetic. 

It was like this guy just googled how to cheat at cards and copied the first video he’d found. 

Amateur. 

“Everyone can see the chips on the table. I didn’t touch nothing,” the idiot spluttered. 

Darcy could see the $500 chip peeking out from beneath the three $5 chips on top of it. 

Now she was going to have to haul this guy in and scrub the security footage until she caught him cheating. It would be difficult to spot, even if the cameras had the proper angle and the resolution to distinguish one chip from another. 

So much for her easy night. 

“Why don’t we just count the man’s chips and pay him what he earned?” Finn’s deep voice came from behind her.

Darcy turned in surprise.

“May I?” Finn asked the guy.

“Be my guest,” cheap suit said with a huge grin.

Darcy watched in wonder as Finn pushed up his puffy sleeves, looking more than ever as if he had just escaped from a community theatre production of Macbeth. He picked the chips up and placed them on the table in front of the man, one at a time, counting as he did.

“Five, ten, fifteen…twenty,” he said lightly, laying out four, five-dollar chips. “I don’t see what the problem is.”
Darcy, who prided herself on her powers of observation, hadn’t even noticed him switch out the $500 she’d spotted at the bottom of the stack before Finn had touched it. 

“What the fuck?!” the guy yelled, all traces of his grin and his phony slur completely gone. “You cheated me!”
Finn held up his empty hands. 

“Sir,” Darcy said to the guy immediately, “cheating is a very serious accusation. Fortunately, there is a security camera right over there. If you’d like, we can go upstairs and review the footage to see if Mr. Butler here did cheat you.” 

The man actually looked torn. 

“And while we’re there, we can review your play from earlier tonight,” she added. “To prove that you never tampered with your bets, and clear your good name.” 

“This place sucks,” he announced, grabbing the twenty dollars in chips from the table.

He turned to storm away, then stopped.

Darcy read his next move as easily as if he were holding up a big sign. 

But Finn was too busy grinning proudly at Darcy to notice. 

The guy turned and swung a wild punch, connecting just above Finn’s eye. 

Ouch.

Darcy moved in with a shot to the man’s solar plexus, knocking the wind from him before he could take another swing. Two of the nearby security personnel each grabbed an arm and escorted him away. 

“You okay?” she asked Finn, going up on her toes to check out the bruise. There was no real harm, but it was going to leave a mark. Damned magician.

Though she had to admit he’d been pretty helpful.

“I’m fine, love.” He smiled down at her, those hazel eyes flashing pleasantly, giving her an unexpected flutter in her chest. “I’ll just grab some ice to put on it before the next show.”

Darcy pulled her hands away from his face quickly and nodded to Mason, who was back in his position against the wall. She inclined her head toward the ladies room so he would know where she was headed. She needed to freshen up after the little dust-up.

Once in the relative safety of the endlessly mirrored ladies room, she straightened her dress and smoothed her hair. 

She was about to head out when a searing pain lashed at her belly. It wasn’t like the pain from having been shoved around a little, or even taking a hard punch. It felt like something was mauling her from the inside.
There was no one else in the bathroom, so she rolled up the red sequined gown over her thighs and up to her rib cage.

In the endless mirrors, a thousand Darcys stared in wonder at the strange, swirling black markings that appeared to be rising to the surface of her skin, like some sort of tattoo, only being drawn from the inside. 

Oh, boy.

More intrigued than frightened, she slipped her hand into her clutch to grab her phone. This was definitely something to talk to Mom about right away.

But she pulled out more than the phone. 

The $500 chip.

The Fantastic Finn strikes again.

***

Did you enjoy this excerpt from Bite This! (A 300 Moons Book)?
Grab your copy here on ALL VENDORS:


http://www.tashablack.com/bite-this.html

Or learn more about the 300 Moons Series (including the upcoming Break This!) here:

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