Release Date: November 2014
Shapeshifters
for Christmas
I've always been a huge fan of
the paranormal. As a kid I spent lots of time reading books and watching movies
about paranormal creatures. Vampires were my favorite, but I also loved
werewolves. Back then most werewolves were the frightening kind, not quite as
sexy as the ones in stories today. Now many other kinds of shifters are popular
too, and not just around Halloween. A few years back I wrote a winter holiday
story about a werewolf. This year I wanted to do a different, gentler kind of
shifter for Changeling's multi-author Peppermint Twists series.
Fleet, one of the heroes of Oh
My Deer, is a reindeer shifter. Though part of him is as rugged as any wild
animal, he has a tender side that endears him to his lover, Jake. To create
Fleet I read about caribou and used many of their characteristics combined with
the old-fashioned magic of Christmas and a bit of science fiction as well.
Fleet and his shapeshifting reindeer companions were a lot of fun to write
about. I hope you enjoy reading his story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
~Saloni
Blurb:
When Jake rescues a wounded
reindeer less than two weeks before Christmas, he doesn't realize he has found
one of Santa's reindeer-shifters.
The adorable shifter is willing
to show his gratitude in sexy ways Jake never expected, but once he flies away
will he be gone forever, or will he return as promised on Christmas day?
Excerpt:
Jake woke early
after an uneasy sleep. He'd awakened a couple of times during the night,
thinking about the caribou. Soon it would be time to get up anyway, and Jake
didn't bother trying to fall back to sleep. He rose, washed and dressed. At
this time of morning, he could get some great shots for his book, but after he
checked on the caribou. He walked to the shed and entered carefully. Sadly, the
caribou was still down. Jake had hoped the animal would be on his feet.
"Feeling any
better, boy?" he said, kneeling beside his furry guest. Those calm blue
eyes stared at Jake, and an indescribable pang tore through him. He caressed
the caribou's muzzle. Glancing toward the bucket, he noticed some of the water
was gone. "You must have gotten up to have a drink. That's a good sign.
Just rest. I'll be back a little later to see how you're doing."
Jake left the shed
and spent the next hour taking pictures. When he returned to check on the
caribou, it still hadn't moved.
"You're a
shifter all right," Jake said, disgusted at himself for even thinking such
a thing. He blamed it on the mystical experience of bonding with a wild animal
on a wintry Alaskan night.
Since he still had
no intention of killing this creature, he had just one choice left. He walked
back to his house and used his laptop to find the phone number of the nearest
conservation center. He called and explained his situation. They agreed to send
someone to take the caribou.
Jake's stomach
rumbled. He hadn't eaten since dinner last night, and there wasn't much food
around the house. A trip to the general store was in order.
A short time later,
he was back in the village. When he stepped into the store, he noticed the
latest copy of the local paper that covered this and several other villages.
The headline caught
his eye.
Caribou Rescues
Teens from Bear
His brow furrowed,
Jake snatched a copy of the paper and scanned the article. A day ago, two
youths had been exploring the coast when a polar bear attacked. They reported
that a caribou rushed between them and the bear, sustaining injuries when it
tried to ram the beast despite the fact that it had already shed its antlers.
"Hey,
Jake," said the store owner, a plump older man with gray hair and a long
moustache. "Do you believe that headline? Since when does a prey animal
run to the predator? If you ask me, those boys were drunk or high or
something."
"Maybe,"
Jake murmured, his gaze still fixed on the paper. A weird, tingly feeling
almost overwhelmed him. He considered himself a rational guy—or at least he had
until last night. The caribou in his shed had wounds consistent with a bear
attack—Tina had confirmed it, even though he didn't need her to know it. But
the attack happened on the coast. There was no way the caribou could travel all
that distance, wounded.
Unless he was a
shifter after all. The mystical powers that enabled him to change meant he
probably had other supernatural powers too, such as increased speed.
What the hell was he
thinking? He was a thirty year old man, not a child to believe in legends spun
by his grandfather. Shoot, even Grandpa would probably call him crazy for
thinking he had a shapeshifting caribou recovering in his shed.
Still, Jake tugged
money out of his pocket and placed it on the counter for the newspaper. After
buying some food, he hurried home. Thinking again that he was crazy, he strode
into the shed, his heart pounding wildly.
He knelt in front of
the caribou and held up the newspaper. "That was you, wasn't it?" he
said. Even as he spoke, he felt totally embarrassed by his behavior. Clearly
this was nothing more than a beast. Shifters were the stuff of legends. Maybe
he had been living out here for too long by himself, with nothing but his
photography. Still he went on, "If you're a shifter, give me some kind of
sign so I won't think I'm crazy. I'm trying to help you."
Jake closed his eyes
for a moment and laughed. "What an idiot I am. I think I have truly lost
my—" He stopped speaking abruptly as he opened his eyes. His heart
actually skipped a beat and his stomach lurched.
The caribou was
gone. In its place lay a sinewy, long-limbed man with wild blond hair and huge,
pain-filled blue eyes. His ribs, back and one muscular thigh were covered in
bloodstained bandages.
About
Author:
The child of a painter and a
psychic dreamer, Saloni Quinby feels spirituality and storytelling go
hand-in-hand. She loves the scent of gardenia, the sound of wind chimes and the
taste of honey. By listening to what isn't said, she creates works based on
unspoken desires. Saloni prefers blurred gender lines and many varieties of
romance. In a world where passion must at times be restrained, she believes
erotica is a pleasure to be shared. With her stories she would like to make her
fantasies yours and hopes you enjoy the ride. Saloni also writes as Kate Hill.
Find
Kate/Saloni Here
Thank you for having me as a guest!
ReplyDelete