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Now enjoy an excerpt:Archaean bounty hunter Marek Coinnich isn't particularly fond of Engels. In fact, he prefers them dead. But to save his injured brother, he must enter the manor of an Engel enemy. Marek finds himself enthralled by the slave girl nursing his brother back to health. When his enchantment with her lands them in a compromising position, he refuses to let the young beauty pay for the misunderstanding with her life.
Brynn of Galhaven prefers to keep to the shadows. When she is ruined by an outsider, she barely escapes with her life and finds herself left alone in an unforgiving land. Through her struggles to survive, Brynn discovers a world she never imagined and never forgets the enemy Archaean who stole her heart.
Marek can’t deny his desire for Brynn, but these are wartimes, and she is the enemy. And though love knows no prejudice, the world in which he lives isn’t nearly as forgiving.
Shrieking out in agony, Brynn pleaded for her life. Another lash dug in. Then another. Her wails did not deter the earl. Her body went limp.
Marek elbowed his way through the blood-crying mob. With every crack of the whip, he pushed himself farther. He would slice these fools through if it would clear him a path. The girl’s screams echoed in his ears, signaling every lash reached its target. The crowd cheered with each crack. Five lashes.
Six. He cursed, finally stumbling from the spectators. The girl hung lifeless before him.
The seventh lash cracked through the air, and the earl pulled his arm back to deliver the eighth when Marek charged. He wrenched the leather from Bertram’s fist. Bertram lost his footing and tumbled to the ground.
Marek tossed the whip aside. Standing over the shocked man, Marek pulled his sword from its sheath. The edge lingered dangerously close to the earl’s throat. He wedged the tip under the man’s chin, pressing it into the fat. “Why do your people not rush to protect you, Earl of Galhaven?” Kneeling beside Bertram, Marek chose the words with care. “Touch her again, and I will kill you. I do not make idle threats, Engel.”
Melissa grew up surrounded by dragons, fearsome creatures, and damsels in distress from the wonderful world of make believe. She soon found her ideas on paper, littering her desk with world maps and character biographies. Study hall was used not for homework but for writing. Although she pursued a career in theater, the written word never left her. Melissa now leads a full life with her husband and children (five amazingly adorable clones to be exact), though she still finds time to write in her “spare time”. She sports a Military Wife badge of honor, and is lucky enough to have her own knight in camo armor.
Melissa enjoys writing everything from sexy, sword-toting heroes to spit-out-your coffee funny romantic comedies. Her passion lies within the ancient walls of fantasy and historical romance, where anything is possible.
Melissa MacKinnon: http://melissamackinnon.com/
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