Sera glanced at her mother. She was dressed in an elegant business suit with flats. She wore no jewelry and her visage was a mask of stoicism. Sera’s sister Vivi stood among the throng of watchers, naked and ready to shift. She had no interest in vying for the leadership position.
Those who wanted to replace Francine stood under the dais, clumped together.
All gazes turned to Sera. She took a deep breath and began. “I have sent out the call. Our leap is in peril, headed down a dangerous path that will surely lead to destruction. We need new guidance, a strong leader, a future filled with possibility rather than stagnation. We must throw out the ideas that nearly destroyed us decades ago. With this in mind, I call for the deposition of my mother, Francine Lenore Courtney, and for a battle royale to commence. A new leader shall be determined by combat. Only one can emerge the winner. Let the bloodshed begin!”
Sera held her breath and waited for the fighting to commence. No one moved. Seconds slipped by and still nothing. Not even a punch or kick.
“Well? What are you waiting for?” Francine snapped.
The crowd parted. Dina emerged, naked. Her coffee-dark skin glimmered in the firelight. Her green eyes blazed with hatred. “I challenge you to one-on-one combat, old woman.”
Francine snorted. “I refuse.”
“The rules of the battle royale state that you must either accept or forfeit your right to rule. Do you forfeit?” Dina crossed her arms under her breasts.
Francine stepped forward, a scowl on her face. She undressed in a matter of seconds and jumped down into the pit. “Well?”
Dina moved so fast that Sera nearly missed it. Only her heightened shifter senses registered the movement. In mid-shift, Dina struck out with her claws. Blood flew into the air in an arc, and Francine let out an animalistic scream. She was quick to counterattack, launching herself at Dina and knocking the woman down. The two of them rolled, their bodies part human, part panther. The gathering of people contending for leader stood back and let them fight, their faces impassive.
“This will be over soon.” Carver’s thoughts, smooth as silk, entered Sera’s mind.
Sera’s breath stalled in her chest as Carver’s presence flooded her body. She felt his hands everywhere, his hot breath a kiss from a furnace on the back of her neck. His emotions joined the fray, showing her love, adoration, desire, and need.
Not to be left out of the party, Thorn’s thoughts merged with Carver’s. “Dina is younger, stronger, and the crowd won’t allow your mother to cheat.”
Sera reached behind her and took their hands as she watched Dina get the upper hand. Blow after blow rained down on Francine. Sera winced, but remained silent. Pain burrowed deep into her heart as tears streamed down her face. Her beautiful, strong, arrogant mother looked a shell of the person she had once been. With each punch that Dina landed, the outcome became more inevitable.
Francine stopped trying to fight back. Her face was a bloody ruin, there were cuts on her chest, and her hair, once perfectly coifed, was now down from its bun, spread out on the dirt like a dark pillow mixed with blood, grass, and leaves.
“Forfeit!” Dina screamed over and over again.
Francine lay supine on the ground, no longer fighting back. “I concede. You win, Dina.” Her voice was a cracked husk, without authority. She had no strength left. Not even anger filled her tone.
All eyes turned to Sera. She cleared her throat. “Dina Kristia is the winner and new leader of the leap. Francine has conceded. I, Seraphena, daughter of Francine, relinquish all rights to leadership and will not challenge her or anyone else for the right to guide our people in the future.”
Dina rose with liquid grace and a nod. “As leader, I declare the Lunar Shift shall begin!”
Screams, howls, and excited chatter filled the air as the forest came alive. Various forms of magic filtered through the night as the leap shifted as one. Sera joined them, allowing her black panther to join her people. Once in feline form, she peeked over her shoulder toward her friends.
Mysta had shed her clothing and was already in her snake form. Copper, cream, gold, and brown scales shone in the low light as she slithered toward the darkness of a copse of trees. Bridget and Lana had taken off to the safety of home. The woods were no place for anything other than shifters and prey. Only Carver and Thorn remained, still in full-demon form.
“We’ll be here when you need us,” Carver murmured. He flicked his fingers and the fire burst to life, illuminating the entire area.
“Be safe, love.” Thorn called out.
Both men walked over to a nearby boulder and sat down, looking like statues from hell.
Sera nodded and left to join her leap. They would be there when she got back. There was no doubt. And they always would be. She knew this.
Her heart swelled with love. She was entering the future with no strings or obligations. For the first time, she felt free and open to anything. She had her men and her friends and her sister to thank. She sent silent thanks up to the goddess and looked forward to next Samhain. Who knew what would happen between now and then?
~ About the Author ~
Multi-Published Author, part vampire, part pixie, Selena Illyria was born with a need to write and enable. Her imagination takes her into the paranormal, sci-fi and fantasy genres and all sorts of mischief. When not writing she enjoys catching up on her TBR pile, watching some of her favorite programs and listening to her favorite music as well as teasing people with posts on decadent food and plot bunnies.
Discover more about Selena Illyria here
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~ Also by Selena Illyria ~
Bewitching the Vampire
Flushed and Fevered Book One
Selena Illyria
A stubborn witch vs a vampire king…who will win on Halloween?
Bridget is a witch who has been given a sweet deal—nab a rogue vampire and score a big payday, but she must deliver him within twenty-four hours. She’ll need help from Joe, the local vampire liege, to find the rogue vampire fast. Joe agrees to give her the information...if she agrees to play a few hands of poker with him. For each hand, she must reveal a bit about herself. And for each hand she wins, he'll answer any question she asks. But Bridget isn’t sure she can keep things objective—not when Joe gives her that seductive grin.
Joe has always had an interest in the little witch. She defies his expectations and surprises at every turn. But despite his natural inclination to help her, he decides to make her work for the information she needs in the most delicious ways. With a little bit of seduction and a little bit of bondage, he tests her resolve to play the game…and tests his own self-control to contain the blood beast inside him. The stakes are sky-high, for both of them. But on Halloween, the most powerful night of the year, which one will be the winner?
Buy Bewitching the Vampire here
http://www.amazon.com/Bewitching-Vampire-Flushed-Fevered-Book-ebook/dp/B00NP4JA86/
Carnevale and Subterfuge
Hades Helmet Crew Book Two
Selena Illyria
If he can’t resist her, he’ll put her in danger...
On leave from her ship, Anarrae Lavender wants to indulge in her desires on Ill Doge. But a night on the town and one case of mistaken identity later, Anarrae finds herself in the arms of a charming and mysterious thief, having the hottest sexual encounter of her life. But who is that masked man with the talented hands who makes all her bondage fantasies come true? And when it’s over, how will she learn the identity of her lovable “Dodger?”
When Diego stops in at a pub for a drink he doesn’t expect to be mistaken for someone else. Intrigued by Ana, he kidnap
s her for the evening and indulges her fantasies—and even some of his own. He doesn’t want it to be a one-night-stand, but his mission to protect the Ambassador from an assassin demands his complete anonymity. The assassin’s eyes are everywhere, and if he loses his focus again, he’ll endanger them all...
Buy Carnevale and Subterfuge here
http://www.amazon.com/Carnevale-Subterfuge-Hades-Helmet-Crew-ebook/dp/B00K310H3G/
At Drogan’s Command
Hades Helmet Crew Book One
Selena Illyria
Who knew one little disc could cause so much trouble? Certainly not Rena, until the disc in question—the one in which she lives out every sexual fantasy she’s ever had, including a few inspired by her crush, Captain Drogan Carter—falls into the wrong hands. Drogan’s. Rena is desperate to get it back—she can’t let him know all her darkest, dirtiest secrets…
When Drogan finds the disc and watches the very private contents, his first feeling is guilt. But that guilt soon turns to a raw, sexual need to have the wanton, carefree Rena in his bed. He knows she’ll never come to him willingly, but once he gets her, he’ll have plenty of time to win her over, and to prove to her that reality can be so much better than fantasy. But first he needs a plan, a way to get her right where he wants her: at his command.
Buy At Drogan’s Command here
http://www.amazon.com/Drogans-Command-Hades-Helmet-Crew-ebook/dp/B00FAUT8T4/
Mate Not Wanted
Bachelor Auction Book One
Selena Illyria
Letting Madison go unmated? Pierce won’t stand for it…
Lioness shifter Madison doesn’t want to be mated. So when her friends bid and win tiger shifter Pierce McKinney at the Bachelor Auction, she knows she’s screwed. Pierce is the one man who can get under her skin. Especially when she knows that sex with Pierce will burn hotter than the sun…
Pierce McKinney has been trying without luck to wear Madison down. So when her friends win him at a charity auction, he’s determined to win her for his own. He’ll give her what she needs and desires, and he’ll even bring in a friend to play to her fantasies. But Madison belongs to him, and only him. And he intends to show her that he plays for keeps. Even if she’s too stubborn to admit it. Because Pierce is too stubborn to let her walk away…
Buy Mate Not Wanted here
http://www.amazon.com/Mate-Not-Wanted-Bachelor-Auction-ebook/dp/B00HFF7MS6/
Dragons at Midnight
Dragon New Year Book One
Selena Illyria
One dragon is hot enough, but three can make this tiger shifter burn in the most delightful ways.
Tiger shifter Louisa thought she'd ring in the New Year all alone. Little did she know that three younger dragon shifters plan on making sure she celebrates things right. Add a little steam, a few dragon shifters with dirty minds, and some creative use of furniture and New Year's Eve becomes the perfect scorching-hot party for four.
Buy Dragons at Midnight here
http://www.amazon.com/Dragons-at-Midnight-ebook/dp/B006M47PV0/
Dragon Ugly
Dragon New Year Book Two
Selena Illyria
Can a dragon shifter give more than just hot sex?
After Brent’s New Year’s fling with his friends Fletcher and Tor—and Tor’s mate Louisa—Brent is determined to find his own mate. His dragon wants him to find their mate, too, and if Brent doesn’t find a way to locate her soon, his dragon will take matters into his own talons. And that could spell trouble.
Wolf shifter Carissa has no desire to live up to her wild musician mother and artistic father’s vision of free love and sex parties. She’s buried her sexual desires and focused on building up her aromatherapy store, Scentify, no distractions allowed. Until she meets Brent. The sexy dragon shifter makes her burn with suppressed need. The only problem? His dragon wants Carissa, too. And pursuing the dominant dragon would be playing with fire.
Giving in to his dragon saps Brent of his focus and energy. Things are turning ugly—dragon ugly. How can he bond with his mate when his dragon only wants sex?
Buy Dragon Ugly here
http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Ugly-New-Year-ebook/dp/B00D8DE0AM/
Seven Sins Inn: Pietro and Callisto
Selena Illyria
Pietro doesn’t think he has time for love. Being a demon king and part owner of Seven Sins Inn leaves him little time for women. But when his friends claim that they’ve found the perfect match for him, Peitro is determined to prove that he doesn’t need a set up--he can find his own date, thank you very much. Undeterred, his friends send him to investigate a “problem” at one of the Inn’s guest functions, where Pietro sees the woman of his dreams, right there in the very kissable flesh.
Paranormal negotiator Callisto Monroe went to the Seven Sins Inn for a friend’s wedding, hoping she could scope the place out for work. But she didn’t plan on being swept away by the hot, dark-haired demon, or spending a weekend having the hottest sex of her life. All that’s well and good. But when things get too hot to handle, how is she supposed to protect her heart?
Buy Seven Sins Inn: Pietro and Callisto here
http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Sins-Inn-Pietro-Callisto-ebook/dp/B009PB94LQ/
Roman: Fallen Lovers
Selena Illyria
Can a mere woman heal a fallen angel's wounds?
Author Tristina Deveroux has been dreaming of a man—a tall, dark, sexy man whose nightly visits bring her to a fever pitch. But come morning, she always awakens agitated and unsatisfied—and alone. When her agent suggests a writer's getaway in Scotland, Tristina can’t resist the chance to gain a little distance, hoping a change of scene will help her escape the dreams and get her mind back into her latest book.
But when she receives a passionate letter from a mysterious Scot, she can't resist the urge to meet him. Can love triumph and heal them both from past hurts? Or will the clash of fantasy and reality bring the past back to haunt them?
Buy Roman: Fallen Lovers here
http://www.amazon.com/Roman-Fallen-Lovers-ebook/dp/B004GHN5NW/
Renny’s Mate
Selena Illyria
One Island. One Werewolf. One week of wicked sex in the sun...
When Larissa's given a week at her boss's private island, she jumps at the chance for some sun, sand, and complete relaxation.
Avoiding his family's annual get together, Renny hops a plane for his brother's private island. But once the werewolf in hiding spots Larissa coming out of the surf--wet, nude, and irresistible--hiding is the last thing on his mind. And the last thing he expected was to find his mate. But how can a woman like her trust the black sheep of the family who's never committed to anything in his life?
Buy Renny’s Mate here
http://www.amazon.com/Rennys-Mate-Beach-Bums-ebook/dp/B0074B6IM2/
“Dragons at Samhain”
Selena Illyria
Halloween Heat II
An Anthology of Erotic Paranormal Ménage
Three stories of blazing paranormal ménage. Hot dragons, sexy wolf shifters, and scorching threesomes to make an unforgettable Halloween night.
"Master Me" by Rachel Firasek
"Dragons at Samhain" by Selena Illyria
"Witchvine Seduction" by Dawn Montgomery
Buy Halloween Heat II here
http://www.amazon.com/Halloween-Heat-II-ebook/dp/B009MRN9SW/
~ More Romance from Etopia Press ~
In Too Deep
Christy Gissendaner
He’ll risk everything for the love of one human.
Agreeing to be her good friend’s bridesmaid, Emma Anderson jets off to Tybee Island for the wedding. Her dress is perfect and her shoes are adorable, but her friend’s elegant beachside home hides an ancient secret…one that threatens to expose a secret society of werewolves.
Drake Randolph has watched his sister’s friend grow into a ravishing woman, but he’s always kept his distance. As the heir to the Randolph fortune and th
e alpha of the Secret Society of Savannah Lycanthropes, Drake cannot afford to draw the innocent little brunette into the dangerous lycan world.
Passion between them soon blazes hotter than the Georgia summer. But when the wrong woman is kidnapped to prevent the wedding of a lycan to a mortal, Drake must risk everything to save Emma from the ones who will see the downfall of all he holds dear.
Buy In Too Deep here
http://www.amazon.com/Too-Deep-Christy-Gissendaner-ebook/dp/B00JGCFOTU/
Picture Perfect
Nikki Dee Houston
After being dumped by her boyfriend, Chelsea is lonely, loveless—and horny as hell. Her friend suggests she get out more—meet some new people, maybe take an art class...who knows, maybe she’ll meet someone who has what she needs. And if not, then there are worse things than having to stare at the gorgeous hunk of man candy that’s modeling for them.
But when a new student shows up in class, the tight, white T-shirt stretched over his muscled shoulders, six-pack abs, and bulging biceps all make Chelsea’s head spin. Peter is friendly, quiet, and when the model can’t make it to class—you guessed it—Peter fills in. Chelsea nearly slips off her artist stool, her panties are so wet. But will lust be enough?
Making Demons Purr (Flushed and Fevered Book 2) Page 17