Stricken
Marcia
Colette
Genre:
Urban Fantasy
Publisher:
Purple Sword Publications
Number
of pages: 155
Word
Count: 60,000
Cover
Artist: Traci Markou
Book
Description:
Personal
tragedy convinces half-werewolf Alexa York to get away to the town of
McCormick, Pennsylvania where she's charged with protecting Dr. Aiden
Joss, physician to the supernatural community. Not only does she need
the money, she needs the distraction. Unfortunately, she gets it in
spades when Joss's personal issues and a myriad of dangerously sick
patients make her new job nearly impossible.
A
mysterious disease is running its way through the New York Order of
the Amazons and leaving bodies in its wake. The same warrior who had
chosen her clan over Joss has asked for him help. Even though the
disease is real, Alexa has reason to believe his ex's sincerity is
not.
Given
the other numerous problems she has to deal with that are outside of
her job description, Dr. Joss might be the biggest threat to his own
safety. But, protecting him comes first. That’s difficult to do
when his efforts to find an antidote put everyone in his remote
clinic in danger, including Alexa.
Excerpt:
Chapter
One
Present
day…
I
stood on the porch of Dr. Aiden Joss’s luxurious home pissed as
hell. Someone was supposed to meet me at the airport in Philadelphia.
I ended up having to take a cab because all of the rentals were
booked from the only airport about twenty-five miles from the small
town of McCormick, Pennsylvania. The taxi driver must have mistaken
me for an oil baron with the fare he charged. He ended up having to
leave me at the front gate because the intercom was busted.
Thankfully, being a human hybrid had its advantages. After tossing my
duffle over the ten-foot age, I followed by leaping over. Some
security.
The
downpour turned my black wavy hair into thick, cold tresses snaking
down my neck and upper back. Sadly, my duffle bag was just as pitiful
as I looked, since it wasn’t waterproof. I exercised more care when
picking out my purse and laptop bag.
The
front door opened. A tall, bulky man who looked like he missed his
calling as an NFL linebacker stood against the golden glow of the
interior. His face was criminal-hard, though something in his dark
eyes said otherwise. He wore a white shirt and jeans with a knee
brace around his left knee. He blinked.
“Oh,
boy.” He hurried to unlock the storm door and let me inside. “You
must be Ms. Alexa York.”
I
struggled getting passed him with my wet duffle and carry-on and
drenched clothes clinging to my cold body. “I am. I take it the
phones don’t work around here either.”
He
took my stuff and set it aside. “The power has been flickering all
night. They just got the lights back on about three minutes ago. The
phone is internet, so when the power goes out, everything goes out.”
I
unzipped my cold, sodden jacket. “I get it. No phone no phone
calls. Which is why I was stuck at the airport.”
He
sighed. “Again, my apologies, ma’am. With so much going on, I
only had a chance to worry about one thing at time.”
I
glanced at him before answering. So much going on? The house was
quiet and not a soul in sight. What could’ve possibly had him too
busy to pick me up when he knew I was coming? Heck, I was here to be
his replacement while he was on the mend. If he didn’t want me
here, forgetting me at the airport or not sending a car to pick me up
worked in his favor.
He
offered his hand to me. “My name’s Sammy. I’m Dr. Joss’s med
tech and assistant.”
“Med
tech?” I looked him up and down. “But I thought you were his—”
He
chuckled. “I’m really his assistant. I’m only his bodyguard
when I have to be. And given the kind of world that lies beyond those
gates, I find myself playing the latter more often.”
I
closed my eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry if I sounded a little
crotchety, but—”
Sammy
waved his large hand. “No need to apologies. I’d be a lot more
than pissed had I been in your shoes. Speaking of which, let me show
you to your room so you can get some dry clothes on.”
Snorting,
I glanced at the puddle forming around my duffle. “Dry clothes,
huh. That would be nice.”
“No
worries, Ms. York. I’ll find you something.”
“It’s
Alexa, by the way.” Those close to me called me Lex. We weren’t
there yet.
“Alexa,
then.”
My
room was upstairs on the second floor along with five other bedrooms.
Every piece of furniture was stained pine and sitting against light
blue walls. Thankfully, I had my own private bathroom. When I looked
out of the bathroom window, I noticed a light coming from the woods
somewhere behind the trees.
Had
it not been for Wesley Dane, a full-blooded werewolf friend of my
family, I wouldn’t be here to play bodyguard for one of his closest
friends. It wasn’t the thousand dollars a day, tax-free money for
my services that brought me here. I needed the distraction more than
everything.
“So
how much do you know about me?” After snuggling into a thick, warm
robe, I dried off my hair with a towel and opened the bathroom door.
Sammy
was still there, though keeping his distance by waiting in the hall.
I thought it was weird, but whatever, seeing as this was more his
house than mine. “Enough, he replied. “You’re half-werewolf,
which is extremely rare. You’re also married, which means either
your husband, who’s a full-blood, or Dane is going to tear Dr. Joss
apart if anything bad happens to you. Although, that sort of defeats
the purpose of you being the doctor’s bodyguard.” He half-smiled.
“Are
you expecting me to be torn apart?”
“No,”
he chuckled. “But I expect you’ll be put through the ringer.”
He pointed at the fresh clothes on my bed. “The best I could come
up with are some sweats, an oversized tee-shirt, and some thick socks
we typically give the patients. I promise I’ll have your clothes
cleaned and dried by the time you wake up tomorrow. That is, I hope
you can stand the scent. I bought some unscented detergent when I
found out you were coming, but I didn’t have a chance to wash those
particular clothes in them.”
My
lips pursed together in a grin to keep from laughing. “Relax. My
senses might be heightened senses, but not that much. I actually like
the smell of laundry detergent. Flowers are preferable to anything
else.”
“So
those will be okay?”
I
nodded. “They’re fine. And thank you. For the robe and clothes
and stuff.”
“Not
a problem.” He thumbed over his shoulder. “I don’t know if
you’re hungry or anything, but I have some chili on the stove, too.
Your appetite is…?”
“Human.
It’s one of the things I actually like about being half-werewolf.”
Compared to others. I caught myself before saying anymore.
Over
the last three weeks, I wished I was more human than some freak
living in the middle of that world and the werewolf one. Perhaps
things might have turned out better between my husband and me.
I
forced a smile to my face. “So what kind of supernatural is Dr.
Joss?”
Sammy
sighed. “I’m not at liberty to say.”
“Really?
You know what I am, so why can’t I know about him?”
“You
didn’t ask Dane?”
My
smile faded and I crossed my arms. “I did, but he sealed his lips
on that one, too. Said I’d find out on my own.” The conversation
took a nosedive after that. I had to remind him that both Matt and my
father would break him in half if he sent me to a maniac’s house.
Of course, I knew Dane well enough to know he’d never do that
either.
Chuckling,
Sammy turned and started down the hall. “I can’t say my chili is
award winning, but it did get an honorable mention at the state
fair.”
So
that was how he wanted to play it. Good.
Following
after him while he spoke about the rules of the house and how I
needed to be ready in case emergencies happened in the middle of the
night, I focused on my sense of smell. The only thing that stung my
nose was the scent of alcohol. Not the rubbing kind either.
Sammy
prepared me a small bowl of chili with enough spices to burn a whole
your sinuses. I hardly touched it. While my appetite might have been
human, my tastes was more sensitive than normal when it came to spicy
stuff. Thank goodness there were plenty of delicious corn muffins to
go around.
My
duties were simple. I wasn’t expected to participate in any
life-saving measures, but rather watch Dr. Joss’s back, since most
of his clients were supernaturals. The rest were those who couldn’t
risk a report being filed with the police department. It also meant
that I might have to fly out in the middle of the night or take a
drive with him, since he still believed in house calls. Sammy would
hold down the house and make arrangements, schedules, and contacts as
they were needed. The only thing Sammy asked I do that wasn’t on
the list was keep an open mind. I had no idea what that meant…
…until
we heard a thump from down the hall.
Sammy
hobbled in front of me, hurrying faster than I would’ve thought for
a guy who had recently twisted his knee. When he entered through the
French doors, he muttered a curse before limping into the room.
“A
little help, please?” A female shouted.
A
man lay on the floor with a whiskey bottle a few inches away from his
fingers and alcohol leaking into the carpet. The disheveled guy
looked like he had missed a few days of shaving and couldn’t afford
a comb. His clothes stank of booze and enough mustiness to imply he
had misses a couple of showers, too. He had black, medium-length hair
that looked greasy to the touch and was probably just as neglected as
the rest of him.
Next
to him was a woman with dark blond tresses barely held together with
a messy ponytail and plump lips that didn’t need any lipstick to
stand out. There was something in those dark eyes that pleaded for
help, but at the same time they said she was tired. She wore a pair
of white pants with matching shoes and a black sweater. I bet
anything she was a nurse. Sadly, the man on the floor didn’t need
any medical care.
“Ms.
York,” Sammy said, leaning to pick up the empty bottle. “This is
Macy Innick, our nurse, and the impeccable Dr. Aiden Joss.”
Macy
huffed at the two of us. “A little help here, please?”
I
pointed, unable to take my gaze off my new employer. “This is the
genius who supernaturals trust with their patient confidentiality?”
Macy
managed to get him into a sitting position before glaring bullets
into me. “While he might not be perfect, he’s still brilliant and
your employer.”
I
held up my hands and stepped back. If she wanted to defend him, then
more power to her. If he were my boss, he had better be paying me in
spades, gold doubloons, and diamonds to clean up after his drunken
foolishness. That wasn’t a part of the job description.
Sammy
managed to loop a hand under Joss’s arm. “Believe it or not, his
medical expertise is one area where he’s quite sober, even if the
rest of him isn’t.”
“And
if he should have an emergency tonight, am I supposed to drive him
there in that smashed state?”
He
paused. “I hate to say it, but yeah.”
A
grin splayed my face. “You’re funny.”
I
turned and walked back down the hall, knowing full-well that he was
serious. When I reached the kitchen, I grabbed an extra muffin and my
cup of warm cocoa, and headed upstairs to my room. No way was I
driving that man to his next medical-malpractice suit…assuming he
even made it that far.
About
the Author:
Marcia
Colette didn’t discover her love for reading until her late teens
when she started reading John Saul and progressed to works by Bentley
Little, Stephen King and Laurell K. Hamilton. Her reading tastes
convinced her to write paranormals where curses cause people to shift
into spiders, psychotic and telekinetic mothers are locked away in
attics, and murderous doppelgangers are on a rampage. Let's not
forget about the hunky werecheetah coalitions who live throughout
North Carolina. As long as she can make it believable, that's all
that matters.
Born
and raised in upstate New York, Marcia now lives in North Carolina
with her mom and beautiful daughter. They’re not raising zombies in
the backyard. There aren’t any hellhounds living in the den, only a
rabbit and a cockatiel. So where she gets her ideas is as much a
mystery to her as anyone else.
The
best place to find her--when she's not stirring up trouble--is on her
blog where she loves connecting with readers.
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