Of
Beasts and Bonds
Death
and Destiny Trilogy
Book
2
N.D.
Jones
Genre:
paranormal romance
Publisher:
Kuumba Publishing
Date
of Publication: August 18, 2016
ISBN:
9780997529333
ASIN:
B01FWLXNJG
Number
of pages: 403
Cover
Artist: Maduranga Nuwan
Book
Description:
In
a world of mystery and magic, sometimes old bonds must be broken
before new ones can be formed. Who knew that finding one’s soul
mate would test bonds and unleash beasts?
Mami
Wata and Oya are now free from their watery prison and ready to wage
a battle five hundred years in the making. Special Agent Assefa
Berber and Dr. Sanura Williams are the prophesized Cat and Fire Witch
of Legend. To save the world from Mami Wata, a water goddess with a
bloody thirst for power and an insatiable appetite for death and
destruction, they must defeat her beasts and the Water Witch of
Legend.
Assefa
and Sanura are fully in love but possess only a partial mate bond.
While Sanura has merged their auras, bonding Assefa’s cat spirit to
her, she has yet to accept his claiming bite. Their incomplete mate
bond and their new relationship are tested when Mami Wata sets her
malevolent eyes on them, manipulating beasts, sacrificing humans, and
creating heartache. Can their bond survive, or will they drown under
the vicious tide of godly might?
Excerpt:
With
focused golden eyes, alert gray ears, and keen black snout, the Mngwa
took in his surroundings.
The
prickly grass under his large, wide paws.
The
heat of the midday sun beating down on his thick black-and-gray fur.
The
scent of mullah bamyah—garlic, tomato juice, minced beef, okra,
salt, and pepper.
The
four snarling big cats stalking him.
Scanning
each strong, lithe, and ferocious cat, the Mngwa cataloged their
stance, their position, and the distance between each other and from
the Mngwa. They flanked him, a large cat to his front, rear, and
sides. If the Mngwa could smile, he would have. Foolishly, they
thought their numbers a strategic advantage that would fell the
undefeated Mngwa of myth and legend. Instead of a smile, he snarled,
a baring of elongated teeth.
A
challenge.
The
four cats attacked, their bestial response to his bait.
Four
sets of paws struck the ground, claws digging into grass and dirt,
brawny legs propelling them forward. Razor-sharp teeth bared, husky
growls cut through the muggy June air, and feline eyes glowed with a
premature win.
The
leopard reached the Mngwa first, snapping and going for the bigger
cat’s neck. Not wasting time with the youngest of the four
attackers, the Mngwa sidestepped the snarling, snapping leopard. To
only pivot, turn, and ram the side of the too-slow feline with the
Mngwa’s massive head. Away from the Mngwa the leopard flew, sailing
through the air and crashing to the ground several feet away.
The
three other cats spared no pitying glance to the downed leopard, who
lay on his side, breathing labored and ragged. A sure sign of broken
ribs.
More
growls and snapping, each cat trying for a different part of the
Mngwa’s massive body. The Mngwa was having none of it, so he went
on the offensive. Leaping over the biggest threat, the Bengal tiger,
the Mngwa landed nimbly, then ran straight at the cheetah. Taking the
speckled feline by surprise, the Mngwa powered over the cat, knocking
him down before hauling him up by his scrawny neck and shaking. The
cheetah’s fragile neck was held firm between the Mngwa’s curved
saber-shaped teeth.
When
the Mngwa no longer felt resistance, he opened his deadly jaws and
allowed the cheetah to fall from his brutal clutch and slip, nearly
unconscious, to the waiting grass.
Smack.
Bite.
The
lion and tiger claimed simultaneous strikes on the Mngwa. A swipe
across his hindquarters and a bite to his side. The lion latched onto
the Mngwa, his lethal teeth working to find purchase in the cat of
legend’s winter dense fur and even thicker hide.
Like
the predator he was, the Bengal tiger charged while the Mngwa
grappled with the formidable lion. A mix of yellow-and-orange with
wide dark-brown stripes, the 510-pound tiger landed on top of the
Mngwa. His weight hefty, his claws long, sharp, and dangerous. The
maw that threatened his nape even deadlier.
The
lion kept up his offensive, kept clawing, kept sinking his teeth in
deeper and deeper.
The
Mngwa roared, reared back on his hind legs, forcing the tiger off him
and to the hard ground. With a side dive, the Mngwa dropped the
entirety of his 695 pounds onto the 380-pound lion. His long, dark
mane shot up and out with the force of the attack.
The
downed lion snapped and snarled but didn’t get up. No, with the
Mngwa looming over him, golden eyes marble hard, paw raised, claws
out and within striking range of the lion’s throat, the feline had
only two choices.
One
would see him dead, while the other …
The
lion lowered his eyes, and then his head.
Submission.
Pleased,
the Mngwa shifted his gaze to the tiger, his other senses having
tracked the big cat the entire time.
He
knew it would come down to this—the Mngwa versus the Bengal tiger.
It always did.
The
big cats circled, taking each other’s measure. They searched for an
opening, an opportunity to attack with the least probability of an
effective and bruising counterattack. The combatants knew each other
well—style of combat, defensive and offensive tactics.
Speed,
size, and agility were on the Mngwa’s side. Yet, the toxin from an
animal no longer than an inch, the golden poison frog could kill a
dozen men. Its tiny size and bright colors deceiving. Not, at a
length of 120 inches and 43 inches of shoulder height, with a tail
just as long, there was anything small about the Bengal tiger baring
his gleaming white teeth at the Mngwa.
The
Mngwa underestimated no one—no matter the outward appearance of the
enemy. Even the cat of legend, if incautious, could taste the bitter
tang of defeat. So he watched and waited and plotted the tiger’s
downfall.
The
tiger charged, all muscle and menace. His long, powerful legs ate up
the distance between them, determined copper eyes all for the Mngwa.
The
cat of legend braced himself, choosing to face the big cat head-on.
He wanted this fight, the primal challenge that only a great beast
like the Bengal tiger could give him. A glorious battle of fangs,
fur, and claws that would push, force, and compel the Mngwa to prove
his worth, his manhood, his undisputed dominance as the predator of
predators.
Crash.
The
ground shook - the Mngwa and tiger locked in a feral clench.
Biting.
Clawing.
Pulling.
Strong.
The tiger was so strong. But not strong enough.
The
Mngwa opened his mouth wide and clamped down on fur and flesh. The
neck of his opponent was thick with rigid muscles and delicate veins.
The pulse of the tiger’s life a strong, fast throbbing beat in the
Mngwa’s deadly mouth.
The tiger whimpered
his pain. Neither loud nor long. But enough, enough for the Mngwa’s
ears to detect the effect of his attack. Yet the tiger fought on, as
the Mngwa knew he would. As the Mngwa wanted him to, the tiger too
stubborn, courageous, and fierce to submit so easily.
No,
there was much fight left in the Bengal tiger.
He
swiped at the Mngwa, vicious claws finding vulnerable underbelly and
drawing blood. It hurt, but not enough for the bigger cat to release
his vice grip. The Mngwa sank his teeth deeper into the side of the
tiger’s neck, tasting blood and prideful were-cat magic.
Her
gardenia scent slammed into his senses seconds before the Mngwa and
the tiger were surrounded by a ring of raging fire. Breaking his hold
on the smaller cat, the Mngwa turned to see an angry fire witch
barreling toward them—green eyes cold, red-gold hair and long
striped sundress blowing in a wind that came out of nowhere. Her
deadly focus was all for the Bengal tiger who, unlike when he fought
the Mngwa, trembled with fear.
Lightning
hissed.
Thunder
growled.
And
fire witch magic crackled in the blistering summer air.
Dammit,
he had to do something and fast. Retreating as far as he could go
within the cage of fire, the Mngwa propelled himself forward,
accelerating when he approached the heated barrier and jumped. With
ease, he cleared the four-foot high ring of fire and landed, with an
oompf, on top of a glaring Sanura.
“I
can’t believe you just—”
He
licked her. From the front ring bodice of her green-and-orange
striped dress, up her toned shoulders and around the tie neck, and
into thick hair covering an ear, the Mngwa tasted his witch.
“Get
off me, you big furball. I can’t breathe.”
Satisfied
and comfortable, the Mngwa nuzzled his witch’s face, neck, and her
heaving breasts, unfazed by Sanura’s angry protestations. The only
part of him that pinned the witch down was his massive head and part
of his chest. But, the Mngwa supposed, even that much weight could be
heavy on a woman who, while five-feet-ten-inches tall, weighed no
more than 140 pounds. With a teasing snort that had a lock of her
wavy hair flying upward and out of her eye, the Mngwa decided it best
to give the fire breathing witch some relief.
With
a single thought from Assefa—I’ll take care of our witch, my
friend, go to sleep—the cat gave way to the man. A transformative
effect where fur and hide succumbed to hair and skin, paws and claws
shrank to hands and legs, and golden eyes, muzzle, and fangs
retreated, waning under Assefa’s command.
“Is
that better?” Assefa smiled down at his hot-tempered girlfriend,
right before settling the whole of him on top of the whole of her.
Very
nice. Sanura made for the best mattress—plush, lush and with the
right amount of firmness.
“You’re
naked.” A huffed complaint that did nothing to encourage Assefa to
move off her.
“Of
course. My Mngwa doesn’t like clothing.” He shifted on top of
her, letting Sanura feel just how naked he was. “He thinks pants
are too binding. What do you think?”
She
closed her eyes and shook her head. “I think you need to worry more
about that big damn tiger you were fighting rather than your Mngwa in
boxers.”
About
the Author:
N.
D. Jones lives in Maryland with her husband and two children. She is
the founder of Kuumba Publishing, an art, audiobook, eBook, and
paperback company. Kuumba Publishing is a forum for creativity, with
a special commitment to promoting and encouraging creative works of
authors and artists of African descent.
A
desire to see more novels with positive, sexy, and three-dimensional
African American characters as soul mates, friends, and lovers,
inspired the author to take on the challenge of penning such romantic
reads. She is the author of two paranormal romance series: Winged
Warriors and Death and Destiny. N.D. likes to read historical and
paranormal romance novels, as well as comics and manga.
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/NDJones
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/NDJonesauthor
Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/ndjones001
Tour giveaway
$50 Amazon Kindle gift card, Signed copy of "Of Fear and Faith" and "Of Beasts and Bonds," art print by Najja Creations
$30 Amazon Kindle gift card + eBook copy of "Of Fear and Faith" and "Of Beasts and Bonds"
$20 Amazon Kindle gift card + eBook copy of "Of Beasts and Bonds"
Enter here: https://gleam.io/fb/L7VzF165039160206844
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