NEW RELEASE BLITZ & GIVEAWAY for Second Guessing by Gail Ward Olmsted

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO

SECOND GUESSING!

Second Guessing

A Contemporary Romance

by Gail Ward Olmsted

Release Date: February 5, 2018

Jill Griffin & Ben Fein are meant to be together…said no one ever!

Jill has built a successful career writing romantic ballads for many of today’s top performers. Since the tragic end of her marriage a couple years back, the 40-something single mom has all but abandoned hope for a love story of her own.

Ben is a brash, young boy-band singer seeking a solo career who hires Jill to write for him. He’s got a dark secret from his past that he wants to keep hidden.

The attraction between the two is red-hot and when Ben falls hard for Jill, he doesn’t care who knows it. Jill’s been burned before and wants to take things slow, keeping their relationship out of the glare of the media. After a gossip columnist exposes their affair, she’s forced to decide if she can risk letting go of her past in order to build a life with Ben.

When Ben’s past makes headlines, Jill begins to wonder how well she really knows him. But as Ben climbs to the top of the pop charts, he’s determined to succeed… at convincing Jill to take a second chance on love.

Second Guessing is the love story of Jill and Ben, who are so wrong for each other that they may actually be right!

PURCHASE LINKS

EXCERPT:

Ben popped a dumpling into his mouth and chewed and they grinned at each other happily. They managed to make short work of the appetizers and Jill moaned with pleasure as, after removing the empty plates, their server replaced them with huge bowls of pork fried rice, shrimp lo mein and chicken in a garlicky sauce. Their dinner was served family style, and Jill helped herself to large portions of everything. They ate in companionable silence, punctuated by Jill’s moans of delight as she sampled each dish. After she had eaten most of the food she had taken, she drank some water, and then sat back with a satisfied sigh.

“Carly says I could have a food baby and no one would even notice.” God, where had that come from?

“No one, huh?” he said with a smirk. When he saw Jill blush, he sat back and smiled. “I’m dying to know more about you, Jill Griffin.”

Jill shrugged her shoulders. Always shy and intensely private, she had grown increasingly wary over the years and disliked talking about herself. She had been burned a few times by those claiming to be interested in her, when all the while they only wanted to learn something about James, as if she would relay some juicy bit of gossip about him, posthumously or not.

She knew that since Ben was well on his way to the level of celebrity James had enjoyed, it was highly unlikely Ben had any kind of ulterior motive. He was probably sincere in wanting to get better acquainted with her. But even though she felt comfortable with Ben, she was out of practice with any sort of personal narrative.

“Not much to tell. I was married to James and we had Carly and then James died.”

Ben frowned at her and his brown eyes looked sad. “I’m not asking about Jill the wife or Jill the mother.”

“Well, that’s all there is to me, I’m afraid.” Jill laughed nervously.

Ben was shaking his head at her. “I think you’re wrong. I see so much more than that. I see a beautiful woman. A talented woman. A woman I want to get to know much, much better.” Jill put down the cloth napkin she had been folding and unfolding underneath the table. She had regained some of her self-confidence and she watched him closely as she spoke.

“A mature woman. Ben, I’m 42 years old. I have an 18-year old daughter. I don’t know what you want from me. I’m not a ‘Mrs. Robinson’ okay? You’re so…young,” she ended weakly.

But Ben was not to be put off. “I like you Jill. Yeah, I’m a little younger than you, but so what? Just a number, am I right? I want to know what makes you tick. How you come up with all those amazing song lyrics. What you love, what you wish for. And more than anything, I want to know how it will feel to hold you in my arms. What it will be like to kiss those lips. What you taste like…” He stopped as he noticed Jill was staring at him, open-mouthed. He pushed his chair back and slipped over next to her in the banquette.

Jill needed to say something, before she started kissing him like she had been dreaming about all day.

“I just want to keep this private, okay? I haven’t been with anyone since, well, you know. Carly says she’s ready for me to start dating again, but I’m not at all sure I believe her. You and I kind of work together, and I have to keep it professional. And there’s going to be a big tribute concert for James this fall and there will be a ton of press. I can’t have this, whatever it is, taking center stage. So this is just between us, okay?”

Ben was watching her closely and at his nod of agreement, she continued.

"And just for the record,” she whispered, “I imagine I taste like Whoppers and garlic sauce.”

Ben took her in his arms and just before he started kissing her, he assured her, “That’s my favorite.”

~~~oOo~~~

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

My first visit to Sedona, AZ prompted me to start writing JEEP TOUR, my first novel. I fell in love with the red rocks and blue skies and I couldn’t imagine a better place for a do-over. Second Guessing is my fourth novel and the theme of second chances and fresh starts has stayed with me. A hopeless romantic, I am married to the love of my life. I am mom to two young adults and two crazy cats, and I enjoy reading, boating, music and travel.I am a professor of marketing in the School of Business & Information Technology at Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, MA. I was the recipient of the Deliso Endowed Chair Award and was recognized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’s Department of Higher Education as one of “29 Who Shine”.

Links:
Website: www.GailOlmsted.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gailolmstedauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gwolmsted

~~~oOo~~~

GIVEAWAY!

A $10 Roane Publishing Gift Card!

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Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use a RoanePublishing.com Gift Code.  No purchase necessary, but you must be 18 or older to enter. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter, and announced on the widget. Winner well be notified by emailed and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Roane Publishing's marketing department.

RELEASE LAUNCH of The Coaching Hours by Sara Ney

     

THERE ARE NO DOUCHEBAGS IN THIS STORY. Well, there are, but they’re not who this story is about. This story is about me—the coach’s daughter. When I moved to Iowa to live with my dad, the university's take-no-prisoners wrestling coach, I thought transferring would be easy as pie—living with my father would be temporary, and he'd make sure his douchebag wrestlers left me alone. Wrong on both counts. ASSHOLES ALWAYS COME OUT OF THE WOODWORK WHEN THE STAKES ARE HIGH. A bet is placed, and I'm on the table. After one humiliating night and too much alcohol, I find the last nice guy on campus. And when he offers to rent me his spare bedroom, I go all in. It’s time for the nice guy to finish first. Midnight chats and spilling my problems turn to lingering touches. Lingering touches turn to more. And the ultimate good guy has the potential do more damage than any douchebags ever could.  

AMAZON | AMAZON UK | AMAZON AU

 

 She perks up. “Wait, you’ve never had a back massage?”   “No?”   “Ever?”   “Nope.”   “Well, what the hell? How can I, in good conscience, lie here letting you rub my back when you’ve never had anyone rub yours?” She scoots over, pointing to the mattress. “Lie on your stomach, I’ll do you first.”   I wave my hands in front of me in protest. The last thing I need is her warm hands roaming my body. “No, no, you don’t have to. It’s not a big deal.”   “Are you crazy? Back massages are the best—like, better than an orgasm. You’re first, so lie down.”   “And you call me the bossy one?”   “Quit stalling and get on the bed.”   Obediently, I climb to the middle of my bed in nothing but a pair of gym shorts, legs hanging off the side. Next to me, the mattress dips, Anabelle on her knees, approaching my side.   A finger glides down my spine. “It will be easier for me to do this if I’m sitting on you. Hope that’s okay.”   “Is that the approved method?”   “No, but my arms will get tired if I have to lean over you the whole time.”   “Do whatever then, I don’t care.”   I stiffen when Anabelle swings one leg over my body, straddling my ass. Warm palms at my lower back.   “You’re so tense. Try to relax,” she coos, making it worse. “Tilt your head to the side, that’s it.”   I hear the lotion bottle snap open. Click closed. My roommate’s palms rubbing together, warming it up. “Sorry, I don’t have any actual massage oil. This will have to do.”   When her hands make contact with my back, I almost groan it feels so fucking good. Warm. Smooth. Pressure in all the right places, pushing gently into my muscles.   Slowly.   Slower still, caressing along my shoulders, thumbs and fingers working together to soothe the burning on my right side.   “Doesn’t this feel great?” Her soft voice cuts into the silence. “You’re loosening up. That’s good.”   I feel her leaning as her hands move up and down my spine until they stop, hovering at the base of my neck. Thumbs stroking the skin below my hairline, back and forth.   Kneading.   Her torso dips, hands maneuvering my arms, placing them at my sides. Palms slide up and down my biceps.   For several minutes, she rubs my arms and shoulders. Then she skims down my ribcage unhurriedly, in no rush, making little humming sounds inside her throat.   I know I’m not imagining the feather-light way her hands drift down my spine. I remain still, letting her touch me, basking in it.   Remain still when her lips kiss the tender spot of my shoulder where it meets my neck, nose nuzzling behind my ear, her breasts rubbing against my back and what the fuck was that all about? What does she think she’s doing, trying to drive me insane?          

Sara Ney is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the How to Date a Douchebag series, and is best known for her sexy, laugh-out-loud New Adult romances. Among her favorite vices, she includes: iced latte's, historical architecture and well-placed sarcasm. She lives colorfully, collects vintage books, art, loves flea markets, and fancies herself British. She lives with her husband, children, and her ridiculously large dog.

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REVIEW & GIVEAWAY of Free Fall by Emily Goodwin

Today we have the blog tour of Emily Goodwin’s Free Fall! We’re excited to share this new romance—be sure to check it out and grab your copy today!

Title: Free Fall

Author: Emily Goodwin

Genre: Contemporary Romance

About Free Fall:

I’ll never forget the first time I saw Nora Fisher. The way my heart sped up in my chest and blood rushed through every part of me. I was drawn to her the moment our eyes met. She was beautiful. Guarded. Damaged. Just like me. I never meant to hurt the only woman I’ve ever loved. She was light, and I was dark, casting shadows on everything around me. Letting her go meant spiraling back into the darkness only Nora could pull me from. But I’d sacrifice myself a thousand times for her. Four years later, she’s back, and the passion she ignites makes the fight for her stronger. But the more I try to make things right, the more I realize how complicated things have become. And now I'm starting to see that maybe her light was never meant to be mine. Free Fall is a standalone, contemporary romance.

My Thoughts…

I loved this book.   Nora is a girl, a teenager, yet she is so grown up and mature that I have no doubt she could raise herself.   Yet, she finds foster parents who open their homes and their hearts to her.      She meets Jack, the next door neighbor, and there was no doubt she would be okay.   Life could and will get interesting as it should when you are in high school but together Jack and Nora can handle anything.  

Jack and Nora are amazing.  Their friendship comes at a time in both their lives when they are desperate for someone to pull them out of their dark places into the light.    I can see how their relationship will move forward or at least how I want it to move forward.   Emily Goodwin has other plans for them and they were much better than what I was hoping for.     While both Jack and Nora were forced to grow up quicker than their peers they were still teenagers in high school with teenage problems, teenage friends, and parents with rules.   I liked that this was true to life.    They made mistakes, had rules, and had feelings that were all true to their age.   

This is the perfect emotional, loving, and hope filled story by Emily Goodwin.    I am excited to tell my fellow readers about it and hope they pick up their own copies.  

Thank you InkSlingerPR for a copy of the book for an honest review.

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About the Author:

Emily Goodwin is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of over a dozen of romantic titles. Emily writes the kind of books she likes to read, and is a sucker for a swoon-worthy bad boy and happily ever afters. She lives in the midwest with her husband and two daughters. When she's not writing, you can find her riding her horses, hiking, reading, or drinking wine with friends. Emily is represented by Julie Gwinn of the Seymour Agency.

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AUDIOBOOK REVIEW…Crushing on Love by Melissa Foster

The Bradens at Peaceful Harbor, Book 4

By: Melissa Foster

Narrated by: B.J. Harrison

Series: Love in Bloom, Book 35, The Bradens, Book 16, The Bradens: Peaceful Harbor, MD, Book 4

Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins

Unabridged

Release date: 11-01-16

Language: English

Publisher: Melissa Foster

Publisher's Summary

Steve Johnson is living his life's passion watching over the Colorado Mountains as a ranger and wildlife consultant. But his peaceful life is upended when overzealous and insanely beautiful Shannon Braden flits back into his life after returning from a brief trip home to Maryland. He thought his attraction to her was under control - after all, she's only in Colorado temporarily, and he doesn't do casual affairs.

Shannon's return to Colorado has as much to do with the game of cat and mouse she and Steve have been playing as it does the data she's been hired to collect. But despite her efforts to explore the undeniable heat simmering between them, Steve's intent on keeping his distance.

When a ranch abutting the national park goes up for sale, Steve will do whatever it takes to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. And when all his attempts fail, he's left with no alternative but to follow Shannon's guidance into the online world he abhors in order to raise the funds. The more time they spend together, the deeper their attraction becomes, and a game of cat and mouse turns into an unstoppable connection. But when Shannon's assignment comes to an end, will it mean an end to them, too?

My Thoughts…

If I could choose the perfect voice for Grizz and Shannon BJ Harrison would be it. He has the characters figured out. The feelings and emotions he portrays just using his voices is amazing. 

Anyone who has followed my blog knows that I LOVE Melissa Foster and her Love in Bloom Series. This is my second favorite book in the series, my first being Treat Braden’s book ~Lovers at Heart. Steve.. Oh Steve. I wanted to climb that mountain and give him some company, even though he was seemed to be happy being a loner. I knew he needed company, I knew his soul mate was out there, and I was thrilled when Shannon Braden showed up on his mountain. She is exactly what he needed to shake up his life. 

Shannon Braden is chatty and outgoing, both things Steve Johnson is not. I knew that when I heard Shannon and Steve were going to be together it was going to be fireworks. Melissa Foster did not disappoint. The sparks flew, the heat was obvious, and there was never a doubt that these two were meant to be. Yet, I really enjoyed their honesty and conversations. They put it all on the table, telling what they were each looking for, and what they were willing to give up. These conversations showed just how true and worthy there were of finding each other and their true loves. 

This entire series is full of contemporary romances with amazing characters, wonderful happy ever afters, and hot sex! The characters are realistic and lovable. The settings are always amazing with the stunning mountains, exotic islands, beautiful beaches, and gorgeous ranches. But the best parts of Melissa’s stories are the relationship and friendships. They are the things that readers dream of. 


If there is any doubt… CHECK THIS BOOK OUT! Actually check this entire series out. This is truly a series that can be read in any order. The characters make appearances in each other’s books but each book has a beginning and an ending. There are no cliffhangers. 

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COVER REVEAL of The Secret Thief by Nina Lane

      

 Behind his beautiful eyes Lay a thousand secrets and lies. But my own secrets are all laid bare The twisted reality of a disgraceful affair. I once deciphered the mysteries hidden in art Then mistakes and desire tore me apart. Now I'm shipwrecked at the end of the earth Desperate again to prove my worth. The lighthouse keeper is a stranger to me Yet one night with him sets me free. We find ourselves united by the stars above Both of us needing the salvation of love. Until our secrets and shame continue to build And what was flourishing will soon be killed.

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New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Nina Lane writes hot, sexy romances about professors, bad boys, candy makers, and protective alpha males who find themselves consumed with love for one woman alone. Originally from California, Nina holds a PhD in Art History and an MA in Library and Information Studies, which means she loves both research and organization. She also enjoys traveling and thinks St. Petersburg, Russia is a city everyone should visit at least once. Although Nina would go back to college for another degree because she's that much of a bookworm and a perpetual student, she now lives the happy life of a full-time writer. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter  

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY…Still Me by Jojo Moyes

Hardcover, 400 pages

Expected publication: January 30th 2018 by Pamela Dorman Books

In STILL ME, Lou arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this cross-Atlantic adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. Before she knows what’s happening, Lou is mixing in New York high society, where she meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. As Lou tries to keep the two sides of her world together, she finds herself carrying secrets—not all her own—that cause a catastrophic change in her circumstances. When matters come to a head, she has to ask herself, Who is Louisa Clark?  And how do you reconcile a heart that lives in two places?

Going back to the heart of what made Me Before You an international bestseller, STILL ME carries the same mixture of levity and weight of Moyes’s previous books while exploring a city that presents new emotional, familial, and moral challenges. Moyes is an expert at capturing a full range of emotion while never ceasing to entertain and delight readers. 

Jojo Moyes’s profile is at an all-time high with worldwide sales of Me Before You and After You at nearly seventeen million copies. Her works are available in a staggering 43 foreign languages and have sold twenty-nine million copies in total worldwide. Readers across the globe are enchanted by Lou’s story, and this newest installment brings her tale to even greater heights as she is pushed into a brand new world.

My Thoughts…

Lou is now in New York.     This is a huge step in her life.   She has moved across the ocean to start her life over.     She is making new friends and finding her way.    She is saying YES to life, per Will’s lesson.    I love how she has moved on with her life and not in a small way.    I found it interesting how someone can come to the NY and fit in so seamlessly.    She fell in with the family she was working for, walked the streets of NY, made friends, and found a way to live again.   There were a few stumbles, a few hiccups, but mostly she made the most of the opportunity she was given.    I would love to have her guts and grit to take on a world that is so unknown to her.  

Still Me is a fast, uplifting book.     I hoped for the best for Lou, I wanted her to succeed, and I needed her to finally find her happy ever after.   Would she finally get it in NY or would she need to head back to the UK? 

I loved this book and this series.    Jojo Moyes is certainly a must read author for me.   I recommend picking up your own copy right away and getting to know Louisa Clark.  

Thank you Brianna Linden from Viking/Penguin for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Purchase your own copy at AMAZON or BARNES ANDNOBLE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jojo Moyes is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of After You, Me Before You, Paris for One and Other Stories, The Horse Dancer, One Plus One, The Girl You Left Behind, The Last Letter from Your Lover, Silver Bay, and The Ship of Brides. She lives with her husband and three children in Essex, England.

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COVER REVEAL of Savage Prince by Meghan March

     

Who knew things could get even darker and dirtier in New Orleans? New York Times bestselling author Meghan March introduces the Savage Prince of the city, the man you never want to meet.

I do what I want and who I want. I don’t follow anyone’s rules—even my own. I knew I shouldn’t touch her, but it didn’t stop me. Didn’t stop me the second time either. Only made me want a third. My lifestyle suits the savage I am, and she doesn’t. But Temperance Ransom is my newest addiction, and I’m nowhere near ready to quit her yet. I’ll have her my way, even if it means dragging her into the darkness. Hopefully it doesn’t kill us both.

Savage Prince is book one of the Savage Trilogy, set in the same world as Ruthless King, however you do not need to read the Mount Trilogy to devour this scandalously hot new story.

 

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A New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty novels, Meghan March has been known to wear camo face paint and tromp around in woods wearing mud-covered boots, all while sporting a perfect manicure. She’s also impulsive, easily entertained, and absolutely unapologetic about the fact that she loves to read and write smut. Her past lives include slinging auto parts, selling lingerie, making custom jewelry, and practicing corporate law. Writing books about dirty talking alpha males and the strong, sassy women who bring them to their knees is by far the most fabulous job she’s ever had. Sign up for Meghan's newsletter and receive exclusive content that she saves for her subscribers: http://meghanmarch.com/subscribe To get the inside scoop on a daily basis, search Meghan March's Runaway Readers on Facebook and join the fun.

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SPOTLIGHT TOUR & GIVEAWAY of The Last Wolf by Maria Vale

Series: The Legend of All Wolves #1

Pub Date: February 6, 2018

ISBN: 9781492661870

For three days out of thirty, when the moon is full and her law is iron, the Great North Pack must be wild.

If she returns to her Pack, the stranger will die.

But if she stays…

Silver Nilsdottir is at the bottom of her Pack’s social order, with little chance for a decent mate and a better life. Until the day a stranger stumbles into their territory, wounded and beaten, and Silver decides to risk everything on Tiberius Leveraux. But Tiberius isn’t all he seems, and in the fragile balance of the Pack and wild, he may tip the destiny of all wolves…

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Maria Vale is a journalist who has worked for Publishers Weekly, Glamour magazine, Redbook, the Philadelphia Inquirer. She is a logophile and a bibliovore and a worrier about the world. Trained as a medievalist, she tries to shoehorn the language of Beowulf into things that don't really need it. She currently lives in New York with her husband, two sons and a long line of dead plants. No one will let her have a pet. Visit her at https://www.mariavale.com/.

LETTER TO THE READER

Dear (Potential) Reader,

There is so much vying for your attention, I'm grateful you’ve read even this far.

            I know I’m asking a lot from you.

            I’m asking you to take time with a new writer when there are so many great ones already out there.

            I’m asking you to take a chance on a new direction in a well-loved genre, in which the wolf is not a vicious beast to be subjugated and feared, but rather the human form is a useful tool for protecting the wilder self.

            In this reworking, werewolves fall into two categories: Pack, who must be wolves for three days out of every thirty—self-aware wolves, but not magic, any bullet can kill them. And Shifters, who don’t have to change and so remain human, the apex predator, rather than wolf, the maligned and despised outsider. 

            Still like any romance, its foundation is in the growing love between two characters: the worldly half-Shifter Tiberius who hates the wolf inside him as bestial and monstrous. And the unworldly Silver, who is fully Pack and believes her wild self to be sacred. 

            Silver is a runt with a displaced hip when she is a wolf and in a society that determines position by fighting wild, this means she is at the bottom of the hierarchy—the last wolf.  Tiberius, however, discovers real strength in her perseverance and fierceness. For her part, Silver recognizes something about him: that by denying his wild, Tiberius has sown the roots of despair.

            But this is not only a love story between two people, it’s also a love story about the Great North Pack, because despite our fascination with lone wolves, it is the pack that really defines this most social of all animals.

             I imagined the Great North as something beyond family or community, something tight- knit and loving and brave and frightened. And intensely vulnerable. I imagined, like most embattled societies, the pack would be very conservative, with a traditional culture, a history, a language that was part of its identity. I chose to base that culture loosely (very loosely) on the world of 9th century England, partly because I love the sound of the language of Beowulf. To me, it is gruff and beautiful and haunting, like a wolf’s howl. But also because 9th century England was a place of great insecurity. One never knew when Northmen might show up and destroy everything you loved.

            It was the Great North’s first Alpha, Ælfrida, who forced her pack to change. With humans decimating the forests of England, she dragged her pack from the Old World to the vast forests of northern New York, she re-wrote laws in order to allow new wolves to join their bloodlines, she forced her wolves to leave their isolated territories, so that they could learn human ways and protect the Pack using human law.

            What results is a society that is both human and decidedly not, both harsh and loving, severe and tender.  The way I imagined wolves fighting daily for their lives would be.

            I have loved every minute of researching and writing these books. I can only hope that you will enjoy reading them. 


                                                                      Stay wild,

                                                                        Maria 

EXCERPT

The day of the first waxing crescent of fall is when all of the wolves who live on the Homelands traditionally run the perimeter and make sure that our land is properly marked before the ground freezes and damaged posts become hard to replace.

The entire Pack is wild. Barking and wagging tails, they lick each other and jump around each other, their ferocious jaws open and gentle. They chase mice through windrows, their hind legs scratching leaves into a brightly colored explosion high in the air, so that the pups can twist and turn and catch them in snapping teeth as they spiral down.

Not me. I have to pull on heavy muck boots over thick socks with jeans shoved inside. And I won’t mark our territory the way wolves are supposed to. I will mark it on an iPhone 6 Plus, crammed into the big pocket of a thick orange vest. All because Ti refuses to phase and John doesn’t like it.

“He tells himself he’s human,” John says. “But if he lies to himself, what makes you think he’s not going to lie to us?”

So because I am Ti’s schildere, I have to stay in skin too. Keep an eye on him.

“I mean, what were you thinking?” I ask as Ti fits the Outlast cap over his clipped skull. “When you came to a bunch of wolves asking for protection. That you’d just keep on being a human? Was that your grand plan?”

“I didn’t have a grand plan. What I had was a hole in my stomach, a vague set of directions to my mother’s pack, and a need to survive. I changed long enough to fight; I never thought you’d be asking me to give up my humanity.”

“No one’s asking you to give up your humanity, but if you refuse to admit what you are, it is going to rise up and bite you in the ass.”

“Well, how about you?”

“Me? I love changing. I—”

“I know you love changing. You do it all the time. The second Sten doesn’t need your thumbs, you evaporate, and there’s nothing left but clothes hanging from a branch. I may be a crappy wolf. But you… You’re a crappy human.”

I cringe, because he’s right. I’ve never been happy in skin, but then those stupid fire fairies burrowed into my body all those days ago, and that spark has caught fire and burns so fierce that now when I walk beside him and hear his quiet, low voice or look into those gold-flecked black eyes, my tendons strain and my muscles coil and my lungs open up and my blood beats hot and fast. The only way I know how to deal with need is to run hard and far until I collapse, unable to feel anything at all.

A brindle pup barks worriedly at my feet. All of the other wolves have disappeared, fading like a whisper in the woods.

“I know, Leelee. We’re coming.”

“She’s going with us?” Ti asks.

“We’re supposed to take her along. Help her learn the farther reaches of the Homelands.” Leelee scampers on ahead, leaping awkwardly over a huge downed log and sliding down the other side, her fur covered in the sooty brown decay.

Ti clears it in one stride and stands close, not helping me exactly, but I know if I falter, his big shoulder is there for me to grab on to. I make it by myself, but I appreciate his silent gesture.

Leelee watches, her head cocked to the side, as I take a running jump over one of the numerous small, mucky streams that crisscross our land. I slip down the other side, my foot sinking into a soft bruise in the moss. She yips and worries, waiting for me to pull my boot out with a dull sucking sound.

I lift her up and give her an open-jawed kiss on her ear, but she sees a squirrel and won’t stop squirming until I set her down.

“No farther than the Stones, Leelee.”

When we finally catch up, she’s clambering over the variously sized rocks that form rough circles around the ancient central stones. Over the years, the circle has encroached farther and farther into the forest, surrounding the trees.

Leelee marks one of the stones.

“What is this?” Ti asks.

“It’s, um…the Gemyndstow? The memory place? But we just call it the Stones.”

“Like a graveyard?”

“Graveyards are for bodies, aren’t they?”

“Yes.”

“So, no. Coyotes eat our dead. That’s why we call them wulfbyrgenna. Wolf tombs. The stones are only for wolf names and the date of their last hunt so that we can remember.”

When Ti crouches down and looks at one near the front, Leelee runs up to him and looks too, trying to figure out why it is so interesting.

As soon as he stands, she marks that one too.

An ill-advised squirrel runs across the outer rim of the Stones, and Leelee turns quickly to run after it, the wind tickling her fur and the scent in her nose. I know that feeling of taking it all in—moldering pine needles, owl pellets, borer beetle, tree sap, two-year-old porcupine den, sassafras bush—until the scent of prey hits you right in the back of the throat and everything tenses and you chase, even if your tummy’s little and full and all you really want is for the thing, whatever it is, to escape so you don’t have to eat it, but still you can’t help but hunt.

She peels off after her squirrel, looking behind to make sure we’re watching.

The squirrel chitters at her from the safety of a maple. Ti stares, his hands fisted by his sides, as Leelee scampers and bounds and falls on her back and twists her little legs in the air, her belly dotted with leaf litter. A tiny furrow cuts through his usually impassive brow, and his mouth, while still tightly closed, turns down a little at the corners. His wild—that seductive scent of crushed bone and evergreen—radiates thicker now, and when I touch his arm, he jolts as if from a waking dream and blinks down at me, looking in this moment like a lost boy.

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