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Snake Charmer
Ellora's Cave
ISBN: 9781419915567
Genre: Shape-shift/Paranormal/Quickie
Format: e-Book
At an open-air
market, a lavish red scarf adorned with a beautiful
garnet catches Berlin’s attention, to the point of
obsession.
She hears a deep male’s voice, rich and
seductive, taunting her to buy the luxurious item. Using
the last of her money she
purchases the scarf, and takes it home, unaware it is merely an
illusion. Faotin
finally escapes a darkness that has plagued
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him for years. He knows
his only chance at freedom is to break the curse of the garnet
and sever the ties created by Eclipse, a vicious Naga
queen who used him for her own pleasure. Faotin’s plan is to
seduce and kill a naïve woman, but everything changes
as Berlin’s warmth and alluring beauty thaw his cold, vengeful
heart.
As
Berlin and Faotin give into their heated passion, they both
realize there is more to their feelings than either dares admit.
While Berlin charms the handsome shape-shifting snake of a man,
the wicked Naga queen, Eclipse, prepares for one final deadly
strike.
“Mistress of
the imagination without boundaries.”
Two Lips Reviews
Her body relaxed
into the mattress as she closed her eyes. A short nap would do her
good and help clear her mind. She pulled the scarf from her face and
let her fingers fall open.
Somewhere between
a sleepy haze and consciousness, soft flutters of desire flickered
between her legs, gently arousing her. With eyes half open, she
glanced down to see the scarf loosely coiled around her thigh,
disappearing beneath her slip. She blinked and looked again, this
time more aware of the object. A shiny red snake slithering along
her skin. Goosebumps raked her back. Its black eyes watched her
intently. Tongue flickering from its thin mouth, tasting air and
then disappearing again.
The snake raised
its head and moved side to side like a pendulum. Berlin tried to
look away but couldn’t unlock her gaze. The same garnet she’d seen
on the scarf illuminated from the snake’s forehead, right above its
eyes.
Berlin.
She recognized
the voice she’d heard earlier as it echoed around her room. Her
eyelids lazed to half-mast as fatigue infected her body. All her
internal coaxing couldn’t shift her gaze away from the garnet.
Don’t be
afraid.
The low, ethereal
voice stilled her fears.
In frozen
fascination she watched its mouth open. Ivory fangs sparkled like
stars against a moonless sky. Berlin waited for the ultimate pain as
its fangs broke her skin, but it didn’t strike. Instead, the snake
grew in length beside the bed, becoming an impossible size. Its
tongue flickered, a faint hiss barely audible. Transfixed, she
watched the red shiny layers of the snakeskin split, and a handsome
man took its place.
Berlin drew a
breath inward. Why didn’t she scream? Why wasn’t she afraid? She
stared into his blazing emerald eyes, searching for any rhyme or
reason why she didn’t scream bloody murder and kick him in the
balls. But she couldn’t concoct a reason. An unbelievable calm
settled over her, seeping into her blood and veins. Complete and
absolute tranquility. Her body grew so light she wondered if she’d
float right off the bed.
The same desire
she’d felt when she’d first seen the scarf carried over and filled
her with a wanton lust. Fear refused to surface. All she could
summon up was an undeniable yearning. A rapacious desire to be
intimate with this man. To let his lips part hers. She focused on
his lips, set in a firm stance with a strong jaw. Long, dark hair
caped his prominent shoulders. His captivating eyes were framed with
dark lashes, and in the middle of his forehead, the garnet,
identical to the one she’d seen on both the scarf and snake.
From the neck up
he looked like an Indian prince, regal and proud. Berlin wet her
lips and allowed her gaze to follow the muscular curve of the man’s
arms, chest, and stomach, and casually dipped low enough to see him
dressed in nothing but a white cloth trimmed in gold. In a brusque
voice, he greeted her.
“Hello, Berlin.”
“How do you know
my name?” Her voice sounded far away.
He smiled
briefly, his eyes sparkling. “I know many things about you.”
Was it possible
she’d spoken to this man and couldn’t remember? It didn’t seem like
something she would do. “Did I invite you in?”
“Yes, you brought
me to your home. You couldn’t wait to be alone with me.”
She snickered at
his air of confidence. “What do you think you know about me?”
Face lowered, he
gazed directly into her eyes. “I know exactly what it is your heart
desires. I can sate your appetite more times in one night than a
thousand men put together. I’m willing to prove it right now.”
His seductive
words stroked her in places that had shut out all signs of affection
and pleasure.
“Now beautiful.
Will you let me show you?”
Her body answered
with a liquid sigh. Yes she wanted him. Only him.
Copyright 2007 Ann Cory
