Mary Rundle has a new paranormal MM romance audiobook out: Shadow Voice. And there’s a giveaway!
The Blackwood Pack saga continues…
This is part of an on-going series and reading the previous titles is advised. Readers of the past books will enjoy meeting old friends once more as the pack does what it does best ̶ caring for each other.
Slate, one of the last Dire Wolves, has carved out a life which suits him fine—plenty of traveling to exotic locations and an abundance of one night stands to handle his needs. While he’s happy for his brother, who has found his Fated Mate, Slate isn’t interested in finding his—at least not for a long time. That is, until his body betrays him. Seeking his mother’s help—who is an Oracle—Slate pays a visit to the Blackwood Pack where he finds the Fates have once again, messed with his life.
Dakota, the chef for the Blackwood Pack, fell in love with cooking as a young child and ultimately the kitchen became a place of refuge for him. Suffering with a ‘curse’ through much of his childhood, he relied heavily on his mother’s help to deal with it. After the massacre of his mother and siblings by their greedy uncle, Dakota barely survives, but finally forges a life for himself, content to stay home and take care of the people he loves.
A long-hidden secret, rejection of a mate, acceptance of rare gifts, and a brutal kidnapping are just some of the obstacles Dakota and Slate must battle together to save their relationship. As the pack rallies around them, both must learn to trust the other before they can find the happiness that the Fates have ordained for them.
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Giveaway
Mary is giving away an Amazon gift card and a Blackwood Pack Pub Mug with this tour:
a Rafflecopter giveawayDirect Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47188/?
Exclusive Excerpt
Hi, I’m Mary Rundle and thank you so much for hosting me today as part of my audiobook blog tour for Shadow Voice, Book 5 in the Blackwood Pack series and narrated by the award-winning Nick J. Russo. Today I have an exclusive excerpt from the book in which Dakota and Slate eventually find their HEA after a story full of startling twists, turns, and adventures. Please enjoy!
“Not sure, but I think he ran because he doesn’t want me as his mate.” Slate hung his head in shame, though why he felt that way was a mystery.
Oh shit! Slate is meant for Dakota? This has heartbreak written all over it. “Slate, are you Dakota’s Fated Mate?” Jackson asked softly.
“Yes, but he rejected me,” Slate answered. “Don’t ask me why because I just don’t know. He’s never met me before, we barely talked…”
He knew why his brother was freaking out but Slate would have to find that out for himself if there was any hope of the mating working. “Have you talked to your mother about this?”
“Yes. She told me I couldn’t claim him until she told my mate about the gift the Fates would give him. I promised I wouldn’t.”
“So you still want to claim him?”
Looking up, Slate stared at Jackson. “Of course I do. He’s my mate…the one the Fates chose for me.”
“Did she tell you anything else regarding the Fates and their gift?”
“Noooo, just that she had to talk to him.”
Jackson sighed. Oh joy! I get to be the harbinger of bad news. “Did Steel ever tell you what happened when he met me?”
Slate thought about Jackson’s question. “Not really…just that he found his mate.”
“Steel stopped to help me after I was robbed of everything and left naked on the side of the road. As soon as he got out of his truck, I knew he was my mate. Yet I hid that knowledge from him in order to protect my pack. After he dropped me off at a gas station, he left and I went home to my brothers. I kept it from them because I thought I was doing the right thing…putting my pack first. That’s when the pain started, and it grew worse until I agreed to claim your brother. The reason I’m telling you this is because Dakota is going through the same stuff right now and it will only get worse.”
Slate’s wolf howled, hearing their mate was in pain, and tried to surge forward, wanting to track him down. Keeping control, but just barely, Slate swore he could feel Dakota’s pain, clutching his chest as his own pain got worse. Thinking over what Jackson told him, he got the feeling there was more to this. “If Dakota is in pain, why did he run from me? He doesn’t have a pack to protect so why reject me?”
Rubbing his hands over his face in frustration, Jackson knew why but he couldn’t tell the man sitting in front of him. Sometimes being Alpha really sucks. Well, I better tell him the rest. “That’s a question you should ask Dakota. Slate, I’m going to tell you the same thing your mother told me when I told her why I had rejected Steel. She said the Fates gave me a choice of whether I wanted to be claimed or not…”
“You mean Dakota can decide he doesn’t want me as a mate?” Slate asked, hurt coming through his voice.
“Yes he can, just as you can reject him, but the pain won’t go away for either of you, it will only get worse…”
“What the fuck is that shit? Sounds like blackmail to me!” exclaimed Slate.
“Maybe, but the Fates gave that choice to each of you because the gift Dakota will receive has only been given to one other Alpha…me…and they want to make sure both of you are committed to each other.”
“So Dakota can reject me!”
“Yes, he can, but there is a price to be paid for that choice.”
“A price? What kind of a price?”
“You or he would have to die. It’s the only way the pain will end.”
Stunned into silence, Slate sat still, frozen in a world that had gone crazy. His mind went blank as he heard his heart cry out in pain, and at that moment, his wolf decided to take matters into his own paws, surging forth, refusing to wait any longer to find his mate.
In a heartbeat, Steel was in Jackson’s study, shifting and snarling at his brother’s wolf. A warning howl echoed through the room as Steel’s wolf leapt between his mate and Slate’s wolf.
Before Jackson could use his Alpha power, Slate’s wolf turned, running through the open door, seeking his mate, wherever he might be. Ignoring the people in the great room, his wolf ran, looking for a way out of the house. Suddenly, his wolf scented fresh air and headed toward it, finding the front door held open by his father. Bounding through it, Slate’s wolf quickly picked up his mate’s trail and followed it.
Tour Excerpt
The sounds of the forest faded as Dakota lost himself in the pleasure of kissing his mate’s soft but firm lips—that was, until the sound of his growling stomach broke the spell. Breaking off the kiss, an embarrassed Dakota said, “Uhm, sorry, I haven’t eaten since this morning.”
“Babe, mine has been growling too; I haven’t eaten since last night. Didn’t you hear it?”
Dakota shook his head. “I guess I was a little preoccupied,” he said, shyly. Glancing around the glen, he realized how late it was. “Holy shit! I have to get home and make dinner!” Dakota said, stumbling, as he tried to get up.
“Whoa! Trust me…my mother has made dinner for everyone, well, except for us.”
“But Jackson will worry why I’m staying out so late. I never told anyone where I was going.”
Grabbing Dakota’s hand, he pulled him back down beside him. “No he won’t, because I told him where you were and he knows I was headed out to find you.”
“Did you tell him we’re mates?”
“Yes, do you have a problem with that?”
Sighing, Dakota shook his head. “Not really. It would’ve come out sooner or later anyway.”
The resignation in Dakota’s voice wasn’t reassuring but Slate decided to not worry about it right now; instead he wanted to get his mate back to the house and then, feed him. “Why don’t we head back and I’ll make you something for dinner.”
Dakota’s face brightened. “That’s right, Colton told me you like to cook. Okay, do you want to shift and run back or walk back?”
“I’d prefer to walk back with you in the moonlight, if that’s all right.”
Dakota thought it over and decided he really did want to spend more time with his mate. He knew they needed to talk about having pups and all of that, but right now, he just wanted a moonlight stroll with Slate. “That’s fine, I’d rather do that too,” he said, rising to his feet again, and offering his mate a hand.
Grabbing it, Slate rose, and slinging the empty backpack over his shoulder, led Dakota down the mountain on the dirt path he’d followed when he was searching for him. “I’m hoping you know the way back.”
“Yup…just follow this path until you get to a fork, then take the one to the right and it’ll lead us back to the house.”
Walking in silence for a few minutes, Slate wished they were already mated so at least he could know what his mate was thinking, but he knew it would take some time before that happened because of the promise he made to his mother.
“Was Jackson angry I left?” asked Dakota, worrying about what he would find at home.
Slate stopped, turned around so he was facing Dakota, then grasping his other hand, he looked intently at his mate. “Not at all. Please stop worrying about it. I told Jackson you were my Fated Mate and I wanted to claim you, but I told you I won’t do that until you agree, okay?”
Dakota stared at his mate’s face, loving how the moonlight highlighted Slate’s features. Nodding slowly, he felt his worry disappear as his body was flooded with his mate’s love. Smiling in response, he said, “You know when you do that, it makes it so easy for me to forget everything except you.”
Growling his approval, Slate said, “Good, now let’s go so I can show off my cooking skills.”
Giggling in response, Dakota happily followed his mate. “Tell me more about the trouble you got into as a pup.”
Snorting, Slate said, “Only if you promise never to tell anyone what a complete shit I was back then. Sometimes when I think back about all the crap I pulled, I’m amazed my parents still speak to me now after surviving my youth. Half of it was spent going to bed early as punishment and my poor brother spent half his youth trying to talk me out of my crazy ideas. By the way, he never did…the best he could hope for was getting me to make a few changes in the interests of protecting me from the danger that made my ideas so cool.”
“Did he get punished too?”
“Sometimes, but usually when he came up with his own ideas,” Slate said, laughing. “My mother told my father I was a bad influence on Steel the time we took her car and drove it into town so we could go to the fair.”
“Why, cause you didn’t get permission?”
Smiling broadly, Slate said, “No, though we didn’t do that either. My parents were furious because Steel was only twelve.”
“Twelve? Holy shit! Now I know why you didn’t ask.”
“Right. We knew what the answer would’ve been even though my brother could drive very well. The funny thing, it was actually my brother’s idea to drive us and, of course, I was all for it.”
“What was the big deal about the fair?”
“We heard there’d be lions and elephants and since we’d never seen any, Steel thought it’d be the only time we’d have a chance to. So off we went and had a fucking good time eating all the different foods and going on rides. We never did see any animals, but the fun we had playing the games…and winning…made up for it. You know, if it weren’t for the games, we’d have gotten away with it.”
“I don’t get it. How could games give you away?”
Author Bio
The first book I ever wrote was Dire Warning in 2017 and, much to my delight, it became an Amazon Best-Seller. Readers loved it and I was on my way to chronicling the Blackwood Pack, seven brothers who are gay wolf shifters in search of their fated mates—stories about love at first sight with twists and turns, angst and humor, romance and adventure and, of course, happy endings.
As my books began to be translated into other languages, I also became an Amazon International Best-Selling author and then achieved the honor of becoming an Amazon All Star due to their popularity. My tenth book, Darkness Master has just been published and audible versions of the entire series are in progress.
I love the M/M paranormal genre because it gives my imagination a lot of territory in which to roam. My mind can really run wild and come up with some amazing stuff when it doesn’t have to stay inside the box.
My readers tell me they feel like they’re members of the pack as the stories unfold…as if they’re right there in the middle of the action. Others tell me it’s like watching a fast-paced movie. My writing style pulls no punches…readers love it and are always clamoring for the next book.
Stories come to me as if channeled by my characters, all of whom I love (except for a few villains). They are eager to recount their lives, loves and adventures and are not inhibited when it comes to revealing steamy, sexy details.
I currently live in the Northeast and love the beautiful change of seasons, my husband, and our quirky calico cat, though not necessarily in that order. I’m always happy to hear from my readers and can be reached through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or my website.
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