QSFer Layla Dorine has a new MM paranormal shifter book out, Comet Lake Chronicles book 1: Waiting for Raine.
Every Gathering, Raine hides from potential mates, knowing that in a society where tri-bonds were the expectation, a wolf wanting a mate all to themselves was an anomaly.
Enter Gabriel. They’d met two years before, both left disappointed when no bondmark appeared on their wrists at that time. Gabriel’s been hunting, but there’s been no sign of Raine, outside of the one brief visit that didn’t end the way he’d hoped for.
Fast forward to the present Gathering. He’s stumbled onto Aiden, a wolf miserable in his own pack due to the way he’s treated. Born with a disability, he knows he can’t keep up, but no one has taken the time to teach him where his true potential lies—until Gabriel that is. Gabriel’s protective instincts kick in almost immediately.
Now Gabriel has one wolf he desperately wants to care for and another who has been hiding from him. Unfortunately, it might not be a challenge Gabriel is up for.
Warning: Depictions of past child abuse and violence.
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Excerpt
“So this is where you disappeared to,” Aiden said when he reached him. “Wow, it’s beautiful down here.”
“Yeah.”
For a moment, Aiden just took it all in, before he spotted the cooler on the other side of the river.
“How many have you caught so far?”
“Four. I want six—figure I’ll make them for supper tonight,” Raine replied.
“Oh.”
Aiden was chewing his bottom lip, like something was wrong, and he didn’t quite know how to spit it out.
“It’s okay if you don’t like fish,” Raine told him.
“It’s not that. I love fish, but Gabriel’s moms invited us over for dinner tonight so I could finally meet them,” Aiden explained, disappointment and regret rolling off him.
Ahh, so that was it. The welcome to the family meal, the one Raine wasn’t invited to because no one outside of the three of them even knew he was here.
“Hey, it’s all good; the fish are on ice. They can stay that way for another day; it won’t hurt them any. I’ll cook them tomorrow.”
Aiden shifted his weight a bit, leaning a little more on the cane. “I just hate that we’re leaving you home alone. It isn’t fair.”
“But it is my fault,” Raine explained, trying to unruffle his feathers. “Besides, I have no interest in being in a crowded room with strangers. I’d much rather be out here.”
Glancing past him, Aiden’s brow furrowed. “I don’t see a pole.”
“I don’t need one.”
“Then how…”
Raine waved his hands at him, and Aiden’s eyes went wide.
“Seriously?”
“Seriously,” Raine said. “Want to try?”
“Me?” Aiden scoffed. “I can’t even get across the river.”
“Oh, really?” Glancing behind him at the rock path, Raine was suddenly hit with an idea. “Will you trust me to get you across without falling in?”
Aiden glanced from the path to him, nibbling his lip again. “Do you really think you can?”
“No,” Raine said. “I know I can.”
“Then let’s do this,” Aiden said.
“Okay, hold out your arms.” Raine instructed, grasping on to them, helping Aiden form a frame for balance. Slowly, Raine backed onto the first rock and then the second, guiding Aiden to follow.
“Step, now step together,” Raine told him, leading him across the rocks to the bank on the other side.
“Holy shit, how can you just walk across backward and never look to see where the next stone is?”
Chuckling, Raine walked beside Aiden to the large, flat rock he’d been fishing from. “I’m a wild thing, remember. Learning the terrain backward and forward is just part of survival, especially when it’s so close to the house.”
“Exactly how much time have you been spending out here?”
Raine shrugged because time seemed to stand still when he was in the woods. “You guys have your thing in the office. I have my thing out here. Sunshine, fresh air, napping in a bed of leaves. What more could any wolf want?”
“I guess, when you put it that way, I can see the appeal.”
Raine sat, before sprawling out on his belly, leaving Aiden plenty of space beside him. “Get comfortable. Hands out. And relax.”
Settling in beside him, Aiden reached out, not quite as far as he needed to, so Raine reached over, gently correcting him.
“You know how bugs skim the surface of the water? Well, that’s what I do with my fingers, just one, and watch as the fish come by. When I see one big enough, I reach in and snag it. They’re kind of slimy and wiggle around a lot. Just keep a tight hold once you grab one.”
“Somehow, I don’t see myself actually being able to get my hands on one,” Aiden remarked.
“See, the first step is in changing the way you think. You have to stare in there and know for certain that you’re not going away empty-handed. The rest is just instinct.”
“We’ll see,” Aiden said. “I’ve never had much of an opportunity to test my hunting instincts.”
“Guess what? You do now.”
Silently, they waited, a few tiny fins swimming past. Raine could feel Aiden tense, just a little, and reached out mentally to help him keep calm.
“Every move you make can create vibrations. We might not feel them, but the fish can,” Raine said. “Your shoulders are tense. Exhale. Let your body relax until the only things you’re aware of are the rock beneath you, the wind around you, and the fish below you.”
“Told you I can’t do this.”
“And I told you that you can.”
Slowly, he sensed Aiden growing more and more relaxed beside him, one finger tracing a zigzag pattern on the water’s surface. Small silver fish swam past. This time, Aiden didn’t twitch. An undersized bass followed, before they noticed a larger shape.
“Remember, use your instincts,” Raine thought to Aiden, who reached, seconds later, trying to grasp the fish. He came up empty-handed, except for a couple scales caught beneath his nails.
“I-I touched it,” Aiden thought, excitement radiating off him.
“Yup, and next time, you’ll catch it.”
They resumed their wait, watching the activity beneath the water: little snails and mudbugs moving around among the muck and rocks.
I want to watch you catch one, Aiden thought. Glancing over at him, Raine saw Aiden watching him intently.
If you insist, Raine thought back, grinning.
Focus. Relax. There was clover nearby, wild onions too. Beneath his finger, the feel of the water cool against his skin. Every sense open, grounding him in the moment. His eyes, the fish, his hands, movement without thought. Instinct. He drew his hands from the river, holding the fish.
“That was outstanding!” Aiden declared. “You had the fish before my brain registered that there was one.”
“That’s what I meant by trusting your instincts,” Raine explained as he dealt with the fish. “Processing what you’re seeing takes time, and it can cost you your prey. React to the motion. Be one with the moment. Now I want to see you catch one.”
“I’ll do my best,” Aiden replied.
“I know you will.”
Author Bio
LAYLA DORINE lives among the sprawling prairies of Midwestern America, in a house with more cats than people. She loves hiking, fishing, swimming, martial arts, camping out, photography, cooking, and dabbling with several artistic mediums. In addition, she loves to travel and visit museums, historic, and haunted places.
Layla got hooked on writing as a child, starting with poetry and then branching out, and she hasn’t stopped writing since. Hard times, troubled times, the lives of her characters are never easy, but then what life is? The story is in the struggle, the journey, the triumphs and the falls. She writes about artists, musicians, loners, drifters, dreamers, hippies, bikers, truckers, hunters and all the other folks that she’s met and fallen in love with over the years. Sometimes she writes urban romance and sometimes its aliens crash landing near a roadside bar. When she isn’t writing, or wandering somewhere outdoors, she can often be found curled up with a good book and a kitty on her lap.
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