Claimed by Love by Skye Jones: Excerpt #NewRelease #Giveaway @skyejromance

Claimed by Love

(Wild Hunters, Book 1)

by Skye Jones

Genres: Erotic, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense, Bisexual, Menage/Poly

Kayley Edwards has spent the last four years closing herself off after a vicious attack by her lover left her scarred and terrified. After fleeing her native Alaska, she ran the length of the country and began a new life in Miami far from her family and friends.

When her cousin and his friends decide to vacation nearby, he invites her to join them, saying he has important news. Determined not to let fear rule her life, Kayley agrees to meet with them, only to have her world turned upside down. His friends include the two gorgeous men who’ve haunted her dreams for months, kindling her desire, and challenging her to take a chance on love.

Pack alpha, Luke Johnson, has sensed Kayley in his visions for years. He and his mate, Sean Wallace, know she is meant to be theirs. But how will she react when she finds out the world they inhabit is one she never dreamed existed? As passions collide, Sean finds himself acting as a bridge between his strong willed alpha and a skittish Kayley. But can they break through Kayley’s defenses and convince her to join their family?

Just as it seems the three may have a future together, a ghost from Sean’s past strikes at the heart of their happiness. They must fight for everything they hold dear to win their chance at love.

Content Notes: Anal Intercourse, Non-Sexual Violence, Paranormal, Shifters, Wolves, Suspense, Ménage, M/M, M/M/F

Hi Carly,

Thanks for hosting me today. You asked about my favorite scene, and why it was my favorite.

This is a great question. It really made me think, and my answer surprised me. It’s really hard to choose one. I have a few from this book. I love the scene between Kayley and Luke by the pool. There’s this moment, where she reaches out and touches him, and I really liked that. I also like the scene where we first meet Luke and Sean as a couple, because of their dynamic. 

But my favorite scene is where the guys and Kayley have an in-depth conversation at her apartment. I can’t go into too much detail because of spoilers. But this scene stands out for me because of the emotions sparking between the three of them. Oddly, it’s kind of a low key scene. There’s no sex or drama – just the three of them trying to figure some things out. But, I like the dynamics between them.

For all three this scene is pivotal in many ways. Even though, as I say, it might not seem so important at first. There are also some threads that come together. Kayley’s art plays a part in her unfolding story, and this really becomes apparent here. It also gave me a chance to try and show the complex dynamic between Luke and Sean. 

I call Luke an alpha, but don’t ever really see Sean as a beta to Luke. Technically, he is. But really, he’s as strong as Luke in his own way. In fact. I think in some ways Sean has a lot of the power in the relationship. Maybe more than he understands. Power dynamics in relationships fascinate me. I think with Sean and Luke, they have this shifting dynamic. Kayley fitting in to this is fascinating to me.

Sean Wallace stood on the decking, looking out at the perfect blue ocean where white tipped waves crested and crashed onto the shore. As he closed his eyes and turned his face up to the warmth of the sun a tingle started deep in his spine. His mate had returned.

He turned with a smile as the front door opened and voices echoed in the large living space. Julie’s rapid-fire words drifted to him through the open patio doors only to be picked up by the wind and scattered out to sea. He didn’t move to go inside. He waited for Luke to come to him, loving the way his partner would always seek him out before doing anything else. His need to see Sean would be strong.

Sean and Will had spent the morning unpacking and exploring the huge family home the group rented. Luke had taken Julie and Taylor to meet the leader of the local shifter pack, a common courtesy when wolf shifters traveled into new territory. Sean found himself left behind as the designated babysitter for their newest member, Will. He suspected Luke had also left him behind to avoid any other shifters touching Sean. His mate could be as possessive as hell. He let the rest of the pack touch Sean, but if anyone outside the pack even so much as slapped Sean on the back, Luke would get a hard look in his eyes that meant trouble.

Not that Sean minded. He loved Luke’s possessive side. Their life was near perfect.

“Hey.” Luke’s deep voice sent another shiver skittering up Sean’s back. “Miss me?”

“Always.” Sean turned and buried his face in Luke’s neck. As he inhaled deeply, he heard Luke do the same.

Soft lips nuzzled at him, moving down until they found the mating mark he’d placed on him when they’d bonded. Luke’s tongue laved over the spot, dragging a low moan out of Sean. It always hit him deep in his belly when Luke paid attention to the sensitive area.

“How did it go?” he murmured as Luke continued his ministrations.

“Crappy. The guy was a pain in the ass,” Luke said with a quirk of his lips. “I mean literally. Dude had this big old set of stone thrones like something out of a movie, and he offered me the one next to him. My ass went numb about twenty minutes in.”

Sean waggled his eyebrows. “Maybe I’ll have to massage it later, bring it back to life.”

“Ass CPR?” Luke snorted. “Sounds…interesting.” His striking gray eyes darkened as his face grew serious. “How’s our new addition?”

“He’s okay, kind of jittery. He’s worrying about his cousin and how she’ll take the news about that piece of shit she used to go with. I think he’s also terrified she’ll somehow find out what he’s become.”

Sean studied Luke and hated the guilt in his eyes over what he’d done. “You know if you hadn’t turned him, Will would have died, right? You saved his life.”

A vision of Luke crouched over Will as he lay bleeding out from a gunshot wound flashed into Sean’s mind. He recalled the split second when Luke decided to turn Will instead of letting him die; a risky decision because turning an unmated human into a shifter posed many dangers.

“It’s my fault for bringing a human onto a job in the first place. But our pack is so tight, I didn’t like the idea of introducing a new member just to do odd bits of investigating here and there,” he sighed. “Now we’ve got one anyway.”

Luke scrubbed a hand over his stubble with a scritch-scratch sound. He looked tired, the skin on his face paler than his tanned body.

“Did you sleep at all last night?”

“Some…I dreamed again.” Luke’s voice lowered as he reached behind with one long arm to pull the patio door closed.

“What do you think it means?” Sean’s stomach flipped. He knew Luke meant he’d dreamed of their other mate, a female the alpha had sensed for many years. Sean could sense her too once they’d bonded. “Why would you be dreaming about her so much recently, after so long without anything? At the very least I think we can take it as a good sign. Right?”

Luke hitched one shoulder in a cautious shrug. “Who knows what my so-called gift is telling me.”

“It is a gift, Luke.” It irritated Sean how easily Luke dismissed his Shaman heritage and the foresight it gave him. Most shifters would kill for the extra power.

“It’s unpredictable at best for a supposed gift.” Luke turned an annoyed glare on Sean; they were on familiar but touchy ground and Sean knew pushing it might lead to an argument, so he bit off his words and turned his gaze back to the sea.

The door behind them clicked open, and Will stepped onto the balcony. “I spoke with Kayley a little while ago. She’ll be here soon.” He paused and bounced on the balls of his feet, tapping his fingers on the edge of the railing. “She gets kind of nervous in new social situations, you know, because of Dane. What he did…it’s left her with anxiety, and she doesn’t like getting crowded. If you guys don’t mind, when she gets here I’d like to talk to her alone.”

“We’ll say hi, then get out of your way.” Luke gave a relaxed smile.

Sean admired how he used his calm energy to try and soothe the excitable young man in front of them.

“Thanks, man.” Will bounced some more. “I’m going to make some coffee.” He turned abruptly and headed back into the cool condo, Sean and Luke on his tail.

Sean watched the young shifter rattle around the kitchen, thinking the last thing he needed was caffeine. Will continued to bounce as he set things out on the counter. Once he’d poured the coffee he added two sugars and some creamer, before stirring it exactly four times, as always.

He turned to them and his face fell. “The thing is, I want to see her. I couldn’t afford to before, and she wouldn’t leave Miami, but I’m scared. What if I…change…in front of her?”

“Try to stay as calm as possible, and if you do get emotional, make some excuse, go to your room, and lock the door. It’s not as if it occurs out the blue, we always get the warning rush,” Sean said with a glance at Luke, who nodded his agreement.

“I guess. I can’t control it like you guys, though, and I’m not the same person she knew.” Will turned to face Sean. “It’s fine keeping it from everyone else, but we’ve never had secrets. And even if I could tell her, I wouldn’t know where to begin. The main thing is to tell her about Dane’s murder. That alone is enough to shock her into next Sunday.”

When he’d made his coffee, Will paced up and down, taking sips and jabbing a hand through his hair. Luke reached out and touched Will briefly on his arm, and Sean saw the exact moment his alpha’s touch soothed the young shifter. Will stopped bobbing on his feet and took a slow, deep breath.

The door chime rang out making Will jump in response. He all but dropped the coffee mug on the counter and flashed them both an excited look, eyes bright, before he ran to the door and flung it open.

Will stepped out into the sun, his arms wide, and Sean heard his voice and that of a female, but switched off to give them privacy.

After a few moments of muffled conversation, Will and a dark-haired young woman stepped into the cool, air-conditioned living space. She resembled Will from what Sean could see, with the same lean build and dark hair. He’d bet she possessed the same blue eyes, too. They hugged as soon as they were over the doorstep, laughing and lurching around in a tangle of limbs. As Sean continued to watch them, the oddest sensation crept over him.

His skin began to tingle. Seconds later the tingle morphed into odd warmth, which quickly turned into burning pain. He patted at the skin of one arm, starting to worry, when an odd, low noise, almost a growl, made him whip his head around. Luke stared at the young woman, a fierce, hungry expression etched on his face.

Sean looked from his mate to the female and back again. His heart sped up as his instincts screamed a message he couldn’t quite decipher.

“Guys, this is Kayley.” Will pulled his cousin into the room; her small hand gripped his tight as she neared them, and Sean smelled her fear.

“Hi, Kayley, I’m Sean. Pleased to meet you.” He forced down the uncomfortable bodily sensations still assaulting him and took her hand. He bit back a gasp as lightning sharp pain hit where their skin met. She pulled her hand away, as if she experienced it too. Her skin paled to a sickly shade.

Kayley didn’t speak. Her deep blue gaze flickered from Sean to Luke and back again, over and over, as her breathing became rapid and shallow. Something about the whole situation was incredibly off.

Luke moved forward, commanding Sean’s attention, and the expression on his mate’s face stunned him. He appeared one step away from taking Kayley to the floor and ravishing her. Luke never noticed other males or females; his whole world narrowed down to Sean. Well, Sean and his dreams of their other mate…oh God! Sean clapped a hand over his mouth. The jigsaw of information began to fit together and the picture shocked him to the core. Mate. She’s our mate?

Another low rumble from Luke kicked his brain into gear, and Sean moved nearer to the alpha. He forced himself to give Kayley another friendly smile, trying to divert her attention from Luke, who positively vibrated with need next to him. Her fear unfurled in the space between them, a living thing, sharp and acrid, and he needed to get Luke out of there before she turned tail and ran.

He cleared his throat and started to speak. “We’ll get out of your hair, Will, and let you two catch up for a while. Later we’ll all get properly acquainted, I hope.” He gave one more smile and moved toward the stairs, dragging Luke with him.

The alpha still hadn’t spoken, but he followed Sean up the stairs obediently enough. Once they reached the bedroom, Luke yanked away from Sean’s grasp and pushed the bedroom door open with enough force to nearly break it.

Sean’s heart stuttered. Luke never pulled away from him. No matter how serious their arguments, he always relished Sean’s touch.

God, but he was riled up to hell! Sean followed Luke into the bathroom where his mate splashed water on his face, over and over. When Luke lifted his head, he met Sean’s gaze in the mirror. An odd sliver of gold created a halo of sunlight around the stormy gray of troubled eyes. The hint of Luke’s wolf had Sean taking a step back. Luke never lost control of his wolf.

“Luke?” He reached out. “What is it?” He knew, damn it he knew, but he needed to hear Luke say it before he could even remotely allow the possibility in.

Luke’s big body visibly shook as he turned to face Sean. “It’s her. Kayley…Will’s cousin…it’s her.”

“Are you sure?” Sean argued despite himself. It wasn’t merely Luke’s reaction. He’d sensed it too, hadn’t he? The odd tingle and burn, the zap when they touched. “Will’s cousin? I mean—she’s human, Luke. Does that sound like our long lost mate? Shifters and humans, it doesn’t happen often.”

“I don’t care what she is. Kayley is our mate.” Luke’s expression darkened further, but at least his eyes were fully gray once more. “It’s her, Sean. I felt her—here.” He slammed a hand over his heart.

Lover of sunshine. Hater of spiders. Drinker of wine. Eater of chocolate. Parent of furbabies. Skye Jones is an LGBT erotic romance author who likes to write about that moment when lust and love meet head on.

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