Stealing My Heart PRINT

Excerpt From: Stealing My Heart

Stolen Memories by Carol Lynne

“One, two, buckle my shoe. Three, four, better shut the door…” Aden stopped singing as a man dressed all in black stood over him.

“What’re you doing on my land?”

Aden swallowed around his fear. His mom had told him hundreds of times to keep to his side of the fence, but like any nine-year-old, Aden hadn’t listened. He wanted to know why he never saw his mysterious neighbour enjoying the garden during the daytime. He’d seen Victor DePasse wandering around at night from his bedroom window several times.

“They buried my mom,” was all Aden could think to say.

A sad expression crossed the big man’s handsome face. “I know. I’m sorry.”

Aden nodded. He felt the tears burn his eyes as he tried to hold them back. “They’re taking me away in the morning, but I don’t want to go.”

“Who’s taking you away?”

“My uncle and his wife. They said they’re going to sell my grandfather’s house, so I have to go with them.” Aden wiped his eyes. “I don’t like them very much.”

Victor knelt and pulled Aden into his arms. Aden went rigid. He wasn’t used to people hugging him. His mom had been sick for too many years to do more than lay in bed.

Tucked against the man’s chest, Aden felt safe for the first time in years. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yes,” Victor answered.

“How come you don’t enjoy your garden during the day? The flowers are so pretty, but you can’t really see them in the dark.”

Victor chuckled. “I’m allergic to the sun.”

Aden’s jaw dropped as he stepped back to look into the man’s black eyes. “I’ve never heard of someone being allergic to the sun.”

“It’s rare, but it happens.”

He felt the strangest urge to soothe the kind man. “I’m sorry,” Aden whispered. He placed his small hands on either side of Victor’s face and kissed his nose. “That’s what grandpa used to do when I felt sad. ‘Course that was before he died.”

Victor grinned. “You’ve lost a lot of people you love, haven’t you?”

Aden nodded. “I guess it’s better not to let people get close, huh?”

Victor sighed and glanced away. “It’s the reason I’m alone.”

“You’ve lost people?” Aden asked.

“Too many people.”

Stealing Rain by D.J. Manly & A.J. Llewellyn

Drew leaned back against the counter, and placed the heels of his hands on the metallic surface. He planted his legs comfortably apart, allowing his head to fall back as he closed his eyes. He tried to concentrate on what Will was doing to his cock, swirling his tongue slowly around the circumference, and then licking the length of his shaft from his balls to the head.

Okay…maybe he needed a mood shift. After all, a cold sterile ancillary control pod wasn’t exactly a walking wet dream. Who am I kidding? I’m was always ready for head, always in the mood. Reaching out one long arm, his dark brown hair fell over his eyes as he reached for the panel of buttons. One of the perks of being Commander was this nifty contraption that redecorated in seconds.

Snap. Will’s blue eyes flew open and he surveyed the altered state of the control room with a mixture of awe and pleasure. It looked like a pirate’s galleon.

“You like?” Drew stroked the strong, muscled face still going to work on him. Will moaned, pulling back on the cock in his mouth and plunging back down again.

Drew grinned. Pirates. Everybody loved pirates. Dang. Not working. The blue-eyed blond on his knees gripped his hips, holding him closer and Drew grunted. It felt good…but he was too distracted. Will was making sounds which indicated that he was thoroughly enjoying his efforts. Dammit. He was hard as hell, but Will was not bringing him any closer. He needed to free his mind, but there was too much going on in his head. He didn’t understand why in hell they couldn’t find it. Pagnotella was a top notch navigator. She had always located her target. But for some damnable reason, they’d been going around in circles for the last three days.

Will came off his cock just as Drew was thinking of redecorating in French provincial. “Drew?”

Drew’s dark eyes snapped opened.

Will was sitting back on his heels. “Is there something I’m not doing? You usually enjoy this.”

Hotwired Heart by Jaime Samms

“Time me!”

Gig sighed. “Now? Marky, we all know you’re fast.” He shifted his weight to one foot with a quick glance around the deserted car park. “Just hurry up and hotwire the damn thing.”

“Get your watch out, Gig.” Marky plied his magic on the car, and by the time Gig looked up from setting his watch, the passenger door swung open. Marky grinned at him from his usurped place behind the wheel. “Get in, slowpoke!”

Gig made a face, slipped into the car, and closed the door. “This is nice!” His long, slim fingers caressed the dash, slid under the visor and along the arm rest.

Marky shivered, watching the gentle touch. “Ready?” He gunned the engine, streaking out into traffic before Gig could tell him not to drive like a maniac, or make any more loving gestures over the interior.

Mercedes safely inserted into the flow of traffic, Marky glanced over at Gig. “Record time, yeah?”

“Isn’t it always?” Gig’s words fogged the window.

“Oh, c’mon, sexy.” Marky slapped Gig’s thigh, his hand lingering until Gig brushed it away. He moved it back to the wheel, focused on the traffic as Gig fiddled at the glove compartment, which proved to be locked, and flipped the visor down.

“What’s this?” He pulled a slim, silvery wrist wrap out of the visor pocket. “Says Joe…Picone and…something…holographic. Not enough light.” He slapped the band on Marky’s wrist and it snapped into place.

“What is it?”

“Club pass, maybe.” Gig shrugged, sighed. “Marky.”

Marky’s hands began to ache from his grip on the wheel. “What?”

“This is all we know how to do.”

“We have a plan.”

“Had.” When they’d been together, he didn’t bother to add. His body language, tight against the passenger door, said it all.

The Magic Thieves by Serena Yates

Everything changed on the day true magic came to Earth. Humans thought that the inter-dimensional gateway to Tah’Nut was a miracle because it appeared just in time to save them from extinction.

Elryk Muyd’omir knew better.

This wasn’t a lucky coincidence, miraculous or otherwise. This was the result of a three-year concerted effort to track him down. He’d refused to work with the Xoh’kas family and had incurred their wrath. Now that the Tah’Nutian Law Forces had located his refuge, he needed to make a decision: accept his punishment or fight.

Elryk stood on the white sands of his favourite beach and stared out over the stillness of the blue-green waves. Not a breath of wind to be felt in the physical world. The magical realm was another matter.

“You’re going to leave, aren’t you?” Parker Stokes was a good friend, sharing his beach house and keeping Elryk company when his job as a physicist allowed.

“I’m sorry.” Elryk saw no other way. Even though the gateway had opened on the other side of the planet, he already sensed its currents reaching out for him. Once they touched him there’d be no escape. And he didn’t want to risk Parker’s safety.

“You’ve always said this might happen.” Parker smiled, showing the dimples that were so at odds with his normally serious demeanour.

“I can’t fight them, not yet.” His magic was going to start working again once he linked with the power flowing from the gateway. But he couldn’t gain his strength back quickly enough. His magic had been inactive for too long.

“But you will, right?” Parker’s green eyes shone with the force of his conviction. “You can’t let those Xoh’kas ‘re-programme’ you and make you a mindless zombie.”

Elryk had told Parker the whole story after his friend had sworn to never tell another soul. He’d been fascinated that magic existed in another dimension. The physicist in him had unsuccessfully tried to develop an explanation. With the gateway open, Parker was going to study the phenomenon.

Stealing Michael by Jambrea Jo Jones

Robert Mitchell scurried across the leaves littering the cold fall ground behind Thomas Eli’s house. The moon hung bright in the sky making it hard for the pale man to hide. He made himself as small as possible and scooped up some dirt, using it to darken his complexion.

It wouldn’t do for me to be seen.

His objective was to sneak into the author’s house and steal a painting. His mom had seen a spread in a magazine and said the painting was worth a fortune, that it would keep her in her medicine for months.

Robert shivered in the cold. He’d left his coat at home, it wasn’t on Mom’s list of things to carry. A sound reached his ears and he perked up, tilting his head to the side.

Shit, he isn’t supposed to be home. What should I do?

Robert held his breath and concentrated on the sound of shoes clicking on the cement walk. He let the air trapped in his lungs seep out like a tire deflated with a knife.

Thomas’ footsteps sounded closer—it had to be Thomas—and then they passed. Robert waited a few minutes before leaving his hiding place. He slithered across the yard until he reached the stairs at Thomas’ front door. He stayed close to the ground on the way up. He couldn’t give himself away. Maybe he should wait to see if the author would leave the house again. It was a bad idea to go in with Thomas home. His Mom had given him some chloroform she’d swiped, from where he had no idea. Robert knew it was best not to ask questions.

He paused as light flared to life inside, but the door stayed closed. Continuing to the entrance, he patted the bulge in his front pocket for reassurance. The chemical would help him knock Thomas out so he could take the painting. Hopefully the guy wouldn’t linger in the front room; the drug was a last ditch effort. He pulled the zip-locked bag from his pocket and opened it, preparing himself for the worst case scenario.

The door beckoned him, the handle mocking him.

He shook his head.

Open the door, Robert.

Dragon's Eye by Stephani Hecht

It was cold and snowing the night Duncan Moore snuck into the house to steal his dragon’s eye back.

He cursed the fact that Michigan had such harsh winters, as he hid behind a large tree and studied the huge, opulent mansion. Too opulent in his opinion, with its long white columns and large drive that circled a fountain, it even had a pair of frigging stone lions. It was one of those houses where the people living in them were trying to give the rest of the world a fuck-you-I’m-better-than-you message. It would have made him hate the bastard who owned it, if Duncan didn’t already harbour a deep hatred for the recently deceased man.

Several wet, heavy flakes had fallen on his face and got stuck to his dark lashes, making it hard to case out the place. Not exactly the sexy, stealth missions he’d always dreamed he would be doing when he was growing up as a dragon whelp. Then again, he’d never imagined he’d be such a colossal fuck-up and disappointment to their ruler either. Especially since said ruler was Brian, the big brother he’d always lauded, but never impressed.

He shook off those unpleasant thoughts. If he ever wanted to get back into Brian’s good graces then he had to get his damn dragon’s eye back. Until he did, he would never be free and his dragon would forever be trapped.

The lights to the kitchen snapped off and he knew it was time to make his move. Fail or succeed, this nightmare of a decade was finally ending tonight. Sneaking into the back servant’s entrance, because that had been the one he’d always been forced to use, he eased the door shut behind him as he let his eyes get adjusted to the darkness.

Since he was from the ancient race of dragon shifters, it didn’t take long and he was soon able to make out the shape and layout of the kitchens to the mansion that he’d lived in for ten years, but had never called home.

The aromas of fresh baked bread, steak and cheese hit his nose, making his stomach growl so loud in protest it was a wonder the noise didn’t raise an alarm. That would be his luck, to get this far only to have his gut give him away. He could just see the headlines now: Thieving Dragon Shifter busted when his grumbling tum-tum gives him away.