The Amazon Chronicles: A Collection
Sarah Mäkelä
Genre:
Paranormal Romance
Publisher:
Kissa Press LLC
Date
of Publication: October 14, 2013
Book Description:
The
Amazon Rainforest still contains a few secrets.
One of these secrets is a hidden
village of women whose history is filled with the horror of conquering men.
When the princess of the Amazons falls in love with a weretiger biologist, the
tiny village will be changed forever.
This collection contains the four
previously published paranormal romance novellas in the Amazon Chronicles
series: Jungle Heat, Jungle Fire, Jungle Blaze, and Jungle Burn.
Excerpt:
Adara raced over the dense forest floor, trying to escape the
shadow closing on her heels. Fear pumped adrenaline through her body as she ran
toward her village through the darkness. Panic tangled with the sheer need to
survive. If only I'd listened. What was I thinking, coming out alone?
She shot a glance over her shoulder. Her foot smacked against a
tree root in the moment of distraction, pitching her body forward. The fall
came in slow motion.
Cursing under her breath, she rolled onto her back. Dry leaves
clung to her blonde hair. The subtle, musty scent of slow rot rose from the
rich soil, mixed with something coming from behind her. The dark shadow loomed.
Her gaze rose to take in her pursuer, wondering if the beast would be her doom.
The tall, broad-shouldered creature towered over her. Watching. It
wasn't human or animal. The village wise woman had warned her of beings like
this, but they'd seemed like fables. How could something so fantastical be
real?
Even as she trembled with fear, this creature captivated her. The
black and orange stripes covering his shoulders and arms evoked a distant
memory, yet the design was uncommon in the Amazon.
His hair hung in straight, black strands like a human's, but his
face had the nose, mouth, and eyes of a feline. His muscular, naked body
reflected a splendid combination of both species. Sweat-shiny skin glistened
through the inch-long fur that covered him. His white chest intrigued her, all
the way to the patch of fur barely covering his groin. Leaves and branches
framed his face with a lush green background. He crouched over her. His
piercing golden eyes focused solely on her. His stare reminded her of a cat
from her village staring at a small rodent before pouncing.
As he leaned down, she grabbed her kris from the garter on her
thigh and pushed it
against his stomach. She didn't want today to be the day she died. Her people needed
her. She wouldn't let this beast deny them their princess.
against his stomach. She didn't want today to be the day she died. Her people needed
her. She wouldn't let this beast deny them their princess.
The animal cocked his head at her. He brushed his lips over her
throat, whiskers tickling her chin.
Her body stiffened. What is he doing? Bewilderment spread through
her as his feline lips touched her neck. Instead of biting her, his canines
grazed lightly, gently, from just below her ear down to her shoulder, almost as
if exploring her flesh, instead of seeking to rip open her throat.
She tensed. Even with her weapon pressed against the beast's
stomach, she still feared for her life. As an Amazon princess, she wasn't
easily scared. But this feline made her heart pound. If only she had brought
Rubia with her. She wouldn't be in this situation and could've stood a better
chance against this feline.
Why does he persist in toying with me? Adara swallowed as a low
burn started in the pit of her stomach. These feelings confused her.
A soft sniffing sounded in her ear right before his tongue scraped
rough caresses on her skin. Other jungle cats marked their territory. Did this
animal believe she was his? She didn't want to find out.
Without waiting for the feline's next move, Adara drove the kris
deep into his stomach, meeting resistance as it plunged through flesh and
muscle. She forced it further as his blood flowed onto her hands, making the
hilt of the kris slick, weakening her grip.
He roared and leapt back with her kris still embedded in his
abdomen.
She scrambled to her feet. His scream so near the side of her face
made her ear ring. Bringing up a hand to her ear, Adara felt a trail of his wet
blood drip along her cheek.
He straightened his spine and strode back to her, her kris still
buried in him. It seemed as if it were nothing more than a minor annoyance to
him. She clenched her hands into fists and dropped them to her sides.
The reality of what she saw struck her. She froze. How could he
act so unaffected? He
shouldn't have been able to move around so casually. It wasn't possible. How can I outrun something like that? This can't be happening. Her mother had always warned her to be careful when traveling through the forest. Why hadn't she listened? And how could she feel so drawn to this animal when he intimidated her?
shouldn't have been able to move around so casually. It wasn't possible. How can I outrun something like that? This can't be happening. Her mother had always warned her to be careful when traveling through the forest. Why hadn't she listened? And how could she feel so drawn to this animal when he intimidated her?
"Who are you?" Gritting her teeth, she forced her voice
to resonate with the commanding tones of an Amazon huntress, and fervently
hoped it didn't betray the panic racing through her veins. Her people's beliefs
restricted them from showing fear in front of strangers. Not that they saw
many. But her tribeswomen were survivors in dangerous times. Their history
brimmed with reminders.
The feline bared pointed white teeth. "Call me Rei." His
husky voice reverberated like a deep growl.
He launched into the air and, before she could react, flattened
her to the ground. Air whooshed out of her lungs. Her eyes widened and locked
onto his.
He pinned her arms next to her head and pressed his feline lips to
hers. His tongue scraped across her lower lip, causing nips of pain to cut
through the alluring sensation.
She shook her head hard, breaking the kiss. Her breath rushed out
short and quick. Never before had she kissed anyone. His mouth on hers created
fiery stirrings within her body that felt almost too good. Her racing pulse
only spread the warmth throughout her body that much faster.
Twice a year, her tribeswomen associated with Indian men. The
younger girls were forced to stay in a hut during those visits, although Adara
had snuck out once with Rubia in a fit of rebellion. She'd spotted one of her
kin pressing her mouth against an Indian male's. Could this be what happens?
But men weren't to be trusted. Her kin had learned that the hard
way many, many years ago.
Her mind flashed to the tales she'd heard from the wise woman.
Horrible reminders assaulted her, memories of the men from long ago, enslaving
her kind, killing them ruthlessly with diseases and swords.
She could imagine the cruelty of the conquering, pillaging men as
vividly as if she had been there herself, so strongly had the wise woman
spoken. It had taken weeks for her to sleep soundly after listening to that
story.
Sudden panic swept away the lust that burned inside her. This
creature could do the same. He's chased me, after all.
"What do you want from me?" Adara asked, trying to sound
forceful, but instead her voice came out husky. She cleared her throat and
returned his gaze.
Talking with an animal! Rubia would be jealous. Her tribeswomen would
never believe this story... if she survived the encounter.
Rei smiled, warmth emanating from him. "You." His chest
rumbled, and he rolled the word off his tongue like an exotic purr.
Excerpt Two:
Rubia Costa tied down her hammock in a peaceful spot where she
went to get away. She'd told no one of this spot, and yet she was within
yelling distance of her people. Help would come if the need arose.
She didn't dare venture far from her village. But these days, her
village wasn't as calm and mundane as it once had been. So far, she wasn't sure
whether that was good or bad. Life and traditions were changing, and she
couldn't hold back confusion as pieces of what she'd been taught now unraveled
around her.
She climbed onto the hammock and gazed at the trees above her. The
hammock swung gently, lulling her into the relaxed state she so desired. She
closed her eyes and sighed softly.
The dream world rose up to greet her. The sound of dry leaves
crunching underfoot forced her back to alertness. Her eyes shot open to see a
tall, dark-haired man staring at her.
She lunged for her spear, stuck in the ground nearby. Gradually,
the realization dawned on her who this man was, and she settled back, her
nerves still tense and ready to fight.
"Some reflexes you have there," Kyle Reynolds said. A
grin stretched across his lips, brightening his face. At ease, he leaned
against the tree near her feet while she admired his broad, muscular shoulders
that narrowed down to a slim waist.
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, unwilling to show the
impact his presence had on her. "What are you doing here? How did you find
me?"
"My sense of smell isn't as acute as other animals', but it's
good enough to find where you went. I wanted to make sure you're not out
getting in trouble."
His grin turned into a smirk, and he pushed off from the tree.
"What? Like my friend..." She grimaced. Although they
still talked, Adara had so much going on. They didn't spend as much time
together as they had before, especially now with Rei in Adara's life.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He winked and
sat next to her in the hammock. It tilted enough that she slid closer to him.
Her hip bumped his, and her nerves tingled. She crawled away.
Unfortunately, he must have taken that as an invitation to come closer, since
he lay next to her. "What are you doing? Get out of my hammock." She
scooted farther away as her body started to slip toward his once again.
Kyle grabbed her wrist and kissed her knuckles. His gaze held
something she'd seen in glances between Rei and Adara. Those kinds of emotions
were unfamiliar to her. Vaguely, she realized their meaning, but why would Kyle
project that toward her?
He trailed his lips over her wrist and slowly moved up her arm.
His warm breath tickled her flesh. She couldn't drag her gaze from his. Her
voice escaped in a whisper. "What are you doing?"
"Something I've wanted to do for a while now. You don't make
this easy for me, Rubia." He rolled over carefully. His body hovered over
hers, and he pressed his lips against her shoulder and then her neck.
Sensations of pleasure spread between her legs, warming her body
to a fever pitch. What were they doing? Panic rose up within her, and she
shoved hard at Kyle's chest, throwing him off balance. The hammock tilted, and
air rushed by just before her body hit the ground with a thud.
Pain throbbed throughout her back, and a groan welled from her
throat. She blinked her eyes open.
Kyle knelt next to her. Concern etched soft lines at the corner of
his mouth. "Are you okay?"
The ache in her back sharpened, and she fought not to wince.
Instead, she pushed against Kyle's chest. "I'm fine. I can walk."
Kyle stared at her with a raised eyebrow. He shook his head.
"I'll carry you. It's no trouble."
Great. She didn't want her tribeswomen to see him carting her
around as if he was her protector or had... claimed her. Let alone the state
she was in. They might worry she'd been injured, which wasn't far from the
truth since she wasn't feeling too well at the moment.
She shoved against him, but it was like trying to move a solid
tree trunk. He didn't budge an inch. Her people had studied the werecats, since
they lived in such close proximity, but she had a hard time getting used to one
being so close. She wasn't sure she wanted to be intimate with Kyle.
Something about him was alluring, but she couldn't dream of
becoming tied to the werepumas' leader and shirking her responsibilities as an
Amazon. She wanted to lead a peaceful, simple life. Those words were foreign
when Kyle was involved.
He stood just out of sight from the village's catwalks, and she
wriggled in his arms.
"Set me down. Right now." She lowered her voice and
glared at him. If only he didn't have such a solid grip on her spear, but there
was no chance she'd be able to wrestle it away from him. Not if he didn't want
her to.
Determination set in his jaw, but he gently placed her feet on the
ground. "Fine. Go show everyone how strong and brave you are." He
muttered under his breath, "Silly woman."
Gust Post
I’m a huge fan of cats. Small cats, large cats, and medium-sized too. Domestic or wild, Ilove them all. There’s so much more to cats than most people think. They have their own
personalities, and I find them really fascinating. So it made sense for me to have feline
shapeshifters in the Amazon Chronicles series.
Here’s a few intriguing facts I learned:
Did you know that the puma, also known as a cougar or mountain lion holds the Guinness
World record for the animal with the largest amount of names? In English, it has more than 40.
In total, it has 64!
Pumas are beautiful tawny colored felines. They’re the fourth largest cat, and they tend to
be around five feet to nine feet long. Being that big, they are intimidating enough without
transforming into a lethal shapeshifter! *grins*
The puma is the largest cat that possesses the ability to purr. Yes, that’s right the largest. Lions
and tigers don’t purr. That has to do with the anatomy of the puma’s larynx and throat. Pumas
are more closely resemble domestic cats, and they make sounds more often associated with
small cats such as purring, chirping, hissing, and growling. On the other hand, unlike other big
cats, they can’t roar. I’ve learned that if the cat can roar, if can’t purr. And if it can’t purr, then it
can roar.
Learning more so much more about cats deepened my appreciation for my own.
About the Author:
Sarah Mäkelä loves her fiction dark, magical, and
passionate. She is a paranormal romance author, but she’s written all over the
romance spectrum with cyberpunk, sci-fi, fantasy, urban fantasy...even a sweet
contemporary romance!
A life-long paranormal fan, she still sleeps with a
night-light. In her spare time, she reads sexy books, watches scary movies (and
Ghost Adventures), and plays computer games with her husband. When she gets the
chance, she loves traveling the world too.
No comments:
Post a Comment