New Narrator Completes Books 4 & 5 and Starts Book 6

Bill Jacobson, narrating as Jake Williams, is the new narrator for my series. He has finished the narration for Wolf's Huntsman & Wolf's Trust. He has started on Wolf's Reign, and it should be available sometime in September. Wolf's Huntsman and Wolf's Trust are available on Audible and Amazon.

Wolf's Huntsman on Audible

Wolf's Trust on Audible

Wolf's Huntsman and Wolf's Trust on Amazon

Other News

I have been visiting my sister in California for the past month. It's been great. She took me to San Fransico to see the Golden Gate Bridge, the Big Trees, and so many other places. It's been a joy to reconnect with her and spend time with her. In addition to all the sightseeing we've done, I've been working on the next book in the Tala Ridge Shifters series.

I am up to 16,000 words on Tala Ridge Witch. In this book:

Magnus and Bess have temporarily moved to Tala Ridge Ranch.
The Eagle Congregation claims King Nate and the shifters are bound by a treaty he knows nothing about.
Josh's mate-to-be is a witch.
A blood witch is performing evil magic in La Veta.

Tala Ridge Witch is a continuation of the story in Tala Ridge Hunt. I previously posted chapter one. I plan to put up a pre-order for the end of September as soon as I return home next weekend.

Here is chapter two:

Chapter 2

Current Time

Patricia Holmes slipped inside the back door of her coven’s two-story mansion. With unpacking still to do, most rooms had stacks of boxes in the corners. At one time, it was a beautiful home. These days, the faded wallpaper hung in strips. The dry wood flooring was splintered enough that she didn’t dare walk barefooted through the house, and the ceiling sported huge brown water spot stains.

The only thing going for it was that it was large enough to house the entire coven. With fourteen bedrooms in the main house, the thirteen witches in the coven each had their own room, while the fourteenth room was used as a meeting place. The attic was set aside as Patricia’s bedroom. She hadn’t come into her power and wasn’t yet a member of the coven.

Not that she minded. It kept her out of most of the coven’s schemes. After her father died and Neesha took over as high priestess, Patricia was careful to stay out of her way. She wasn’t sure why, but the woman’s aura scared her. Tiptoeing up the servant's stairs in the kitchen, Patricia winced when she stepped on a board that squeaked.

“That you, Patricia?”

Huffing out a silent breath, Patricia turned around and headed back into the kitchen. “Yeah, Mom, it’s me.”

Casidhe Holmes walked into the kitchen and stood beside the antique, oak butcherblock that desperately needed sanding and resurfacing with tung oil. She made a show of lifting Patricia’s late father’s pocket watch hanging from a heavy gold chain about her neck and looking at the face. “Do you know what time it is?”

“Yes, Mother. I’m late.”

“Why? What have you been up to?”

Patricia lifted her chin, meeting her mother’s angry gaze. “I was at school. They just let us go a bit ago.”

“What? Why would they keep you so late?”

“There was…” Patricia hesitated. Her mother's anger wasn’t something anyone wanted. “We had a lockdown. Armed men came to school. When the police had everything under control, they released us. I’ve been stuck in my classroom most of the day.”

Her mother’s eyes glazed, searching Patricia’s aura for truth. Patricia sighed, her shoulders rolling forward. “It’s true.”

“Why didn’t you call?”

“My phone was in my locker.”

Blinking, her mother’s eyes returned to their normal hazel appearance. “You could have contacted me with magic.”

“I was safe, Mom.”

“Were they looking for you?”

“Why would they look for me?”

Her mom gave her ‘the look’ and frowned. “People can be influenced by the others.”

Patricia repressed a sigh. “As far as I know, Mom, there are no dragons or vampires here. And even if there are, how would they know I was there?”

“There are other others, too, you know.”

Careful to keep her face blank, Patricia nodded. “I know.” She waved at the stairs behind her. “I have homework. May I go?”

Casidhe hesitated, then gave her a single nod. “Very well. You missed supper. Do you want a sandwich?”

“I’m not hungry right now. If it’s okay, I’ll come down and get one later.” When her mother didn’t object, Patricia hurried upstairs to her room. Shutting the attic door, she blew out an explosive breath. Until she figured out why the werewolves were here, she didn’t intend to tell the coven. They might decide to spell wolves. For some reason she hadn’t figured out, Patricia didn’t want them to mess with Josh.

*****

Casidhe closed her eyes and let her head droop as soon as Patricia was out of sight. Despair washed over her. If only demons hadn’t killed Herbert… A slight sound brought her head up and her eyes open. The coven high priestess, Neesha Driscoll, stood in the doorway, her head tilted to the left, watching. Swallowing hard, Casidhe bowed her head and waited.

“The schools were attacked?”

“That’s what Patricia said, High Priestess.”

Neesha tossed her hand in dismissal. “Unimportant. As long as she is not injured.”

“No, High Priestess.”

“It is time to begin her preparation.”

“But…”

“You know why we came to this place, Casidhe. The ley lines are so powerful here, the spell will last for centuries.”

“But she’s a child, Priestess!”

“Yes. And she will be a powerful witch. Her power will imbue the coven with vitality.”

Biting her lip, Casidhe raised her head to peer at Neesha’s glittering eyes. “But at such a cost! The loss of most of her powers! There must be another way…”

“There is not.” Eyes narrowing, Neesha crossed the kitchen toward Casidhe. “You knew this when we came here. Why do you hesitate now?”

Like she’d had a choice. Casidhe turned her head to the side, her chin almost touching her shoulder. She whispered. “She’s my only child, High Priestess.”

Neesha cupped Casidhe’s cheek in her parchment-dry hand. If Herbert still lived, Neesha wouldn’t dare touch her or her daughter. Casidhe held her breath to avoid the pungent odor that clung to the priestess’ hand. She blinked back tears when Neesha answered, “The coven will sing of your sacrifice beneath the moon for decades.”

That's all for now. Take care and stay safe,