THE CENTAURS

Man by day, Centaur by night, Rhycious is a remedy maker who needs his own healing.

He's the royal physician, famous for his cures. War and posttraumatic stress disorder has broken his spirit, preventing him from finding true happiness. Then a direct order from the queen to investigate an uprising forces him out of his secluded cabin at the edge of the forest.

Patience is an optimistic, good-natured Wood Nymph who works as a mediator to ensure harmony within the Nymph sector.

Environmental pollution in the aquifer stream that feeds the taproot tree of her heart is slowly killing her. Resigned to the fact she will not live long, she sets out to discover the mysterious disappearance of her sister. Experience has taught her to deny herself the love of a male, but the gruff Centaur is different. He doesn't push his expectations on her, only his healing nature.

When Rhycious loses his grip on reality, he believes his inability to control his disorder will drive Patience away. Nevertheless, desire flares, and Patience draws him close. Kidnapping and betrayal turn their mythic joint venture into a deadly bout.

Will their love endure when survival hinges on trusting each other?

SHE TAKES A CHANCE.

Determined to forge a better life, Ella launches her new business with high hopes—until a sexy Centaur bumps into her and throws her life off course forever. Voted “Most Eligible Bachelor in Boronda”, Aleksander shakes up her world and tilts her in more ways than one.

HE’S IN DANGEROUS TERRITORY.

Years of warfare and countless bedroom encounters have stolen Kempor Aleksander’s luster for life. He never expects to rediscover his zeal in the small, redheaded form of Ella the Troll, who fires his blood hotter than the deepest caverns in the forest.

But as trouble lingers in their midst—and edges ever closer—Alek and Ella spiral into troubled terrain. Turning to each other, the pair face down dangers that run impenetrably deep in their mythological world. But will the two lovers discover a passion that runs even deeper?    

Abelia, a Boronda Forest Wood Nymph, came to Willow Bay to satisfy her curiosity of human life, and got more than she bargained for. Jack can't wait to leave Pennsylvania and return to his archeological work in Australia, where life is filled with dingos and roos.

Human hunters stalk the enthralling Abelia, and Jack comes to her rescue by creating a ruse of helping her choose a bonsai from a street vendor. The hunters back off, but she suddenly vanishes, and he's left confused as he returns home to the Outback.

When Abelia magically appears in Jack's kitchen, she must divulge who and what she really is and risk the mythic people's secret for his help to go back home. Thrown together, they must fight off thieves set on stealing Jack's antiquities, and he must discover how to convince her to stay.

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One

            Abelia walked closely along the shop walls as she peered into the brightly displayed windows or gazed in amazement at the limitless street traffic. Humans lived a much different life than Wood Nymphs in the Boronda Forest. Everyone here was in such a hurry.

            Curiosity brought Abelia to town. The Remedy Maker's wife, Patience, stuffed her head with the exciting goings-on in the small town of Willow Bay. From Art in the Park days to annual parades, it all sparkled like sunlight on the Boronda River to her mythological being.

            She jumped out of her woodland skin when an old truck blared its horn at a low-slung sports car that waited too long at a green light. Dogs barked while chasing laughing children in the well-tended, bright green park across the street. Above it all, the delicious aroma of fried foods beckoned with tantalizing promises of a delicious meal.

            In the corner of the park, under the shade of an enormous sweetgum tree, a plant peddler set up shop with a folding table and displays of bonsai trees in small decorative pots. She longed to leave the security of the shop walls and venture across the street. But then she would be out in the open, vulnerable...Alone.

            The hard sidewalk felt unfamiliar beneath her soft ballerina-style shoes. Heat from the grey concrete radiated through the soft leather, warming the soles of her feet. Music with a strong beat trickled out from an open door, and she slowed her pace to gaze inside. The covered alcove offered shade from the unusually warm autumn day, and she stepped further into the welcoming cool.

            Round wooden seats were lined up next to the longest table she'd ever seen. A man wearing a T-shirt pulled levers, and golden draft beer flowed into frosted mugs. Scents of yeast hung heavy in the air. Those seated on the stools laughed, toasting with their tall glasses, and sang to the music playing from the brightly lit box in the corner.

            "Come on in, sweetheart. I'll buy whatever you want."

            Her gaze flew to the smiling young human, sitting around a small table with three of his friends. Sleeves of his denim shirt were torn off, the shirttail left untucked. Muscular thighs filled his worn jeans, and his tightly curved ball cap read Pearson's Hardware.

            The others chuckled and waved her in.

            Abelia smiled, but shook her head and stepped back from the doorway. Moving past the next panels of curtained-framed windows, she looked in and noted the same group of men watched her pass by.

            Cold shivers of apprehension finger-walked up her spine. Dangers abounded for Nymphs in the human world—sex slaves being the worst. Scientific experimentation came as a close second. A decree, created centuries before her germination, stated that all mythological creatures would remain mysterious and served only as folklore to the humans. The survival of Boronda's species must come first. While the different races might have issues between them, this was one area where every mythic agreed.

            Which didn't mean humans did not suspect they lived. Legends were told with stories. Ancients drew pictures. And human hunters…hunted them.

            Abelia quickened her pace and glanced behind her. Pan's hooves.

            The male with no sleeves, accompanied by one of his friends, sauntered out the door. They nodded in her direction when they caught sight of her.

            Pressure, like a tight knot, grew in her chest and constricted the more her mind gnawed on the pursuant humans. A few yards to the street corner and she could crossover to the park. Trees dotting the enclosed landscape would offer her protection—if she could manage to shimmer unseen.

            When the traffic light turned green, she crossed the street with the other pedestrians. Risking it, Abelia looked over her shoulder.

            The males kept their slow pace, stalking her like the forest wolf; relentless and focused.

            Her pulse sped up as the pressure burst inside of her, and icy fear twisted around her heart.

            *~*~*

            Jack stepped off the curb when the light changed and surveyed the thin cluster of people coming at him. Bloody hell.

            Five people hardly made a crowd, but more than two was too many for him. With his mind on the ancient artifact sale he'd just completed, he nearly missed seeing the willowy girl walking toward him in a green sundress. She seemed in a hurry, stress etched worry lines between her arched brows.

            He may have grown up in a sleepy California beach town, but living in the rugged outback of Australia taught a man to gather information, collect more than what he saw, to use wherewithal to piece things together. His never-ending search for the elusive Brownie Elf began when he first made their connection to the Aboriginal people in the Land of Kiwis. Folklore and eyewitness accounts claimed the natives' ability to project their bodies from one location to another.

            What a convenient trait to have, he thought. Especially right now.

            She glanced over her shoulder, her long blonde hair swayed in an arc as she turned—gorgeous, graceful, and sexy.

            Jack gazed past the pretty girl and noticed two rough-looking bludgers grinning at each other. Their pointing fingers and elbow jabs threatened to ruin what was left of his good day.

            A damn good reminder why I don't live in town. Jack adjusted his path to maintain a collision course into the runaway blonde.

            Intentional? Yes.

            On target? Absolutely.

            Crash. And we have a bulls-eye!

            The greenest eyes he'd ever seen stared up at him, wide with fright. "Excuse me. I'm so sorry." She took a side step to swing around him, and he parried the move with one of his own.

            The light turned yellow.

            "You all right? I'll walk you to the curb." His hand brushed her sun-warmed shoulder as he reached an arm around, placing himself between her and the redneck mates dogging her steps.

            "I'm fine. You don't need to help, but thanks. I just—uh—want to see the little trees over there." The arm she lifted showed light muscle tone. The hand that pointed trembled. Her hair, thick and rich, bounced with healthy volume.

            Jack inhaled the heady scent of jasmine, the aroma nearly bringing him to his knees. "I was just headed there myself." Like hell he was.

            She stumbled at the curb."Oh!"

            He instantly caught her around the waist. Slender and trim, she fit perfectly inside the crook of his arm, her skin softer than cashmere. "Careful."

            Pulling away, she took the sweet jasmine with her, and gazed back at the pedestrians in the crosswalk.

            Yeah, honey. They're still coming. He thought she gave a soft gasp, but wasn't sure over the gunning engines of the line of waiting cars. Her mates quickened their step when the crosswalk light turned red, and Jack’s eyes met hers for a brief moment.

            As if she were a missile programmed for a direct hit, she dropped her sights on her intended object—the vendor selling plants.

            Seated and watching the constant flow of intersection traffic, an oriental man rose to his feet, cranking a smile when he noticed them headed his way. "Hello."

            Which to Jack sounded more like harro.

            The short man pointed his finger at each of them. "You make nice couple."

            Jack smiled at the honest mistake and enjoyed the pink stain climbing the blonde's cheeks. "Thank you. I believe Miss…" He stared expectantly at her.

            "Abelia," she murmured.

            "I believe Abelia is interested in your bonsai. Can you tell us about them?" Jack glanced behind them, satisfied at the sight of the two lug nuts walking away, down the sidewalk, smoking cigarettes and looking disappointed.

            He rested his hand on the small of her back, wincing when she flinched at his touch. Those mates really had her spooked. Abelia's large leaf-green eyes met his, so he cocked his head in the pair's direction.

            She swung her frightened gaze to their departing back, then turned back to him—all five-foot-four of her curvy, soft body. She threw back her shoulders and squared them.

            Helpless to stop himself, Jack leaned toward her, compelled to gain another inch closer, to breathe in another lungful of seductive perfume.

            The spark lit her eyes first, an inner glow that brightened with the tilt of her head. Full, moist lips stretched across her face, lifting at the ends and erasing the strain of worry. Full blown and explosive, Abelia smiled her appreciation.

            Jack tripped over his heart, and a shiver of want pulsed through him.