I am sure my followers are aware of my deep love for Quinn Loftis; the indie author responsible for the beloved Grey Wolves series. As a dedicated and awesomely genuine author I love every opportunity to support her books, and spread my deep love for her as a friend and author. As fans many of you will agree with my sentiments about this thrilling and powerful series that keeps bring us back begging for more. Today I have the absolute amazing pleasure of posting the only excerpt for Chapter two of the upcoming June release Out of the Dark. Oh Yea! You read that right Quinn is giving us another peak at what is to come for the next desperately anticipated book in the Grey Wolves series.
Out of the Dark
By: Quinn Loftis
Series: Grey Wolves Book 4
To be Released: June 17th, 2012
Tell me More:
Darkness has descended on the Transylvanian Alps. Four packs of the powerful Grey wolves – in a rare show of cooperation – had joined together here in an effort to help their pack members find true mates. Then they were betrayed by one of their own – an Alpha hell-bent on becoming the most powerful of the Canis lupis. And though the wolf's assassination attempt on the currently-reigning Romanian Alpha failed, his plans to get Decebel, the Romanian Beta, out of the picture were coming together even as his treachery was discovered. The wolf fled, leaving destruction, death, and a missing mate behind him.
Unbeknownst to the other packs, the wolf has employed a witch to finish the deadly job and help him gain another tool to increase his power. A curse of devastating proportions will cripple Decebel in a way that may dissolve his fragile bond with Jennifer. Meanwhile, injured and alone, Jen has been fighting for her life. She had come to terms with her fate, accepting that she would not share a life with Decebel, until help came in the most unexpected form...
Vasile will have to use all his resources – including Sally, the new gypsy healer of the Romanian pack – to discover a way in which to destroy the witch, lift the curse from Decebel and reunite him with the one woman who makes him whole, and solve a mystery that's been surrounding the Romanian pack for 300 years.
If you have not had the pleasure already make sure to check out the excerpt of Chapter 1 of Out of the Dark on Quinn blog here. If that is not enough check out chapter two below for even more of the upcoming release.
Excerpt Chapter Two Out of the Dark
Decebel squeezed his eyes shut
as he felt Jennifer slip away again. He had nearly fallen to the ground when he
heard her voice in his mind. She was alive – that was what he had to focus on
right now. He couldn't think about the fact that she was in the arms of an
unknown male wolf, he couldn't think about the fact that she was in so much
pain she was losing consciousness, and he definitely couldn't think about the
fact that she wanted to make babies with him.
Decebel thought about how her
voice had sounded in his mind. Even in pain and fear his mate would lighten the
moment and try to distract him. How had
he been so blessed to get a woman who would stand up to him, challenge him,
accept him, and love him for the overbearing man he knew he was? At that exact
moment he didn't know or really care, he just knew that he needed Jennifer; he
needed his mate back in his arms where she would be safe. And as soon as he
found her, he would chain her to his side so she would never be out of his
sight again.
He chuckled to himself. Yeah, I'd like to see me try to chain her,
he thought, then smiled even bigger. Although, my mate would probably like being chained.
Decebel rubbed his hands across
his face, setting aside his thoughts about Jennifer while he dealt with the
matter at hand.
Fane, Skender, Dillon, and Boain
pulled up next to the large crowd in two black Hummers and two vans.
"Excellent." Jacque
smiled as she watched the four males climb out of the vehicles.
Decebel waved the Alphas from
the three other packs over.
"Each of you take a vehicle
and begin transporting your packs down to the village. See if you can find a
place large enough for all of us – or a couple places, if that's the best we
can do. Dillon you take a vehicle as well and get your pack down the
mountain." The Hungarian and Bulgarian Alphas nodded and walked off,
shouting orders to their packs, as Dillon began hollering orders to his pack.
Decebel turned to Sorin.
"Get Vasile and Alina in the vehicle first. Then the females with one male.
Have Dorin drive. The rest of the males
will stay here with me and wait for their return."
"I'm on it." Sorin
nodded and then turned to Skender. "Help me with Vasile and Alina. I'm not
sure that they are quite ready to walk on their own. Don't assist Vasile unless
absolutely necessary. He won't want to appear weak."
"I want to stay with
Fane," Jacque told Decebel.
"With all due respect,
Jacque, you do not outrank me yet," Decebel told her firmly.
Fane pulled Jacque to the side.
"You must go, love. Take care of the females while my mother is
weak."
Jacque pursed her lips together
as her eyes narrowed. "If you let something happen to yourself I'm going
to be pissed. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Fane smiled as he leaned forward
and kissed her forehead. "I consider myself warned. Know that those
feelings go both ways, Luna. Take care of yourself."
Jacque wrapped her arms around
Fane's neck, pulling him tight. "I
love you," she whispered in his mind.
"That's
good to hear, because I plan to keep you around for quite some time," Fane teased, trying to keep the
moment light.
Jacque stuck her tongue out at
him as they separated. Fane winked at her, praying they would be safe as she
headed toward the Hummer and climbed in behind Sally.
Decebel, Fane, and Costin watched
as the four vehicles, packed beyond capacity, headed down the mountain.
Decebel felt a chill run through
him as the temperature seemed to drop unnaturally. He glanced in the direction
of the burning mansion. His brow furrowed as he remembered how he had watched
the fire engulf and devour the structure.
Definitely
not natural, he
thought.
"Sorin." Decebel waved
his pack mate over. "You're older than I am." Sorin nodded in
agreement. "What do you know of dark magic?"
Sorin's face paled as he looked
just to the right of his Beta's eyes, so not to challenge him.
"It comes from
witches." Sorin voice was strained.
"I thought those were just
tales," Decebel commented, remembering the stories other pack mates would
share, like telling ghost stories only it was about witches who could curse you
to have three eyeballs or no tongue.
"There is always some truth
in fables," Sorin told him.
Costin and Fane were now
listening intently.
"Why do you want to know
about witches and dark magic?" Fane asked Decebel.
"There was something behind
that fire. I could feel it, like oil running over my skin. It was greasy and
thick."
Fane nodded. "I agree that
something was in the air. Something evil."
"There hasn't been a
documented witch in centuries." Sorin was shaking his head. "And even
when there were witches, it was – is – forbidden for packs to employ them or
seek out their help."
"Well, it's pretty obvious
that Thad isn't really into obeying pack law. He did attempt to kill our Alpha
and my mate, after all," Decebel ground out.
The wolves waiting for the
vehicles to return huddled with their pack mates, seeking comfort from one
another. Decebel felt the chill again. Something was wrong.
Something was coming.
"I want Vasile's spawn
crushed into nothing." Thad paced in the woods a mile behind the burning
mansion. "Just a pup and he's found his mate. I've been waiting
centuries!"
Thad turned to look at the woman
who was holding her hands toward the fire, muttering under her breath. Desdemona – or Mona, for short – was an extremely
powerful witch. A witch that his pack had employed for several centuries. She
was the epitome of evil. Even her name, meaning “of the devil”, testified to
the darkness of her soul. Thad watched and waited as she continued to bring the
mansion to the ground.
Suddenly she dropped her arms
and turned to face him, piercing him with her eyes, one blue, one black – both
filled with malice. She had long hair, black as night with one strip of white
near her face. Aside from the freaky
eyes, she was a beautiful woman – a beautiful woman who would cut your heart
out and feed it to the wolves if you crossed her.
"I've told you before,
Thad, I cannot kill from a distance without the lifeblood of the one you want
dead." She sounded exasperated, as if talking to an annoying child.
"What can you do to him?
Surely a witch four centuries old can do something," Thad taunted.
"Watch yourself,
wolf," Mona hissed. "I work
for you, but I will not be disrespected."
"My apologies." Thad
bowed his head and knew his words and posture had placated her.
"So you're pissed because
he has a mate at such a young age?" she asked.
"Pissed is putting it
mildly. If you can't kill him, take her away from him."
Mona walked a slow circle around
Thad, arms folded across her chest as she flipped through the curses in her
mind. Thad watched as a grin – so wicked it could cause demons from hell to
cower – spread across her evil, albeit beautiful, face.
"I have just the curse to
take care of our little wolf pup." Mona rubbed her hands together as her
eyes began to glow, " Nutrea uitat, cherished
forgotten, a curse that will remove his treasured memories and return him to
the worst day he's ever lived through."
"What if the worst day he's
ever lived through was while he was with the half-breed?" Thad questioned.
"She is his most treasured
memory. She will be wiped from his mind because she trumps everything. So with
her gone, his mind will return to a time before he met his mate that was horrific for him," Mona explained, but
the tone of her voice made it clear that she didn't like having to do it.
"Now, I need you to keep
silent." She glared at Thad until he raised his arms in surrender and
stepped back, leaning up against a tree.
Mona turned toward the mansion
again and began to seek out the life forces of those near. She could feel a
strong pull just beyond the mansion. The packs, she decided. They had
run the opposite direction and were waiting. She smiled to herself. Witches had
been wiped from the minds of the Canis lupis long ago. The wolves feared the
magic and tried to ignore it, thinking it would just go away.
We
are not so easily forgotten,
she thought. I will remind you wolves who
wields the power and to whom you should bow.
As she focused on the power of
the wolves she began to chant.
"Earth, water, wind and
fire,
Heed my words, fulfill my
desire.
Find the one whose name is Fane,
Seek him out, make your claim.
Bind his memories, treasured
few,
Take him back to feel the pain
anew.
In his mind, mysteries
uncovered,
Rip out the mate he has
discovered.
Earth, water, wind and fire,
Hear me now, do as I
desire."
Mona continued to focus, waiting
for her spell to hit its target.
"Did it work?" Thad
asked.
"Shh!" Mona growled.
"I will feel it when it hits him."
Seconds ticked by. The wind
began to pick up and Mona's hair started to whip around her face. Her eyes
glowed and darkness seemed to wrap her in a cloak, caressing her, embracing her
as a lover. She closed her eyes once more as a crash of thunder reached across
the sky. Then she let out a skin-crawling growl.
"It didn't work? What
happened? Speak, witch!" Thad snarled.
"His Beta protected
him." Mona spoke through gritted teeth. "Somehow he heard the spell
in the wind. He shouldn't have been able to."
"What are you going to do
now? Can you send another spell to Fane?"
"Damn wolves." Mona
turned on Thad. "There are laws that bind our magic. We can't just do
whatever we want, wolf. The Beta has the curse. You said he was mated?"
"Yes, but I tried to have
his mate killed. I don't know if she is indeed dead but I don't think so. From
the way he spoke in those last few moments in the mansion, she was still alive
but injured."
"So you want the Beta's
mate dead as well? Damn wolf. Do you want all of their mates killed?"
Thad growled at her.
Mona shook her head. "Just
hold on."
She began to think aloud,
working through the possibilities. "So the Beta no longer remembers his
mate. Right about now he should be awakening. He will remember the worst day of
his life and will think that that day is today.
I can't curse Fane since I started this one on the Beta. Damn the laws
fate has bound me with. I could curse the Beta again to make sure his
mate is never found..." She tapped her lip with her long fingernail.
"Hmm. That has possibilities. If the Beta couldn't find his mate, the
Alpha would assign his most trusted to the hunt. Then they would be exposed, vulnerable."
Mona smiled and turned back to Thad. "The Beta will be the only wolf able
to find his mate," she announced.
"How is that going to
help?" Thad's brow furrowed.
"He won't remember who she
is," she told him, waiting for him to get the obviousness of the
situation.
"So?" Thad shrugged.
Mona groaned. "Are you
kidding me? The universe wasted a perfectly good amount of energy on your
life," she mumbled. "As her mate he would be able to use their bond
to find her. If he doesn't remember her, he doesn't even remember her scent.
Even if he can still hear her through the bond, he won't trust the voice. He
doesn't know he's met his mate."
Thad made an “oh” motion with
his mouth.
"We don't have to worry
about the bond. Though I'm convinced they are mates, there were no mating
signs," he told her.
"Excellent. So the only
wolf who can find her can't remember her." Mona wiped her hands together
as if to clean dirt off them. "That takes care of one mate."
"What of the others?"
Thad asked.
"Vasile will have his most
trusted wolves looking for the Beta's mate. That means they will be out from
under the protection of the pack.
Susceptible. It will give me time to work on some special spells for our little
prince." She grinned wickedly.
Thad shivered. "You give me
the creeps sometimes."
"That's too bad. I was
going for warm fuzzies with all the cursing and killing." Mona waved him
off. "Give me the name of the Beta and his mate and then be quiet."
"Decebel and Jen,"
Thad told her as he resumed his position against a tree.
Once again, Mona reached out for
the life force. Specifically she sought out the one full of confusion. As soon
as she felt him, his strife, confusion, pain, and anger rolled over her.
"There you are, little
wolf," she muttered. Focused on the Beta, she began.
"Earth, water, wind and
fire,
Heed me now, fulfill my desire.
Follow the curse given this day,
Continue to bind with what I
say.
Decebel, Beta, Mate to Jen,
Though he is, strong as ten,
Unravel what their fate has
wove,
Should he look for her he'll
only rove.
No bond will master what I've
wrought,
No mate he'll find if she's
sought.
Earth, water, wind and fire,
Go now, fulfill my desire.”
Evil smiles stretched across
Mona's and Thad's lips when moments later they heard a howl so full of pain it made
the hairs on their arms stand up.
