The
Deadly Reckonings is the first book in an all-new epic adventure
fantasy series called The Tribes of Feralis.
If
you like animalistic worlds, daring heroes, fierce heroines,
edge-of-your-seat adventure, heartbreaking romance, and enough twists
and turns to leave you wondering what on earth (or not on earth...on
Feralis!) just happened, this is the series for you.
An
animalistic world. A forbidden passion. A brutal contest.
The
old Alpha's time is coming to an end, and the Deadly Reckonings are
swiftly approaching. The victor of these brutal trials will become
the new Alpha and rule over the four allied tribes of Feralis.
Devlin,
a young man with the animal aspect of a golden lion, dreams of
shaping a better world and taking control from the power-hungry
clutches of the cruel and dominating Reptilia.
Riva,
a princess of the exiled Skylarian tribe, is doomed to be bound to
her father’s preferred suitor.
Their
worlds collide and Devlin’s animal immediately recognises her for
what she is - his true mate.
But
their tribes are enemies. They should never have met. Their love is
forbidden.
Follow
Devlin as he faces the Deadly Reckonings, testing his nature and
limits against other competitors, merciless monsters, perilous
terrain, and his own desperate hopes.
Can
he be victorious and claim the status of Alpha? Can he dare to reach
for a woman who does not belong to him?
Or
will a mortal foe, a misfit sister, and even fate itself stand in his
way?
Available
NOW on PREORDER
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B7RKYYKL/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B7RKYYKL/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61850754-the-deadly-reckonings
Netgalley:
https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/264798
Excerpt
Devlin
considered her. She sounded sane enough, even though he had to strain
to catch her meaning and had the disturbing feeling she was laughing
at him. Her comment drew his gaze to her garment. Still wet, it clung
to the delicate curves of her body, which he couldn’t help but
admire. This time, when his eyes came back to rest on hers, he caught
a blush rise up into her cheeks, contrasting starkly with her
milk-pale skin. The effect was ingénue and radiant and Devlin was
taken off guard for a second time. The features he’d prematurely
considered bizarre and disturbing, he was led to concede, were, in
their own way, astonishingly beautiful.
She
shivered, whether from cold or his intense regard He couldn’t be
sure. She dropped her hand. He suddenly realised how thoughtless he’d
been. Here she was dripping wet and clearly chilled, and all he’d
done was gawp at her like a mindless idiot! The problem was, he
didn’t even have a cloak to offer her, as all his clothes were as
wet as hers.
“You’re
cold,” he said. “Do you have anything dry to wear?”
Her
eyes widened in surprise with these, the first of his words to her.
She perhaps found his accent as odd as hers was to him. She shook her
head.
He
laughed. “Funny that,” he said, looking down at himself. “Neither
have I!”
She
began to laugh along with him. This made him feel good. When they
stopped, he couldn’t stop himself from staring at her again. She
nervously turned her head away, looking toward the forest, as if
considering flight after all. He frowned. What sort of woman was she
and where had she come from?
“You’re
not from around here, are you?” he asked. She shook her head again.
Devlin
still thought she might be some kind of madwoman, but she was clearly
in need of a meal as well as a change of clothes, seeing how skinny
she was. Perhaps she had taken his fishing rod with a view to fishing
for herself. But why was no one protecting her or looking after her?
One thing was certain: he couldn’t leave her out here alone. She
was far too young and defenceless.
“Why
don’t I take you to my home, so we can both change out of these wet
things and have something warm to eat? Gone are my chances of
catching a fish for breakfast, but we have some oatmeal and my sister
should have something that will fit you.”
She
shook her head in alarm and backed away from him.
Her
reaction to his offer confused him, but then what had he expected?
She wasn’t exactly normal by any stretch.
“It’s
very kind of you,” she said slowly, recognising the need
to
do so, given their disparate ways of speaking, “but I’m fine.
I’ll just be on my way.”
“And
where might that be? Where do you live?” When she didn’t respond,
he pressed: “Have you run away from home?” This seemed to him the
only logical explanation for her silence and solitary state.
She
bit her lip and lowered her head, which he interpreted as an
affirmation.
“You
can’t stay out here on your own, you know. It’s dangerous.”
Her
head came up at that and she challenged, “I’ve made it on my own
this far.”
He
raised an eyebrow. “And how far is that?”
“Farther
than you’ll ever know.” She began to walk away from him.
He
followed, continuing to harangue her, exasperated by her reluctance
to accept help and shelter. All his protective instincts were
suddenly kicking in. Even his cat seemed oddly agitated and anxious
to assist her.
“How
are you going to eat? I’ve got the fishing tackle, remember. How do
you think you’re going to survive?”
She
turned to him. “Are you offering to give me your fishing device
back?”
He
growled in frustration at her then, and his face briefly assumed its
cat-like form.
Stunned,
she stumbled back, her eyes large with fright. “I don’t need your
help!” she shouted. “Leave me alone!” She turned and ran,
clearly keen to put as much distance between them as possible.
Surely,
she must have witnessed a man in his animal form before? Or had she?
He had no idea of her background or where she was from. He must have
given her a good scare. He thought about letting her go. But he was
too concerned by her stubborn refusal to acknowledge the perils of
her situation. She reminded
him
of someone; she reminded him of his sister. Kyra didn’t listen to
him either and could be as hard-headed as a rock about accepting she
was female and needed nurturing. The thought of his little sister,
who thought she was so self-sufficient but still needed him in so
many ways, persuaded him to persevere. He just needed to adopt a
different strategy.
Easily
catching up to her, ignoring the little gasps of distress she emitted
when she realised he was back, he ran alongside her and said, “I’m
sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you like that.”
She
did not respond but just carried on running, turning her head to cast
accusing glances at him, eyes still wide with alarm.
“Please,”
he persisted. “Please don’t run away. You have nothing to fear
from me, I promise.”
He
kept with her, smiling at her whenever she glanced his way until she
must have realised that she would achieve nothing but exhaustion by
continuing. She finally stopped running, frustration seeming to have
superseded fear, and glared at him.
“Why
do you keep following me?” she demanded. He smiled at her again.
“Look,
as I’ve already tried to tell you, you’re not safe on your own
around here. Who knows what monsters you might bump into?”
She
must have caught his teasing as he saw her lips twitch a little at
his words. “No, who knows?” she repeated. “Mad, persistent cat
men for one!”
Devlin
laughed. The girl smiled tentatively back at him. He was surprised by
the surge of joy from his cat. It seemed even his cat wanted to
please her. He much preferred this smiling girl to the frightened
one.
“Come
back with me, even if only for the fishing rod, if you still want the
stupid thing. You need it more than I do and I can easily make
another one.”
This
was not exactly true, as he had spent some time sourcing the right
type of wood and cord, taking pride in his efforts and
resourcefulness, as he gradually improved upon its strength and
pliability.
He
offered his hand, replicating her own gesture from earlier. She
looked down at it warily. Then she looked up into his face. He could
see her eyes roving over his features, as if checking for signs of
the cat he had unwisely exposed earlier. He felt the blood rush to
his face at her scrutiny. By the Creator, surely he wasn’t blushing
now?
She
must have seen something she approved of as she slipped her hand into
his. His cat purred in appreciation. The warmth from her grip seemed
to spread like some kind of contagious burn all over his body. They
walked back to the lakeside, Devlin feeling strangely lightheaded.
When
they got there, Devlin reluctantly released her hand and went to
retrieve his rod and line. He came back toward her, holding it out to
her. It was then that he realised she was crying. Why was she crying?
Perhaps her emotions were as cockeyed as his own. Whatever the cause,
his heart flipped on him and, before he could stop himself, he’d
dropped the rod and pulled her into his arms.
She
stiffened in surprise but then slowly settled against him, like a
small, nervous animal.
Devlin
stroked her long, damp tresses in a gesture of comfort and, as she
nestled her head against his chest, he felt her release a pent-up
breath, half sob, half sigh. Devlin experienced an unexpected rush of
hot satisfaction as her body warmed against him and their hearts
slowed in time to each other’s beat.
When
she pushed away from him, he loosened his grip but, in doing so, felt
the oddest sensation from within. His animal, already curiously
roused and usually so placid in peaceful moments, protested strongly.
When she lifted her head away from his chest, the proximity of her
fascinating face and compelling scent overwhelmed him. He wasn’t
sure if it was he or the cat who governed his next move. His mouth
was covering hers before she could make a sound in objection.
As
he deepened the kiss and she submitted, Devlin felt himself losing
control. The taste of her was like nothing he had ever known, leaving
his human essence weak with gluttony and his cat crazed.
He
tore himself away from her, feeling slightly unhinged. His cat had
attempted to dominate him, in a way that he hadn’t experienced
since his turning. He shook with the shock of it. How close had he
come to allowing his primitive nature to possess him? He realised
that he didn’t even know this girl’s name.
He
stepped away from her as if she was on fire and, maybe for him, she
was. Her hair was certainly the colour of flames, he thought, as he
watched some stray dry strands dance and then settle back around her
alluring face. Perhaps he should have taken heed of the warning. Red
in nature always meant stay away.
“Who
are you?” he whispered.
She
answered shakily. “My name is Riva. What did you just do to me?”
Devlin
almost laughed. What had he done to her? What had she done to him?
“It’s called a kiss,” he said. “It was just a kiss,” he
repeated, as if to convince himself, as well as her, of that fact.
About
the Authors
We
are twin sisters and we come from Bolton, a friendly town in
Lancashire, UK. We would love to tell you about all the unusual jobs
we have had and the wacky adventures we had on our way to becoming
authors, since that is what other authors seem to do in these bios.
Unfortunately, we are somewhat lacking in that respect. However, our
birth was very eventful as neither our mother nor the midwives
attending realised that she was having twins until just after Rebecca
was born! Our aim is to make our writing as surprising and marvellous
as that!
We
have always loved escaping into the limitless worlds of the written
word and remember first writing stories to each to other as very
young children in old exercise books. We self-published our first
books, thrilling suspense duology, Dark Betrayal and Dark Secrets. We
are thrilled to be with Odyssey Books for our latest labour of love,
epic, romantic fantasy trilogy, The Tribes of Feralis.
If
you come to read about the animalistic world we have created, you may
gather that we are "cat people". We grew up with a lovely
little tabby who was an intrinsic part of our childhood. Now Rebecca
has a socially awkward but loving female cat called Maisie and
Victoria has two beautiful, big, ever-hungry male cats called Bert
and Ernie!
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