A spirit is a terrible thing to waste.
Stephen Jurgens has always gone his own way, both professionally and personally. Disowned as a child by parents who did not approve of his gifts, Stephen struck out on his own and, along the way, became a highly sought-after psychic. Between his own private clients and the consulting work he does for Revelations, business has never been better. If only his love life was meeting with as much success. Despite his efforts to reach out and enjoy the dating scene, his heart remains drawn to only one man—Maddox Blackwood.
Alpha of the Pontiac wolf pack, Maddox Blackwood is the only man Stephen has ever met who has the power to destroy him. Their initial meeting led to a rejection of epic proportions that left Stephen wary of any kind of romantic entanglement. Now, eight years later, Maddox is back and ready to claim Stephen as his own, as he should have done all those years ago. The only question is, can Stephen find it in himself to forgive the past and accept the future Maddox is offering?
All thoughts of mating are put on the back burner when Revelations receives a call for help from a local cougar pride. People are dying, but are their deaths as mundane as they appear or is something more nefarious plaguing the Pride lands? With their investigation underway, Stephen and his team soon discover that things aren’t always what they seem, and just because you don’t see something, doesn’t mean it isn’t hunting you.
General Release Date: 8th March 2016
“Mrs. Kendrick, you have a lovely home. Thank you for inviting me to visit.”
“A visit, Mr. Jurgens? Is that all this is?”
The woman’s words were aloof, with just a hint of curiosity bleeding through. Stephen didn’t take it personally. This was how many of his client meetings began.
“If that is what you want, then that is all it will be. What do you hope to get out of our time together, Mrs. Kendrick?”
She looked up at him, eyes wide and petal-pink lips slightly parted. Obviously she had something to say, but she was hesitant. Stephen gave her a gentle smile, hoping to ease some of her concerns. The combination of her soft gray curls, rosy cheeks and delicately wrinkled hands reminded him of his Oma. The memory of his sweet grandmother, who’d raised him like he was her own son, made his heart twinge just a bit. Her loss, two years earlier, was a wound that still refused to heal.
Remembering where he was, he gave his head a firm shake and turned his focus back to the task at hand. Stephan watched the way the woman clenched her fists and the unconscious way she twisted her wedding band, spinning it around her ring finger.
“Nervous?” Stephen asked. He didn’t need to see Lorna Kendrick’s small nod to know that it was true. Sadly, Stephen’s line of work had a tendency to make people uncomfortable. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Don’t be. It’s natural to feel a bit apprehensive. The first time is always the hardest, but, I promise, it does get easier. My role in this is to listen and help you, in any way that I can. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
Her body trembled, then sagged in relief. Her shoulders lowered, giving up their rigid stance, and the tension that had caused her lips to tighten and her forehead to crease vanished, leaving behind an expression of hopeful anticipation. “I appreciate that, Mr. Jurgens,” she sighed. “I’ve never done anything like this before. After everything that’s happened, I’d like to think I’m prepared to handle any type of situation, but then, how do you ready yourself for something like this?”
Stephen let out a soft chuckle. “You don’t,” he answered with a smile. “The only thing that can prepare you for this is time and experience. That’s why you hired me, Mrs. Kendrick. I’m here to offer advice and guide you on this path. And please, while we’re at it, call me Stephen.” The pleased expression that bloomed on her face was like the sun peeking out on an overcast day. “Thank you, Stephen. That puts my mind at ease.”
Stephen grinned. “I’m glad. Now that we have that settled, tell me why we’re here?”
“I’d like to speak with my husband, Stephen.” Mrs. Kendrick spoke with a soft, lilting tone. Her voice had a musical quality that was pleasant to the ear.
“Would this just be a social call, Mrs. Kendrick, or is there a different motivation for contacting him?”
She gave him a watery smile and daintily dabbed the moisture from her eyes with a silk handkerchief she’d produced from the drawer of a small side table. “So much has happened, so many things have changed. There are decisions to be made, Mr. Jurgens, and I can’t be the one to make them. David’s company is on the edge, teetering in between greatness and catastrophe. If he won’t talk to me, if he won’t tell me the direction he wants the company to go, I’ll be forced to agree to a buyout. I can’t be the one responsible for killing his dream. I would rather sell to someone else and let them have a go at it, than be the person responsible for destroying his legacy. Do you understand?”
“I do,” Stephen said soothingly. “If you don’t mind my asking, what was David’s state of mind the last time you saw him? Do you feel that he’ll be open to communicating with us?”
A hint of a smile formed on her lips and her cornflower-blue eyes lost just a bit of their sadness. “Oh, yes. I believe he’ll be more than happy to speak with us. My David has always been a very open, friendly man and he loves to talk about his business.” She let out a weak laugh. “I swear, that company has been like our third child. He’s always been so proud of the work they do there.”
“David sounds like a good man.”
She sighed and her eyes practically glowed at the mention of her husband. “He really, truly is.”
Stephen smiled. “That’s good, Mrs. Kendrick. Very good. Now that I have a general understanding of David and the preliminary enquiries are out of the way, there is a bit more information I’ll need to have answered before we are able to begin. Are you comfortable with me asking you a few more sensitive questions?”
Mrs. Kendrick stiffened her shoulders, took a breath and nodded. “You may ask me anything, Stephen.”
“Very well. Let’s get started. Mrs. Kendrick, how long has it been since David passed away?”
Born and raised in Western Michigan, JJ Black's love affair with books started young and has only grown with age. Always a fan of supernatural fiction and romance, JJ stumbled across the M/M genre and has never looked back.
JJ loves to hear from readers and can be contacted at: jjblack_books@yahoo.com
JJ Black - Rainbow Book Reviews
I’ve always been an avid reader, bordering on obsessive. There’s nothing better than getting immersed in a book, losing yourself in the words and worlds the authors create. As the years went by, I started creating my own stories and characters in my head. I kept them to myself, until it got to the point that I had to get out on paper. Once I started writing them down, I couldn’t stop.
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