Predator's Serenade...a teaser before release day!

Well, if you read any of Predator's Kiss, book 1 in my Gemini Island shifters series, you know this much: Soren Snow is a tease.

So I thought it only appropriate that I do a little tease of my own before he gets his release day August 12. Please stay tuned and remember that Predator's Serenade is coming to you then but is available for pre-order now at www.lsbooks.com.

In the mean time, enjoy a little Soren on me.

Excerpt:

The next day, Gioia tagged along on one of Ryland's nature walks for the young shifters in his mentoring program. Gunnar hadn't wanted to go and had expressed his disdain through a lengthy scowl and arms crossed tightly over his chest. After some cajoling, she'd been able to persuade him to give it a try. He barely socialized at home, preferring to stick to his drums, and he needed to be around kids like him. It might be his only good opportunity.

When Soren Snow showed up, she did everything she could not to make the hitch in her breath obvious. Even still, she was all too aware of the man. It was hard to miss his commanding figure and the way the sun seemed to hit his hair at perfect angles, illuminating golden highlights that were undoubtedly never touched by Miss Clairol. Now, while Ryland explained to his young charges which berries were safe to ingest and which would make one upchuck a lunch, Soren brought up the rear of the group. The rock star shifter tramped on some Queen Anne's Lace that had the audacity to grow in his path.

Gioia darted a look of sympathy at the now-wilted weeds. She nodded at Soren. "I guess the great outdoors isn't quite your cup of tea."

He glared at her. "I don't drink tea."

"Noted," she replied under her breath. "Remind me not to invite you to my next tea party."

He stopped marching and regarded her, appraising eyes under arched brows. "I suppose you're right at home here among all the overgrown shrubs and poison ivy."

She ignored his dig and considered the lush greenery of her surroundings, so different from her prairie home. "I love it here. The quiet, the majesty of the place. I could spend hours wandering in these woods. I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be." She arched her own brow in his direction. "But I can see why you’d feel differently. You must have important people to see. I'm sure Eddie Van Halen is waiting for you somewhere in the hopes of jamming with you."

Soren's lip thinned and he blushed. "Actually, I am meeting up with Eddie next month. We’re collaborating on a project."

She tried not to explode with a guffaw. "Oh, well, I am impressed."

"Most people would be."

Gioia's foot stopped mid-air. She blinked, set it down, and turned to him. "You know what would really impress me, music man?"

"No, what?" he said on a quiet snarl.

She nodded at Ryland's group of kids. "If you could manage to impart some sort of genuine wisdom to those kids, my heart would overflow with admiration for you." She put her hands on her hips in a silent dare.

His gaze narrowed on her hips and then made the slow climb back up to her face. He gaped at her for a long moment before turning and marching over to his brother.

Ryland addressed the kids. "So, I’ve been flapping my gums at you all morning. How about you guys telling me something you've learned about being shifters?"

Soren cleared his throat. Gioia watched, far too amused, as a dozen teenaged heads turned toward him and as Soren bit his bottom lip. "As a shifter, you'll sometimes be forced to rely on your senses and speed."

Ryland gawked at his brother, clearly unaccustomed to receiving input from him. "You're right, Soren. Can you give us an example of when that's happened to you?"

"Sure." Soren shrugged, but then his eyes widened in excitement. "Oh, I remember this one time. Three of the more aggressive fans from the Nevada chapter of my fan club had followed me after a gig at Caesar's Palace. Those girls chased me all over the Vegas strip. I finally lost them and stumbled back to my suite at the Venetian, only to find the guys from Mötley Crüe had kicked in the door to my room and brought a dozen models with them. Someone puked all over my luggage. I'm still not sure who, but I haven't returned Vince Neil's calls since. I really wasn't in the mood to party, so I had to escape, even though Tommy Lee’s new girlfriend was coming onto me like it was nobody's business. I made a dash for it. And when I did, the girls from the fan club found me again. They followed me, but I lost them somewhere in the casino. Sometimes a guy gets tired of the whole Beatlemania thing, you know?"

No one said a word for a full minute. The only noise in the woods was a red squirrel, scurrying along a tree branch.

Soren shifted his balance from one foot to the other, clearly realizing a second too late that his story might not really be appropriate for the crowd. And even though Gioia considered his tale to be probably the most outlandish she'd ever heard, she smiled at him, wanting for some reason to put him at ease.

As the kids followed Ryland down another path, seemingly eager to escape, Soren looked at her, red-faced. He shook his head, regarding her through hooded eyes, and offered her a begrudging smile in return.

Goodreads link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18241565-predator-s-serenade