I have only two things to say today: Navy SEALS. Wolf shifters.
Well, perhaps when you hear more about DJ Livingston's debut They Walk Among Us, you'll be ready to add this awesome read to your TBR list. I'm so pleased to welcome this debut author and so proud to shine a light on this book.
During a harrowing escape with her
family from Nazi occupied Slovenia, Marta Dvorska sets into motion a series of
events that will change her grandson’s destiny.
Kevin Dvorska has little use for the gift passed down through his
family, but comes to uncertain terms with it after discovering his enhanced
senses prove invaluable as point man for SEAL Team Two’s Alpha Fire Team. While deployed to Aviano, Italy, the young
warrior wolf becomes entangled in a web of love, lies, and revenge. It is here that he must decide the fate of an
innocent by either revealing the family secret or watching his Team Leader die
at the talons of the world’s most efficient killing machine.
Excerpt:
“Let’s be realistic about this. One, he has a future in college football and with the right coaching, maybe even the NFL. That kind of chance doesn’t come around to just anyone. Two, my mother and father risked their lives and mine to get to the States for a better life. I hate to be the one to point out the obvious, but there’s still the reality that we’re not quite normal. I refuse to have some gung-ho John Wayne teach my child how to kill people! I won’t stand for it!”
Beth sat down next to her husband. She took his hand in hers, looked into his eyes, and gave that little smile that always calmed her husband. She knew where he was going with his opinion. During their first year of marriage, she wanted to have children, but Luka was against it. He always told her that his gene pool should stop with him.
The day he shared the secret about his gift with her, she thought he was joking. It’s not every day that your husband sits you down and tells you he’s a werewolf. To the unknowing woman, it was like saying “I’m sorry, honey, I should have told you earlier, I’m actually from Mars. I wanted to know if you might like to take a vacation there next year when my spaceship is out of the repair shop.” She even sensed his reluctance when she asked him to prove it to her.
She remembered that drive to the desert as if it had happened just last week. She had been genuinely worried about him and had kept telling him that he should see a doctor. There had to be some explanation as to why he thought he was some mythical monster. Beth would never forget their conversation from 1969, as they got out of the car in the middle of nowhere.
July – nineteen years earlier.
“Luka, this is silly. What are we doing way out here? If you want to prove you’re a werewolf, why can’t we just do it at the apartment? I’ll get you a nice bone to chew on after you go all hairy on me,” Beth joked.
On any other day, Luka would have found her jab funny. His face showed nothing but concern and doubt about what he was going to have to do. “We’re out here because when you scream, we won’t get arrested by the police. I want you to promise me not to run away, I’m not going to hurt you. No matter what, I will never hurt you. You are my soul mate, and my one true love.” Luka kissed her lips softly, then walked a few yards away from her.
“Luka, please. I don’t know what your mom and dad did to make you think you’re a werewolf, but you’re not.” She watched with a puzzled expression as he began to remove his clothes. “Oh, I see, you’re one of those kinds of werewolves. Get all naked, change, and then take your mate from behind; kinky.”
“Promise me, Beth, this is important to me.”
Elizabeth Dvorska sighed in frustration and began walking toward her delusional husband. “If it will make you feel better, I promise. This is so stupid, we need to…”
In an instant, her husband, Luka, transformed right before her eyes into the world’s most efficient killing machine. Beth blinked twice to clear her vision. Just as Luka had predicted, she let loose with an ear-splitting scream of fear. When she regained her senses and realized she was still standing within striking distance of the beast, she turned and fled back to the car, throwing herself inside and scrambling to lock the doors.
With the doors locked, she fumbled with her purse. She searched for her car keys, but they weren’t there. The only other set was in Luka’s pants pocket. Beth looked outside and saw that the large beast was standing over her husband’s discarded clothes. The massive brown wolf lay down on the ground, and rested his head on top of his paws. Even through the closed windows, she could faintly pick up the sound of the animal whining.
For over an hour the wolf never moved. It remained on the ground, never lifting its head off its paws. It was still daylight and the inside of the car was beginning to swelter. Beth longed to roll down a window, but was afraid of the consequences. She only had two choices, die of heat stroke in the car, or take her chances with what used to be her loving husband. “This is insane. If I go out there I’m gonna get killed, or worse–bitten. My damn luck, I’ll turn into a monster during the next full moon,” she muttered to herself.
Beth looked at the beast. It was a big as the polar bears she’d seen at the zoo, and he could have easily torn the car apart and gotten her out. Maybe she could crack the window just a tiny bit and let some of the heat out. She wondered if the wolf would see that as an invitation to attack. How could she defend herself against such a creature? She finally decided that it was now or never. “Now be a good doggy, and just lay there,” she said as she eased the door open.
Beth paused for a moment as she watched the wolf lift its massive head and look at her. “That’s a good boy, no need to be frightened. I’m not going to hurt you, and you’re not going to hurt me.”
When she was fully out of the car, she peered at the animal. The image of her husband flashed through her mind. The day they were married, their leisurely walks in the park. The passionate love they made at night, which left them both weak. “Can you understand me? You’re not going to hurt me, are you?”
Luka got up, grabbed his pants in his powerful jaws, and moved carefully toward her. His massive size brought his muzzle to just below her chin. Lowering his head, he dropped the pants at her feet, gazed up at her and then turned around. He walked away a few feet and resumed his position on the ground. This time however, he was facing away from his one true love. He began to wonder how she could ever love him again now that she knew the truth. With nowhere else to go, he succumbed to the fate of being alone for the rest of his days.
Beth picked up the pants, pulled the keys out of the pocket, and scrambled into the driver’s seat. When she turned the key, the engine roared to life. She put the car in drive, but her foot remained pressed on the brake pedal. Just as she made up her mind to speed away, she heard the lonely whimpering of the wolf again. The battle raged within her. “That’s my husband lying on the desert floor. No it’s not; it’s a monster that came to life from a fairy tale.”
Beth took a chance, maybe for life, maybe for love itself. Reaching up she turned off the ignition, and peered out the window. What she saw made her eyes mist over, her love for her husband grow even stronger.
When Luka heard the car shut off, he rolled over onto his back in a submissive gesture. When he turned his head to look at the car, he saw Beth opening her door and getting out. In his last gesture of hope, Luka howled into the bright sunshine.
Beth moved to the front of the car, placed her hands on her hips, and glared at the large beast. “Stop making all that noise, you stupid mutt, someone will come by and put you in a cage.” Luka stayed on his back so as not to push the delicate situation. His one true love was coming around to the realization of what he truly was.
Beth moved toward her husband and knelt down by his side. “Luka, are you going to stay like that all day, or can you please change back so we can go home? I have pork chops that are thawing out, and you have a lawn to mow.” The large beast whimpered and turned his head away.
Beth reached out and started rubbing Luka’s belly. “Okay, let’s get something straight right now. I know you can kill me whenever you want. You can rip me to shreds and tear me into a million pieces. That bit of information has no bearing on the fact that we have responsibilities at home. You have a yard to take care of, and don’t think for a minute that you get off from taking out the trash. Do you understand me, Luka Dvorska?”
In a flash, Luka turned back to human form. He lay there on the desert floor covered in sweat from the heat. Beth’s hand remained on his powerful chest, as he gazed into her eyes. “There are just a couple of things you have to know, Beth. The lawn mower is broken and I really don’t like your pork chops.”
“Fine, you can put the lawn off until tomorrow and you can take me out for dinner then.” Luka Dvorska pulled his wife down and softly kissed her. His life was now complete.
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