Excerpt 1:
As I return to my car, a painful golden gaze greets me. The second I pull out of the alley, tires screech in the distance, a silver SUV closing in on us at great speed.  

Stranger Danger turns his head when he sees my wide eyes. “Drive!” he yells with desperation.  

And just like that, I’m thrown into a heart-pumping car-chase scene.     

My hands grip the steering wheel with an iron resolve.  

The engine roars as I speed through the city streets, determined not to be caught by my pursuers.     

I’m not on the menu tonight!     

My mind races, searching for an escape route. The unfamiliar streets of the city blur past me as I navigate through the labyrinth of alleys and side roads.  

“Wow…” the wounded stranger says in the back.  

I burst into a weird cackle. “Glad you’re enjoying the ride! Buckle up, it might be a rocky road.” Mm. Ice cream.  

“Just try not to kill us both,” he replies, amusement and genuine concern in his voice. 

Each turn is calculated, each maneuver executed with precision. I can’t afford a single mistake. It’s easier than the go-karts!     

And I love it.     

Glancing in the rearview mirror, I catch a glimpse of the pursuer’s SUV closing in. Their dark, tinted windows hide their identities, but their malevolent presence creeps like a shadow up my spine. A sentiment I can’t recognize fuels my every move, pushing me to the limits of speed and agility.      

“Who’re they? Why’re they chasing you?” I shout, teeth clenched as I drift a tight turn.  

“Not now! Just fucking drive!” he snaps, tension radiating from him like heat. 

The answer should scare me, but instead, it ignites something within. A reckless defiance maybe. I punch the gas harder. The SUV fades in the distance. 

Where’s the police now?   

As I navigate through the streets, the city becomes a haze. The thrill of the chase is intoxicating, but the danger is very real.   

“Just one more crazy move and I’ll lose them,” I say, pulse thudding hard in my throat as adrenaline spikes through my system. 

I need to shake them off for good. Ahead lies a narrow alleyway, barely wide enough to fit my car. Shit. My fingers grip the wheel tighter. The alley is empty. On an impulse, I slam the gas, my heart drumming as I squeeze through the tight space. The pursuers hesitate, thrown off by the daring move. I bet their SUV is too large to come in here.      

I cackle, my breath hitching with the rush, as I put distance between us and the furious men. The sharp sting of sweat trails down my spine, but relief crashes through me.  

“Ha! Suck on that, you oversized tin cans!” I yell, voice ragged, throat dry from the wild tension that’s been gripping me. 

It’s been ages since I’ve felt truly alive. I rush with abandon, the music blasting. Nothing can touch me at this moment of pure euphoria.        

As the sky turns shades of pink and orange, I finally reach the outskirts. The energy from the chase has left me breathless yet exhilarated. With every turn, the weight of my life lifted off my shoulders, replaced by a newfound sense of freedom. I bite back the “whoop!” threatening to escape my mouth.       

I didn’t even know I could drive like that. I slide the sun visor’s mirror to look at myself and burst out laughing. My cheeks are a deep pink, my eyes have an electric gleam, and my lips are stretched into the most wicked smile I’ve ever seen on myself.      

“That was wild,” I whisper to myself.    

Stranger Danger shakes his head with amusement and worry. “You drive like a maniac.” 

“Maniac but living!” I reply, a wild grin on my face. 

But the adrenaline surge recedes, leaving my heart rate back to normal and my heart empty. A quick look to the rearview mirror shows me an empty road. 

Phew.       

Stranger Danger has changed his clothing, but he remains lying across the back seat. I didn’t even see him change his underwear, and that’s a disappointment. A car chase will do that to you. 

 

Excerpt 2:
We stroll through the twinkling lights of the fair, carefree. The summer wind makes the skirt of my dress flutter around me. Kai is silent until he comes to a halt in front of a shooting booth with yellow metallic ducks that pass by on a conveyor belt. The sound of shots fired rings out, adding to the lively atmosphere of the fair.    

“I said I’d get you a teddy bear, right?” Kai says.    

I often get lost in my thoughts, but Kai brings me back to the present. We’re at a colorful booth with carnival music blaring nearby. 

The ducks move quickly, rendering it a challenging task, but he makes it look easy. He handles the air gun and hits his target with ease, leaving me in awe, yet not surprised by his skills. The yellow metal ducks make a loud clatter as they fall.    

“You’re talented,” I say.    

“I’ve had lots of practice.”    

“You’ve often murdered metal ducks?”  

His face twists, and his eyelids flutter. I think he’s trying not to laugh. “No.”    

“So, your practice is only subjective,” I say with a finger raised.   

His eyebrow arches, and I embrace the moment. At the fair with a criminal who appears happy to hand me a fluffy blue bear. He has a glow of sweetness in his eyes. I gasp as my heart sits in my throat and my legs weaken.    

I’d give the moon in guarantee to know what he’s thinking right now.    

“Do you want to try?” he asks, holding out the gleaming silver gun. The short sleeve of his black shirt wrinkles with the movement. 

My heart beats faster as I gaze at the sleek metal weapon in his hand. “You’ll show me how to handle a gun?”  

“Why not? I bet you’re good.” Kai flashes me a confident smile and tosses some money to the gentleman behind the counter. With skilled hands, he loads the gun with ammunition, the sharp clicks echoing through the air.     

“Good?” I repeat, my chest swelling with a small spark of pride at his words. 

He puts the gun in my hands and stands behind me, his frame caging me, yet not touching me. His warm hands gently guide mine into position on the grip, his unshaven cheek brushing mine. My heart races at the coarse feel on my skin. 

His intense gaze fixes on the targets ahead, deadly serious. I steal a few seconds to admire him before he lowers my hands. “Take a deep breath, and when you reach the end of the exhale, squeeze the trigger.” The faintest hint of a smirk plays on his lips as he looks back at me. And time stops. 

We lock gazes for a moment until the gentleman’s throat clearing interrupts us. “Are you ready to shoot, honey?”   

Kai’s gaze shifts to the man, shooting him a fierce glare. “Who do you think you’re calling ‘honey,’ huh?” 

The man takes a step back, his hands raised in front of him. “Just a saying, man. Sorry.”   

I narrow my eyes at Kai. “You scared him.” 

He sneers in response before whispering, “Come on. Play along or I might have to shoot him for real.”   

 

Excerpt 3:
Someone is coming. 

The rasp of shoes against cement, slow and menacing, rises from the stairwell above. Kai’s eyes flicker with calculation as he places himself between me and potential danger.  

Protective. Deadly. 

I grip his arm tighter, seeking reassurance in his solid presence. The footsteps grow louder, each one a ticking bomb counting down to our discovery. Every muscle in Kai’s body is coiled and ready to unleash violence. 

The rasp stops. Silence is deafening. 

Kai inches forward, peering through the gap. His expression shifts from tense focus to something darker, more frightening. I see it in his eyes—a lethal edge that promises retribution. 

He pushes me back to the deep end of the alcove. “Stay here,” he whispers. 

Before I can respond, he slides out the alcove, leaving me alone in the dark. My palms are slick with fear as I clutch my bag tightly to my chest, trying to ignore the pounding in my ears. 

Minutes tick by like hours. My breath hitches as a dreadful thought crosses my mind—what if Kai doesn’t come back? 

No. Don’t go there, Marianne. 

A muffled thud from above makes me gasp.  

I bite back a scream when a shadow falls down the stairs with dull clings. Kai materializes in a blur, leaping from one landing to another until he reaches the floor and barrels into the shadow-man with a force that sends them both barreling on the cold floor. 

The shadow struggles and trashes under the pounding of Kai’s fists. 

Crack. 

Bones snap. The shadow stops moving. 

I get out of the alcove, my legs wobbly with adrenaline. 

Kai’s hands are coated in blood, his knuckles scratched and bruised, but his eyes shine with sinister satisfaction. “Come on, love. We need to go.” 

He’s not even out of breath!  

I blink up at Kai. “Who’s this?” is all I dare ask. 

“Bounty hunter.” He gives me a wicked smile. “Some entry-level dirtbag.” 

Blood pools under the dead man’s head like a macabre halo.  

Kind of pretty against the concrete.  

I frown at Kai busted left eyebrow. “You okay?” 

He strides up to me and presses his forehead to mine, smudging his blood on me. Sweat, cedar, and spice curl up my nostrils, and I shiver.  

“Of course. I just lost my focus a bit when he saw you,” he replies. 

Aww… 

Before I understand, I squint at him and coo. “My hero.” 

A wolfish chuckle erupts from his throat, and he kisses my temple. “I’d rather be your villain.”  

That’s hot as hell. 

His lips linger there, a wet tongue darting out to taste the sweat on my skin, creating a spark we don’t have the time to explore.  

If this is a dream, I never, ever, want to wake up. In the distance, an engine vrooms.  

A single drop of sweat rolls down his temple, and from this close, I can see the dilatation of his pores. My mouth waters at the thought of licking the salty trail as it glides down his chin and along his jugular, disappearing into the collar of his shirt.  

Tires screech. 

There’s a vibration inside of me when I look him in the eyes again, and I’m trapped there, my lower lip languishing. Kai’s jaw tenses, teeth tight, his upper lip ticks, and he bends a bit, pulled down by an unknown force until his nose rests above mine.  

Oh, dear god. I’ve never wanted to fuck a man this badly. 

Our bubble is so thick we forget the world.  

We should move. 

Kai pulls away. “Please… Save that feral look for later,” he murmurs, brushing a thumb across my flushed cheek.  

Feral? Me? What an unusual thought.  

Kai’s fingers linger for another heartbeat before he steps back, wiping his bloody knuckles on his jeans. 

The clicks of guns being cocked resound next to us. A red dot appears on Kai’s chest. Then, a low whistle. 

And that’s when everything goes black