QSFer Karenna Colcroft has a new MM paranormal romance out: Return and Restore.
On full moon night, a stranger invades the Nova Scotia home of werewolf mates Quinn Boucher and Malachi Powers—a stranger who has victimized Quinn in the past. Malachi fights to defend his young mate, but the stranger isn’t acting of his own accord.
Secured in a cell at the home of the Anax, ruler of Canada’s werewolves, the intruder is murdered by one of the Anax’s guards. With his dying breath, he delivers a message to Quinn: Return to his home province of Manitoba to face his Alpha, or others will hunt him. Determined to protect himself and his mate, Quinn makes the journey with Malachi by his side.
In Manitoba, another attack is launched. Another intruder, imprisoned at the home of the Arkhon, leader of all packs in the province, is murdered. And when the Alpha behind it all reveals himself, Quinn can’t bear the horrifying truth. Even Malachi’s love might not be enough to pull him back from the brink.
Get It At Amazon | Universal Buy Link
Excerpt
Just as I finished making the meal—with the potatoes—Malachi walked in, sweaty and shirtless. And dripping, because the rain hadn’t stopped. I hurried into the bathroom and got a towel for him while he took off his shoes.
“Thank you, boy.” He took the towel and started drying himself. “You made dinner.”
“I figured you’d be hungry.” I stood for a second, trying to decide whether to start dishing up supper or wait for him to give me back the towel. “You always say wet wood isn’t good for chopping.”
“It isn’t, but chopping even wet wood is good for dealing with aggravation.” He went past me into the main room. “We should gather up some laundry to bring with us to Silas’s in the morning. If all goes well, we’ll be able to finish it before we leave. If not, perhaps Elaine will be kind enough to finish it for us while we’re gone.”
“Hopefully.” One of the least convenient things about living with Malachi was laundry. We washed some things by hand, either in the kitchen sink or the bathtub depending on how large they were, and then hung them by the fire or outside on the verandah if the weather was good enough. Other things, like our bedding, we usually bundled up and brought to Silas’s. I usually put off doing my laundry as long as I could, because I really didn’t like washing my clothes by hand.
Malachi took the towel into the bathroom and then went to the back bedroom where he kept his clothes. I started putting the meat and potatoes on plates.
When he came back, he was wearing loose pants and a sweater. His feet were bare. We sat at the table in our usual seats and started eating.
“I know you have thoughts and questions about our trip,” he said between mouthfuls. “I ask that you hold them for tonight. I’m addressing my own concerns about how we’ll be traveling.”
“Okay.” That explained the chopping firewood in the rain thing. “One thing, though. I called the police in Winnipeg and straightened out the missing person thing. So I’m not missing anymore.”
“That’s good.” He gave me an approving smile. “I don’t have the bandwidth, as you might put it, for discussion. I could, however, be happy with distraction. How are you feeling, boy?”
“Hot,” I said without thinking, and immediately laughed. “I mean, the fire’s good, but that isn’t what I’m talking about. You…” I shook my head. “Never mind. It sounds better in my mind than it would if I said it out loud.”
“I heat you up?” He chuckled. “I can see that by how red your face is. I feel oddly awkward prepositioning you. At least your response is equally awkward.”
“I’m good at being awkward.” My face felt way too warm, and not in a good way, so I went back to eating.
“You’re skilled at a number of things.” Malachi’s voice was nearly a growl. “Things that certainly help me divert my mind from unpleasant topics. Are you willing, boy? I suppose that’s the simplest way to ask. Are you willing?”
I grinned. “I’m willing for whatever your will is, Sire.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” He ate another bite of venison. “You’ll just have to wait to find out what my will is tonight. I’m of a mind to finish this meal you’ve prepared first. You’ve gotten quite good at cooking.”
“Thank you, Sire.” My insides were spinning now, anxious and excited and wishing he would put down the damn fork so we could move to the bedroom. Of course he was going to make me wait. He was in charge. He could do that.
We finished eating, and Malachi insisted on having some of the ice cream I’d bought on our last grocery trip, even though he claimed he didn’t like ice cream. Judging from the faces he made while he ate it, he didn’t actually like it. He was just trying to prolong my torment.
I didn’t entirely mind.
After he finished his frigging ice cream, he told me to do the dishes. Which I did because he told me to, even though our usual deal was that whoever didn’t cook did the dishes. This was part of his plan to drive me over the edge before he took me over the edge, and I wasn’t going to complain.
As I dried the last plate and set it in the cupboard, he walked in from the main room and grabbed my arm. Tight, so tight it felt like it would bruise. My excitement shot up to eleven as I tried to turn around, but he pinned me against the counter with his full weight. “Listen to me,” he growled into my ear. “I’m not going to fuck you tonight. But we will enjoy each other’s bodies. We will bring each other to climax. We will take as long as we like, because we have nothing else to do save packing, and that can wait until morning. Do you understand?”
“Y—yes, Sire.” A delicious thrill ran up my spine, and I had to force myself not to try to squirm free so I could get started. I didn’t know what he would want me to do, but maybe this would be one of the times when he gave me some choices.
“When I step back, you will go into the main room.” He yanked me backward. His cock was hard against my ass. “I think I want you undressed and on the daybed to begin. We’ll see how we progress from there.” He moved back and released me. “Go.”
Author Bio
Karenna Colcroft (she/they) is a nonbinary, neurodivergent survivor whose books try to encourage other survivors to believe they deserve and can find love and healthy relationships if they dare to open their hearts. In her non-writing life, Karenna is a mother, grandmother, and partner.
She does not compartmentalize love into gender or number, and in her stories, she strives to show that no matter how afraid or reluctant someone might be, and no matter how much work it takes to build a relationship, finding someone to share a life with is worth the effort. Karenna lives in the northeastern United States, where she is hard at work on becoming a forest-dwelling cat person.
| Author Website | https://karennacolcroft.com |
|---|---|
| Author Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/KarennaColcroft |