Wicked Wednesday… or Wicket Wednesday… or Wikked Wednesday…

Haven’t decided which. But you can get some goodies!

Because my omnibus, The Soul Series, will be free on Amazon for the next five days- Wed. thru Sun., here are some tidbits from the three books - Incorporeal, In the Flesh and Stay.

Limp, boneless, Sara’s head lolled back against Nathan’s shoulder. Nathan had helped her achieve her goal, distracting her from their odd, inexplicable, supernatural circumstances. What could be more normal than sex, truly excellent, out of this world, mind-blowing sex? With a satisfied sigh, Sara closed her eyes, sinking further back into Nathan’s body, as his hands soaped her sensitive breasts, and other equally sensitive parts.

“Mmmmmm.”

“Feels good?”

“Very.” She rubbed her cheek along Nathan’s wet skin.

“Would you like to sleep? I can stop if you wish.”

“Oh no, don’t stop. Keep touching me. I love it when you touch me.” Nathan mumbled a few sentences, his voice vibrating along her back. Sara shifted slightly, pressing even closer. “What did you say?”

Nathan’s hands moved over her without hesitation, but his answer was slow in coming. “I said I love to touch you, Sara. I come alive in your arms.”

Despite his groan of protest, Sara turned her body around until she could look into Nathan’s face. She laid her palm over his heart, thrilled by the steady beat she felt through his muscular chest. “Are you alive, Nathan?”

His hands slipped beneath her hair and he massaged her head. “Yes, I believe so, although my alive-ness seems to be limited to your home.” He leaned over to kiss her.

When at last he lifted his lips from hers, Sara asked in a quiet voice, “Do you know why?”

Nathan shook his head.

“Do you know how?”

“No, Sara, I don’t.” He pulled her back against him. “Is the water growing too cold for you?”

“No.” She stretched out her legs; her toes played with his. “The water is fine, but I have another question.”

Nathan slipped his soapy hands down her flanks, running them over her hips. “I don’t suppose I can distract you from your questions?”

Sara was indeed distracted, but she shook her head. “Nice try, but no.”

Nathan wrapped his strong arms around her and drew her hard against him. Resting his chin on the top of her head, he said, “Ask your questions, woman.”

“Ooh, woman is it? Sexy. I like it.” She wiggled her bottom against him, grinning at his immediate physical response.

“Ask.” Nathan growled the word.

Despite her reluctance to tackle the subject she wanted to tackle, Sara couldn’t resist a feminine snort. Nathan might be dead, but he was very much a man. Men haven’t changed over the centuries, have they? All right, Sara, jump right in. Blurt it out. You know you want the answer. Do I? Do I really want the answer?

Out of the blue, Syd’s skin began to prickle and the hair on her arms rose, standing straight up. Static electricity filled the cab of her vehicle, and for a moment, she was terrified there might be a short in her electrical system. An unearthly flash of bright blue light momentarily blinded her. It was followed almost instantaneously by a huge crash of thunder.

Good lord, what the hell is that? Don’t brake; don’t brake; you’ll fishtail.

Uttering a silent prayer, fighting panic, Syd slid her foot from the accelerator and let the truck slow on its own. She felt like someone had fired off an old fashioned camera flash bulb mere inches from her eyes. When her vision began to clear, she was relieved to see she hadn’t run through a fence. With a light foot, Syd pressed on the brake, bringing the truck to a complete stop.

“Whoa Nelly.” Syd leaned back and tried to catch her breath. The static electricity had vanished.

I’ve heard of lightning and thunder in a blizzard, but I’ve never, ever, experienced it. Geez, I don’t think I ever want to again.

Her heart pounded in her chest and she wondered if it was such a good idea to try to make it home after all. Syd stared out the driver’s window. The snow was really coming down now. Home was a lot closer than town, and if she had to she could walk.

Walk? In this whiteout? Now that’s just about the stupidest idea you’ve had in…

Movement on the road ahead caught Syd’s eye, big movement, and her skin prickled once more. Electrical sparks danced along her arms, lighting up the inside of the cab.

With a shriek, Syd threw the truck into park and flung open the door, diving out toward a snow bank, terrified she’d caught fire somehow. As she flew through the air, just before her hands were buried in the cold mound of snow, she saw something. Illuminated by her headlights, smack dab in the middle of the road, stood a giant man made of pure gold.

Holy fucking shit.

Open mouthed, Syd stared at the figure for the space of a few short breaths.

At last she closed her eyes, as wet, frozen, and terrified, she groped to her knees. The icy wind tore at her exposed face, making her cringe. Heart beating like a snare drum in her chest, she knew she had to turn and look back at the road, to find out if she actually saw what she thought she saw.

No way. It’s got to be some sort of hallucination brought on by sleep deprivation, blowing snow and the lightning, because I know grizzly bears do not wake up in the middle of winter and put on gold armor and there’s no way a twelve foot tall man is standing in the road.

Stuck in snow as thick as quicksand and as slippery as cooking oil, Syd struggled to get her feet beneath her. With trepidation, she turned her head to look back at the road. Her headlights reflected off thick white flakes. Snow washed over the cab of her truck in waves. There was no golden man in sight; not even the shadow of a fencepost marred the unbroken expanse of white.

“Idiot.” Syd shook herself, trying to brush the wet snow off her legs with cold fingers. “Now your hands are frozen and your jeans are soaked. Get back in the truck, you big dummy.”

She reached for the open door, pulled herself inside, and slid behind the wheel. Shaking with cold, Syd leaned over to grab the handle. As she tugged the door closed, a shadowy figure emerged from the darkness. Her body gave an instinctive, protective jerk and she hurried to lock the doors, not really caring who or what it was as long as she remained safe and separate inside the cab of the truck. It wasn’t until the figure stopped right in front of her truck that Syd realized what she was staring at.

A naked man stood in the glow of her headlights. His body glistened with moisture from melting snow. A faint halo of steam surrounded him, rising from his damp skin, as though he’d been struck by the lightning. His eyes gleamed golden in the bright lights. He appeared disoriented. It was obvious to Syd that he was in shock.

“Oh my god.”

“Why?” It was the first word Syd had spoken since they’d left the parking lot.

Lucas glanced over at her. She huddled against the doorframe, arms folded across her chest, sitting as far away from him as possible.

All kinds of answers filled his head, but not a one made any sense. “Because…”

“Because why?”

“I don’t know,” he said.

She made some inarticulate response and scrunched her body even closer to the door.

“You don’t have to be afraid of me, Syd. I’m not angry.”

“I’m not afraid of you. I just don’t want to be near you.”

Lucas cringed at her words. He risked another glance in her direction. “Did you say you don’t want to be near me?”

She nodded.

Once again he felt like should say something, anything to explain himself, but he didn’t know what to say. He turned off the highway onto the road to Triple Creek. “We’ll have to send Chuck and Ryan back for your truck.”

Lucas listened for a response. He didn’t hear a sound. Not even a grunt or a sniffle. What he deserved was a slap. He pulled off to the side of the road and threw the truck into park. “Let’s talk about this, about what happened to you.”

“Oh, right.” Syd’s eyes blazed with anger. “Now you care what happens to me or what happens to this baby? I don’t believe you.”

“I do care about you.”

She scowled at him. “You know what I think? I think Ben guilted you into bringing me home and the first chance you get you’ll bolt like a skittish colt.”

Lucas slammed his fists against the steering wheel. “What the hell do you want from me, woman? Tell me what you want.”

Tears filled her eyes and he knew he sounded like a boorish Neanderthal.

She opened her mouth, touched the tip of her pink tongue to those oh so perfect teeth. “I want you to remember me. That’s all. Is it so much to ask? I want you to remember.”

“I don’t remember you.” He spoke each word clearly. “I didn’t know you until a month ago.”

Syd looked straight into his eyes. “Yes you do. You know me.” Keeping her movements slow as if trying not to spook him, she reached a tentative hand toward his hair, threading her fingers through his curls. Her fingertips grazed his scalp. “Wolf, somewhere inside this thick skull of yours you retain memories of me and of what you were not so long ago.”

Her touch sent chills racing up and down his spine. Lucas closed his eyes. “It’s not possible. I was in Nebraska.”

“You don’t know it, but with you the impossible is possible. It’s true. I’ve seen it. So has Cass.” She trailed light fingers over his cheekbone. “Ask him, Wolf. Ask Cass to show you.”

Lucas opened his eyes. He saw the hope in hers. How he wanted to keep that hope alive. He forced his mouth to move. “Show me what?”

“He can show you where you touched him.”

“Where I did what?”

“Where you touched him,” she repeated. “You brought him back from the dead.”