It was all almost too much. She sat back and watched the party, Adam at her side. Oma was happy. Lance looked thunderstruck. Tina was smiling at both of them with a sappy expression. And Zeke was so solicitous of Oma it was touching.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Adam whispered near her ear, his arm around her shoulders tugging her close.
She turned in her seat to meet his gaze. “So much has happened in such a short time. It’s a bit overwhelming, but it’s all so good. It’s like the Goddess decided to just shower us all with gifts all at once.”
“You believe in the Mother of All?” Adam asked, seeming surprised.
“I was raised on the tales of the firebird in my own family. Of course we follow the old ways,” she said, rolling her eyes. “We just don’t talk about it in public, but I figured you were already in on the whole magical secret, right? Oma always said shifters followed the Goddess, too.”
“Yeah, we do,” he agreed. “I was just surprised. You were so…human, just yesterday.” He laughed and she joined in.
“What can I say? You bring out the best in me.” She moved closer to give him a quick kiss on the lips.
“No, my love,” he whispered back, keeping her close. “You do that for me. And for always.”
Their kiss was a bit more involved this time and only ended when just about everyone in the room started howling and cheering. Life in the midst of a werewolf Pack was going to be interesting, but Diana was looking forward to getting used to it. These people were fun and fierce, and knew how to party. And her new mate was the man of her dreams in every respect.
Diana sent a silent prayer of thanks up to the Mother of All, knowing she’d been truly blessed.
*
In the town of Grizzly Cove, on the coast of Washington State, a dragon stirred. Something was going on to the south. Something very odd, indeed. Something he needed to investigate…
*
Thank you for reading Phoenix Rising. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review. Phoenix Rising is part of the Lick of Fire collection. For more information on other books in the collection, please visit the Lick of Fire website.
Following is a short excerpt from All About the Bear, the first in my Grizzly Cove series, based around a town where the men are bears…literally. A few other kinds of shifter have found their way into the cove, over the life of the series, most recently a dragon that will feature prominently in the next phoenix book.
A complete list of all of my books, separated by series, follows. You can also check out my website at WWW.BIANCADARC.COM. Or you can sign up for my new release list to be alerted when new books are released.
Excerpt from All About the Bear
© 2015 Bianca D’Arc. All Rights Reserved.
Prologue
“You want us to what?”
The question came from Brody, one of the highest ranked of John’s lieutenants. If he couldn’t convince Brody of the genius of his idea, he’d never have a shot at convincing the rest.
“We’re going to pretend we’re an artists’ colony. That’s the most sensible way we can fly under the radar around here.” He’d researched it, and it was the only plan that made sense for this part of the country.
“But none of us are artists,” Brody insisted.
“You can use a chainsaw, can’t you?” He pointed at Brody, then went around the circle of his top men who were all gathered to hear the latest mission plan. “We all know Drew whittles in his spare time. And Sven can carve ice. Remember the swan he made when we were undercover as caterers that time?”
“Tell me it’s the fucking polar bear that came up with this,” Peter the Russian shot a disgusted look at Sven, who flipped him the bird casually as he sat back to listen. Sven could always be counted on to listen first before jumping to conclusions.
As Alpha of this team of misfits, John had his work cut out for him, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. All bear shifters, they’d bonded together over years of covert missions and top-secret assignments. And now, when the world had gone to hell and it was time to regroup, John had finally put his long-term plan into motion.
He’d been quietly buying up a huge tract of land near the very tip of Washington State over the past several decades. Every spare dollar he’d ever earned had gone into the project. He considered it an investment, and now that he had finally revealed his master plan to his men, he hoped they would take a more active role in buying up the rest of the land that they needed.
It was wild country with few inhabitants, yet the city wasn’t too far away as the crow flies. And there were humans nearby. An Indian reservation and other coastal communities. If John and his team set up house here, they’d have to come up with a plausible cover story as to why there was suddenly a new settlement made up mostly of men in this remote area.
John had a plan to even out the numbers, too, but they’d have to be in residence first before he could put out the call through the shifter community to invite female bears who were looking for a change—and possibly a mate—to join them. There would probably be a few humans passing through on occasion, so they really needed that good cover story for their little community.
John laid out the long-term plan for them all for the first time, and thankfully, they listened. Bears were tricky. Most liked to roam alone, only settling down with a mate and raising their family much later in life—if at all. And they usually didn’t live in such close proximity to their Alpha, which was more a ceremonial title than an actual authoritative one.
But John had been commanding officer to every one of the men who gathered around him at one time or another, and the role of leadership fell naturally to him. He might not be the biggest bear in the group, but he was universally believed to be the smartest when it came to strategy. He had hope for his people that they seemed to understand. He wanted to see these men, who had given so much of themselves to help protect the innocent, have fulfilling lives of their own now that they were retiring from the human world and its troubles.
Things had changed drastically in the shifter community. Dark times had accelerated John’s plans for his men, but though they remained poised to help, the greater war seemed to be in a lull at the moment. Which left the bears at loose ends. That was why John had brought them all here, to Washington State, to lay the base for what he hoped would be a community that would last for generations.
It was a social experiment the likes of which had never really been attempted in the modern age. At least not on this scale. But if anyone could do it, John knew his men could. Bears were both strong and patient.
It took some doing, but eventually, he talked them all around, and they started planning in earnest for the settlement they were going to build. The community of Grizzly Cove would soon be a reality.
To read more, get your copy of All About the Bear by Bianca D’Arc.
About the Author
Bianca D’Arc has run a laboratory, climbed the corporate ladder in the shark-infested streets of lower Manhattan, studied and taught martial arts, and earned the right to put a whole bunch of letters after her name, but she’s always enjoyed writing more than any of her other pursuits. She grew up and still lives on Long Island, where she keeps busy with an extensive garden, several aquariums full of very demanding fish, and writing her favorite genres of paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi romance.
Other Books by Bianca D’Arc
Paranormal Romance
Brotherhood of Blood
One & Only
Rare Vintage
Phantom Desires
Sweeter Than Wine
Forever Valentine
Wolf Hills*
Wolf Quest
Tales of the Were
Lords of the Were
I
nferno
Tales of the Were ~ The Others
Rocky
Slade
Tales of the Were ~ String of Fate
Cat’s Cradle
King’s Throne
Jacob’s Ladder
Her Warriors
Tales of the Were ~ Redstone Clan
The Purrfect Stranger
Grif
Red
Magnus
Bobcat
Matt
Tales of the Were ~ Grizzly Cove
All About the Bear
Mating Dance
Night Shift
Alpha Bear
Saving Grace
Bearliest Catch
The Bear’s Healing Touch
The Luck of the Shifters
Badass Bear
Loaded for Bear
Crossroads: Bounty Hunter Bear
Tales of the Were ~ Were-Fey
Lone Wolf
Snow Magic
Midnight Kiss
Tales of the Were ~ Howls Romance
The Jaguar Tycoon
The Jaguar Bodyguard
Tales of the Were ~ Lick of Fire
Phoenix Rising
Phoenix and the Wolf
Guardians of the Dark
Simon Says
Once Bitten
Night Shade
Smoke on the Water
Shadow Play
Gifts of the Ancients: Warrior’s Heart
Epic Fantasy Erotic Romance
Dragon Knights ~ Daughters of the Dragon
Maiden Flight*
Border Lair
The Ice Dragon**
Prince of Spies***
Dragon Knights ~ The Novellas
The Dragon Healer
Master at Arms
Wings of Change
Dragon Knights ~ Sons of Draconia
FireDrake
Dragon Storm
Keeper of the Flame
Hidden Dragons
Dragon Knights ~ The Sea Captain’s Daughter Trilogy
Book 1: Sea Dragon
Book 2: Dragon Fire
Book 3: Dragon Mates
Science Fiction Romance
StarLords
Hidden Talent
Talent For Trouble
Shy Talent
Jit’Suku Chronicles ~ Arcana
King of Swords
King of Cups
King of Clubs
King of Stars
End of the Line
Diva
Jit’Suku Chronicles ~ Sons of Amber
Angel in the Badlands
Master of Her Heart
Futuristic Erotic Romance
Resonance Mates
Hara’s Legacy**
Davin’s Quest
Jaci’s Experiment
Grady’s Awakening
Harry’s Sacrifice
Contemporary Romance
Irish Lullaby
Wild Irish Rose
Bells Will Be Ringing
* RT Book Reviews Awards Nominee
** EPPIE Award Winner
*** CAPA Award Winner