“I’ll have Gedeon escort you away from here as soon as you’ve rested. He’ll make certain you’re completely clear of all shifter territory. I never should have allowed Rogue to put you in this position.”

Maya sighed. She knew she wasn’t capable of a relationship with Gorya. What could she possibly give him? She was damaged goods. How could she fight for him if she wasn’t prepared to live with him? She struggled to think of a way out for them both. She knew there wasn’t one. Either she accepted the situation and his claim on her or she took the out he was giving her and walked away, leaving him to do whatever he felt he had to do.

Gorya still faced the window, refusing to look at her. He might have regained control, but that only added to the determination in every line of his body. From the back, he looked relaxed, once more the man who appeared to command everyone around him when he chose. She found it interesting that he could appear so easygoing and charming, and yet the moment he entered a room, those around him knew he was in charge and listened to every word he said.

“Maybe before we make permanent decisions, we should just slow everything down.”

Maya couldn’t think what else to say to him. She needed time. Sliding the pack from her back, she placed it on the bench at the end of the bed.

“It’s best if you just go now, Maya. I’ll text Gedeon and have him come get you. Grab a bottle of water. Use the bathroom. If you’re hungry, Gedeon and Meiling can feed you before you take off. He’ll let me know when you’re safely away.”

She noticed his fingers had curled tighter into fists. The fists were pressed against his thighs. His hands were back to displaying tension.

“Are you saying you’ve finally come to your senses and realized from my panic attack that I’m too much trouble and you don’t want to be with me after all?” She forced a note of self-deprecating humor into her voice.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Maya. I’m doing my best to save you. It isn’t easy letting you go. I have no idea how to have a relationship. None at all. But I can’t imagine living in this world without you. I’m doing my best for you. You have to get out of here now.”

There was sincerity in his tone. Her stomach rolled, and heat rushed through her veins unexpectedly. He didn’t want her to leave any more than she wanted to go. He was in the same dilemma as she was. Neither one of them knew what they were doing or how to fix what was broken in them.

“I think we should slow things down, Gorya, and not make decisions so fast. We’re both a little tired and hungry. I’m not quite ready to say we can’t make this work.”

“Really? You’re prepared to be my partner in every way? Sleep in my bed?”

There was a harsh rasp to his normally charming voice. A note of desire. Maya winced, grateful he wasn’t looking at her. She swallowed the first six things she considered saying, choosing her reply carefully.

“I have no idea if I’m even able to be a partner in every way. Honestly, I very much doubt it. The idea of it terrifies me, but I’m willing to consider ways to do this. We haven’t explored any possibilities. If you really want to give up this easily, go ahead and text Gedeon to come for me. I won’t believe for a moment that it’s because you’re trying to save me. You have a leopard. No one wants to deprive their leopard of its mate if they find the right one.”

She poured a wealth of challenge into her voice, daring him to deny the truth of her statement. She had no idea what she was doing. What if she couldn’t stay with him? What if she had another panic attack in front of him? She didn’t want to appear weak to him.

Maya spun around and stalked toward the primary bathroom. She needed to find some breathing room. She didn’t spend a lot of time with other people, and she needed space—especially from Gorya. She never expected to be the one fighting for something she didn’t even believe possible.

Fingers settled around her wrist. Gently. Firmly. A shackle, yet barely felt. She swung around, prepared to fight, her heart wild, adrenaline rushing through her system. She recognized his scent. His touch. Yet she was still wary. No one put hands on her, yet she hadn’t pulled a knife and stuck it into his chest. That was something. That was progress.

Her eyes met his, her heart skipped a beat and her stomach did that funny flip. She didn’t know how to interpret his look. It was soft. No one had ever looked at her like that before, and she wasn’t certain how to respond. There was a melting sensation she didn’t want to admit to. Instinctively, she tried to pull away, but it was a half- hearted attempt and they both knew it.

“Maya.” His thumb stroked over the inside of her wrist, sending a thousand fiery embers sparkling through her veins. “You don’t want this. Once we commit, you know there isn’t going to be a way to turn back.”

She knew he was right. She knew, but she couldn’t let him go. She detested that he could feel her trembling. It made her look weak when she wasn’t a weak woman.

Maya lifted her chin at him. “At least we need to give ourselves time to sit down together and discuss the possibilities.”

He had to stop brushing her bare skin with the pad of his thumb. An electrical current flowed from Gorya to her and back again in a continuous loop. She felt sparks over her skin, in her bloodstream and even in her mind. She told herself to pull away from him but found she couldn’t.

“You don’t find my touch entirely repulsive?”

She wanted to lie, but he was a man who could read women. He could see he was affecting her breathing. She was fairly certain he would affect any woman’s breathing.

“Not entirely, no.” She interjected a teasing note into her voice in an effort to show him she wasn’t as affected by him as he might think.

Excerpted from Leopard’s Hunt by Christine Feehan Copyright © 2024 by Christine Feehan. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Christine Feehan’s Red on the River, which is out June 28th 2022.

Vienna Mortenson isn’t your typical gambler. She prefers to stay under the radar, using her poker winnings to support her family and her community, including the local search and rescue team, which she heads up. Out in the backcountry there’s no time for hesitation when lives are on the line. Vienna prides herself on being tough and decisive. She’s not the sort to make a fool of herself over a guy, especially one who left her high and dry without a backward glance.

Zale Vizzini’s job constantly puts him in harm’s way. Working undercover and disappearing for months at a time isn’t exactly a recipe for a stable relationship. Despite the challenges and the risks, Zale wants something real with Vienna. He just needed time to figure out how to be in her life without putting her in danger. Now, he’s determined to win her back, and he’s ready to lay all his cards on the table.

As their friends’ wedding approaches, Zale takes advantage of the festivities to make a play for Vienna’s heart. But there are more deadly forces waiting to strike in the rugged terrain of Nevada and the western Sierras. Soon both of their lives are threatened, and the odds are stacked against them….

“Why aren’t you asking me how I got in here?  You should be.”

She shrugged, trying to look nonchalant.  “Does it matter?  I doubt too many others could manage.  Maybe Rainier.”

“Why would you bring up Rainier?”  There was a bite to his normally calm tone.

“I imagine he was trained the same way you and Sam were.”

“Let’s leave him out of this.  Let’s leave everyone else out but the two of us.  We have enough problems without bringing anyone else into our world.”

Deliberately she took another long drink of water.  “We have problems?  I wasn’t aware, Zale.  What kinds of problems do we have?  I certainly would never undermine your undercover work.  I hope you know that.  I can stay in my suite until the final tournament if that would help.”  She did her best to sound accommodating.

“I interrogate prisoners, Vienna.  Stop trying to pull off bullshit.  I know you would never out me when I’m undercover.  That’s not what I’m referring to and you damn well know it.  I’m talking about us.”

“Us?”  She raised her eyebrow.  “There is no us, Zale.  If you’re worried I’m going to be clingy or expect something from you at Sam and Stella’s wedding, seriously, there won’t be a problem.  It’s been months since we had our little fling.  Six weeks together isn’t a relationship.  It doesn’t make us a couple.  I have no expectations of you.  You’re off the proverbial hook.”

He continued to search her face with those dark eyes of his.  Eyes filled with temptation and sin.  He could easily make her heart skip a beat and her sex dampen with need.  Her breasts ached and felt heavy.  That was his gift.  He could make women want him when he hadn’t said or done anything to warrant it.

“It was six and a half weeks and I don’t want off the hook.”  He made the statement quite clearly.

Her heart accelerated.  Her pulse leapt and pounded frantically in her neck.  It was all she could do to hold herself still, fingers curled around the bottle of water.  “One round with you was about all my heart could take, Zale.”  She didn’t care what she was admitting to him.  “It was beautiful and fun and I’ll cherish those memories.  But not again.  You’ll have to find someone else for your downtime recreation fun.”

“Is that what you think you were to me?”

She lifted her chin and swallowed more water, letting the cool liquid slide down her throat.  “Does it matter what I think, Zale?  Quite a bit of time has passed.  I’ve got my life and I’m just fine.  We were careful.  There aren’t any secret babies you have to worry about.  I’m not crying every night and begging Sam to find you for me.”

She hadn’t asked Sam once about Zale.  She hadn’t even told Sam they’d been together.  She was proud of herself for that because it hadn’t been easy.  She had cried at night.  Not every single night, but she’d cried a lot of nights.

“Would it shock you to know that I asked Sam for updates on you?”

She froze with the water bottle halfway to her mouth.  That couldn’t be true.  Why would he do that when he’d just packed up and left without saying much of anything?  He hadn’t said he’d come back.  He hadn’t asked her to wait for him.  He’d given her nothing to hold on to.  He’d kissed her and walked out of her life.  Why would he ask Sam about her?

She regarded him over the water bottle and then took a slow sip of water.  What difference did it make?  Maybe he was in the habit of asking Sam about all of Sam’s friends.  It didn’t change anything.  He’d walked out without a backward glance.  She knew because she’d stood at the front of the tent and watched him go until the trees and brush had swallowed him up.  He hadn’t looked back.

“What could you have possibly wanted to know?” If there was disbelief in her voice, who could blame her?

“I needed to know that you were safe.  You were alive and healthy.  I didn’t want another man in your life.  At the same time, I wanted you to be happy.”

She contemplated that.  “Well, there you go, Zale.  I’m safe, alive, healthy and very happy.  There’s no other man in my life at this time.  You can go away feeling very fulfilled by the news.”

Excerpted from Red on the River by Christine Feehan Copyright © 2022 by Christine Feehan. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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Anyone whose read my Carpathian series knows that these immortal warriors have a soft spot. For all their fierceness, these men and women love and honor family. For a Carpathian male, women and children are everything. Even when they have lost their emotions as they wait to find a lifemate, these men recall the importance of keeping women and children safe. Once they do find their lifemate, the other part of their soul, the emotions flood back and the idea of giving thanks becomes even more important.

Even though Thanksgiving is an American holiday, Carpathians do get together to celebrate and give thanks for the friends and family they have. But as for the actual Thanksgiving holiday itself, those Carpathians in American celebrate with their own traditions.  Traditions that reflect the way they live their lives.

They would love to be outside where the autumn colors would decorate the scene. Long tables would be decorated with flowers, pumpkins and the arts & crafts made by the children. Since Carpathians can control the weather, it would always be a perfectly warm evening. The humans who live with them would start putting things together just before the sun went down. As the sun dropped the Carpathians would join them, enjoying the acts of creating a celebration.

Carpathians don’t eat human food, but they respect those humans who they’ve let into their circle. They respect the traditions of those around them and include a variety of traditions, so everyone feels welcomed and cared for.

As all sat around the table, many of the Carpathians would take turns regaling everyone with stories of long ago. Stories of heroes, family, and the old ways. There would be laughter and love. Music would call them all to dance and enjoy the evening together.

A Carpathian Thanksgiving would be less about eating food and more about being together, giving thanks, and finding joy in family and friends.

This Thanksgiving I thought I’d share two of my own recipes that I think a Carpathian Thanksgiving would include.

From my family to yours- Happy Thanksgiving!

Mom’s Turkey Soup
Ingredients

• Turkey meat
• 1 can stewed tomatoes
• 1 can chicken stock
• 2 Tbsp parsley
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 package onion soup mix
• 1 onion diced
• 1 bag baby carrots
• 1 small can tomato sauce
• Fresh or frozen vegetables of choice: Broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, etc.
• ½ cup chopped celery
• 1 can drained corn
• 1 can string beans
• ½ cup rice or 2/3 cup of uncooked flat noodles

1. Cut excess meat off the turkey carcass and put aside. Discard fat. Put carcass in large pot of cold water. Bring to boil. Cook until a nice broth has been rendered, approximately 1 ½ hours. Remove the carcass. Cool and separate the meat from the bones. Make sure no little bones have broken off in soup. Put the rest of the meat and broth back in the pot.
2. Add 1 can stewed tomatoes, 1 can chicken stock, 2 Tbsp diced garlic, ½ cup of chopped celery, 1 tsp pepper, 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning, 1 package onion soup mix. Add 1 diced onion, 1 bag of baby carrots.
3. Boil for 30 minutes. Reduce heat. Add 1 small can of tomato sauce. Add vegetables of choice. Cook 30 minutes. Add ½ cup rice or 2/3 cup uncooked noodles. Cook 30 minutes.
4. Serve with garlic bread or rolls.

And for a little something sweet…

Russian Tea Cakes
Makes 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 4 tbsp powdered sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream butter, add sugar, and continue to beat until light.
3. Add vanilla.
4. Add sifted flour and mix well.
5. Fold in the chopped nuts.
6. Shape into small balls on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 15 – 18 minutes.
7. Roll in confectioner’s sugar while still hot.

*These were always popular at holidays and Mom loved making them for us.

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Sam was even more closed off than she was. It was possible he didn’t feel anything at all for anyone. Did she mean so little to him? Probably. She’d built up their relationship because she needed someone. He was truly self-sufficient. She thought she was, but in the end, she needed the resort, her friends. Sam. She needed Sam. The thought of being without him wrenched at her. Maybe she was just feeling so vulnerable because of the nightmares and uncertainty. Because she was afraid for everyone.

“I know things sometimes if people matter to me. You matter to me so I know when you feel like shit.”

Stella’s fingers tightened on her coffee mug. That was the very last admission she expected from Sam. His tone was exactly the same, that low blend of masculine sensuality that sank under her skin and found her somewhere deep. To other people who didn’t ever act on little unexplained urges, his explanation might have sounded ludicrous, but to her, it was perfectly reasonable.

It was the first time Sam had ever said anything that might make him vulnerable. He all but implied he had a psychic ability, or at the very least, a heavy intuition. She wanted to give him something of herself back. It was only fair. Something real.

“I have nightmares sometimes. Bad ones. Once they start, they come in clusters. I can’t get any sleep when it happens. Nothing helps.” That was all true. She drank a little more of the coffee and kept her free hand in Bailey’s fur.

Sam was silent for a long time. When she dared to look at him, he was looking at the mountains. The sun’s rays had scattered color through the trees and ghostly mist. The sight never failed to stir her.

“What kinds of things bring on your nightmares? What are they about?”

Those were good questions. She should have thought he might ask her questions like those. He was intelligent and he was a fixer.

“Dead bodies floating beneath the surface of the lake.” She blurted the truth out. Or half-truth. It came out strangled because a part of her felt like it was a lie and he’d given her something of himself. Made himself vulnerable to her after two years of dancing around each other. He’d opened himself up to ridicule and she was still closed off. He was astute. He knew there was something she wasn’t telling him and it had to hurt. She would be hurt.

Stella forced herself to look up at him because he at least deserved that. Those dark eyes of his studied her face. Penetrating. Seeing too much. She knew there were shadows under her eyes. But what could she really tell him? There was no body. Not even an accident yet. She definitely was going to use her day off to drive around the lake and see if she could find the location where the fisherman would be killed if she couldn’t prevent it. The worst of it was, there were several lakes in the area popular with fisherman. Still, she was certain the location was her beloved lake.

“Stella, you’re the calmest, clearest-thinking woman I’ve ever come across. I know you’re in some kind of trouble.” He shrugged. “I’m not going to pry. I don’t like anyone asking me questions, so I’m not going to insist you talk to me if you don’t want to share. Once you get past being shaken up, you do what you always do, think in steps and tackle the problem one step at time. You’ll find the answer. You always do.”

There was absolute confidence in Sam’s voice and that steadied her. That gave her confidence. He was right. She wasn’t a child, and the killer was on her home turf. Her beloved Sierras. He had no idea she was already onto him and would be coming after him.

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