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Can a carefree wolf shifter and an unbelieving human find true love?
Logan Creig, billionaire wolf and kilt-wearing Scot, arrives in Vegas to make a heist movie. He’s the bad boy of his clan, the one voted least likely to settle down. What does he care? He loves women and won’t apologize to anyone for that.
Justine Bell, dedicated history professor at the University of Vegas and a skeptic to the bone, is hired by Logan to dress the set with Egyptian antiquities. She dislikes the infamous playboy on principle alone, but with the dean insisting she takes the job, she has no choice.
When one of the ancient relics in the shipment turns out to be a legendary artifact, Justine throws herself into researching it…and finds it’s of vital importance to the whole of mankind—it reveals that supernatural creatures have always walked the Earth!
Now, with the clock ticking down on them, the pair must work as a team. Justine has to find the strength to abandon the safety of the beliefs she clings to, ones that don’t allow her to embrace true love, and Logan must fight to become the man Justine needs him to be.
If they can do that, a whole new world awaits them…
General Release Date: 20th June 2023
Logan
“Bloody feathered tyrant!” I howled at the boisterous sounds of a rooster crowing to greet the morn before the sun was even up tearing through my wet dream like a true cock blocker. And just when the lass was about to reveal all those luscious curves. I yawned and checked the clock. I’d best get at it—I did have a lot on before leaving tomorrow. Directing a movie. My first full-length feature in Vegas, Nevada, USA. It didn’t get any better than that.
I threw the covers off and made my way to the window to pull aside the drapes and check the weather. A half-moon hung smiling in the sky on its way to harvest brightness in a couple of months, the horizon growing subtly lighter to the east. No fog this morning—the sky clear around the moon. The distinctive sound of a church bell ringing filled my head, and I shook it in annoyance. Omens I could well do without. Nothing was going to get in my way of achieving success in my own right, not even a seer promising big life changes when I left the Highlands.
Was I taking a chance setting the movie in Vegas, even though it was the perfect location for a heist picture? Both of my older brothers were settled down happily with their new partners and lovers after returning from the City of Sin, acting too smug for words. I shook my head. No. Not going to happen. I wasn’t one bit superstitious, was blessed with a strong mind and besides, I didn’t believe in the thunderclap, at least not for me.
My brothers had just used the excuse to be with the women they wanted to be with. That old crone who’d foretold us all finding our Forever Mates in the land of desert and sage had been full of it. If she could really tell the future, she’d have won the lottery. My philosophy was to live each day to its fullest because it could be the last. Oh, and protect your heart.
As a wolf, I’d seen what happened to a shifter who believed in the phenomenon and was rejected by his fated mate, and it wasn’t pretty. A passion that raged out of control like wildfire could only lead to one conclusion if it wasn’t shared by both.
Death.
Okay, enough drama for one day. It was time to get my mind onto pleasanter occupations. I raced down the stairs two at a time, headed out for a morning run. This might be my only chance for a while. Then I should check in with Finn, my liaison in America. Finally, the farewell party planned for later. That should prove fun—a chance to let off steam before leaving Scotland.
These past few weeks I had been working harder than anyone realized, preparing to take up the reins of directorship as soon as my feet hit the ground in Nevada. I’d prove to them all that there was more to me than the playboy tag I’d been given, though there was much truth to it as well—no apologies for my sexual appetites that were as big as my…caber.
Being naked, I shifted easily, seeing myself in my mind’s eye as wolf in the dimension parallel to ours, experiencing a whirlwind of incredible changes as all my energy shifted into a new form, then bouncing back into the normal world on four powerful limbs capable of great feats. That rush—that incredible sensation of letting go then acquiring incredible power—never got old.
I set off, following the trail of prey right down to the water’s edge at Creig Loch, where I stood on the shoreline and looked across the deep channel. The rising sun’s rays were reflected back to the heavens in a swirling mist of rainbow colors as it advanced over the edge of the world. I could only imagine capturing this on film, what a wolf sees, but it was strictly forbidden. Rule number one was never, under any circumstances, expose your pack to the human world. But it was a shame that humans weren’t party to the awesomeness of the universe with blinders off.
The use of light in movie making—that was a favorite subject of mine. More particularly backlight, one of the oldest and most frequently used ways of making people look more beautiful. When focused from behind the actor or actress, making it of greater intensity than the beam hitting the actor’s face, it made the subject so beautiful.
Backlit. Like walking through the woods toward a setting sun, when all the world appeared aglow. It was what made Dietrich, Garbo, Marilyn—all of them—even more glorious than they already were. It was what I intended to make good use of in my movie. What was wrong with making the world a more beautiful place?
The chase across the landscape through the glorious scented heather and moss filled me with satisfaction, reminded me of the miracle of creation and renewed my sense of commitment to my ancestors. I was more determined than ever when I turned back toward the castle for the video call with Finn, vowing to make a name for myself, come hell or high water.
* * * *
The day passed at the speed of sound and it seemed only minutes later that I was surrounded by the boisterous late-night crowd gathered in the Creigman’s pub for my farewell party. I slipped a large denomination bill from my sporran and, with a wicked smile to the barman, handed the money to him to hold.
“Five hundred to the man or woman who can outdo that performance”—I nodded at the girls dancing to the music, enjoying the evening and wanting to spur on more dancing and drinking until the sun came up—“and a part in my upcoming movie as the stripper in the bar scene!”
Hoots of laughter and wild cheers erupted as the live band changed tunes to You Can Leave Your Hat On by Joe Cocker, a perennial favorite at the Creigman’s, the hangout for weres in Scotland, and the perfect music for the challenge. Hell, I might even use it in The Vegas Job, the heist movie I was itching to direct. A well-built blue-eyed blonde was taking center stage. I’d be a hero to all the males in attendance for this one.
Does it get any better? No. I loved my life and all the perks that came with being a billionaire and a shifter. Who wouldn’t? I had carte blanche to savor all the finer things and pursue my dreams of becoming a world-class movie director.
Sure, I love being an uncle to Lachlan’s and Esme’s year-old son and looked forward to him being grown enough to throw a ball with, but I wasn’t ready to settle down. Sure, one day I might find the perfect woman for me, but right now my art was my focus, and if that meant nights of loneliness I would never admit to unless someone put a gun to my head, well, wasn’t that what all the greats suffered to create their own vision of things?
My thoughts were interrupted by a loud chorus of “Take it off! Take it all off!”
The blonde had the crowd eating out of the palm of her hand, holding an untied bra to her chest and gyrating to the sexy beat that made the world drop away. Now we’re talking. I loved women’s bodies, with all those delicious curves. Why did they diet so much when it was curves a man craved?
Halleluiah. The blonde dropped her top and a fine pair of full breasts were revealed. The kind a man wanted to caress and kiss and suck until she was ready for a night of pleasure that ended only when the sun came up and work called. I prided myself on being a generous lover, a charming wolf who made sure my woman got off first.
“Hey, Logan, how about two for the price of one?” Ayla, one of a pair of identical twins that every man worth his salt wanted to bed, asked. She and her twin, Aileen, jumped to their feet, their ample breasts bouncing, making the current champion glare in their direction. But yeah, twin strippers in my movie…that would be hot as hades.
“Sure, give it a go, sweethearts,” I said, jerking my thumb at the stage.
My cell phone rang and I glanced at the number. Damn it. Just when I was totally enjoying myself. Tomorrow was soon enough to put on my serious hat and get down to business.
“Logan.” I had to shout into the phone to be heard over the whistles and cheers erupting from the crowd. I wasn’t the only lover of fine women in attendance.
“Mr. Creig, Finn here. Just letting you know we’ve found an Egyptian antiquities expert for your film.”
“Good. Set up an interview for him on Sunday.”
We needed the serious authority that having an expert on the subject could bring to the movie. Hopefully, he was some stuffy old geezer who would look down his bifocals at everyone—well, except me of course—and play the part well, with patches on the elbows of his out-of-date plaid jacket. That at least would save me some precious time dealing with the artifacts and preparing them for display. The complicated setting in a working casino would be ample enough challenge for the foreseeable future.
“Ah, sir, it’s a woman. Comes highly recommended, I might add.”
“That’s all I ask.” I revised the image in my mind’s eyes to a middle-aged female wearing oxfords and tweed, with serious-librarian glasses perched on her nose. Good. As long as she came properly qualified and added a serious demeanor to my movie, she could wear any old drab outfit she wanted. It would just make it that much easier to leave her alone. I might not be superstitious, but I wasn’t going to take any chances in the land of desert and sage…even if I’d admit to it out loud.
I glanced back at the twins who had taken the dance to the next level, bumping and grinding against each other with complete abandon. They were too beautiful for words—backlighting was certainly not necessary for this scene.
“Okay, ladies, you both got the part,” I announced. “There’ll be space set aside for you on the plane tomorrow.”
I endured the squeals and shouts of glee that my words caused. Well, a man or wolf had to do what he could to keep the fairer sex happy. It must have been encoded in our DNA or maybe in our hearts, though more likely in our…cabers that always wanted to procreate.
Yeah, sure, someday a houseful of little Creigs running around would be great—not like I couldn’t afford it. But that was a long way off in the future when I had established a successful track record in the movie business. My instincts had told me to avoid the trap of surrounding myself with women in Vegas, so I knew I wouldn’t get together permanently with anyone. No, I’d treat them like the twins I’d just hired…just in case of the slim chance that the legend was true.
Yes, I was all set, I thought smugly, sitting back in my chair.
A wolf with a plan was unbeatable.