Awakening Fire
by Larissa
Emerald
Series: The Divine Tree
Guardians
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Cover Designer: Robin Ludwig
Publisher: Castle Oak Publishing
LLC
Release Date: March 5, 2015
The return of sculptor Emma Grant to her Georgia home town
sparks the return of the visions she tries to deny and rekindles a
centuries-old feud between shape shifters Venn Hearst, guardian of the Divine
Tree (The Tree Of Knowledge) and his nemesis. Emma is determined to place and
dedicate the statue honoring her beloved grandmother despite Venn’s opposition;
despite the fact she is in love with Venn, despite his sacred duty not to
permit it. Will she overcome a test of evil or shatter Venn's world?
As Venn pelted across Aunt Fay’s parking lot, loose pebbles
crunched beneath his feet. The Tyler streets were fairly deserted, with most
people in bed by nine on a workday like today.
He paused to watch Emma through the store window, noting
that Mrs. Grant had chosen to wait in the car with her dog. His anticipation
mounted.
When he entered the shop, her scent grabbed him—plumeria and
cinnamon—an instant turn-on. Even the heady aroma of coffee couldn't rob him of
her sweet, luscious fragrance,a perfume he’d profoundly missed. He drew a deep
breath as he stepped behind her in line and enjoyed the sound of her voice
while she spoke into a cell phone.
Instantly, she seemed to sense him as she stopped
mid-sentence and turned.
He smiled and couldn't help but flirt with her. “Something
with whipped cream?”
She narrowed her eyes and angled her cell away from her ear
with an incredulous nod. “Excuse me?”
“To drink.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks flushed a pretty pink. “Yes. Umm, and your
recommendation is?” She cleared her throat, her green eyes now glinting with
pale fire, and then her brows pinched as if she were trying to recall
something.
Was it possible she recalled him? That would make things so
much easier. He was already finding it difficult to behave as though he didn't
know her.
“Anything with chocolate,” he answered as his lupine senses
went into overdrive. Her fragrance intensified, warmed, indicating to him that
her body knew what her mind did not.
Her subconscious recognized him.
She gave her head a shake, confusion painted on her face.
“Sorry. I . . .” She paused a beat, steeling her features, and then pointed to
her phone.
Her voice drove him to the brink of desperation. He wanted
to get her alone. He needed her to remember what they’d shared.
And his beasts concurred with a beat of wings and hammer of
paws.
“Miss. What would you like?” the clerk behind the counter
asked.
She faced forward again, leaving him to stare at her long,
sleek, shimmering hair. He’d kill to slide his fingers through those rich
strands.
“For some reason I’m craving something I haven’t had
before.” Her voice was soft and sweet. “A mocha latte. And forget the calories.
Add on some extra whipped cream.”
He swallowed. He had cravings, too, ones he hadn't given in
to for a very long time. “Good choice,” he said to her back.
Now to convince her of a few other things . . .
Hell, she’d fallen for him before, she would again.
Larissa Emerald writes paranormal, futuristic and
contemporary romances. She is a Romance Writers of America 2013 Golden Heart
Finalist for her romantic suspense, RAMPANT PERFECTION which will be available
in the fall of 2015.
A combination of her love of reading and her vivid
imagination―plus a strong desire to rewrite the endings of movies that just
didn’t end right―lead Larissa into the world of writing.
Larissa has lived in Florida for her entire life. In her spare
time, she enjoys teaching baton twirling and dance, traveling with her husband
of 41 years, baking and cooking―usually altering the recipe―and playing dress
up with the brightest lights in her life, her four grandchildren.
