August 2022 Update

Undeniably Wrong Goes Live this Month!

Check out the trailer below….

Your Invitation to Party

Celebrate the release of Undeniably Wrong with games, giveaways, and guest authors. Guests joining us include:

  • Karen Nappa
  • Meg Bawden / M.D. Gregory
  • Shilpa Suraj
  • Chelle Pimblott
  • Savannah Lynn
  • YD La Mar

An Excerpt from Winter’s Mother 1

Sixteen years following the events of Winter’s Maiden 2

Glancing at her reflection in the bedroom mirror, Alannah cringed. She studied her cotton unicorn pyjamas and felt the beginnings of a mid-life crisis set in. When did I trade in the black satin slips for these PJs? How am I only now noticing how frumpy I look these days? With a bamboo brush and some concerted effort, she managed to tame her wild bed-hair. It had been another restless night.

The house was quiet when she made her way to the kitchen. The silence was unusual, but not alarming. Being a summer Saturday meant Liam was likely at the beach already, making the most of the surf. She turned on the coffee machine and looked across the open plan living space. Her daughter sat at the dining table, watching something on her laptop. 

Neve was using headphones, which explained the lack of noise. But the sound of grinding coffee beans got her attention. ‘Morning, Mum.’

‘Morning, hun. I didn’t expect to see you up before me on a Saturday.’

‘You do realise it’s nearly midday, right?’

‘Oh shit! Really?’ Alannah looked at the old grandfather clock, which she had recently acquired from an antique auction. ‘Damn. I guess I overslept. Did you get yourself some breakfast?’

Returning her attention to whatever YouTube had to offer, Neve shook her head.

Alannah took her fresh brew to the table and sat next to Neve. ‘You know, if you want me and your father to show more leniency, you are gonna have to start behaving responsibly. That means looking after yourself more.’

‘Spare me the lectures, Mum. I get enough of those from Liam. Besides, I remembered to feed the cat.’ Neve gestured at the ball of white fluff sleeping on the couch.

Sighing, Alannah returned to the kitchen. She threw together some avocado and cheese toasted sandwiches. ‘Here, eat this.’ She put one of the plates beside Neve’s laptop, then sat in front of her own computer.

Sipping her coffee, she scrolled through her social feed. Not much engaged her foggy brain beyond some cat memes. She clicked like on a few and went to close her laptop when a news bulletin caught her attention. 

‘Mum, can—’

‘Wait a sec, hun. Come look at this.’ She opened the live video feed and gasped at the aerial footage.

The Victorian Government has declared a state of emergency. Melbourne residents flock from their homes amidst the city’s collapse.

‘Oh wow! Is that a volcano erupting?’ Neve asked. ‘It looks awesome!’

The dormant volcanoes erupting from part of the Newer Volcanic Province. This disaster follows a series of earth tremors. Experts claim the odds—

Alannah muted the sound. ‘It’s devastating is what it is. Don’t forget I spent nine years of my life living in that city. I have friends there.’

Remorse filled Neve’s bright green eyes. ‘Shit! Sorry, Mum. Can you call to check if they’re okay?’

‘Now’s not a good time to be clogging up the phone towers over there. I hope they’ve marked themselves as safe.’ Alannah’s hands trembled as she clicked over to Melissa’s profile. Nothing. She looked at Emma’s and Cole’s next. Damnit! None of them had checked in.

‘Mum?’

‘Mm?’ Alannah was too distracted to give Neve her full attention.

‘Is it okay if Cat and Fi come over for a bit?’

‘Yeah.’

Neve disappeared down the hall. Alannah switched between face-stalking her friends and watching updates on the disaster. The more she watched, the more uneasy she felt about the whole thing. The reports coming from the scientists only fed her suspicions. Why is a dormant volcano with such low odds of current activity erupting in such a prominent place? Could this be the work of dark mages?

The issue warranted some investigation, so she sent a quick email to Kieran Lane, the High Magus of her state. She included a link to the newsflash with the question: Could this be dark magic?

When Kieran did not reply within an hour, she grew impatient and rang him.

‘Yes, Councillor Winters?’ His curt tone was typical, even after years of working with her.

‘Did you get my email, Your Honour?’

‘I did.’

‘And?’

A loud sigh crackled through the line. ‘Why are you asking me about the goings on in another state? You know I don’t have any jurisdiction over there.’

‘Are you not the least bit concerned for them?’

‘I sympathise, sure. But it’s not like I can do anything. If High Magus Hanigan has need of us, I’m sure he’ll be in touch. Now if you don’t mind, I am in the middle of something.’

‘Of course. Sorry to bother you.’ Alannah hung up and flung her phone at the couch out of frustration. Sixteen years on and I still haven’t earned enough respect from the man. Then it struck her. If this volcano business is a dark magic conspiracy, they could hit South Australia. What if I can uncover such a plot and prevent devastation at our doorstep? Surely doing so would raise Kieran’s esteem.

With newfound enthusiasm, Alannah dialled her friend Monique.

‘Hey girl, what’s up? I hope Caitlin isn’t causing you any grief.’

‘What?’ Alannah remembered the girls were over and hanging out in Neve’s room. ‘Oh right. No, she’s fine. Have you seen the news?’

‘No. Why? What’s happened?’ Monique’s cheerful tone plummeted. 

‘A volcano in Melbourne. It’s all over social media, so you should check it out. But listen, I was hoping you could hack into your dad’s work files. I need some contact details for the magic community in rural Victoria.’

‘You thinking foul play?’ Monique was always more astute than her father, the High Magus. 

‘Yeah. Your dad’s too stubborn to look into it, so I need to use some back channels to check it out.’

‘I’ll see what I can do.’

‘Thanks.’ After signing off, Alannah returned to checking on her friends. A little relief washed over her when she found Emma’s update declaring she was fine and out of the danger zone. She continued to wait for news from the other two.

#

‘Well, there goes my plan to fly under the radar.’ Brendan huffed as he stuffed his phone back in his pocket. Zipping his small carry-on case closed, he became thankful for the decision to pack light. 

‘What do you mean?’ asked Caleb.

‘My flight got cancelled; something about a volcano in Melbourne spewing too much ash into the air. Now I need to magiport there, which sucks ’cause I’m not keen for High Magus Kieran to know I’m in town.’

Caleb’s big, dark, soulful eyes looked so pretty when they grew wide with surprise. ‘A volcano in Melbourne? Are you for real?’

‘Yup.’

Grabbing his own phone, Caleb became engrossed in footage of the volcano erupting. ‘I didn’t even know we had active volcanoes in Australia, let alone under cities.’

‘Hmph. We should have paid more attention in school.’

Sardonic eyes peered over the small screen in Caleb’s hands. ‘You were the one playing hooky all the time. I kept my head down and got the work done.’

‘That’s right.’ Brendan cast wistful thoughts back to their youth. Stalking around the bed, he backed Caleb up against the wall. ‘I’d almost forgotten you were a nerd back then. Hm, I wonder… would I have noticed your beauty sooner if you hadn’t buried your head in books so often.’ He brought a hand up to Caleb’s face, tucking a strand of long, black hair behind one of his pointy ears. The proximity aroused them both, their dicks tenting against each other.

The pitch of Caleb’s voice lowered. ‘Perhaps, but then I would have been nothing more than a distraction, a passing fad like all the girls you used back then.’

‘Touché. Instead, your timing was perfect. You were like my life raft in a sea of despair.’ Brendan drew Caleb’s lips into a deep, passionate kiss. When the calendar alarm on his phone sounded, he groaned as he pulled back. After silencing the damn thing, his gaze returned to Caleb’s mouth. Subconsciously, Brendan grazed the pad of his thumb along the bottom lip. ‘Gods I’m gonna miss these sweet lips.’

Caleb’s mouth curled into a mischievous smile. ‘Jacob has pretty soft lips.’

‘You sly fox,’ Brendan laughed. ‘You never told me the pair of you hooked up.’

‘Sure I did. I told you about all the times I partied with him whenever I paid our hometown a visit.’

‘You told me about the gangbangs, but you never related the details of being intimate with him.’

‘My bad,’ Caleb replied with a wry smile. ‘I figured you’d assume we fucked.’

Brendan drilled into Caleb’s soul with a stern expression. ‘You know I don’t like it when you leave me guessing. When I ask for details, I want everything. The who, the where, and most definitely the how. I am going to have to punish you for such insubordination.’

A slight moan escaped Caleb’s lips as his eyes darkened with lust.

With a wicked grin, Brendan stepped back, breaking all body contact. ‘I can see how much you want me right now, Thornsy. But you see, punishment is never about what you want.’

Caleb’s eyes lowered. ‘Of course. I’m sorry for offending you, Sir. What is my punishment?’

Seeing his submissive stance sent signals southward and tested Brendan’s willpower. It would have been too easy to dish out a few lashings and take him then and there. But what he had in mind would be more fun in the long run, and it would give Caleb time to reflect upon his actions. ‘No intentional sexual release until I return home. You will not touch yourself and you will not initiate intimate contact with anyone else while I am away. I’ll let Bridey know the deal too, so she won’t let you get off.’

Caleb gasped.

‘What’s wrong, Thornsy? Are you afraid of a little celibacy?’

‘Not afraid, more… frustrated. I can’t remember the last time I went so long.’

Closing the distance, Brendan reached inside Caleb’s pants and gripped his erection. Then he leaned in to press his lips to Caleb’s ear. ‘If you think this is frustration, how do you think you will feel in two weeks?’

‘Ah Gods!’ Caleb gritted his teeth against the torture of Brendan’s teasing touch. 

‘Will you be good for me Caleb?’

‘Y-yes Sir,’ he replied with a shaky voice.

‘Good man. Now I want my goodbye kiss.’ Embracing Caleb, Brendan kissed him with ardent fervour. Their passion rivalled anything Hollywood ever put on the big screen. He walked out sporting a massive smile and the boner to match. At least he could use magic to control the latter, although he didn’t have time to hide it before finding Bridey in the parlour.

She glanced at his situation and grinned. ‘Oh dear. Has my brother left you unsatisfied?’

‘Quite the reverse, I assure you.’ He dropped his case beside the chaise longue and straddled her lap. ‘At least I can do something about mine, unlike Caleb. I have forbidden him from seeking relief for the next two weeks. Can I rely on you to police him for me?’

‘Certainly, Sir.’

‘Thank you, Bry.’ The farewell kiss he shared with Bridey was much more savage, like a pride lion with his lioness. By the time he left, Brendan considered the merit of Caleb’s suggestion: seeking out Jacob might prove necessary. The pickings in Gaeilge Shores were slimmer after the Council had exiled him. He was not even sure if Bianca would welcome him back in her bed.

© 2022 L. Starla.

ARC Readers Wanted!

Would you like a FREE, early access copy of Winter’s Mother 1 in exchange for your honest review? If so, please join L. Starla’s Street Team as an ARC reader. Copies are available now, plus you can also request free copies of previous books in the series if you need to catch up with the story so far.

Upcoming Events

Don’t miss this month’s web panel! I will be talking to three guest authors about forbidden love and taboo romance. Learn more…

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