Bump in the Night Series – The Broken Promise #1 This 15,000 word paranormal short story features a first time, sexual encounters with a shifter, knotting and tying, and intense themes. A locked door won’t prevent Hunter from claiming his rightful mate… Annie can’t deny her attraction to Hunter, but she can certainly try. He might he handsome, and his smile might warm her in more ways than one, but her desire doesn’t mean she belongs to him. Hunter is a werewolf, and Annie refuses to submit to such a terrifying beast. Hunter isn’t willing to give up on his perfect mate. Though he promises to give her space, he hears Annie call his name in the throes of her sensual dream. Overwhelmed with lust, Hunter battles his urges, but, when Annie accidentally encourages the wolf, even Hunter isn’t strong enough to deny the instinct to claim her. Annie may surrender to a need she doesn’t understand and a mate she can’t help but love, but she’ll never trust their passionate bond. Excerpt: His skin flashed pale so near my Mediterranean tan I wondered how a creature who supposedly lived outdoors could have such a fair complexion. The darkness of my hair cast over my shoulders and down my back, but Hunter’s pale hair sun-bleached beyond even golden blonde. He certainly didn’t look like anyone to fear. I was pretty sure he was the most attractive man I ever saw, which made it all the more confusing when he broke into my home and warned me not to panic unless I wanted to come face-to-face with his alter-ego—the rust-colored beast of fangs, claws, and terrible size. “You shouldn’t be here.” I straightened the strap of the little tank top. Hunter’s eyes devoured my every movement. “I...I didn’t meant to call for you.” His smile warmed me more than any bite of molten chocolate cake I could whip up in my kitchens. “I was too late to be of any service to you anyway.” I blushed. “True. So everything was…taken care of. You should go.” “I just got here.” “You promised me.” I didn’t want to look at him, but his gaze transfixed me. His eyes glowed dark, like poured maple syrup, and it made me feel just as sticky. “You said you’d leave me alone until the morning.” “You called for me.” “Accidentally.” “I don’t think it was such an accident.” My legs struck the bed before I realized I was moving backwards. The mattress collided with the back of my knees, and I nearly tumbled backwards into the blankets. Just what Hunter wanted. I straightened as best I could, though I was pretty sure a single touch would shatter me like a sculpture of glass candy. Hunter edged closer, within arm’s reach. “Don’t fight your instinct. You are a wolf’s mate. You are meant for this, for someone like me to claim you.” “What if I don’t want to be claimed?” “Then why would you call my name while you slept?”