NOW AVAILABLE at Ellora's Cave!
INTO THE GREEN by Rachel Bo, in the Anthology
MYTH-BEHAVIN', with Shiloh Walker and Bonnie
Hamre, coming to www.ellorascave.com!
BLURB:
When the last of the Brazilian rain forest begins to die,
Tawny Blackwood seeks the help of sexy conservationist
Kaniwa Tijani to carry out a plan that just may save the
world. She thinks she's got it all figured out, but nothing
is ever quite as it seems in the wild places, and Forrest -
the Green Man, her phantom lover and constant companion -
knows a lot more than he’s letting on. Their lives will never
be the same once these three journey...Into the Green.
All excerpts Copyright 2005 by the resepective authors -
all rights reserved.EXCERPT 1, from INTO THE GREEN by Rachel Bo
“You always knew when it would rain. Whether the summer
would be hot or mild. The exact day any of a hundred
different flowers would bloom. That afternoon on the quad,
you told me a storm would come, and there was nothing
but blue sky to be seen. The clouds rolled in so fast…it was
almost like you called them.” He shook his head. “When we
make love, that connection you speak of is there, just outside
my reach. I can almost feel what you feel.” He crossed his
arms over his chest, his gaze challenging. “You say you love
me. If that’s true, why wouldn’t you marry me?”Tawny swallowed hard. “I do love you, Kani. It’s just that…
things are complicated.”“They don’t have to be. You could just tell me whatever
it is you’re not saying.”“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come here. This was too much
to ask.”He studied her carefully for a long moment. “I’m not saying
no, Tawny. I was raised in Africa by grandparents who still
follow the old ways. I’ve seen a lot of things that science
can’t explain. Had my own…visions. What exactly do you
want?”She got the distinct impression he was speaking of more
than the forest. “I have to go in. I have to see what’s
happening.”“And what about us?”
He wasn’t going to let her off the hook. “I can’t make a
permanent commitment, Kani. You know that.”“Why?”
In the past, she would have put him off with a flippant
answer. This time, she didn’t know if she’d ever see him
again. She owed him at least a portion of the truth. She
took a deep breath. “There’s…someone else.”“Finally.” His jaw tightened, lips coming together in a
thin line. “How long? From the beginning?”Her eyes filled with tears, but she refused to let them
fall. “Yes.”“Why couldn’t you tell me? Does…he know?”
“Because I didn’t think you would share, and I-I’m selfish.
I didn’t want to lose you. And yes, he knows. He’s known
all along.”“But he’s willing to share.”
He was baiting her, but his voice was calm. He seemed
almost…satisfied. Knowing. And he kept emphasizing the
word “he”. Did Kani have someone in mind? Hell, this
was going even worse than she’d expected. How could
she tell him that the other person wasn’t even human?
EXCERPT 2, from EL TRAUCO by Bonnie Hamre
The forest was cool and dim. Through the blanketing
mist came the muffled whacks of a woodchopper at
work. Isabel slowed her pace, head turning from side
to side to discover the source of the noise.Above her head, leaves rustled as tree branches swayed
in the wind. What wind? The air was still and moist,
heavily laden with water that dripped down on her bare
head and arms. Her footfalls made no noise on the bed
of mosses and decaying leaves. Her breathing quickened
as she neared the woodchopper.She hesitated, then as the chopping noises got louder,
she parted the thick foliage of bushes and peered through.
No one there! The noise had stopped, but she heard
breathing behind her.Slowly, dreading what she would find, she turned her head.
So slowly she thought she imagined it, a shape began to
form on a tree stump. First, the vague humanistic form of
a torso, then short arms, deformed legs that disappeared
into mist, and then, at last, the head and face. She held
her breath as the features solidified.He snatched the conical cap from his head and swept her
a low bow, saluting her. As he straightened, he held the
cap to his chest and smiled. The smile began as a mere
twitch of lips, a mocking mimicry of a greeting, but as it
widened, it slowly transformed into a genuine, warm,
welcoming smile. His gaze softened, losing fierceness
as it became tender, beckoning. Seductive.Without volition, she moved forward, her feet gliding over
the forest floor without a sound. Held by his gaze, she felt
her body responding to some ancient call. She felt fluid,
warm, feminine.Suddenly, without warning, a wooden club appeared in one
hand. He raised it over his head, and crashed it down on
the nearest tree trunk.Whack! Whack! Whack!
The tree shattered. Pieces of the trunk fell around her,
missing her as leaves rained over her head and shoulders,
then over her body as she crumpled to the ground. She
tried to get up, but her limbs had lost all their strength.
She fell back, aware of the troll coming closer, closer, closer!Note:
This story is an adaptation of a famous Chilean legend from
the island of Chiloé, where a mythical forest troll seduces and
abandons young maidens.
EXCERPT 3, from NEBULOUS by Shiloh Walker
He was a creature of myth, of legend. One that moved
through dreams and nightmares to lay his touch on the
minds of women as they slept. With his touch, he could
bind her to him, heart and soul…even body, if he truly
wished. Until she lived and breathed just for him.Until she could die for want of him.
But once—he’d been a man.
Azar hovered at the fringes of the woman’s mind as she
slept, feeling something inside his black heart clench painfully.He loved watching her—had been watching her for years,
in human terms. It seemed like only seconds since he’d
first seen her though…and yet, at the same time, it felt
like he had been watching her, yearning for her, for centuries.She reminded him of someone. Someone he’d loved…and lost.
Lost to another like himself. Back before he’d become…this.
Her features were gamine, almost elfin, her wide mouth
parted on a soft sigh as she dreamed. He wanted to
touch her, to lay his hands on her and join her in those
dreams, touch her, fuck her, love her.It had been eons since he’d made love.
Eons since he’d found a woman he truly wanted to love,
not just fuck. Somebody who had touched more than
just his libido—and maybe made him yearn for what
he used to be.Made him remember love.
Love…it wasn’t something he should be able to remember,
much less want.But then, Azar had never been a good demon.
And that was the crux of his problem.
Most demons relished their purpose, lived to cause pain
and chaos. Azar, while he may crave the dark desires
that came with being demon, he didn’t want them. He
didn’t like them—over the past few centuries he had
found himself growing more and more bored with even
those things he had craved since he’d become what he was.His ears detected the sudden change in her breathing pattern,
the way her heart suddenly started to slam against her chest.
Something in her dream had changed. Just as her eyes flew
open and she jerked upright in bed, he faded, retreating back
to the demon realm below.And brooding.
REVIEWS:
4 1/2 STARS at JERR!
“Ms. Bo sure knows how to roll up hot sex with intense emotions, and she
delivers with this short story...imaginative and filled with explicitly delicious
imagery...This short story rocked my world in regards to sex and unique storyline.”
~ Francesca Hayne for Just Erotic Romance Reviews
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/justeroticromancereviewsnewsletter/
5 STARS at Ecataromance!
“Contributors Shiloh Walker, Rachel Bo, and Bonnie Hamre bring us three
erotic, exotic shorts revolving around some old standby's from our collective
history. I could not put it down! Rachel Bo's "Into The Green" shows us a
new twist... Ms. Bo's story is a beautiful, flowing stream... electrifyingly
sensual...” ~ Lynn for Ecataromance.com
4 1/2 HEARTS at Love Romances!
“...vibrant and imaginative...drawing the reader into this glorious tale of
wonder and intrigue...engrossing and well executed...Wonderful!”
~ Janalee for Love Romances