Beneath
the Surface
M.A.
Church
Genre: MM, Shifter
Publisher: All Romance eBooks
Date of Publication: April 1,
2016
ISBN: 978-1-943576-67-8
ASIN:
Number of pages: 154
Word Count: 37k
Cover Artist: Erin Dameron Hill
Book Description:
A whole different world exists
beneath the surface.
The last thing Nisha expects
while patrolling his territory is to find his mate, but his instincts tell him
the handsome human diving into the surf is the one meant for him. Two bites and
Kannon will be joined to him forever. But when Kannon’s father disrupts the
mating process, Nisha releases his claim, hoping beyond hope his mate will one
day return.
While free diving with his
father, Kannon is bitten by a seductive merman. Although he swore to never go
near the ocean again, the pull to return to the water and his mystery man
remains strong. Finally, after fifteen years away, an impromptu wedding brings
Kannon back to the Seychelles, and his destiny.
Kannon only plans to stay on the
island for a week, but this time Nisha won’t let his mate go without a fight.
Merfolk and human culture collide as the embers of Nisha and Kannon’s mate bond
ignite, and Nisha must complete the mating before it’s too late.
Excerpt:
A whole
different world existed under the sea—lighting, sounds, even the feeling of
otherworldliness. No matter how clear the water, it still played tricks, even
on experienced divers.
The colorful
tropical fish, artifacts, and the remnants of history buried beneath the
waves—along with a mysterious landscape mostly untouched by humans—always gave
Kannon a thrill. Parts of the reef weren’t very deep, so he had no trouble
freediving.
This year for
vacation, Kannon and his dad rented a boat and guide to take them to the reefs
around the Seychelles. This was by no means the first time he’d gone
snorkeling. Growing up along the California coast guaranteed Kannon was
comfortable in the water.
The guide had
warned them to stay together, but Kannon had other ideas. Besides, he wasn’t
going that far off. After investigating the colorful reef fish and interesting
coral formations—and seeing his dad was distracted—Kannon slowly but steadily
wandered off on his own. An outcrop of rocks covered in algae caught his eye,
and he went to investigate.
Many of the
multihued native fish swam past him, curious as to what he was. It was funny
how they circled him. Kannon held his hand out. A few braver fish darted in,
nibbled at his fingers, and then swam off. God, what a rush it was. Nothing was
better than this.
He drew closer
to the outcrop, surprised it was much deeper than he’d first thought. Huh, not
an outcrop, but the mouth of an underwater cave. Cool. From a distance it
appeared to be nothing more than oddly shaped rocks. Peering inside, he was
unable to see past the murky blackness within.
Curious, he
reached his hand out, stretching toward the mouth of the cave. His scalp
prickled. A tingle washed through him. The water around him caressed his body
as he hung weightlessly, staring at the cave entrance as his dick swelled in
his trunks. What the…?
It wasn’t as if
he made a habit of getting horny while diving, so what the hell? Torn between
desire and unease, he hovered in the tropical water. Chills chased up his
spine, and goose bumps broke out over his body.
His heart rate
sped up—not a good thing underwater—and the feeling of being watched crept
across his nerves. Something was in there, and his mind screamed at him to get
away even as the urge to reach inside nearly overwhelmed him.
Kannon’s body
swayed dangerously closer. His nipples ached as the water flowed past, and he
had to force himself not to whimper as need struck him. He jerked back. There’s
something waiting for me, just waiting for me to reach in so it can... what? So
it can do what?
Jesus, he needed
to get a serious grip on his imagination, and crap, he had to surface too. Lack
of oxygen made the decision for him. All this panicking on his part had used up
his air—stupid of him.
He surfaced and
shook the hair out of his eyes. Wow, is that our boat way over there? Oh man,
Dad’s going to kill me. Worried about the fit his dad was going to have, he was
totally unprepared for the strange guy who popped up next to him, although
“guy” might have been overly nice.
Kannon yelped,
but the dude across from him just smiled. The androgynous, fey face wasn’t
quite human. The long pointed ears were a good indication, as was the glimpse
of sharp little teeth.
Oh, and the
gills at its neck.
Azure blue hair
floated in the water around shapely shoulders and cobalt blue eyes stared back
at him. It was a visage that was hauntingly beautiful, otherworldly, and a tad
disconcerting. The creature smiled slightly as if he agreed. It—whatever it was—scared
the bejesus out of him.
Then it reached
out and dragged Kannon under the water. Oh. My. God. Terror struck, and Kannon
fought, kicking furiously as he tried to twist away, but it did no good. The
creature was too strong, and its hands were everywhere.
Kannon fought to
hold his breath. He needed to get to the surface and… he froze—just stopped
fighting as something thrashed behind the other guy, churning up the water. No
way. He stared in shock at the, the... its upper part looked like a regular human
torso, but the bottom—a tail? That’s a... a... no way!
The unbelievable
sight of a tail—a long, shimmery tail with iridescent scales—was attached to
the guy in front of him. It glistened in the sunlight that filtered through the
water. There was only one human-like sea creature he knew of with a tail—and
that was mermaids. Or mermen. Merfolk? Whatever. Those were make-believe.
And this
make-believe creature was trying to kill him.
Then it kissed
him full on the lips, and thoughts of his murder flew out of his head along
with every other rational thought. Before he could react, it stopped the kiss
and twirled him around so they were chest to back. Well now, if he had any
doubt it was male, he had his answer now.
There was no
mistaking the hard cock poking him. The merman held him securely as they
floated in the water. That marvelous fluked tail slowly flipping back and forth
caused their lower bodies to rock together. It was kind of nice and… then the
merman sank his teeth into the fleshy area between Kannon’s neck and shoulder.
Oh fuck! What the what?
About the Author:
M.A. Church is a true Southern
belle who spent many years in the elementary education sector. Now she spends
her days lost in fantasy worlds, arguing with hardheaded aliens on far-off
planets, herding her numerous shifters, or trying to tempt her country boys
away from their fishing poles. It’s a full time job, but hey, someone’s gotta
do it!
When not writing, she’s exploring
the latest M/M novel to hit the market, watching her beloved Steelers, or
sitting glued to HGTV. That’s if she’s not on the back porch tending to the
demanding wildlife around the pond in the backyard. The ducks are very
outspoken. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, and they have two children.
She was a finalist in the Rainbow awards for 2013.
For more information on other
books by M.A., visit her official website: www.machurch00.blogspot.com
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