Valentine's Slay
by Denise N. Wheatley
Genre: Steamy Sci-fi/Fantasy Romance Novella
In the land of Zanalia, Valentineās Day is a celebration of war. When two of the realmās fiercest foes go head-to-head over the sacred ritual, sparks unexpectedly fly, igniting an explosion of love, lust, and ultimately, broken traditions.
In a world filled with warriors, Valentineās Day means war for the creatures of Zanalia. Mina, queen of the disciplinarian tribe, is responsible for spearheading attacks on the landās worst enemies.
Spike, the son of king Theo and Minaās biggest adversary, no longer believes in provoking battles on this love-filled holiday. He secretly encourages the Zanalians to put away their weapons and spend time with their loved ones instead. The absurd suggestion goes against the territoryās oldest tradition and is rejected by many, to the point where Spike receives death threats. His father grows worried for his son and orders Mina to stage his kidnapping, then provide him with personal, around-the-clock protection.
Mina is infuriated by the mission as sheās being forced to protect a disloyal traitor. She vows to make Spikeās time with her as torturous as possible until she unwittingly finds pleasure in the pain she inflicts upon him, while he seemingly relishes in her harsh punishments. Emotions run high between the pair, and Mina realizes that Spikeās wish to spread love this Valentineās Day just may come true after all.
**On Sale for only $1.99!! **
by
Denise N. Wheatley
Book Excerpt
Mina slowly climbed the winding, glass staircase
inside of Spikeās compound. She pressed her back against the wall while
watching every angle around her. In order to gain access to his home, Mina had
utilized her narcoleptic machine gun, which was capable of putting its victims
to sleep within less than a second. Sheād shot several darts into the necks of
four armed guards manning the exterior. According to her surveillance, there
were only two guards inside of the complex. Mina planned to quickly knock them
out, grab hold of Spike, and get him inside of the transporter.
When she approached Spikeās master bedroom, Mina
pressed her ear against the door and listened as he and the creatures spoke in
hushed tones. She slowly turned the knob and cocked her gun. The minute she
swung open the door, Mina shot a dart into the neck of a watchman standing to
her left, then the one to her right. Spike made a run toward the bathroom, but
just as he reached the threshold, she fired a dart into his throat. He fell to
the floor, and along with the other two guards, fell into a deep, snoring
slumber.
Mina swooped in immediately, lifting Spike up off the
floor, carried him out of the house and threw him inside the transporter. There
was a comfortable velvet couch that had been placed in the back, but instead of
lying him there, she dragged his body onto a hard, cold iron bench.
āYouāre going to pay for disrupting my retirement as
Queen of the Disciplinarian Tribe and betraying our beloved Zanalian
tradition,ā she said, her wicked tone filled with satisfaction.
Mina stripped Spike down to his scant undergarments.
She handcuffed his wrists and ankles, then wrapped a heavy metal chain around
his waist and secured it with a huge padlock. As he lay there knocked out cold,
she looked down at his muscular body, handsome face, and soft, vulnerable
expression.
āDonāt you dare start that,ā Mina told herself,
shaking off the feeling of lust that briefly overcame her.
She headed to the front of the transporter and typed
the name of a secret back road into the navigation system that would lead them
far away from Spikeās compound and in the direction of her quarters. Once a map
popped up on the overhead screen, Mina signaled to the horses that it was time
to take off then sped away into the night.
āHelpā¦help. Help!ā
Minaās ears perked up while she listened to Spike
scream from the back of the transporter.
āWhat is going on?ā he screeched. āWhere the hell am
I? Somebody, please, help me!ā
āUgh,ā Mina moaned, ignoring his pleas. She grabbed
hold of the steering bar and maneuvered the vehicle through a dark, dank, hilly
road. According to her digital dashboard, they had been traveling for well over
three hours. Mina had been in constant contact with Theo, who warned her to
remain on the outskirts of Zanalia as Spikeās protestors were circling every
inch of the land, waiting to attack him the moment he appeared.
āWhoever is holding me captive,ā Spike called out,
āyou must release me at once! Do you know who I am? Do you know who my father
is? I am the prince of Zanalia, soon to be king!ā
āPlease, shut up,ā Mina muttered, unsympathetically.
She pulled the steering bar back, anxious to get through the swampy territory
and onto smoother terrain. When the chargers slowed down instead of speeding
up, Mina realized they had yet to stop and take a break and assumed they were
exhausted.
She directed them toward the side of the road, then
grabbed several buckets of food and water and carried them outside. Once the
chargers began feeding away, she hopped back into the transporter and headed
toward the back where Spike was being held.
āWhat theā¦ā he yelled the moment he saw her. āWhat is
going on here, Mina? Where are we, and why am I in shackles? Release me, now! I
insist!ā
āUnfortunately for you, Spike, that is not going to
happen. You see, because of your little attempt to disrupt Zanaliaās
Valentineās Day tradition, your father ordered that I kidnap and hold you
captive until the holiday is over and our battle against Raynalium is complete.
If youāre angry, be mad at yourself, but you should actually be thanking me,
because Iām the reason youāre still alive.ā
Spike glared at Mina. āIf you do not remove these
cuffs and chain at once, you will forever regret it,ā he spewed, rattling the
restraints to the point they almost tore into his skin.
āIf you keep threatening me, youāll be the only one
with regrets.ā
Spike tried to sit up, but the chain around his waist
forced him back down onto the freezing bench. He jerked his head toward Mina
and let out a resounding roar.
āMy guards will know where to find me,ā he told her.
āThe second they free me, I swear Iām going to kill you!ā
She walked over to Spike and leaned in so closely her
face was mere inches away from his.
āYou know what? I was going to play nice with you.
Wellā¦semi-nice. But now? Playtime is over. Youāre going to be sorry for the way
you just spoke to me.ā
Mina sauntered toward the front of the transporter,
ignoring Spikeās cries as he called out her name. She grabbed the metal
suitcase sheād secretly packed before heading out on the mission in the event
sheād need its contents. Judging from Spikeās rebellious behavior, Mina
realized that she had done the right thing.
āWhat are you doing?ā he asked when she opened the
case and pulled out two steel clamps. āWhat are those?ā
Denise N. Wheatley is a lover of happily-ever-afters and the art of storytelling. She is best known for her chick lit novel I WISH I NEVER MET YOU, which was published by Simon & Schuster in 2004. Since then sheās written (and ghostwritten) numerous novels and novellas that run the romance gamut, from contemporary to paranormal, sweet to steamy.
Denise strives to pen entertaining stories that embody matters of the heart, while creating characters who are strong, colorful and relatable. She is an RWA member and received a B.A. in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago, the city where she was born and raised. When Denise is not sitting behind a computer, you can find her in a movie theater, on a tennis court, watching true crime television or chatting on social media.
2 winners: One $15 Amazon gift card and one copy of my steamy contemporary romance novella, MY UNCONDITIONAL VALENTINE
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