Guest Post | Willow Road

Hello, everyone! I’m here as Holly today. I don’t know if you’re aware, but yesterday was Crossword Puzzle Day, and I wrote a story for it! Willow Road is a paranormal, fated mates, interspecies couple.

Jeremiah hasn’t left his house in over a decade, except when he has to go to the dentist. All other things he’d managed to solve. He works from home, his groceries are delivered to the door, and nowadays he cuts his own hair after that disastrous time when he had a hairdresser coming to his house.

He told the hairdresser about how he solved the crossword puzzle in the newspaper every day and how he needed to do it while she cut his hair to have something to focus on other than freaking out. She then went on and told the entire village, and that was when the ads started.

Someone is putting ads in the paper, encouraging people to ring his doorbell for one reason or other. Jeremiah has removed his doorbell, but it doesn’t help much.

Zeeb is a wolf shifter and the new chief of police. When he learns about the ads, he’s furious and goes to talk to Jeremiah. Never could he have guessed Jeremiah was his mate. He can’t have a human mate. No one will respect him if he mates a human.

So Zeeb plans to ignore the pull. Jeremiah is oblivious so that works in his favour. The problem? Someone is messing with his mate, and Zeeb will have heads rolling if it doesn’t stop right this minute.

It doesn’t stop right this minute. Of course, it doesn’t. It wouldn’t be much of a story if it did, would it? 😁

If you’re in the mood for some shifter fun, you can grab Willow Road over at Smashwords for 50% off till January 1st.

Willow Road

Jeremiah Pace hasn’t left his house in thirteen years. He doesn’t trust anyone, least of all shifters. School was a nightmare, and despite never interacting with anyone in the village, the bullying continues in his adult life. Someone is putting ads in the paper, encouraging people to drop by his house for one service or other, but Jeremiah never opens his door.

Zeeb Hemming is a lone wolf and the new chief of police. He’s only been in Stoneshade for six weeks when he learns about the ads and goes to knock on Jeremiah’s door. Not because of what today’s ad said, but to get to the bottom of what’s going on. Human or not, Jeremiah deserves to live life in peace. The moment Zeeb nears Jeremiah’s house, he knows he’s his mate. But he can’t have a human mate.

Jeremiah pleads with Zeeb not to stir anything up. Yes, the ads are bad, but things can always get worse. Zeeb is furious someone is mistreating his mate and is willing to skin anyone who has any connection to the ads alive. But how is he to convince Jeremiah to trust him when he talks to Zeeb through a gap in the window instead of opening the door to his house?

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Gay Paranormal Romance: 19,909 words

JMS Books :: Amazon :: books2read.com/WillowRoad

Excerpt:

Every muscle in Zeeb’s body tensed. The sight of Jeremiah punched him in the gut, the scent of him threatened to buckle his knees. He’d suspected when walking up to the house, and now when he could smell him, he was sure. He gritted his teeth not to let a howl fly over the sky. His. Jeremiah was his.

He cleared his throat to rid it of the worst of the growliness, but his eyes wouldn’t shift back to human, no matter how many times he tried to get them to.

“Jeremiah?” Zeeb did his best to ignore the pleading tone in his voice. He should have known. Should have understood. Never before had he stalked someone’s house unless they were a suspect, but he’d spent far more time hidden in the trees surrounding Jeremiah’s garden than he should have. There had been a pull, an invisible rubber band yanking him closer every time he’d tried to leave.

But it couldn’t be. Jeremiah was human. It wasn’t unheard of that shifters found their mates among humans, but… It wasn’t acceptable.

When Jeremiah nodded, Zeeb cursed himself mentally. He was here for a reason.

“I’m Zeeb Hemming, the new chief of police.”

Jeremiah’s eyes widened. “Chief? Am I in trouble?”

“No! No, you’re not in trouble. I only wanted to check on you.”

Jeremiah didn’t so much as move a muscle, so Zeeb continued. “I’m on my way to have a talk with whoever is working the ads department in the newspaper.”

Jeremiah had been pale when he’d opened the window. Now he turned the shade of a ghost. “No.”

“No? Why not?”

Jeremiah shook his head, his eyes wide, and Zeeb growled.

“Why? Do you know who it is who puts the ads in the paper?”

He shook his head again while edging away from the window.

Zeeb cursed. “Why don’t you want me to talk to them?”

“It’ll only make it worse. Hardly no one comes anymore. I lock all doors, and I don’t answer when anyone knocks.”

Zeeb studied him. The scent of fear wafting out through the tiny gap in the window made him want to tear open the door so he could get to Jeremiah. “Nothing will happen. I will put a stop to this.” Because Jeremiah was his and if someone so much as dared to look at him the wrong way, he’d gut them.

He winced at his thoughts. He couldn’t have a human mate. As chief of police, it was important people respected him, and no one ever would if he had a human mate.

It was a blessing Jeremiah appeared unaware of the connection. Zeeb could ignore it. He was strong and in control of his emotions. Had Jeremiah been a shifter, he’d known they were mates the second he met Zeeb. But he was human, so it wasn’t a problem. Though, if he’d been a shifter, it wouldn’t have been a problem either.

He growled, which had Jeremiah backing away from the window so fast, Zeeb feared he’d fall. Fuck. “I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

“Please don’t.” Jeremiah spoke so low he never would’ve caught it if his hearing hadn’t been as good as it was.

“It’s harassment.” And he would not have his colleagues laughing at his mate. He would not have strangers ring his doorbell—though the doorbell wasn’t functioning. Zeeb had tried it before he’d knocked.

“I’ll be back later to check—”

“No!” Jeremiah wrung his hands. “Please, don’t come back. I’m fine. No one’s been by today.”

Today. Had someone been by yesterday? He had, but he didn’t think Jeremiah was aware of it. Zeeb didn’t care what Jeremiah said. He’d get to the bottom of this. The ads had to stop or people would die. He might not be able to mate with Jeremiah, but he’d make sure he lived the best life he could, and the first step was to snarl at the person accepting the ads into the paper. The poor soul would remember Willow Road 1 and would make sure no ad with it mentioned would make it to print ever again.