Soul Eater | Leo Norden

The second character I want you to meet is Leo Norden. Leo is Ric’s partner, and mostly, he does what Ric wants him to do, but there is something… Leo is a secretive guy. He does what’s expected of him. He keeps a close eye on Elora, Thad’s partner, and he’s pleasant enough, but no one knows why he doesn’t have a pack or how he ended up in Rockshade.

To be honest, I’m about to start the third book in this series soon, and while things in the department have changed a lot since the beginning of Soul Eater, Leo still plays his cards close to the vest.

Leo

Jobs in the Paranormal Investigations Department were sought-after, the department had a great reputation—or it had at least had a great reputation before they had hired Thad and Elora.

How the hell would the two of them find the missing woman? They couldn’t afford another unsolved case; the department’s statistics were already down a lot since they’d added a wizard-slash-psychic team. In their defense, they never got much of a chance to solve cases. Had the collaboration between wizards, psychics, and shifters worked, they could all gain from each other’s strengths. As it was now, there was nothing more than competition; hushed conversations between team members so no one else could intervene or give their opinion.

Thad sighed and bit his tongue until he tasted blood. They had to solve this.

“Perhaps, I could stay and help.” Leo Norden, who despite Thad’s first assumptions wasn’t a lion shifter, but a jackal, and Ric’s partner, took a step forward.

“As I recall, you too, have two vacation days coming up.” Jaecar’s voice was flat as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Leo cleared his throat. “Yeah, but it was to spend Halloween with Ric and his family up at the cabin in the mountains.” He pointed at Ric, his shaggy sand-colored hair falling into his eyes at the gesture, “I don’t have a… eh… mate or kids. I can cancel.”

“No.” Leo’s eyes flew to the floor when Ric spoke. “You’re coming with me. Either we both work, or none of us do. Fay has some woman from her job coming to meet you.”

Thad grimaced as Leo’s shoulders slumped. He could sympathize—a Halloween blind date, poor soul.

Thad had met Fay, Ric’s mate, once, and it was not something he wanted to repeat. Her body was ample and she had honey-colored, soft curls framing a heart-shaped face. Thad’s initial reaction had been to smile because she looked warm and lovely, then she’d opened her mouth… He guessed if you were to be mated to someone like Ric, you had to be a bit bossy, and she was—more than a bit.

“Then get out of here, both of you.” Jaecar turned toward his office. He was the only one who had an office. In the open area, there were two rows of desks, and they each had their own. His was in front of Elora’s. If they wanted to have private meetings, they used the conference room. “Better get cracking, Ezax.”

“Yes, sir.” Thad held the folder in his hand as he spun around on his office chair so he was facing Elora. Her desk was filled with Halloween trinkets—skulls, witches, ghosts, and Thad’s favorite, a skeleton cat. He couldn’t find anywhere to place the folder, so he continued to hold on to it.

“Show us some of that spark now, Ezax,” Ric sneered.

Fucking wolf.

Pre-order in the JMS-shop (20% off)

books2read.com/SoulEater


souleater

Detective Thaddeus Ezax is in over his head. He’s the only wizard in Rockshade’s Paranormal Investigations Department, and it was his name that got him the job. The Ezaxs are known as some of the most powerful wizards in the world, but Thaddeus isn’t your average Ezaxs. Is it any wonder his family shuns him?

When a kidnapping case is dropped into his lap, Thaddeus must act fast. While most five-year-olds can cast a location spell, Thaddeus can’t and is forced to get creative. When he finds himself in possession of a black market werewolf skull with a ghost trapped inside, accidentally releases the spirit, and somehow forms a connection with it, things get even crazier.

Sandulf Hunter doesn’t remember dying, but he remembers the last thing he saw before everything went black—a wizard. All wizards must die! The only problem is, the wizard standing next to him smells too damned good, so good Sandy thinks he might have to keep him.

And since wherever Thaddeus goes, Sandulf finds himself yanked along, he might not have a choice in the matter anyway.

Soul Eater | Ric Hunter

We’re nearing the day when Soul Eater will be released, but leading up to release day, I thought I’d introduce our most important characters.

The main characters in this story are Thaddeus Ezax and Sandulf Hunter, and we’ll get to them eventually, but I figured we’d start with Wulfric – Ric – Hunter. Ric is Sandy’s brothers, and Thaddeus’ worst enemy… at least until he realises he has a real enemy.

Ric is not a nice person, but we wouldn’t have much of a story if everyone was. And he might be an arse, but there is a reason he acts the way he does, most of the time.

Ric

No one spoke, so Thad continued. “When it was decided we wouldn’t be in hiding anymore, the council deemed it best if some things were kept a secret.”

Ric snorted. “Like?”

“Like…” Thad shrugged. “Well, they didn’t think humans would accept us if they were aware some of us drew their powers from the spirits of the dead, for example. So the council decided we were all to be called wizards—better they saw us as wand-waving idiots who studied books to learn how to cast a spell than something that could—”

“You’re not using a wand.” Ric’s eyes turned blue and he increased the distance between them. When Thad glanced at Jaecar, his eyes were yellow, and Leo flashed his teeth.

“Really, guys.” Thad held up his hands. “I’m probably the least powerful wizard you’ve met.” He wished it wasn’t true, but it was.

“You’re an Ezax.” Jaecar narrowed his eyes. “All Ezaxs are powerful.”

“Yeah…the power must’ve skipped a generation.” Though it never had before. “We’re mages. We’re born with power, all wizards are, but real wizards—”

“You’re not a real wizard?” Ric looked confused.

“Eh… It’s complicated.” He sighed. “Okay, we have sorcerers. They draw power from spirits.”

“Ghosts?” Jaecar’s face was blank.

“There’s no such thing as ghosts.” Ric laughed but gave Thad an uneasy look.

“Ghosts is one word for it.”

“No!” Ric shook his head. “There is no such thing as ghosts.”

“Spirits, if you prefer that term.” Thad nodded. “Sorcerers draw their powers from the essence of the dead.”

“What? No! When you die you become one with nature. You’re put to rest. You’re given eternal peace.”

Thad grimaced. “Unless—”

“No!” Ric shot to his feet, eyes blazing blue, teeth sharp, and dark hairs dusting his arms. The seams of his shirt were ready to burst as his shoulders grew wider.

“Wulfric Hunter.” Jaecar stood, his animal close to the surface as well. “Get yourself under control or leave this room.”

Ric snarled before looking away while panting hard. Thad had no idea what was going on and glanced at Leo who was still sitting in his chair. Jaecar walked around the table, grabbed Ric’s arm, and looked at Thad. “We’ll be right back.”

Thad nodded and swallowed hard. A heavy silence settled over him and Leo as the door clicked shut behind Thad’s back.

“Ric’s brother was murdered.”

Thad looked at Leo. “What? When?”

“It’s nine years ago now, I think. On Halloween. So he’s a bit… Anyway, the circumstances were…” Leo frowned. “There was a ring drawn around the body, the head was missing, and there were candles in north, south, east, and west. It was before this department was created and humans were in charge of the investigation.” He was quiet for a few seconds before continuing, “They never caught the one who did it, and all they could say was that the circle he was found in, wasn’t where he’d been killed.”

Thad was gonna be sick. “What the fuck, Leo. You don’t think that’s something I should have known? No wonder he hates me.”

There was a twitch at the corner of Leo’s mouth. “You curse.”

Thad fisted his hair. “You’ve heard me curse before.”

“When you’re arguing with Ric perhaps, but not in everyday talk.”

Thad waved a hand without looking at Leo. “So his spirit was harvested?” A chill traveled down his spine.

Pre-order in the JMS-shop (20% off)

books2read.com/SoulEater


souleater

Detective Thaddeus Ezax is in over his head. He’s the only wizard in Rockshade’s Paranormal Investigations Department, and it was his name that got him the job. The Ezaxs are known as some of the most powerful wizards in the world, but Thaddeus isn’t your average Ezaxs. Is it any wonder his family shuns him?

When a kidnapping case is dropped into his lap, Thaddeus must act fast. While most five-year-olds can cast a location spell, Thaddeus can’t and is forced to get creative. When he finds himself in possession of a black market werewolf skull with a ghost trapped inside, accidentally releases the spirit, and somehow forms a connection with it, things get even crazier.

Sandulf Hunter doesn’t remember dying, but he remembers the last thing he saw before everything went black—a wizard. All wizards must die! The only problem is, the wizard standing next to him smells too damned good, so good Sandy thinks he might have to keep him.

And since wherever Thaddeus goes, Sandulf finds himself yanked along, he might not have a choice in the matter anyway.

#PictaBook | Contract Signed

Today, I started my day by pouring myself a cup of coffee and walking over to my computer to sign a book contract. #PictaBook is a 36k long contemporary gay romance story, and it might be my favourite of all the stories I’ve written. Maybe… It’s always hard to say which story is your favourite, but I loved writing this, and I wasn’t even bored with it by the time I sent it in.

That’s unusual

Starting a story is always fun. Once you’re halfway through it, it’s not as fun anymore. Towards the end, you just want it done, but then the editing starts. Normally, I reach a f*ck-it stage where that delete button looks mighty inviting.

It didn’t happen with #PictaBook. Jules made me smile, even on the final read-through.


Pictabook logoJules Rose took a sip of his red wine and scrolled through his PictaBook feed. There were several new books, and he made a note of checking if they’d be available to order for the library where he worked. Not all books were, especially not in niche genres.

The speech bubble in the right hand corner showed someone had commented or liked one of his reviews. It had turned to green. Jules’ heart sped up.

He liked PictaBook because it was simple, and it was about books, so what was not to like? But the main reason he liked it was because no one tried to interact with him. He had approved no one for personal messages, and he’d searched a long time for a way to remove people’s ability to comment on his reviews, but apparently there was no such option.

Staring at the green speech bubble, he blew out a breath and tapped on it. SexyDoornail69 has liked your review of The Empty Egg. Jules frowned. He couldn’t remember that book, and wanted to get back to the one he was reading.

Closing PictaBook, he opened his reading app, took another sip of wine, and popped a piece of chocolate into his mouth. He loved Friday nights—wine, chocolate, and a book were all he needed in life.

As he was about to open the book, another notification from PictaBook showed at the top. SexyDoornail69 commented on your review. It stayed there for a few seconds before it disappeared, leaving the screen free of interruptions. Damn.

For too long, Jules held his breath. He didn’t want anyone to comment on his reviews, but it would be rude not to reply, wouldn’t it?

He opened PictaBook again and clicked on the speech bubble. SexyDoornail69 had commented on The Empty Egg. Jules went to check. The picture he’d uploaded was of a lumberjack, and the hashtags he’d used were: #MMRomance #Contemporary #Lumbersexual #OppositesAttract #EstablishedCouple #Fetish #DualPOV #ShortAndSweet #BonerWorthy.

Ah, he remembered it now, but it had been years since he’d read it. A blush crawled up his cheeks as he read the comment, and he quickly took a sip of wine to calm down.

SexyDoornail69: Hi, ReadingInACorner! Love the hashtags. How boner worthy are we talking?

Jules took a long, deep breath, and hit the reply arrow.

ReadingInACorner: Read it and find out, though read the first book in the series first.

He closed the app and put away the phone as if it had burned his fingers. Standing, he righted his glasses and took more deep breaths to calm his racing heart. Booksy, his beloved, super lazy and slightly murderous cat, was resting in his usual spot on the windowsill in the bedroom, and Jules went to pick him up.

Booksy wasn’t the cuddly kind. Jules had gotten him from a shelter two years ago, only days after having moved in, and the scars on his ears and face spoke of a harsh life. They deemed him to be around three years old when Jules had adopted him. The hostile glare Booksy had given everyone who passed him, had made Jules pick him over all the other cuter, more social, well-behaved kittens.

Booksy was a kindred soul, and they understood each other. Neither of them liked people, neither of them liked to be cornered, and neither of them liked conversations.


Jules Rose leads a quiet life working as a librarian. He’s happy to spend his spare time reading books and talking to his homicidal cat. What more could he wish for? But when his cozy Friday night is shattered by a friend request on his book community app, politeness gives him little choice but to accept. Jules doesn’t want to talk to anyone, but he can’t be rude. Besides, if he had to talk about something, books is the topic he’d pick.

Phoenix Ford is dyslexic and avoids everything that has to do with the written word, but when the colleague he’s trying to impress calls him stupid, he decides to convince the other man, he’s mistaken. All he needs is the right book to make him look smart, a perfect balance between intelligent and short. And who better to ask for help than a guy who loves books so much, he labeled one boner-worthy on a book app?

When Jules finds out Phoenix never has read a book from start to finish, he’s on a mission. He will find the right book, the book that will make Phoenix fall in love—with reading. Phoenix’s plan might have been to listen to the book Jules picked for him to impress his colleague, but that was before he got to know him. Talking about books is a sure way to Jules’ heart, but is it enough for him to agree to go on a date?