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A blast of bright light made Megan open her eyes.
The dragon soared up toward the higher buildings before straightening out his flight. Then it grew larger, just as it said it would. She found herself sitting between the great wings of a beast that until a few months ago was supposed to be only a legend. Well here it was. A real live dragon.
It was maybe ten feet from head to tail, covered in blue-green scales, dry and warm, not slimy as she’d imagined when she’d seen one on the TV. Its broad back gave her good purchase, if she lowered her body so she lay on her bag, the remnants of his jacket and the manila envelope holding her scan results. Wind whipped past them and she spread her hands over the thick neck, clutching the folds of skin she found there. “Holy shit!”
Hold on tight. We’re not going far.
“Yeah.”
And by the way, dragon or man, I’m always masculine. Never an “It”. Amusement rather than irritation colored his inner voice. Dark, smoky, sexy. And yes, very masculine.
That’s better.
Can you tell everything I’m thinking?
No. Only your outer thoughts. I could go deeper but it would hurt you. We try not to pry.
My, you are civilized.
You have no idea, was his bitingly sarcastic reply.
This was a hell of a way to find out she wasn’t afraid of heights.
They were higher now. He kept to about thirtieth floor level, as far as she could guess. He headed for the heart of Manhattan. The oasis of Central Park sprawled below them, the lush green punctuated by sharp flashes as people took photos. Despite her fatigue, a sense of elation rose in her, purely from the flight. “We’ll be on the news. Will they be able to make out my face?”
Try to speak telepathically. I can hear you better like that when we’re airborne. No they won’t make out your face, my body should obscure it. I’ll just make sure.
A warm, soft feeling enveloped them, enclosing her in an unseen envelope, like atmospheric pressure around a plane. “What did you do?”
Fuzzed. Put a mental shield around us, so people see what they expect to see, not what’s really here. How do you think we kept ourselves secret for so long?
New York looked different from the air but it was still the city Megan had fallen in love with the minute she stepped off the shuttle bus from the airport. Today was a cold, fresh spring day with a crisp blue sky, one of the best.
Where are you taking me?
To a parking garage. Then home.
My home?
Mine.
He descended so smoothly she hardly noticed until the flat, car-strewn rooftop loomed up under his great clawed feet. He extended them and landed as gently as an experienced pilot. Smoother.
She stayed on his back. The roof appeared to waver, and only then did vertigo hit. Closing her eyes, Megan willed her stomach to behave until she felt the movement cease.
You can get off me now.
Megan opened her eyes and found the ground a mere three feet away. After grabbing the jacket, bag and folder, she extended her legs down one side of the scaly body and slid down to the blessedly solid ground. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, sheer relief pouring through her.
“You did well.”
The deep, masculine voice sounded just like the one in her head. And a little like the one that cried out to her in her dreams. Shivering a little, she opened her eyes and confronted a tall, strong man. A tall, strong, completely nude man with a ripped body.
Although she tried really hard not to look down for, oh, perhaps a whole second, she couldn’t resist any longer than that. Her gaze traveled down the broad chest, liberally sprinkled with curly black hair, the join-the-dots line from navel down to—oh yes.
Long, strong and semi-erect. Semi-erect? Startled, she jerked her attention up to his face, blinking.
He gave her a devastatingly wicked smile and took the two steps that separated them. “I can’t lie to you when I’m naked, can I?”
“What, the violence turns you on? Or is it the transformation?” she managed, weak but still fighting. She badly wanted to go to him and just be held, be told it was all right, this was all a dream. But it wasn’t.
“No, it was the lush brunette who’s just spent the last twenty minutes snuggled against my back.” He smiled wryly, a warm, genuine smile, so very different from the ones Dr. Jones had flashed at her a short time before. “I felt your body against my back, the way your breasts pressed against me and your crotch pushed me. That’ll do it every time.”
“You don’t even know my name. It’s Megan. Megan Armstrong.”
“Well, Megan Armstrong, let me claim my reward for rescuing you.”
Before she could step back, his arms went around her, pressing her close and his mouth settled on hers.
Oh but he tasted delicious. Of warmth and strength and pure, rampant male. She relaxed and let him support her weight. She hadn’t allowed herself any weaknesses for years but at the end of her rope, it felt so good to be held. This man took what he wanted and what he wanted, she gave.
His erection rose hard between them and he pushed into her stomach, letting her feel his hot, hard length against her and she moaned a little into their kiss. His mouth ravaged hers, and what started as a gentle kiss of greeting turned into something else when she parted her lips for him and gave him tacit control. His tongue plunged into her, sweeping her mouth in a taking that gave her no doubt of what he wanted from her. And at the moment, too tired to resist, too turned-on to care, she’d let him. He could push her down against the hood of the nearest car, drag her panties off her and help himself. Some human contact after days of being impersonally pushed and pulled around by doctors. Someone who saw her as more than a case to be studied.
He pulled back, just enough to kiss her softly, lips meeting in a tender introduction, watching her from under half-closed lids. Then took her mouth again, his groan of wanting reverberating the back of her throat and lower down in a brief, hard kiss before he pulled back and met her eyes, his dark ones burning with lust.
She stared at him, more awake than she’d been in days. “Who are you?”
“Alessandro Gianetti.”
His teeth flashed in a quick grin when he saw her shock. “Yes, Megan. I’m Alessandro Gianetti, the brother of the man you’ve been dreaming about. Call me Sandro.”
“But that means—“
“It means none of this is your imagination. It means you’re telepathic.” His grin disappeared. “It means you’re in danger.”
“But—“
“Come on. If we stay here much longer, I’ll be arrested for indecent exposure.” He bent and swept the remains of his jacket and the file containing her medical records up.
Totally unconcerned about his nudity, he led the way to a flashy, bright yellow sports car. She followed a few paces behind, enjoying the view. A powerful back gave way to the sinfully curved ass. She still hummed with arousal, her panties damp with it for the first time in weeks. Months.
He squatted by the car and fumbled under it before pulling out a key. Instead of opening a door, he opened the trunk and dragged out a pair of jeans. He climbed into them and a shadow of regret crossed Megan’s mind. Turning his head, he gave her a devilish grin. “We’re going to have to work on teaching you to keep your thoughts private. Not that I don’t enjoy hearing them.” He grabbed a t-shirt and dragged it over his head, shaking out his shaggy mane of hair afterwards.
He walked around to the front of the car and opened it, glancing back at her. “Let’s get going.”
“Where?”
“My place on the Upper East Side. I’ll call some people from there.”
“Who?”
“I’m a member of STORM.”
Buy the book here.
More STORM books coming soon!
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Ms. Connolly builds her story with wicked and wonderfully imaginative flair. A marvelously addictive, can't-put-it-down read from Lynne Connolly!
Fran Lee for the Salt Lake City Examiner
Ms. Connolly has created an incredible first book in her Storm series. It is amazing to watch Megan's response the first time she saw Sandro in dragon form. The visual descriptions of Sandro's dragon form bring it to life for the reader. I enjoyed learning about each of the different talents, dragons, jaguars, vampires, ect., and how they each used their talents to the good of the group. The love between Megan and Sandro flamed to life quickly, but will there be time for them before tragedy strikes? This story is well written and ensnares the reader from the very start. I for one will be waiting for the next book in the Storm series. Thanks go to Ms. Connolly for another phenomenal read.
Teresa for Fallen Angel Reviews. Recommended read!
Let me say upfront that I really enjoyed this intriguing and well-written book and bringing the ‘talents’ out into the public spotlight was a great plotline progression for the shifter races that readers have became acquainted with in previous series.
The characters of Megan and Sandro are sexy, independent and likable and the dual kidnapping plotline that propels the story forward, well thought out, plausible and nicely executed. The inclusion of the rabid anti-talent group, the IRDC (The International Research and Development Clinic) from the previous releases is the perfect continuing villainous group.
The plot is action-packed, racing from beginning to end, while Megan and Sandro attempt to sort out their swirling passion and emotion.
Mystical Nymph for Literary Nymphs Reviews
RED ALERT was a great story. Ms. Connolly does a great job of creating a very believable alternate reality, with a very realistic result. The villains in the story are excellent as well, and add an extra dose of thrill to the story. The romance between Sandro and Megan is explosive, and made all the more poignant by Sandro's feeling that his time is short. The decisions that he makes based on that feeling are very noble, even if they are painful for all parties involved. All in all, RED ALERT was an amazing read!
Beth Foster for Paranormal Romance Reviews
This is an absolutely excellent book that held me captive from the first page. Lynne Connolly has the uncanny knack of giving her stories all the elements needed for a fantastic read. Her characters are multi-dimensional and leap off the pages. The plot is breathtaking. Sexual tension is high and emotions run hot. The reader may want to check her blood pressure before reading. The future looked so bleak for Sandros and Megan that I couldn’t help but look at the last page to see if their names were still there, the pressure was too great! I enjoyed all the secondary characters too and hope that Ms Connolly will have more books about these characters. Another thing I love about this book is that Sandros is a dragon shape-shifter and I adore dragons. Lynne Connolly is a terrific writer who should be high on every reader’s list. She definitely is on mine.
Valerie for Love Romances
Lynne Connolly has written another compelling novel. I could not stop reading until I was done with it. Even though it is all fantasy, she draws a very realistic alternate universe. The Talents and their powers are highly appealing. Without sounding preachy, Ms. Connolly also teaches us a moral lesson regarding our human inclination for prejudice and fear of the unknown. It is certainly action packed from cover to cover, and Sandro and Megan are lovable and relatable characters; so are the other secondary characters. I highly recommend this novel and am looking forward to reading the next book.
CeCe for Bitten By Books
A story about such mythical creatures in an alternate reality could have strained credibility, but instead Ms. Connolly draws the reader right into her world seamlessly. I highly recommend Red Alert and I am thrilled to know that there will be at least a third book in the STORM series, and hope there will be more after that.
Gillyflower for Whipped Cream Reviews |
