What better way to lure Kellsie Morris, the scream queen of
horror movies, to Hade's Carnival than offer her a lot of
money as lead actress in a new movie? Kellsie is getting
older so she knows her time is getting close so this seems
like a perfect opportunity. Little does she know that her
life is just about to take a wild twist. But something no
one knows is that Kellsie is already protected by the MARK
OF THE BEAR.
Marko has been frozen in his animal form for centuries
waiting for the one woman who can release him from the
curse. He, the wolf and the lion are the only ones
remaining of the warriors for the Lady of the Beasts. Roric
had disappeared and Marko hoped he was safe, Phoenix didn't
even try but went up in flames with the woman, and Mordecai
has betrayed them all.
When upon climbing onto the back of the magnificent bear
on the carousel the ride begins, Kellsie wakes up in a
cave with what she thinks is a crazed man. His story is
just too much like the script that she had read, but the
reason that the script ended with her riding the bear soon
becomes evident. This was all a ruse to get her to release
this man/warrior/bear so Hades could have him join Mordecai
and lead the minions of hell to take over the world. But if
they survive 24 hours his soul and hers are safe and he can
find a way to free the Lady and his other warriors.
Choices are given to both Kellsie and Marko? Which will she
take ... run to safety or stand by the man who is fighting
for the good? Given the chance to be a warrior again will
Marko break his honor code?
I loved MARK OF THE BEAR. It is a fantastic continuation of
Hade's Carnival series by author N.J. Walters. With its
fast action and interesting dialogue readers will be
glued to the pages. Kellsie and Marko both work to accept
the truth about their future, at first fighting the
attraction then fighting together to survive. I liked that
Kellsie is feisty and Marko solid and really intelligent
about the modern world and of course the intimate scenes
between the two are burning hot. I enjoyed the little hints
that might lead readers to believe that Mordecai is not
all bad and that the warriors that remain just might defeat
the evil god. I actually liked the hint at the end telling
where the carnival may show next; a nice twist and gives
hope to readers for more of the series.
At twenty–nine, Hollywood scream queen Kellsie
Morris is acutely aware the clock is ticking on her career.
Luckily, the one big role she needs to pad her retirement
fund has just come through—the story of an immortal,
shape–shifting warrior trapped in a carnival run by
the Devil's minions.
When Kellsie arrives on set, she can't resist climbing
aboard an amazingly realistic carousel bear—and finds
herself flung into a world where the horror is real. As real
as the heat radiating off the half–naked hunk in her arms.
Marko has waited an eternity for the chance to free his
goddess, the Lady of the Beasts, and his fellow warriors
from an ancient curse. But once he lays eyes on Kellsie, he
knows to the bottom of his soul that his purpose is to
protect her life.
But in this hellish game, it's the Devil's move. And
there's no predicting when and where the final, brutal
stroke will fall—and which lover will pay the ultimate
price.
Excerpt
She grabbed the flap and, at the last second, kept
herself from flinging it back. There could be someone in
there and she probably shouldn't be wandering around here at
night. Not that she'd get in trouble or anything, but she
didn't want to piss off the set designer.
Easing the flap aside, Kellsie peered inside. A bright
spotlight shone on the center of the room. She stepped
inside, no longer caring if there was someone already in
there. The carousel stood in solitary splendor. It had to be
a replica of an antique because it was like something from a
bygone era. The base and the top were heavily carved with
curlicues and spirals. It was fanciful and beautiful,
exactly what a carousel should be.
She knew there would be space for seven animals on the
ride, but four were missing, leaving gaps of several feet
and the metal bolts that had once anchored them to the base.
Only three animals remained.
Kellsie moved closer, studying the chipped white and red
paint and gold gilding that was fading at the top and base.
The animals themselves were in perfect condition and even
more beautiful than she'd expected.
Whoever had carved the wolf had caught him in
mid–stride. His muscles rippled beneath his fur, his
jaws open on a snarl, revealing his sharp white teeth. He
looked fierce and gorgeous.
She reached out her hand and ran it over his flanks. If
she closed her eyes, she could easily imagine she was
touching fur. "Wow. This is spectacular," she breathed.
"You're one tough creature." It was all too easy to picture
the wolf racing through the woods in search of prey.
There was an empty space beside the wolf. A small metal
label was bolted next to it and it read Serpent. Next to
that was another space with a label that read Jaguar. Too
bad the script called for them to be missing. She would have
loved to have seen the artist's rendition of both. She
imagined the jaguar would be sleek and deadly with sharp
teeth and a powerful jaw. The serpent, she wasn't so certain
about. Would it be snake–like or more of a dragon?
Her breath caught in her throat as she studied the next
animal. A huge brown bear stared back at her through dark,
expressive eyes. The effect was so real, Kellsie would
almost swear the creature was actually alive and watching her.
"Amazing." She stroked the fur covering his massive
body, which had been painted a combination of varying shades
of brown with a hint of black. Powerful and commanding, this
was the king of the forest. The claw on her necklace seemed
to pulse against her skin. She reached over her shoulder and
absently rubbed her tattoo. There was no mistaking the sheer
brute strength of this animal.
She tore herself away from the bear and forced herself
to examine the rest of the carousel. There was another empty
space. The label on this one seemed slightly scorched, which
was a brilliant touch considering it was supposed to have
housed a phoenix. She could picture a great beast painted in
shades of red and gold, like fire.
Next came the lion. He was a formidable beast with a
huge mane. Muscles rippled beneath his tawny skin and his
jaws were open on a silent roar.
Beside him was another empty space. The plaque on this
one read White Tiger. She didn't think he'd have been
totally white, but would have had dark stripes down his body.
She wished they were all here for her to see, but the
movie was on a budget and the other animals weren't
necessary. They'd obviously hired a skilled craftsman to
create the animals that were here. There was no way they
were antique. They'd have cost a fortune. She also couldn't
imagine anyone owning one of these carousel animals and
parting with them.
She rounded the carousel again and the bear drew her to
him. He really was quite an incredible thing to look at.
Massive. That was the best way to describe him. Even
standing on all fours, he was almost as tall as she was.
Thick muscles were covered with a heavy coat of fur. Long,
lethal claws tipped his paws. His jaw was wide, his nose a
velvety black.
Reaching out, Kellsie stroked his nose. She jerked her
hand back and cradled it against her chest. It had felt cool
and moist. Impossible. "Boy, this thing is real enough to
play on the imagination."
Chewing on her bottom lip, she studied his wide back.
There were no painted–on saddles like on most carousel
animals, just the creature's broad body, which could easily
hold her. Heck, her feet wouldn't even come near the ground.
She put out her hand again and was surprised to see it
was quivering. A combination of nerves and excitement, she
supposed. She hoped she'd have to sit on him for the movie
shoot for at least one of the scenes. The part of the script
she'd read hadn't specified which creature was supposed to
come to life. Maybe she'd have to sit on all of them. Of
course, there was always the off chance she wouldn't have to
actually ride any of them at all. Maybe her character
released the mythical warrior in some other way.
If that was the case, she might never get another
opportunity to be this close to the bear again. "You won't
hurt anything," she promised herself. "Sitting on him won't
damage the paint job."
Kellsie touched the bear's flank. Shit, it really felt
like fur. This was crazy. She should just go back to her
trailer and get a good night's sleep. The director would
probably be back tomorrow, if he hadn't already shown up
while she was holed up in her trailer, and she'd have to get
down to work.
And she really should hunt down Brittany and see about
getting a complete script. There would be fourteen to
eighteen–hour days of nonstop work for the next three
to four weeks and she needed to be ready.
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