The Elemental Collective: Volume Three: An Elemental Paladins Spin-off Series
Your favourite characters from the Elemental Paladins series return in The Elemental Collective: Volume Three. This collection includes two novellas featuring Kai and Willow, as well as Hyde and Mari. Plus, a short story as told by Ryker.
Kai
For the first time in his life, Kai has genuine feelings for a woman. But Willow is only willing to accept him in a friends-with-benefits capacity because of his past as a he-slut. He does his best to change her mind but soon learns that it’s hard to fight an invisible foe like trauma. Matters become more complicated when a woman scorned from his past returns to ruin his hopes for a future.
Willow has been burned in the past, so now she guards her heart zealously. She thought she had a good thing going with Kai, but then he changed the rules. Some would call her a b!tch for not falling at the sexy paladin’s feet, but the pain from her past makes it hard for her to recognise love. Even when it’s staring her in the face.
It’s For Charity
Ryker is all for giving back to the community. But a charity event that involves indecent exposure and auctioning himself to the highest bidder? That’s a f#$k no! Luckily, he has an entire Order that he can pimp out instead. However, karma comes knocking when a game of hide and seek with his daughter goes awry. And Ryker gets more than he bargained for when he’s forced to ask Nikolai for help.
Hyde
As a beast warden, patience is one of Hyde’s virtues. This means he’s willing to give Kumari the time she needs to reveal the ghosts of her past. It’s hard, though, when he’s forced to keep secrets of his own from the human veterinarian. But he’s confident Mari will accept the truth about him because she has an open and flexible mind. Or so he thought. Things don’t go to plan when his powers are revealed in the worst way possible.
Life is busy for Mari. She runs an animal rescue centre and is the only specialist vet in the area. But she’s willing to free up time for the sexy, bearded Hyde. Unfortunately, wounds from her past are re-opened when her abusive ex-husband is released from prison. When Hyde’s powers as a warden are revealed, she can’t help but question: who is the real monster? Her ex? Or Hyde?
Here’s a little taste..
Willow was nervous as she made her way up the back stairs of Dave’s. It was Friday night, which meant she and Kai were due to meet in his old home to bang like bunnies. They had a standing appointment every Friday evening. But after her verbal blunder a couple of days ago, she wondered what her reception was going to be. He had looked upset.
Shoring up her courage, she knocked on the door. Kai answered and appeared to be his usual cheery self. He was dressed in old jeans and a t-shirt. Nothing fancy, but also not his paladin attire. His thick hair was rumpled in an appealing way, and she knew it just fell like that. He didn’t even need to try to be pretty. He just was. It was annoying and wonderful at the same time.
“Willow!” Kai exclaimed, smiling brightly. “You look lovely this evening. Come in.”
Willow looked down at her plain black paladin uniform of cargo pants and a t-shirt. She had her sickle harnessed over her shirt and a jacket over the top for discretion in case a regular human was wandering around. There was nothing special about the way she looked. She never made any extra effort to pretty herself up for their interludes. But the urge was there. And it annoyed the hell out of her. “I look like I always do,” she told him, standing in the middle of the living room.
“Exactly,” Kai responded. “You always look beautiful. I love your dark hair and your light eyes. It’s a stunning combination. Not to mention your bone structure. You could cut glass with your cheekbones.”
Willow felt herself blush. The praise warmed her, especially because she knew he meant every word. It was right there on his face. He thought she was beautiful. She wasn’t a vain woman and didn’t give much thought to her appearance other than for practical reasons. Like pulling her thick, wavy hair back into a ponytail, so it didn’t get in her way if she needed to fight. She never highlighted the cheekbones Kai seemed to love so much. They were a gift from her father, who had been Hawaiian. Her mother had been Scandinavian, and Willow had inherited her light blue eyes – as well as her height. Which was nothing to write home about. She was on the shorter side, standing at five-foot-four in her boots. She also had no curves to speak of and very little softness. Instead, she had a genuine six-pack and muscled biceps. And a measly A cup.
“Are you checking yourself out?” Kai wanted to know, amusement and heat in his gaze.
Willow looked down at herself, discovering her own hands cupping her A’s. She quickly dropped them, mortified. But she raised her chin and looked Kai in the eyes. “Kind of. I was just thinking how underwhelming my boobs are.”
“Underwhelming? Are you serious?” Kai looked flabbergasted. “Willow, your breasts are a work of art. Just like the rest of you. Surely you know that?”