Kiru Taye Writes: #Book #Spotlight on KUMA by @Author

Happy Monday, folks. Today I'm excited to host the fabulous author Kassanna and her new book Kuma. She is a lovely person and I'm so grateful we are friends. Please make her feel very welcome.

Leave a comment and I'll pick a winner next Monday to win a copy of Kuma.

The winner of Cecilia's Claim by Raven McAllan is Donna Hole. Congratulations!

Now on to this week's guest. Take it away, Kass...

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Hi, welcome to Volkshire. In these mountains the moderate temperature is a balmy seventy degrees that spikes in the summer to the high nineties. As you take a stroll through our town please note we do not have any mass produced retail chains. All shops are family owned and friendly. The general store still has a malt shop as a matter of fact. But we are far from behind the times, that same shop serves a mean latte. The crime late is low, why our poor sheriff doesn’t have much do. That’s to be expected of course since we are all animals in our own right with exception to a few individuals but hey even they can hold their own.

That brings me to tell you about the major employer of the area, Volkshire Protection. It’s operated by the Blaidd’s. That family goes back several generations and the town was actually founded by our current Alphas great , great grandfather, Pervus Blaidd. We consider ourselves a progressive pack since some of our members are not wolf. There are bears, big cats and we have alliance pacts with various other clans but that’s pack business I won’t get into right now. Of late there has been a bit of an upheaval within our pack and we have seen a few changes. Recently our Alpha, Scar, claimed a human, Fre, as a mate. Personally I think it’s a good match, that woman can weld a gun like nobody’s business. Some shifters though are none too happy about that, but if Scar didn’t care before he most certainly won’t give a damn now.

Of course it seems that one claiming has set off another, like a domino effect. Kuma, Scars brother, has set his sights on a mate of his own. Poor fella, Nix can be a handful on a pleasant day and downright ornery on all the others. I’d say that poor bear has his work cut out for him. It’s amazing what a man will do for the love of a woman.

Want to know more? Here’s the blurb to Kuma.

Boris “Kuma” Blaidd was supposed to be Alpha of Volkshire. Instead he passed that mantel on to his brother and went looking for adventure as a sentential. He only came home at the request of his family to protect his nephew.

He never wanted a mate and didn’t expect to find her. Especially since she comes in a sexy, albeit skittish, package and has had her car trunk retrofitted to keep a cache of weapons. Boris knows who she is and what he must do. He simply has to take a stroll through hell to accomplish the feat.

Nix’s life has never been easy, but she has made it work one way or another. The only person she has ever truly trusted called her and she came guns drawn. Only she never expected to stay. She definitely didn’t expect to meet a hot bear disguised as a man who counters her every move with one of his own. Boris doesn’t play fair, making her want things she knows can never be. Now she wonders can they?

Except ~

“Screw you. Let’s just find this principal so I can put the hurting on him and we can move on to more pleasant things.” Nix grabbed the gun she’d left on the other side of the fence and pulled it through the hole. She brushed off her knees before rising. As she moved ahead of her friend, Fre grabbed her arm and swung her around.

A brisk breeze wrapped around her midriff, chilling her skin as it was exposed. She felt smooth fingers trace the scratch and winced when Fre pressed down. Her friend dropped the shirt.

“You’re gonna need a tetanus shot since the fence is rusty and I saw a couple of deep spots that might need stitches. I mean, really, Nix, you need to take better care of yourself or let a particular bear take care of you.”

Nix shimmied her shoulders. “Really you want to go there. Maybe if I just left you here, you wouldn’t have to worry so much.”

“Go to hell, Nix. You know you’d miss me if you left.” Fre offered her an innocent smile.

“Girl, I keep telling you that’s one of the many places I am no longer allowed into.” She looked at Fre and instantly felt bad. The woman didn’t have a malicious bone in her body. “I’m sorry, Fre. I’m just a little antsy. I think it’s time for me to move on. I’ve been here way too long and you know how I feel about wearing out my welcome.” Nix started to walk toward the squat buildings.

“You’re seriously thinking of leaving?” Fre’s voice sounded lost.

“It’s not like this is the first time we’ve parted ways. You’re like my little sister but you know me. I can’t stay in one place too long. You’re fine now…protected. Hell, I wouldn’t take on Scar if it came to it. That man is positively rabid when it comes to you.” She waited to see if Fre would smile. When the smile didn’t come, she continued speaking softly. “I will always be around if you need me. All you have to do is call me.”

“I know. We may not be blood, but you are my sister and I believe I’m not the only one who will be disappointed to hear you’re considering leaving,” Fre added.

Nix bumped Fre’s arm as they crossed the asphalt basketball courts in silence. “I haven’t left yet.” The screech of metal was the only sound to be heard as they opened and closed the gate that led to the brick-and-mortar structures. In the distance they could hear the laughter of children as they followed the concrete footpath that would lead them to the main structure.

Nix broke the silence. “So who are we after first? The teacher or the principal?”

“I’m hoping we catch both, maybe together.”

“Exactly why would two beautiful women be looking for me?” A deep, lyrical baritone flowed from behind them.

Nix swung around, slipping herself between the man and Fre while lifting her shotgun to take aim. The stranger held his hands up, palms facing her, and took a step back, then lifted his head taking a whiff of the air. Nix would never get used to watching a man sniff the air to gain information.

“My apologies. I hadn’t realized our Alpha’s mate would be coming to see me.” Nix noticed how he spoke to Fre while keeping eye contact with her. An easy smile graced his face and Nix was taken aback by his beauty. He ran his tongue along his lips before continuing. “And you are?”

Nix learned in the last couple of months that more than wolves or bears were shifters. The mesmerizing smile with the relaxed nature was definitely not a wolf trait. Although charming, they weren’t this amicable. The stranger wasn’t bear either. If it had been her Boris, he would have taken a swipe at her first just for aiming a gun at him. Nix narrowed her eyes. Where the hell did that thought come from? Boris didn’t belong to her. Pushing the idea of that beast to the back of her mind, she focused on the man in front of her. “What are you?”

“Can’t you tell?” He dropped his hands, moving with a fluid motion.

“I wouldn’t ask if it was obvious. And who are you?” Nix felt Fre move up beside her.

“Why, I’m the principal. Jamison Conda, at your service.” He bowed low and straightened. “Would you mind lowering the gun now?”

“Not on your life, or mine, for that matter. You still haven’t answered my question.”

“I have to say, I find you extremely invigorating. Most humans would have taken off running by now.”

“I guess you could say I’m not normal.”

A wolf bounded between her and the principal. The black beast with the white strip of fur lowered its head and bared its teeth emitting a low growl from his throat. Fre muttered a few curses and then Nix heard the familiar grunts of a bear and dropped her head forward, shaking it. She ignored the growing crowd.