against time - Fated Mates by Lilli Carlisle

" This was such a good story and the end felt kind of rushed and the story was over. It felt like there could of been more added like the fact she was pregnant and thought we would get to her about her pregnancy and what did she have and how many. But it didnt. Really looking forward to Mason Rose and Riker's story next."- Sylvia, Goodreads

Description:

Tigress (#1) 

Caged her whole life, Raz escapes only to find herself caught in a tender trap created by the Alpha and Beta of the North Woods pack.

A TRIAD FAMILY

If only Raz had kept running, she wouldn't have wound up on wolf pack lands putting herself in double danger. A three-hundred pound Bengal tiger shifter, Raz had been caged for as long as she can remember; tortured, beaten and used for sport. Finally, she's escaped, but the hunters are hot on her heels, and she's racing against time.

When she heard the wolf pups' cries, Raz couldn't help herself; she went to their rescue even knowing that her trespass could mean her life. Now she's wedged between the Alpha and Beta of the North Woods pack, and they're insisting she's their True Mate.

EXCERPT

TOUR SCHEDULE

   The desperate cries of wolf pups echoed through the forest around Raz—terrified shifter wolf pups. Raz scented she was on pack land, but she had no choice, she had to get away from the men hunting her. Sure, she may be a three-hundred pound Bengal tiger shifter, but they had guns.

Claws helped up close, but on way too many occasions she’d seen that bullets always won.

It seemed she had run from her hell right into someone else’s, if the sounds of those cries were any indication. Razelle had hoped to be well out of the wolf shifters’ territory long before she was scented. She didn’t have permission to be on their lands, and death was typically the result of such a trespass—or so it had been explained to her.

Great, just friggin’ wonderful. Not only will I be strung up, I might be left for the hunters to find and skin.

The pups’ cries grew louder, and she knew she had to answer their calls for help—hell, they were only pups. Razelle’s conscience always got her into trouble. After all, wasn’t that why those damn hunters were tracking her even now? She was never going back into a cage; she would sooner die. Changing direction easily as her four-inch claws dug into the damp forest floor, she sensed the pups were over the next ridge.

Using her large padded feet, silently she stalked up to the edge of the small ridge overlooking a ravine, and when she peered over, her breath froze in her lungs. Two wolf shifter pups were cornered against a wall of jagged rocks by four hyena shifters who were nipping at the pups.

Razelle could scent and see traces of blood on the pups’ fur. Bastards.

Anger like nothing she had ever experienced raced through her, and that was saying a lot considering she had spent most of her life in a cage, tortured and abused at the hands of her captors. How dare those mangy hyenas attack defenseless pups? Before she had a chance to think it through, Razelle raced down the slope toward the hyenas. She let out a mighty roar and dove at the closest attacker, ripping her claws across the hyena’s side and onto its chest, easily sending him flying away from the pups. The other three hyenas quickly backed away as she placed her mighty body in front of the pups.

Raz let out another angry roar that echoed through the forest before she slowly backed up, ushering the two pups closer together, making it easier for her to protect them. She scanned the area for an escape route, but she could only carry one pup in her mouth, and she wasn’t about to leave one behind, so she was going to have to fight her way out of this one. Though she despised fighting, it didn’t mean she couldn’t, and she always had plan B, the escape plan. But by the look of pure hatred coming off the hyena shifters, plan B was so not happening.

How could someone hate pups this much?

Slowly, the hyenas formed a semicircle around her and the pups, blocking them against the rock face. As drool dripped from their open, fang-filled mouths, they started in with that maniacal laughing bark of theirs, which never failed to make her skin crawl.

Not just assholes, but creepy assholes.

Having all that pent-up anger and rage from being trapped in a cage for so many years was certainly going to come in handy right about now. Normally, wild hyenas would have gotten the point that taking on a pissed-off tigress was not in their best interests, but these were shifters, and by the looks of them, not the sharpest crayons in the box.

The largest of the four hung back slightly, and it was easy to figure out that he was the leader of this gang, and he was more than willing to let his minions take the pain that Raz was about to dish out.

The one she had already attacked didn’t look stable on his feet, but he continued to inch forward. Razelle huffed. Idiot didn’t get enough of his ass handed to him the first time around.

He lunged forward, snapping his jaws at her throat, but she easily dodged him, bringing her massive paw up and backhanding him. Or would that be back-pawing him? She laughed internally at another one of her lame jokes. Hell, she thought she was funny even if no one else did.

That hyena now lay sprawled out on the ground like he had been hit by a truck. Another snicker escaped but came out as a sneeze in her cat form. Either way, the other hyenas didn’t find it as funny as she did. In sync, the two remaining minions charged. She pushed the pups into a slight indentation in the rocks as cover, then Raz brought herself up to her full height and put her body directly in front of them. The hyenas would not get to the pups.

One hyena attacked her flank while the other tried to use the distraction to reach their prey. What was it with these pups that these hyenas wanted them so badly, and where the hell was the damn wolf pack to protect them? Raz swiped her claws across the jaw of the hyena who was trying to get to the little ones, but unfortunately that left her flank open to the other hyena. Pain shot through her side as its claws ripped through her heavy fur and dug into her flesh. That one was going to leave a mark. Damn.

Quickly, she adjusted her position, ever conscious of staying directly in front of the pups, and wrapped her canines around the other hyena’s front leg, tearing through muscle and bone until she heard a satisfying crunch. The three minions were starting to look a little frightened, and Razelle thought it was about damn time they came to their senses. Besides, her flank really hurt, and she could feel wetness coating her fur. She assumed it was blood. Realizing the hyena might have gotten in a really good shot, she chanced a look down and wished she hadn’t. A five-inch gash was now seeping blood from her side.

Raz knew she had to end this fight soon or she wouldn’t have the strength to protect the pups, who were now cowering behind her for protection. That damn hyena laugh brought her attention back to the four assholes—well, really only two now, since the other two couldn’t move any longer, which gave her a sense of satisfaction. Any sane shifter would suck it up, back off, and lick his wounds, but by the look in the leader’s eyes, sanity had left the forest long ago.

The last two hyenas began to inch forward, snapping their jaws, sending blood and spit flying everywhere. A shiver of disgust ran up Raz’s spine, and the realization she was likely going to have to fight to the death to save these pups seemed definite.

Knowing she couldn’t fight fully and keep the pups behind her and safe, she decided she had to kill the hyenas before she went down; that would be the only way to save the terrified pups.

Well, what a fine mess, missy. You get your ass free of the cages to die within twenty-four hours of gaining your freedom. Shit.

With that thought, she opened her stance and crouched low, readying herself for their next attack when a terrifying howl ripped through the air. It should have chilled her to the bone, but surprisingly, a different kind of chill rushed through her body and settled in all the right places.

Shaking her head to clear her inappropriate thoughts, Raz realized the pack was on the way to save their pups, and she had to hold out long enough for them to get there. Lifting her head, she roared in answer to the howl to give them a direction to track faster, because God knew, she needed help.

Huntress (#2)

LOVE & MAGIC...

There’s a war coming in the shifter world, a tear in the veil that separates good and evil, and the reincarnation of ancient goddesses heralds the preparations for the battles ahead. Rose, a wolf shifter, whose birth pack nearly killed her, has found contentment as a member of a loving pack, and that has been enough. When she meets the Alpha and Beta of a neighboring bear clan and learns these men are her fated mates, her life changes in ways she never could have dreamed.

CAN SAVE THE WORLD

Brothers Mason and Riker Porda became the Alpha and Beta of their clan when their parents were slaughtered, and their lives have been a struggle ever since. While bolstering the health and safety of their clan is their life’s work, their hearts are sad and empty...until Rose. Their mate is everything they thought they’d never have, and when the threat of collector demons returning to earth invades the shifter world, the brothers learn Rose is so much more than their mate, she’s the reincarnation of the Goddess Thorne, the Huntress. 

EXCERPT

TOUR SCHEDULE

Now, how the hell am I going to get myself out of this? Rose silently grumbled as she listened to two bears trying to bring down the walls with their snoring. Mason and Riker, the alpha and beta of the neighboring bear clan, were fast asleep on air mattresses that had been dragged into her recovery room. She was surprised the mattresses hadn’t exploded by now.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been unconscious, but it was dark outside and the pack house was silent. She felt every one of the stitches that crisscrossed her body. Those damn hyenas had made her pay for protecting her alpha matriarch, Raz, and Rose knew it was going to take some serious time for her to heal. Funny, she’d come to the North Woods Pack covered in injuries, and now that she’d met her mates, she’d be leaving in the same condition.

Rose tried to move her left leg but was barely able to contain the scream of pain from bursting through her lips. Right, no moving. She was running out of options, and Rose really needed to use the bathroom. Her molars were floating. She’d have to bite the bullet.
“Um…” Rose mumbled, not knowing what to say.
She’d never seen two men that large move so fast. It stunned her how quickly they were at her bedside. They looked panicked and their eyes turned darker than their usual amber. Wolf shifters’ eyes turned to amber when their wolves were near the surface, while bear shifters’ eyes turned dark brown.
Mason scanned the room and Riker checked her over before pulling her blanket up to her chin. “We’re glad you’re awake. We’ve been so worried,” he said in a rush as he leaned over the bed blocking the light with his big body.
Male bear shifters tended to be large even in their human form. They were over seven feet tall and weighed around two hundred and seventy-five pounds. From what she could see, it was all muscle. She was enjoying the view, but her bladder was making its demand clear. She had to suck it up, no matter how embarrassing this was.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” Rose mumbled. “I can’t seem to move.”
Mason and Riker looked at each other, and as she watched their silent communication, she marveled at the brothers’ resemblance. Both had sandy blond hair—though Riker’s reached his shoulders while Mason’s was cut short—wide-set eyes that were rich amber when in their human forms, strong jaws and delicious full lips. Both men had a patch of golden chest hair peeking out from their shirt collars, and both were sculpted like Greek statues. Sure, she’d seen Mason naked when he shifted, but she had been bleeding to death at the time and had been a bit distracted.

“I’ll carry you to the bathroom, but it’s still going to hurt. Maybe we can get Doc in here to give you something to ease the pain,” Mason offered.
She could see the worry in his eyes but she’d waited too long already and couldn’t take the pressure any longer. “No time. Gotta go…now,” Rose begged as she began pushing herself up.

The pain was instantaneous and caused her head to spin, but she wasn’t going to pee the bed.

Mason moved quickly, reached down and slid his big arms underneath her back and knees.
“Easy there, hon. I’ve got you.”
She couldn’t help her cry of pain, but being surrounded by her these bears and their heavenly scent of forest after a rain helped soothe her. Mason’s scent held something a little different, a spice of some sort she couldn’t place. It didn’t matter what it was, all that was important right now was it helped her pain subside.

Once she had her breathing under control, Mason continued to move toward the bathroom while Riker slipped out the clinic door. Thankfully, she was wearing one of those hospital robe with the opening in the back. It saved her from having him pull down her pants. He set her down to relieve herself then waited outside the open door with his back to her. After she’d done her business, Mason held her so she could wash her hands. Big hands, which could turn into massive paws with four-inch razor sharp claws, carefully avoided her injuries with a bunny-soft touch.
He asked, “Do you need to do anything else in here?”

She ran her tongue over her teeth and thought, yuck, slime. then grabbed a plastic-wrapped toothbrush, took it out of its packaging, then squirted toothpaste on it and got busy.
“That it?” He grinned as she finished rinsing.

Well, since he was holding her up, and she could maneuver the upper part of her body without too much pain, she took out a hair brush from its wrapping and began to tackle her mop.

When she tried to reach the back of her head, the pull made her wince. He slid the brush from her hand and started to smooth the tangles she couldn’t reach, all while continuing to support her with the strength of his lower body.
As he placed the brush back on the counter, he rumbled, “Done?”
“Feel like polishing my nails?” she teased.
“Mani-pedi?”
She laughed, then grabbed her side.
“Yeah, we’re done.”
He swooped her into his strong arms and carried her to the bed, and had her tucked in as if she’d never left. He brought a glass of water to her lips, and she wanted to tell him she could do that for herself, but he seemed to need to do it for her. She noticed how quiet Mason had been. If she had to guess, worry was making him watchful and subdued.

The door opened and Riker peeked his head inside before pushing it all the way in for a woman to enter. She had a variation of Rose’s mates’ scents, which was weird, but she discovered why when Riker said, “This is our sister and our clan’s doctor, Jewel.”

“Are you the one I have to thank for all these stitches?” Rose arched a brow.
Jewel looked uncertain but answered, “Yes, Alpha Matriarch.” Words Rose never thought would be directed at her; at least she had hoped never to hear them. Though she was an alpha wolf shifter, she never wanted to lead anyone.
Rose made a point of talking softly when she said, “Thank you for putting me back together and saving my life. I owe you a great debt.”

“You owe me nothing. We are family and you are the alpha matriarch of our clan. It was an honor to help you.” Jewel came around to the side of the table and began inspecting Rose’s wounds. “I have some medication that will help with the pain until your natural healing ability kicks in.”

“How long do you think it will take before I’m healed enough to get around on my own?” I hate being an invalid, and it’s particularly embarrassing having to be carried to the toilet.

“I’m sorry, Matriarch, but it will be at least ten to fourteen days before we can take the stitches out over your joints. The remainder can come out sooner. I can’t imagine you being able to move comfortably until the worst of the stitches can be removed.”
Jewel handed Rose her medication and Mason helped her sit up to take it. She wasn’t too proud to admit she needed it, but at least it would be for a short time. She looked around the recovery room, and between the machines and all the medical equipment; it was cold and sterile.
She wasn’t going to heal staying in here.
“Can I return to my room to heal?”
“Yes, of course, Matriarch,” Jewel answered quickly.
Before she could even ask, Riker was collecting her into his arms much the same as Mason had. “You direct us, and we’ll take you there.”
Clearly, she wasn’t going to get any alone time for the foreseeable future. It wasn’t as if she didn’t feel the pull of Mason and Riker. Rose wouldn’t lie to herself—if she hadn’t been injured she might be all over them right now, but the injuries provided more time to get used to the idea of having two mates and becoming a matriarch of her own pack, or clan in this case. Would they accept a wolf as a bear matriarch? She was getting too far ahead of herself.

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About the author: 

Lilli Carlisle is a paralegal and author who lives in Ontario, Canada. she is a proud member of the Romance Writers of America and its chapter; the Toronto Romance Writers. More than just an author, Lilli is a dedicated people watcher, lover of romance novels and 80’s rock, who grew up with a love of reading. Lilli is a firm believer in happy endings and that love is meant to be celebrated and shared. 

These paranormal romance novels will raise your heart rate and make you believe in love. Enter this fantasy utopia and let yourself experience the anticipation of new love and endless thrills. After all, everybody needs a little romance, excitement, intrigue and passion in their lives. 

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