Frisky Friday - 10/2/15 - Deadly Enchantment - Undergoing a purity evaluation #Paranormal #Shifters

An unhappy shape shifter can be a dangerous companion....

It's Frisky Friday, and for A Writer's Naughty Thoughts, Fridays are also anything can happen days.

My excerpt for this week is from my 2nd book, Deadly Enchantment.  A shapeshifting wizard romance set in Victorian England published by New Concepts Publishing, 

In this snippet, which occurs at the beginning of the third chapter, Dominic Westcroft has reason to suspect Serena Blanford, one of the guests his sister has invited for him to consider as a potential bride, possesses magical abilities she's trying to keep hidden.  Believing she may actually be a plant placed in his home by his treacherous brother, he decides to give her a purity validation test.

Serena has no idea what this "test" actually entails, but given the reaction of the other women who went through it, she knew it wasn't anything she wanted to experience.  Up until this point, she has successfully managed to keep both her and her cousin safe from having to undergo the ordeal, but now Westcroft is adamant they both submit.  When Serena declines, he advises his servant she will be leaving first thing in the morning. Knowing if she's sent away that she'll never be able to solve the mystery surrounding her sister's death, Serena agrees to have her purity "validated".  However, as they approach the room where the testing is taking place, Serena hears her cousin crying. She rushes in to comfort Allison only to learn a man had forced her cousin to drink a potion, which was in effect a truth serum for the spirit intended to expose those who intend harm through deceit. When Serena discovers the gentleman who attended Allison was not only Westcroft's brother-in-law, but a physician as well, she isn't the least bit reassured.

            Dominic seemed to sense her unease.  “Would you prefer I send for Dr. Sinclair instead?” he inquired politely.

            Serena hesitated, then shook her head.  She didn’t like the thought of having to undergo this trial at all, but having someone she’d never met before perform such a personal examination of her held even less appeal.  And yet the notion that she would prefer to have her innocence validated by a man she’d suspected was guilty of murder over a certified physician made her question her sanity.  Not a moment ago, she believed him capable of ripping her sister’s body to shreds, yet here she was basically telling him she would prefer to be alone with him than have someone else validate the purity of her body and soul.  The plain truth was that Serena was afraid of what might happen.  Never one to give into her fears, she tried to convince herself, along with Mr. Westcroft, that the true reason she didn’t wish to remain alone with him was because it would mean she’d be abandoning Allison again.

            However, the matter was firmly settled when Regina stepped forward and put her arm about Allison’s shoulders.  “Come along, dear.  We’ll have a nice, hot cup of tea together, and by tomorrow this will all be a forgotten memory."

Dominic Westcroft is determined to uncover his young guest's secrets even if it means "testing" Serena himself. He views her cousin merely as a means to his end.

M/F, Shape shifting  wizards in Victorian England.

Read the first three chapters at: Deadly Enchantment

Available at NCP, Amazon, Barnes & Noble or ARe

Thanks for visiting.  I hope you enjoyed this brief excerpt and wish you and yours a very Frisky Friday.