Surging Shadows - A Sexy Supernatural New Adult Romance Paranormal Novelette from Steam Books

By Jolie James and Steam Books

BONUS! This ebook contains a preview of the hot novella "Twists and Curves" by Sandra Sinclair.

Sandra Tully, a budding graphic designer, lands her dream gig at one of Chicago’s premiere marketing firms. Her first week of work is filled with excitement as she finds herself falling for her new boss, Max, but she is troubled by an odd onset of erotic, trance-like experiences. The trances threaten to extinguish her life energy. As Max grows closer to Sandra, he realizes that he is her only hope, and races to save her from the shadow before it’s too late.

Warning: This 12,496-word long novelette is a steamy read that features explicit scenes of passionate lovemaking and may be too much for some readers to handle! 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steam Books
• Release date: Nov 16, 2013
• ISBN: 9781634571586

Jolie James

Jolie James was a marketing consultant before she erupted onto the erotica scene, and her readers couldn't be happier that she made the transformation from office professional to erotica goddess. Her titles for Steam Books Erotica & Romance and other publishers have her readers hot and bothered and moaning for more.

Book preview

reviews.

1.

She saw nothing but deep red. Then a shadow darkened before her. There was neither breathing nor sensation of touch. She heard silence, and smelled only her own aroma. 

Yet every time the shadow expanded around her, her veins surged with adrenaline, her heartbeat raced and pleasure flooded every cell of her body. A moment before the shadow fully consumed her, it withdrew; slowly at first, but then with the ferocity of changing ocean tides. All of her warmth was momentarily lost in a breathless exhale of energy. 

The shadow dissipated, and she was only conscious of the loss. Her eyes frantically searched through the swirls of scarlet, maroon and auburn. Her heartbeat quickened this time out of desperation. Just as she was beginning to lose hope, she noticed the atmosphere thickening in front of her again and rejoiced. 

She tried to look down at herself, but couldn’t move her head. She went to lift her hand, attempting to caress the shadow, but found her limbs were limp. She saw less of the ‘it’, but felt its entirety within her. The awareness was exquisite. It vibrated through her, harmonizing with her resonance. The shadow seemed to amplify even the smallest nuances of her existence. She felt her soul begin to throb. Together, she and the shadow billowed out far beyond the scope of her vision. Soon, all that existed was the silky smooth mixture of her essence and the shadow’s, pulsating and vibrant. 

Suddenly, she was violently ripped from her sacred space. The shadow rushed to save her by valiantly wrapping its tendrils around her waist and fingertips. Still, she fell. The descent was devastating, and she landed with three rapid shakes against her pillow.

Wake up, Sandra, you’re dreaming. And you’re fucking hyperventilating, so wake up, damn it! 

Tommy, Sandra’s roommate, was standing over her with his brow furrowed in concern. Sandra struggled to blink her vision into focus, and was perturbed when she saw Tommy’s gawky frame in front of her. She pushed against his puny chest and swung her legs over the side of her bed. Sandra rubbed her face before glaring up at him.

What are you doing in here, dude? Creeper…, Sandra said as she sniffed the congestion from her sinuses. 

Tommy scoffed at her and threw his fists on his hips. He popped a foot out to one side and held his weight on the opposite leg.

Look, princess, your door was open and you’re in here all about to have a heart attack and shit. I walk by and I’m like, ‘WTF’. So, I came in here to check on you and you’re not responsive but having a seizure or some shit like that. What the hell do you think I’m doin’ in here? Offended, and pissy, Tommy turned and stormed from Sandra’s room. 

She watched him leave and listened for the front door to open and shut before she allowed herself to analyze what she’d just gone through. 

Sandra knew it hadn’t been a dream. 

She woke up that morning at six. Currently, the chrome clock on her wall read a quarter to eight, and she was already wearing the outfit she selected the night before. Sandra stood up and ran her fingers through her long, brown hair. It was still damp from her shower. She felt dizzy as she followed her bare feet to her vanity and sat down. Looking in the mirror, Sandra noticed she hadn’t fixed her makeup yet, and tried her best to remember what had happened. There were only glimpses in her mind, and she pushed herself to piece together the past hour. She put her elbows on the beautifully etched glass and held her head in her hands as she pondered. 

It started with a hum. Sandra had been picking out eyeshadow shades when her ears began to ring. Nothing electronic was on in her room, and she remembered looking at the light bulb to see if the noise came from there. She remembered almost falling backwards off of the vanity stool as she gazed up at the light fixture on the ceiling. Then she lay down, to see if that would have made her feel better, and that’s when the