Warin's War

By Ann Gimpel

Warin's War has deadly intrigue, scorching passion, and a to die for hero. Check out Ann Gimpel's latest paranormal release.

Michelle Fox, NYT Bestselling Author

Hybrids and full bloods became sworn enemies millennia ago.

A hybrid witch, a full blood warg, and a fairy make unlikely companions, but maybe that's what it takes to save the world.

Gabrielle McCallaghan sucked it up and quit a job she hated to spare her uncle the embarrassment of firing her. With her bond fairy on her shoulder, she's wandering through a crowded neighborhood contemplating her options when a full blood magic wielder makes a beeline right for her. Gabby's hybrid witch magic is no match for his, so she turns to flee. The contest is laughable. Even in his human form, the wolf-man is far stronger than she—or the fairy—ever dreamed of being.

Warin is weary and disgusted with the long running war targeting hybrid mages. There's a bigger picture, but his kin refuse to consider it. His next stop is the Coven's council. Maybe he can light a fire under the hybrids. He's on his way there when an alluring witch crosses his path. Recognizing opportunity, he shifts strategies fast. If he can persuade one witch to his side, maybe others will see the light.

With sex as a lure, Gabby is drawn into a deadly game of intrigue that started over a thousand years before. The stakes are high and the timing abysmal, but she falls in love in spite of herself. Can she and her full blood lover make a life for themselves? Or will the long-running battle between full bloods and hybrids pound their fragile bond to dust?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ann Gimpel Books, LLC
• Release date: Mar 16, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524279202

Ann Gimpel

Ann Gimpel is a national bestselling author. She's also a clinical psychologist, with a Jungian bent. Avocations include mountaineering, skiing, wilderness photography and, of course, writing. A lifelong aficionado of the unusual, she began writing speculative fiction a few years ago. Since then her short fiction has appeared in a number of webzines and anthologies. Her longer books run the gamut from urban fantasy to paranormal romance. She’s published over 20 books to date, with several more contracted for 2015 and beyond.A husband, grown children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out her family.

Book preview

Warin’s War

Wolf Shifter Paranormal Romance

Ann Gimpel

Edited by

Angela Kelly

Ann Gimpel Books, LLC

Contents

Warin’s War

Book Description: Warin’s War

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

About the Author

Book Description: Shadows in Time:

Shadows in Time, Prologue

Shadows in Time, Chapter One

Warin’s War

Wolf Shifter Paranormal Romance

By

Ann Gimpel

Tumble into deadly intrigue, scorching passion, and a thousand year old war.

Copyright Page

All rights reserved.

Copyright © December 2012, Ann Gimpel

Cover Art Copyright © April 2018, Fantasia Cover Design

Edited by: Angela Kelly

Names, characters, and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or people living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, e-mail, or web posting without written permission from the author.

Publishing history: First published by Liquid Silver Books as Gabrielle’s Cauldron in December 2012.Rewritten and re-released by Ann Gimpel and Dream Shadow Press as Warin’s War in March 2016.

The book also appeared in the anthology, Alpha Shifters After Dark (release date 2/1/16) under the title Gabrielle’s Cauldron.

Book Description: Warin’s War

Hybrids and full bloods became sworn enemies millennia ago.

A hybrid witch, a full blood warg, and a fairy make unlikely companions, but maybe that’s what it takes to save the world.

---

Gabrielle McCallaghan sucked it up and quit a job she hated to spare her uncle the embarrassment of firing her. With her bond fairy on her shoulder, she’s wandering through a crowded neighborhood contemplating her options when a full blood magic wielder makes a beeline right for her. Gabby’s hybrid witch magic is no match for his, so she turns to flee. The contest is laughable. Even in his human form, the wolf-man is far stronger than she—or the fairy—ever dreamed of being.

Warin is weary and disgusted with the long running war targeting hybrid mages. There’s a bigger picture, but his kin refuse to consider it. His next stop is the Coven’s council. Maybe he can light a fire under the hybrids. He’s on his way there when an alluring witch crosses his path. Recognizing opportunity, he shifts strategies fast. If he can persuade one witch to his side, maybe others will see the light.

With sex as a lure, Gabby is drawn into a deadly game of intrigue that started over a thousand years before. The stakes are high and the timing abysmal, but she falls in love in spite of herself. Can she and her full blood lover make a life for themselves? Or will the long-running battle between full bloods and hybrids pound their fragile bond to dust?

Prologue

Warin Von Bethel glared down the length of his polished mahogany dining room table where sixteen full blood magic wielders had gathered. The table could seat two dozen, so it looked empty in spots. He’d requested this get-together, as he’d called many others, in an attempt to pound sense into his kinfolk. A few were wargs like him, but others ran the gamut. There was even a raven shifter in attendance.

They’d been at it for an hour and everyone was annoyed—and restless.

This has been grand, a lion shifter sitting toward the far end of the table pushed to his feet, but you haven’t had anything new to tell us in eons. He yawned, rude to the core, and started out of the room. Tawny curls framed his ageless face and clear, green eyes, and he carried his tall, muscular body proudly. Like all of them he wore modern garb. Dark slacks, a cream-colored shirt, and a herringbone pattern woolen jacket.

Hold up there! Warin thundered. In the past two years, Earth has seen four class six hurricanes, a tsunami that wiped out several Polynesian islands, wildfires that left much of the western coast of North America a smoking ruin, and avalanches here in Europe that decimated villages that have stood for two thousand years. A third of the African continent is dead from starvation or disease. How much more ‘evidence’ do you require?

Warin’s wolf fumed, very close to the surface, but shifting wouldn’t accomplish anything. If all of them took to their animal forms, they’d end up in a rolling, hissing, snarling tussle on the floor.

It would be satisfying as hell to take a chunk out of the sanctimonious lion bastard, but it wouldn’t move them any closer to solving their problem, which had turned into Earth’s problem. The planet was in its death throes. Why was he the only one who was worried, or who even recognized what was happening?

Because if they admitted the truth, they’d have to make changes. Do things they don’t want to do.

I don’t care how many flood, fires, or plagues you throw in my face, the lion snarled. The fairies are a bunch of disloyal miniature saboteurs.

How is it their fault the witches imprisoned them? Warin demanded.

A cougar shifter surged to his feet. Jet black hair fell straight to his shoulders, and his black eyes snapped dangerously. Being captured may not have been their doing, but they’re free now, have been for at least the last hundred years. Have they come calling? Asked to restore our old partnership? He turned his hands palms up.

We might not know everything, Warin suggested. Have any of you talked with them? He scanned the room and saw a lot of head shakes.

Why would we? the cougar shot back. They spend all their time with witches nowadays. I even heard a rumor that every single witch gets their own fairy when they come into their power.

Warin raked a hand through his dark, unbound hair to move it away from his face. He’d heard the same story, and it made perfect sense. Magic flowed through three distinct paths. The fairies commanded one segment. Witches ended up with white magick, which was weak as dishwater absent augmentation. Full bloods like him held the third portion. While far more powerful than white magick, nonetheless they’d lost ground since the schism that had driven magicdom into separate camps.

Well? The lion angled his head. May I leave, sir warg? Sarcasm dripped from his words.

Not quite yet. Warin stood and squared his shoulders. He’d known this meeting wouldn’t go well, but he hadn’t anticipated quite how intransigent the other full bloods would be. Evidence was mounting, but it hadn’t swayed them.

Magic was designed to work together, Warin went on. What that means is all three branches coalescing as a team, not us slogging along on our own. Anyone here who won’t admit we’re not as powerful as we once were is a liar.

Of course, we’re not. The cougar made a disgusted face. If the fairies would get it straight which side they’re on, we’d be back on an even keel.

What would happen to the witches if the fairies left them? Warin dipped his chin, curious what the cougar’s response would be.

Who cares? The cat shifter shrugged.

Have you not been listening? Warin sat on his temper, forcing it away from center stage. He stalked to where the cougar stood and planted himself in front of him. The earth is dying. Dying. All those phenomena that bore you to tears are a symptom. He inhaled sharply. Humans don’t live all that long. Them ignoring the problem is almost understandable, particularly since they’re helpless to fix it. We live almost forever, or have you forgotten? Where will we go after Earth becomes uninhabitable?

The cougar looked away. You can’t know what will happen.

"Yes,