I received very fun news the other day that Claimed is a finalist in the Maggies!  The winner will be announced at the Moonlight and Magnolias conference in October. Yes, I’m very excited.

Claimed was a fun book for me because both the hero and heroine are the oldest in their families.  Dage actually is the king, and he has four younger, very different, brothers to handle.  Emma only has one sister, but I’m pretty sure that Cara has kept her busy.

I have two younger sisters, and we’re pretty typical.  I’m the oldest, type A, kind of bossy one.  My middle sister is the peace maker, the easy going one…until she gets stubborn.  Then she’s the most stubborn person on the planet.

Our youngest sister is the rebel, the free spirit, the one who figures life will do what it should.  She’s all of five feet tall, and once she chased two men in a van across town because they cut her off at an intersection.  I’m truly not sure what she would’ve done had she caught them.

So, to celebrate being a finalist, I thought I’d post a quick blurb from Claimed that shows Dage’s family loyalties.  It’s an early scene where Dage and Emma first kiss and roll around a bit in a cave after fleeing the dangerous Kurjans (bad vampires) all day.  Enjoy!

Dage growled low, hands going to her waist to tug her to the ground.  Emma opened her senses to him.  His heartbeat echoed throughout her own head, and then…he stilled.

  His head lifted and he scented the air.  Slamming his metallic eyes shut, he swore.  He grabbed her shirt and yanked it up her arms, holding tight to the front.

“What is it?”  Her stomach dropped in fear.  “Did the Kurjans find us?”

“Worse.”  Dage shifted her to the side and stood, lending a hand to help her up.

Two men crowded the entrance to the cave—the men from her dreams.  “Your brothers?”

“Yes.”

Her mind spun.  A hollowness echoed throughout her body that may never be filled. “How is that worse?”  She took his hand, holding her shirt together with trembling fingers. 

“Because I can’t kill them,” Dage said grimly, pulling her forward.  He nodded at the green eyed brother in the lead.  “It’s nice to know you followed orders and went to secure the facilities as needed.”  He shifted his focus to the copper eyed brother.  “One word Jase, and I’ll rip out your jugular.”

Jase wisely kept silent, though the twinkle in those eyes laughed hard enough to make sound. 

The first man threw caution to the wind.  “Hi Emma.  I’m Conn.”  He clapped Dage on the back.  “We couldn’t let the king miss the ball, now could we?” 

Ball?  What ball?