Advent Calendar 2020 Free Goodies!

I put up an advent calendar with goodies every year to say thank you to my readers! This year there are a ton of printables and some other goodies as well. I hope you enjoy all the gifts and have a very happy holiday!

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Regina Reads

I thought it would be cool to share with you some of what I read during this last week. There is so much lovely content out there and not all of it is fiction, although a good portion of my reading time is spent reading fiction. Feel free to share what you've been reading in the comments! 

I've been reading more content on Medium, because I want to support my fellow non-fiction writers there and also I write for Medium as well. 

Here are a few of the Medium articles I really enjoyed this week:

How My Friend Made $400 K from Selling an Insanely Simple E-book

Writers: You've Got to Get Good Sleep

My $2,250 Writing Day Routine

And now on to what fiction I've been reading this week. Stay tuned for a review on at least one of these soon!

My Highland Laird by J.L. Langley (Sci-Regency Series) Sooooo good!! I just finished this one day before yesterday and this series is just like cotton candy, I can't read them fast enough as they come out! Look for a review on this one for sure soon. 

Dim Sum Asylum by Rhys Ford This was my third Rhys Ford book and it was really good!

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Regina Reviews: Diagnosis Wolf by Macy Blake

Title: Diagnosis Wolf

Author: Macy Blake

Genre: M/M Paranormal Fantasy Romance

Rating: 4 Eagle Feathers

Andrew is a nurse who is on the edge. His younger brother has robbed him blind for ten thousand dollars, and he doesn't have a steady job. His temp agency hasn't called in a week, and he's getting desperate since he wants nothing more than to pay off the mountain of debt that his brother has created for him. Since he is unwilling to press charges against Danny for fraud, Andrew has to deal with the mess his brother has created in his life.

Caleb is very sick and getting sicker which is odd because he's a werewolf. While there are some things that can take a werewolf down, there aren't many. Even when a werewolf does become ill they are usually able to shift and this can make them better, but Caleb isn't getting better and he can't shift. Something will have to give soon, or Caleb could die.

When Andrew's temp agency finally calls with a job, he is ecstatic until he hears that none of the nurses they've sent have made it past the front door. The job pays three times what Andrew normally makes, and he is determined to be the nurse that makes it past the front door. However, when he arrives things are a bit strange. He can hear a dog growling in the room, there is no medical chart, and no one seems to know what is wrong with his patient. Deciding that it's not worth it to get into it with the patient's bodyguards, Andrew is on his way out the door when he meets his patient's father. The man convinces him to try the job for three days, and if they haven't been able to convince him to stay and take care of Caleb then he can quit. Andrew really needs the money and allows himself to be convinced. But only on the condition that he doesn't have to have much contact with the man's bodyguards. His patient's father agrees and sends the bodyguards away. Andrew does what he does best and to the best of his ability takes care of his patient. The fact the man even sick is gorgeous, as well as the fact that he is inappropriately attracted to said patient, keeps him around. And the attraction is mutual, leading to a very hot kiss. But Caleb and his family are hiding something, something that might be too much for the all too human Andrew. When it becomes apparent that on top of all that, Caleb's brother Danny is in big trouble and that trouble intersects with Caleb's trouble, it's almost too much for Andrew to take. Will Andrew be able to accept what Caleb is? Can  he save Danny without sacrificing his growing relationship with Caleb?

I really enjoyed reading Diagnosis Wolf by Macy Blake. This book is well worth reading if you enjoy m/m paranormal romance. The love scenes are emotional, and the budding instalove between the two has just enough conflict to keep the reader interested. The characters are well written and very easy to relate to making this an easy favorite. Plus who can resist a happy ending? I'm happy to recommend this delightful story. 

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Free Serial Romance: Wolf Dreams by Regina Paul, Part 8

I dropped down to a B in one of my main accounting classes. I'm so depressed about that, I've been able to maintain a 4.0 GPA until now but I think this thing with Sarah is going to take up more of my time than I originally thought. Still I have to help her and in order to help her I have to learn more about the Fae which is requiring me to do a lot of reading. The book that Barbara gave me is seriously long. I've only read about a hundred pages but the font is so small that it's the equivalent of reading old English. It's driving me nuts!

I'm taking a break. If I try to read one more sentence I'm going to be on brain overload. The Fae are not a nice bunch overall. According to the book, they're deceitful, tricky and on some occasions can be downright mean. Makes me glad that I'm mostly human, I can't say I want to claim any of them including my illustrious ancestor whoever he might be. Of course honestly it could be a she, not like the Fae are even remotely maternal from what the book says. In fact, think T-Rex on steroids. They're either so overly protective that they smother their child and have been known to smother a child if said child didn't do what they want. Yeah,  most likely a male Fae knocked up one of my ancestors and then went on his merry way. Such a depressing thought.

I must've fallen asleep because when I woke up it was dark outside and the only light from a nightlight I'd plugged in earlier. I hated the dark. I frequently woke up from night terrors as a child, many involving something bad happening to Sarah, so some kind of light to push back the dark is necessary. 

I'm not sure what woke me up, but then I hear this sound. I listen for a few minutes, it almost sounds like...scratching? The longer I listen the louder it gets. I put my hands over ears to drown out the awful scratching sound. I don't know why but I must find and silence the sound. I get up and begin stumbling around, stopping here and there to see if I can tell where the sound is coming from. It seems like  no matter where I go in my tiny abode, I cannot find the source of the terrifying sound. Some distant part of me is screaming at me to find it and silence it. I turn in a circle and then...there! 

I am facing the full length mirror I purchased when I was in high school and going through a "fashion" faze. The disturbing sound was coming from the mirror! I reached out to touch the surface when a god awful voice came from it.

"Touch the portal, Princess. All you need do is touch it and step through where I will be waiting for you." What made the voice so awful was that it was like two voices at once. One that sounded like nails being pulled down a chalkboard and one cultured and smooth, sexy even.

I have this overwhelming urge to touch the now black surface of the mirror, to just step through into the darkest of nights. There is a part of me screaming in the back of mind but I am helpless against the force of that voice. "Just another step, Princess, just one more." The two voices blended perfectly and I could feel its triumph as against my will my arm lifted and my hand stretched out towards the mirror. Just as I am about to touch it...

I hear a zipping sound as though an arrow is flying through the air and past my right ear. No Leilani, don't touch the mirror. 

Sam crashes into me from my right, knocking my arm and hand away from the mirror and I stumble backwards. 

Leave her be! Sam hisses, one paw up with his claws extended in front of the mirror. I shake my head.

"Sam?" I whisper, trying to figure out how my feline friend made it to my home.

"Oh, look at this, the illustrious Sam. You can't save her you know." The voice was fully the awful gravely, horrid voice that I heard before underneath the suave voice.

She is not for the likes of you!

I watch, my feet frozen to the floor as a hand gnarled with age and tipped with long sharp yellow fingernails reaches through the black surface of the mirror towards Sam.

Not today! Sam snarled and reaching out he jabbed his claws into the hand, pulling back until he drew blood in the form of three long bloody scratches.

The voice growled and pulled its hand back through the mirror leaving a streak of blood on the black surface. The surface rippled once before it smoothed out. 

Sam began chanting in a language I've never heard before. "Sam what are you doing?" I whispered. 

Sealing the portal so he can't come back through.

"Who is he?"

An enemy.

"Is it the guy who has Sarah?"

No.

Sam tapped the mirror surface three times and I was looking at a silver surface again which had the image of my friend Sam.

You need to wake up now, Leliani, wake up!

I sit up in bed with a gasp. A dream, it was just a dream. 

Something moves at my feet and there is Sam licking one of his paws. He shivers, Nasty taste, Fae blood.

Okay, so not a dream exactly. I'm so confused.

You're right, it wasn't a dream exactly. Barbara had a premonition that there was more going on here than meets the eye, so she sent me through one of her mirrors to help you. Unfortunately, the only mirror available was the one in your compact. I'm afraid I shattered it when I came through because it was closed.

I reached forward and pulled Sam into my arms. "That's okay. I can always replace a compact. You saved me, thank you Sam." I hug him tightly to my chest.

Sam nuzzles my face. No problem. He purrs.

I lay back down, Sam cuddled to my chest. Just before I drift off, I hear laughing, you know the kind the villain has when he thinks he's won.

When I wake up in the morning, Sam is gone, but so is the compact that was sitting on the table beside my bed. And the mirror? Well the mirror looks just as it always has until I get up and look more closely. There is a small drop of dried blood on the far left surface. I leave it there. If I'm right, it's part of the spell that Sam wove to keep the mirror from being a portal and blocking out whoever tried to lure my me through it.

And the book on the Fae, it is exactly where I left it at the end of my bed, only it's open to a page titled,

"How to Deflect the Magic of a Fae." 

It appears that Sam and Barbara want me to read that section next. But first? First I have to get ready for class and work in the afternoon. 

I head for the shower to start my day.

Are you enjoying this free F/F Fantasy Romance Serial?  If so please help me get out the word by sharing this pin on one of your pinterest boards. Thank you!

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Regina Reviews: Luckless by Cari Z.

Review:

Evan Luck lives in an post apocalyptic world where monsters are real. The only thing standing between humanity and the monsters are the dragon riders. Five years ago Evan lost his dragon during a battle in which his father, and their entire city were destroyed. Evan was the only survivor. Now he makes a living as a smithy making arrows for the other dragon riders in the city of Forge. Lonely and called Luckless by many who know him, and who dislike him because he lost his dragon, he is just doing his best to survive.

Lee Caldwell and his son are newcomers to Forge. Secretive and quiet, Lee sees something in Evan that most don't and gives him the respect that he feels Evan deserves, despite losing his dragon. While Lee befriends Evan, and even makes him his son's teacher, he is still careful about how much information he shares with him about himself.

When Evan goes to the Choosing where it's possible he could bond with a new dragon, the emotional devastation is very real. Rather than face a possible new dragon bond, he turns his back on the last dragon to choose someone and sees a pale haired man and young boy. He doesn't know if they are there because the boy may be someone who could bond with a dragon or if they are just there to observe. He gets caught staring when the boy waves at him. Not long after this encounter, the man seeks Evan out. Evan is nervous when Lee offers to feed him lunch and talk to him about some favor he wants from Evan. It turns out that Lee wants Evan to train his son Jason in fighting techniques. Since Jason is an empath there is a high likelihood he will bond with a dragon and become a dragon rider when he is old enough. Evan is stunned and admits right away that he lost his own dragon, but unlike the rest of Forge, Lee does not blame Evan for the loss. Evan agrees to train Jason and the longer he works with Jason and gets to know Lee, the more Evan wants him, but he knows Lee is hiding something from him and he doesn't like it. When something attacks Forge from below, the governor sends Evan on a mission. Between the secrets, his own growing feelings for Lee and the monsters trying to get to the city from below, Evan has a lot on his plate. Will Evan survive his mission and find out what Lee is hiding from him?

This is the first book I've read by Cari Z, but I LOVED it!! Ms. Z takes her time to build the bond between Evan and Lee. This slow burn fantasy romance is one of the best I've read and I highly recommend it! The world building is spectacular, and the author keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end. In fact, I could not figure out what Lee was hiding from Evan and no one was more surprised that me when I finally found out! You don't want to miss Luckless, and if you're fortunate enough to have a Kindle Unlimited subscription then you can read it for free. Even if you don't though, $1.99 is a steal for this gem of a read.

If you enjoyed this post and want to help me get the word out, please pin the pinterest pin below to one of your boards. Thanks in advance! 

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Free Serial Romance: Wolf Dreams by Regina Paul, Part 7

I race into Barbara's shop after class. I need to learn how to turn a mirror into a portal now before the false face can put his plan into action.

He already has. 

I look down to see Sam sitting in front of me his eyes worried.

"What do you mean?" I say sharper than I mean to. 

He already has put his plan into action. He has her.

"What? What do you mean?"

He has your friend.

"Crap, crap, crap! Barbara!" 

"Calm yourself, Leilani. Take a few deep breaths with me." 

Barbara comes from the back and takes my hands. "You have to be calm to do this Leilani, opening a portal takes concentration and a centered mind. If you're frazzled, frantic and afraid, I cannot send you through a portal."

"But I need to go now!" I wail, my hands trembling in hers. I don't want Sarah to be harmed. Even though I only met her the one time, it was enough for me to become attached. 

"Leilani, breath with me. You can't go in your current condition."

Even though my mind is racing and I'm terrified, I know that Barbara is right. If I can't calm down and concentrate I won't be able to do anything to help Sarah. Plus we were just planning on starting my lessons, it could be days or weeks before I can learn the magic to create and walk through a portal using a mirror. 

"Remember, time doesn't work the same in the land of the Fae as it does here. What could be minutes for Sarah, could quite possible be weeks, months or even years here. So breathe."

What else can I do? I know she is right but I still don't like it. I take deep breaths with her until my hands stop shaking and my mind stops racing. I can do this. I know I can.

"Okay, I feel better." I say softly before disengaging our hands.

"Good. Now do you want to tell me about your dream?"

I'm not even surprised that she knows about my dream and I tell her what I can remember. 

"He wants to turn both worlds into barren wastelands." I end my description of the dream.

Barbara nods. "Yes, he's quite capable of doing it too, if we don't stop him."

"So how do we do that?" I ask hoping she will say it's time to start my lessons, but she surprises me.

"We wait, and you learn as much as I can teach you about not just portals but your magic."

"But I don't have any magic. I told you this before, I'm nobody special, and I don't have any special powers."

Barbara shakes her head. "Girl, you have Fae blood, that means that while you may have had no real powers before, your gifts have now been woken up by meeting Sam and myself. Everything happens for a reason, Leilani. But don't worry, I won't leave you without proper training. You have no idea of the power you possess." 

"So when can you teach me how to use a mirror to open a portal."

Barbara has been leading me towards the back of the bookstore and her break room during our conversation. 

She sighs and then says, "Let's have some tea and chat. There is far more to learning what you want to learn than just opening a portal. Your energy is all over the place so the first thing we need to do is teach you how to properly center yourself."

I pull out a chair and sit down. I know I'm not going to be learning anything about mirrors or portals today. As much as I want to get to Sarah, it's not happening today and I don't have time to try and find another teacher. Honestly, I don't want another teacher. Even though I haven't known Barbara for long I trust her, and I definitely trust Sam as well. 

I watch as she makes my tea the way I like it with a bit of honey. She sits the cup down in front of me before sitting down herself across from me. 

"So, tell me Leilani, have you ever taken a yoga class?" She asks me.

I've thought about taking yoga in the past, but I'm always so busy that I never bothered. "No, I can't say that I have."

"Too bad," Barbara mutters, "that would make teaching you to center yourself much easier." 

"Can I learn from an online video?" I ask. I know YouTube has a lot of yoga videos. 

"I think starting a regular practice of yoga would be helpful. Yoga teaches you how to breath properly for centering and the asanas or movements teach you focus. Try to find a teacher who focuses on breathing and easy beginning asanas. You'll learn to get centered and calm much more quickly than if you try it without. After you've been practicing yoga for a bit, then I'd like you to have a few Reiki sessions with a friend of mine to get your energy aligned."

"Okay." Now it's my turn to sigh.

"I have something for you." Barbara says, getting up and pulling a book from a bookshelf I don't remember seeing the last time I was here.

"What is it?" I ask as I take the obviously ancient tome. 

"A book on the history of the Fae. Humans think it's just a mythology book, but it's their actual history and this particular book was written by a sixth generation full-blooded Fae whose family lives in this realm rather than in the Fae realm. Of course no one knows that or knows that he's six hundred years old, but that doesn't matter. What's in this book will teach you the major players of the Fae world. This is your homework for the next two weeks, Leilani. Read the book, start practicing yoga and we'll meet again in two weeks."

"But I thought you were going to start teaching me about..." I'm not happy about this extra load of work on top of my normal school load, nor about having to wait. I had thought we were to begin today.

You are beginning today, Leilani. This is the start, you cannot just jump into learning magic, about your powers, and mirrors without the proper background training.

Sam's thoughts came to me and I looked down to see him cleaning himself at my feet. 

"Okay, I guess there's nothing I can do to change your mind and do this faster?" I say, looking at Barbara hopefully.

"To send you into the Fae realm unprepared would be a death sentence, even with your new powers." Barbara said firmly. "Come back in to weeks and not before, and Leilani I will be testing you, so make sure you read the book and do your yoga because I will know if you haven't."

Not that I was really planning on not doing those things but she was making it clear that if I did not do them I would then be causing the delay in getting to Sarah myself. I wouldn't do that. 

"I'll do them, Barbara. I'm just not sure how I'm going to handle this on top of everything else I have to do."

"Call me if you need more time, dear. I want you properly prepared before entering the world of the Fae. If you're not, you won't survive. Not all Fae are kind like my friend who wrote this book, many are deceptive, and cruel. They live a very long time and many think nothing of playing with humans, and I don't mean that in a good way. That's most likely how you came by your Fae blood, some Fae lord playing in the human realm. He probably doesn't even know or care he left a child behind."

I'd never thought of that before, who the one was who gave me my Fae blood, I mean. So far I'm not very impressed with what I know about the Fae, and I certainly don't want to be one of them. I just want to find and help Sarah and stop the False Face from putting his plan into motion. 

"Put that book in your bag dear, and guard it well. There are not very many editions around anymore."

I lifted the heavy book and slid it down into my backpack. The thing weighed a ton, or so it felt like. 

When I sat back up, I found myself with a lap full of cat. I stroked my hand down Sam's back. 

Scratch behind my ears?

I laughed. "Sure, Sam" I scratched behind both ears and he began to purr. 

Barbara smiled indulgently and then got up to go out front when we heard the bell ring. 

I spent another thirty minutes petting Sam before I decided that Barbara not coming back into the little break room meant we were done for the day. 

Time to go home and start reading the book she'd loaned me.

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New Book!

I'm so excited to tell you about my newest release Their Omega! This is a story I've been working on for a while. If polyamory or the suggestion of mpreg isn't your thing than read no further. But if it is and I hope it is, here's a taste!

This book is the first book in Leap of Faith Publishing's Lite Delights series, hot, short stories that are only 99 cents! As such they are only available from the Leap of Faith Publishing e-book store. Just click the cover to be taken to the sales page.

Blurb:

Could the two sexy alpha wolves that have been checking him out be his mates?

Devon is young at eighteen, and an omega wolf. Born to two lone alphas he has never been part of a pack. However, that has not stopped him from watching two gay alpha lone wolves in his town and dreaming. They’ve been watching him too, and Devon can only hope now that he’s old enough, his romantic dreams are about to come true. Will Ben and Hal take him as their mate, or are they only looking for a good time with a hot young omega?

Excerpt:

I remember the first time I saw them out the window of our break room. They were walking into a bar across from the grocery store I worked in, and while they didn’t hold hands exactly I knew they were close, especially when one guy’s hand brushed the other guy’s ass. I popped wood seeing that and had to put a book in my lap so no one saw. A book I’d been reading while sitting with a few co-workers in the break room.

I watched until they disappeared inside the bar, but not before one of them turned around, grinned and winked at me. I felt my face heat before I dropped my eyes, and tipped my head to one side submissively. My parents always told me if I ever came into contact with alphas this was the way to show respect. Since these were the first two I’d ever seen let alone met, it was the first time I’d felt the instinct to do so. When I looked up again, they’d both disappeared inside the darkened bar.

That was three years ago when I was fifteen. I just turned eighteen last week and I'm still watching Hal and Ben walk into the same bar just like they do every Saturday afternoon. The same as they have every Saturday for the last three years. I've never had the nerve to go up and talk to them, but I’ve caught them watching me just as closely as I've watched them when I thought they didn’t know I was looking. I knew I was playing with fire, I know I’m still playing with fire. I want them, boy do I want them. They’re tall, dark and hairy, one of my kinks. I love bears, love the way they look, love to fantasize about their beards rubbing across my body, just the thought will make my nipples stand at attention. I love to dream about what their hot hairy bodies will feel like rubbing against mine, what it will feel like to be trapped between them, one with his cock in my ass, and one in front of me sucking my cock maybe, while he twists my nipples tight. I like the idea of a little pain, it gets me off. Nothing extreme mind you, but having my nipples clamped, or my ass spanked? Yeah, those kinds of fantasies are my favorite, and for the last three years, those two alphas have starred front and center in every single one.

Too bad it’s all just a dream. No alpha is ever going to be interested in me…

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Interview with Lin Chen from No Place to Run by Regina Paul

Interviewer: So, Lin, tell our readers a bit about where you’re from.

Lin: I’m from a small Bunun village in Taiwan.

Interviewer: Who are the Bunun?

Lin: We are one of the tribes of the aboriginal people of Taiwan.

Interviewer: You mean like American Indians?

Lin: Sort of. Genetically we are more closely related to the Polynesians rather than the American Indians.

Interviewer: Okaaayyy…So, Lin how did you wind up here in America?

Lin: I came here to keep my ex-husband from hurting myself or my family members.

Interviewer:  That’s awful, I take it he’s violent?

Lin: Yes, violent and rich. This has made it very difficult for me to get free of him.

Interviewer: Do you think he’s going to follow you here?

Lin: I am sure of it.

Interviewer: How are you going to stay safe?

Lin: I don’t know exactly. I am hoping that my new friend Kyle Little Eagle and his grandfather might be able to help me with that.

Interviewer: Kyle Little Eagle? That sounds Native American.

Lin: It is. With luck his and his grandfather’s medicine will be strong enough to help me keep my ex-husband Bai away. I am hoping for this.

Interviewer: So….are you and Kyle a couple?

Lin: What do you mean?

Interviewer: You know, are you dating him, seeing him socially?

Lin: Kyle is my friend…but I hope that he can become more .

Interviewer: So how do you think Kyle and his grandfather can help you? If your ex-husband is rich and powerful couldn’t he easily get you away from them?

Lin: I suppose if they were ordinary men this might be true, but Kyle and his grandfather are special, they have special gifts.

Interviewer: What do you mean?

Lin: They are close to the Spirits.

Interview: You mean like ghosts?

Lin: No. The Spirits are close to the Creator, what you would probably call God. Those with a close working relationship with them can help to effect change where others cannot.

Interview: Like angels?

Lin: I suppose you could make that comparison, but they are not angels, but something else. It is difficult to explain if you were not raised around our beliefs.

Interviewer: So you see the beliefs that Kyle and his grandfather have as being similar to yours?

Lin: Yes, they are similar. Not the same exactly but the core beliefs are similar. We understand each other very well.

Interviewer: Interesting. So, how long are  you going to be in America?

Lin: I do not know. It will depend on Kyle and if I can get my ex-husband to leave me and my family alone.

Interviewer: Well, we wish you the best Lin, thanks for talking to us.

Lin: Thank you for having me.

Read Lin and Kyle’s story in No Place to Run by Regina Paul.

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Free Serial Romance: Wolf Dreams Part 6

I don't know where I am...I know I'm dreaming again but I don't recognize this landscape. Unlike the other dreams where I see Sarah, this landscape is barren and dead looking. There is nothing for as far as I can see but a flat brown landscape with black skeleton trees whose branches reach towards a black sky. I don't like this place and I want nothing more than to leave it, but there is a reason I'm here, there has to be. As with my other dreams, I am hyper aware. 

I begin walking though I have no idea where I'm going. There is nothing I can see other than the black, dead trees that look as though a good stiff wind will uproot what little is left of them beneath the dusty brown ground, knocking them over to lie looking even more dead if that were possible. 

There are no stars in the black sky, and I'm surprised I can see as there does not seem to be any light sources and yet I can see as though I were walking at home on a gray day with rain falling down. I would give anything to see a set of clouds heavy with rain. In my imagination it would wash the heavy, dusty brown earth away to reveal soil live with the richness of the possibilities of growing things. The rain would decompose the dead black trees returning them to the soil buried beneath the ugly dead looking brown earth. In my mind's eye I can see the live soil beneath it, rich with small lights that I somehow know are very small crystals. This soil speaks to me, singing a song only I can hear. How can I hear it?

You have always been able to hear the song of the true earth.

The voice is soft, but it isn't Sarah's voice, this is someone else.

Who are you? I think, somehow knowing she will hear me.

I hear tinkling laughter. 

It is not yet time for you to know me. Just know that this place is what the dark fae would create for himself and those like him in both my world and yours if he is not stopped.

Do you mean the false face? I think to the invisible presence.

There is a pause, a deep breath which I can hear before an answer comes. Yes.

Who is this new person entering my dream universe and why will she not identify herself? I don't like it. Too much has been happening to me lately for me to trust anything or really anyone. Except maybe Sarah, Pokey and Darius. For some reason I know I can trust them. 

Is Sarah okay? I mean I may as well ask her since she's revealed herself.

Suddenly into the dead brown land a heavy wind rolls through the landscape pushing what looks like tumbleweeds that are four times the size as those I could find in the waking world, more brown dust, and what looks like trash. Wrappers, old papers, empty pop cans and more. And it's heading right towards me!

Sarah is mine! The same sinister voice I'd heard before, ominous, filled with gravel and hostile answers, as though to shout over any answers the other voice might give me.

Anger surges through me. No she's not! She's mine! I open my mouth to yell the words when I begin to hear a sound off in the distance. 

It's my alarm clock in the waking world. My eyes pop open and then close again as glaring daylight nearly blinds me. I reach over and slap the snooze button on my clock. I crack one eyelid slightly open and look at the clock. It's six am and I'm going to be late not only for class, but for my first lesson in how to turn any mirror into a portal. 

Do I have a new ally or is this just a trick of the false face? But then why would he tell me what his plans are to make both the fae world and my world a barren dust bowl where nothing can live?

With more questions than answers I throw back the covers and head for the shower. It's time to begin another day...

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Free Serial Romance: Wolf Dreams, Part 5

I just spent weeks staring into mirrors including the ones in my apartment. So far nothing so I'm beginning to think it has to do with particular mirrors and not just any mirror, or maybe there's something I'm supposed to do to activate a mirror.

Today I'm skipping class and going to one of those New Age bookstores downtown. Maybe I can find a spell or something that will help me turn one of my mirrors into a portal. 

I've never been to one of these shops before, truthfully I've always avoided them. I have enough paranormal in my life without reading about it. But then I didn't know what the dreams meant or that I was traveling to the world of the fae. Now I've got this whole puzzle to figure out and apparently if I want to save Sarah and break her curse I need to find a damned mirror or figure out how to bespell one so it will open a portal. I think I'm about to lose my mind!

The shop is called BeSpelled New Age Book Shoppe and sits on a corner by itself. There's a broom over the doorway so I suspect that though it's called a New Age store, the owner must be a witch. The door is painted a deep purple and outside walls are painted black. As I cross the street and walk to the front door my eyes are drawn to a set of beautiful golden eyes starting from a cute black face. Apparently the shop has a resident cat. 

I've been waiting for you.

I look around, expecting to see someone, but there's no one but the cat in the window whose eyes meet mine. 

"No freakin' way!" I whisper beneath my breath. 

Stop dilly dallying Leilani, I need to show you something, hurry up and come inside. 

With those words the cat jumps down from the window and disappears. As I reach out grab the handle and holding down the old fashioned button on top, I push. Bells tinkle merrily. The door is heavier than I expected and I shut it carefully once I'm inside. I can't believe I'm doing this, or that a black cat is talking to me. 

I feel something brush up against me and when I look down, the black cat is winding around and around my feet, rubbing up against my legs the entire time. Then it stops and sits in front of me. 

I'm Sam, Barbara's familiar. I can help you with your quest.

I crouch down still staring into the cat's beautiful golden eyes. "Hello Sam. I can use the help, thank you." I mean what else am I going to say to a telepathic sentient cat?

Sam's fur looks so soft I reach out and begin petting him. A low rumbling purr rolls out of him and his eyes close in ecstasy. Mmmmm...that's wonderful. Don't stop!

I giggle at his words then a shadow falls across us. 

"I see you found Leilani, Sam." A woman's amused voice breaks into Sam and I's getting to know each other petting. 

I look up and find a smiling red haired woman with bright kelly green eyes. She's wearing a beautiful forest green long sleeved velvet blouse with a long black broomstick skirt and black fringed ankle boots. Pentagram earrings and necklace are her only adornments. 

"I"m Barbara, and I see you've already met Sam, Leilani."

I give Sam one more pet and quick rub under his chin for good measure and then I stand up. "Hello Barbara. Well clearly you know who I am, though I have no idea how that's the case."

"Why don't you come in the back for a cup of tea and I'll explain. Come along, Sam, I have some tuna for you. You were right about Leilani coming today, and you deserve a reward."

Yum! Tuna!

I laugh at Sam's thoughts and watch as Barbara turns her sign from Open to Closed. That might have made me nervous with other people, but there is something about Barbara's energy that puts me at ease. This woman means me no harm. 

I follow her to a doorway towards the back that has filmy curtains covering it in shades of purple and indigo with small silver dots all over reminding me of a midnight sky that I saw once when visiting the desert.

Behind the curtains was a small kitchen with a table and chairs. The whole set up was magical and someone had painted the table and chairs to match the midnight sky of the curtains covering the doorway. The walls had fairy, elf and forest murals reminding me of some of the fantasy art I'd seen online.

The small stove was a mellow yellow color and above it was a microwave on a shelf. Next to the stove was a small refrigerator and to the right was a sink with a cupboard above and below.

"I like to do a little baking in here sometimes." Barbara said as she filled two coffee mugs with water and put them in the microwave to heat. "What kind of tea do you like? I have just about every flavor."

"Do you have peppermint?"

"Of course. Do you take any sweetner?"

"A little honey." I answered.

Barbara put out a ceramic container with tea bags in it and a small pot of honey and two teaspoons before she turned and went to the small refrigerator and took out a pouch of Bumblebee Tuna. "Do you want me to warm this up, Sam?"

Sam tilted his head to one side as though thinking. Cold is fine.

"Very well then." Barbara emptied the pouch of tuna onto a small plate and set it on the floor for Sam. I watch as he runs across the floor and begins daintily eating the tuna. Mmmmm....mmmmmm....tuna!

"He really loves tuna, doesn't he?"

"Oh, yes. Sam is a rescue. I found him when he was a kitten at the local shelter. No one else realized he was telepathic because they didn't know how to listen for him. Most people don't, but you do, don't you?"

"I guess. I didn't know I knew how to listen for him until he first talked to me."

"Ah, a latent sensitive. That's not unusual. Animals have a way of waking latents up to their gifts."

"What's a latent?" As I speak, the microwave dings and Barbara goes to retrieve the two mugs of hot water.

"A latent is someone with powers who doesn't know they have powers or how to use them."

"I don't have any powers." I deny what she's saying. If I had powers, I'd use them to rescue Sarah and break her curse. I'm just me, and it's a fluke that I can hear Sam.

Barbara sets a mug down in front of me and gestures to the tea bags, pointing to one that has a green wrapper that says Peppermint on the front. I reach forward and grab it,easily tearing the top off and pulling out the teabag. I drop it into the water and watch as the light brown color swirls through the water slowly. 

"Yes, you do. You may not know how to use them yet, but you do have them. Sam and I can help you hone them so you can help Sarah."

How does she know about Sarah? "How do you.." But Barbara cuts me off. "I'm a generational witch and a seer. I saw Sarah and know that she has been cursed by the false face."

"What's a seer?"

"A seer is someone who gets glimpses of other places, events, times, the future and other things. It's complicated." Barbara tore open her own teabag, Jasmine, and dumped the teabag in her water.

My mind swirls with ideas and thoughts. Is that why I can see Sarah and the fae realm in my dreams, am I also a seer?

"No dear, you're not a seer. You only see Sarah and her surroundings in your dreams."

"How?"

"How did I know what you were thinking?" I nod. "Well, you were broadcasting your thoughts rather loudly, and the look on your face kind of said it all."

"So, how come I can see her and her realm?"

"You have Fae blood." 

My mind goes blank for a minute. There's no way that's possible. My dad is Native Hawaiian, and my mom's family is originally from Ireland. I mean I know fairies and fae stories are from Ireland, but...that's just not possible.

"How is that possible?"

"The same way it's possible for you to hear Sam, and see the fae realm and talk to Sarah. You believe that what you're seeing in your dreams is real, right?"

"Well, yeah, I think so. I mean it has to be, right?"

"You're not sure, are you?"

I shrug. "I don't know, sometimes I'm absolutely certain, and others I think I'm losing my mind. I've had the dreams about Sarah my entire life. I didn't know what they meant, and then I had a dream where I was able to interact with her, and talk to her. That changed everything." I shake my head.

I feel something touch my leg and look down to find Sam with his paw on my leg. It is all real, Leilani, don't doubt yourself.

"Sam, you have no idea how out there this is for me."

Sam starts grooming himself now that he has my attention. It's the so-called real world that is unreal, Leilani. What you perceive as the real world is the illusion.

"That doesn't make sense." I say.

"Actually, Sam is right. Most of us go about our daily lives ignoring or not seeing because we don't want to, what is actually there. I saw you in visions visiting this shop for the last year, and a year before that, Sam told me that a young woman named Leilani was going to need our help. Drink your tea Leilani, before it gets cold." Barbara nodded to my cup. 

I remove my tea bag and set it on a plate Barbara had set next to my cup when I wasn't paying attention. Then I take the little pitcher of honey and pour some into my cup, then stir it with my teaspoon before taking a sip. It was actually just right, not too hot, and not lukewarm. I take another sip or two thinking. 

"So, how do I help her, how I do break the curse?"

I watch as Barbara drinks her tea and thinks. "I can't do it for you." She says finally. 

Sure, of course she can't do it for me, that would be too easy, wouldn't it? I sigh, and put my cup down. "That figures. Can you teach me what I need to do and know to help her?"

Barbara looks thoughtful. "I believe so. I don't know fae magic, but I believe I can show you the witch way and the magic in your bloodline will do the rest. Who knows we may even alert one of your relatives and he or she can help you the rest of the way." 

Now that really boggles my mind. Fae relatives? I don't even know if I believe her that I have fae blood, let alone the ability to contact relatives in the fae realm.

"Well, we won't know until we try. I think all of this is enough of a shock for one day. Why don't you finish your tea and then go to class. I know you have one this afternoon, though you skipped your morning class to come here."

I stare at her. Apparently there will be no secrets. I shrug, finish my tea in a few quick gulps and stand. "When can I come back?"

"Tomorrow is fine, dear, but don't skip your classes. Those lessons are just as important as what I will teach you. I know tomorrow is a light day for you, so come in the early afternoon and we'll begin your lessons in turning mirrors into portals."

"Any mirror?"

"Yes, the old immortal woman failed to tell you or learn herself for that matter, that any mirror can be turned into a portal. Being able to turn any mirror into a portal and being able to direct where that portal goes makes it easy to return home if things become too dangerous."

"You know about her too, huh?"

"Yes." Barbara said gently. "She didn't tell you her whole story. Her curse is easily solved but she is afraid of the solution and so instead refuses to do what must be done."

I open my mouth to ask more questions, but the older woman shakes her head. "Tomorrow, Leilani, tomorrow. You need to go or you'll miss your afternoon class. Sam and I will be here tomorrow." 

She surprises me by giving me a quick gentle hug. I find I don't want to leave but clearly it's time to. I reach down and rub Sam under his chin and then leave following the path I used to come into the store earlier. Tomorrow is another day.

(c) Copyright 2017 by Regina Paul. All Rights Reserved.

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