You Must Live -Snippet Sunday

It's Snippet Sunday, a Weekend Writing Warriors'  blog hop!

I had a lot of writing stuff going on this week, including more headway on Book 5 of my Sons of Herne series, Magic of Midsummer. (Synopsis below.)  Last time, Devinmar, shape-shifting god of Litha, had pulled a mysterious woman out of the sea and onto shore, shifting back into his human form. We ended with:

He tossed the skin higher up the beach, away from the waves that might try to reclaim it, then dragged the bound woman along after it.

Let's pick up from there...

Devinar tried to get on his feet, but his wobbly sea legs buckled beneath him. He crawled along as he got the woman out of the waves, then pushed wet hair from her pale face and put his cheek down to her mouth. She wasn’t breathing.
He slapped her face, not really expecting a response, then covered her mouth with his. He breathed, willing life back into her. Nothing.
The tape bound around her chest might be constricting her ability to breathe, so he tugged and ripped at it until it tore free. He put the heel of his hand on her sternum and pushed, hoping to expel water, then breathed into her again.
“Come on,” he said, water dripping from his hair onto her face. “You must live.”

What do you think?  

About Magic of Midsummer

Hallie wakes up on a beach to find she has been rescued from near-drowning by the most exotically gorgeous--and breathtakingly naked--man she has ever seen. Believing that Devinmar is exceptional is no stretch at all, but falling for his stories about selkie legends and pagan gods is something else. Even if he is who he claims, what he wants from her is even more shocking. Should she give into the temptation of a one-night frolic with a sea god, whose long hair, exquisite beauty, and intense stare beckons her touch? 

Yes. She should.

Devinmar will go to the darkest depths of the sea to gather the powers needed for his Litha ritual, all the while anticipating a night of wild passion with the woman who has stirred him like no other. When he arrives for their rendezvous to discover she has been taken, getting her back could mean missing the deadline for the sabbat--and giving up the energies needed to recharge his power. Still, Devinmar will do what he must to make Hallie safe again--even though he knows that once their midsummer night is spent, he must leave her behind and return to the sea.

About The Sons of Herne:

The god Herne has appointed eight of his most virile, headstrong sons as keepers of the pagan holidays. To honor their sabbat, each must join with a mortal female in a ritual to maintain the balance between worlds.

It is the year of The Thousand Seasons, and the Fates have secretly conspired to mark the end of an era by granting the gods one thing they lack--a true union of male and female that will last beyond the passion of a sabbat joining.

Herne’s sons will wrestle with the conflict between sacred duty and their own yearnings, a struggle will not only challenge their beliefs, but may threaten the success of rituals that must be observed lest the mortal and immortal worlds collide in chaos.

Read Book 1 of the series, Season of Light, for only 99 cents--and follow the link inside to get Book 2 free!
Buy on Amazon

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ *~ *~ * ~ *~ *

For more awesome snippets, check out 

Weekend Writing Warriors!

~ *~ * ~ * ~ *~ *~ * ~ *~ 

I'm J. Rose Allister, wife, working mom, and the author of over twenty-five books. Somewhere in between one and the next, I love hanging out here on my blog and over on Twitter. Give me a comment or follow-I love chatting with people!