Cia

Well remember the mate bond is more than just physical. There are nuances that haven't really been fully explored, and toss in this experiment happening... so many questions. It will come out, never fear!

LOL. I've confused you, I can tell! Don't worry, all will be revealed at one point. Now when that might be....

I really like them together, too! Thanks for reviewing, Robin.

I know, right?! Those were the questions I hoped readers would take away from the chapter. I couldn't be so cruel as to not make sure everyone knew she was still alive though! I figured if I left that as a cliffhanger, I'd be crucified by the raging mob of readers who don't want to wait another week.

I swear, my crystal ball didn't tell me so! Yes, you would be out of the moderation queue. If you would prefer, I can send your account into the queue automatically until you're sure you have the posting system down. My PM box is always open if members have questions, and I definitely recommend all authors new to the system first read the posting and content guidelines that outline a lot of the information above, and more, and then have the Help topic: "I've purchased author/editor status and completed all my edits, how do I submit a story?" actually open in a 2nd tab when submitting. It actually explains each field, and what should/shouldn't go there (like how a series would never have a book 0) in sequential order from top to bottom of the submission page.

“He’s really dead?” Kraig sat stiffly against the headboard. He had a death grip on the blanket over his lap. My phone pinged and a picture popped up on the screen. “Yes,” I was able to say with certainty. Henry’s eyes were open, and he’d died with a snarl on his face. Someone had made him very angry. The doctor was a human who knew about our kind. Henry had been working with him. Now he’d been on the run from his streak in the presence of two humans, and he was dead. Someone was cleaning up

I'm going to re-feature another free day too! We don't want people to miss it, and it was my screw up.

LOL! You have good taste I have all the Clan of the Cave Bear books (another one I picked up the first book as a kid and still have today. Front cover is torn up because my daughter tried to eat it when she was one, but meh, kept it anyway) too. I enjoy Auel's work immensely, but they're also classic examples of too much setting exposition. I could do without the pages upon pages of descriptions of the landscape. I like Feehan, but I won't touch Cassandra Clare's work in book or movie form. When she was a fanfiction author, before her published days, she was proven to have used entire sections of text from different books--without attribution--which smacks of plagiarism. That sort of behavior is what often gives non-fanfiction fans a bad impression of the whole process.

What a great topic! Of course, narrowing it down to 6 is next to freaking impossible, lol, but I'll give it a go. 1) Outlander. Hugely popular now, but I first read this book at age 11 when I bought a cheap copy for $1 (still have it) at a library while visiting my mom for the first time. We didn't have libraries where I lived the rest of the year, so I was in heaven not only being able to borrow untold numbers of books (usually 10 at a wack) but also buy them! Clearly there was no censorship back then on what I read, so I've been a fan for more than 20 years and read it so many times I can nearly quote it at will. I still love reading it, so much so I also have it on eBook! 2) Dune. My best friend's brother left this book at school one Friday in Grade 7, so I swiped it just to be mean, but then I couldn't avoid cracking it open because it was a book, and I'll try anything at least once. This book really sent me into a sci-fi kick, and it's length alone would put it in my list. So intricate with world building, so many layers of storyline, this is a must read for sci-fi fans. 3) Morgan's Run. This is a book, not nearly as popular as The Thorn Birds, written by Colleen McCullough. Still, it's amazing, and so interesting because there's not a lot of fiction available/popular in the US about the initial settlement of Australia by English convicts. The characters really make this story, from the good, to the bad, and definitely to the ugly. It doesn't skimp on the harsh reality, but there's a beauty to the journey the main character lives that makes this a re-read for me. 4) Twilight. It's fluff. Complete and total fluff. The books in the series are total foreplay up until Book 4, but still. Love it or hate it, there's a beauty in such a mindless read. 5) Obsidian Butterfly (Anita Blake Series). This is my favorite of the series. Divorced from the local plotline (and the oversexed books of later in the series) I was fascinated by the historical culture that appears in this novel. To me it's the most complex and fascinating book out of the series. 6) The Mists of Avalon. Who doesn't Arthurian legends? Especially when the focus isn't on Arthur or Merlin, but on the women of the story. I especially loved the portrayal of Morgaine (Morgan le Fay) who is often a one-dimensional villainess in other storylines. It doesn't hurt that Julianna Margulies' portrayal of te role in the movie was great, too, reinforcing my love of the book. As you can tell from my list, I'm not into high-minded or philosophical reading. Most of the time it's all about entertainment when I settle down to read. That runs the gamut from historical to sci-fi for me, though heavy toward the speculative genres. After all, once you get shelter and a steady source of water and food (relatively easy on a tropical island, per Survivor, LOL) it's all about making it through day after day of same ole, same ole. I grew up in a small town with access to only a few books, so I learned to pick ones I'd like to read more than once too. The books I'd take on a desert island would have to stand up to the read and reread factor, and each one of these books definitely has that honor in my personal library.

Oh, good! I'm glad I did away with that doubt on Park. It was only logical to suspect him, after everything else that happened with Henry. Thanks for all your reviews, Lux! Sorry I didn't reply quickly.

Yet another twist! Thank you for reviewing, Gary, too! Hidden loyalty, betrayal, experimentation... what is behind it all? That's definitely the question.

That's a big question. The doctor was a human, so some know, but it's a very carefully held secret. But clearly something very BIG is happening, and Deke is facing huge obstacles finding out what that is. Henry's death is definitely one of those.

Something definitely happened. Of course, I can't spoil next week's update, so that will remain a secret for now. Thank you for all the reviews, and sorry it's taken me so long to answer them.

Hey, 22 chapters in or 2, I appreciate every review! Thanks, JayT. I do tend to throw a lot of questions at readers and then slowly reveal answers. I hope the patience to get them will be worth it!

Human werekin don't have the animal soul. They're 'lesser' because of that. At least to the old-fashioned, isolated groups. As for Ritch and Park... well, that's for later chapters. LOL

Questions, questions, and few answers. Deke definitely has to be going insane trying to figure out what's going on.

Sorry! Deke and Park need a cohesive relationship to help keep the streak safe. Thanks for the 'believable' compliment! That is sooo important to me.

Park and Ritch... hmmm. Mebbe! LOL Sorry for the cut off, though. That 1k limit is brutal.

Hmm... ;) Kraig's safety is definitely imperative for Deke's frame of mind, certainly.

Alpha powers are absolute to force the truth, but he has to be second guessing himself after the betrayal from Henry. The bbq will definitely be interesting!

One of the things about Deke is that he's young. Early 20s, new mate, betrayal from within his streak... that's a lot to handle.

Mebbe... I can't tell yet. That would be spoiling.

It did, but ouch!

Oh, the alpha powers are a certainty, but he has to feel so rough about not seeing Henry's betrayal.

More to come on all of that, certainly.