Fairy Tales with a twist

One of the things I love about writing for Changeling Press is that we're able to - no - encouraged to push the limits and think way outside the box.

This year, a multi-author series began called Forever Wicked. The idea behind this is that we take your run-of-the-mill fairy tale, maybe darken it up a bit, twist it around a little, and add some sexy erotic elements to the mix. All to turn out a very wicked tale.

I jumped at the chance to write for this series, and the result is this week's upcoming release of Serena's Prince. This tale is my take on The Frog Prince. I've always felt there was something missing when the princess threw the frog against the wall, he turned human, and then the pair declares undying love for one another. If I were the prince, I don't think I'd be terribly happy with the way she treated me. This story's been my chance to fill in the blanks, so to speak. Read on for a blurb and short excerpt.

Serena's Prince
Forever Wicked (#9)
by Ayla Ruse

A frog, a curse and a broken promise. Sometimes punishment can be its own reward.

Serena never thought asking for help from a frog would result in her being naked and tied to her bed. She should be afraid. She should call for the guards. She definitely should not be...begging for more.

Prince Rennick needs to get his hands on Serena's necklace - the one item sure to break the curse that turned him into a frog. When an accident makes him temporarily human, he cannot help but use his dominant nature to bend Serena to his will.

What should have broken the curse turns into a desperate attempt to save Rennick's life. As they try to find the key, Rennick demands much from Serena, but is she willing to surrender everything to this frog-turned-prince? 

Excerpt: 

Prince Rennick, now human, sat up and assessed his damage. Sore jaw, splitting headache, aching ribs, and a bruised hip. Could have been worse, he supposed, gingerly checking out the rest of his body. Concluding nothing was seriously broken, he tossed the sheet off his head and stood up. Being six and a quarter feet tall gave him a much better advantage from which to see his surroundings.

He stood near the stone wall of Serena’s bedroom, just where he, as a frog, had been flung and killed. The window sash billowed softly from the night breeze. His gaze followed the light of the full moon shining in, across the floor, over an armchair, to her bed. The soft sounds of her sleeping sighed up to his ears and his face grew grim.

Serena. Lovely, beautiful, seductive… and a more irritating woman he’d not met.

Not caring about his state of undress, Rennick strode through the moonlight’s path and ripped back one of the bed hangings that had come loose, probably in that chase she’d given him before she’d killed him. Serena stirred, but did not wake. As the light spilled over her form, he paused to study the woman.

Thick, pale, golden hair spread across her pillow. She lay on her stomach, her face tilted his direction. She pursed her lips in her sleep, and he felt a punch of desire to kiss her. His gaze ran over smooth cheeks, delicate brows, and a slender neck he momentarily didn’t know if he wanted to wring or nip. Her covers were disheveled, which caused him to raise a brow. Her nightgown, the soft color of an early sunset, twisted at her waist. One bare leg poked out from the covers, and he stopped himself from running his hand from ankle to knee, then higher, slipping his fingers below the hem of her gown, to find out if she was indeed as smooth and velvety as she’d looked every damned night this week.

Her brow furrowed and she shifted. He tried to will her to turn over, a need to see her breasts burning a fire in him.

As if she heard his thoughts, she frowned and turned away, showing him her back.

His lips set into a hard line, Rennick stalked to the window. He had to gather his bearings before doing anything. He’d not expected to turn human again, and now that he had, his time was limited. He had to get that necklace and end the curse before it ended his life.

You can see how this story unfolds when it releases later this week. See it at Changeling Press here.

Thanks for stopping by
~Ayla 
http://www.aylaruse.com