It's here! Stone and Sea is here!

Very excited about my newest Ellora's Cave release, Stone and Sea, which came out Friday. It's book two in my gargoyle cycle, Heroes of Stone, although, as Stone and Earth was part of the Jewels of the Nile series, it won't be listed with my others.

“Stone and Sea”
By Cindy Spencer Pape
Out now from Ellora’s Cave

Blurb:
Sent to Atlantic City to retrieve an ancient artifact vital to the future of his clan, gargoyle Remy Rocher meets sexy selkie Marina Bell and ends up getting shot for his efforts. Now he has to find the chalice and keep Marina and himself alive—all while dealing with the hottest sex of his life and emotions that scare him more than evil wizards or mobsters with guns.

Excerpt:
Mari played in the waves, reveling in the feel of the cool water gliding along her fur. She hadn’t done this in forever. She’d been so busy finishing up her education, that she hadn’t taken time for herself. She’d gone to great pains to ensure that being a selkie wasn’t the be-all and end-all of her life, that she’d neglected this side of her nature. Her species wasn’t the only thing that defined her, not like it was for her mother and sister. Mari was determined to make something of her life.

But that didn’t mean she could completely ignore her heritage. Being a selkie came with baggage. The need to change and swim was part of it, so here she was.

She heard a splash out just a ways and she immediately turned. Just a sea gull landing. Whew!

She’d been so lost in her thoughts and in the pleasure of swimming that she wasn’t paying attention to the water around her. Not smart for someone who looked like shark food. Reluctantly she told herself it was time to head in and get some sleep.

She swam up under the pier until the tip of her front flipper just grazed the sand. Then she closed her eyes and willed herself to change. Her fur split down the middle and vanished, except for the small scrap she always wore on a silver chain around her neck. Human knees and toes touched down on the sand, and her flippers became arms, holding her up on her hands and knees.

“Hello there.”

At the sound of a voice, horror filled her head and belly, making her dizzy and nauseous. Her arms and knees turned to jelly and she fell onto her stomach in the shallow water. Someone had seen her! How had she failed to notice another person nearby? She scanned the sand below the pier—there was no one there. She tipped her head and looked up.

Oh fuck! It was him. The blond god from the shop. He was just as gorgeous as she’d remembered. Slowly, Mari pushed herself up until she was still on her knees, but upright. The new vantage point put her face about level with his hips, which was a mistake. His damp jeans were plastered to his legs and outlined a rather magnificent erection.

“Hello, ma belle.” A current of laughter ran beneath his wry tone. He took a step back and held out a hand to assist her to rise. “I guess you were in no danger of drowning after all.”
Why wasn’t he running or screaming? Cautiously, she took his hand and stood. Her wet human form felt the cold midnight breeze and she shivered.

“Come, let’s get you warm.” He tugged her toward the beach with the hand that he still had linked in his.

What was she going to do? She couldn’t kill him, she was pretty sure she didn’t have it in her to commit murder. She’d have to just disappear. Unless—maybe she could take him home and get him drunk enough that he wouldn’t remember tonight, wouldn’t remember meeting a shapeshifter beneath the pier.

He stopped next to her clothes. A man’s leather bomber jacket and cowboy boots were strewn haphazardly between her pile of clothing and the shoreline. He pulled off his gray T-shirt and handed it to her.

“Here. Dry off with this so you don’t soak your clothes when you put them on.”

Still in shock, she nodded and took the shirt, quickly wiping the salt water from her skin. While she pulled her dress over her head, he shook the sand out of her jacket. Then he held it out while she slid her arms into the sleeves.

“Better?”

Mari nodded. “Thank you. I don’t even know your name.”

“It’s Remy. Remy Rocher. You can stop freaking out now, little seal. I’m not going to tell anyone what I saw.”