Wings and Love

One thing I love about reading erotic romance is the fantasy. The setting can be anywhere from an undersea world to another planet. Heroes and heroines can be vampires, shapeshifters, aliens, ghosts and many other paranormal beings.

One of my favorite fantasies I can experience through erotic romance is the fantasy of a winged hero. There's something fascinating about a hero who soars over mountaintops and oceans with his lady. The trust between them is incomparable. High in the clouds, her life is completely in his hands--or in the strength of his wings and heart.


In the past I've written about several winged heroes, including Horsemen (shapeshifting winged centaurs), Raptvyns (shapeshifting bird people), and Aspectians (aliens who can change into just about any form). My most recent winged hero is the half-demon, Brody, from Wild Woods. When the heroine, Madison, first flies with Brody, the scene has more danger than most of the flights in my other books. When Brody sprouts his wings his demon side has taken over, so during their first flight the heroine's exhilaration is tainted by fear.

Do you have a favorite fantasy setting or paranormal creature you can't resist in erotic romance? What's your fantasy?

The following excerpt from Wild Woods features Brody and Madison's first flight.

Wild Woods by Kate Hill
Coming in March 2011 from Changeling Press

If anything could stop a woman from breathing it was her attacker appearing seemingly out of nowhere.

"I can smell you. Delicious. I could eat you," rasped that sinister voice.

"Eat this!" Madison leapt up and, wielding the branch like a golf club, slammed him in the gut.

He grunted and doubled over, but at the same time managed to rip the branch from her hand.

Madison took off running again, hoping she'd hurt him sufficiently to delay the chase long enough for her to find her way back to the path toward the town.

She headed in the direction from which she'd come--or so she thought. Nothing looked familiar. Her flashlight blinked on and off, then died completely.

"Damn it!" she said, on the verge of hysteria.

Powerful arms wrapped around her from behind and a big, hard body pushed her into the trunk of a nearby tree. She turned her head so that her cheek pressed against the bark.

"Get the fuck off me!"

"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to trespass?"

Her terrifying captor turned her to face him and Madison thought her heart might stop. Though he resembled Brody Blazewood, he clearly wasn't human. The snakelike slits of his pupils rested in irises such pale blue they seemed to glow. His pointed ears pinned to his head, which was dusted with buzzed black hair. Finely-shaped lips parted, exposing the needle sharp points of his upper and lower canines.

It took a moment for her to realize he was staring at her curiously rather than viciously, despite his feral appearance. A strange feeling broke over her--almost a compulsion to move closer to him rather than away.

What was happening? She didn't believe in monsters or magic.

Then why did you go to the tattoo artist who could supposedly guide you toward your destined mate?

And her tattoo had been of something. . .inhuman.

"This is impossible!" she said.

He tilted his head slightly to the side and narrowed his hypnotic eyes. His hands moved from her upper arms to ever-so lightly caress her face. Yet they weren't human hands. His talon-like fingers tickled her cheeks, mostly due to the smoke-colored feathers covering his hands and forearms. Dark wings extended from his broad shoulders. Though he wore black trousers and boots, his sculpted torso was bare, every chiseled muscle exposed.

"Let me go!" She grunted and jabbed her knee toward his groin.

He shifted his stance to avoid the blow and she managed to pull away from him.

Madison bolted, scarcely able to see. She nearly ran into a tree, turned sharply and lost her footing.

Her hands groped as she slid down a steep incline and managed to grab hold of a root. Terrified, she tried to pull herself up, but her feet slipped and when she glanced down she saw a rocky stream about twenty feet below. If she fell she'd definitely be hurt. What if no one found her?

No, that creature would probably track her and--

She didn't want to think about it.

Why hadn't she taken the old lady's advice and not gone hiking alone?

She pulled hard on the root and edged up the steep incline.

Then an arm wrapped around her and a hand grasped the root, just above her hand.

Madison had about all the surprises she could take. She screamed.

"Stop that!" said her captor. "You're making my ears bleed."

"Good!" Again she screamed but the sound was cut short when he covered her mouth in a kiss.

Madison's heart pounded as much from fear as arousal. She expected him to cut her with those ferocious teeth. Though his kiss was firm and demanding, it wasn't the least bit painful. In fact it was just the opposite.

The kiss softened, then broke.

"Hold onto my neck," he said in a husky voice.

"I don't--"

"It's either me or the rocks below."

Madison didn't hesitate another second before wrapping her arms around his strong neck. He held her close to his warm, hard chest and his big, smoky wings beat as they rose into the sky.

This has to be a hallucination.

Yet she couldn't imagine something that felt this real. She felt his skin and the ripple of his muscles. With every breath she caught his scent--as fresh as a mountain stream but with an underlying hint of incense. They rose slightly above the trees and Madison felt lightheaded.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I think I might be sick."

"Great," he muttered.

"Why are you complaining? This whole thing is your fault." Maybe chastising him had been a bad idea. His fingers pressed against her neck and within moments everything went black.

Visit Kate Hill online at http://www.kate-hill.com.