I wanted to start giving you a sneak peek at what to expect with Beginnings, so I’m going to be sharing extracts from different chapters on the run-up to release. Hope you enjoy it and don’t forget to preorder the first two books in the series while they’re on offer. They will both go up after release.

Chapter one

Ember

“Hit harder!” Authority laced Rawson’s deep voice. His intense eyes narrowed, assessing how far he could push me.

 Grunting, I breathed heavily through my nose, needing to stop and catch my breath, but I nodded, not willing to show any weakness to him—or anyone.

Cain Rawson was in his mid-thirties, lean, fit, and one tough son of a bitch alpha. He was the one who pulled me off the streets and offered me a safe place to stay. Yeah, he was officially my saviour—my married saviour. And that was cool with me. I mean, sure, he was hot; six feet three inches of ripped muscles, confidence, and—when he wasn’t being tough and bossy—kindness. But “hot” wasn’t how I saw him. He was my lifeline, along with Lyss, his wife, one of the sweetest and most beautiful people, both inside and out, that I’d ever met.

“Now!” His grey eyes flashed. 

I jumped, my heart banging in my chest. I gave him a dark scowl, but he just raised his brows. My arms shook, and my chest heaved, but I took a deep breath, curling my fingers inside the training gloves. Then, as instructed, I twisted my body and dropped my shoulder exactly as he had taught me and smashed my fist into the pad.

“Now front jab!”

I did.

“Reverse punch!” 

And, again. 

Noisy breaths escaped from my mouth and nose, and sweat dripped down my face and neck, soaking my cropped sports top. I was no stranger to fighting or hard physical workouts. I loved them. But the training regimen Rawson had me doing, after my classes at the Supernatural Bureau’s Academy ended, was exhausting. Not that I’d tell him. I would never tell a soul if I was struggling. No matter your age, if you showed weakness, you became prey. The vipers of this world struck when they thought you were weak and vulnerable, and I had vowed, years ago, I would never be vulnerable again.

“Now, kick! Roundhouse. Go!”

The pain of my past drove me just as it always did. It kept me going every single day. It gave me purpose; to be the strongest, fastest and most vicious version of me that I could possibly be. Lifting my chin, I adjusted my body weight and turned on my standing foot. Lifting my knee high, I swung my leg. Slam! My instep connected with the pad. The force rocked Rawson’s big arm sideways, even if it was only a couple of inches. Before I could even snap my strike back, he was ordering me into my next move.

“Spin. Back kick. Now, Ember!”

Sweet Jesus, he was relentless.

 My kick landed, and I spun my head around, bringing my body and the other leg with it. Using the momentum, I smashed my heel into the pad with a solid whack, a grunt exploding from my lungs with the effort.

“Well, look at you. A regular firecracker now, aren’t you?” drawled a deep voice from behind me.