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Morgan Duma has always known she's different. Her eyes have unusual gold rings around her irises, a trait she's inherited from her father. She's faster and stronger than most. Her endurance and stamina allow her to complete tasks in a quick and efficient fashion. Since she was a little girl, she knew there was only one man for her – Adam Varga.
Morgan learned to dance in Adam's arms. They grew up playing the piano together. Adam's calm, soothing presence was the perfect complement to her restless soul. Not only that, he shared her differences down to his feral eyes.
Enter Zoltan Kristos, Hungary's Minister of Reconstruction He shares those same golden eyes that Morgan possesses. After Zoltan carries her mother's injured body out of a blazing fire, Morgan's life takes a turn she doesn't expect. Morgan discovers the reasons for her differences, and questions her very identity. Is Adam strong enough to be the man she needs him to be?
EXCERPT
She placed a hand on his chest, hoping to grab his attention. "Adam, I'm sensing stuff no normal human being would. I've been sensing it all along, but now I know why and I'm upset. I'm not human. What am I?"
He gazed at her with a hint of concern in his expression.
"Let's get out of this room."
She opened the door to the hall and stepped out. Why was he looking at her like that? Wasn't he worried he wasn't human, too?
He closed the door behind him and grabbed her wrist. The gold rings around his irises shrunk to their normal size. She glared at him.
"Look, I don't know why you're so concerned about who you are. I know who you are -- you're kind, sweet, a wonderful pianist, and compassionate nurse. You have a sense of humor that always makes me laugh. That's who you are. I would think you'd be more upset over what your father has planned -- that's a major decision, and your mother has no say in the matter."
Morgan drew in a deep breath as the knot in her shoulder tensed. Adam had a point. How could she be so self-centered, dwelling on her high-strung emotions? Perhaps it was a cover. Perhaps she couldn't face the real issue because it mortified her. She didn't want to think about it now. Morgan turned her head away and reached over her shoulder to massage that tension-filled knot.
"Turn around." Adam's voice brooked no debate. She liked a man who commanded authority. Morgan turned, and he massaged both her shoulders. Heat from his hands trailed down her back. Her core warmed. Her body relaxed, reacting instinctively and with a desire she couldn't hide.
"Did I hit a nerve?" he asked.
"A nerve? In my neck?" She took a step backward to be closer to him.
"No. About your father. Is your real fear about what will happen to your mother once he turns her?" Adam kept his voice low and leaned close to her ear.
She closed her eyes briefly and faced her anxiety. "Yes."
"Morgan, our fathers' condition has a host of positive traits -- heightened senses, for example, but the best trait is the healing factor."
"I understand, Adam. That healing factor will help my mother recover from her awful injuries, but it comes with a tradeoff -- she's going to become a werewolf."
"Is it better she become addicted to morphine? That addiction is a beast in itself. Which would you prefer she'd become? The soldiers hooked on morphine have vacant eyes, and their hands tremble for their next fix. Do you want that for your mother? Fighting something she can't win against, or do you want her dealing with a manageable condition? Both our fathers are good men. They've managed it."
Morgan pursed her lips. Adam's tone was laced in objectivity and confidence, offering her a plausible reason for her father's actions. Morgan didn't want a shell of skin and bones that resembled her mother -- she wanted her mother well, both emotionally and physically. Why had she been so selfish not to see that?
"It doesn't bother you that you have these traits?"
"I'm comfortable with who I am."
Morgan spun around, pressing the length of her body against Adam, curving her hand around the nape of his neck, and bringing his lips to hers. Their mouths met in a searing kiss full of desire. Want. Warmth. Pleasure replaced Morgan's emotional pain, and she deepened the kiss between them by sweeping her tongue into his mouth. Adam groaned, wrapped his hands around her waist, and tugged her closer. Morgan continued the kiss, nipping his lower lip with her teeth. A blast of heat from his body washed over her like an ocean wave, sending pleasure spiraling through her. God, she had never felt so wonderful.
"One of the things I really enjoyed about the author’s writing was her smooth incorporation of area history and verbal visualization of the area. If I close my eyes, I can see the city, the manors of the Vargas and Dumas families, the rooms and furnishings. This story is the closest I have ever come to reading a book that feels like a movie!"
"Ms. Burkhart has created an interesting world with a mythology that is a little different than any other werewolf stories I've read to date, and the historical settings make them more intriguing to me than many contemporary paranormal stories."
"Once again, Stephanie Burkhart has touched my imagination and with her writing brings 1922 Hungary to life. Danube in Candlelight is a very romantic, yet spicy read. This is a must read if you enjoy the paranormal werewolf stories or even if you merely enjoy a great romance."
"I found the setting for Danube in Candlelight intriguing. Even the names of the food and places Stephanie Burkhart added helped to create the atmosphere of a foreign place, it was exotic and exciting. The 1920 period Ms. Burkhart chose for this story lends it a wonderfully dynamic tempo... The discerning reader will not want to miss reading Danube in Candlelight; I highly recommend it."
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