Spotlight Blog Tour:
Keep Me Safe
Keep Me Safe
Slow
Burn # 1
By: Maya
Banks
Releasing October 7th,
2014
Avon
Blurb
A sizzling story of a woman
who risks her life and her heart to find a wealthy man’s missing sister—the
first novel in a sexy new romantic suspense series from #1 New York Times
bestselling author Maya Banks
When
Caleb Devereaux's younger sister is kidnapped, this scion of a powerful and
wealthy family turns to an unlikely source for help: a beautiful and sensitive
woman with a gift for finding answers others cannot.
While
Ramie can connect to victims and locate them by feeling their pain, her ability
comes with a price. Every time she uses it, it costs her a piece of herself.
Helping the infuriatingly attractive and impatient Caleb successfully find his
sister nearly destroys her. Even though his sexual intensity draws her like a
magnet, she needs to get as far away from him as she can.
Deeply
remorseful for the pain he’s caused, Caleb is determined to make things right.
But just when he thinks Ramie's vanished forever, she reappears. She’s in
trouble and she needs his help. Now, Caleb will do risk everything to protect
her—including his heart. . . .
Link
to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/08/keep-me-safe-slow-burn-1-by-maya-banks.html
Review:
HOLY CRAP! That was so good, amazing, fantastic, hmm none of those words quite
work. I just finished the start to the new Slow Burn series from Maya Banks and
was blown away. From the opening sentence to the last I was hooked and hated to
put the book down. Maya sure knows how to write a book to capture her audience.
Ramie is unique in many ways but the one that matters most to Caleb Deveraux is
her ability to find the missing. His younger sister has been kidnapped and no
one can find her, Caleb and his brothers are desperate and will do anything
even force Ramie to help. What he wasn’t counting on was the overwhelming
attraction he would feel for this fragile and beautiful women. Even after she
helps find his sister Caleb can’t stop thinking about her, wanting to make
amends for the pain she went through and needing to thank her for her help.
Ramie may have not been able to stop thinking of the sexy multimillionaire that
wrecked her hiding place but that didn’t mean she had to stay around for him to
come back for her. With her past haunting her she can only do one thing- RUN.
She keeps running until she runs right into the person she fears most. Barely
escaping with her life and sanity intact she calls Caleb. They are drawn
together against Ramie’s best laid plans; will she be able to stay strong? Can
Caleb protect her or has she just made the worst decision of her life?
Excerpt
(Complete Chapter One)
Chapter 1
Caleb Devereaux turned out of the sharp
switchback and onto the driveway leading up to the tiny mountain cabin, swearing
when he hit pothole after pothole. Fury and impatience simmered in his blood
but the anticipation of having finally found Ramie St. Claire after an
exhaustive search kept his mood from being completely black.
Ramie was his sister, Tori’s, only hope.
The
moment Tori was kidnapped, Caleb had begun his search for Ramie St. Claire. She
certainly wasn’t the first person on most people’s go-to list when looking for
a loved one. Ramie was psychic and had been helpful in locating victims in the
past. While many would be skeptical, Caleb absolutely believed in Ramie’s
abilities.
His
own sister had psychic abilities.
He
and his brothers, Beau and Quinn, had always been extremely overprotective of
their baby sister. With good reason. Caleb was the head of a veritable empire.
Security was always top priority. They’d always feared kidnapping for ransom,
but in their worst nightmares they’d never imagined that Tori would simply
disappear and be at the mercy of a madman.
There’d
been no ransom demand. Simply a video of Tori bound hand and foot and the
maniacal laughter of her captor as he told Caleb to kiss his sister goodbye.
He
just prayed he wasn’t too late. God, don’t let it be too late for Tori.
It
infuriated him that Ramie St. Claire had simply dropped off the map three
months ago. No trace of her, no forwarding address. No evidence that she even
existed. How could she simply disappear when she was such an invaluable aid in
finding kidnap victims and missing persons? How selfish of her to simply refuse,
by her actions, to help anyone?
He’d
worked himself into a rage by the time he finally pulled up to the small cabin
that looked as though it wouldn’t weather the upcoming winter at all. He wasn’t
even certain there would be electricity. Only a person determined not to be
found would live in a place like this.
He
got out and strode to the ramshackle front door, his fist up and pounding. The
door shook and rattled under the force of his knock. Only silence greeted him
and it sent his blood pressure soaring.
“Miss
St. Claire!” he roared. “Answer the goddamn door!”
He
beat on the door again, shouting again for her to answer. He likely looked and
sounded like the madman holding his sister, but at this point he didn’t care.
He was beyond desperation. It had taken every resource available to him to
finally track Ramie down. No way in hell he was leaving until he’d gotten the
information he’d come for.
Then
the door swung open and he was greeted by the sight of a petite woman with
wary, gray eyes. He was momentarily taken aback, going silent as he stared at
Ramie St. Claire for the first time in person.
The
photos he’d seen of her didn’t do her justice. There was a delicate air to her
as though she were recovering from an illness, but it in no way detracted from
her beauty. She looked…fragile. He felt a brief moment of guilt for what he was
about to ask her to do, but he brushed it away. There was no price too high to
pay for his sister’s life.
“I
can’t help you.”
Her
softly spoken words slid like velvet over his ears, a direct contrast from the
anger her refusal caused. He hadn’t even made his request yet and she was
already giving him the brush-off.
“You
don’t even know what it is I want,” he said in an icy tone that would wither
most people.
“It’s
rather obvious,” she said wearily, fatigue drooping her eyelids. “Why else
would you come all this way? I don’t even want to know how you found me. It’s
obvious I did a piss poor job of covering my tracks if you managed to find me
here.”
Caleb
frowned. Had she been ill? Was that why she’d dropped out of sight so she could
recover? It didn’t matter why now that he’d found her. He didn’t care what her
reasons were.
“With
your abilities why would you purposely make yourself difficult to find?” he
demanded. “My sister’s life is at stake here, Miss St. Claire. I’m not merely
asking you to help me. I’m not leaving until you do.”
She
shook her head adamantly, fear chasing the lethargy from her eyes. “I can’t.”
There
was quiet desperation to her words that told him there was more to her refusal
than what appeared on the surface. Something was wrong and yet he couldn’t
summon any regret for forcing her compliance. Not when Tori’s life hung in the
balance.
He
reached inside his jacket and pulled out Tori’s scarf. The one item they’d
found at the sight where she must have been taken. In the parking lot of a
grocery store beside the open door of her car. He should have never let her go
alone. He’d failed her. Failed to protect her. Failed to ensure proper
security.
Ramie
immediately backed away, a desperate cry on her lips. He shoved forward,
forcing the scarf into her hands and holding her and the scarf so there was no
escape. She emitted a broken sob and she looked up at him, stricken, her face
going unnaturally pale. Her pupils flared and then clouded, pain and
devastation clearly outlined on her features.
“No,”
she whispered. “Not again. Oh God, not again. I won’t survive it.”
Her
knees buckled and she would have gone down, but he caught her, ensuring the
scarf never lost contact with her hands. He watched in horror as Ramie’s body
sagged, slipping from his grasp despite his best effort to support her weight.
She was simply lifeless, as limp as a rag doll. He quickly followed her down to
the floor, determined that she not lose her grip on Tori’s scarf. But it didn’t
seem to matter now. Ramie was somewhere else.
Her
eyes glazed over and her body began to twitch spasmodically. She curled into a
fetal position, the fragility of such a self-protective measure gutting him. She
moaned softly and then began to weep.
“Please
don’t hurt me again. Please, I’m begging you. I can’t take any more. If you’re
going to kill me, just do it. Quit torturing me.”
Chill
bumps spread rapidly up Caleb’s nape as Ramie’s voice, which sounded nearly
identical to Tori’s, filled his ears. Dear God, was he witnessing what was
happening to his sister through Ramie?
The
scene Ramie was painting was horrifying. Not only for the fact that his sister
was even now enduring the absolute worse. But from all appearances, Ramie was
suffering with her.
He’d
certainly done his research on Ramie St. Claire’s abilities but there was
little information beyond her astonishing success record. No mention of how she
managed to help victims or what it did to her. God help them all. What had he
done?
Her
body jerked and it took only a moment for Caleb to realize what was happening.
It was too unmistakable. Bile rose in his throat and he had to suck in
steadying breaths to keep from heaving the contents of his stomach on the
floor. Tears burned his eyelids as he helplessly watched his sister being raped
through the window of Ramie’s awareness.
Ramie’s
weeping tore at his heart and he gathered her into his arms, not knowing what
else to do but rock her gently. “Tori?” He whispered his sister’s name
experimentally, not knowing if a link had been established through Ramie. “Can
you hear me? It’s Caleb. Tell me where you are, honey. I’ll come for you. Hold
on please. Don’t give up, no matter how bad it is.”
Ramie’s
head jerked sideways and the imprint of a hand immediately appeared on her
cheek. Caleb was horrified, unsure of what to do now that he’d crossed a line
he couldn’t come back from. He tried to push back his guilt, telling himself
that anything that helped him recover his sister was worth it. But was
torturing an innocent woman worth it?
He
hadn’t given her a choice. She’d told him no and yet he’d forced this on her
not knowing the heavy toll it would take. He had no idea how her powers worked
and now that he did he was sick to his soul. No wonder she’d been so resistant.
No wonder she’d told him she couldn’t do it anymore.
“Ramie.
Ramie!” he said in a more forceful voice. “Come back to me, Ramie. Come back so
you can tell me how to find her.”
Ramie’s
eyes were opened but so distant that he knew she wasn’t here. The imprint of
the hand on her face was bright and vivid, red against deathly white skin.
There was a look of such defeat and despair in her eyes that once again he
found himself battling tears.
Suddenly
she hunched inward, her entire body jolting as though absorbing a blow. She
wrapped her arms around her stomach and he realized that she’d been kicked. Or
rather Tori had been kicked. It was a horrific, helpless feeling to know that
two women were being victimized, one because of him.
Then
she simply rolled away, her cheek lying against the cold floor, her eyes fixed
and vacant. She was completely still and terror gripped him. Was Tori dead? Oh
dear God! Had he just witnessed his sister’s murder?
“Ramie!
Wake up! God, please wake up. Tell me how to find her. Tell me that she’s still
alive!”
He
picked Ramie’s slight weight up, swearing because she was so thin and fragile,
weighing nothing in his arms. He carried her to the worn sofa and carefully laid
her down, not wanting to hurt her any more than she’d already been hurt.
He
sat on the edge, gathering her icy hands in his, rubbing, trying to infuse
warmth. He had no idea what to do. Should he take her to a hospital?
Then
after several long moments, she blinked and seemed to come out of her trance.
Pain immediately swamped her features and she began to silently weep again,
each tear cutting him to ribbons.
“Is
she still alive?” he asked anxiously. “Do you know how to find her?”
“Yes,”
Ramie said dully.
Hope
surged in his heart and he found himself nearly crushing her hands in his.
“Tell
me where,” he urged.
Slowly
and painfully she whispered the location down to the minutest detail. Chills
once again slithered up his spine at the precision in which she described not
only the location but the kidnapper. She even provided a license plate number.
He
picked up his phone and immediately called his brother, relaying the
information that Ramie had provided. When he was done, he stared helplessly
down at Ramie, grateful and yet deeply regretful for what he’d just subjected
her to.
“What
do I need to do to help you?” he asked softly.
Resignation
dulled her eyes even further. “There’s nothing you can do,” she said in a flat
voice. “Just go.”
“The
hell I’ll just leave you here!”
He
was already calculating in his head that he could simply bring her with him. He
could get her the care she so obviously needed at the same time Tori was
receiving what she needed.
“Your
sister needs you. Just go. I’ll be fine.”
The
lie was so obvious, but it seemed to be all she could muster. He was torn
between rushing to be with Tori and staying to ensure Ramie would be all right.
But how could she be? Two women would live with this for the rest of their
lives. His precious sister and the woman he’d forced to help him never knowing
the price she’d pay.
“Please,”
she begged, her voice breaking. “Just go and leave me be. I gave you what you
wanted. I helped you, now go. It’s the least you can do.”
Caleb
stood, wiping a hand over his hair and down the back of his neck in agitation.
“I’ll go, but I’m coming back, Ramie. I’m going to make this up to you.”
“You
can never take this back,” she whispered. “There’s no making up for what’s been
done. Just go and take care of your sister. She needs you.”
She
closed her eyes, tears seeping from her eyelids. How could he just leave her
like she asked? And yet how could he not go and ensure that his sister was
safely recovered? He’d never felt so torn in his life.
“If
you have any humanity whatsoever, you’ll leave and never tell anyone where you
found me,” Ramie said hoarsely. “Please, I’m begging you. Just go. He plans to
kill her tomorrow. At dawn. You don’t have much time.”
Her
words proved to be the impetus, driving him to action. But goddamn it, he would
make this up to her. Somehow, someway.
Regret
swamped him. Worse was the fact that even knowing now what he hadn’t known
before, he couldn’t say he would have done anything differently. Not when it
meant the difference between Tori’s life and death. But at least now he better
understood Ramie’s resistance. No longer did he look at her and think she was
selfish and cruel. Now he realized her disappearance had been
self-preservation. He didn’t know she’d survived this in the past. He just
prayed he wasn’t the tipping point in pushing her so far over the edge she’d
never recover.
Caleb
closed his eyes and then gently touched her cheek. “I’m so sorry. You’ll never
know how much. My family and I owe you more than I can ever repay. I’ll go for
now and pray to God I’m not too late. But I’m coming back, Ramie. Count on it.
I’ll make this up to you if it’s the very last thing I do.”
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Author
Info:
Maya Banks is a #1 USA Today and New
York Times bestselling author whose chart toppers have included erotic romance,
romantic suspense, contemporary romance, Scottish historical romances. She is
the author of the Breathless Trilogy, the KGI novels, the Sweet series, and the
Colters Legacy novels.
She lives in the South with her husband and three children and other assorted babies, such as her two Bengal kitties and a Calico who’s been with her as long as her youngest child. She’s an avid reader of romance and loves to dish books with her fans and anyone else who’ll listen! She very much enjoys interacting with her readers on Facebook and Twitter as well as in her Yahoo! Group.
She lives in the South with her husband and three children and other assorted babies, such as her two Bengal kitties and a Calico who’s been with her as long as her youngest child. She’s an avid reader of romance and loves to dish books with her fans and anyone else who’ll listen! She very much enjoys interacting with her readers on Facebook and Twitter as well as in her Yahoo! Group.
Author Links:
Website: http://mayabanks.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMayaBanks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/maya_banks
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/24978.Maya_Banks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMayaBanks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/maya_banks
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/24978.Maya_Banks
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