Excerpt Day: Heightened Senses by Anah Crow & Dianne Fox

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Taste Test: K9 edited by Lorna Hinson with stories by Anah Crow and Dianne Fox, Misa Izanaki, and BA Tortuga
Release Date: June 17, 2009
Publisher: Torquere Books
ISBN-13: 978-1-60370-741-1
ISBN-10: 1-60370-741-7
Publisher Link: http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2022

Blurb: Shapeshifters. Who doesn't love 'em, whether it's wolves, wild dogs, or spirit guides? The K9 Taste Test has three great tales about the animal within. In Misa Izanaki's Running Wild, Fen is worried that he's lost Loki forever when he finally finds his lover at the pound. Loki needs more than the city life that Fen is so accustomed to, and Fen needs to find a way to give it to him before it's too late. In Heightened Senses, by Anah Crow and Dianne Fox, Jasper is sure that he shouldn’t feel the way he does about Sampson, his guide and protector. He finds his shapeshifting friend fascinating, and dreams of a deeper relationship, but will he be able to break the rules? Finally, in BA Tortuga's Yard Dog, Alex knows he's in trouble when Brandon gets home from his overnight stint in doggie jail. Can he get what he needs, and let Brandon have a little revenge?

Excerpt:

From “Heightened Senses” by Anah Crow and Dianne Fox

The house was empty. No Jasper, no Foley. Through the back door, Samson caught sight of a too-thin figure under the clothesline, hanging laundry. A wet sheet refused to be pinned down and flapped around wildly. Jasper was barely a match for it.

Foley wasn't anywhere to be seen. Where was he? Why would Foley leave Jasper alone? Foley knew better. Jasper needed to have a companion with him; he could get hurt. The visions, the seizures... Samson went charging out the back door. "Where's Foley?"

Jasper jabbed a clothespin onto the sheet. "With Haruto. It didn't make sense to bring him back just for a few hours." He turned around, shaking his hair out of his eyes. "Did you have a good visit?"

Didn't make sense. "I had a great visit," Samson said automatically. What if Jasper'd had a seizure before he'd gotten home? "What if--? Jasper..." Just the thought was enough to make Samson want to change right there. Samson clenched his hands in his hair and spun on his heel, heading back for the house. "I'll be back in a minute. I've got to change."

Now that Samson was home, he had to change in the house. Here, no one could know the truth. He grabbed his bag and carried it into the little room he called his own. Unpacking didn't take long -- just a few sets of clothes and a shaving kit to put away -- and then he started to strip, throwing his clothes in the hamper.

Samson bent at the waist, stretching out to get his hands on the floor, and pushed. The pain as his bones shortened and thickened, as his face lengthened, as his skin sprouted fur -- it was excruciating. When it was over, though, Samson felt amazing. The whole world opened up to him. He could smell everything, hear everything.

He raced through the house, snuffling all the places Foley had been. His canine instincts made him want to piss all over the place, marking his territory again, but he pushed it aside and ran through the doggie door to the backyard.

Jasper was still waiting right where Samson had left him, sun-burnt hands crawling over each other like pink and white spiders. He was jittering as though he were about to run off if he only knew where to go.