First of all, I want to send a tremendous thank you, to you, Rebekah, for inviting me today. It’s a pleasure to be here, and I’m so excited to be a part of your Hunky Alpha Wednesday, and introduce my hero to you all. His name is Rion, pronounced “Ryan”, meaning “King” in malion. If he were standing beside me at this very moment, he’d be rolling his eyes and turning up the television volume to block out the noise of my typing so he can catch the latest headlines on the morning news. He’s not your average hero. He’s much bigger. He’s not wholly human, either.

No, he’s malion.

**Photo Art by Carol
Cavalaris, www.romanticworks.com**

What sets him apart from your typical, modern day, paranormal romance hero is not only his species, but his lack of good looks, and the fact that he suffers from a serious case of Alpha complex. However, Liss Lawrence, the human heroine in my malion novel, brings Rion down off his high, over-protective horse (including one good left hook when he deserves it); and as the story of their budding relationship in Beneath the Surface progresses, we see a much different side my beloved Rion.

One whose loyalty knows no limit.

One who loves unconditionally.

One who has fallen so deeply in love with Liss, he would give his own life to protect her and her family.

What is a malion? Well, the only picture I have is the one in my head, but I have an excerpt from Beneath the Surface to help paint a small sketch for you. In this scene, Liss is finally awake from being rescued by Rion from a deadly car crash. They are in his chambers, below the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, in a secret enclave where his lives, and she’s already hit him from getting too close to her (aww, he was just trying to help, but he is rather intimidating). Up until this point, Rion has been covered by a hood and cloak, and she has no idea what he looks like, only that he’s massively built, at least six-foot-five and probably 250 pounds. Dr. Abeo Mubarak, a doctor at St. Paul’s Hospital, has come to check on Liss and wants to help her begin to walk again. Dr. Mubarak is a trusted human ally of Rion and his malion family, and has earned Liss’ trust at the moment.

“Would you like to take a step or two? I’ll keep my arm here for you to hold on to if you need.”

“Sure.” I smiled at her. “It feels so good to get up.” I took a deep breath. As wobbly as I was, I took two steps with the help of her arm then another rocky one before I stopped.

“Have you had enough, Melissa?” She patted my hand gently. “Maybe we should sit you back down and try again later.”

I could tell that she wanted me to quit, but I wanted to leave; this was my ticket out. “No, I think I’d like to try a few steps on my own this time.”

“Okay,” she said warily, letting go of my arm and stepping back to give me some room. “I’ll be right here just in case you need me.”

“Thanks.”

I stood still for a second to balance myself. I knew that I could walk on my own, even if it wasn’t very far. I took one more deep breath and raised my left leg slightly, but as soon as I transferred all of my weight to my right leg, it gave out and I fell backward. Abby was standing too far in front of me to catch the hand I reached out for her, and I squealed thinking about my head hitting the rock hard floor. But I didn’t get that far; two giant arms were around my waist and legs instantly, lifting me before I could hit. I sucked in a breath, just as my face turned to the side, and my mouth dropped open—Rion’s bright green, almond-shaped eyes were staring directly into mine.

We stood there for a moment, staring at one another, both in shock. He was like nothing I had seen, or known to exist outside of the movies. The closest face I had seen to his was constructed of latex and makeup. I wanted to reach out and touch him to see if he was real, because his features were distinctly catlike: his nose was broad and square, just like a cat’s, and his upper lip was indented down the middle, like a cat’s, although it wasn’t split in two. His face was covered in golden peach fuzz, but the hair on his head was dark brown, long, and mane-like, hanging just past his shoulders. When I touched it with the tips of my fingers behind his back, it was soft and fine, not like a human’s. I couldn’t see his teeth, and wondered for a moment if they were sharp.

It was then that I noticed the scars. The tip of his left ear was missing, and there were two long lines that extended from the upper left corner of his forehead, to the lower right side of his bottom lip. I wondered who could have done such a thing.

He looked down as if he was ashamed of himself, and took a step toward the bed, whispering, “I will put you back on the bed now, you have had enough for today.”

I couldn’t speak. I was still in shock. This massive man seemed to be shying away in my presence, and the only thing I could do was swallow—hard. He turned around to leave. I was going to call him back, but he raised his arm and angrily swept a mug off the side of the desk as he stormed past it, and slammed the door behind him on the way out. I winced as the cup shattered into pieces on the stone floor.

“Melissa.”

I recoiled. I’d completely forgotten Abby was still in the room.

“I think we should keep you off your feet for one more day. Please excuse me for a moment, I need to speak with Rion privately.” She turned to leave. “We won’t be far away if you need something.”

She pulled the door open, but turned back and smiled at me; she had obviously known all about Rion and his home below the city.

“Abby?”

“Yes, Melissa?”

“Is Rion the reason it’s not safe for me to go home?”

Abby nodded and smiled. “That’s part of it.”

“Is he human?”

“Partly, yes. I’ll explain very soon Melissa, I promise you that.”

“Do you think he’ll still let me go, now that I’ve seen him?”

“I believe so. But he’s struggling with the decision because you’ll be in danger above.”

The decision seemed obvious to me. I couldn’t stay here. And I could take care of myself; I didn’t need him. I didn’t need anyone. However, there were people at home that needed me, especially Mom, with Dad gone all the time.

I sighed. “Thank you, Abby.”

She raised her eyebrow, as if she was wary of my intentions, then answered, “You’re welcome, Melissa.”

“Are you coming back?”

“Yes.”

I had more questions, but I knew she needed to leave, so I just smiled back as she softly shut the door behind her. As I lay there in that large room, I wondered if there were others like Rion, how many people there were like Dr. Mubarak, who else knew about this underground place, how would I ever tell my parents about this, and if I would ever be able to tell my parents about this. That could only happen if I managed to get out, and right then I didn’t have a lot of confidence in Dr. Mubarak. She seemed in on it, whatever it was.

I sat up and looked down at my weak legs. They were going to walk for me. I was going to try again. And then I was going to find a way home.

BLURB

Deep underground, an ancient species of mystic healers exist: the malions.  Their capabilities are endless. Their strength is colossal. But they are also being hunted, and their numbers are dwindling.

One of them has just fallen in love with a human.

On the west coast of Canada, sixteen-year-old Melissa Lawrence’s life is about to take a turn for the worse. It could also be her saving grace.

She just can’t get caught.

Beneath the Surface is the first book Miranda’s malion series, which won first place in the Central Ohio Fiction Writers “Ignite the Flame” contest in 2012, and earned an honorable mention in the East Texas Romance Writers “Southern Heat” contest in 2013. Hardcover, Paperback and Ebook now available now through FriesenPress, Amazon, iBooks, Barnes and Noble and Chapters Indigo. Look for book two in the malion series, Beyond the Borders early spring 2015.

Miranda Rae Carter has lived in British Columbia, Canada, her whole life, and is a self-proclaimed home-bug. She spends most of her time doing what she loves, and that is being a mom and wife—and trying to master the art of cooking. The rest of her time is divided between looking in mouths and writing. For more information on her malion novels, visit her website at www.mirandaraecarter.com, Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter @themaliongirl.