Through Shattered Light
Ellora's Cave
Genre: Fantasy
ISBN #1-4199-0371-3
Book Length: Plus Novel
Buy the eBook | Buy the Print

Carissa sees herself as ordinary, average-but when she gets dragged through a magic portal, she finds herself in a new body in a new world. Clothing optional. Sex a requirement.

The people of this world have little reason to trust intruders-particularly when they come with a wizard in tow-and Carissa finds herself the king's captive. After one night in his bed, she can't quite remember why that's a bad thing. She knows she has to escape and return to the real world but until she can find a way home, she might as well enjoy the sensual amenities this world provides-hot sex with a delicious king and his trusted associate.

But the world she's landed in is dying and the people think she's the magical Lady who can save them. She needs to get home before they find out she has no magic and before her heart gets broken. It turns out the wickedly good sex comes with a price-she's fallen in love with the king.

Note: This book contains male/male and female/female sexual interaction.



Excerpt:
"Okay, let's see what this 'world' is like."

"You're going to love it. There's magic. It's totally wild." He leaned closer to her and his voice dropped to a whisper. "The women walk around mostly naked."

Oh goody, she thought. He's going to flip a switch and start showing reruns of beach blanket television complete with half-dressed bimbo lifeguards.

"Are you ready?" he asked. His voice vibrated with anticipation and professional pride.

"I guess," she answered, resigned to dealing with his delusion.

He hit a switch at the side of the machine. The noise that followed sounded suspiciously like the microwave starting up. The sound built-moving from a low rumble through a high pitched whine and onto an irritating shriek. Carissa gripped the strap of her purse and watched the contraption on Den's desk. A beam of light burst from the projector lens. She turned, following the path. The light hit the wall and seemed to shatter, breaking into millions of pieces. Shards tumbled down the cinderblocks like a waterfall. The bits hit the ground and evaporated. In the center, a darkness grew and spread, creating a hole that soon filled the entire space.

Air locked in her throat and didn't budge. She wouldn't, couldn't believe it was a window to another world but it was certainly nothing she'd ever seen before.

"I had to reinforce the wall so that the pressure didn't make it explode," he shouted over the increasing scream of the machine. He grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. "Come on. We only have a limited window before the dorm fuse blows and the power goes out."

Before she could think of the reasons to stop, she'd let herself be dragged toward the opening.

"Let's go." Den stepped into the light waterfall. "Just one thing. Clothes won't travel through the portal," he shouted over his shoulder as he disappeared.

Carissa watched her arm go with him and seconds later the rest of her followed.

* * * * *

[.]

What in the hell is going on?

"All right, Professor. You are hot."

She spun around and stared at Den. At least she thought it was Den. He didn't look like himself either. The face was the same but he'd grown several inches in height and in muscle. The pale pasty physics student was replaced by a buff, muscular man. A naked man. She kept her eyes deliberately above the waist. It was only proper after all. No matter what else happened, he was still her student.

Den obviously didn't feel those restrictions. His gaze wandered down her body. "You look good in this world."

She draped one arm across her chest and placed her other hand between her legs, covering herself in some small way.

"Den, stop looking at my breasts and tell me what in the hell is going on?"

"I told you. It's an alternate universe, parallel to ours as near as I can tell." He scanned the area around them. She followed his gaze. They seemed to be in a grove of some sort. Nothing looked familiar. The leaves on the trees were odd geometric shapes.and brown as if they were dying.

This was not her world. This was like nothing she'd ever seen before-except in dreams.

Curiosity battled panic in her mind.

Panic won.

"How do we get back?" She knew enough about the scientific world to know this was an incredible discovery but for some reason, standing naked in a body that didn't belong to her, she couldn't think of all the questions she knew she should be asking. How had he done it? Where else could the machine take him?

Who the hell cared? She just wanted to go home. "You don't have your little machine."

"I don't need the Portal Opener in this world. Magic works here. It doesn't in ours. That's why I had to make the machine."

"Well, then, what are you waiting for? Get us the hell home."

She realized she'd been using the word "hell" a lot in the past few minutes but it was one of the few swear words she allowed herself. And if ever there was a time for swearing, it was now.

Fuck.

Carissa thought the word. It felt good. She couldn't bring herself to say it, not with a student nearby, but even thinking it relieved some of her tension.

"But don't you want to-"

Whatever else he might have said was stopped by a noise that sounded suspiciously like the creak of a saddle. Den's eyes widened and Carissa felt her shoulders tighten.

"Well, well, well. Some wood nymphs frolicking on the king's land."

She spun around, forgetting to keep her breasts and crotch covered. She gasped when she saw the source of the voice. Now she knew why she'd been given extra height in this world-because they must be a land of freakin' giants. He was huge. She couldn't tell his precise height because he sat on top of a beast that probably passed for this world's version of a horse. Except for the elongated teeth that looked suspiciously like fangs.

The rider looked as grim as the animal. His blond hair hung down his back, tied at his neck with a thin piece of leather. Thick muscular arms bulged from beneath a sleeveless shirt. The deep tan of his skin looked warm and touchable. Carissa felt her fingers twitch with the desire to stroke him. Heat pooled between her legs at the thought of smoothing her palms across the broad expanse of his chest, curling her fingers around his-

The horse whinnied and jerked her from her thoughts. Blinking to clear away the fantasy, she lifted her gaze to his.

The man's eyes widened as he met her stare-then they closed to thin slits. She didn't know why but something about his assessing, suspicious gaze made her push her shoulders back and lift her chin. Men like him took advantage of their size to intimidate. She wouldn't cower before him.

He didn't seem to notice her attempted defiance-he was too busy checking her out. He looked down her body, with a casual almost clinical air. His scrutiny stalled when he hit her groin. His gaze bounced up to her head, then back down again. Carissa shifted under the pressure of his stare, reconsidering her decision not to cover herself.

"Is that your natural hair color?" he asked.

"Excuse me?"

He was a warrior, riding on a horse with fangs and when he finds a naked woman in the woods his first question was about her hair? What kind of weird world had Den landed them in? She shook her head and a strand of her hair fell over her shoulder. Carissa could see it was black-that hadn't changed-but it was longer than the chin length style she'd been sporting mere moments ago. It explained-a little-what had happened to Den's hair. Taking the opportunity, she scraped the strands forward and let it dangle down, using the length to shield her bare breasts. The tips reached her nipples and seemed to curl around the tight peaks. Light brushes as she inhaled re-ignited tiny sparks of arousal between her legs. Unwillingly intrigued by the sensation, she took another deep breath and almost whimpered.

She felt her cheeks warm.

The stranger watched her as if considering her ultimate fate before he nodded. "We will know soon enough. You will come with me." He said the words as if there were no question of refusal.



Reviews:
"Through Shattered Light is one of the few stories I've read that encompasses a heart wrenching plot, orgasmic sex scenes, and great characterization. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this tale and plan to hunt down all other titles from Tielle St. Clare. She has written a fabulous novel and I have no doubt that she will continue to do so in the future. Every star given is well deserved. I say Bravo!"

Just Erotic Romance Reviews


"Through Shattered Light is by author Tielle St. Clare. What a wild and sexed-up imagination this author has. Ms. St. Clare created a realm penned with erotic fervors page after page.

This is a sexual fantasy that is overflowing with hedonism and sexual extravagance; all woven together create an entertaining read."

Love Romances


"Tielle St. Clare has written a wonderfully imaginative story. Through Shattered Light is a great read. Funny, sexy, and oh man the chemistry between the hero and heroine are enough to make your toes curl! If you want a really spicy read and some highly imaginative sexual fantasies then you've come to the right place. It seems there might even be a sequel and I'll definitely keep my eye out for it!"

Romance Divas


"THROUGH SHATTERED LIGHT is explicitly sexual; this novel, like so much of Ms. St. Clare's work, pushes and blends boundaries together. Bottom line: this novel is H-O-T! Readers will feast on a sensual meal of intense interaction with the main characters, as well as with peripheral characters. Sex is liberally mixed with a well-developed plot so that readers are satisfied with both the relationship of the novel and its nature. THROUGH SHATTERED LIGHT is a prime example of Ms. St. Clare's excellent work and erotica fans will inhale it!"

The Romance Reader's Connection