Victoria Johnson loves her life.

Shes her own boss in a quaint beachside town, and has great friends who keep her grounded. If only they knew who she really is: an heiress to an ancient race who possesses astonishing superhuman powers. Its Victorias duty to restore her clan of Light Hunters to their former glory by choosing the perfect mate. In Christopher Sombrosa, she just may have found him. Strong, smart, and successful, Christopher exudes a powerful energy. Their connection is sensual, irresistibleand forbidden. A member of the Shadow Hunter clan, Christopher has defied his own father to lead his people away from affliction and violence. Yet he cannot ignore his duty to carry on his ancient bloodline. Stunningly beautiful and brimming with an erotic life force, Victoria is everything Christopher ever hoped for in a mate . . . but as a Light Hunter, shes his mortal enemy. Together, they could unite their warring tribes. But murderous factions on both sides dont want peace-and theyll stop at nothing to keep light and darkness apart forever . . .

THE CLAIMED
Available May 2012 ISBN 0446584606 GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING The second book in the exciting new SIN HUNTERS paranormal romance series
RT Book Reviews 4 Stars: Second in the Sin Hunters series, The Claimed will not disappoint fans new or old. The Light Hunters and Shadow Hunters are mortal enemies and this paranormal Romeo and Juliet romance with an edge will keep readers intrigued. Just like her characters, Pineiros books are smart, sensual and irresistible. Alternative Worlds: The second Sin Hunters romantic urban fantasy is a terrific tale of forbidden love between beloved enemies. The cast is fully developed whether they are Victorias BFFs or clan members, but especially the protagonists. Fast-paced, Caridad Pineiro provides a wonderful west side of the Hudson paranormal romance. Single Titles.com "The love story in THE CLAIMED is enchantingly romantic, while the paranormal aspects are particularly creative.Caridad Pieiro masterfully creates innovative paranormal worlds. The supernatural characters in the Sin Hunters series are extremely distinctive in their inherited skills, and how they use their natural abilities is cleverly shown in THE CLAIMED. . . THE CLAIMED is imaginative paranormal at its best, where the characters are genuine with affecting emotions. Paranormal Romance Guild - 5 Stars Ms. Pineiro the story has everything you could want in a love story and More. We have lovers, villains, treachery, pain, bloodshed and perhaps towards the end another love story in the making???? . . . .You have left me breathless! CLICK TO ORDER:

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Chapter 29
Christopher stood by Ryan, completing their plans. From low on the beach came the sudden drone of immense power. They both looked down and watched as at least three dozen bodies materialized along the shoreline. The warriors lined up in a neat phalanx, their red and blue auras stained with murkiness from the pox, identifying them as Shadow Hunters. A brighter blur of light sped to their side and took shape beside them with a flash. The forms aura was brighter, a testament to its power, but deeply contaminated by the darkling threads of the pox. Alexander. Even in the faint moonlight he recognized his fathers energy. Im surprised he came himself, Ryan muttered from beside him. As am I, Christopher confirmed. He had not expected his father to sully his hands in battle. His presence there could mean only one thing. He means this to be a fight to the death, Ry. Then it shall be his death, Quinchu. Christopher had hoped to avoid this kind of challenge. It was why he had left the clan, taking his followers with him. His father was still a young man, barely past the start of his last triad, with much life left to him. At least another fifty to sixty years. But no longer, if his father insisted on going through with this confrontation. Christopher had too much to live for to allow his father to steal his vitality. Alexander raised his hands and seemed to be summoning the skies above him. A glow erupted at his palms, but instead of creating deadly orbs of power, with a wave of his hands he

sent the energy across the skies, creating a shield that extended from his men up to the rear of the house. While shields such as this one were normally used to hide Hunter activities from prying human eyes, this shield was different. He could tell from the shimmer of the energy threads along the field. This barrier would not only hide, but also make it harder for anyone to escape the battle. It was much like the grounding line tethering Maya, and any Hunters coming in contact with the shield would lose a bit of their power. Power that would be funneled back to the creator of the defense. Only a huge explosion of power could break such a force field, risking both the creator and the person attacking the barrier. But his father, lazy as always, had failed to consider one thingAlexander had left the back portion of the shield sitting along knee-deep water. Christopher intended to capitalize on that. Although Ryan was urging him inside, Christopher broke free of his friend and raised his hands. He shot out lines of energy to the water behind his fathers men and became one with the liquid that was his affinity. With a jerk of his hands, he whipped up the waves and pulled them forward, sending a low tidal surge toward the rear of the phalanx. The force of the waves he created sent a number of men tumbling against the Hunters in front of them, who struggled to maintain their footing. Like a conductor directing an orchestra, Christopher moved his arms and sent the waves rolling back and forth, then sideways, unsettling even more of his fathers men, but in his core he experienced the drain on his life force. It was taking too much energy to manipulate such a large body of water.

He broke the connection, intending to recover the vitality at his core, and in that instant, a mortar of energy landed barely a foot away, driving him backward and creating a wide crater in the lawn in front of him. Ryan and another of his cadre members leaped to his defense, offering protection as one of his fathers warriors lobbed another orb of power toward him. Get inside, Christopher. Youre our last line of defense for the women and children, Ryan pleaded, backing him up toward the house as he kept up a defensive posture, conserving his energy. Alexanders men were still battling the shifting waters Christopher had created along the sand, but they were able to shoot off-balance shots of energy. His cadre members were holding their ground, knowing that it was imperative for them to keep their positions. Force them to waste their power before you attack, he instructed Ryan, and backpedaled toward the house, not that he intended to be sidelined inside the structure. But as long as Ryan believed he was there, his friend would fight more efficiently without worrying about his well-being. Christopher pivoted and raced for the house, aiming for one of his cadre members. When he reached the man, he commanded, Go help Ryan. Once the man had charged forward, Christopher took his position on the highest spot of ground close to the house and surveyed the battlefield. His father was still maintaining the shield, apparently hoping to prevent the retreat of Christopher and his people from the area. Of the three dozen or so Hunters who had appeared on the shoreline, at least four had either been swept away or sucked into the slurry of sand created by the pull of the waters.

The rest had managed to restore their formation. As the front of the phalanx trudged through the last of the oceans wash, they gained a foothold on the beachfront. The first line of the formation dropped to their knees and directed fire on the dunes to either side of the house, landing damaging blasts where his cadre members had assumed defensive positions. The second row of the phalanx lobbed large balls of energy toward the house, and although the distance prevented much accuracy, the rounds nevertheless did damage as they landed. The balls gouged huge holes in the lawn and smashed against the house, breaking through wood and plaster. From a position high up on one of the balconies, one of his more powerful cadre members took out two Hunters in the front row with dead-on blasts of power. But barely a heartbeat later the balcony exploded, showering those below with bits of house and the Hunter as he fell to the lawn, badly wounded. Christopher needed to get closer to cause the most damage. He raced toward the dunes along one side of the house, dragging forth orbs of energy as he moved. When he was closer he fired a wide swath of power at the front row. The shot caught two of the Hunters midbody and they lit up like Roman candles before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. The pyrotechnics disrupted the phalanx, sending Hunters running in every direction, which helped his cadre members. With the formation broken, his warriors were able to pick off a few of Alexanders men. From the side of his eye he caught a glimpse of light streaking toward him. He dropped to the ground and rolled, tasted dirt as the shot tore into the ground and he breathed in the debris. Before another Hunter could target him, he came up running for the safety of the nearby dunes.

Once there, he directed his energy at the small gap of ground that still separated Alexanders warriors and his people, who had retreated toward the house. Calling forth the waters beneath the lawn and sand into that too-narrow gap of land, he watched the first of his fathers men sink ankle deep into mud and wet sand. When the man hesitated, standing upright to pull his feet out from the muck, a blast from Ryan sent the man to the ground, his body jerking as the energy short-circuited his system. Ryan was not using fatal energy, only enough to take the warriors out of the battle, which allowed him to conserve his power. His cadre members likewise took out two other Hunters, but in agony Christopher watched as a like number of his men fell, gravely injured. Alexanders men clearly did not intend to take any prisoners. Even though Alexanders warriors had been slowed by the sloppy ground, they continued firing at his clan and the house. As one blast landed perilously close, Ryan dropped back toward the house with Matt, another of his cadre members. They fired alternating blasts, providing cover for each other as they sought better positions. Christopher rose to the top of the dune to protect his warriors. He fired down on some of the men who had been delayed by the mud he had created. As Alexander realized that it was him on the dune, he called out to his men, Get him. Up on the ridge. The Hunters turned their attention to him and Christopher barely managed to race ahead of the blasts as they tore up the ground behind him. He kept on speeding forward, working his way toward his father, intending to take him down in the hope that Alexanders men would either retreat or double back to protect their Aaru.

But as he neared, he heard a pained cry. Ryans voice. He turned to see Ryan stumbling toward the house, holding his side. A second shot skimmed past his leg, but it was enough to drop him. His friend lay on the ground, his body jerking from the power shorting out his Hunter pathways. Damn it, he thought, torn between friendship and duty. He should press forward to confront Alexander, but he wanted to help Ryan. As a blast tore into the side of the house and he heard the screams of his people within, there was only one decision he could make in order to protect them. He raced forward, opening fire on his father, but Alexander had been surrounded by a trio of men who formed a protective barrier around their Aaru. They swiveled in his direction and shot at him. As a blast landed dangerously close, Christopher rolled down the edge of the ridge, sending sand flying as he pushed to his feet at the base. But when he did so, he saw another wave of Hunters materializing along the shoreline. A dozen or more. His heart sank. He and his small band of people could never hold off more warriors. All was lost, he thought, as he sought out cover from the death raining down upon them.

Copyright 2012 Caridad Pineiro Scordato All Rights Reserved For more information, please visit www.caridad.com