Whenever I write, there is always a serious element of jeopardy running through it. I think there’s something very potent and sexy about mixing romance and thrillers together.

In The Handler, you’re in the middle of the danger zone. Allegra has to deal with a threat against her life from The Hunters, who’ll happily kill her either as a wolf or as a human.  So, when her regular Handler is injured, she’s thrust into the care of Olivia.

And the journey to write this story started with just two words.

“I’m in”.

That’s immediately what came into my mind when I saw the submission call on Delilah’s website. “I’m in.” Two powerful words that held promise and I knew that whoever was going to be a part of this story had power… but they just didn’t know it.

I’m in. My wolf body is always a neat fit once I transform. Commanding my cells, breaking them down one by one in milliseconds doesn’t hurt, well not anymore. At my first change, I’d screamed then howled in agony as minutes ticked into hours. Hours of horror. Gradually, I’d learned to transform with effortless ease, my initial pained gasps and pants gone. It’s all been replaced by a sharp inhalation of breath that ends with a euphoric shiver along my spine, a forthright twinkle in my eye as I wake the wolf.

As a wolf, Allegra’s strong, capable but still finding her feet (or paws). She’s holding it together as a human, but living in seclusion as she tries to deal with her heritage. She might be at the helm of a billion dollar empire, but when the deals are done, when it’s just her on her estate… she’s lonely.

When the threat forces her out from her home and into the arms of Olivia… both of her lives, wolf and human, change as she embraces her power.  The transition from weak to strong is going to be bumpy, but the best rides usually are…

I let out a broken exhale. It’s not enough… I’m going to pop any minute. The French doors… fresh air might help… I unlock them, push and step onto the deck, the snowy night taking my breath away, but still I jog down the steps. Toes sink into the frozen grass, the flakes sticking to my bare body. I hope the multiple pinpricks of cold will distill the volcanic tension. Hands reach for my shoulder. Press softly. Olivia. Naked.

“I’m going to transform…”

“It’s okay…” She palms my hair. “It’s okay.”

I take a breath, arching into the heat claiming my muscles. I gasp unevenly, and then I’m staring at her knee caps. I back off, my chest filling with air, confusion making me whine softly.

“Easy…” Olivia kneels, holding out her open hand.

I go into it. Her hand works softly through my damp pelt. She smoothes it back in a caring gesture. I nuzzle her neck, whining softly. If I’d been human, I would have been crying.

Most of my published work like The Queen in Red Velvet and Absinthe, The Storm in Cowboy Lust are romantic thrillers, even The Deacon, as featured in Suite Encounters: Hotel Sex Stories has a tinge of danger when the two main characters have sex up against a hotel door… on the outside of the room.

Any future work will probably be in this category, after all, what’s life without a bit of action?

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You can view the trailer for The Handler here.

And check out www.tahiraiqbal.com for more about my work, additional trailers and information.