Excerpt from DESPRITE MEASURES – release due Dec 13th

I watched warily as the salamander settled to the car park, blackening the concrete and immolating a few dry twigs. He was close enough that I could feel his intense heat, and I had to narrow my eyes to cope with the brightness. A scorching smell wafted across the open car park.

In much the same way as I had done, he metamorphosed into human form. His fiery light dimmed as the flames wrapped in on themselves, going solid and dark. Clothes formed over rich chocolate skin and my breath caught as the transformation completed.

I was looking at the most stunning woman I could imagine.

“But you’re female!” I protested.

It was centuries since I’d heard even rumour of a female Salamander. I fought to get my head around this new wrinkle as unexpected sensations coursed through me. My knees shook and my heart fluttered. I struggled to breathe. But for my years of practice, I’d have wondered if I’d fashioned a faulty body.

I knew I hadn’t.

She was breathtaking. From the tips of her dainty red toenails in their golden peep-toe mules to the top of her dense cornrows plaited with shining gold beads and woven into an elaborate crown, she was gorgeous. I’ve had my fair share of lovers of both sexes, and of different species, but this salamander was different; I had to have her.

Yet I could never go within feet of her for fear of wiping a whole country off the map.