by Eden Ashley
Publication date: November 18th 2014
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
Synopsis:
Sometimes great evil is necessary to keep what you love most.
After centuries on the run, Rhane can avoid justice no longer. Primes have called him home and now he must finally answer for the sins of his past. But the situation in Rhane’s homeland is far worse than anyone could have imagined, and the judgment Rhane faces is a brutal one. Even relying on the strength of the immortal Banewolf, the man he has become may not survive.
Kali and the other kin work tirelessly to secure Rhane’s freedom, but many obstacles stand in their way. Wesley offers a solution that hinges upon resuming a dangerous search for the Siren’s Heart. Trusting him, she and the kin set out once again to find the elusive artifact, believing Rhane and Warren’s freedom can be bartered in exchange for the statue. But other creatures are searching for the Heart. And with greater resources and a head start, their enemies may reach it first.
Purchase:
The
Beginning…
The sound of her screams reached him as
he neared the dorm. Pausing at the threshold, the man stepped inside. Death and
the wind were at his back. Dozens of hollow-eyed students turned to observe his
presence. Fear had twisted their youthful faces into horrific masks. A few of
them wept. Others clung together as another scream echoed into the night. The
man flinched. Then he steeled himself against all emotion. His kind was
supposed to feel nothing.
He made his way through the crowd, students
eagerly shuffling aside to let him pass. It was as if somehow they sensed in
him the power to end her suffering. When a young man dressed only in boxers and
a lettered shirt stepped forward from a cluster of solemn dorm mates, the man
stopped. He recognized the boy.
“You are William. You are the one who
called.”
“Yes, sir,” the young man said while
nodding. His eyes were wide and frightened as he pointed ahead to a closed door
painted prison grey. “She’s in there, sir.”
The man looked at the door, and then
back at the boy. “Is she alone?”
William’s shoulders slumped with
embarrassment. “I tried to stay with her but…” his voice trailed, dropping to a
hoarse whisper. “She looks bad, sir. She wouldn’t stop screaming for me to get
out. I got scared. I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright, son. You have done well.”
The man laid a hand on the boy’s shoulder with an encouraging smile that
reflected none of the sadness he felt. “She’s going to be okay.”
But her cries were becoming more
tormented by the second. He quickly continued down the hall to the grey door.
Behind it, he found her all alone. Her thin, pale body was curled on a beaten
sofa in the center of the room. She was drenched in sweat. Dark hair plastered
against her face, framing a beautiful canvas contorted with anguish. He placed
a hand gently on her forehead.
Her eyes fluttered open. “Daddy?”
“I’m here, sweetheart. Everything is
fine now.”
Sobbing in relief even as another surge
of agony ransacked her strength, she gritted her teeth. “It hurts.”
Squeezing her hand, he spoke in a voice
thick with regret. “I know. I’m sorry. Letting you come here was a mistake.
I’ve waited too long.”
She was lost in the pain and didn’t seem
to hear him. “I see horrible things. I did horrible things. There was so much
blood.”
It hurt him terribly to see her in such
distress. No matter what the others said, this girl had truly been his
daughter. But right now, his love for her could not matter. He had a job to do.
There were things he needed to know. There were questions he had to ask.
“What do you see?”
“Bodies,
hundreds of bodies littering the ground…” The words broke off as she rolled
with another wave of misery. “They’re burned…old and young, women and
children.” She sobbed again. “I think I burned them.”
“I’m going to give you something to stop
the pain. It will help you sleep.”
“Please hurry, Daddy. Make it stop.” Her
body shuddered. “I can’t take any more of this.”
She lifted her head, giving him a good
look at her face. Surging veins had crept like black spiders from the corners
of her eyes, transforming the surrounding skin into dark pools. She was
deteriorating rapidly. If the process wasn’t slowed, the human form would soon
be lost. He kicked himself for making such a foolish mistake, for letting
emotion get in the way of duty. It could have jeopardized everything. He
hurried into the kitchen and returned a few minutes later carrying a red mug
filled with steaming liquid. “Can you sit up?” She nodded and struggled
upright. She took the mug. “Drink all of it,” he said and helped steady her
hands.
The liquid smelled awful. But after the
first sip, her violent trembles began to subside. She downed the rest without
hesitation, draining the mug until the last drop was gone. The grey tint that
had taken over receded as the color of her skin returned to normal. The girl
peered at her hands. They no longer shook.
An uncertain smile spread across her
face. “It’s over.”
He shook his head. “No. We must start
over,” he said sadly.
“I don’t understand.”
He stood from the couch and held out a
hand. “Come with me.”
“What?” She yawned sleepily. Everything
about her was like a normal teenager again. “Dad, I can’t. I have finals
tomorrow.”
“Come with me,” he repeated.
She took his hand and let the empty mug
fall to the couch. He led her out into the hall where everyone waited
anxiously, some visibly grateful to see the young woman leave. Averting her
gaze to the floor, she avoided their eyes. “Everyone’s staring,” she muttered.
“They were worried about you.” He
reached back and drew the girl forward to his side, planting a kiss atop her
hair. As they reached the front door, he saw her try to stifle another yawn.
Even the crisp night air couldn’t shake the veil of drowsiness that would lower
over her mind.
“Dad, I’m really tired.”
“You can sleep on the way.” He smiled
again. To him, the reassurance felt forced and painful because on the inside,
his heart was breaking. He hoped his daughter wouldn’t know it.
Wrapping her arms about him, she hugged
him tightly and buried her head into his shirt like she had when she was
little. On this night, he couldn’t hug her back. Afraid that if he did, he
wouldn’t be able to let go. What he had to do was cruel. He wished he didn’t
have to. To have so much power and still be powerless was a wretched existence.
#
It was daylight when she awoke. The car
wasn’t moving and the girl was alone inside. She recognized nothing of the
surroundings, had no idea how far her father had driven. It wasn’t unusual for
him to whisk her away on a spur-of-the-moment weekend getaway to the beach. Her
father’s spontaneity was one of the things she loved most about him. But this
wasn’t the beach. And the girl was positive she’d mentioned to him that she had
a final to take—she glanced at her watch—in three hours. Sighing, she opened
the door and slid out of the car. The sound of a child’s laughter came drifting
through the trees. Joined with it was another voice she easily recognized.
With growing curiosity, she started up
the hill. Her feet sank into the moist carpet of undergrowth as she walked
beneath trees of brightly changing foliage. Fallen heralds of orange, red, and
yellow hues blanketed the ground. Not far away, on the other side of a patch of
dense forest, the girl found her father. Oddly enough, he was entertaining a
small child. The two of them sat in an amply filled sand box, busily
constructing a castle with the aid of a small bucket and plastic shovel. The
little girl’s hair was like her own, as black and shiny as a raven’s feathers.
She was four years old at most.
Looking up, her father saw her. No
emotion crossed his face. “Hello.”
She stopped a few yards short. “Hi.”
After the mostly uphill hike, her reply was somewhat breathless.
“Hi,” the child greeted her happily.
Deep brown eyes and a winning smile made her truly a rare beauty, even at such
a young age.
The young woman turned to her father,
her entire face a question. She waited for some sort of explanation.
His golden hair ruffled in the breeze as
he nodded toward the child. “I found her for you.”
She shook her head. “I don’t understand.
Where are we?”
“Please come and sit,” he said quietly.
Hesitant at first, her feet didn’t move
until the little girl echoed the man’s words, “Please come and sit with us.”
She accepted the invitation and sat in
the sandbox. Her legs automatically folded to mirror the child.
“Did you dream last night?”
“No.”
“Good. I’d hoped the tea would help.” He
took her hand. His grasp was both tender and desperate. “I promise you, this
will be the last time.”
“What’s going on?” Although she trusted
her father with her very life, his behavior worried her.
As they conversed, the little girl had
never paused at play. “And this is the tower for the princess,” she announced
proudly, while molding a lopsided chunk of sand.
Her father gazed down at the child
fondly. “Why does the princess need a tower? Shouldn’t princesses be allowed to
be free?”
The child paused thoughtfully. Then she
shook her head, sending a mass of radiant curls bouncing in the morning sun.
“No. The prince can’t find her unless she’s in a tower.”
He smiled and turned to his daughter
again. “Yes…it is time for the prince to find her.”
He took the child’s hand and pressed it
into his daughter’s. The young woman stared in bewilderment as a warm glow
filled her inside and out. Then, as if someone had flicked a switch, everything
went dark. She slumped forward. The man caught her lifeless body, easing it
down gently onto the sand. Then he leaned over and kissed the child’s forehead
softly. “I will always be close.” Not moving, the child sat wide-eyed, staring
blankly at nothing.
Hoisting the body of the young woman
into his arms, he quietly strode away with tears streaming down his face. The
trees hid him from view as the little girl blinked twice and resumed building
the tower in the sandbox.
I'm Eden Ashley and I was born and raised in a small, sunny town in South Carolina. However, it's the thunderstorms that inspire my best ideas. There are few things I love more than curling up with a good book and a cup of coffee on a rainy day, (except maybe chocolate cake. I love cake.) often reading into the wee hours of morning when something really grabs me. I pretty much love anything with supernatural elements, so writing paranormal romance and fantasy romance seems to be a natural fit.
My first novel, Dark Siren, is best described as paranormal romance artfully wrapped within a plot chock-full of action, adventure, and edge-of-your-seat suspense, while the series has evolved to become a journey of redemption and second chances as two characters understand that sometimes committing evil is necessary to protect what is loved most. I took the siren from Greek mythology (and borrowed a little from mermaid lore), creating an entirely different creature, with its own mythology, and one that Publisher's Weekly praised for its passion and complexity. This is not just another werewolf/shapeshifter romance or vampire romance. I think this is a story that both adults and teens can enjoy, full of characters to fall in love with!
I love getting feedback! For the latest news on upcoming sequels and other novels, find me on my website: http://edenbynite.blogspot.com
Twitter: Eden_byNite, for writing tips, publishing help, and daily updates.
2 comments:
Sounds like a good book. Thank you for the giveaway!
(Alisha Sienkiel in rafflecopter)
I really enjoyed the excerpt. Thanks for the chance to win! :)
Post a Comment