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She writes fantasy, paranormal romance, and everything in between, seasoned with a good dash of adventure and mystery. Join her on my tales of magic, adventure, and romance.
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The mystery word for the Scavenger Hunt in the chapter below is bolded and colored BLUE. Simply find the word and then put that word in the rafflecopter as a giveaway entry. Enjoy!
Chapter One, Part 3
She grabbed his arm. “Cast something.”
“What?” The last time he’d tried to use necromancy to stop someone, nothing had happened.
“There’s no other option. Cast something.” She lengthened her stance and held her sword ready. “I can hold them off for a little while.”
“I can’t.” Just because he wanted something didn’t make it possible. He wanted to go to Gyja, have another kiss with Celia, live a long life, and myriad other things the Dark Son was denying him.
“Try,” she said with a growl.
Three thugs stormed through the break, swords drawn. In the moonlight, they looked like demons, with pale faces and wild eyes. Their shirts clung to well-muscled bodies, their wet hair hung limp about their faces. Ward’s heart thudded against still painfully bruised ribs. He drew a breath. For what? He didn’t know—to cry, fight, beg, or cast a reverse wake that would never work. There was no way he’d be able to shove the men’s souls from their bodies. But Celia was going to die…again…and he along with her.
The closest man swung at Celia’s head. She blocked the strike, dropping to one knee from the force of the blow.
Goddess, their options were death or the impossible.
She shoved her assailant’s sword to the side and kicked him in the gut. He stumbled back, but another man rushed into his place with the third man at his side and two more crowding behind. There were too many. The only place to go was over the cliff.
Of course. The cliff.
They might not survive the fall, but they wouldn’t survive at all if they stayed.
Ward seized the back of Celia’s shirt and leapt. She slammed into him. The demon men, the rock face, the pines, and the scrubby bushes fell away. All that remained was him with Celia cradled against his chest immersed in rushing air.
For a moment, just a heartbeat, the heat from her body warmed him. He had his arms around her, his cheek close to hers. He was in control, his life wasn’t a complete disaster, and—
They hit the water with a crack. Air burst from his lungs. Cold brown froth engulfed him. Celia slipped from his grasp, and the water tossed him end-over-end. He thrashed against it, desperate to escape the depths. His chest burned, and he couldn’t hold his breath much longer.
He kicked up and broke the surface, gasping for air and struggling to get his bearings. A wave washed over him, spinning him around. He kicked up again, blinking silty water from his eyes.
The bank rushed past, a blur of uneven shadows, mounds of rock, shrubs, and trees. A flash of something pale caught his eye downstream. He thrashed toward it, praying it was Celia.
Another wave swept over him, and the pale object disappeared. The water surged, dark and fierce. Something shot into the air. A hand. It had to be Celia.
With renewed energy, he swam toward her. Her head bobbed, and she looked around. She seemed calm, but her eyes were wide, as if she were taking in everything with a glance. Their gazes met as a wave pushed him under.
He surfaced. They were closer. If he could get to her, they might just survive. He reached out, straining. Their fingers brushed.
Just a little farther.
Their fingers touched again, and he slammed against something. Pain shot up the right side of his body and across his head. The bank twisted, and the current pulled him under. When he broke through the surface, Celia wasn’t in sight. Only froth, shadows, and rushing water surrounded him.
A low hanging branch grazed the top of his head. He seized it, but the current ripped it from his hand and threw him into a rock. A sharp edge scraped his ribs. He gasped, sucking in more water than air. Coughing, he hit something else and clawed at it, digging his fingers into its hard surface and hauling himself onto the bank.
All his muscles burned. All the old aches and pains from his week in Brawenal, still half-healed, shook him. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to calm his racing heart. If he could rest for just a moment.
Someone yelled nearby. He struggled to raise his head, but it was too heavy. His left arm pulsed with what could only be an infection. If he didn’t do something soon, it could claim his arm, or worse, his life. And if he didn’t get up and run, the bounty hunters would kill him before his arm did.
Was normal just too much to ask for?
Week One
9/23/2013- Fantasy Book Addict- Interview
9/24/2013- Book Briefs- Review
9/25/2013- Happy Booker- Scavenger Hunt
9/26/2013- Magical Urban Fantasy Reads- Scavenger Hunt
9/27/2013- Refracted Light Reviews- Scavenger Hunt
Week Two
9/30/2013- Books Are Magic- Review both books
10/1/2013- Reading In Twilight- Scavenger Hunt
10/2/2013- Fade Into Fantasy- Interview
10/3/2013- BookHounds YA- Scavenger Hunt
10/4/2013- Pinkindle Reads & Reviews- Review
Prize 1: Signed copy of Ward Against Death and Ward Against Darkness and a $25 gift card (Amazon or B&N) US Only
Prize 2: $15 gift card (Amazon or B&N) US/Canada
Prize 3: 2 eBooks International
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Congrats on your new release Melanie! Love the cover
ReplyDeleteSeems like Ward de'Ath is always in some kind of trouble, or at least facing a challenge. Hopefully he'll do fine. Thanks for the excerpt and the fun giveaway.
ReplyDeleteLove the cover. So terrific!
ReplyDelete