Thursday Thirteen #44 Secrets of Night Edition

[xakara]

Greetings Kittens,

This week I step aside my friendly ramble to highlight the new release Secrets of Night by Virginia Cavanaugh. I'll be bringing you the first thirteen paragraphs of chapter one, (not counting single sentence dialogue where I could ignore doing so), as an excerpt to whet your appetite for more. I'll even number them because I know some of you count otherwise *grin*. So here you are, A 13 Paragraph Sneak Peak of Secrets of Night.

Enjoy

Cover Art by Amanda Kelsey
A 13 Paragraph Sneak Peak

 

1)Kierra stood in the thick woods, surveying the three floors of the brick mansion that

housed the Shape-Shifting Senators of the Order of Night for Area Four. She crept

silently through the woods and slid behind the massive trunk of an old maple tree,

concealing herself in its shadow. She peered around it, careful not to expose her form to

their enhanced vision.

2)A strong masculine hand clamped around her mouth, and she drew in a shocked

breath through her nose. A warm summer breeze glided past, rustling the leaves above

her head and carrying the scents of pine, earth, and something else extremely tempting

and forbidden. The muscles in her body—tense with need to react and defend herself—

relaxed as she realized she had nothing to fear from the newcomer. His hand slid from

her mouth and down her neck, causing her to shiver. Soundless movement brought the

Vampire Kale around to stand in front of her. The moonlight filtered by the dense canopy

of trees partially illuminated the area.

3)Even though it was forbidden for her to mix with other races, she could not stop her

body and mind’s reaction to him. Her gaze roamed over his body as her heart increased

its tempo. He easily stood at six and a half feet tall, with long black hair, and pale blue

eyes. The rippling muscles of his body were large and well defined. Full lips were turned

up in a playful smile, revealing a small dimple above a strong jaw. He wore the usual

black tank top and black leather pants, which hung perfectly on his lean hips.

4)“Witch,” he stated in greeting.

5)“Anemic brat.” She cast him a contemptuous smile. She hated it when he called her

Witch. Her race took it as an insult. “And once again I shall remind you that the

politically correct term is Sorceress. I don’t chant, draw pentagrams, or brew potions.

Now get back before they see you.”

6)“Which brings me to my first question.” He walked around the tree, coming to a stop

behind her. “What are you doing here?”

7)His whisper sent heated breath across her neck and cheek. A mild shiver of delight

traveled down her spine. She wondered if he had any idea of the effect his presence had

on her. Part of her wished he would go crawl back under whatever rock he had crawled

out from under, while the other side wanted to know why he was here in the first place.

She had taken a great risk in coming herself. So what motivated him? She looked at him

over her shoulder. “I should ask you the same thing.”

“I was just out for a stroll. How about you?”

8)She rolled her eyes, refusing to rise to the bait. Could he ever be serious? She

focused her attention back to the front of the house. Three black SUVs were parked in the

circle drive with their motors left running. Two men, dressed in solid black, stood off to

the side smoking. Their faces were illuminated faintly by the red glow of their cigarettes

as they inhaled, but she did not recognize them. The bay window of the dining room

revealed the five Shape-Shifting Senators seated at a long table, along with ten other

people who Kierra assumed were also Shifters. “There’s a lot of activity going on in

there.”

9)She felt the slight pressure of his body behind her as he peered over her shoulder at

the house. A wave of heat washed over her as his chest came into contact with her back,

and she found it increasingly harder to think clearly.

“I agree, but that still doesn’t tell me why you’re here.”

10)She drew in a tight breath as she refocused on the problem at hand. “Earlier today, a

group of five young Sorceresses were attacked,” she whispered. “They all ranged

between twenty and twenty-five years of age. Their powers were just starting to surface

and were still very unstable. Three of the women were taken and the two that returned

were scratched up and bitten. They said they were attacked by a group of Shifters they

had not seen in this area before.”

“Are the two that got away certain that the other three were taken and not killed?”

11)“They said they were being shoved into the back of a van. They only escaped

because Emmaline shocked her captor and then reached out and shocked Catheria’s.

They both ran for it as Emmaline placed a shield around them. They’re very lucky

Emmaline was able to control her magic.”

12)“You know, even if the Senators had something to do with this, they wouldn’t have

been stupid enough to bring them here.”

13)“I know. But you have to admit that their absence during the Order’s biannual

meeting last night, coupled with this abduction, is more than a little odd. No new Shifters

would’ve been able to settle in this area without the consent of their Monarch and the

Area Four Senators. I want answers, and I figure this is as good a place as any to start

getting them.” They were either here illegally with the blessing of the Senators, or their

Monarch was involved with whatever they were up to. Without knowing, she couldn’t

very well turn it over to the Shifter Triad member. She had to know if they were all

corrupt or just the ones who were in front of her.

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