I am super thrilled to be spotlighting Natalie-Nicole Bates' See Me!
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SEE ME
by
Natalie-Nicole Bates
Carly Anders is hearing voices in
her head. Another one of her kind is trying to contact her. She knows of
the malevolent freaks—others who are eternal like her and seek out
the weak to inflict pain upon. For years, Carly has held up huge protective
walls to keep herself and her secrets safe. Now, physically and mentally
exhausted, Carly needs protection and rest.
She accepts the invitation to visit an
internet friend who needs help appraising a collection of antique
photographs. The situation is not ideal, but Carly hopes a male
presence in her life will deter the determined suitor who haunts her thoughts
and dreams.
Daniel Tremont is not what Carly is
expecting.
The former funeral director has a
secret of his own. Not only is he eternal like Carly, he is her creation from
all those years before—her abomination she thought she killed.
Daniel has been searching for Carly
for years. He knows she is the piece of his life that he has been missing for
so long. Now that he has found her, he has no intentions of letting her
go.
Excerpt:
He waved a hand in front of her face, but she
didn’t blink. The lights are
on, but no one’s home.
“Carly, my angel,” he whispered and
cupped her cheek into his palm. He revealed in the silkiness and warmth of her
skin. Still, she didn’t react. She was almost…a zombie.
His own body jerked in reaction to the
fear she was emanating. She was clearly sleepwalking and in the throes of one
hell of a nightmare, yet she didn’t cry out any longer. It was all now playing
out inside her mind.
“Charlotte, see me,” he implored.
Her lips twitched at the mention of her
real name.
“See me,” he repeated.
Suddenly, her body gave way and she
collapsed. Catching her, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the
bed. As he laid her down, her breathing became ragged. He placed a hand over
her heart as it raced, and passed healing calmness through his hand, feeling
the energy pulsate against her skin. Beneath his hand, he would feel her
heartbeat slow to a normal rhythm.
“Daniel?” Her voice was mere caress.
“I’m here, my angel. You’re having a
nightmare. You’re frightened. It’s okay now, I’m here, and I will never leave
you,” he promised.
“Everyone leaves, Daniel. You can’t
understand, you can’t…” Her body started to tremble.
He climbed onto the bed and straddled her
body. Leaning close to her face, he said, “Carly, let go of your fear. I can
take it. Let go and see me,” he commanded.
Her breath came out in a whoosh, and a
wall of fear and resistance hit him like a blow from above. It wasn’t exactly
painful, more startling than anything else.
His vision flip-flopped, and he could see
an image from inside her mind of two souls forever entwined as the result of
one act. It made perfect sense. She was reliving the day their souls became
one. The day of the fire.
He then saw black, suffocating water. She
was reliving her own death, as well.
As the visions left him, he was consumed
with the mishmash of fear, loneliness, and resistance within her.
He had to make her understand that it was
over. “I will never leave you, Carly. That is my promise to you,” he insisted.
A flicker of life ignited in her eyes.
Her hands came up to his face, and to Daniel’s surprise, tears bubbled from his
own eyes. He was releasing the pain and fear he had absorbed from his beloved.
“I’m so sorry, Daniel, so sorry,” she
murmured.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for, my
love. It’s over. It’s time to move forward now.”
“You don’t understand what I am, Daniel.”
“I do understand, Carly. I am what you
are. See me for what I am.”
In his mind, he could see the moving
clockwork gears of her thoughts once again as she tried to process what he was
telling her to be true.
“Just accept it, and let’s move forward.”
She drew his face to hers and her lips
parted beneath his. Time blurred and he drank in the essence of his Carly. Her
soft, barely covered curves molded themselves against his the hard planes of
his body. Her hands were under his t-shirt, her fingers stroking him.
If he pressed on, he knew she wouldn’t
refuse him. But in her vulnerable state, he wouldn’t let anything progress
further that night. Carly needed time to process everything that happened.
There was plenty of time to pursue a physical relationship. They weren’t going
any where…he hoped.
About The Author:
Natalie-Nicole Bates is a book
reviewer and author.
Her passions in life include books and
hockey along with Victorian and Edwardian era photography and antique poison
bottles. Natalie contributes her uncharacteristic love of hockey to being born
in Russia.
She currently resides in the UK where
she is working on her next book and adding to her collection of 19th century
post-mortem photos.
Thank you so much for featuring SEE ME at your fabulous blog!
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DeleteThanks for hosting me today.
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