Shadows
of Fate
Shadow
Born, Book
1
By Angela
Dennis
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Date of Publication: April 8,
2014
ISBN: 978-1-61921-927-4
Number of pages: 247
Word Count: 87,000
Cover Artist: Kanaxa
Buy Links:
Tagline: Redemption lies beyond the veil between truth
and lies.
Book
Description:
After witnessing her husband’s
brutal murder, Brenna Baudouin lost control of her Shadow Bearer powers and
wreaked havoc on her home world. Her penance: one hundred years policing hordes
of supernatural misfits that spilled onto the Earthly plane after a cataclysmic
war.
She’s on a routine exorcism run
when she learns she’s been assigned a new partner. But there’s something about
this Shadow Bearer that sparks her suspicions. Particularly when people closest
to her start turning up as piles of ash.
Gray Warlow holds tight to the
glamour that allows him to get close to the woman on whom he plans to wreak
vengeance for betraying his people. Yet as he skillfully manipulates his way
past her distrust, he begins to see her not as the heartless monster he was led
to believe, but a strong, vulnerable woman.
As they work to put together the
pieces of a killer’s macabre puzzle, an attraction deeper than blood and bone
flares between them. And they must reveal their deepest secrets to avoid
becoming the final targets.
Warning:
A thrill ride of supernatural proportions. Contains violent battle scenes,
nail-biting suspense, crazy hot sexual tension, and enough twists and turns to
make your head spin.
Excerpt:
Copyright © 2014
Angela Dennis
All rights
reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication
Her gaze
stretched to the bar. Beneath the glittering liquor bottles and burnt oak, a
bottle of Jack in one hand and Grey Goose in the other, stood her target. Dirty
blond hair brushed past his eyebrows, the rest tied back in a rubber band. He
seemed innocent enough. As he flipped a glass bottle behind his back, muscles
rippling on his shirtless body, magic seeped from his skin. It flowed around the
women stretched across the bar, their assets on display as well as their lust.
Thankfully, he
didn’t get much bang for his buck. This one was weak. Newly possessed, the
demon hadn’t had time to gain a strong enough lock on the victim’s body. This
shouldn’t take long. The piles of paperwork she had left on her desk might even
get done tonight.
She pushed
through the crowd, stripping her leather duster off her shoulders as she went.
The black corset underneath, paired with tight leather pants, flattered her
figure. She turned heads, especially the demon’s. She released the hair tie at
the back of her neck. With a quick shake, her burnt copper curls slid down to
her waist. She stopped at one of the tiny tables and threw her coat across the
barstool.
Eyes closed, she
pretended the music was something more aesthetically pleasing as she stepped
onto the dance floor, keeping her mark at the forefront of her mind. She felt
his eyes on her body as she swayed to the music. Hips gyrating to the heavy
beat, she pulled on her glamour to blend in with the other dancers as she let
her magic wrap his body. Losing herself in the music, she let him watch her
move, feeling his desire amp. His energy vibrated as he made his way through
the crowd, his power wild.
His hands draped
her hips and he pulled her to him, his magic sliding over her body. Darkness
tinged her aura, but she shrugged it off. Dealing with demon magic never got
easier, but his wasn’t powerful. Grinning, she wrapped her hand around his
neck, pulling him close until her lips brushed his ear. His burning skin jumped
against her touch.
They stilled for
a moment as the DJ switched tracks. “Think you could get me a drink?” she
breathed, brushing a hand down his bare back. “I’m thirsty.” She grinned as he
nodded, eager, the demon jumping beneath his skin.
“Anything for
you, darlin’.” He wrapped a possessive arm around her waist, moving her toward
the bar. “What’s your poison?”
“Whiskey.
Straight.”
A grin played on
his lips. “My kinda woman.”
Pushing past the
other bartender, he grabbed a bottle of Jack and poured her shot. She caught it
as it slid across the splintered wooden bar. Tossing it back, she reveled in
the slow burn of the liquor. It was an old favorite. Just cause she was working
didn’t mean she couldn’t treat herself.
She tossed back
a second shot, thankful she didn’t have the ability to get drunk. Giving the
demon her best longing look, she leaned forward. “Thanks. I needed that,” she
murmured. “What’s your name?”
“Zed.”
Leaning forward,
she traced a finger down her cleavage. “Do you think you could give me a ride
home, Zed?” she asked. She bit one finger in a nervous gesture, knowing he was
buying it. “My friend went home with some guy and left me here. I can wait.”
His eyes
flashed, and she knew she had him.
“Sure.” He
glanced at the other bartender. “Give me a second. I got off an hour ago.”
Sure you did,
she thought.
A few seconds
later he was back, pulling on a t-shirt as he walked. The gesture was
surprisingly human. With the demon hiding inside, the brimstone dancing in his
blood would keep his body uncomfortably hot, eventually burning him alive from
the inside out. It may be the middle of winter, but he would never feel the
cold.
He held up his
keys as she rose to meet him. “My truck’s out back.”
She moved
closer, letting him drape an arm over her shoulder. “Let me grab my coat.” The
duster was where she had left it. She draped it over her arms as she turned on
her psychic link with Xavier. The mage accepted, and Brenna turned to the
demon, knowing Xavier was watching through her eyes. At this point, the mark’s
lust was so inflamed he wouldn’t notice the slight change of color in her
irises.
Wrapping her
free arm around Zed’s waist, she led him through the mass of patrons to the
exit. As they stepped into the wintry air, she noticed the bikers again. They
stood beside their Harleys, watching her warily as she passed. She worried the
tension might give her away, but Zed was oblivious.
She led him over
the cobblestone to where Xavier waited. As they closed in on the shadows, she
could feel Zed’s eagerness spike.
The darkness
moved over them, hiding them from prying eyes. Xavier’s power sang in the
night, a compass pointing her to the van. Leaving Zed to follow behind, she
moved to the gray van and pressed her back against its side. Zed moved toward
her, all pretense of humanity stripped away. The graceless stride betrayed his
hunger as green scales peeled away his skin and his eyes turned to blood red
slits.
Brenna waited
until he was on her, scales chaffing the sensitive skin of her face, then she
dropped her glamour. The demon jerked back as her magic wrapped around his
body, but it was too late. In one swift movement, she pulled the blade strapped
to her back free and ripped the already tattered t-shirt away from his chest.
Shifting her body weight, she slammed him against the vehicle even as his body
mass grew, the demon pushing its way to the surface. One hand held Zed steady,
the other slipped beneath his jeans to feel the skin of his hip.
“A little to the
left,” the demon growled, body shaking, titillated despite itself.
He shifted his
weight and slammed her against the brick wall behind her. His body pressed hard
against hers, he ran a scaly tongue across her cheek. “You don’t have to get
hostile, darlin’. I don’t mind if you like it rough.”
She let her
power surge and kneed him in the crotch. Sparks flew as her spell sent him
flying against the van. Keeping him in place with a holding spell, her fingers
found the rune carved on his hip. She ripped away the denim as she tried to
control the squirming demon.
“A little help?”
she called out. She had pulled back the spell. Her full body weight was pressed
against the demon, but he was starting to get free. Her magic had to be focused
on breaking the possession; she couldn’t waste it restraining Casanova.
She released the
demon as Xavier stepped from the shadows and slammed it against the van again.
Subdued, the creature glared at them, its red eyes filled with hatred. Another
hard slam dazed the creature, but only for a moment.
A flick of her
hand and the back of the van opened. Xavier shoved Zed inside. As soon as he
was strapped into the harness, Brenna ripped off his jeans. His hips now bare,
she was able to see the rune carving, fresh as she had hoped.
Her ceremonial
blade pulsed in her hand as she charged it with her energy.
Zed spit at her.
The saliva sizzled across the corset, burning a hole in the leather.
Damn. That had
been one of her favorites.
“Stuff something
in its mouth. I need to concentrate.”
“Deal with it.
Even in the harness this thing is a bitch to restrain.” White lines creased
Xavier’s eyes, and Brenna worried his injuries were more severe than he let on.
Zed’s fingers
began to work the trappings of the harness, but Xavier pulled him back, one arm
around his scaly neck. In an explosion of power, Zed pulled free, knocking
Xavier into the side of the van. Saliva dripping from his fangs, Zed growled at
Brenna, and snapped the other wrist free. Jumping across the van, he pinned
Brenna beneath him. Spittle fell from his lips, scorching its way across her
skin. She pressed her palm against his face and pushed with all her strength,
ignoring her burning flesh. Then, suddenly, he was gone.
Getting to her
feet, she saw Xavier had strapped the beast back into the restraints.
“You got it?”
Once she started, she wouldn’t be able to help him anymore. All of her energy
would go into the exorcism.
“Yeah. Hurry.”
A sharp giggle
jarred Brenna’s attention. Looking up, she caught Hilda peering through the
glass from the front seat. “If he passes out, I can help.”
“This isn’t a
game.”
Zed slammed
against his restraints. “I like ghosts. They burn like whiskey going down.”
“Shut up,”
Xavier growled.
Tuning them out,
Brenna let the words of the exorcism spell spill from her lips. Her hand
pressed against the rune on the demon’s hip. The carving glowed and the green
light grew until it filled the van.
Zed fought
against the restraints. Obscenities, the kind only a demon would know or
understand, ricocheted throughout the vehicle.
Xavier stuck a
thick leather strap in the demon’s mouth, cutting off his tirade.
Brenna gathered
her magic. It pooled through her and into the athame as she sliced the silver
blade into the center of the rune. Blood seeped from the wound, spilling over
the green light. It exploded with power, slamming Brenna against the van.
Xavier fared better, still wrapped around the demon. He was surrounded by a
musty green steam that reeked of brimstone.
Continuing the
chant, Brenna pulled a pouch of blessed sand from the crevice between her
breasts. Throwing a pinch onto the rune, she banished the demon back behind the
Veil. Golden steam rose from the wound. It twined around Brenna thick and
dense, but she continued to chant even as its foulness tried to seep inside her
mouth.
Darkness teased
the edges of her vision for a few moments, then the warmth of Xavier’s power
wrapped around her body like a shield, pushing out the demonic essence. Time
stood still as the final words filled the air. Then, in a flash, the beast was
gone.
About
the Author:
Angela Dennis lives outside
Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband, son and a sheltie with a hero complex. When she is not at her computer crafting
stories, she can be found feeding her coffee addiction, playing peek-a-boo, or
teaching her son about the great adventures found only in books.
You can visit Angela at her blog www.angeladennisauthor.blogspot.com
or at her website www.angeladennisauthor.com . She loves to hear from her readers, so find
her on Twitter for a chat @angeladennis
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