Paranormal Authors Fight Club

And We Have Some Winners!

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:39:00 +0000

Well the BIG ONE
Across the Veil!
Congrats to Lisa Kessler on her fabulous story.

Now Winners of Simon and Schusters Book Giveaway

This Weeks
Benita   From Ca

Last Week
Mike Shields   From Ca

Paranormal Fight Club Stats Thus Far

noreply@blogger.com (doni) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:47:00 +0000

Elemental Rain has 40 Votes Across the Veil has 67 Votes

Fight Clubber Lisa Kessler's Interview with Angie Fox

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:29:00 +0000

With a degree in Journalism and a background in television news, when did you decide you wanted to write about Demons and Biker Witches?

Well, I've always loved to read, and write - so writing a book of my own was a natural transition for me. As for demon slayers and biker witches? I figured if I'm going to write a whole book, I might as well have a lot of fun doing it.

The Accidental Demon Slayer, which is the first book in the series, started off as a kernel of an idea that amused me. What if a straight-laced preschool teacher suddenly learns she's a demon slayer? And what if she has to learn about her powers while on the run from a nasty, fifth level demon? And wouldn't it be interesting if she's running with her long-lost Grandma's gang of geriatric biker witches?

I started writing and let the story evolve based on the characters and that central issue of what happens when a reluctant heroine is thrust into a series of extraordinary situations. And I knew the story was working when I couldn’t wait to get back to the keyboard every day.

Most authors publish many books before they reach the New York Times Bestseller list. Besides writing a fun, cutting edge paranormal, what else do you attribute to reaching this achievement so quickly?

I was incredibly lucky to have found an amazing readership. Seriously, my readers are some of the most fun, interesting, kick-butt people you'll ever want to meet. They're also quite insistent about recommending my books to their friends, book club buddies and even strangers they "meet" in the bookstore. (Some of those bookstore stories crack me up). In short, I owe it all to my readers and I couldn't be more impressed or grateful.

What can readers expect from future Demon Slayer books? Is there new territory you're aching to cover?

The main thrust of the new books is that Lizzie has come into her own as a demon slayer. That doesn't mean there aren't a lot of surprises along the way, but she really is steeling herself for the final battle ahead. I've always had a very specific direction that I wanted to take with this series, and I've always known it would take five books to complete the story arc.

That said, there have been a lot of surprises. Like Pirate, the dog. Readers familiar with my work know that Pirate wasn't even a planned character - he just showed up in the beginning of the first book. Stubborn dog. In the second chapter, when Lizzie learns she's a demon slayer and there are some very scary, very angry creatures on her tail, she takes comfort in her dog. As I was writing, I thought, "This is a sweet moment. How do I throw her off?"

I made the dog say something ot her. Nothing big. After all, he's only after the fettuccine from last week. And he knows exactly where Lizzie can find it (back of the fridge, to the left of the lettuce crisper, behind the mustard). It tickled me, so I did it. Thanks to her unholy powers, Lizzie can now understand her smart-mouthed Jack Russell Terrier.

And he's been evolving ever since. I was going to try and keep him quiet in A Tale of Two Demon Sayers (book 3). After all, he did have a bit too much fun in The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers (book 2). But then in Book 3, Lizzie finds this dragon egg and it hatches and suddenly Pirate thinks he has a pet. Lizzie tries to explain to the dog that he can't have a pet. He is a pet. But Pirate schemes to keep the dragon and suddenly I have this new dragon character on my hands and a dog that doesn't want to give him up. In the end, Pirate won - he got to keep his pet (who incidentally ended up playing a nice role in the finale of the book) and I suddenly have a new character. So while I plan the overall story plots and character threads, the dog always manages to surprise me.

You've got 3 Accidental Demon Slayer books so far... How many books do you see being in the series?

There will be five books total in the Accidental Demon Slayer series. The book that is coming out in January 2010, called A Tale of Two Demon Slayers, is the keystone book in the series. That's where our accidental demon slayer, Lizzie, comes into her powers and accepts who she is going to have to become in order to master the demons she'll face in the final confrontation (books 4 and 5). I'm writing book 4 right now, which I'm calling The Last of the Demon Slayers. Titles do change, though, so we'll see if that one sticks. The final two books will come out in 2011.

Oh and incidentally, I have this pet peeve as a reader. It drives me crazy when I pick up a cool book and then find out it's book 7 in some series and I'm hopelessly lost. Each of my books is a complete story and can be read as a stand-alone.

Tell us about your favorite reader email ever...

I suppose the award has to go to intrepid reader Marcie, who named her new Jack Russell puppy after Pirate and then proceeded to tell me that her Pirate ate her autographed copy of The Accidental Demon Slayer. Oh, the irony.

Lastly, what is the best piece of advice you ever received before your first book was published?

Make the story big. I had an agent tell me that if I wanted to sell, my characters had to take bigger chances, have more to risk and lose. It’s easy to say, but a hard thing for a writer to do. It’s a vulnerable, risky place to be. I knew The Accidental Demon Slayer was big enough when instead of ending my writing sessions thinking, “I hope that’s good enough to impress an editor.” I ended them thinking, “No. I didn’t not just write that. I did not just make my character defend herself with a toilet brush and a can of Purple Prairie Clover air freshener.”

--
Angie Fox
New York Times bestselling author
THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR DEMON SLAYERS - just released!
www.angiefox.com

Are You Part Demon Slayer?
Find out at: http://quiz.angiefox.com/dangerous-demon-slayer-book/

Don't Miss Lisa's Story Across the Veil here on Romance in the Backseat

Across the Veil - Part Four

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:42:00 +0000

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

“Braitheann sí.” Faldo growled as he stepped inside Talia’s trailer, pointing an accusatory finger at them. “Betrayer.” Faldo tipped his head toward the Sentinel. “Take her back to Summerland. The High Council can decide her fate.”

As the Sentinel stepped forward Keth leapt to his feet. “You will have to kill me first.”

“With pleasure.” Faldo’s mouth twisted into a sick smile. “I have waited all my life for this.”

Keth raised a brow. “No vampires to fight your battle for you this time?”

“Vampires?” Talia got up to stand beside him. “Vampires aren’t real.”

Keth shook his head. “Just because you haven’t seen one, doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I can assure you they’re very real. My dear brother has been sending them to attack me regularly since I crossed the veil.”

Faldo shoved the Sentinel. “Enough talk. Seize her.”

The hulking troll lumbered forward, but Keth dodged his big hand. He lunged forward and hit the creature’s knees. The sentinel waved his arms before toppling over, shaking the entire trailer with the force of his fall. Putrid breath expelled from the Sentinel’s lips as Keth sprang back to his feet.

“Let’s finish this, Brother,” Keth growled. “Just you and me.”

Faldo’s smirk spread and he flicked his gaze toward Talia. Before Keth could react, his brother had her by the throat. “Stay back or I will kill her.”

Talia’s blue eyes met his, but Keth didn’t see fear, instead Talia’s stare burned with determination. She had a plan, so he stalled for time. “Why do you want to crush such a precious flower? Talia has always been yours, Faldo, and you have never deserved her.”

Faldo’s face flushed red. He grabbed her forearm and jerked it up, exposing the vine that matched Keth’s wrist. “She has never been mine. You saw to that when you claimed her for yourself…”

His words ended abruptly when Talia jammed her knee into his groin. His face paled as he bent over in pain. She slammed the heel of her palm into his nose and followed it by bringing her elbow down between his shoulder blades. Faldo crumpled onto her carpet face-first, blood trickling from his nose.

“I don’t belong to anyone,” she huffed. “I’m not a sack of grain or a pretty piece of jewelry.”

Keth started to smile, but from the corner of his eye he saw something moving. His smile faded when he realized the Sentinel was lumbering to his feet.

“Get behind me, Talia.”

She did as he asked and he steadied himself into a fighting stance, ready to counter the creature’s next move. While they circled each other, Talia suddenly ran past him and looped a large metal ringed belt around the Sentinel.

“Diúltach,” she commanded, but the Sentinel kept swiping at her with his large hands. She dodged and glanced at Keth. “My magic never works right on this side of the veil.”

“Diúltach,” Keth growled. “I am your master now.” The Sentinel quieted, his arms lowering to his sides. “You have to combine our magic with human commands. The spell isn’t as strong, but I can usually count on it to work.” He looked over at his unconscious older brother, and then smiled at Talia. “When did you learn to fight?”

She pulled her robe tighter and lifted her chin. “I’m not a little princess anymore. I’ve taken self-defense classes. I can take care of myself.”

He raised a brow and nodded. “I can see that.”

“So what should we do with him now?” She pointed at Faldo. “We can’t just leave him here for the humans to find.”

Keth raked his fingers back through his hair. “We can’t let him live. He’ll never stop hunting us.”

“Are you suggesting we kill him?”

Keth mulled over the thought. Cruelty was Faldo’s specialty. Even before he found Keth and Talia at the lake, Faldo took pleasure in tormenting his younger brother. While Faldo’s physical features favored the light, his soul echoed with bitter darkness. The world would be better off without Faldo in it. Keth turned to grab the stake from his coat, but Talia caught his arm. The gentle softness of her touch pulled him back from his dark thoughts.

Her eyes met his. “We can’t kill him, Keth. If you let darkness win, then your soul will be just as empty as your brother’s.”

“Do you have a better plan? He won’t stop, Talia. Now that he knows where you are, he will send his vampires to call on you too. They lust for Fae blood. They’ll be happy to do his bidding.”

Talia glanced over at Faldo, then back up at Keth. “I have another costume prop with iron in it. We can restrain him and take him back across the veil. The High Council can decide his fate.”

“Why would the council believe us over him?”

Talia straightened up, her glamour lighting up her flawless skin as her eyes twinkled up at him. Even wrapped in her robe she looked every bit the regal faerie princess. He couldn’t help but smile.

“They’ll believe us because I am Talia, Princess of the Light, and I have returned home.”

He took her hand and lifted it to his lips, pressing a slow, lingering kiss to her skin. “We have both been gone from Summerland for five human years; time passes differently there, remember? The kingdom may not be the same.”

“I guess we’ll find out.” She gave his hand a little tug as she rose up on her tiptoes to kiss his lips. No flower on earth smelled as sweet and Talia’s skin.

He tugged Faldo’s arms back behind him as Talia emerged with another belt with iron links. He wrapped the belt around Faldo’s wrists, pulling them tight together. Faldo groaned, but didn’t struggle.

Once Talia was dressed, he yanked Faldo to his feet. “Come brother. It looks like we’ll be going to see the High Council after all.”

Without incident, they made their way off the movie set and out into the arid Arizona desert wind. Keth jerked Faldo to a stop and waited for Talia and the Sentinel to approach. With Talia at his side, he closed his eyes and opened his soul to Summerland’s magic. Cool air, rich with the scent of springtime, whipped through his hair as he chanted, “Osclaíodh sé geata. Open the gate, lift the veil.”

Talia added her voice to the plea. Crossing the veil wasn’t like a spell. It required the veil to welcome you. That was probably part of the reason Faldo sent vampires to attack him. The undead were part of the world of man. Faldo could bribe them with magic or jewels or even the enticement of Fae blood, without ever crossing through the veil himself.

The air around them charged with frantic energy as the desert warped and the color faded. Then as suddenly as the change began, they were back home. Keth frowned, his green eyes narrowing as he took in the stark countryside. Clouds blocked the sun and the lush green grass was withered. All of Summerland was gray.

“What’s happened?” Talia gasped.

Faldo let out a bitter laugh. “Welcome back.”

***

When they reached Talia’s home, the castle no longer sparkled. The stone was dull and cold. Her eyes welled with tears. “I don’t understand.”

Keth took her hand and led her inside, his brow furrowed. How many years had passed since they left? How could the magic of Summerland be lost? The air no longer carried the scent of spring flowers, instead the stale odor of dust and mildew stung his nostrils.

When they reached the chamber of the High Council, Talia gasped. Up on the throne sat the withered bodies of her parents. The king and queen stared blankly ahead; unaware that Talia was in the room. Tears streamed down her face as she knelt between them.

“What have you done?” Keth whispered.

Faldo smirked. “This is all your doing.”

“I had no part in this.”

“You took what was rightfully mine. It was within my right to demand justice.”

Keth’s brow furrowed as he gripped Faldo’s arm tighter. “You call this justice?”

“Justice comes at a high price. After our parents were dead, I had to offer the vampires more Fae blood.”

The world tilted and his legs went weak. “Our parents…”

“Are dead,” Faldo finished.

Keth looked up at Talia kissing the hands of her parents, and the realization that he would never see his parents again hit him squarely in the chest. All the years of rage and hatred burned through Keth’s veins like an inferno as he tackled his older brother, knocking him to the ground. Faldo erupted with maniacal laughter as Keth pummeled his unprotected face.

“Yes, kill me brother. Finish off the world of magic. Replace it with darkness and hate and retribution. Finish it for me. Kill me.”

Keth stopped punching and clamped his hands around Faldo’s neck, squeezing until his brother was silent. He watched Faldo’s eyes bulge as he struggled instinctively for breath.

The sound of Talia’s scream shattered the darkness that embraced him.

Keth let go of his brother and winced. Searing hot pain flared through his head. Talia’s hands covered her face as she wept, and Keth forced his legs to move through the pain. He had to help her. Blood oozed down his forehead when he finally reached her side.

“It hurts,” she gasped as he pulled her into his arms, clenching his jaw to keep from crying out. His vision clouded and for a moment he almost welcomed unconsciousness. He kissed her hair and whispered, “I am so sorry, Talia. An aimsir láithreach.”

“I love you too,” she sobbed.

He closed his eyes, and whispered a heartfelt plea to the Lady of the Lake. “Take me. Let Talia live. Please. Take me in her place.”

Talia clung to him. She always fit so perfectly in his arms, like he was born to hold her. As he drifted away, a smile warmed his lips. He’d finally come home.

“Keth?”

Her voice sounded distant. He tried to answer her, but he couldn’t move. Her fingers slid through his hair, soothing the fiery ache. Gradually he took air into his lungs, savoring the sweet taste until his eyes fluttered open. He stared up at Talia, dazed by the glow of her red hair. As his vision cleared, he realized streaks of green now flowed through her mane, and around her head a tattoo vine appeared green with life. He opened his mouth, but couldn’t find the words.

Talia traced her fingertips along his forehead as she bent to kiss him. “You have one too,” she whispered. “Summerland has made you my king.”

Keth sat up, his jaw dropping as he took in the flowers that surrounded them. The High Council chamber sparkled with magic and glory once again. He spun around toward his brother, only to find a twisted oak tree in his place. The Sentinel blinked, rubbing his head and wandered out of the room.

“Kethian of the Gollan Clan, please rise.”

Keth blinked. How long had it been since someone referred to him by his full name? He gave Talia’s hand a squeeze and rose to his feet. The king was no longer a shriveled husk. His long silver hair shimmered around him and his eyes twinkled with magic.

“Summerland herself has chosen you for our daughter. By offering your life for hers, you have brought the Light back to our world.” The King rose and helped his daughter to her feet. He brought their hands together and looked at each of them. “Magic grows from love, may both bloom in your lives.”

Keth’s eyes shined with emotion as he stared down at Talia. After a lifetime of longing, they were finally together, no more hiding or pretending.

“I love you,” he whispered, and without hesitation, before all of Summerland, he kissed her.

Elemental Rain Part 4

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:03:00 +0000

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

If he thought she was going to wear this, he had another thing coming! How on earth did he expect her to hide all her hair under that little wig? And the outfit! Where did he find it, Sailors R’ Us?

Before she made it close to the door, she heard a knock, and then it flung open as Jake stormed in.

“Don’t you knock?

“I knocked. I see you’re not ready yet. I don’t care what issues you have with the outfit. There are spies all over this damn town lookin’ for you. They’re lookin’ for your dark hair and Victorian-style clothin’. This drastic change might not be comfortable or desirable for you, but it will keep you safe a little longer than you wanderin’ out of here dressed like that.”

Well that stole her thunder, leaving her speechless.

“We don’t have all day, Lily. I need to get you out of here, so you need to get dressed now. We’re leavin’ in 10 minutes, so be ready. If you aren’t, I’m pickin’ you up and carryin’ you out as is,” and then he stormed out, pulling the door shut behind him.

As infuriating as he was, he was right. She dressed as quickly as possible, after she took a shower. She needed to clean up after last night, but she also needed to wet her hair, so it would fit under the small wig easier.

Twenty minutes after Jake stormed out of the room, all three of them left Millie’s and headed for the wharf, where they would meet the makeshift army Jake had at his disposal. They headed for the Green Dragon.

As they walked, Lily asked him the one question he didn’t want to answer, “What happened to you, Jake, after you left the States?”

He exhaled a deep breath before answering, “Well, my father came over and fought to get me released. It didn’t work as we had hoped. I was forced to serve the term, but two years later, I was released. I was never sure why, but I had heard rumors that someone had argued quite well in my defense, but I have no idea who it was. They didn’t want me to know who they were.”

“So why didn’t you come back then?”

“Ah, Lily. Those two years were hard. I was so messed up by the time I got out, that I needed to purge the demons before I could even think about you. By the time I was ready to face what I had done, too much time had passed. Plus, I heard that you were getting’ married, so I stayed away.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“Your mother.”

“When did you talk to my mother?”

“I didn’t. I wrote you a letter and she responded.”

Without warning, Lily stopped in her tracks and began pacing back and forth across the alley they were walking in, muffled screams of anger escaping from her. Finally, she stopped directly in front of Jake, and looked in his eyes as she spoke, “I want to kill her. I never saw your letter and I never told her to respond! What did she say to you?”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Jake said, looking away from Lily.

“Yes, it does, Jake. Please, tell me what she said!”

Tipping his head back, taking a deep breath and looking up to the sky as if in prayer before leveling his head again, he spoke, “She told me that you had put everythin’ behind you and that you found a nice man to marry. She also told me that you wanted nothin’ to do with me.”

As she looked at him, he could see the tears running down her cheeks. “I never told her any of that, and I sure hadn’t put anything behind me by then. It was next to impossible. Did she say who I was supposed to marry?”

“Yes.”

“What name did she give you?”

“She said his name was Blaine Delhomme and that he was rich and that you would be well taken care of.”

“Blaine? She told you I was marrying Blaine?”

“Yes, she did.”

Shaking her head, Lily turned away from him then and went to pound on the nearest wall, forgetting their situation and screamed.

Jake walked over to her then, stood behind her, wrapped his arms around her. “What is it, darlin’? What’s upset you so much? What haven’t you told me?”

She turned to him then and cried. Even though they were pressed for time, he stood there held her tight, and let her get it out. He knew that if nothing else, this was a long time coming.

After a short time, she pulled away from him, wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her shirt, and finally answered him, “I was never going to marry Blaine. I even told him and my parents that.”

“Ok, but what aren’t you tellin’ me?”

She exhaled to steady herself, “I’ll tell you, but I need to ask you some questions first.”

“Ok. What?”

“When did you send me the letter?”

“I sent it in March about five years ago.”

“When did she send you her reply letter?”

“Does it really matter?”

“It might. Please, I need to know.”

“Let’s see, it was durin’ May I received it that same year. It had to be May because she made references to you bein’ a June bride and it wasn’t June yet.”

“I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around how cruel she really is. She knew the truth and she lied to you.”

“What do you mean?”

“She knew when she wrote you that letter that I was in love with you, because I still trusted her as my mother, and told her as much. She must have known that you would return if you ever knew and she did whatever she had to, to keep us apart. She must have known all along about what I was and that you were my protector! But why would she ask you to stay with us if she knew about our connection?”

“It makes sense. Keep friends close, but your enemies closer. It was a smart move. It gave them an edge to know what my schedule was supposed to be, but their plan backfired on them. That’s why we can’t dawdle here any longer, Lily. They’ve got to be pretty angry and out for blood. So we need to put all this aside, for now. We can come back to it later if you need to, I promise. For now, we need to go.”

“Ok, I’m ready,” she said as she turned and began walking down the alley again.

“Um, darlin’,” he called.

“What,” she asked as she stopped and looked at him over her shoulder.

“You’re goin’ the wrong way.”

Looking down at her feet as she turned towards him so that he couldn’t see her turn ten shades of red she replied, “Oh.”

They walked the rest of the way in silence and luck was on their side because the trip was uneventful.

But maybe it was just Millie.

********

The wharf was clean and beautiful. Piers that snaked out to schooners of different sizes and other types of merchant ships lined the blue water’s shore. The sun was setting, the clouds dispersing the rays into all sorts of different colors. Amethyst stretched across sky, turning day into night.

The Green Dragon was aptly named. A huge, green dragon’s head adorned the front of the building, the entrance a big green, scaly mouth. Patrons walked through the dragon’s mouth on its tongue, down it’s throat, and down into the belly of the beast to the party. It was adorned in all sorts of treasure one could imagine being in a dragon’s treasure trove.

The smell of roasting and smoking meats as well as clove, citrus and molasses from craft beer pervaded the air, evoking growls from stomachs of the patrons, including the owner and his guests.

“Hey Jake!”

“Hey Clancy,” Jake replied to the bartender, “I need three dinner platters delivered to my table, please.”

“Sure, boss. What kind?”

“One of each.”

“Yes sir,” Clancy replied, going to the computer to input the order.

“And make it quick, please. We’re pressed for time.”

“Way ahead of you there, sir, I put a rush order on it.”

“Thanks Clancy!”

Jake led them to a table in an alcove that was separate from the rest of the patrons.

“This is a neat place,” Lily said, admiring the surroundings, “do you always eat in rooms like this?”

“Usually, yes. People tend to get nervous when they know I’m in the place, so I try to keep as low a profile as possible.”

“Oh, like that guy calling you, ‘boss,’ helps you keep a low profile?”

Jake shrugged.

She just shook her head and smiled.

The bartender brought over three waters and a shaker glass filled with a dark liquid topped with tan foam.

“What can I get you two ladies to drink?”

“I’ll just have some tea,” Millie replied.

“Hot or iced?”

“Iced, please.”

“Ok, and for you,” he asked, looking at Lily.

“I’ll stick with the water for now.”

“Very good,” Clancy nodded as he left the alcove to fetch Millie’s tea.

A few seconds later, he returned with Millie’s tea and about five minutes after that, a kitchen worker brought the three platters of roast meats, smoked meats and cheeses, a platter of grilled vegetables, another of baked potatoes wrapped in foil and a plate full of grilled Texas toast. They feasted in quiet enjoyment, nervous smiles telling each other more than they could ever say in words.

Millie merely watched the exchange, smiling to herself.

After the meal was over, Millie and Lily used the facilities while Jake settled the bill. The women returned to the table and sat waited, wondering when these friends of Jake’s would show.

Soon, there was some sort of commotion in the bar. A bunch of rowdy men in leather had arrived.

“Aye,” someone bellowed in thick Scottish, “where you be at, laddie? We’re here as requested, now be a good lad and show yerself!”

“Angus, you old sot! How are ya,” Lily heard Jake reply from across the room, just as boisterous.

“In better shape than you, I gather!”

“How do ya, figure that,” Jake asked, his Irish brogue becoming more pronounced.

“Well, I’m not the one makin’ the call now, am I?”

“Aye, true enough, true enough. How many will be showing?”

“Ya should know better than to ask that question, lad. All of us, of course!”

“That’s good. When can I expect the rest of them?”

“Within the next couple of hours, I should think. That fancy jet of yers sure helped matters along, me friend.”

“Glad for that, Angus. I appreciate this, I really do.”

“That’s what the Order’s for. We stand by each other.”

“I know, Angus, but this isn’t really for me. It’s for Lily.”

“Yes, but aren’t ye her Protector?”

“How in blazes would ya know that?”

“Lad, we recognize our own. Now that ye know what yer path is, I can start trainin’ ye properly. That’s the only reason we let you in the order, ye know. We all recognized the protective nature, even if ye didn’t. We just kept a few details until the time was right. Now, the time is right, but I’m not the one to be fillin’ ye in. That’s Athos’ job, not mine.”

“Athos? The musketeer?”

“Yes!”

“But he’s dead.”

“That’s what everyone was meant to think, but I suppose I should explain, so ye aren’t so confused.”

“What, Angus?”

“Protectors are immortal.”

“Immortal?”

“Yes. Just for the record, the phrase ‘all for one and one for all!’ originated with The Order.”

“The Order?”

“The Immortal Order of Protectors.”

“Bloody hell!”

“You’ll appreciate that status in battle,” a gruff voice bellowed.

“Porthos! Ye pirate! How ye be?”

“Ready for a fight, Angus!”

The Final Fronteer

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:46:00 +0000

Who will boldly go into the final round?

Elemental Rain
vs
Across the Veil

A rematch from Round 1

Don't miss the thrilling final match up!

Scores - Last Chance to Vote

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:35:00 +0000

Here are the scores so far going into the last hours of voting - I apologize for the lost hours - having the flu stinks.

Charged - 32

Elemental Rain - 40

Forbidden - 24

Across the Veil - 42

Voting closes at 6pm EST today.

Thanks everybody for coming and don't miss the thrilling conclusion.

Terry Kate

Charged Part Three

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:50:00 +0000

“Hello. Watch where you’re going,” Dakota said, colliding with what felt like a tree trunk. She reached out to steady herself and turned.
A pale, white face stared down at her, but it belonged to the two most brilliant brown eyes she’d ever seen. They looked like pools of dark chocolate.
“In a hurry?” the guy asked.
Long dark locks of hair spilled forward as he leaned toward her. What was up with everyone being so tall? She instantly despised her tiny five-foot-three status.
She batted strands of hair off her forehead, glad, for once, for the windowless hallways leading from the workout room. She would have cleaned up more had she known she’d be running into Mr. GQ. Oh, and nice-smelling GQ. Was that Envy cologne tickling her nostrils?
“Dakota Summers?” The guy held up an index card.
“Yeah?” She stepped back, fighting with her constricting lungs to catch a breath.
“Mr. Smith sent me here to find you. I’m—.” He looked side-to-side then smiled. “I’m new here. He said you’d show me around?”
Her brain turned to mush. “I’ll whaa—?”
His gaze shifted beyond her then to the index card in his hand.
“Oh. New student. New . . . .” Finally the synapses started firing. New to the team. Meaning, new powers. New everything.
Duh. She probably looked like a pretty impressive mentor-type right then.
She’d stayed up way too late with Sean the previous night. How she refused his offer to go to his room, she didn’t know, but she was glad she did. Maybe it was a good thing she had because Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome looked mighty—
“Hey, Red, you okay?”
“Red?”
He pointed his forefinger toward her head. “Yeah, the hair . . . sorry it’s a habit. I give nicknames to pretty—well, I just give people nicknames.”
She tugged at her stringy locks. “Oh. The hair. I get it. Um. Let’s get out of here.”
She stepped around him and plowed down the hall, thankful for the dim lighting. For as much as they burned, she could only imagine how bright her cheeks were.
She cranked the stairwell door open. Metal slamming against metal echoed as she made her way up the stairs with Mr. I-could-melt-in-your-arms newbie close behind. “Okay, so I didn’t catch your name.”
He coughed. “Name? Oh, it’s Tom.”
“Where are you from?” She glanced up. One more flight to ground level.
The lights flickered out.
“Whoa!” Tom said.
“Don’t move.” She reached behind her and sent a little charge of electricity to her fingers. “See my hand?”
“Wow. I do.”
“Grab it.”
“Won’t that hurt? That’s electricity.”
“Only if I want it to hurt. Just grab it. I have to keep my bearings.”
His fingers met hers, and she shut off her electrical charge. Or at least she thought she did. Her skin still tingled where he touched it.
Okay, that’s new.
“What’s happening?”
“Probably nothing. Stay still.” Dakota squeezed his hand, suddenly worried for his safety. “So, what’s your power? How long have you had it?”
A muffled scream erupted. Maybe it came from the floor above them?
“No. It came from behind us.”
“Oh great. Another mind reader.”
“Another one?”
“Forget it.” She tightened her grip around his fingers then lit up her other hand. Her body brushed against his as she made her way down the stairs. “Come on, Tom. Let’s see what you’re made of. Stay close. I’ll keep you safe.”
Too bad his power wasn’t strength or fire or something lethal like that. All she knew was that she needed to protect him.
Dakota creaked open the stairwell door and peeked out, but something hard crashed against the side of her face. She released Tom’s hand and spun, then ducked and kicked. Her foot collided with whatever had just smacked her. A knee maybe? She lit up her fingers and reached for the attacker, but Tom stepped in and wrapped his large hand around the demon’s neck.
His digits glowed as did his eyes, and the demon vaporized. Not even a burst of dust like usual. The next second, his eyes and hand returned to normal. He looked at Dakota and offered her the hand he’d just used to kill the demon to help her up.
“Nice trick!” She let him pull her to her feet. “You’re gonna come in handy.”
The light radiating from her charge reflected his teeth as he smiled. “That’s the idea.”
Tom took lead, still holding Dakota’s hand. Her throat had gone dry. All the moisture in her mouth somehow ended up in her palms.
Mental blocks up! He’d probably heard her thoughts about his looks earlier. And how good he smelled. And then the chocolate comment.
“Get off her,” a muffled voice said from a distance.
A grunt followed, then the clap of a hand hitting flesh. Dakota pointed to the right side of the dark hallway. Athletic Trainers’ room. She glanced at Tom. The light from her hand outlined his clenched jaw and glistening forehead. Poor guy. Just got to the school and already thrown into battle.
“It’s okay. I’m ready.” He squeezed her hand.
So much for her mental blocks. She was going to have to talk to him about that mind reading thing. She snuffed out her light and stepped into the room. A hiss sounded to her left and the unmistakable smell of rancid demon breath washed over her.
She ignited a charge that illuminated her skin, lighting up the room. A demon to her left had a dark-haired female pinned against the desk, violating her body and inhaling her soul. Another demon, to her right, hunched over a guy, mouth latched onto his neck.
“Tom, get the girl.”
Dakota lunged at the other demon. Tendrils of electricity shot from her fingertips as they made contact with the demon’s cold skin. It stumbled back, and her charged hand gripped its neck. She reached for the blade in her boot. The demon snuck a backhand to her cheek. She held her grip on it, but the weapon clanked against the cement floor, out of reach.
Guess it would have to be done the gross way.
She wrapped her other hand around the neck and when her fingers touched, electricity sparked. The demon howled. The stench of burning flesh filled the air. Dakota gagged but held on. She preferred extermination by stabbing much better than electrocution.
The body in her grip thrashed. Its eyes bulged and tongue shot out. Streaks of electricity flashed like light bulbs in its mouth and eyes until finally the head detached. Splats of crimson stained Dakota’s white shirt, then the demon turned to smoke.
The sudden loss of the creature’s body weight sent Dakota stumbling back, and her butt hit the desk. Two strong hands grabbed her shoulders, keeping her from plummeting to the side.
She squeezed her hand around Tom’s forearm. A faint current shot up through her fingers. She looked at her fingers expecting to see them illuminated. But they weren’t.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yes. The other one is gone, but so is the girl.”
Dakota lit up her skin again so she could see, then scrambled to the guy’s side and felt for a pulse. “He’s alive.”
Beams of light filled the hallway. “Everyone okay in there?” A deep voice, Dakota recognized as belonging to Mr. Smith asked.
“Here!” Dakota said.
“Tom?” Mr. Smith said as he walked through the doorway holding a flashlight in front of him.
“Yes, sir.”
“Dakota. Are you two okay?” Mr. Smith looked over his black-rimmed glasses at her.
Dakota snuffed out her light bulb skin--civilians might be close behind Mr. Smith. “Yes, sir. This one’s alive.”
“We’ll take care of it. Tom, we’ll need your assistance with his memory later.”
He nodded as he stepped toward Dakota. “Yes, sir.”
“So, Dakota, this is how you treat the new guy?” Mr. Smith nodded toward Tom.
“You know me. I’m not one to mess around. Like to see what they’re made of right off the bat.”
Tom grinned. He flashed his dark eyes at Dakota, and her brain suddenly ached like she’d slurped an Icee too quickly.
Red, there’s more I must tell you about me.

Read The Competition: Elemental Rain

Elemental Rain Part Three

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:46:00 +0000

She screamed and clutched him, and in that instant, she felt right again, solid. He could write the scream off to possibly breaking whatever psychic link there was left, but the way her body tightened against him, there was only one reason for that.

Bloody hell! “Forgive me. Forgive me, Lily,” he pleaded as he withdrew himself and began to draw away from her.

Before he could get to far, she caught his face in her hands, searched for an answer but not finding any she prodded, “What’s wrong, Jake?”

“I’m sorry, darlin’, I didn’t realize…I should have taken more care—,” she cut him off.

“Don’t Jake. You didn’t do anything that I didn’t want. Don’t run from me. Not now. Stay and finish what you started.”

“Lily. I’m still not sure if I believe all of this, but if people really are lookin’ for you, we don’t have much time. We need to get movin’.”

“Jake,” she said as she trailed her hands down to his trench coat lapels and gripped them, “I’ve waited ten years to be with you. No one else ever caught my attention the way you did. I need you to realize that I am in a battle for my life. I don’t want to die without—,” this time he cut her off with a strong, hungry kiss that shook her core, leaving her breathless.

He shrugged out of his coat and draped it on the chair next to the bed, covering his discarded boots. She got to him. If some mystical battle did happen, he didn’t want there to be regrets, for either of them. He strode over to the door and locked it. Now would be about Lily, and the many fantasies he’s had over the last ten years.

********

Long after they were both sated and Lily was sound asleep, Jake got up. As much as he wanted to stay, the twin bed made it impossible. Plus, he couldn’t just take off without letting Mick know. Mick was capable of running things for a few days and Dottie was pretty good with the books. Something was up and he wasn’t going to leave Lily alone to deal with this, whatever it was. And, he really needed a shower.

Before he could leave, Lily woke up.

“Jake?”

So much for leaving before she woke up, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you darlin’.”

“You didn’t wake me. I know, you have things to do, but before you go, there are some things you really need to know.”

He closed, the door and leaned against it, crossing his muscled arms over his broad chest.

“You might want to sit down for this.”

Eyebrows raised, he walked over to the bed, sat in the chair and waited for her to begin.

“The most important thing you need to know is that you never killed Blake West. You were set up. He’s still alive.”

Now that got his attention, “How do you know for sure?”

A bit more distant, “I saw him. He was at my house, talking with my parents. They didn’t know I was in the house. They were yelling at him to make sure he got it right this time….” she trailed off.

“Lily? Got what right?”

Still distant, “Do you remember that night, Jake?”

“How could I forget?”

“You weren’t supposed to be there. In fact, I didn’t even know you were in the house. Why did you stay home that night?”

“Hmm. You know, I’ve never been able to figure out what made me stay home that night. It’s weird. All I remember is at the last minute havin’ an overwhelmin’ urge to stay put. It was almost sickenin’ now that I think back on it.”

“Do you believe in fate or destiny?”

“Lily, darlin’, where are you goin’ with all this?”

“It was fate, Jake. Fate, destiny, whatever you want to call it, made you stay home that night. As far as my parents knew, you would be at that movie and I would be alone. That’s why they sent him that night. They knew I would be vulnerable, without my Protector. That’s what they refer to you as, my Protector.”

“Who’s ‘they,’ Lily?”

Tears streaming down her face now, “My pseudo parents. Yeah, that’s something else I found out. They aren’t my real parents. They stole me. I’m not really clear on why, but that’s what I know.”

“How do you know this?”

“It started Monday. I figured it was time for that backpacking trip across Europe. My parents were furious, and I couldn’t understand why. I finished college, I was an adult and I worked really hard to save up all the money I would need and then some. There was no reason for them to argue. We fought. I left. I returned later to walk in on their conversation with West. I didn’t just hear the words they spoke, I heard their thoughts too, which was how I learned some of what I’m going to tell you. The most important being that the extradition was arranged with someone from here.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know,” Lily exclaimed, sobbing. “I wish I knew.”

Jake reached over, pulled her onto his lap, wrapped his arms around her, kissed her and whispered, “It’s okay. You’ve given me more than I ever expected to find. Certain things are beginnin’ to make more sense now than they ever did before, but I’m still havin’ trouble wrappin’ my mind around what you can do. Readin’ minds, huh? I guess that could be a good thing, in the right hands.”

Wiping her eyes with her knuckles, Lily confessed, “I can do more than just read minds, Jake. I can communicate telepathically with people. I’m not very good at it yet and it only happens when I’m really scared or really angry, and apparently I can conjure things with my mind. That’s how I got from home to here.”

Stunned silence.

“Hello? Earth to Jake!”

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he responded, “Sorry. This information changes everything.” He looked her in the eye as he spoke his next words, “It’s extremely important that you stay down here while I’m gone. No goin’ outside. They’ll find you if you do. Give me your cell phone. They might use it to track you here.”

“I don’t have it with me.”

“Good, at least we have that in our favor. I’ll be gone a couple of hours. Promise me that you’ll stay here. If for some reason, they manage to come here searching for you, go hide in that closet. It’s protected. I’ve used it often enough to avoid the police in the early days.”

“I promise.”

“Good,” he replied as he got up, kissed her one last time and set her on the bed. As an afterthought, he took the pendant she wore at her neck, held it until the metal felt hot in his hands and then kissed it, whispering, “Be safe my love,” as he released it. Then kissed the top of her head.

As he made his way upstairs, Millie handed him a paper. Bloody Hell! If her information was right, he now needed to raise a small army! Using his Sat phone, he pressed a button and when someone answered he said, “All for one!” and waited for a response before hanging up.

“And one for all!”

Read the Competition: Charged

Forbidden Part 3

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:40:00 +0000

Anita stumbled forward into the empty apartment. Dagon stood behind her his face passive as if he did this all the time. Maybe he did.

Her knee shook and throbbed with pain, but she managed to hold herself upright. It would take more than bruising to take her down. But in her current situation, she knew she could be at the edge of her limits.

Dagon closed the doors, shutting out the gentle night breeze. She glanced back at him. He was strange. Indifferent one moment, but then gentle the next. Now he seemed to have closed himself off from her. He leaned against the wall with his I-don’t-care manly attitude.

He may be bored, but her heart had never beat so hard before. She’d never felt more alive than she did in this moment. Maybe that’s the way everyone felt right before they died.
She had no illusions of making it out of this alive.

“So, what are we waiting for?” Her voice echoed off the empty walls. There were no doors save the ones they’d come in.

Dagon stood with his arm crossed and said nothing. She was sick of men who thought they were better than her. Who thought to control her. Damn it. She was over this attitude.

She spun on her heel and stalked up to him. She poked him in the center of his chest. “Tell me what’s happening. I’m done being scared.”

“That’s good.” A man’s voice came from behind her. The tone was welcoming, but his voice made her want to curl into the fetal position and hide.

She looked up into Dagon’s eyes, searching for something to hold onto, searching for an ally. He wouldn’t meet her gaze. Her insides clenched. She was alone.

Slowly, she turned and backed closer to Dagon. Better the evil you know...well, kind of know.
In the center of the room stood a man. His long dark hair fell down his back. Eyes the color of emeralds shimmered with a knowledge of everything. His gaze penetrated her soul and knew every secret she had.

“Don’t look in his eyes,” Dagon’s voice resonated in her head. She glanced back but he hadn’t moved. He didn’t meet her questioning gaze.

“They call me Sammuel.” His voice had a distinct accent though she couldn’t place it.

Beautiful did not begin to describe the man before her. It was almost painful to look at him as if an artist had achieved perfection and brought it to life.

“Do you not have a voice, Anita?” Sammuel said.

Anita backed up again. The heat of Dagon made her feel safe. She couldn’t think about how odd that thought was now. The man in front of her required all her attention.

Anita drew from the strength behind her. “Why am I here?”

“Why are any of us here?” Sammuel held his hands wide and smiled as if they were talking over tea.

“I wasn’t being philosophical. I don’t understand what any of this has to do with me.”

Sammuel turned. She caught a glimpse of wings before they vanished. More angels, great.

“Did you tell her?” Sammuel’s attention was on Dagon.

“No, sir.” Dagon sounded like a soldier.

“Well, Anita. Why don’t we have a seat?” Sammuel smiled charmingly at her.

She narrowed her eyes. “There’s no where—”

Two large, wing-backed chairs blinked into existence. She glanced over her shoulder at Dagon. He nodded once. She hadn’t even realized she’d been looking for his permission. Old habits died hard. It upset her that even in her final hours she turned to a man to decide for her. Especially the angel that might kill her.

She sat in the offered chair. Why were they being so nice to her if they were going to kill her? Why not just end her life? Unless they got some sort of perverse pleasure in making women suffer. She wiped her damp palms over her dirty pants.

Sammuel sat and crossed his ankle over his leg as he leaned back.

“Do you know what we are?”

“Angels?”

“Close.” Sammuel’s lips curved into a mysterious smile. “We are the Fallen. Daemons.”

“So does that make you the devil?”

His smile disappeared. “I am simply a servant. You are a Witness, a human who is able to see angels. Most Witnesses still cannot see past our glamours, the image we present the world. But you are special, Anita.”

“I’ve never been special in my life. I think you have me mistaken with someone else.” She stood. “I’d like to go home now.”

She turned and before she could breathe, Sammuel had a hand around her throat, squeezing painfully. His other arm banded her arms to her side.

“Look at the angel that brought you here.”

Anita met Dagon’s grey eyes. His posture hadn’t changed but his eyes blazed with anger. At her? Or at Sammuel?

“What do you see?”

She kept her mouth shut, refusing to be bullied.

“What do you see?” He squeezed harder making it difficult to breathe.

Dagon’s eyes shone with murderous intent. She still wasn’t sure who the anger was directed to, her or Sammuel. Not willing to find out and not willing to pass out with these angels... Fallen or not...

“I see dark wings, grey eyes, black hair.” The pressure on her neck eased.

Sammuel whispered in her ear. “Dagon is glamoured. Humans see him as an average man with brown hair and brown eyes. They only see what we want them to.”

He released her abruptly, and as she stepped forward, her knee gave out. She fell forward expecting to hit the floor she shoved her hands out to catch herself.

Instead she found herself swept up into Dagon’s arms.

“Enough talk,” Dagon said.

Anita’s stomach dropped. Time’s up.

He spoke to Sammuel. “Do what you need to do?”

Read the Competition Across the Veil

Accross the Veil Part 3

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:34:00 +0000

“Sainmhíniú. Curse me from the Light, I cannot stop loving you,” Keth whispered between fevered kisses.

Talia felt her heart pounding inside of her chest. She’d been an actress in Hollywood for over five years now and had shared impassioned kisses with many of Hollywood’s hottest actors. But they were boys compared to the man who was clutching her to his chest. He kissed her lips like she was water in a dry desert, like she was the sun to his moon, like she was the only woman in the world who mattered.

His fingers slid inside of her robe, sending electricity racing through her veins. Her skin was on fire, sensitive and hungry for his attention. But as his palm moved up, around her rib cage, teasing the side of her breast, her brain kicked in.

She couldn’t survive loving this man. He’d pierced her heart so deeply that she’d left the only world she ever knew. If she allowed him to hurt her again, there was no where left to run. No relief from the pain. No escape.

Talia broke the kiss and stepped back, tugging her robe tight again. “I can’t do this, Keth. Not again.”

He stood before her, his eyes on fire with passion, and shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

“You don’t?” She caught herself staring at his perfect lips and shook her head. “You hurt me, Keth. My heart and soul were yours and you turned your back on me.” A tear spilled down her cheek. “The only thing holding me together was my new life here, and my anger at you. Now you walk into my life and turn it upside down and I’m supposed to be thrilled and bed you right here in my living...” She glanced around her tiny trailer, realizing it didn’t even earn the designation of a room. “..Area? I don’t think so.”

He raked his fingers back through his long black hair, every chiseled muscle of his biceps tempting her. She gnawed at her lower lip, fighting to protect what was left of her heart, but her body was doing everything in its power to betray her.

“I already explained. My brother found out about us, Talia. He told me he was going to name you a betrayer. He would declare braitheann sí with the High Council. I didn’t want you to marry him. Just the thought of him touching you made my stomach retch.” He took a step closer, reaching up to wipe a tear from her porcelain skin. His thumb lingered, sliding along her jaw.

“But I would rather spend a lifetime in jealous torment, than face a day in a world without you in it.”

“So you lied to my face. You looked me in the eyes and told me you didn’t love me. You told me to marry Faldo.”

His eyes narrowed, and his teeth ground together. “I was protecting you, Talia.”

“No,” She shook her head, tilting her chin up a notch. “You were breaking my heart.”

“You don’t think it killed me to see you cry and know it was my fault? You don’t think it has tortured me for the past five years seeing you on television in the arms of other men?”

She wiped the tears from her other cheek. “You watched me on television?” He nodded and seemed to relax a little, but he frowned when he realized she wasn’t smiling. Talia crossed her arms. “So you’ve been here all these years and you never even attempted to talk to me?”

His brow furrowed. “When you left you told me you never wanted to see me again.”

“Of course I did. You had just broken my heart.”

“So I was respecting your wishes.”

“No, you were being a self-centered jerk. You should have found me and apologized so I could have forgiven you.”

He rubbed his forehead and shook his head. “So by protecting you, I broke your heart; and by honoring your wishes, I was a bastard.”

“Self-centered jerk,” she corrected.

Keth growled and stormed across the room, all two steps of it, and scooped her up into his arms. He stared down into her eyes as the corner of his mouth pulled up, hinting at a smile. “Woman, you make no sense.”

She laughed in spite of herself. “I’ve missed you too.”

Her smiled faded as she stared up into his green eyes. Right now they were dark, like a forest after a storm, and full of emotion. He bent to kiss her, softer this time, slowly nibbling at her lower lip as he whispered, “I am so sorry for hurting you, Talia.” Breaking the kiss he growled, “An aimsir láithreach.”

“I love you too,” she whispered as their lips fused together again. His tongue found hers, tangling together while her limbs ached to do the same. Keth carried her to couch and lowered her without breaking the kiss. As he rested above her, his fingers tangling in her red hair, she could feel his arousal against her thigh. Talia shivered with desire and moved her leg, brushing against him. He groaned into the kiss, his fist tightening in her hair as his other hand slid down her side until he found the opening in her robe. With his fingers splayed, he slid his hand up her abdomen to cup her breast.

She moaned, her back arching into his touch. Keth broke the kiss, nibbling his was down her neck to her shoulder.

Suddenly the door burst open. A huge man with silver eyes, draped in a blue cloak and an iron staff entered her tiny trailer followed by Faldo. He pointed at them and bellowed, “Braitheann sí.” He met her eyes and growled, “Betrayer.” He tipped his head toward the Sentinel. “Take her back to Summerland. The High Council can decide her fate.”

The Sentinel, pulled his hood back revealing his blood-red hair. Sentinels were the muscle of Fae royalty. Although they couldn’t’ wield Fae magic, they had troll blood in their lineage. What they lacked in magic, they more than made up for in brute strength. The iron staff would weaken most spells anyway.

As the Sentinel stepped forward Keth leapt to his feet. “You will have to kill me first.”

“With pleasure.” Faldo’s mouth twisted into a sick smile. “I have waited all my life for this.”

Read the competition - Forbidden

The Winners From Round 2

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:41:00 +0000

Here are your champions moving on to Round 3.

Across the Veil

Forbidden

Elemental Rain

ChargeD

This was close - these are great stories so make sure you drop in this Thursday for the new chapters by these fabulous authors.

Thank you readers
Terry Kate

The Standings in Round Two

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:45:00 +0000

See where your favorite stories stand and cast one last Vote.
Scores

Charged                      38
vs
Que Sarah, Sara        13

Forbidden                   31
vs
Elemental Rain    39

Across the Veil          38
vs
Ancient Awakening   14

All this reading making you want to flex your pen arm?
Join in the fun and add to the ongoing story Naughty in the Backseat has going on in honor of Boss's Day - must be 18 or over to read and add on to the story with your comments.   http://www.romanceinthebackseat.com/naughty/blog/
Have a great weekend everybody.

Across the Veil - Part Two

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:10:00 +0000

Read Part One

Keth nailed the vampire with a spin kick to the face. The immortal crashed against the brick wall before hitting the pavement face first. In one fluid motion Keth pulled the stake free from the inside pocket of his trench coat, but before he could jam it through the vampire’s chest, pain wrapped itself around his wrist. He lost his grip on the stake, and pulled his wrist in close to his body.

With his other hand, he reached out toward the vampire. “Oighríonn tú. Now!”

The vampire hissed, straining against the spell. Keth picked up the stake, clenching his teeth. Hot fire burned through his veins and up his arm as he watched color rise through his pale skin gradually taking shape. The vine. Talia needed him.

Clasping the stake in his other hand, he growled, “Scaoilim. I release you.”

With fangs bared, the vampire dove for him. Keth spun, staking the vampire from behind just as the final strand of vines braided Keth’s wrist. While the vampire shriveled to dust, he opened and closed his hand. The pain lessened to a tingle.

He kicked his boot through the dust, scattering the remnants of his attacker. He needed to hurry.

***

Keth slid his Ray Ban sunglasses over his light green eyes and pulled away from the airport. Talia, or Natalie Thurmont as she called herself on this side of the veil, was the star of Avalon Magic, the hottest show on television. After a quick internet search, he was on his way to the Arizona desert where she was filming a television movie.

The irony that a princess from Summerland was using special effects instead of her true magic didn’t escape him.

Not that he watched the show. All right he watched sometimes, but not every week.

He gripped the wheel tighter and gunned the Porsche’s engine. Until he knew why Talia summoned him and risked using Fae magic in the human world, he wouldn’t be able to relax. The last time he touched her was etched on his soul. Her blue eyes sparkled with tears, her rose lips, still swollen from his kisses, and her soft fingers tracing over his lips, yearning for words he couldn’t give her.

Since he’d crossed the veil, he thought about reaching out to her. But what could he say? She was betrothed to his brother. His own kin. The ruthless bastard never deserved her, but Faldo was the first born son. He had the birthright.

And he had proof of their betrayal.

Keth used his glamour to gain access to the movie set, and quickly located her trailer. The oppressive heat and bright sun burned his pale skin. Waiting outside wasn’t going to be an option. Her door was unlocked, so he slipped inside and was instantly assaulted by the scent of wild roses and lilacs. He took a deep breath in spite of himself. He couldn’t help it. Memories of summer evenings by the lake filled his mind. Talia’s red hair fanning around her like fire as he laid over her.

He could almost hear her singing. She had a voice that filled angels with envy. He frowned and looked down toward the other end of the trailer. Another step closer and he realized she really was singing. Pushing open the door, he found Talia drenched in bubbles.

“Keth?” She jumped, sending a wave of bath water out onto the floor.

He drank in the sight of her bare shoulders, the gentle slope of her neck, her full lips and flushed cheeks, and finally her crystal blue eyes.

“Were you expecting someone else?” The thought alone made his shoulders tense.

She settled back into the bath, but not before he caught her gaze sliding up his body. “I was expecting a polite knock at the door.”

He held up his fist, showing the ornate vine tattoo that wrapped around his wrist. “You summoned me, remember?”

She held up her arm, exposing her matching vine. “Yes, I remember.”

“We made this pact as children. The vine would call us back together if we were ever in trouble.” He scanned the small expanse of her trailer and finally met her eyes again. “You don’t look like you’re in danger.”

Her hand splashed back into the tub. “Can I get dressed before we have this talk?”

He shrugged. “Go ahead.”

“Alone. You wait outside.” Her brow furrowed, and if he’d been in a better mood he would have found the crease in her forehead comical. Talia could never pull off a cross expression in his presence. He could always make her laugh.

Those days were long behind them now.

Talia emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a white robe. Knowing she was naked underneath distracted him. Being this close to her brought back too many memories.

“I didn’t know you crossed the veil.” She sat on her small sofa, tucking her legs underneath herself.

He shrugged. “Faldo had a price on my head. In the beginning it was easier to hide in this world.”

“He wants to kill you?” She shot up off the sofa. “Why?”

“Because he knows I...” He stopped himself short of admitting his feelings. Clearing his throat he added. “He saw us at the lake, Talia.”

“He knew?” Her hand went to her throat and her gaze moved over to her tiny coffee table. “He could have declared braitheann sí. I would have been cast out, or killed for my betrayal.”

“No.” He stepped closer. “I gave him my word that you would marry him, and in turn he would not accuse you before the High Council.”

“You did what?” He never saw the slap coming. She stared up into his eyes and lowered her voice. “How could you wish such a horrible fate on me? I loved you.”

“If I had not given him my word. He would have told the council. Once he claimed braitheann sí your fate would have been out of my hands.”

Her eyes narrowed. “So instead you broke my heart and gave your word that I would marry a hateful man that I didn’t love?”

“You would still be alive.”

“But what kind of life would it have been?”

He reached out to touch her cheek, his gaze following the trail of his fingers, before meeting her eyes again. “I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone hurting you, Talia.”

“So you did it yourself,” she whispered.

Her words cut into him, but he had earned every stab. She turned away and picked up something off of her coffee table. When she faced him again, she was holding up a tiny stone.

“I summoned you because Faldo paid me a visit last night. He threatened to send the sentinel to bring me back to Summerland unless I found you and placed this enchanted stone in your pocket. He said he would be able to track you in any world.”

Keth made no move to touch the stone. His gaze remained steady on her face.

“My jacket is in the car.”

Her eyes widened. “You don’t expect me to put this anywhere near you, do you?”

“If it means he will leave you alone to live your life in this world, then yes. Let him find me.”

“No.” Her hand closed around the stone. And she poked her finger against his chest. “You don’t get to make decisions for me anymore.”

Keth grabbed her hand with every intention of taking the stone from her, but once he touched her, and watched her lips part as she stared up at him, he found himself pulling her closer. When his lips claimed hers, she stiffened, but she didn’t pull away. His arms slid around her, pulling her closer to his chest as his tongue brushed against her lips. He growled into the kiss when her lips parted and he finally tasted her again. His entire body reacted, his pulse racing while her hands slid up his chest and into his long dark hair.

How many years had he longed for this moment, for another chance to love this woman? Too many. Breathless he whispered as he kissed her over and over again, “Sainmhíniú. Curse me from the Light, I cannot stop loving you.”

Read the Competition - Ancient Awakening

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CHARGED - CHAPTER 2

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:51:00 +0000

Read Chapter 1

CHAPTER 2

“Oh, come on. Just give the guy a chance.” Briana tossed a pillow at Dakota.

They’d moved the beds so that the ends touched, and they could sit up propped against the walls to see each other.

Having been with The Light Chasers group four years, Dakota had survived the longest. So by natural selection, she mentored the newcomers. Briana had just come into her powers ten months earlier, so Dakota got a new roommate—again.

Tend to run through roomies in the demon hunting business.

“Come on. What’s the hold up? Sean is into you, D.”

“Yeah, and every other chick who sways her hips near him. I mean, look what happened the other night.”

“I can’t believe he couldn’t tell that chick was a Changer. He’s got that whole mind thing going on.”

“Probably too distracted by her big boobs. No brainwaves to read from those, right?” Dakota crossed her arms over her embarrassingly flat chest.

Briana flopped back into her pillows. She grabbed her stomach and rolled to the side, laughing.

“Laugh it up, Newbie.” Dakota pointed her foot so her big toe touched Briana’s fair-skinned calf. A flash of static electricity ignited, cutting through the dimly lit dorm room.

“Hey. No fair using your powers.”

Briana leaned forward and rubbed her calf. With her other hand she put her thumb over her middle fingernail and made like she was going to flick someone. Instead, a pea-sized ball of slush flew through the air right into Dakota’s face.

“Hey, you’re getting good at that.” She slid the back of her hand across her wet cheek.

“Well, they make you practice so much here.”

“Hence the name, The Academy.”

“I’d rather be at Winds Community College if you don’t mind.” Briana sank into her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin.

“Yeah, well, this is our college. It’s partially a real one. It has mostly humans here.”

“Bunch of clueless humans wandering around with no idea that we keep the demons at bay.” Briana snorted. “But I left a boyfriend back home. You didn’t.”

“Ouch.”

“Sorry.”

“You’re right. I’m not so experienced in the boyfriend department, but—”

A knock rattled the door. Briana shot up in her bed and Dakota hurtled to her feet.

“It’s midnight, who the heck would be pounding on our door?” Briana’s voice shook.

“Girl. You can freeze almost anything into an ice sculpture, and I can electrocute what I touch . . . I wouldn’t worry too much, okay?” Dakota stepped toward the door. “Can we say too much caffeine?”

“Look who’s talking, Miss I-Wear-My-Combat-Boots-To-Bed.”

Another knock. “Kota? You up?” Sean’s voice trickled through the door.

Dakota froze, heart stopped. But the thought of seeing Sean kick-started it back to life, only to the opposite spectrum. Now it threatened to crack a rib it pounded so violently. She dragged her fingers through her snarly hair, snagging some strands, which made her eyes sting.

Briana giggled behind her. “Want some tic-tacs?”

Dakota scratched her back with her middle finger and gripped the handle with her other hand. She cranked the door open.

“Oh good. You’re up,” Sean said. He shoved his hands into his front pockets, which pulled the beltline of his jeans down, revealing the band of his Calvin Klein boxers.

She snapped her attention to his eyes. That didn’t help. They flickered like pools of ocean water during a sunset.

Get the mental blocks up. Blocks up.

“What’s goin’ on?”

“I just wanted to check on you. You were pretty quiet in classes today.” His gaze navigated down a fraction. “Your neck is still a little bruised. Is it hurting?”

“Yeah.” Something the size of a grapefruit lodged in Dakota’s throat. “Um. No. It’s fine.”

“You’re so sweet to check on her, Sean,” Briana said. “Come in.”

“Ah, no. You can’t come in.” Blocks up. Blocks up. “Um. I—”

Sean grabbed Dakota’s hand, then yanked her through the doorway. The door slammed shut behind her. Her cheeks flamed as he tugged her away from the room. Voices spilled out from beneath closed doors that lined the dim hallway.

“It’s a little late, don’t you think?”

“No. You don’t have class until eleven tomorrow.”

“I hate that you know my schedule.”

“I ought to, it’s almost an exact duplicate of mine.” His pace slowed as they approached a turn.

Dakota knew the third floor lounge was right around the corner. Considering it housed the only TV on the floor, she was surprised to find it empty.

“What’s all this about, Sean?”

He turned around and cupped her cheeks in his hands.

“What are you doing—?”

He silenced her mouth with his. Gentle, like a feather brushing over her, he pressed his lips against hers. The shock of it froze her solid. Hands out to the side, electricity about to zing through them. Instead she lifted herself to her tip-toes for a better angle and curled her arms around his neck.

Okay, so Sean was beautiful. Kind. Sexy. And Dakota had liked him since she first met him three years earlier. He’d even steamed up a few of her dreams. But he had a wondering eye when it came to chicks, and it would break her heart sooner or later. She should stop things before they went any further.

Briana’s voice chimed in her ears. You should give Sean a chance. He’s not human, so you can be yourself around him. Dakota had tried the whole have-a-human-for-a-boyfriend-thing, and it was just too much work.

Boyfriends in general demanded too much effort, human or not. And, well . . . they tended to die when they got involved with Dakota.

“I won’t die,” Sean whispered.

Guess her mental blocks weren’t so strong at the moment.

A spark ignited in her mouth as his warmth overtook her face. She drew in a deep breath through her nose taking in his sporty scent. His soft, warm tongue parted her lips and gently flicked against her teeth. His hands moved from her face to around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

What was she doing? She’d seen him go through girl after girl and didn’t want to be next. He was her partner out there on the street. It would never work.

He pulled away fractionally and drew in a ragged breath. “It’s different with you, Kota.” He pressed his lips to her neck. “You’re not like the others. It can work.” His teeth scraped her earlobe.

There was no putting a wall around her mind with her body on fire like it was. If she didn’t stop him soon, he’d have free reign over more than just her mind, and she knew that would lead to nothing good.

She just had to convince her body to listen to logic.

Read the Competition - Que Sarah Sarah

QUE SARAH, SARAH - PART 2

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:44:00 +0000

                                                                   READ PART 1 - HERE

    The cat finished scratching the intricate sigil in the wall. Even if the Casavarian Hunters knew how to reopen the gateway, now it would remain sealed at their end. They were safe for the time being.
   The cat turned back to Sarah who was still lying on the floor. Her head twitched, and her jaw snapped open and closed several times, like a fish out of water. Sarah moaned piteously.
   “You’ll be fine in a minute. You’re suffering from a mild case of tardive dyskinesia as a result of an unwarded temporal relocation. Your body wasn’t ready for the shift. Just don’t try to open your…”
   Sarah screamed.
   “Eyes. I was trying to warn you. Unwarded temporal relocation also causes most humans to experience severe photo sensitivity and dysopia algera. Keep your eyes shut until the shaking stops.”
   Sarah tried to put her hands over her eyes. But an ill timed spasm caused her to slap herself. She moaned again, and rolled over on her side. Slowly, the twitching subsided.
   “Yuuuuushlet takmyhehhhd.”
   “Don’t try to speak yet. Another few seconds, and you’ll be fine. Hang in there. Take some deep breaths. Hold them, then let the air out slowly.”
   “OOOOOOOOHHHH!”
   Sarah tried to take a deep breath, but quickly ended up exhaling in several quick puffs. After a couple of tries, she was able to draw a breath, and hold it for a five count. She tried to cover her eyes again, and this time was successful. She opened her eyes, then cautiously spread her fingers. There was no pain. Sarah lowered her hands to the floor, and pushed herself up into a sitting position. She looked around and found herself sitting on a thick beige carpet in an empty room that somehow struck her as familiar. Her lower lip quivered, but it had nothing to do with tardive dyskinesia. Sarah began to cry.
   “Are you hurt?”
   Sarah shook her head no.
   “I s-said you should have let them take my head.”
   “That’s crazy talk.”
   “Crazy! Exactly! F-first some giant wants to cut off my head. Next, I’m s-sitting on the floor, I don’t know where, talking to a cat that thinks he’s Dr. Who t-telling me I’ve got Tardis Disco. My favorite outfit is r-ripped, and I haven’t even f-finished paying for it yet. My head is splitting. And, and, and….”
   Sarah let out a sob.
   “And what?”
   “And, I-I peed my pants! Okay?”
   No, it was not okay. It was bad enough that he was being saddled with an amateur. Keeping her alive, and not getting himself killed, was going to be hard enough without any hysterics. He had to settle her down.
   “Okay. First of all, they weren’t Giants. They were Casavarian Hunters. They are large by human standards, but they’re only about half the size of an average Giant toddler. Second, my name is not Dr. Who. You couldn’t pronounce my name if you practiced for a thousand years. My name is Rrrrowwkharrrorowookh. It means roughly Dark Bringer of Light. Why don’t you just call me Ralph? And I said you had a temporary case of tardive dyskinesia. But it is passed, so there is no need to dwell on it.   Finally, I am sorry you wet yourself. That’s why I don’t wear pants.“
   Sarah cocked her head and stared at him. Ralph stared back and waited. Sarah sniffed twice, then smiled.
   “I don’t know. I think you’d look pretty good in leather pants and a matching vest made out of tanned Casavarian Hunters’ hide.”
   “Hmmm. You may have something there. Anyway, you’ll be happy to hear that we are in the apartment right above yours. I have been listening. The apartment is empty. So if you are feeling up to it, we can go down and get you some new clothes. But we need to move quickly.”
   “I don’t have my keys. Or my wallet! Dammit! And I can‘t very well go to my landlord and tell Mrs. O’Grady that my panther and I got locked out. There are no pets allowed.”
   “That won’t be a problem. And I am not a panther. I am a direct descendant of Bastet.”
   “Well, that’s just great. If you have your papers, we can enter you in the CFA IAMS Cat Championship. But in the meantime, what am I supposed to do if the neighbors see you?”
   “No one can see me if I do not want them to.”
   “Ralph, are you real? I mean, are you sure I don’t have a brain tumor or something?”
   “You’re fine. A little banged up, maybe, but fine. Now get up. We don’t have much time.”
   Ralph walked to the door. Sarah used the wall to help herself stand. She was pleased to find that she could walk. She walked over and opened the door.
   “I can still see you. If I can see you, so can my neighbors.”
   Ralph looked up at her and smiled. As she watched, Ralph turned opaque then faded out of sight until all that was left was the smile.
   “My luck sucks. Jimmy Stewart gets a six foot invisible rabbit, and I get stuck with a five foot long black Cheshire cat.”
   “I taught him that trick,” said the smile that faded out of sight as it passed into the hallway.
   Sarah passed on the elevator in favor of the stairway. She held the door open and waited patiently for Ralph to pass. She was still holding the door open when an impatient hiss from below informed her that Ralph already was waiting for her downstairs. Sarah took the stairs two at a time, then cracked the fire door open and peered cautiously both ways. The hallway was empty. Sarah threw the door open, and bolted for her apartment. As she reached the door, she heard the lock turn. The door swung open.
   “Neat trick. Do you do roadside assistance?”
   Sarah walked into her apartment and made an immediate bee line for the bathroom. She stripped out of her torn and wet clothes, and quickly washed herself. She wrapped herself in a towel, then walked to the bedroom and closed the door. Sarah dropped the towel, and pulled a fresh bra and panties out of her dresser. She tossed the underwear on the unmade bed, then walked over and opened the closet. She reached up and starting pulling an overnight bag off of the shelf.
   “No luggage.”
   Sarah screamed, and dove for the towel on the floor. She hid behind the bed as she fumbled around, wrapping herself.
   “What in the hell are you doing in here? This is my bedroom. Get out of here!”
   “Fine. I’m going. But no luggage. When they search in here, and they will, I don’t want them to notice any signs that we’ve been here. Take a couple of changes of clothes and put them in a kitchen trash bag. Then grab your old clothes from the bathroom. We’ll dispose of them later. Oh, and one more thing.”
   “What? OWWWW! Shit. That hurt! Why in the hell did you scratch me?”
   “Because we have several temporal relocations to make in the next hour, and there is no time to teach you how to ward yourself. Without proper warding, it will take you at least twice as long to recover after the next relocation. We can‘t spare the time. Besides it would be pointless, anyway.”
   Sarah looked down at her left thigh. Ralph had marked her with an intricate sigil, delineated in tiny beads of blood. Sarah was surprised to find that it did not hurt.
   “Why would it be pointless?”
   “Because following the third relocation, you’d be dead.”

READ THE COMPETITION - CHARGED

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ELEMENTAL RAIN - PART 2

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:30:00 +0000

READ PART 1 HERE

“Take her down to the room at the end of the hall,” the old woman ordered with a waving of her arm. “The sheets are clean and there are frozen wash cloths in the fridge. I’ll be along soon enough. I have ingredients to gather. This looks nasty, so I’ll need the freshest growth from my oldest plants. They’re the most potent.”

“Right. Um, a, thanks,” Jake stammered, not able to look her in the eye.

“Don’t thank me yet, your friend has a long road ahead of her. You can call me Millie.”

Damn! The old woman can read thoughts, just as the rumors say. Wonder what else is true about her?

That wasn’t Jake Moran’s only problem, though. She was right here, in his arms. Even after all these years she could still affect him. He nestled her into the bed, making sure the covers when up to her chin, retrieved a frozen cloth, and placed it on her forehead. He sat down in the chair next the bed and waited for the old woman to return. For the first time since he came to London, he had nothing to preoccupy his mind, so his thoughts wandered those he had been avoiding for the last ten years.

He grew up with Lily, had been friends with her brother, Aristotle. They were his surrogate family when his went back to Ireland and he was out on his own after graduating college. He planned on leaving eventually because he realized that at some point he stopped seeing her as his sister and started seeing her as an attractive woman. He never would have chose to leave without saying goodbye. That hurt the most.

After serving the five years, Jake was hardened and his reputation ruined. With his strong build, all he could find was work as a bouncer. From there, he worked his way up to Cooler, the fight ender. His reputation was strong enough that his bars were safe. People didn’t want to scuffle with him, so they either avoided the place altogether or kept the peace.

A knock at the door disrupted Jake’s thoughts. Millie returned with a mug full of something. “I have the potion. It would have been more effective if this would have been a full moon, but it will work well enough I should think.”

His brow furrowed, “What do you mean?”

“Well, it should be strong enough to completely pull her out of the fever, but it will be strong enough to weaken the psychic connection enough for her to fight it.”

“Physic connection?”

“Yes, a mind link. That’s the real problem here. She’s locked in a battle for her mind.”

Releasing a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, “What happens if she loses?”

“Well, can’t say for sure. It really depends upon how strong she is. I’ve seen some battles where the body was secure, but the mind was lost. Then I’ve seen some where both body and mind were lost.”

“How do you know when both mind and body are lost?”

“Because the body disappears. Don’t dwell on what could happen, just stay positive about what can happen. I’ll be back in a few hours. Unless you could use a break now?”

“Uh, yeah, that might be a good idea.”

Nodding her head once, “Last door at the end of the hall across from the stairs. I’ll give her the potion—,” Jake cut her off.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Jake warned over his shoulder. “She’s always had a mean left hook,” he finished with a laugh as he walked out the door and down the hall, his thoughts returning to him as soon as he shut the door.

There was no turning back for Jake once the Green Dragon’s owner left it to him in his will when he died. He couldn’t have left London then even if he wanted to because his employees and their families counted on him. So he resigned himself to the life, fixed the place up, made it safe and began to encourage other owners in the area to do the same. Those who refused, he bought out when he could or drove them out of business by stealing patrons. Eventually, he owned all the bars, eateries, hotels, warehouses, other related businesses in this section of the docks, and collected rent from local seamstresses, beauticians, nail technicians and tattoo artists. He’s kept people safe, so his area flourished and continues to flourish.

Jake made his way back to the room and opened the door in time to see Millie wipe non-combative Lily’s lips.

“She took the potion just fine. Now, we wait. I’ll be back to check on her. You should notice her fever break in a few minutes,” she finished as she replaced the other cloth with a fresh one, walked out the door and closed it.

A few moments later, a moan from Lily interrupted thoughts.

“Lily,” he soothed as he took her hand in his and kissed it, “you’ll be okay. You’re safe now. I’m not leavin’ you again. I promise you that. Just fight through this so we can figure out what’s going on.”

She gripped his hand, hard.

“It’s okay, Lily,” he soothed, brushing her hair off her now cool forehead with his free hand.

She didn’t release him, but seemed locked in a cool fever.

He did what came to his mind. He climbed into the bed, still holding her hand, and wrapped his other arm around her. He thought she needed comfort, but wasn’t expecting such an intense reaction. She let go of his hand but instinctively turned into him and clung, as if for dear life.

He was more surprised by her reaction than his own. He had been in a nearly constant state of arousal from the moment he cradled her in his arms, but managed to pause those thoughts. Now, he couldn’t think about anything else. He took a couple of deep breaths to clear his mind. Wrapping his arms tightly about her he reassured, “It’s me, Lily. It’s Jake. I’ve got you darlin’ and I’m not lettin’ go. Not this time!”

“Jake,” she squeaked.

“What is it, darlin’,” he asked in soothing tones.

“Help me!”

“How do I do help you?”

“Don’t let go!”

With a light laugh, “I’m not lettin’ go, but what would happen if I did?”

“They’ll get me!”

Realizing Millie might be right, he coaxed, “Who, Lily? Who’ll get you?”

“That man.”

“What man darlin’?”

“The one you thought you killed.”

Stunned, Jake’s grip loosened.

“Please Jake! Don’t. Let. Go,” she pleaded, wrapping her left leg around him, clinging tighter.

That brought him painfully back to reality. “Lily, darlin’, I don’t understand.”

She looked at him as she asked, “Do you love me?”

“Lily!”

“Do you?”

Swallowing hard, “I’ve always loved you.”

Closing her eyes, she demanded, “Show me!”

He kissed her, hard, but something wasn’t right.

“Not enough,” she said in between gasps, “I need to feel your love Jake! Open yourself to me!”

What the hell did that mean?

“Jake, please! I can’t hold on much longer!”

Something about her felt off. He needed to help her hold on, but how? Then one word echoed in his head. FEEL. No! That can’t be right, but Lily was running out of time and he was out of options.

In one swift motion, he drove himself into her.

READ THE COMPETITION - FORBIDDEN

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FORBIDDEN - PART TWO

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:15:00 +0000

Read Part 1 - HERE

Thousands of years leaned on Dagon’s shoulders as the female Witness leaned against him. Her heartbeat echoed through his mind. Her fear tasted like rain on his tongue. Her pain was a balm to his sordid soul. If he even had one.

Dagon couldn’t see the angel the Witness saw, but he could feel the presence of good like needles under his flesh. The woman shook against him and for a moment, brief and fleeting, he felt sorry for her.

She wasn’t like the others that were led to the hunt. As far as Sammuel, Dagon’s keeper, could tell there was no one in her life to take away. Which is why Dagon’s team had been sent to watch her.

“Why do you want me?” Eyes the color of heaven’s sky met his defiantly even though a tremor edged her voice. A strand of fiery red hair clung to her forehead.

He reached up. She flinched as he gently pushed the hair back. Her eyes widened. He’d even surprised himself. He was not a gentle being by nature. He’d given that up when he’d followed Sammuel into the War, known it was lost to him forever when he fell.

Angry at himself and at her for making him feel something besides the hatred and anger that burned within, he jerked on her wrist to led her to the waiting car.

There was no going back now. Xaphan had exposed the Witness to their world.

The stubborn little mule planted her feet in the ground.

“You must come with me.” Dagon couldn’t afford a scene which might lead the police to this alley. “I’d prefer to bring you in with a pulse.”

Her arm shook under his fingers, but she tossed her head and tugged against his hold. “I’m not going anywhere with you. You aren’t real. This night isn’t real. I’m back at home in bed, and as soon as I realize I’m asleep, I can wake up.”

“You aren’t asleep, little one. Even if this is a nightmare.” He relaxed his hold slightly on her wrist.

She stopped struggling. “Why? Why is this happening to me?”

“You are a Witness. As soon as the Fallen realize what you are, you won’t be safe. Your powers have been triggered.” He stepped in close to her and looked around as if Fallen angels lurked in the windows and rooftops surrounding them.

She followed his gaze and stepped toward him, unconsciously, but it was a start.

“They will be unable to risk the lure and will descend upon you if you are not protected.” He drew her back against his front.

She was too occupied searching to notice.

“They lust for your life.”

She jumped at his whispered words and jerked away from him. “No one lusts for me. No one wants me. Let me go.”

She struggled hard against his hold. He knew her wrist would be bruised where he held in the morning, but he couldn’t leave her to face what he knew waited for her in the darkness.

A Witness unprotected became a dead Witness very quickly. He hadn’t wanted to scare her, but maybe it was the only way. Ignoring the car waiting at the end of the alley and the woman struggling against his hold, he moved quickly. She barely had the chance to gasp as he pulled her into his arms and launched them both up into the air.

Instead of trying to get away, she clung to him. Even though it was mostly fear binding her to him, she trusted him on some level. That would have to be enough. He banded his arms around her and headed to the loft Sammuel had prepared.

As he rounded the corner of the building, he felt the wetness soak through his shirt where her cheek lay. A protective instinct he had never felt before swelled within him. He’d never had a charge before. He’d been higher in rank than the Guardians before the Fall.

Though his wings had been singed, the Fall had left them intact. Fortunate for Dagon, Sammuel had chosen a place with a balcony. Dagon landed gently but didn’t release his burden.

When her feet touched the ground, her body shook, but she didn’t release her hold on him. As a daemon, he’d done many things to women over the years, but holding one had not been one of them. Female humans were playthings to the Fallen. Dagon had stopped being amused with them centuries ago.

He’d also stopped asking to be freed. Sammuel had coaxed him out of his cage with the promise of something more. Revenge against an old enemy. His back still ached from the Holy blade that had pierced it during the War. This Witness’s angel was the cause of his pain.

“Where are we?” Her voice was small and resigned.

He glanced over her head into the loft behind her. Sammuel waited within to give her a choice. Tonight she would become a soldier of their battle or die.

He closed his eyes and savored for a moment the beat of her heart against him. She would make the right decision. He could not bear to kill her if she made the wrong one.

She leaned back, and he gazed down into her eyes knowing she was searching for an answer.

“Home.”

Read the Competition - Elemental Rain

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Ancient Awakenings - PART 2

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:23:00 +0000

Ancient Awakenings—Part 2 Read Part 1 - HERE

“Is there a rule that states vampires have to live in dark caves,” shivering Ophelia reached over and turned on the lamp beside her.

“Not so much as a rule but a survival technique. I can see better in the dark and I function better when it’s 60 or below.” he commented walking out of the room.

Shrugging she held her jacket closer to her body trying to stay warm and trying to keep her teeth from clattering. When Nickolaos returned he was holding a tan blanket.

“It’s a heating blanket, it should help keep you warm,” he told her wrapping the blanket around her shoulders.

Ophelia shivered, but not because of the cold, but because of his nearness. Never in her life has she been so attracted to another man. Up close she could see the muscles flexing under his black t-shirt and the way his blue eyes darkened near her. Was that because he was also attracted or because he wanted to feed from her?

“Thank you,” she murmured when he moved away and the warmth started to seep through her body.

Nickolaos wrapped the blanket around her body and tried his best not to touch her. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to hold back if he did. He wanted her blood like he had never wanted blood before, being close to her, hearing her heart quicken at his nearness and her breath catch as he wrapped her in the blanket, made him feel as though he hadn’t fed in months.

Nickolaos also knew if he fed from her, if he stopped himself, he would crave her every second. If she ever came to her senses and left him and this mission he would soon feel pains vampires should never feel. But eventually, without her blood, those pains would kill him.

But Nickolaos feared he wouldn’t be able to hold back for too much longer. He watched her body relax under the warm blanket and heard her breathing slow. Her short, dark hair fanned around her face and her golden eyes watch him closely. Her eyes were eyes he knew he could drink from. They looked liked molten liquid and they were meant for a man to drown in.

“Did Sebastian give you any clues?”

“No,” she bit her bottom lip. “He only told me he would be in touch. He told me I needed to come to Greece and find you. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do that, but he assured me I would know once I was here.”

“Sebastian hasn’t contacted me, I knew it was getting close to starting this search once again, but he never told me when it would start and when we would meet.”

“Then how did you know?”

“I just knew,”

“I’ve been in Greece for a couple of weeks, searching for you. No one seemed to know who you are or where I could find you. But tonight I just knew I had to go out around midnight, my gut told me I would find you then.”

Nickolaos paced to the window and stared out at the night. “It’s getting close to sunrise,” he spoke softly, mainly for himself.

“How are we supposed to find Pandora’s Box without any clues?”

“We can’t. The box could be anywhere in the world.”

“But you said a vampire clan had the box, which clan and where do they hang out?”

“Vampires don’t hang out,” laughing he turned to stare at her. “If I knew the clan, I wouldn’t be here.”

“So, you don’t even know who has this box?”

“No,”

“How do we find out?”

“Sebastian will send you clues via your cell phone. Once we get those clues we will go from there.”

“If this vampire clan has had possession over Pandora’s Box for centuries, how come they’ve never opened it?”

“Honestly I’m not sure. As you said some myths state that an immortal cannot open Pandora’s Box. From what I’ve learned only a mortal who believes in Pandora’s Box, only someone who believes that once they open the box than despair and hurt will wash over the world. If you open the box and you don’t believe than nothing will happen.”

“Is that what Sebastian was talking about? The other women before me failed because they didn’t believe.” She felt a sense of relief, after finding out Nickolaos couldn’t read her mind, she thought love would fall into the equation.

“It could be.”

“But you don’t think so?” She pushed the blanket aside, suddenly too warm under his eyes. He was still leaning against the window. Was he staying far from her in fear of hurting her?

“I have never worked with a mortal before, I’m new at this myself.”

“But earlier you said you have spent centuries looking?” Confused she raised an eyebrow.

“I have, by myself. I’ve never been assigned to work with a mortal before. I usually work with other immortals. If we could find the clan holding the box we could tell the mortal and the vampire she was working with.”

“What’s happened to the women before me?”

“I’m not allowed to know so I’m not tempted to tell you. If you knew the truth you probably wouldn’t want to participate.”

“But I have a right to know.” She stood. “I could get killed.”

“You could, yes. Do you still want to proceed?”

Nodding she walked closer to him. “Can I ask you some questions?”

“That’s what you have been doing?” He uncrossed his arms and watched her edge closer to him.

“No, I mean about you? About vampires?”

After several seconds of silence Ophelia wasn’t sure she should get any closer to him. But now that they were in the light, she had to see him up close.

“You can ask, but it doesn’t mean I’ll answer.”

“Fair,” stopping within a foot of him she studied his face. It was pale, just like her research had suggested. But he didn’t have any scarring or signs on his face that he was a vampire like other research suggested. His eyes seemed normal, except they were a bright blue she had never seen before. “Can you go out in the sunlight?”

“No,” he simply stated.

“Can you eat anything other than blood?”

“No,” he stated again.

“Do you want to kill me?”

“Yes,” he said without hesitation.

“Will you kill me once this is over?”

“No,”

“Why not?”

“Because I am not a monster.” Pushing off the window he stalked past her towards the other side of the room.

“Is it true that if a vampire can’t read your mind you are lifemates?”

He turned to stare at her. “Depends on which legend you want to believe,” he closed his eyes, fisting his hands at his sides and concentrated on breathing.

“Which legend is the truth?”

“I have to go feed, stay here.” he turned and fled the room.

She felt she had a right to know what her future might hold. Although she wasn’t too happy with the idea of spending eternity as a vampire—with a vampire.

Frowning, Ophelia thought about him not being able to go out in the sunlight, that must be horrible, but more importantly that would delay their search. She had a feeling he wasn’t about to let her go out searching by herself, even during the day.

“Saffron,” why hadn’t she thought of that before? Pulling out her phone she brought up her file on saffron flowers in Italy.

It stated that a vampire could go out in sunlight if he wore saffron. No matter where the box was they had to make a stop in Italy to find this flower to help Nickolaos go out in the sunlight.

Before being able to think about it anymore her cell phone beeped letting her know she had a new email message.

Welcome to your journey, Ophelia,

By now you have met Nickolaos, your immortal who will help you through your destiny. He will guide you and protect you. There will be plenty of danger that lies ahead. But never fear you are a strong woman. Nickolaos already has a strong connection with you and will allow nothing to harm you.

As for finding Pandora’s Box, I know you cannot do this on your own. I will be involved in helping you. I will send you clues to where you can find the box.

Your first clue: Pandora’s Box is a myth of Greece, but it no longer resides there. A vampire clan with an Italian surname holds possession in their homeland.

Good luck and many blessings,

Sebastian Clemmons

“Where in Italy and why couldn’t he give me a last name?” she questioned her phone frustrated.

“What’s going on?” Nickolaos walked into the room, seemingly more calm.

“We have to go to Italy.” She read the clue to him and then explained about the ring.

“How can we be sure saffron will really work?”

“I thought of it moments before Sebastian sent the clue. I knew then we had to go to Italy to find this flower. Once I received the clue, I knew I was on the right track. It has to work, it just has to.”

“Let’s go to Italy.”

Read the Competition - Across the Veil

Fight Results

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:57:00 +0000

We have our winners!

Group 1

ChargeD
vs                                           ChargeD

A Wilde Hunt

Group 2

Across the Veil
VS.                                         Elemental Rain

Elemental Rain

Group 3

Ancient Awakenings
VS                                         Ancient Awakenings

The In Crowd

Group 4

Forbidden
VS                                  Que Sarah, Sarah

Que Sarah, Sarah

"Ding, Ding, Ding" the roar of the crowd is deafening - "And the Results Are In!"

Based on your votes also moving on to Round 2 and rounding out the 6 contestants are...

Forbidden
and
Across the Veil

Congratulations to our fighters!

Thank you to the fabulous authors of The In Crowd and A Wilde Hunt.

Que Sarah, Sarah

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:14:00 +0000

    She hurried her footsteps down the alley. This was not part of the plan. Something grabbed her foot. A bottle, a branch, or a hand -- either way she found herself flat on the pavement, cheek to the ground, face to foot with a very large, very black, boot. Dammit! There was no way her pursuer could have gotten in front of her. But the big black boot was undeniable evidence to the contrary.
   She raised her head and looked upwards beginning at the top of the boot. Her eyes followed the jet black leather encased telephone pole to a height of approximately five foot two inches, without reaching the belt line.   Although a small part of her wondered just how much further the leg extended, her attention focused instead on the twelve inch ebony leather buckler that enclosed a small sapling that ended in a hand so large that it could not only palm a basketball, but rather could conceal it in its entirety.   Unfortunately, the hand was not holding a basketball. The gargantuan hand was busy worrying the filigreed haft of a shiny silver rune inscribed war axe back and forth, trying to work the eighteen inch blade out of its brand new ten inch sheath of brick and mortar. She was fairly good with numbers. At five feet eight, it only took her a moment to figure out what would have happened if she had not tripped.
   As she rolled to her left, she caught the briefest glimpse of the screeching black cannonball flying eight feet over her head. There was a tremendous crash as the big black boot and buckler went hurtling fifty feet backwards punching a gaping hole in the side of a twenty yard steel dumpster. She scrambled to her feet, took one look at the great silver war axe, and immediately dismissed the idea since she forgot her block-and-tackle at home. She turned to run back the way she had come, but stopped short. There were four black boots at the mouth of the alleyway. She took no solace in the fact that she was right a moment earlier when she thought that her furtive pursuer (or pursuers actually) could not have gotten in front of her. She did not even bother trying to make a break for the next corner. Four more boots were already advancing in her direction.
   The black cannonball flew back up out of the dumpster and landed three feet in front of her. She stared down at biggest, blackest cat that she had ever seen. It stared back up at her, its long black tail whipping back and forth.
   “Well? What are you waiting for?”
   She did not think she had hit her head when she fell. The pain from several cuts and scrapes suggested that she was not dreaming. But she had never before spoken with an exasperated cat.
   “You’re not having a psychotic episode. I’m a talking cat. Now you have about thirty seconds, Soldier, to decide whether you want to be all that you can be, or a headless corpse. Twenty-five seconds.”
   “What am I supposed to do?”
   “Get us out of here!”
   The alley filled with the shriek of rending metal as Boot-and-Buckler ripped apart the solid steel construction as easily as she could tear off a sheet of aluminum foil. Boot-and-Buckler pulled himself out of the dumpster and stood up, and up. She noted that he was wearing four feet of sleeveless leather vest that matched his sleek black pants and boots. A three foot wedge of sheet metal stuck out of his left shoulder. He reached up, pulled it out and tossed it aside without so much as a grimace. He took a step in her direction, and picked up two yards on the play.
   “Twenty seconds. Now would be a good time to act.”
   “I-I don’t know what to do!”
   “I don’t believe this. I warned them. Amateurs! This is why I work alone. Think!”
   Think about what? Flying? She had no idea what the cat expected her to do. She was a simple office manager. Did the cat want her to requisition some copier toner? She looked up from the cat and found that Boot-and-Buckler had closed to twenty-five feet.
Boot-and-Buckler laughed.
   “Give it up, Cat. This one isn’t worth the effort. By the way, you ruined my vest. So if you want to stick around, after I take her head, I think I’ll make a new one out of tanned cat’s hide.”
   The cat hissed, then turned to face Boot-and-Buckler. The fur on the cat’s back was raised, and its tail was straight and rigid. Its unusually long sharp claws were fully extended.
   “First of all, they are all worth the effort. Second, how are you going to find me after I scratch your eyes out?” The cat looked back over its right shoulder, and hissed, “ten seconds!”
   “What do I do?”
   “Just follow me!”
   The cat turned and leapt to his left, landing six inches from the wall. The cat lifted its left paw, and quickly scratched three small sigils in the brick. Then the cat took a step forward, and passed through the wall, leaving only the tip of his tail visible. “Come on!” The tip of the cat’s tail disappeared into the wall. Boot-and-Buckler bellowed, “Nooooo!”
   Sarah watched the cat pass through the wall. If she was crazy or dreaming, then it really did not matter whether she followed the cat or not. If this was real, then what was the worst that could happen if she followed the cat? If she brained herself and knocked herself out, then she would not have watch when Boot-and-Buckler pulled his axe out of the wall to take her head. Whatever will be, will be. She took three quick steps, then dove head first after the cat. The soles of her feet disappeared just as Boot-and-Buckler’s fist smashed a four foot hole in the wall.
   Que Sarah, Sarah.

Click Here to Read Chapter Two.

FORBIDDEN

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 02:48:00 +0000

She hurried her footsteps down the alley. This was not part of the plan. Something grabbed her foot. A bottle, a branch, or a hand – either way she found herself flat on the pavement, cheek to the ground, face to foot with a very large, very black, boot.

Anita Miller’s breath shuddered in her chest. The raw flesh on her hands burned as she pushed up. Behind her, the presence had stopped. Its pursuit stalled by whatever wore that boot.

Pulse pounding through her, she trailed her eyes up the leather-clad muscular legs and a heavily-muscled chest. What she’d seen so far didn’t ease the fear clenching her stomach.

The presence shifted, edging closer. She shot to her feet and met crystalline gray eyes in a face that was savagely beautiful framed by black hair. Dark wings rose behind the creature with the black boots. She sucked in her breath. For a moment, she forgot what was going on.

With her movement, the presence closed in. She’d only caught a glimpse of the thing that had chased her, but she had seen the red glowing eyes. This angel-like being in front of her seemed like the lesser of two evils.

Those haunting gray eyes shifted from her to look at the presence behind her. She took quick stock of her situation: her knee ached, her hands were scraped, and she was pretty sure the fluid running down her leg wasn’t water. She moved to duck around the angel.

A hand gripped her wrist. Shocked, she looked up. The angel didn’t look at her. She tugged at her wrist, but he wouldn’t let go. The alley opened back up to another street several feet behind the angel. If he’d let her go, he could take care of the presence while she got away.

“Let me go,” she said under her breath.

“Yes,” the presence hissed behind her, flowing over her like ice cold water. “Let her go. She’s mine. I saw her first.”

She slowly turned so that she could face the presence that had made her run until her lungs burned and her side ached.

Red eyes peered out of a monster she had no name for. It towered over her by at least two feet. The angel was only about a half foot taller than her. The creature’s spinally legs and long arms had scars circling the flesh. Its body wasn’t as buff as the angel holding her, but it had a wiry strength. The face though... The nightmares in her childhood couldn’t come close to the reality of its face.

Deep-lined scars and burn marks ravaged the flesh on the creature’s head. What hair there was rose from patches of unmarred flesh. The matted hair fell against the skin and stuck there. She stepped closer to the angel and hid her eyes. The creature’s image didn’t dissipate from her mind.

“Please don’t let me go.” She’d rather face whatever this angel had in mind than that beast.

“Sammuel told you not to hunt the girl.” His sensuous voice resonated through her, but the words made her pull away. He didn’t release her.

“I only wanted to play.” The creature sounded like a whiny kid. The churning returned to her stomach. They knew each other, and they were hunting her.

She stepped back and pulled at her wrist again. Another form came into focus. The blonde man had white wings and white robes. The other two didn’t seem to notice him. When his green eyes met hers, he appeared shocked.

“Help me. Please, help me,” she shouted at the white angel.

“Xaphan, leave here.” The dark angel tugged her close and looked around warily. “We may have a visitor.”

“Please, you can see me. I know you can.” She continued to plead with the light angel as the mutilated creature disappeared.

“He’ll not help you, little one.” The dark angel’s face tilted down toward her.

“Please.” She tried again to make the white angel look at her. She didn’t want to die. She hadn’t even begun to live. Escaping from a relationship that had dead-end written all over it, she just wanted to live now.

“You can yell at him all you want, but angels don’t interfere with daemon business.” His voice was rich and soothing, even though the words made no sense.

This had to be a dream. She’d just been chased several blocks by God only knows what, only to be rescued and captured by a dark-winged angel, and ignored by a white-winged angel. Definitely not how she’d planned to start her first night of freedom.

The white-winged angel stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest. He stared at a point beyond her. The dark-winged one was right. She was still on her own here.

“Who are you and what do you want?” Anita raised her eyes to the dark-winged angel.

“That’s good, Witness. You may call me Dagon.”

Shivers of fear rippled over her spine. Something dark had raced across his face so fast she’d almost missed it.

He yanked on her wrist. She fell against him as her knee gave out. Her hands screamed with pain as they came into contact with his hard chest.

“The only thing I want is you.”

Click here to read chapter two.

Ancient Awakenings

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:43:00 +0000

A hand grabbed her upper arm and hauled her to her feet. His cool touch seeped through the thick fabric of her jacket and attacked her flesh. A vampire—the same vampire she had been waiting for to help her find Pandora’s Box.

“I’m sorry,” a deep voice said. “Are you okay, then?”

“Yes, thanks.” For a vampire she didn’t expect him to be so polite.

“I’m Nickolaos Petralias.” he extended his hand. “You are Ophelia Vallas?”

“Yes,” she accepted his hand and gasped at the spark of electricity cascading through her body.

For the first time she chanced looking the vampire in the eye. Even in the dark, his eyes were piercing blue and his hair— black as night. Tall and lean in the waist, he was divine. Her heart began to race and her nerves jittered with excitement as she gazed at him. She knew from her research vampires could hear, smell, taste and see what others couldn’t.

“We should probably get you out of this alley,” his head moved slightly to the left, his eyes darkened and his body tensed.

“What is it?”

“Nights in Greece aren’t exactly as safe as people would like to believe.”

She only nodded and followed him out of the alley.

Three Weeks Before

Ophelia Vallas stared at her invitation one last time before ringing the doorbell. Nervous beyond belief, her heart pounded frantically against her chest, threatening to break free. Her stomach rolled in anticipation and her throat felt dry.

She was in the middle of the woods in North Carolina, where this small cottage sat alone. She had received an invite to join Sebastian Clemmons, who was a professor at the university where she taught Greek Mythology. He had several degrees in Greek Mythology, British History and Irish Studies and was well known throughout campus.

The door opened and on the other side stood an older man with graying hair, wearing a long purple cloak. “Ophelia Vallas?”

Swallowing nervously she nodded.

“Sebastian Clemmons, so lovely of you to join me this evening. Please come inside.” He moved to the side to allow her to enter.

She looked around the house, though small, it looked to be only one story. She doubted anyone but Sebastian lived in this small cottage. There were no pictures of family on the walls. There wasn’t a woman’s touch and he wasn’t wearing a wedding band. She perched on the edge of the brown, dusty couch, as he sat in a brown rocking chair, its paint chipped and faded. The room was full of books on mythological creatures, Greek Gods and Goddesses, Irish legends, castles among other topics.

Calmer, she asked, “I’m sorry, why am I here? Am I the only one attending?”

“Yes, you are. No need to worry.” He could sense her nerves. “I am not going to harm you. In fact, I need your help.”

“What could I possibly do to help you?”

“Do you know what Ophelia means?” he asked.

“It basically means to help,” she replied.

“You are involved in charity work and you have a doctorate in Greek Mythology. It is my job to know everything about the next in line.”

“The next in line?”

“What I am about to tell you may frighten you.” He leaned forward. “I assure you, it’s the truth. Have you heard of the Greek legend involving Pandora’s Box?”

She nodded.

After a moments hesitation he began his story. “Zeus ordered Hephaestus to create Pandora to punish mankind, according to ancient Greek Mythology. Pandora’s Box held gifts from Zeus. These gifts were evil things that could destroy: toil, illness, despair and hope. Hope was never released. Zeus didn’t want hope to overshadow mankind, or by Pandora, who was created with all the best attributes from the other Goddesses. Or maybe by something inhuman.”

“Inhuman?” Ophelia questioned puzzled.

“Some philosophers believe that an immortal is the only creature who cannot open the box. It has to be human.”

“Pandora opened the box. She was a Goddess, which is considered immortal,” Ophelia countered.

“Yes, but did she open the box because she couldn’t refuse the temptation or because Zeus ordered her to do so?”

“Because Zeus created her.” She bit her bottom lip. “Zeus could have ordered her to close the box before hope was released.”

“As you see, my child, there are many contradictions to the myth, and many takes on what really happened.”

“But you know…” Wait a second…it suddenly dawned on her that he knew an awful lot about the workings of the Gods.

“I am a sorcerer, filled with wisdom and knowledge. It is my job to know all. We have been trying for centuries to find someone to locate Pandora’s Box. Only the woman with the first name Ophelia can find the box, with the help of an immortal.”

“Why go through all of this? You know where the box is, tell me it’s location and I will get it for you.”

“If only it were that easy, I wouldn’t still be here.”

“Why did the women before me fail?”

“The simple answer is they didn’t believe.”

“Believe in what?”

“That’s for you, my dear, to figure out. Then it will be up to you to believe.”

Current Time

Once settled in Nickolaos’ home, hidden beyond the world, Ophelia was certain she would never find it on her own. She decided it was time to get to business.

“Have you tried to find Pandora’s Box before this?”

He sighed, loud and heavy. “Many times,”

“Do you know who has the box?”

He inhaled deeply and then exhaled. “The only thing that matters is that we find it.”

“If I’m going to be risking my life, I have a right to know who has it!” Frustrated she began to pace his small, dark living room. Everything about his house was dark.

“A vampire clan, out to destroy mankind.”

“Immortals can’t open Pandora’s Box unless Zeus himself grants the request.” She would think about an evil vampire clan being in possession of Pandora’s Box later.

“According to some legends.”

“You don’t believe that?” Shocked, she turned to see him leaning against the far wall watching her.

“After centuries of looking, I’m not sure what I believe anymore.”

“Can you read my mind?” she asked only because she was curious.

There was silence. “No.” He looked dismayed by that realization.

According to some legends vampires couldn’t read the mind of their lifemates. Did this mean they were lifemates? More than ever, she realized her life and her heart were at risk.

Read Part Two

The In Crowd

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:37:00 +0000

She hurried down the alley her footsteps slapping on the wet pavement. This was definitely not part of the plan. Something caught her foot. A bottle, branch or hand—either way she found herself flat on the pavement, cheek to the ground, face to foot with a very large, very black boot.

“My dad says if you don’t pay the protection money you owe he’s gonna break your legs, but not until after dinner ’cause my mom’s tired ’cause when she slaves over a hot stove all day and cleans the house and does the laundry that makes her hair look bad and her hands red and the girls are drooping so bad that without a bra she looks flat-chested and like she has Uncle Tony’s beer gut and she deserves appreciation and no that doesn’t mean the three minutes of bed shaking followed by the worst case of sleep apnea since—”

“Jeannie!” Clark said, interrupting the seven-year old before the kid revealed more of her parent’s marital bliss. “Little Rudy, you wanna ease up off of me?” She glared at Jeannie’s twelve-year old brother.

“Sorry Miss Clark,” he said, taking two giant steps backward.

With a groan, Clark levered herself off the ground, “This is what I get for taking Agnes’s shift instead of telling her to piss off like everyone else does.” Frowning at the wet hem of her second-hand magician’s cape and the alley goo smeared all over it, she cursed under her breath and wondered if she should take advantage of the casino’s twenty minute dry cleaning service. With money being extremely tight, she’d have to run a tab. She discarded the idea almost immediately. Paying Fat Rudy’s monthly protection was bad enough without owing another loan shark.

Actually, a tab at Emperor’s Wash and Dry would make that three low-lifes with paper out on her.

Brushing off as much of the dirt as she could, she eyed Jeannie’s nearly black hair curled in two, fat pigtails. Her brown eyes were positively doe like and her pink-seamed jeans and T-shirt completed the picture of sugar and spice innocence.

Little Rudy, on the other hand, took after his father: fat cheeks made his eyes squint even on the cloudiest day. An unexpected growth spurt put him a little over five feet and did little to alleviate the abundance of baby fat that clung to his frame.

Together they were the most absurd pair of mob enforcers she’d ever seen.

“What’s with you two? Don’t you have homework or something?”

“Dad says we got to economize,” Little Rudy said. “Too much money going into mom’s craft room and not enough coming in.”

“Times are definitely tough,” Clark agreed directing a wry smile at the boy’s sweatshirt decorated with macramé thugs sporting uzi’s. “Speaking of, I’m going to be late for my excruciatingly lame job. Tell your father I’ll stop by after my last show and drop off the payment.” She reached to tweak one of Jeannie’s cheeks, but a blow to her chest slammed her into the brick wall of the Soul to Seoul Bar and Grille. She fell to her knees in a puddle of what smelled like urine and blinked at the brown pungent muck that coated her kelly-green Converse sneakers before a hand, sporting two-inch claws encircled her throat, dragged her to her feet and pinned her to the alley wall.

“Go home,” she said between clenched teeth to the children doing a fair imitation of Munch’s Scream.

The werewolf holding her against the wall emitted a hungry rumble as he watched the kids scurry off and Clark moaned painfully, distracting him from the obvious urge to chase fleeing prey.

“Been looking for you, darlin’,” the were said, shifting his teeth and hands to less threatening dimensions.

“Been working,” Clark wheezed.

“What you’ve been doing,” the were corrected, dragging his nose along her throat and jaw, his erection growing as he scented her, “is attempting to use our product for free. Your second payment is 48 hours late.”

“I need more time. Got a new gig. I’ll have the whole nut by the end of the week. Promise,” Clark hedged, inferring from the werewolf, now rubbing himself against her, that she could either tell the truth and get brutally humped or she could not tell the truth and get brutally humped.

“Darker berry, sweeter juice,” he gowled, licking her café au lait skin like it was melting soft serve.

No way she was leaving this alley without her virginity (virginity being defined as the absence of sexual intercourse for a period greater than two years) or the magic Seymour, a minor demon and serious crime boss loaned her six months ago.

Down to their last two cans of tuna and packages of ramen noodles, going hungry was not something Clark and her parents had ever considered. As the celebutante child of a renowned financier, Clark indulged in all the super-rich rites of passage: crotch shots, drunken interviews, boyfriend stealing, an attempt at a music career and two three-second marriages. All that came to an end when a whistle-blower leaked her dad’s decades-long practice of bilking his investors, leaving the whistle-blower a hero, her father a temporary insanity defense away from serious jail time and Clark and her mother nearly destitute. That was twelve long years ago. So when Clark got word of a “bank” promising a magical solution to all their problems, she leapt without looking, never thinking she’d have to wield actual magic, confront demons, werewolves and every other nightmare that wasn’t supposed to exist or pay the magic back at an exorbitant interest rate.

The instruction manual that came with her loan agreement consisted primarily of pictorial how-to representations which she could barely follow. Still how hard could it be to make a horny dog heel?

***

“And for my last trick, I’ll pull a rabbit out of this hat.”

“You stink!” A high-pitched voice shrieked.

“Yeah, you’re a stinky poo-poo!” Shouted another.

“Slut!” Said another with cheeks painted with rainbows and stars just before a thick slice of chocolate frosted cake hit Clark in the middle of her forehead, slid down her nose and to the floor, leaving a path of frosting, colored sprinkles and strawberry cream in its wake.

Licking her frosting-covered top lip with an appreciative hum and maintaining remarkably calm in the face of twenty, nine-year olds chanting, “slut, slut, you’re a slut,” Clark stared into the top hat on the table in front of her, regulated her breathing, like the instruction manual told her to, and changed the white rabbit in the box beneath the table into a hundred tarantulas, hoping the multiple transformations wouldn’t permanently affect the werewolf the rabbit used to be.

With a benign, nurturing smile Mary Alice, the nun over at St. Anthony’s Merry-Girl-Round helped her to perfect, Clark tossed the contents of her top hat at the children like it was a bucket of feed scattered before squawking hens.

The resulting chaos was oddly relaxing, and realizing that she hadn’t eaten since her early bird performance, Clark pulled up a chair in front of the half-finished cake that said, “Good luck with the new hip, Maury” and dug in.

Read the Competition-Ancient Awakenings

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Across the Veil

RomanceintheBackseat@gmail.com (Terry Kate) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:32:00 +0000

“Cut! Print!” The director bellowed. “Nice job Natalie. I could see the fear and uncertainty on you face. Really great work today.”

Dillon removed his boot from her face and offered her a hand. “Are you all right? The fall looked like it hurt.”

She dusted off her jeans and smiled up at him from under her lashes. “It’s supposed to look that way, remember? It’s called acting.”

“Well you did an amazing job.” He chuckled. “You always do. So you want to grab a beer?”

“Nah, I need some quiet me time in my trailer.”

“Suit yourself,” he said as he walked away. She watched him go. Dillon looked amazing in his not too loose yet not too tight jeans. Enough gawking, she chastised herself.

Natalie turned around and made her way upstream through the production team toward her trailer. They’d been in Arizona for nearly three weeks shooting the special two-hour season premiere movie, and tomorrow she’d be heading back to her home in Malibu. She was ready to get out of the desert heat and back to a more temperate climate.

The climate changed immediately when she opened her trailer door.

A tall man with silver eyes and long blond hair rose as she entered. She gasped and shook her head in disbelief. “Faldo? What are you doing here?”

He raised a brow and glanced around her cramped living space. “I would ask you the same question, Princess Talia.”

She shushed him and pulled the door closed behind her. “I’m Natalie Thurmont now. How did you get across the veil?”

The corner of his mouth twitched. As close to a smile as Faldo usually got. “Again, I might ask you the same question.”

Talia rolled her eyes. “Why are you here, Faldo?”

“I need you to find someone for me.”

Her jaw dropped. “You’re kidding. Why would you think I would help you? You’re the reason I crossed the veil in the first place.”

His silver eyes narrowed and he raised his chin. “You will help me, Princess, or your life in this world will end.”

“You’re in my house, threatening me?” She crossed her arms shaking her head. “Not in this world. No way.” She pointed to the door. “Get out, Faldo. Now.”

He started toward the door, his lips curled into a smirk that made her feel like throwing up. “Your mother worries about you. I will be a hero for finding you and sending the sentinel to bring you back home.”

“You wouldn’t.”

He glanced back at her over his shoulder. “I most certainly would.”

Talia raked her fingers back through her hair. “Why do you think I can find whoever you’re looking for? I’m an actress now, not a private detective.”

His jaw clenched. “Because the Fae I am looking for is Keth.”

Her arm dropped to her side and the glamour that usually glowed around her face faded, graying her flawless complexion. “Keth is here?”

Faldo cleared his throat, his posture stiff. “Yes. He crossed the veil shortly after you vanished.”

Her foolish heart leapt in her chest. Maybe Keth had come searching for her. But the false hope dimmed quickly. She’d been on a hit television show for nearly five years now. Her face was plastered on billboards and buses. If he was looking for her, she wouldn’t have been hard to find.

“Why are you looking for him?”

“When he left Summerland, he took something that didn’t belong to him. I need to have it back.”

“That’s vague,” she snorted. “How am I supposed to help you if I don’t know what I’m looking for?”

“It’s best that you don’t.” He slid his fingers into the pocket of his button-down shirt and withdrew a tiny orange gem. It caught the light, as he placed it in the center of her outstretched hand. “Slip this into his pocket or his bag. I will be able to find him no matter which world he hides in.”

She rolled it across her palm. The surface was smooth and the gem itself was nearly weight-less. Her eyes turned up to meet his. “It’s enchanted?”

“Just be sure the stone is placed in his keeping. I will handle the rest.”

“And my mother?”

“Will never know we have laid eyes on each other.”

She closed her fingers around the tiny stone. “I don’t want to do this.”

He reached over to lift her chin. “If you want to stay here with the humans, then you have no choice.” His smug expression was back as he bowed his head. “Farewell Princess Talia.”

Color stained her cheeks. She slammed the door behind him. He was such a stodgy, aloof, cold-hearted lech. She couldn’t believe her parents betrothed her to such a bastard. She was an infant at the time, but that was no excuse.

They couldn’t have known that he would drive their daughter to flee the only world she ever knew.

Talia checked all the blinds to be sure there were closed, and then plopped down on her sofa. With the tiny gem on the end table, she closed her eyes. Using faerie magic in the human world was risky. The magic was unstable. There were so many factors in this world that didn’t exist back home. Radio, television, and cell phone waves altered the energy in the air around her, until a simple spell of silence could suddenly render the person mute for days.

She’d learned quickly not to rely on magic on this side of the veil, but welcoming her power back into her body still felt natural, like a warm blanket on a cold night. In her mind, Keth stared at her with his intense icy green eyes and his long black hair. Where Faldo was light, Keth was dark, polar opposites. Faldo reveled in his family’s station in Summerland, while Keth rebelled from his station and sought to make his own way in the world. Faldo’s silver eyes were cold and unfeeling, while Keth’s had a tint of jade that burned with emotion. Rage, love, passion, joy, it all stormed in his eyes.

While her heart’s magic churned, her skin started to glow. The shadow of a vine darkened around her wrist. It was childhood magic, but those spells were often the hardest to break. A pure unwounded heart carried more magic than the most experienced Fae conjurer.

The vine darkened, sprouting leaves and braiding itself around her wrist. When the tingle left her skin, she opened her eyes and stared down at the markings, tracing it with her finger. Keth would now bear the same mark.

And he would know who put it there.

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