Catalyst Scene and eARC giveaway!

I am beyond peeved right now. Shelly Crane just asked if I would mind taking some time to post a scene from her upcoming book Catalyst over here on the blog. After much begging (on her part of course) I eventually gave in. Then she had the nerve to ask if I would give an eARC of Catalyst away. I mean come on? Really?

I am just having fun with you guys...of course  I would LOOOOVE to post a scene and host a giveaway. I love this lady and would do anything in the world for her...er, well almost anything.

So low and behold, a scene from Catalyst (Book #3 from the Collide series). And don't forget to stick around at the end for the giveaway!

Kay sulked from the trunk space. She was the smallest person to fit back there and she swatted her red hair away from her face as it blew everywhere from a tiny hole in the soft top.

Danny gave Celeste a poignant look and she stuck her tongue out at him before saying, "You can use me on this run and you know it. I can find people, and though I'm not sure if I can find people I don't know yet, I think this is a perfect opportunity to test that."

Miguel leaned over in the seat and whispered loudly, "Are they going to be like this the whole time?"

"No doubt," I answered.

"Bugger," he groaned and leaned back into his seat. I heard him mutter, "I'd rather be fed to a Marker."

I held in my chuckle. We were minutes away from the first place on the map to search. We'd test Celeste's gift theory soon.

As we turned into the first building I pulled all the way into the back. The Jeep's brakes squeaked loudly echoing off the walls. I cringed but it didn’t matter. We wanted them to know we were here so hopefully they didn't jump the gun, literally.

"Alright, let me do the talking, please," I told them and gave Celeste a look to make sure she understood.

"Of course! Why do I get the look and no one else?" she said and scrunched her nose.

"Babe," Danny said sarcastically and lifted his eyebrow with meaning. "Come on."

"Ok, fine. Whatever," she said and pushed Miguel's seat back. "Let's go, Bush Man."

"Watch it, Sheila," Miguel growled and opened the door. "You're stuck with me for three days so let's not start off on the wrong foot."

"Miguel, in those shoes, you're always on the wrong foot," she said and laughed leaning on Danny like it was hilarious. I sighed and waved Miguel off who was inhaling for a rebuttal.

"Alright guys. Leave all the stuff here and let's go," I told them. I knew right then that this whole operation was probably going to be more of a pain than it was worth. I was away from my girls and if something good didn't come of this run, I was going to be one unhappy Keeper.

"So, should I try now?" Celeste said and I was pleased she sounded serious now.

"Please."

She kneeled on the ground, just like that day in front of the Mayor's Manor. Her eyes took on that greenish freaky look. Her mouth opened slightly and though her breaths were steady, she looked a little peaked, like she was exerting herself.

"I'm sorry," she finally said and her eyes went back to their color. "I guess I have to focus on someone specific. I'm getting nothing."

"It's alright," I told her at the same time that Danny said, "It's ok, babe."

"I don't see anything either," Josh supplied and shook his head to clear his vision. "All I see is wall after wall. That doesn't mean that someone isn't in there though. It's just too much to see through."

"Well, we go in like the good old days. Blind," Miguel said and checked his knife in his boot and his stake in his waistband before straightening and leading the way. "Let's get this show on the road."

"I swear, Miguel," Celeste said as she tripped over the doorway and kicked it in retaliation. "Your accent is so much more pronounced when you're itching for violence."

"As it should be," he answered and looked around the worn and weathered warehouse. He looked at me. "Should we just ring the bell?" he said sarcastically.

"I'm afraid we're just winging it."

"Great," he drug out as he eyed the massive creaky doorway. "I'll let my coconut be on the chopping block first, since I don't have a pretty little Sheila waiting for me."

"Neither do I," Josh muttered behind me, almost startling me because he'd been so quiet.

"Aw, Miguel," Celeste chimed. "You want me to search in my mind specifically for you a lovely little Sheila?" she goaded.

"Oh, boy," Danny replied.

"Alright, everyone, let's muzzle it so I can think," Miguel growled.

He looked around as we all stood in the doorway. It was wide open, but that didn't mean anything either way. It was a very likely possibility that we would search for days and find nothing. I almost growled at the thought as we inched our way inside, but it didn't take long before we heard a crunch behind us.

My fingers automatically went to the stake in my back pocket. With Miguel and me flanking the group we stood silently waiting for something to indicate what we had heard: friend or foe?

"What was that?" Celeste hissed as Kay pulled her tighter to her just and Danny did the same thing.

"Quite," Miguel barked, which was silly given the word he had just said. "Hello?" he called. "We aren't here to hurt you."

The silence was too eerie, too telling. It reeked of trouble. I motioned them back to the doorway until we could regroup and maybe grab more weapons. My actions were futile as two Lighters dropped down from the roof right in front of the doorway.

"Mmm, Keeper," one of them acknowledged with a nod and a grunt. Then he looked at Kay and grinned. "And Keeper. What a surprise."

"Lighters right out of the gate," Miguel mused beside me and switched his stake from one hand to the other. "And I was beginning to think my lucky rabbit's foot had failed me."

As I began to think strategy, one of the Lighters walked straight to Danny, his gait lazy and languid as if he had all the time in the world. I balked and blurred to him but Danny held his hand up. He easily handed the Lighter a slim stake and I watched as he walked back to his comrade and staked him right through his stunned chest. The lightning burst through his chest and the crackle in the air had barely gone before the Lighter then staked himself in a blur. Another burst of lighting burst forth upward, taking out the rickety ceiling and a huge chunk of the wall.

We all turned to Danny. He shrugged.

"I figured I'd make it easy on you, Keeper-o-mine. Sorry, Miguel, I know you wanted to bust heads."

"That wasn't much fun," Josh said and laughed at Miguel's expression.

"It was rather anti-climatic," Miguel sulked and I almost laughed.

"Yeah, dude," Josh said and slapped Miguel's arm. "Why'd we even come along? We're outdated models now."

"Well, it was just-" Danny started but there was a loud groan.

We all stopped and looked around. The groan was strained and metallic. It got louder and I was clueless but Miguel must've understood.

"The building's coming down. Move!"

We moved, but it wasn't fast enough. I could have blurred and made it, but I would have had to leave someone behind. So I stayed behind too, blurring my way to Danny out of instinct instead, and as we all watched, the ceiling collapsed around the massive hole already in the structurally unsound ceiling from the lightning. We leapt back and though we were out of danger, we were covered in dust and pieces of wood and metal. Our way out was blocked. The doorway was smashed and covered in large chucks of debris too big to move with our hands.

As Celeste muttered as Kay helped to brush her off, I took the opportunity to address my Special, after looking him over to make sure he was alright first.

"You know that was all on you, pal."

"What?" he screeched. "I saved us from the Lighters!"

"Yep, just to trap us instead," Josh said but he laughed and pulled a big chunk of something from Celeste's hair. "Dude, we're screwed now."

"I'm sure there's another way..." he stopped his explanation when we all turned to see we were in a box. No doors, no windows, no stairs. It was a holding containment of some kind and we were now stuck. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh," Celeste said in a grunt but then softened. "But, it wasn't entirely your fault, babe."

"Ok, fine. Maybe I should have lured them outside first. I thought I was helping. What do you want me to say?"

"Well," Miguel drawled, "I don't really think 'woops' quite covers it here, mate."

"Woops," Danny rebutted sarcastically and then said with his arms crossed, "Seems like it works just fine to me."

Ok if you know me, you all know I am head over heels, gaga over Merrick from this series! Infact I had a keychain made up....

Yes if dude was real, I would be all up on him. I would throw Sherry to the Lighters to be rid of and have him all to myself. *ring ring* Ok nevermind, real life just called and reminded me I have a hubby and family.

So now for the giveaway. Shelly mentioned the other day on her facebook how she was in the mood to kill or bodily harm a character in her books (hmmm) so my question for the contest is....

If you could rid someone from the series who would it be??

I was seriously joking about off'ing Sherry. It would so be Piper...can't stand the wench.

EXTRA points for answering the question, for liking Shelly on facebook and for spreading word of the giveaway.

CONTEST CLOSED

Author of Young Adult Paranormal

Significance, Collide and Devour series

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