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There is a world invisible
to Untouched eyes, where demons rule the shadows and prey on the innocents.
Gracen Potts lives in this world. Her job is to serve and protect those who are
oblivious to the monsters hiding from the light.
As a Silver Mortal Gracen has the power to send these demons back to Hell. With
the Silver Eagle's blood running through her veins she feels like nothing can
take her down. That is, until she meets a group of Night Vipers who have
escaped the Viper clan.
Can Gracen keep doing her job of demon slaying and protect the rebel Vipers?
Excerpt from Chapter 10
Taking
in the Fall air, I find it's just how I like it—cool, clear, and crisp. The moon is a big bright ball in the dark
sky, and I'm instantly thankful for natures help in lighting our path. Phoenix's footsteps echo behind me, slapping
hard against the pavement. Mixed
feelings of hope and desperation cling to his skin, and my heart once again
grieves for his situation.
I
halt my steps suddenly, right in the middle of the empty sidewalk. Turning around I face him, seeing that his
hands are deep in his pockets, his shoulders slouched, and his eyes on me. We eyeball each other a moment until I can't
take it anymore.
“Why
didn't you let me know where you were?”
I inquire, giving him a hard glare.
He shrugs his shoulders, his gaze falling to the ground.
“I
don't know. All I knew at the time was
that I needed to be alone.” His gaze
drifts back up. “I had to process
everything. I had to sit back and
evaluate my position.”
“Your
position?” I query, confused. What did he mean by that?
He
nods. “It's not just me I have to take
care of. I have four other souls to
think about, to look after. They all
depend on me, and look up to me. They trust
me. And how do I repay them for their
trust? By attacking an Untouched, that's
how.”
“You
were just upset. You made one
mistake.” I take a step forward,
reaching for him, but he backs away from me.
“Gracen,” he says, his voice quivering, “they expect me to lead them. What kind ofleader can't control himself in
the normal world?”
Taking
a step forward, I reach up to place an encouraging hand on his shoulder. This time he stays put.
“Phoenix,
you can't let one mistake sidetrack you from your chosen path.” Slowly I lift my hand to his face, palming
his cheek. The protective guard to my
heart is slipping away, opening up for someone I've only known a short
while. “You're not alone anymore. I'll be here for you, but please promise you
won't leave me hanging again.”
Studying
me, he raises his hand to mine and gives it a gentle squeeze.
“I
promise you,” he tells me, his voice
deep and soft, “I'll never leave you
hanging again.” Gazing down at my lips,
his head dips down, and my heart goes into triple beats. I close my eyes, readying myself for his
kiss, when suddenly a noise across the street catches our attentions.
Before
I can think, Phoenix pulls me into the shadows of the nearest alley. We both crouch down and watch. The Silver Eagle starts burning in my blood,
alerting me that midnight has arrived.
Phoenix
is stiff and rigid next to me as we both let our supernatural feelers loose to
scope the newcomers, hoping to find out if they are human or something
else. When a lady giggles abrasively,
followed by a man's gruff laugh, I quickly realize that they are human...and extremely
drunk. Even from across the street I can
smell the liquor on them. They stagger
down the sidewalk, stuck in their own boozed-up world. We watch quietly as they enter an apartment
building, kissing passionately before going in.
“Gee,
I wonder what they're about to do?”
Phoenix wonders aloud, sounding amused.
I
laugh. “I'm sure they're not going in
for a game of Charades.” He
begins laughing along with me, but stops when he sees my face.
“Whoa! What happened to your eyes and face?”
Feeling
self-conscience I answer, “I go through
a transformation after midnight. My eyes
turn completely silver, and silver claw marks appear on my face. Why do you ask? Are you freaked-out by my appearance?” Immediately he replies, “No, absolutely not! It's just that I didn't know...”
“I
can put on my sunglasses if it makes you feel better.” I pull my black sunglasses out of my pocket
and start to place them on my face, but he grabs my hand.
“No,
don't,” he whispers, shaking his
head. “Don't hide your true self. You're too beautiful.” He's looking at my lips again, and I know he
wants to kiss me; I also know we're not
going to get any work done if we continue to fawn over each other.
“Come
on, Phoenix. We'd better—”
“Do
you smell that?” he interrupts, lifting
his nose to the air and taking a big whiff.
Confused
I sniff the air as well. “No, I don't
smell anything.”
He
narrows his eyes and that's when I notice some changes in his
appearance. I watch in wonder as
blackness slowly covers his eyes completely.
The black coiled viper becomes more prominent on his cheek, the surface
of it on his skin looking slick and oily.
He closes his eyes, taking another deep breath. I do the same, trying to free every sense I
possess.
Opening
my eyes I say, “All I can smell is
garbage. What are you smelling?”
Suddenly
he opens his black eyes, causing a jump out of me. He doesn't notice. There's a feral, vicious gleam in his
blackened pupils, and a growl rises up from his chest. This time the growl sounds deeper, more
animal-like than the one at school. At
this moment I process reality—I am now seeing his true, supernatural side.
“Trolls,” he says in a hushed growl. “I smell trolls.”
Jenna Kay has always had a vivid imagination. At the age of thirty she decided it was time
to put her imagination to work.
Growing up with three older brothers made her strong and one tough
cookie. She was blessed with two loving
parents, both that encouraged her to follow her dreams and always made sure
that she was in Church. Her mama is her
biggest fan. She graduated from high
school in Georgia, where she played varsity basketball. Later, she obtained a
cosmetology license from the State of Georgia and practiced cosmetology for 8
years before becoming a full time mother and author. Her works include Mark of the Seer, Broken
(The Seer Society Series), Silver Mortal (The Gracen Chronicles), and Beyond
the Never Anthology.
Jenna currently resides in North Georgia where, when not writing,
she spends time with her three young
children and her loving husband.
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Looks great!! <3
ReplyDeleteSo excited for this book Jenna!!! So happy for you!!
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