Coming in March: Exclusive Excerpt from Insidious, Witches of the Big Easy
It turned to a frenzied bloodbath. Their silver, fangs, and claws ripped at my skin. My blood flowed freely but my head remained intact—which was more than I could say for most of them. Their task of taking me alive had limited their attacking abilities, and yet they were slowly killing me. I could feel myself weakening, with no chance to regenerate. As I ripped the arms from my fourth vampire, I wanted to laugh at their stupidity for thinking they could take me alive. I’d fight them to the death, which wouldn’t be long at this rate.
Still there was hope. They should have been able to take me by now. So they weren’t as strong as I’d feared…or I was stronger than they’d suspected.
“Valen!” Beau screamed in terror.
I jerked around to find that their leader of the group had used the distraction of the attack to circle around us. He had Beau wrapped in a tight embrace, his arms poised to snap his neck. I froze. Not Beau. His life had been hard. He’d just gotten Nic back in his life, found his love again. Glaring at the vampire, I hissed, “I’ll destroy you if you harm him.” My eyes, already red from the battle, glowed even brighter. I’d bring that smug bastard true death before this ended.
He smiled. “I suppose I can see Malachi’s interest in you. Your strength is even greater than I could have imagined, and I rarely underestimate anyone.” Malachi. Who the fuck was Malachi? He pronounced it in the French way, sounding like Mal-a-shé.
“Take your hands away from him.”
“Come with us willingly and I’ll let the witch go free,” he suggested with a smirk. “There’s no reason for him to die. He’s of no use to us. Are you truly willing to forfeit yourself for him?” His arms tightened around Beau’s neck. “That’s what you promised him earlier, wasn’t it? That you’d distract us so he could get away. Here’s your chance. You for him, vampire.”
It was Beau’s only hope, but Julian would never forgive me for getting myself captured and possibly destroyed. A no win situation, but I had to give Beau a chance.
“Agreed. Set him free. Once he’s away from here, I’ll come with you.”
Beau shook his head. “Don’t do it, Valen. He’s a liar. You know he won’t let me walk away alive. Save yourself. Nic will avenge me.”
“Goddamn,” the vampire laughed. “This could be a fucking Hallmark movie. You two are so sweet.”
“Fuck you, asshole!” Thibeau taunted him and my heart sank. He was going to get himself killed.
A silver net was suddenly flung over me, causing my skin to sizzle and burn wherever it touched me. I hissed in agony, and then howled in outrage when I saw the vampire step up beside Beau.
Runaway
Omega
As I lay there shivering under my cheap blanket and feeling, as stated, plenty damn sorry for myself, I realized how pathetic I was and I hated it. I made a vow that as soon as I had this baby, my life would be different—better. I was going to pull myself together and make a new life for myself. I wasn't going to live like this, or at least not for much longer.
I slept late the next morning, burrowing under the thin blankets, because it was raining outside and so damn cold in that little apartment I could see my own breath. I didn’t have much to get up for anyway. Hunger finally drove me out of bed when I remembered that Tuesday was free lunch day at the Methodist Church three blocks down the street. Sometimes, if I was lucky, they gave out seconds, if there weren’t too many people in line, and they usually had fresh fruit I could pocket to eat later that day. Even though I had no plans to keep this baby, I wanted to give it the best start in life that I could.
I quickly washed up in the stained sink and wet down my hair, trying to tame the curls. I had used up all the expensive products I used to depend on, and I couldn’t afford to buy more. None of my clothes really fit me anymore, either, so just last week, when I couldn't stretch my clothes around my stomach any longer, I had used up the last of my meager savings on thrift store sweatpants to fit around my fat waist. I put those on, along with my puffy jacket and ball cap, and looked sadly at my good leather boots. They didn’t exactly go with the outfit, and it was raining outside, and besides they were all I had left now of my life B.P. or Before Pregnancy, especially since the police had confiscated my Glock. My feet were swollen anyway, so I put on some old tennis shoes instead and went out into the drizzling rain.
I was walking, keeping my head down so the icy rain wouldn't hit me in the face, when a big, black SUV drove past me. It suddenly slammed on the brakes, backed up, and pulled in quickly at the curb. The driver’s door flew open and Logan Grady erupted from the car.
I stopped dead still in complete shock and just looked at him as he barreled toward me like a freight train. I panicked and took a quick couple of steps backward. He yelled at me, pointing his finger. His face even partially transformed a little, and I saw his canines lengthen as he snarled at me.
“Stop, you son-of-a-bitch. Don’t you fucking dare run from me!”
I stopped. When your alpha roared like that and showed you his teeth, you damn well better stop if you had any sense of self-preservation. He stormed up to me, taking a handful of my puffy jacket and shouting down in my face. “Where the fuck have you been?”
“Well, I…”
“Shut up! I’m so mad at you right now, I want to beat your ass, so give me a few seconds to calm down, so I won't hurt you.”
That sounded like an excellent idea to me. “O-okay.”
Not two seconds later, he shook me ‘til my teeth rattled. “I thought you were dead! You just cleared out your room and disappeared! Just packed your damn bags and left without a word! What kind of person does that? What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you have any idea how many people have been looking for you? How scared your dad has been? How scared I’ve been? We thought you must be dead! Well, answer me, damn it!”
“Well, I…”
“Shut up! There's nothing you can say that I want to hear!"
"Okay, but you just said..."
"Shut up and get in the goddamn truck.”
“Logan, I have to…”
“Either you get in that fucking truck or I’ll put you in it!”
I got in the fucking truck. He stomped along every step of the way behind me, herding me with his big body and keeping his hand clamped on the back of my neck. He gave me a little shove at the door to make sure I climbed in, then went around to the driver’s side. The heat was blasting inside the truck, and it was so warm and the moment so unreal I thought I might pass out for a second. He turned to face me and the burning look he gave me snapped me right out of it.
“Well? What do you have to say for yourself?” he asked, his voice loud and filling up the truck, his face an alarming shade of red.
I shook my head helplessly and looked down at my lap. What could I tell him? That I ran because the person I thought I was didn’t exist and never had? I ran because I couldn’t face him and all the others and what they’d inevitably think about me now? Because it turns out that I’m an omega and I’m pregnant and I’m terrified, and oh, yeah, by the way, the baby is yours.
Uh, no. Just no. If he was already feeling like he wanted to kill me, that would seriously push him over the edge.
“Are you crazy, Kade? Is that it? Did you suddenly go batshit crazy and forget to tell me? Who does something like that anyway? Who just picks up and runs away from their home, their pack, their fucking life and never looks back? Didn’t you think we’d be worried about you—wonder what the fuck happened to you? How could you do that to me? To your father?”
“I’m sorry!” I cried out, burying my face in my hands. Shit, I never used to be so emotional. Was this from pregnancy hormones? I was scared to death that I was about to burst into tears. “But I couldn’t tell you! If you knew—if you or my dad or anybody else knew what happened and why I left, you’d just have hated me, and I couldn’t take that. You’d never have understood! Don’t you see? I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t face everybody! I couldn’t face you!”
I slept late the next morning, burrowing under the thin blankets, because it was raining outside and so damn cold in that little apartment I could see my own breath. I didn’t have much to get up for anyway. Hunger finally drove me out of bed when I remembered that Tuesday was free lunch day at the Methodist Church three blocks down the street. Sometimes, if I was lucky, they gave out seconds, if there weren’t too many people in line, and they usually had fresh fruit I could pocket to eat later that day. Even though I had no plans to keep this baby, I wanted to give it the best start in life that I could.
I quickly washed up in the stained sink and wet down my hair, trying to tame the curls. I had used up all the expensive products I used to depend on, and I couldn’t afford to buy more. None of my clothes really fit me anymore, either, so just last week, when I couldn't stretch my clothes around my stomach any longer, I had used up the last of my meager savings on thrift store sweatpants to fit around my fat waist. I put those on, along with my puffy jacket and ball cap, and looked sadly at my good leather boots. They didn’t exactly go with the outfit, and it was raining outside, and besides they were all I had left now of my life B.P. or Before Pregnancy, especially since the police had confiscated my Glock. My feet were swollen anyway, so I put on some old tennis shoes instead and went out into the drizzling rain.
I was walking, keeping my head down so the icy rain wouldn't hit me in the face, when a big, black SUV drove past me. It suddenly slammed on the brakes, backed up, and pulled in quickly at the curb. The driver’s door flew open and Logan Grady erupted from the car.
I stopped dead still in complete shock and just looked at him as he barreled toward me like a freight train. I panicked and took a quick couple of steps backward. He yelled at me, pointing his finger. His face even partially transformed a little, and I saw his canines lengthen as he snarled at me.
“Stop, you son-of-a-bitch. Don’t you fucking dare run from me!”
I stopped. When your alpha roared like that and showed you his teeth, you damn well better stop if you had any sense of self-preservation. He stormed up to me, taking a handful of my puffy jacket and shouting down in my face. “Where the fuck have you been?”
“Well, I…”
“Shut up! I’m so mad at you right now, I want to beat your ass, so give me a few seconds to calm down, so I won't hurt you.”
That sounded like an excellent idea to me. “O-okay.”
Not two seconds later, he shook me ‘til my teeth rattled. “I thought you were dead! You just cleared out your room and disappeared! Just packed your damn bags and left without a word! What kind of person does that? What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you have any idea how many people have been looking for you? How scared your dad has been? How scared I’ve been? We thought you must be dead! Well, answer me, damn it!”
“Well, I…”
“Shut up! There's nothing you can say that I want to hear!"
"Okay, but you just said..."
"Shut up and get in the goddamn truck.”
“Logan, I have to…”
“Either you get in that fucking truck or I’ll put you in it!”
I got in the fucking truck. He stomped along every step of the way behind me, herding me with his big body and keeping his hand clamped on the back of my neck. He gave me a little shove at the door to make sure I climbed in, then went around to the driver’s side. The heat was blasting inside the truck, and it was so warm and the moment so unreal I thought I might pass out for a second. He turned to face me and the burning look he gave me snapped me right out of it.
“Well? What do you have to say for yourself?” he asked, his voice loud and filling up the truck, his face an alarming shade of red.
I shook my head helplessly and looked down at my lap. What could I tell him? That I ran because the person I thought I was didn’t exist and never had? I ran because I couldn’t face him and all the others and what they’d inevitably think about me now? Because it turns out that I’m an omega and I’m pregnant and I’m terrified, and oh, yeah, by the way, the baby is yours.
Uh, no. Just no. If he was already feeling like he wanted to kill me, that would seriously push him over the edge.
“Are you crazy, Kade? Is that it? Did you suddenly go batshit crazy and forget to tell me? Who does something like that anyway? Who just picks up and runs away from their home, their pack, their fucking life and never looks back? Didn’t you think we’d be worried about you—wonder what the fuck happened to you? How could you do that to me? To your father?”
“I’m sorry!” I cried out, burying my face in my hands. Shit, I never used to be so emotional. Was this from pregnancy hormones? I was scared to death that I was about to burst into tears. “But I couldn’t tell you! If you knew—if you or my dad or anybody else knew what happened and why I left, you’d just have hated me, and I couldn’t take that. You’d never have understood! Don’t you see? I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t face everybody! I couldn’t face you!”
Dragon's lair--Dragon Prophecies 3
“A little magic can take you a long way”
Chase
I had always known Dragons existed, of course. Everyone knew that. Those old maps that had "HC SVNT DRACONES,” or “Here be dragons,” printed at the edges of their known world hadn’t been kidding. In those early maps, you might also see images of sea monsters or stylized pictures of Dragons. I guess it was a way for those old map makers to say, “Be careful. There's bad stuff out there."
I had also heard that pure-blooded Dragons were touchy and easily offended, and that they were a surly bunch who were evil-tempered. As a general rule, they didn’t care much for humans, though they certainly liked them well enough for sex. They jealously guarded their treasures, being greedy and covetous creatures, obsessed with increasing their hoards. If you haven’t figured it out yet, Dragons were dangerous and bad to know. They were driven by their love of treasure, were motivated by it, spent their time guarding it and would literally kill to increase it.
Very much like my own father, actually, who was not a Dragon and therefore, had no excuse for his love of money and the crimes it caused him to commit.
The fact that I knew the Solokov Dragons in particular existed was due to my father’s transgressions and mine for allowing myself to be sucked into them. But I’m getting ahead of myself, and my knowledge, or the lack thereof, about Dragons is really not a part of the story. How I came to help save the world is the real story here, and it—like my relationship with the gorgeous Dragon, Alexei Solokov—was, as they say, complicated.