Tuesday Teasers

 

Excerpt from Chasing Shadows (was previous called untitled new book lol)

Chapter Three - Austin

STILL HOLDING Tom’s arm, Austin stabbed the attacker in the rib area with Tom’s own weapon.

The odd-looking blade sliced through skin like a hot knife through butter. Tom screamed, fighting to get free. Austin broke Tom’s hold on the weapon, stepped back, then kicked Tom in the side of the knee.

Tom staggered away, holding his side. His shirt was already turning red, and he dropped to one knee. Austin gripped the funny looking weapon, ready for the next attack.

A man stepped out of the mist, seized the injured human, and hauled him to his feet. “Who are you?”

Austin’s mouth dropped opened as he stared at the man who stood under a light pole—a light pole whose light was no longer flickering? He blinked rapidly.

Did he just see a man step out of the mist? Okay, sort of a man. He had two arms. Two legs. A chest and waist. And he wasn’t overly muscular, which was exactly Austin’s type. The full, kissable lips and a five o’clock shadow, along with black hair, finished out the sexy picture.

The completely black eyes were a little bit of a trip. As were the black veins that webbed the visible skin of his body—a very nice body—Austin noted.

Oh, and the hand that was currently wrapped around Tom’s neck was completely black, with long black nails. Black tendrils of smoke or mist floated up from that hand. Yeah, that wasn’t weird at all.

Nevertheless, he was the most gorgeous man Austin had ever laid eyes on.

“Fucking monster,” Tom gasped. “We’ll kill you all, shadow demon. All of you! Every last fucking one of—”

The man in the monster’s grip gurgled.

Shadow demon?

“For fucks sake, Kage, just get rid of him. What the hell are hunters doing in our city anyway?”

Hunters?

Kage?

Austin whipped his head around to see a tall man with auburn hair walking toward them. Were there… were there scales on his face? Reddish golden scales that were disappearing right before Austin’s eyes?

The red-headed man stopped next to Austin. “You’re Austin, right?”

He could only nod, because holy shit, the guy’s eyes were yellow with slitted pupils—like a cat or lizard.

“Are you injured?”

“No, no I’m not.” Look at that. A whole four words.

“Excellent.”

“Yeah. Excellent.” The Twilight Zone vibe was getting the best of Austin. The entire conversation was bizarre. “Um, are you okay too?”

“Aren’t you sweet? I’m fine. Thanks for asking. And speaking of asking, would you mind if I took a look at the dagger you’re holding?”

“Huh? Oh.” Austin glanced down at his hand. “Yeah, sure. It’s not mine. Here.”

“I know it’s not yours.” The red-headed man glared at the weapon Austin handed him. “It’s a dragonbone dagger. The bone comes from a dragon. Damn things are deadly. I wonder how the hell that human got a hold of one,” he said slipping it in the back of his pants.

“I, ah, I… dragonbone? As in a dragon?”

“Yes. Hey Kage, finish up, will you?” the red-headed man yelled. “Time to introduce yourself to your human.”

Scowling, the monster tossed the man toward the shadows. With a scream, Tom fell into the darkness, then he fell through it. Like a rock sinking under the waves, he was just gone.

Austin blinked some more, but Tom didn’t miraculously reappear.

Tuesday Teaser

Excerpt from the WIP I'm working on (it's still untitled lol)

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s Austin. He’s calling me. Fuck, he’s scared.” Kage’s voice trembled with anger. “There’s something wrong. He’s terrified. I need to go now.”

“Okay, okay, calm down.” Hudson glanced around. “There’s a few humans around. You can’t just mist out of here. Get a hold of yourself and concentrate. Make the power go off long enough to disappear.”

“Fuck.” Kage closed his eyes, and the house lights flickered then went out. Voices raised in alarm.

Hudson rested his foot against Kage’s under the table. “Take me with you. You might need backup.”

“Are you sure?” Kage asked, opening his eyes. “You hate the shadows.”

“I’ll close my eyes.”

Kage snorted. As if that would do any good. Centering his thoughts, he reached for the nearest shadow and dragged himself and Hudson into it. Following the link he’d given Austin, they entered the darkness.

The absolute absence of light deprived all beings of their senses. The nothingness swallowed up everything. No sound could be heard as they traveled through the portal Kage created. The silence was heavy and oppressive. Isolating. Unnerving.

He loved it. Only his kind did, though.

From the edge of the shadows, he saw a parking lot. Near the back, a small group of people fought.

“Did you miss the part where I said I don’t have a—hey!”

“Get him into the van!”

“Let go of—”

The fear and anger in Austin’s voice inflamed Kage. Even though they had not stepped out of the portal yet, he could see one of the men had grabbed Austin. How dare they touch his human.

The few lights there were in the parking lot flickered. The men who surrounded Austin froze, their eyes wide and panicked as they glanced frantically about.

He wasn’t able to stop the growl that exploded from him as he stepped out of the portal. Once he was sure Hudson was safely out too, Kage closed it. With a flick of his wrist, he sent nearby shadows crawling toward the men who surrounded Austin.

Dissolving into a foggy-like mist, he sped across the asphalt toward the group.  

Tuesday Teaser

Time to meet Kage, y'all! Still don't have a damn title for this, but it's coming right along. I'm at 20K, which is chapter 9 for my books. My chapters tend to be a bit on the long side.

Chapter Two - Kage

SITTING IN the backseat of his Rolls-Royce, Kage stared out of the window at the night sky. A full moon played hide and seek the with towering skyscrapers of San DeLain. 

Definitely not the best night to be out, but anything worshipping that chunk of rock in the sky normally was on packlands by this time of the month. 

That was not to say a few rogues weren’t in the city, prowling the dark alleys, looking for entertainment. Such was life. You were either the hunter or the hunted. 

He watched the expensive retail shops, exclusive museums, and posh restaurants that lined a street nicknamed Millionaire’s Row in San DeLain flash past. 

Humans thought they were at the top of the food chain. Adjusting his Patek Philippe 1518 watch, he grinned. Little did they know what they welcomed into their businesses and social circles.

His driver maneuvered the car into the private parking garage located below Apex, a nightclub Kage owned. Once the car was in its designated spot, Harrold got out and opened the rear passenger door. 

Kage slid out and smoothed his hand down his shirt. “I’ll be a couple of hours.”

“Yes, sir.”

With a wave, he stepped into the private elevator and leaned against the wall, mentally checking through the list of things he needed to accomplish over the next few days. The many businesses’ he owned required so much time, even with the staff he employed. 

The elevator stopped and opened into the ground floor of his club. Everywhere he looked people danced. He sniffed discreetly. The majority of the patrons were human, but there were definitely paranormals in attendance. 

The vampires were easily identified thanks to their otherworldly beauty and slight metallic scent. Since anything that shifted was busy tonight, vampires were the most popular with the humans.

Salt and brine rode the air currents. Glancing about, he spotted a few merpeople. Their androgynous features marked their species. Like the vampires, they needed blood, but unlike the vampires, it didn’t have to be human. 

A couple of magic users moved in and out of the human throng on the dance floor. They tended to smell of ozone even when not using their powers. They blended in with the human crowd the easiest. 

A lone gargoyle sat at a table, his earthy scent tangy and fresh but also sharp. Seeing him was a surprise. They didn’t often leave their territories. 

Kage moved through the crowd. As he passed those he was acquainted with, he nodded. His destination was the secluded booth at the very back of his club where there was more privacy and the music wasn’t so loud. 

A handsome man with long auburn hair sat there, sipping what appeared to be red wine. 

There were paranormals, then there were the dragons, with their scent of burning leaves on a fall night and never-ending arrogance. In his opinion, they were the most dangerous. Well, outside of his kind. 

“I was beginning to worry you got lost, my friend.” 

Kage sat and a server appeared immediately. “I’ll have what he’s having,” Kage said, pointing to Hudson’s wineglass. 

“Yes, Mr. Dargan,” the waiter said quietly. 

Hudson watched the waiter walk away, licking his lips. Kage had to admit, the waiter was a tasty little morsel, as far as humans went. He’d probably end up in Hudson’s bed tonight. 

The asshole across from him was his best friend and sometime partner-in-crime, so to speak. They had several joint ventures that paid nicely, and they shared similar tastes in both stock and bonds… and men and women. 

The two of them together were striking—Kage with his olive complexion, scruff, and dark hair and eyes, and Hudson with his lovely deep red hair, green eyes, and pale skin. 

Even he wasn’t sure how old Hudson was, but he was an Ancient. Which meant he was an old and damn powerful dragon. They’d met when Hudson had fished Kage out of the River Thames during the late eighteen hundreds. Ah, the Victorian era. What fun that had been.

Within moments, Kage was sipping a dark and sweet red wine. “Mmm. Nice. Good choice.”

“I thought so. It came from your private stock.”

Kage laughed softly. “Of course it did.”

Hudson just smirked. 

“I’m surprised you beat me here, since your home is so far away,” Kage said, leaning back in his chair.

“Took the helicopter.”

“Ahhh. No wonder then. I had traffic to deal with.”

“You mean Harrold had traffic to deal with.” Hudson lifted his wineglass and toasted Kage with it. 

“Very true. There’s not enough money in this world to deal with this traffic. That’s why I pay Harrold his weight in gold.” Not really, but it was close enough. Harrold had proved his worthiness a long time ago and Kage took care of those he trusted.

They kept the talk light because with that many paranormals around with keen hearing, nothing was ever a secret. Besides, this was not a business meeting. 

Once a week they met for no other reason than the enjoyment of each other’s company. There weren’t many Kage trusted enough to lower his guard, and Hudson was one of the precious few. 

“There’s a private showing for that new Cruise movie,” Kage said, taking another sip of his wine. “Want to—shit.”

Kage placed the wineglass back on the table with a thump. Every nerve in his body lit up as the summons pulled at the very core of his being. Anxiety hummed through his bloodstream.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s Austin. He’s calling me. Fuck, he’s scared.” Kage’s voice trembled with anger. “There’s something wrong. He’s terrified. I need to go now.”

Tuesday Teaser

 

Okay time for another teaser! Still don't have a title for this lol. Maybe it'll come soon. Right now it's the Untitled Book. 

If his monster would just sit down and talk to Austin, he wouldn’t be forced to go to back alleys and damn dives in the hopes of getting information.

Not that these meeting were ever successful. And tonight had proven to be yet another useless endeavor. The promising lead he thought he’d found was nothing more than a waste of time.

The man Austin was meeting didn’t have any answers. Hell, he had more questions about the creature than Austin did. In fact, the guy was pumping Austin for information.

When it became obvious Austin knew very little, the other man grew more and more aggressive. There was something about his attitude that unnerved Austin. He’d finally gotten enough and left the other man sitting at their table.

“Should have just stayed home,” Austin muttered, walking faster. Why the hell had he parked so far in the back? Driving home in what promised to be a doozy of a storm was going to be such fun.

It didn’t rain in San DeLain often because their climate lacked the specific ingredients necessary to produce a thunderstorm most of the time. But when things did line up just right, it was a massive pain in the ass.

Great. Just great. This was all the monster’s fault. If only Austin could get him to—Austin abruptly came to a stop as two men stepped out from behind a beat-up van. There was no one out here but him and these two guys. And they were between Austin and his car.

“Mr. Berkshire, I’m afraid I’m really going to need an answer to that question I asked you earlier. This thing that you saw, what does it look like?”

Make that three guys and him. Austin swung around to stare at the man who he’d left sitting at a table in the bar. He’d followed him? But why? Austin didn’t know anything.

That was the whole point of this meeting. At least, it had been for Austin. It apparently wasn’t for the other guy. Shit. He’d been played. The asshole did know something. That excited Austin. Now he had to get the dude to talk.

“Is your name even Tom?” Austin asked instead.

“Of course not. Only amateurs give their real names.”

Austin cringed. He just got called out over giving his real first and last name. But his face was well-known—it was plastered on the back of his books—so he wasn’t sure it mattered.

He didn’t like this. Not only was he outnumbered, he hadn’t told anybody what he was doing tonight.

Not that there was anybody to tell.

Tuesday Teaser - new untitled book

 

This is a teaser from the new WIP. I don't have a title for it yet. 

Chapter One – Austin

Seventeen years later

HIS OLD man was nuttier than a five-pound fruitcake. That’s what his grandfather liked to say. 

Austin's father had gone completely off the deep end about a week after his eighth birthday. People thought grief and alcohol were responsible for his breakdown.

It was actually the monster.

His father’s rantings about a seven-foot demon attacking him had caught the attention of the grandparents. And his family’s peers. And the media. And the whole world, pretty much. The ‘mad millionaire’ the press called his father.

They didn’t know how right they were, on several accounts.

It had taken years, and numerous lawyers, but Austin’s grandparents had eventually managed to have his father declared incompetent and carted off to a retreat—meaning a fancy place where the rich sent certain family members so they'd be out of view of the public.

They took control of his father’s realty company and all of his assets. Austin inherited everything when he turned twenty-five… and promptly sold it all.

Money was allotted to take care of dear ol’ dad, and that was fine. He didn’t care. It was worth it to keep his father away from him.

The grandparents raised him and paid for college. They had a job to do and had done it, as they liked to tell him. Once he inherited, he moved to the west coast.

He had a college degree that he never used and hated but a job he loved. Being a best-selling author with one of the top publishing companies had its perks.

His paranormal books were tremendously popular. The public couldn’t get enough of the broody vampires and sexy werewolves, and he made a good living off it.

Austin also didn’t hide the fact he believed in the paranormal. Some folks probably thought he was a little nutty himself. They were welcome to think what they wanted. He knew the truth.

Monsters existed.

Were there things that went bump in the night? Were there creatures who lurked the darkness? Were there monsters under the bed? The answer was yes to all of it.

Austin didn’t just believe; he knew for a fact something other than humans existed. He’d met something. Sort of. Okay, he actually hadn’t seen the monster, he’d only spoken to it.

Kind of hard to see much of anything when you’re hiding in bed under the covers. Of course, he was doing that because his father was on his way upstairs to beat his ass. Again.

His monster had saved him. Literately.

From that night onward, something had watched over him. He thought it was a male. It sounded male. That distinctive deep baritone voice had reassured Austin as a kid.

Now it made him horny as hell.

Which made him madder than hell.

And he still had no idea what the hell his monster looked like or what it was. His father called it a demon but that didn’t really tell Austin anything. He didn’t believe in the concept of Heaven and Hell so the term demon was useless.

Over the years he’d caught a glimpse a time or two of something tall and dark, like his father claimed, but that was all, he’d been damn lucky to get that.

For a monster, it was ridiculously shy.

Which was infuriating. Austin had been asking the creature to show himself for years. Instead he kept getting the same old song and dance about not being ready. It made Austin do his own growling. Which, by the way, did not sound as menacing as his monsters.

Now that was a damn growl.

Lightning danced across the night sky, drawing Austin’s attention. Thunder grumbled soon thereafter. The smell of rain rode on the wind, wind that screamed around him. A storm was in the way and his dumb ass was out in the middle of it.

Bits of paper and other small trash swirled across the parking lot of the bar. Turning up the collar of his jacket, he walked faster toward his car.

If his monster would just sit down and talk to Austin, he wouldn’t be forced to go to back alleys and damn dives in the hopes of getting information.