Happy Monday everyone. I hope you week is starting off on the right foot. It's sunny and not too hot here in Ohio, which after the extreme heat of two weeks ago is absolutely perfect. I even had to wear a sweatshirt the other morning. In July!
Hahaha. Seriously, I'm not complaining one bit. If we had this kind of weather all year around it would be great.
So the big news last week was the release of Truth (Finding Anna, Book 3). I know it was a long time coming, but from the reviews so far, it was worth the wait.
"Crack-a-licious, Absorbing and Addictive BDSM Romantica" ~Mahlet, Amazon
"The Finding Anna series is one of the most lyrical and addictive BDSM – romance
series I have ever read." ~Book Bellas, Amazon
Jitterbug PR is hosting a Twitter party for me tonight to celebrate the release of Truth. All you have to do to participate is use #TruthFA3 on your tweets. We will be discussing Truth, so there will be spoilers.
The Guardians doesn't come out until November, but today we get a sneak peek from the sequel to MORE...and it looks like Ava's still running into quite a bit of trouble!
It’s not every day a girl discovers she’s not entirely human and unlocks hidden powers strong enough to make even the First Race take notice. Then again, Ava Michaels is no ordinary girl.
Now, the Race’s Ruling Council wants her under their control, and that’s just the beginning of her problems. Her boyfriend, Caleb Foster, has disappeared—accused of betraying the Race—and Ava herself is implicated in a crime she didn’t commit.
Clearing their names will mean uncovering a web of deceit and intrigue with Ava woven right in the center. To unravel the strands, she joins forces with some unlikely allies; a Protector who once haunted her nightmares, a young girl with secrets as unexpected as Ava’s, and a group of rebel Guardians who have their own fight against the Council.
Together they stand in a battle to find the truth, bring Caleb home, and secure Ava’s freedom—not to mention save her life.
~Excerpt From The Guardians~
“How far?” he asked. “Do we have time to get out?”
Ava reached out with her gift, a sinking feeling settling in her stomach. “No. They’re too close. Probably already at the cave entrance.”
Tiernan’s jaw flexed as he looked around the cavern, trying to come up with a plan of action. He signaled for them to follow him as he crossed the room, taking up a spot against the wall next to the opening leading to the tunnel going outside. He flexed his fingers around the gun, and said in a low voice, “You’ll have to create a distraction again. With any luck, we can get them headed down that other tunnel before they realize we’re here. Maybe with so many Race imprints, it will be hard for them to pinpoint our exact location.”
“You think that will really work?” Ava asked.
“Probably not.” He shrugged. “So you might have to reenact that trick with the door—maybe with that crate over there.” He gestured with the gun across the room, looking at her sideways. “Do you think you can do that?”
Ava knew what he was asking. Could she hurt someone? Could she possibly kill someone? She’d done it before, with Arthur, but that was spur-of-the-moment, unplanned—a them-or-us situation where she didn’t have time to think about it beforehand. This was different. She looked at Emma, clutching her hand, innocent and scared, and thought of Caleb. Caleb.
Somewhere out there. And once the Council learned Caleb was still on the run, they’d most likely take matters into their own hands. In other words, hunt Caleb down. She couldn’t let that happen. They had to find him first.
With grim determination, she nodded sharply. “I can do it.”
They waited in silence, and Ava could feel each step as the group got closer. She could tell when Tiernan felt them as well. He squared his shoulders, clenched his fists, and braced his feet in a wide stance, preparing for a fight. She turned to the tunnel across the room and readied her own weapons, calling on her gift as the first footsteps echoed through the cavern. She reached out for the metal door she’d knocked down, picking it up and letting it clatter against the stone floor. The sound amplified in the tunnel, and it wasn’t long before their pursuers ran into the cavern. They huddled in the shadows as the four Rogues scanned the room, but to Ava’s surprise, they didn’t even seem to notice them.
Then she realized it wasn’t only her own gift she was feeling. Where she held Emma’s hand, she felt the tingle of unfamiliar power running along her skin. She gaped at the girl, whose eyes were closed and brow creased in concentration, and watched as the Rogues took off down the far tunnel.
Tiernan tugged on Ava’s sleeve, and she stumbled after him.
The three of them ran down the tunnel in the opposite direction, and Ava felt a rush of hope as the light of the entrance finally showed ahead.
They raced out into the sunshine, and Ava stopped and turned around.
“What are you doing?” Tiernan snapped, tucking his gun back into his pants. “Let’s go.”
“Just buying us some time,” Ava said, calling on her gift again.
With a low rumble, the front of the cave shuddered and collapsed in on itself, kicking up a cloud of dust. When it finally cleared, a pile of dirt and rocks lay where the entrance had been.
“Nice,” Tiernan said with an appreciative grin. “Remind me never to tick you off.”
Ava Michaels used to think she was special. As a child, she fantasized about having magical powers . . . making things happen. But Ava grew up and eventually accepted the fact that her childish dreams were just that, and maybe a normal life wasn't so bad after all.
Now a young college student, Ava meets Caleb Foster, a brilliant and mysterious man who’s supposed to help her pass Physics, but in reality has another mission in mind. What he shows Ava challenges her view of the world, shaking it to its very core. Because Caleb isn't quite what he seems. In fact, he's not entirely human, and he's not the only one.
Together, the duo faces a threat from an ancient race bound to protect humans, but only after protecting their own secrets—secrets they fear Ava may expose. Fighting to survive, Ava soon learns she's not actually normal . . . she's not even just special.
T.M. Franklin started out her career writing non-fiction in a television newsroom. Graduating with a B.A. in Communications specializing in broadcast journalism and production, she worked for nine years as a major market television news producer, and garnered two regional Emmy Awards, before she resigned to be a full-time mom and part-time freelance writer. After writing and unsuccessfully querying a novel that she now admits, “is not that great,” she decided to follow the advice of one of the agents who turned her down—write some more and get better at it. Her first published novel, MORE, was born during National Novel Writing month, a challenge to write a novel in thirty days.
She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Mike, is mom to two boys, Justin and Ryan, and has an enormous black dog named Rocky who’s always lying nearby while she’s writing. Whether he’s soothed by the clicking of the computer keys or just waiting for someone to rub his belly is up for debate.
In addition to MORE, Franklin penned the Amazon best-selling short story, Window, as well as another short story, A Piece of Cake, which appears in the Romantic Interludes anthology. The sequel to MORE, The Guardians, will be released in the fall of 2013.
Chad, one
of the locals, handed her the phone as soon as she entered. Placing the grungy
handset that looked like it had been around for at least thirty years to her
ear, she said, “Hello?”
“Cali?
Cali, honey, is that you?”
“Yes,
Dad, it’s me. Is everything okay?” she asked, worried.
“No,
sweetheart, it’s not. I need you to come home.” Cali sat down in the beat up
wooden chair Chad had recently vacated.
“Come
home? Dad, what’s going on? What’s wrong?” She heard him sigh on the other end,
followed by a moan. “Dad?”
“I kind
of went and did something stupid.”
“What did
you do?” She felt her body tense as it did so often when getting ready to work
on an injury that they were ill equipped for. Cali didn’t like being unprepared
for anything. People died that way.
“I went
waterskiing with Henry.”
“You
what!” She yelled, almost falling off her chair.
“I know,
I know. Stupid, right? Not something a man my age should be doing. I’ve already
heard it all from Jessie.”
“What
happened? Are you alright?”
“Well…”
“Dad?”
Why was he stalling?
Another
sigh and another moan, “The doctors say I broke my hip and a couple of ribs.
They say I’m going to be out of commission for about three months.”
“Oh,
Dad,” Cali said with disapproval.
“So I
need you to come home, Cali. I need to you run the business while I’m away.
Look after things.”
“Dad…”
She hesitated, not really knowing how to respond.
“Now
listen, Cali. I know you’ve told me you don’t want to take over for me when I
retire, and although I’m not happy about that, I will respect your wishes.
However, at the moment there are some things going on, and I would feel much
better with someone I trust watching over my interests.”
“What
about Peter? I thought you trusted him. I thought you were grooming him to take
over?”
“Peter is
very good at what he does, and maybe someday I will feel confident turning the
business over to him. But he’s not family. You’re the only family I’ve got,
Cali, and I need you for this and only you.”
“I don’t
know,” she said, leaning back in the chair, still unsure.
“Please?
Your old man needs you.” Cali giggled.
“How soon
can you get here?”
“I can
get a ride into town tomorrow and catch the bus from there, but it will take me
most of the day to reach the airport so…” Cali paused to do the calculations in
her head. “I should be able to make it back by Thursday, Friday at the latest.”
“Good
girl. Call me when you have your flight information, and I’ll make sure someone
picks you up.”
“Okay,
Dad,” she answered getting up from her seat.
The sun warmed her as she lay naked in the grass. It was
something she’d always wanted to do, but she’d never been brave enough. What if
someone saw her?
She smiled. Oh how things had changed.
A door opened behind her, and she smiled wider. He was
coming, as she’d hoped he would. Her whole world had changed over the last few
weeks, and she was through playing games. She wanted him, and she knew he
wanted her. He only needed a little push.
Seconds later, his shadow blanketed her, and she waited to
see what he would do.
Hello everyone. Yes, I'm a little late with this. Again. Life seems to be kicking my butt and shows not signs of letting up anytime soon.
Last week, my internet device decided to stop working. As I spend most of my day online working, this was a devastating blow. I spent over an hour on the phone with my internet provider trying to breathe life into the device, but to no avail. They had to sent me a new device, which was going to take 3-5 days!
To say I wasn't happy was an understatement. So during those days without my regular internet connection, I was stuck using my phone for access. Yes, it worked, but it was extremely slow, and I wasn't able to do everything I needed to do. Because of that, any progress I made after coming back from vacation has been lost. My to-do list is huge again, and it will probably take me a week or more to catch back up.
As I mentioned last week, I finished Finding Anna, Book 4, and turned it in to my publisher. Yesterday I received the official initial feedback from my editors on the manuscript. They are giving it a thumbs up, which means we will be starting edits this week. It's going to be a long road given how big the manuscript is, but as I felt when I was writing it, it is perfect for the conclusion of Stephan and Brianna's story.
The blog tour for Truth (Fining Anna, Book 3) kicked off Saturday as well. If you haven't been following along, here is what you've missed so far:
Book 3 of the Finding Anna Series by Sherri Hayes.
For the last two months, Brianna has discovered something she never thought she would again. Hope. After the horror of being Ian’s slave for ten months, a fate she never imagined she’d escape, it feels as if she is living a dream. She has freedom she hadn’t expected to have again, and she wakes up every morning not fearing what the day will bring.
There is also Stephan. The man who saved her from the daily torture she had to endure at the hands of Ian and his friends. The same man who makes her heart race with just the thought of him. Life is good.
Outside forces are determined to conspire against them, however. When Brianna’s father shows up on her doorstep, it sends her world spiraling out of control. He brings with him new information about how Brianna ended up in Ian’s clutches, but will it make a difference? Will Stephan be able to find a way to make Ian pay for all he made Brianna suffer?
As Brianna and Stephan try to find out the truth, their relationship is tested. She is forced to face her past head on and deal with the ugly reality of what happened to her. Will Stephan’s love be enough to see her through her newest challenge, or will the fragile trust they’ve built come crumbling down around them as the truth makes itself known.
Available July 25th
Excerpt
Before I opened my eyes, I was aware of him
beside me. He had his arm draped over my stomach. It was warm and
heavy, so I knew he was asleep.
I turned my head to look at him. He was lying on
his stomach, his face toward me, one hand tucked under his pillow. This was
only the second time I’d seen him asleep. The first was shortly after I’d come
to live with him. I’d snuck into his bedroom—without permission—to give him a
blowjob. It hadn’t ended how I’d thought it would. Then again, back then I’d
known next to nothing about him. I’d thought it would be what he wanted.
Instead of being pleased, he’d ordered me out of his room and proceeded to give
me a lecture on how to thank him.
That morning seemed like a lifetime ago. A lot had
changed since then. Stephan was no longer a stranger to me. He had helped me
not be afraid all the time. He’d also opened up an entirely new world to me
over the last two days. Before him, my sexual experiences had been of the
nightmare variety. Sex wasn’t something I enjoyed. It was something I hated. Sex
had never been enjoyable for me, and I hadn’t expected it to be with Stephan
either. At best, I’d hoped it wouldn’t hurt like it had before and I’d be able
to endure it for him. What I’d discovered, however, was that I liked it. A lot.
As I watched him sleep, I remembered our
conversation less than a month ago when he’d told me that in some ways he was
like Ian. I still wasn’t sure what he’d meant by that because he was nothing
like the man who used to own me. Stephan was kind. He never forced me to do
anything or hurt me just to hear me scream out in pain.
Were there some things he’d had me do that were
uncomfortable? Yes, lots of times. Talking about all the things that had
happened to me wasn’t comfortable. Neither was sleeping on the floor. But after
all that I’d been through, they were minor things. He always explained why he
was doing something, letting me know there was a purpose behind the discomfort.
With every day that passed, I became more
determined to please him, to be what he needed me to be. Sex had ended up being
an extremely pleasurable surprise. He’d given that to me. In return, I was
determined to give him what he needed.
Movement drew my attention back to his face. He
opened his eyes and smiled.
Hansen helped her carry her bags
upstairs. Thankfully, they hadn't dropped them off at the hotel earlier. The
last room on the left was clearly the master suite and his, so she chose the
one directly across from it. The walls were a soft baby blue that matched the
bedspread. It wasn't as frilly as the hotel room, but it still had that air of
money about it, including an en suite bathroom that had a large shower and a
soaker tub. As much as she hated to admit it, she liked it.
Since she’d only brought a week’s worth
of clothing with her, it didn't take her long to unpack. They were on their way
downstairs within twenty minutes. As they reached the bottom of the staircase,
they heard voices. Each glanced at the other before reaching for their guns and
edging down the last remaining steps.
Rounding the corner, they saw a man
talking with Daniels. He appeared to be about her height, wearing a dress shirt
with the sleeves rolled up fashionably and neatly pressed pants. He didn't look
threatening, so they both holstered their guns and stepped into the room.
Before they made it more than a few
feet, the new arrival noticed their entrance and was quickly racing toward
them. Correction. He was racing toward her.
“Oh! This must be her,” he gushed. “I
see what you mean. I can definitely help.” Before she knew what was going on,
he was reaching for her suit jacket, tryingto
remove it.
She reacted instinctively before
thinking it through. Within seconds, the man was bent over the kitchen island
with his arm pulled tight and high along his back.
“What in the world are you doing?”
Danielsdemanded.
“What was he doing?”
“Jeez, lady. Relax. This is Charlie, my
stylist.”
Glancing down at what she then realized
were his designer clothes, Rebecca conceded she might have overreacteda
bit. She wasn't used to people grabbing at herand
trying to remove her clothes like that. She stepped back, releasing him.
“Sorry,” she said. “Just please don’t try to remove my clothing without asking
first.”
“Got it. No problem,” he said, glancing
between her and Daniels.
Hansen recovered faster than the rest
of them. “What’s he doing here?” he asked, nodding at Charlie.
“My girlfriend
is going to need some new clothing if she’s going to be out in public with
me. Outfits like that,” he pointed at the suit she was wearing, “won’t do.”
“And what exactly is wrong with my
clothing?”
“Honey,” he said, walking up, getting
way too close for her comfort. “The places I go? You’ll stick out like a sore
thumb in an outfit like that.” Then he leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Or
do you want everyone to know you’re my bodyguard?”
Hello everyone. I hope you're all having a good Monday. Mine is crazy busy, but good so far. As you might have noticed, I didn't post an update last week. That was because I was in New Jersey spending time with my husband's family and soaking in a little much needed downtime.
Before I left, I turned in the manuscript to my publisher for Finding Anna, Book 4. Yes, its FINALLY written. LOL. It feels like it took forever, and it ended up at just over 146,000 words. I'm sure some will be cut during the editing process, but it will still be by far my longest book to date. We're pushing for Spring 2014 for this on to release, so mark your calendars. You won't want to miss the ending of Stephan and Brianna's story!
Speaking of Stephan and Brianna's story, Truth, book 3 in the series, will be out in 10 days. Who is excited about that? I know I am.
Here is a little sneak peek of Truth (Finding Anna, Book 3) to wet your appetite.
“I think you are being a very naughty girl, Brianna.” I froze. Was I in trouble? Did I really do something wrong? I felt my anxiety building. He leaned forward and kissed me with the slightest brush of his mouth, slipping out his tongue to slide gently along the seam of my lips. It was in complete contrast to what he’d just said. “Sir?” “You’re not in trouble, sweetheart. I’m not talking about that kind of naughty.” I took a deep breath and tried to relax. “Okay.” “Brianna, I want to tell you something. Are you listening?” he asked as he moved his mouth from my lips and trailed down my jaw to my neck. I tilted my head back instinctively, asking for more. His mouth felt amazing, and it was hard to think straight. “Yes,” I gasped. “I will never, ever, use sex against you as a punishment. Sex is meant to be fun and pleasurable. I would never do anything to make you feel otherwise, do you understand?” I nodded. “I want to hear you say it, Brianna,” he said, sinking his teeth with the slightest pressure into the skin just above my collarbone. “I understand . . . Sir.” I gripped the tops of his arms, feeling the need to hold on to something even though I was pressed against the wall barely able to move. “Good girl. Now I want you to close your eyes and relax. You’ve had your fun exploring my body, and now I’m going to have fun exploring yours.”
Again, the conversation stalls, and we sit in silence. The ticking of the grandfather clock he pointed out earlier sounds as loud as a steam engine chugging down the line. That seems like a great beginning. “So, this graphic novel we’re apparently now writing, can you draw machines and not just humanoids?”
His eyes sparkle. “Yeah. I don’t have anything with me, but I went through an industrial phase in ninth grade.”
“Which one?” I bite the inside of my cheek hard when it comes out of my mouth.
“Which one what?”
“Never mind.”
Fox widens his eyes a bit. “No, which one what?”
I let out a breath and prepare for an altercation. I doubt he’ll let it drop, so I answer, “Which ninth grade.”
I hope that he’s too stupid to understand my meaning because I didn’t really mean to ask that question, but I can see in his eyes and in the way the constant grin gets smaller that he gets it fast.
To my surprise, Fox’s voice is calm and even when he speaks. “Yeah, so about that. Just so you know, it didn’t take six years for me to graduate. Only five. I was held back in ninth grade, but before that I retook third grade. And if you’re going to keep bringing that up, you should just tell your friend we’re not going to work together.”
I open my mouth but then close it again when I find nothing to say right away. Thinking about Myka and her instructions to be nice, I try to find a way out of the hole I’ve dug with this guy. I hate arguments even though I find myself instigating them regularly.
In the end, I figure a simple apology will be good enough, so I say, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to say that.”
“Maybe not today, but you meant it on Saturday. You don’t know me, and you shouldn’t assume I’m stupid because my academic record isn’t perfect.”
Is he joking? Not perfect? Please, he repeated two grades, and I bet he didn’t even take the SATs. “Sorry. I don’t think you’re stupid.”
I can tell by his expression that he doesn’t believe me, but I don’t know how to change that since I do sort of think his intelligence isn’t as high as mine. I’m sorry, but he can’t be that smart if he just graduated at age twenty.
He wants to say something else, but he’s holding back. I can’t meet his eyes. This is now beyond awkward. Why can’t I keep my mouth closed sometimes?
Finally after what seems like hours, he asks, “What’s white and black and white and black and white and black?” He only waits for me to look up before he answers himself. “A penguin rolling down a hill.”
I shake my head at the stupid joke but allow the corner of my mouth to rise in a smile.
Fox pulls out a pad of drawing paper and says, “So I can draw and you can write. We should be able to come up with something for Myka. How do you think the story should start?”
“With an old-timey train pulling into a wild west station where ladies and gentlemen stand waiting in their Victorian style clothing.”
He’s smiling at me again, but I don’t know why. He moves his hand over the page. It’s fascinating to see how the white paper starts to fill up with gray strokes, then suddenly, there’s a train where once there was nothing.
“I don’t know what Victorian clothes look like,” he admits when he flips to another blank page.
As I grab my laptop, I start to wonder again about his intentions. He barely knows Myka. I know he’s supposed to be an ultra-friendly guy or whatever, but people don’t do stuff for nothing. What’s he getting out of this? I’m not anyone’s first choice on who to spend their summer with.
“What’s in this for you?” I ask as the images of Victorian fashion load.
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you doing this?”
He stops drawing and trains his warm eyes on me. “Because Myka asked.”
I could study him for hours, but somehow I know that superficial answer is the truth for him. She asked, he agreed.
My breath hitches for some reason when he moves to sit on the arm of my chair to see the images on the computer. Are boys supposed to smell this good?
I don’t understand it, but now that he’s sitting so close to me, there’s a flutter in my body that can’t be controlled.
And there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to control it.
~*~
Add it to your GoodReads TBR list here: Are You Mine? on GoodReads & keep a look out for it on Amazon, B&N, Smashwords and other fine retailers!
About the author:
Based in the American Midwest, N.K. Smith is a Technical Writer for a Fortune 100 company. The author of the Old Wounds Series, she is a mother of two who finds the time to write very early in the morning when the rest of the world is still fast asleep.
An avid lover of history, art, music, books, and people, she is interested in telling stories that speak to the human condition.
I turned the doorknob and walked into
my condo. My eyes immediately began to search for Brianna.
She was right where I thought she’d be,
just outside the kitchen waiting for me as she had been yesterday. The
difference today was that she was looking up at me and smiling. I dropped my
keys on the table beside the door and went to her.
I circled my arms around her, bringing
her close. I heard a small sigh escape her as my hands traveled up her back and
into her hair. “How are you feeling?” I whispered before pulling back to look
into her eyes.
“Better,” she said, looking just as
relieved as I felt.
I wondered if she felt any of the same
pull I felt toward her. Even if she did, would it be enough for her to stay?
Would she give a relationship between the two of us an opportunity to develop?
Or would fear from her past block any chance we had? I didn’t know the answer,
and I’m not sure she did either.
With that thought, I
closed my eyes and let my lips find hers. She opened up to me and kissed me
back. It was not full of heat like our kiss the night before, but it was just
as full of emotion. At least, it was for me. I had no idea what Brianna was
feeling. Although she was getting better every day, she was still reluctant to
share her true feelings with me. I was hoping that would change soon. More than
anything, I wanted to know what she was thinking.
A secret war has wagedunderneath the notice of humanity since the beginning. The Warriors inheritedthis fight and are honor bound to rid the world of an ancient evil by guardingthe most precious, piercing light against the darkness - their female kin knownas the Oracles.
Chantal Breelan has sufferedfrom horrific nightmares for most of her life, believing something to be wrongwith her to have such visions of destruction. But when creatures of darknesscame crawling out of the shadows to hunt her down, her dreams became reality.
Now, Chantal has picked up thereigns of her birthright and stood by her Warrior kin. She’s on a mission torescue others like herself. Yet in this challenge a battle of wits is exposed.New players are discovered, throwing strategies into question. When the truthcomes to light, can Chantal hold her band of brothers together, or will theycrumble under the weight of betrayal.
Coming Fall 2013
Excerpt
“Come here, my dear.” Merclain smiled at her,revealing yellowing, crooked teeth. “Let me get you to a safe place.”
“Yeah, nothanks.” Chantal laughed. “But if you both survive, tell my brother, Damon, Isaid hi.”
“It isher, Merc!” Bubba pointed at her like a bona fide moron. Chantal smiled at themand bowed low with their arms held wide.
“Theoldest known Oracle at your service.”
Both menbegan walking toward her slowly, pulling their own weapons from beneath theirjackets. Bubba held a stumpy blade with a square tip and gnarly looking sawtooth edges. Merclain clutched a curved sword Chantal had seen in that movieabout the Spartans with half-naked men. She didn’t pay much attention to theplot, much to Mathias’s annoyance. In any case, neither of their weapons held acandle to her lightweight katana, and she fingered the well-suited hilt with afamiliarity that felt almost cathartic.
“Let’sget her, Merc!”
“Oh, comenow. Do you really think I’m that stupid?” The men split up, trying to approachher at both sides. “Do I look like I’m stupid?” Merclain and Bubba stayedsilent, assessing. “I’ll tell you what, let’s make a deal. If you two moronscan defeat me, I’ll go with you. That no-good brother of mine will love youboth. Throw you a parade or something.” The two men exchanged a loaded glance,and Bubba smiled like he’d won the lottery. “But, if I kick both of your pansyasses . . . well . . . I guess that’s just an overall win for me.”
“Thatdoesn’t seem like a fair trade, my dear.” Merclain now stood five feet away,Bubba cutting off any escape to her right.
“Itdoesn’t seem like you boys are into equality.” Chantal pushed off the headstoneand took a couple steps toward them. “Two grown men against helpless littlegirls. Let’s just say I’m evening the odds.”
“You think you can take both of us?” Bubbaguffawed, his belly shaking like pudding. Chantal smiled wickedly.
“Absolutely.”
In the blink of an eye, the fight had beenwon, yet to Chantal, she could see it precisely as if it had beenchoreographed.
The attack came at her quick from the backand the front simultaneously. Merclain brought his scimitar down toward herhead with a vicious swing. Chantal blocked the hit and countered it with anaggressive twist of her wrist, dispelling the weapon. In a flash, she spun onher heel and went down on bended knee, slicing her sword horizontally acrossboth of Bubba’s shins as he tried to grab her from behind, amputating both legsbelow the knee. Bubba fell and clutched at the gushing wounds, his weaponsclattering to the ground. Chantal spun back to Merclain just as he attempted tostrike and plunged her blade deep into his ribs. Eyes rounded with shock, theoddly thin solider fell to the ground and dark crimson fluid bubbled from hismouth.
“You see?” Chantal gripped her sword andwiped her brow, smearing a streak of blood across her face. “Now that’s how yoube cocky.”
Adrenalinezinged through her system but the red haze of rage she’d experienced with herfirst fight with the Kajola hadn’t appeared. Looking at both of her victimswrithing on the ground from their mortal wounds, Chantal sheathed her blade,confident they were unable to come after her.
“Youcan’t keep them hidden from us,” Merclain spat at her, pink foam brimming athis mouth.
“You’re too late.”
“You’re not in much of a position to offer methreats.”
Merclain laughed, more a gurgling wheeze, andpointed to something behind her. Chantal turned to see the orange sun settingbehind the horizon. The Shade would open at dusk and Chantal’s heart clenchedin panic.
About T.M. Franklin
