Ashlee Nicole Bye

“Once, there was nothing but shadows. An entire world made only of darkness, absent of all light.
One day, so it is said, a star exploded to set the darkness aflame and with the light came life. Creatures of all shapes and sizes came into existence, with names like angel, demon, faery, and dragon. They existed together peacefully, these new creatures of The Shadowlands. Until, eventually, they did not…”
― Ashlee Nicole Bye, Out of the Shadows

“Only six? Mon Dieu!’ Cleo ceased her pacing and whirled around to face the two Trackers, eyes narrowed, hands on hips. ‘I suppose this is all rather exciting for the two of you, non?’ Cleo’s usually melodic French accent was growing sharper and sharper in pitch with every word. ‘You…’—she nodded at Moss—‘finally get to see some action! And you…’—she turned her attention to Julian, hazel eyes narrowed—‘I know you loathed Iceland, and poof! here you are, back with your buddy, enjoying the sunshine!’
Julian and Moss exchanged exasperated glances.
‘Meanwhile, all of my hard work is going to waste. Do you know how difficult it is to manipulate a person’s lifeline? Hmm? To set up every single tiny decision and event so that they get to their death at the right time? And so that they die in exactly the right way?’ She glanced from one boy to the other as if daring them to contradict her. ‘There’s a reason we assign natural deaths and accidents to certain people and murders to others! This girl was supposed to die in an accident—now the lifelines of everyone around her have changed. Everything is out of balance.' She threw her hands up. 'Again!”
― Ashlee Nicole Bye, Out of the Shadows

“He ran his eyes carefully over her face. ‘Do you trust me, love?’
Well, that was a loaded question if she’d ever heard one. He had saved her life, yes, but something about him warned her to stay on her guard. After considering the situation, she shook her head. ‘I’m grateful you saved me and everything, but no, sorry, I don’t trust you.’
Griffin’s eyes flashed, the corner of his mouth turning up with amusement. ‘Smart girl.’
And then all Sachi could feel was cold, icy fire as Griffin’s sword tore through her chest, burying itself in her heart.”
― Ashlee Nicole Bye, Out of the Shadows

“Sachi scowled. ‘I saw your tattoos, I read the book, I know all about this Order of Dark and Light thingy—so what is it then? You drink blood out of people’s skulls?’
‘Dan Brown has a lot to answer for,’ Moss said on a sigh.”
― Ashlee Nicole Bye, Out of the Shadows