Wynne Channing's Blog, page 2
February 5, 2014
Wynne Channing answers your questions about the What Kills Me series
Do you guys have questions about the What Kills Me series? Like, what was up with Zee’s nightmares in I Am Forever? What’s going on with Book Three? Ask them in the comment section below and I’ll respond via video!
February 3, 2014
Re-release: The Secret of Isobel Key
I’ve featured the lovely Jen McConnel and her fab series before. I’m delighted to plug the re-release of her 2012 debut: THE SECRET OF ISOBEL KEY.
Book blurb: Lou is in the middle of a quarter-life crisis. Fresh out of college, she’s unemployed and unsure of herself. But when she gets the chance to escape to Scotland with her best friend, it could be the answer to her quest for self-discovery. The trip is not at all what she expected, especially when her tour guide turns out to be the dreamy historian Brian, and together they embark on a hunt for information about Isobel Key, a woman accused of witchcraft in the seventeenth century.
They set out to learn the truth of the condemned witch, but Lou isn’t prepared for the knowledge that awaits her. She must face her own demons if she has any hope of righting the wrongs of the past.
Flashing between seventeenth century Scotland and a contemporary romance, THE SECRET OF ISOBEL KEY is a mystery that will please readers of all ages.
Learn More
Bloomsbury | Website| Goodreads | Bloomsbury Spark |
Purchase
Amazon | B&N | Google | iTunes | Kobo | Audible |
About Jen McConnel
Jen McConnel first began writing poetry as a child. A Michigander by birth, she now lives and writes in the beautiful state of North Carolina. When she isn’t crafting worlds of fiction, she teaches college writing composition and yoga. Once upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a librarian, and a bookseller, but those are stories for another time. Her debut NA novel, THE SECRET OF ISOBEL KEY, is coming December 2013 from Bloomsbury Spark . Visit http://www.jenmcconnel.com to learn more.
Connect With Jen
| Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Facebook | Blog | Website |
February 2, 2014
Happy February: the Elemental Enmity Series by Christie Rich
It’s 2014 and we’re celebrating with an awesome fantasy themed calendar. (This calendar is for the background on your computer.)
Each month will feature a different book or series, so if you want to challenge yourself, try reading each book or series that is featured before each month is over. The series for February is the Elemental Enmity Series by Christie Rich! She is giving away an Amazon gift card and an ebook set of the Elemental Enmity Series, so be sure to enter for your chance to win some great swag!
Click here to download the full size image. Then set as your background!
Five: Elemental Enmity Book 1
Rayla Tate dreams of escaping her ordinary world for a bright future in the art world. Throw in an overbearing aunt who is keeping major secrets, a disgruntled best friend tagging along to college, and a bunch of fae warriors waiting in the wings to claim her the minute she leaves her sleepy little town, and Rayla’s dreams are about to shatter.
She soon discovers she is a coveted Elemental with power she never knew she possessed–a power that could change the world. Everywhere she turns another man tries to woo her. The weird part is she’s drawn to each one of them. Who are these strange men, and what dark power do they hold over her? Rayla must quickly learn to fend off these beautiful and seductive pursuers using any means necessary or find herself lost to the fae world forever.
Dark Matter: Elemental Enmity Book 2
Rayla Tate’s dreams for the future shattered when she discovered she was an Elemental capable of manipulating matter. Thrust, once again, into the magical fae realm of Faeresia, she has an important choice to make. But now that she has Heath to contend with, deciding between Zach and Luke is the least of her concerns. Tall, dark and lethal to her will, her attraction to Heath eclipses all she has experienced with any other lord, but he is using compulsion to wear her down. If only she could trust her feelings? In a desperate attempt to escape Heath, she accepts the help of a little troll and finally gets what she wants; however, her relief is short lived. Things go terribly wrong when a dark force closes in on her, threatening to steal her burgeoning power before she even has a chance to test her abilities. Now, with Rayla as their captive, the Order will stop at nothing to create a male Elemental, and willing or not, Rayla is the key. Caught up in the age-old battle for dominance between human and fae, only one question matters to her now—will she be able to save those she loves most without losing herself in the process? Or will she be forever haunted by the choices she alone can make?
Genesis: Elemental Enmity Book 3
Having just escaped the nefarious plans of the Order, Rayla Tate thinks all she has to do now is rescue her family and sort through her feelings, but bonding with five men might just be her undoing. Not only does she have to deal with all of them reading her mind, Rayla must choose a bondmate before she will be allowed to venture into the mortal realm to save those she loves most.
She has three weeks to get to know each lord, but her journey turns into far more than a simple choice of the heart. Rayla comes face to face with the underhanded dealings of the fae political system where good is a matter of taste and evil lurks under beautiful shells. Long held judgments crumble when she discovers the heart beneath the men she has come to count on. Rayla must overcome long held fears, discover the truth behind the creatures of the dark realms, and conquer her greatest weakness before she can take her place as the new queen of the fae.
However, her world crumbles when she discovers following her heart’s desire might just mean the destruction of the world. Will Rayla have the courage to choose the man who has risked everything to win her, or will she succumb to the manipulations of the fae council and those who would use her power for evil?
One choice: five men. The stakes have never been higher, but which one will prevail?
Horizon: Elemental Enmity Book 4
Evil has many faces—unfortunately, Rayla Tate has seen them all, or so she thinks. Since she learned she was an Elemental, she has been hunted for her power. But Rayla hasn’t met her greatest foe; she hasn’t seen true evil…yet.
Rayla betrayed her bondmate to be with the man she loves. Now that she has Heath at her side, she is ready to face the fae council and move on with her life. Too bad Zach has other ideas. He’s not about to give Rayla up just because his sister got in the way. He will find Rayla and prove to her that he is the man she is meant to be with, even if he has to face the monsters of the dark realms to do it.
Despite her growing feelings for Heath, with every passing day her body gives in to her bond with Zach. Rayla must leave the dark realms or risk losing control of her mind and ultimately her power. Once back in Lombarda, she discovers a secret about her origins that could shake the foundations of the world, both fae and human. There is more at stake than who she is bound to. The Order and the fae both want control of the same thing, and this time it is not her.
Rayla must unite with unlikely allies to destroy the evil plaguing Faeresia. For if she refuses, she will succumb to a compulsion she never could have anticipated and plunge the world and those she loves into darkness or utter oblivion.
Author Bio:
I live in a small town with my husband, two kids, spastic dog, and two lazy cats. I love delving into fantasy. Whether it is reading a book, watching a great movie, or recently, writing something I absolutely love.
I have been focusing on the paranormal, and my first published novel, Five, is a paranormal romance. It is the first book in the Elemental Enmity Series and is about a girl that discovers her role in an age old battle for world dominance between the fae and humans.
One thing I have discovered about myself through this exciting journey of publishing is that I love to see a world I’ve created come to life. The experience of writing is much more enjoyable than reading for me and that is saying a lot. LOL.
I hope you enjoy my books as much as I do. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you will again. I’d love to hear from you. Reach me on http://www.christierich.com, Twitter, Facebook, goodreads, and my blog.
P.S. If you enjoy my books the best way you can support me is to leave an honest review, and tell your friends if you think they will enjoy my stories. I appreciate your support and feedback.
Giveaway:
It’s 2014 and we’re celebrating with an awesome fantasy t...
It’s 2014 and we’re celebrating with an awesome fantasy themed calendar. (This calendar is for the background on your computer.)
Each month will feature a different book or series, so if you want to challenge yourself, try reading each book or series that is featured before each month is over. The series for February is the Elemental Enmity Series by Christies Rich! She is giving away an Amazon gift card and an ebook set of the Elemental Enmity Series, so be sure to enter for your chance to win some great swag!
Click here to download the full size image. Then set as your background!
Five: Elemental Enmity Book 1
Rayla Tate dreams of escaping her ordinary world for a bright future in the art world. Throw in an overbearing aunt who is keeping major secrets, a disgruntled best friend tagging along to college, and a bunch of fae warriors waiting in the wings to claim her the minute she leaves her sleepy little town, and Rayla’s dreams are about to shatter.
She soon discovers she is a coveted Elemental with power she never knew she possessed–a power that could change the world. Everywhere she turns another man tries to woo her. The weird part is she’s drawn to each one of them. Who are these strange men, and what dark power do they hold over her? Rayla must quickly learn to fend off these beautiful and seductive pursuers using any means necessary or find herself lost to the fae world forever.
Dark Matter: Elemental Enmity Book 2
Rayla Tate’s dreams for the future shattered when she discovered she was an Elemental capable of manipulating matter. Thrust, once again, into the magical fae realm of Faeresia, she has an important choice to make. But now that she has Heath to contend with, deciding between Zach and Luke is the least of her concerns. Tall, dark and lethal to her will, her attraction to Heath eclipses all she has experienced with any other lord, but he is using compulsion to wear her down. If only she could trust her feelings? In a desperate attempt to escape Heath, she accepts the help of a little troll and finally gets what she wants; however, her relief is short lived. Things go terribly wrong when a dark force closes in on her, threatening to steal her burgeoning power before she even has a chance to test her abilities. Now, with Rayla as their captive, the Order will stop at nothing to create a male Elemental, and willing or not, Rayla is the key. Caught up in the age-old battle for dominance between human and fae, only one question matters to her now—will she be able to save those she loves most without losing herself in the process? Or will she be forever haunted by the choices she alone can make?
Genesis: Elemental Enmity Book 3
Having just escaped the nefarious plans of the Order, Rayla Tate thinks all she has to do now is rescue her family and sort through her feelings, but bonding with five men might just be her undoing. Not only does she have to deal with all of them reading her mind, Rayla must choose a bondmate before she will be allowed to venture into the mortal realm to save those she loves most.
She has three weeks to get to know each lord, but her journey turns into far more than a simple choice of the heart. Rayla comes face to face with the underhanded dealings of the fae political system where good is a matter of taste and evil lurks under beautiful shells. Long held judgments crumble when she discovers the heart beneath the men she has come to count on. Rayla must overcome long held fears, discover the truth behind the creatures of the dark realms, and conquer her greatest weakness before she can take her place as the new queen of the fae.
However, her world crumbles when she discovers following her heart’s desire might just mean the destruction of the world. Will Rayla have the courage to choose the man who has risked everything to win her, or will she succumb to the manipulations of the fae council and those who would use her power for evil?
One choice: five men. The stakes have never been higher, but which one will prevail?
Horizon: Elemental Enmity Book 4
Evil has many faces—unfortunately, Rayla Tate has seen them all, or so she thinks. Since she learned she was an Elemental, she has been hunted for her power. But Rayla hasn’t met her greatest foe; she hasn’t seen true evil…yet.
Rayla betrayed her bondmate to be with the man she loves. Now that she has Heath at her side, she is ready to face the fae council and move on with her life. Too bad Zach has other ideas. He’s not about to give Rayla up just because his sister got in the way. He will find Rayla and prove to her that he is the man she is meant to be with, even if he has to face the monsters of the dark realms to do it.
Despite her growing feelings for Heath, with every passing day her body gives in to her bond with Zach. Rayla must leave the dark realms or risk losing control of her mind and ultimately her power. Once back in Lombarda, she discovers a secret about her origins that could shake the foundations of the world, both fae and human. There is more at stake than who she is bound to. The Order and the fae both want control of the same thing, and this time it is not her.
Rayla must unite with unlikely allies to destroy the evil plaguing Faeresia. For if she refuses, she will succumb to a compulsion she never could have anticipated and plunge the world and those she loves into darkness or utter oblivion.
Author Bio:
I live in a small town with my husband, two kids, spastic dog, and two lazy cats. I love delving into fantasy. Whether it is reading a book, watching a great movie, or recently, writing something I absolutely love.
I have been focusing on the paranormal, and my first published novel, Five, is a paranormal romance. It is the first book in the Elemental Enmity Series and is about a girl that discovers her role in an age old battle for world dominance between the fae and humans.
One thing I have discovered about myself through this exciting journey of publishing is that I love to see a world I’ve created come to life. The experience of writing is much more enjoyable than reading for me and that is saying a lot. LOL.
I hope you enjoy my books as much as I do. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you will again. I’d love to hear from you. Reach me on http://www.christierich.com, Twitter, Facebook, goodreads, and my blog.
P.S. If you enjoy my books the best way you can support me is to leave an honest review, and tell your friends if you think they will enjoy my stories. I appreciate your support and feedback.
Giveaway:
January 30, 2014
I Am Forever grateful; welcome Book Two in the What Kills Me series
This post is very special. Not only does it announce the release of I Am Forever, the sequel to What Kills Me, but it is a love note to you — my readers.
Without you and your encouragement, this series would have been long dead…appropriate for vampires but I digress. I wrote Book One with no expectations. If you had not embraced Zee and her adventures like you had, I might not have had the motivation to continue the story.
You were so supportive with your reviews, your emails, your Tweets. There are so many people I’d like to thank. I hope you know who you are and how much you mean to me.
Enjoy, stay in touch! And stay amazing!
Check out the blurb for I Am Forever:
Axelia fought an army of vampires and survived. Once fated as the destroyer of the vampire race, she is now welcomed into the immortal empire and revered as a god.
But instead of relishing her victory, she faces a dangerous new world and an empire at war. Axelia is thrust into the position of supreme vampire and caught in the crossfire of battle. To make matters worse, her role alienates Lucas, the one vampire that she trusts.
Her power spawns evil enemies. And they know how to get to her — by hurting those whom she loves most.
Buy I Am Forever: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Kobo | B&N | Smashwords | Goodreads
About What Kills Me, Book One: An ancient prophecy warns of a girl destined to cause the extinction of the vampire race.
So when 17-year-old Axelia falls into a sacred well filled with blood and emerges a vampire, the immortal empire believes she is this legendary destroyer. Hunted by soldiers and mercenaries, Axelia and her reluctant ally, the vampire bladesmith Lucas, must battle to survive.
How will she convince the empire that she is just an innocent teenager-turned bloodsucker and not a creature of destruction? And if she cannot, can a vampire who is afraid of bugs summon the courage to fight a nation of immortals?
Get What Kills Me: Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N | Kobo | iTunes | Goodreads
Wynne’s giving three readers each a prize pack (a signed What Kills Me bookmark, a notepad and a rhinestone butterfly necklace). Enter here for your chance to win: A Rafflecopter giveaway!
Connect with Me!
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Google+ | Pinterest |YouTube |Amazon Author Page
January 29, 2014
Book Trailer: I Am Forever, Book 2 in the What Kills Me series
I’m so excited to unveil the book trailer for I Am Forever! Official book launch is this Friday, Jan. 31! Can’t wait to hear what you think of the trailer and the latest installment in the series.
January 22, 2014
Feast on flesh: Cover reveal for Eating Sarah
Ever since Sarah was young, all she could dream about was participating in The Hunt — a monthly event in which her people sneak into the nearby cities and villages to gather food. And in Sarah’s world, the food they feast on most is human flesh.
In the deep forests of the Rocky Mountains, Sarah lives in a community of man-eaters. With Fall ending and hunger running rampant, Sarah and her cannibalistic community are forced to change the rules of their Hunt. And with these changes come new risks. When her first Hunt ends in catastrophe, and one of her only friends is lost, Sarah is sentenced to work in the slaughter shack.
Among the dead and dying, Sarah is introduced to Troy: a man she knows she will be forced to kill. As her life crumbles around her, her feelings for Troy grow, along with the knowledge that, if anyone discovers her secret, she will find herself in his place.
With nowhere to turn, and Troy’s time running out, Sarah becomes set on leaving. But, in accordance with their laws, to leave would be to dishonor the family name and, in turn, cause their deaths. As suspicions of mutiny within the colony rise, everyone is watched and every move Sarah makes could be her last.
And then there are the bodies–the ones that are unmistakably their own, complete with missing limbs and markings that oddly look like bite marks.
Boundaries are pushed, allegiances broken, and the very question of what it means to be human is called into play.
SIGN UP FOR RELEASE NOTIFICATION for your chance to win a FREE copy at the novel’s release or to snag a copy at $0.99 during the New Release Sale!
January 5, 2014
A vampire hunter’s resolutions: kill vamp, get drunk, etc.
It’s 2014 and we’re celebrating with an awesome fantasy themed calendar. This calendar is for the background on your computer and you can get this month’s image below. (Just right click and save, then set as your desktop background!)
Each month will feature a different book or series, so if you want to challenge yourself, try reading each book or series that is featured before each month is over. The series to kick off the beginning of the year is the Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter Series by Nikki Jefford. She is also running a giveaway, so be sure to enter for your chance to win some great swag!
Right click and save as an image. Then set as your background!
Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter
If there is one thing eighteen-year-old Aurora Sky wants, it’s to get off the iceberg she calls home. Being kissed before she graduates wouldn’t hurt either. Then a near-fatal car wreck changes everything.
Government agents step in and save Aurora’s life in exchange for her services as a vampire hunter in
Alaska. Basically she’s a glorified chew toy. All thanks to her rare blood type which sends a vampire into temporary paralysis before she has to finish the job…by hand. Now Aurora’s only friends are groupies of the undead and the only boy she can think about may very well be a vampire. And if he’s a vampire, will she be forced to kill him? AURORA SKY: VAMPIRE HUNTER is the first in a YA Mature/New Adult paranormal fantasy series.
Amazon | Other Buy Options
Northern Bites (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter #2)
Love Bites. Probation sucks. Thanks to Dante’s recklessness, Aurora is now partners with Valerie: the redheaded, backstabbing vixen. Dante is in full flirt mode. Fane’s tactics are more ruthless. Something carnal has awakened in Aurora and neither boy is helping tame her cravings. When a member of the unit’s team is found dead, Aurora and Valerie are sent after a vampire in Sitka, but Aurora suspects the killer’s much closer to home.
Amazon | Other Buy Options
UPCOMING RELEASE!
Stakeout (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter #2.5)
Noel Harper got a second chance at life when the government recruited her as an undercover vampire informant. Since the day they brought her back from the good-as-dead, she has wanted to prove herself worthy.
When a member of her investigative unit is murdered, Noel is paired up with a vampire hunter named Dante to spy on a suspect in Fairbanks. The problem? They’re not the only ones on stakeout. Taking down murderous vampires is one thing. Dealing with the past is another. But this time, Noel isn’t letting fear win. She’s calling in help from the other side and discovers a shocking secret along the way.
(STAKEOUT is an Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter novella told from Noel Harper’s POV. Approximately 54,000 words.)
Expected release: January 14th
Goodreads
Author Bio: Nikki Jefford is a third generation Alaskan who loves fictional bad boys and heroines who kick butt. She writes edgy teen fiction, including the Spellbound Trilogy and Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter. Nikki married Sébastien, the love of her life, while working as a teaching assistant in France. They now reside in the not-so-tropical San Juan Islands, 70 miles northeast of Forks, Washington in a town without a single traffic light.
Website | Facebook | Twitter
Giveaway:
A note from Nikki:
“After Aurora Sky nearly dies and is forced to kill vampires for the government in repayment for her life, she comes up with some sketchy New Year’s Resolutions:
kill first vampire
get drunk
kiss a boy
lose virginity
My own list seems to be on repeat year after year:
Get in shape
Lose weight
Eat healthier
Read and write more books
Get organized
Budget better
I do like to throw in some fun things here and there, like learning to ride a motorcycle last year. Someday I’d love to learn to sail. I’d also like to pick up where I left off with my French and become fluent. I wish I could travel more. That’s more of a fantasy than a resolution or maybe if I budget better… 
What are your resolutions for 2014?
December 23, 2013
I Am Forever excerpt: Read the latest in the What Kills Me series!
Without further ado, I’m proud to present the first excerpt for I Am Forever, the sequel to the paranormal best seller, What Kills Me!
Add I Am Forever to your Goodreads list because the book is out on Friday, January 31 2014!
If you know someone who hasn’t yet read What Kills Me, the book will be FREE for the entire month of February!
Merry Christmas and happy holiday season everyone!!!
Click here to read the excerpts!
December 20, 2013
Jade Kerrion’s Eternal Night: Bring on the immortal soul drinkers and the vampires!
I’m so pleased to help launch Jade Kerrion’s latest title, Eternal Night!
“What makes Kerrion’s writing so compelling is the beautifully flawed characters that find themselves in unexpected relationships…these kind of character level conflicts make Kerrion’s writing so deliciously addictive.”— Noor A Jahangir, Author of The Changeling King
“Everything you want in a great story. Love, intrigue, action, betrayal, and understanding.”—Ch’kara Silverwolf, Author of Daughter of Light and Dark
Alone for a millennium, since a human murdered her beloved consort, Ashra, the immortal icrathari queen, rules over Aeternae Noctis, the domed city of eternal night. Her loneliness appears to be at an end when her consort’s soul is reborn in a human, Jaden Hunter, but their reunion will not be easy.
Icrathari are born, not made. If Ashra infuses Jaden with her immortal blood, he will be a vampire, a lesser creature of the night, a blood-drinker rather than a soul-drinker.
Furthermore, Jaden is sworn to protect his half-sister, five-year-old Khiarra. She is the child of prophecy, destined to end the eternal night and the dominion of the Night Terrors—the icrathari and the vampires.
As Ashra struggles to sustain her crumbling kingdom in the face of enemies without and treachery within, Jaden fights to defend his sister and unravel a greater mystery: what is the city of eternal night, and how did it come to be?
E-books available at Amazon / Amazon
UK / Apple / Barnes & Noble / Kobo /
Paperbacks available at Amazon / Amazon UK / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository
Connect with Jade Kerrion at: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Amazon
READ AN EXCERPT
With Tera beside her, Ashra strode forward. A wall of vampires parted to reveal the other two icrathari, Siri and Elsker. A dark-haired human slumped at Elsker’s feet, his wrists cuffed behind his back. Ashra stifled a chuckle. Surely Tera was overreacting; the human was by far the weakest creature in the chamber.
Tera knelt down, wrapped her fingers into the human’s hair, and pulled his head back. The human’s face was handsome enough—the slash of his cheekbones accentuated his perfectly proportioned, sculptured features—but taken as a whole, he was not compelling enough to justify the fuss.
Ashra shrugged. “You’re wasting my time, Tera.”
Apparently undeterred, the icrathari warlord shook the human hard. His eyes flashed open. They were brilliant green, the exact color of the emerald ring Ashra wore on the index finger of her right hand. His gaze was unfocused, and the reflexive narrowing of his eyes matched the clenching of his jaw, hinting of wrenching pain.
Tera looked up and met Ashra’s gaze. “Taste his soul.”
Ashra recoiled, her upper lip curling in disgust. She had no desire to taste a human’s soul. Over the centuries, humans had grown weak, their small lives consumed by superstition and fear. It was better to live on the edge of perpetual starvation than fill her hunger with the pitiful excuse humans called a soul.
“Go deep,” Tera said.
But why? Ashra’s brow furrowed. She glanced at Siri and Elsker, but the two icrathari shrugged, apparently no more clued in than she was. She looked back at Tera. The icrathari warlord known as Ashra’s Blade was the epitome of calm understatement. If she was so insistent, she must have had a reason.
Ashra knelt beside the human. Without flinching, she placed her hand against his muscled abdomen. It was bloody, his flesh ripped by a vampire’s talons. The man tensed at her touch, and his eyes flared wide with agony when her soul-sucking powers leeched into him. His breath came hard and fast, his chest heaving with the effort as he twisted in Tera’s unyielding grip, trying to break free.
Ashra’s eyes narrowed. The human was weakened—tapped into his life source, she waded through his dazed thoughts and shivered from the echo of each spasm of pain that wracked his body—but still, he fought Tera on the physical plane and Ashra on the psychic dimension, denying her access to his memories and to his soul.
She frowned and slammed her will against his, tearing an anguished scream from his throat, but still, his will did not crumble.
Askance, Ashra looked at Tera. “Did you taste him?”
Tera nodded. “It wasn’t hard the first time; he didn’t know what to expect, but apparently, he does now and is doing a fine job of fighting back.”
Was that grudging respect she heard in Tera’s voice? “Does his soul really matter?”
The icrathari nodded again.
Ashra’s shoulders shifted with the motion of a silent sigh. His resistance left her with little choice. She leaned forward and glided her lips over his in a whisper of a kiss. Human myths spoke of succubi and incubi—demons that, with a touch, could stir lust in their unwilling victims. All myths were based in reality. The maddening beauty and soul-sucking powers of the icrathari had spawned the legends of succubi and incubi. With a touch, the icrathari could lure their victims into a state of sexual ecstasy, bending the will and baring the soul.
The human tensed against Ashra, resisting the intimate contact. She almost recoiled.
Had the centuries dulled her innate powers? Surely she had not forgotten how to lure a man.
She closed her eyes and remembered love.
As always, Rohkeus’s fine-featured face—those beautiful gold-flecked green eyes, so unusual for an icrathari, and teasing smile—came to the fore. With a dreamy half-smile, she deepened the kiss, driving the memory of love before her like a sharpened stake.
At last, the man relaxed, succumbing to the kiss. She leaned into him, heedless of his crimson blood staining her white gown. He was warm, feverish even. Just skimming over six feet, he had more than twelve inches on her, but his physical strength, compared to hers, was puny. She was well aged; over four millennia old, she was the oldest of the icrathari and the strongest. She could have broken his neck with as little effort as a human child snapping a twig. Her hand trailed across his muscled torso. He made it easy for her to be gentle. His body trembled as if he longed for her. His mouth was hungry for her kiss. He arched up against her, as if craving more. His need was like a living creature, wild and aching for her touch.
Eyes closed, Ashra shivered. Only one other person had desired her as much. And he was dead.
She forced her way through the memories of pale bodies tangled upon cool silk sheets. When her soul-sucking power leeched out, it found no opposition. Images of the human’s life rewound in a blaze of vivid sights, sounds, and sensations.
Ashra looked up at Tera, her smile little more than a barely perceptible curve of her lips. “He fancies himself the protector of the child of prophecy. Was she among those taken tonight?”
Tera nodded.
Ashra chuckled, the sound without humor. “It’s a pity her genetic heritage wasn’t sufficiently superior to prevent her from being culled.”
“There’s more. Go deep.”
She pushed past the blackness at the start of his memories, expecting deeper darkness. Instead, the colors shifted into shades of ochre and gray. Memories, older than his body, resided in his soul; memories of an Earth long since lost to them—a planet surrounded and nourished by water; images of tall buildings glistening beneath a benevolent sun, and of thriving cities filled with the bustle of humans; memories of quiet and intimate conversations beneath a silver moon, the same silver moon that now graced Malum Turris with its light, though a thousand years older and viewed only from beneath the protection of the dome.
She saw herself as he must have seen her, a much-younger icrathari, still hopeful for the future, never realizing that the Earth they had all known and loved was irretrievably lost. Had she ever looked that vulnerable? Had her smile ever been so beautiful, so filled with love as she looked upon—
“Rohkeus?” Oh, blessed Creator, was that stricken whisper her voice?
~*~
