Serenity Snow's Blog - Posts Tagged "magick"
Zhara's Fire
Zhara's Fire is book for in the Midnight Jewel's series. A fifth book is forthcoming but not immediately as I'm working on a new series and I plan to write another book in the Coyote series before I get back to the bat women.
However, here's one more snippet from Zhara's Fire. I'll have a snippet from my upcoming book soon.
Enjoy.
This scene is from Zhara and Ryle's first meeting after Zhara finds out she's going to have to have a bodyguard.
Jeri was over a hundred, whereas Zhara was only twenty-seven. So as a member of the Midnight Cabal, and a blood relative, Jeri could order her to the covenstead—the vast den of the cabal. Jeri could make Zhara stay there for as long as she saw fit.
“I’m just a little upset,” Zhara answered, lifting her head.
“Ryle will be handling your personal security as well as working with Bali to ensure the club itself is secure,” Jeri told her, and Zhara sucked in a surprised breath.
“Why? I mean, Bali’s not available?” Ryle was going to be a distraction. She was tall, dark, and gorgeous—just like Zhara liked her women. And Zhara wanted her with a passion that left her aching. The problem was, Ryle didn’t seem to notice.
“No, she’s got a lot to do with coordinating things and trying to find the bee-bats who are already in the city. Azure and Kerra will be her security backup.”
“Fine.”
“I’m not trying to take control of your life as much as it might seem like it, Zhara,” Jeri told her gently. “I’m just trying to protect you, and I know Ryle will take good care of you. Just watch out for her. She’s a player.”
Zhara shrugged, trying to affect a nonchalant air. She’d seen Ryle in her club a few times, and she knew she never played with the same woman twice. She had commitment issues, and that was the last thing Zhara wanted.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Zhara said as her hand went to the small rubellite stone around her neck.
Jeri’s brows furrowed. “Just remember what she is. You’re food first and foremost to her.”
A knock at the door silenced the words on the tip of her tongue. “Come in.”
Ryle stepped inside and Zhara’s gaze went immediately to her. She sucked in a tiny breath, and her hand went involuntarily to her stomach. Heat crept up her neck, burning her, just like Ryle’s gaze.
Zhara wanted to look away, but she couldn’t. She was held transfixed.
Ryle’s energy was dark as midnight and as alluring as summer rain.
And she was way too sexy in her navy blouse tucked into khaki pants. The French cuffs were turned back, revealing the gold band of a watch and a bracelet. Her tousled hair was jaw length, and in the light, the strands gleamed, a mix of black and caramel.
Zhara looked away quickly, cheeks heating. Damn, she hated her fair skin as much as she hated having Jeri in the room with them right now.
“Hi, Ryle,” she mumbled, feeling like a schoolgirl taken by surprise by her crush.
“Hey.” Ryle gave her a nod and her gaze slinked down Zhara, clad in a knee-length chocolate dress, and back up again before striding toward them.
Zhara caught her breath, and her head swam as the heat flashing in Ryle’s eyes burned her.
She needed to run from Ryle.
She was nothing less than a threat to her perfectly boring life, to her peace of mind. Ryle might have just checked her out, but Zhara didn’t think she’d ask her or a date which meant she was doomed to fantasize about her.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Jeri said. “I’m sure you want to set out the ground rules, or whatever it is bodyguards do.”
Ryle threw her an amused look. “Something like that, but there will only be a few hard limits here.”
Jeri lifted a brow. “Watch yourself, Ryle.”
“No need to be so territorial, Jeri,” Ryle commented coolly.
Jeri held her gaze, her eyes going bat-black. Ryle’s remained an unaffected, beautiful golden brown.
“Remember what I said earlier,” Jeri said, before stalking from the room.
“I know this will be more of an annoyance than you’re up for, but I’ll keep the rules simple,” Ryle stated as she closed the space between them.
“Jeri warned you off me?” Zhara asked incredulously.
“A little bit.” Ryle shrugged as she slipped her hands into the pockets of her pants.
“How dare she?” Zhara muttered.
“You’ll have to curtail some of your movements until we ascertain if the bats in the city are the enemy,” Ryle went on as if she hadn’t spoken, and Zhara’s heart sank.
“You make it sound so easy.” She turned and went to lean against the window frame. “But I have a business to run, meetings to take. I can’t just stop living my life.” Her voice rose with the disappointment settling in her stomach like a heavy meal.
“I’m not here to take your life from you, Zhara,” Ryle said gently. “We’ll work with your schedule, but you have to be flexible, or this is really going to hurt.”
Zhara glared at Ryle, partly out of anger at her rejection—and allowing Jeri to warn her off was a rejection in her mind. “It already hurts! But if I don’t cooperate, Jeri will pack my ass off to the covenstead. So just tell me what you want me to do, Ryle.”
“She might not,” Ryle told her, coming to stand in front of her.
The scent of lavender and rain rolled over her a sensual melody that made the bat in her chirp inside her mind in longing. She wanted Ryle, and she wanted the other woman to want her too.
“Jeri doesn’t want to cage you, and this wasn’t her fault, sweetheart,” Ryle told her softly.
“That’s not what it feels like.” It felt like the air was being sucked out of her life, leaving her in a tiny space with only minutes before death.
“You haven’t seen the darkest recesses of our world, Zhara. Some bats just start fights to have a reason to go after another bat’s territory—their life, and that’s true of long-tail blue and yellow bats.”
“He’ll hunt her down then,” Zhara said, shaking her head as the breadth of the situation finally settled on
her.
She could no longer pretend she was just a human with knowledge of the supernatural world. She had to be a part of it—vicious natures, turf wars, and death. And it left her shaking.
Ryle shrugged. “They’re damn aggressive, and they’ll continue the fight until they are all dead or your cabal is dead. Then, he’ll claim her land and everything she has. The kings and queens produce a venom called honey. With it, they can kill or turn a woman into a sex slave who’ll do anything to get another taste of his honey.”
“Seriously?” The thought left her floored and concerned.
“But he won’t turn you, baby,” she whispered.
“He’ll kill you because you’re Jeri’s blood, and he never allows blood relatives of his victims to live.”
Zhara gripped her necklace tight. “Wonderful. Another thing to worry about.”
“You’ll be kept safe,” Ryle assured her, reaching out to snare her free hand and give it a squeeze.
“Jeri’s not your queen,” she said, pulling her hand free and turning to look out the window again. “There’s only so far you can go. Kensal’s cabal is only twenty strong. If this bat is as dangerous as you say, then Kensal will have to think about her own family’s protection. She’ll call you back.”
“You and Kensal are friends,” Ryle reminded her. “Kensal doesn’t leave her friends hanging, and she won’t walk away from the alliance. That means you have me in front of you from now until this is over.”
“Maybe I want you on top of me,” she said softly, and closed her eyes as if that would allow her to avoid the rejection she knew was coming. Then, she felt heat searing her back and knew Ryle had moved closer. She wanted to move away to escape the pat on the head she knew was coming.
“Look at me, Zhara,” Ryle said in a low commanding tone that stroked her nerves, and made her nipples peak. “Now.”
Zhara turned and sank into the gaze devouring her. Her breath stalled at the heat in the eyes that left her speechless. Gold flecks on ebony . She was in no doubt the animal was studying her.
“I’m going to put my cards on the table here,” Ryle said, resting her hand against the wall next to Zhara’s head. “I want you, but I’ve never been the relationship kind.”
“Surely there’s been at least—”
“The longest I’ve ever seen any one woman was two weeks and when she wanted to get serious, I stopped calling.”
“Maybe you’ve never met the right person,” Zhara said.
“My job has always been the love of my life,” Ryle admitted with a ghost of a smile.
“Kicking ass, taking lives, retrieving, infiltration, and protection are my specialties. Sex is a hobby and commitment is a liability, so the most I can promise is the moment.”
Zhara wanted so much more than that, but could she continue to live her life this way? Hungering for Ryle and never taking a sip of her?
Ryle could break her heart as lovers sometimes did, but wasn’t it worth the risk to take whatever she was offering?
She’d get over a broken heart, but would she ever be able to truly love another woman if she didn’t get Ryle out of her system?
“So why don’t we just have dinner?” Ryle suggested quietly. The look in her eyes was an invitation that Zhara couldn’t refuse. “I’ll cook us something.”
“You’ll cook?” Zhara lifted her brows in question as she casually rested her hand on Ryle’s hip. Heat flared in her eyes, and Zhara reveled in the fact that Ryle wanted her too.
Ryle laughed. “I might be a confirmed bachelorette, but how do you think I keep busy when I’m not working?”
“Screwing women, or tying them up and flogging them?”
Ryle’s lips curled up, but there was something in her eyes Zhara wasn’t sure she liked. Yeah, she was jealous of those women who got even that part of Ryle that she wished was hers.
“No. I take classes to learn new things.”
“Is that how you became a Domme?” she asked.
Ryle shrugged and leaned closer to her. “I want you, Zhara, and I’ll top you anytime, baby.”
http://www.evernightpublishing.com/zh...
However, here's one more snippet from Zhara's Fire. I'll have a snippet from my upcoming book soon.
Enjoy.
This scene is from Zhara and Ryle's first meeting after Zhara finds out she's going to have to have a bodyguard.
Jeri was over a hundred, whereas Zhara was only twenty-seven. So as a member of the Midnight Cabal, and a blood relative, Jeri could order her to the covenstead—the vast den of the cabal. Jeri could make Zhara stay there for as long as she saw fit.
“I’m just a little upset,” Zhara answered, lifting her head.
“Ryle will be handling your personal security as well as working with Bali to ensure the club itself is secure,” Jeri told her, and Zhara sucked in a surprised breath.
“Why? I mean, Bali’s not available?” Ryle was going to be a distraction. She was tall, dark, and gorgeous—just like Zhara liked her women. And Zhara wanted her with a passion that left her aching. The problem was, Ryle didn’t seem to notice.
“No, she’s got a lot to do with coordinating things and trying to find the bee-bats who are already in the city. Azure and Kerra will be her security backup.”
“Fine.”
“I’m not trying to take control of your life as much as it might seem like it, Zhara,” Jeri told her gently. “I’m just trying to protect you, and I know Ryle will take good care of you. Just watch out for her. She’s a player.”
Zhara shrugged, trying to affect a nonchalant air. She’d seen Ryle in her club a few times, and she knew she never played with the same woman twice. She had commitment issues, and that was the last thing Zhara wanted.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Zhara said as her hand went to the small rubellite stone around her neck.
Jeri’s brows furrowed. “Just remember what she is. You’re food first and foremost to her.”
A knock at the door silenced the words on the tip of her tongue. “Come in.”
Ryle stepped inside and Zhara’s gaze went immediately to her. She sucked in a tiny breath, and her hand went involuntarily to her stomach. Heat crept up her neck, burning her, just like Ryle’s gaze.
Zhara wanted to look away, but she couldn’t. She was held transfixed.
Ryle’s energy was dark as midnight and as alluring as summer rain.
And she was way too sexy in her navy blouse tucked into khaki pants. The French cuffs were turned back, revealing the gold band of a watch and a bracelet. Her tousled hair was jaw length, and in the light, the strands gleamed, a mix of black and caramel.
Zhara looked away quickly, cheeks heating. Damn, she hated her fair skin as much as she hated having Jeri in the room with them right now.
“Hi, Ryle,” she mumbled, feeling like a schoolgirl taken by surprise by her crush.
“Hey.” Ryle gave her a nod and her gaze slinked down Zhara, clad in a knee-length chocolate dress, and back up again before striding toward them.
Zhara caught her breath, and her head swam as the heat flashing in Ryle’s eyes burned her.
She needed to run from Ryle.
She was nothing less than a threat to her perfectly boring life, to her peace of mind. Ryle might have just checked her out, but Zhara didn’t think she’d ask her or a date which meant she was doomed to fantasize about her.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Jeri said. “I’m sure you want to set out the ground rules, or whatever it is bodyguards do.”
Ryle threw her an amused look. “Something like that, but there will only be a few hard limits here.”
Jeri lifted a brow. “Watch yourself, Ryle.”
“No need to be so territorial, Jeri,” Ryle commented coolly.
Jeri held her gaze, her eyes going bat-black. Ryle’s remained an unaffected, beautiful golden brown.
“Remember what I said earlier,” Jeri said, before stalking from the room.
“I know this will be more of an annoyance than you’re up for, but I’ll keep the rules simple,” Ryle stated as she closed the space between them.
“Jeri warned you off me?” Zhara asked incredulously.
“A little bit.” Ryle shrugged as she slipped her hands into the pockets of her pants.
“How dare she?” Zhara muttered.
“You’ll have to curtail some of your movements until we ascertain if the bats in the city are the enemy,” Ryle went on as if she hadn’t spoken, and Zhara’s heart sank.
“You make it sound so easy.” She turned and went to lean against the window frame. “But I have a business to run, meetings to take. I can’t just stop living my life.” Her voice rose with the disappointment settling in her stomach like a heavy meal.
“I’m not here to take your life from you, Zhara,” Ryle said gently. “We’ll work with your schedule, but you have to be flexible, or this is really going to hurt.”
Zhara glared at Ryle, partly out of anger at her rejection—and allowing Jeri to warn her off was a rejection in her mind. “It already hurts! But if I don’t cooperate, Jeri will pack my ass off to the covenstead. So just tell me what you want me to do, Ryle.”
“She might not,” Ryle told her, coming to stand in front of her.
The scent of lavender and rain rolled over her a sensual melody that made the bat in her chirp inside her mind in longing. She wanted Ryle, and she wanted the other woman to want her too.
“Jeri doesn’t want to cage you, and this wasn’t her fault, sweetheart,” Ryle told her softly.
“That’s not what it feels like.” It felt like the air was being sucked out of her life, leaving her in a tiny space with only minutes before death.
“You haven’t seen the darkest recesses of our world, Zhara. Some bats just start fights to have a reason to go after another bat’s territory—their life, and that’s true of long-tail blue and yellow bats.”
“He’ll hunt her down then,” Zhara said, shaking her head as the breadth of the situation finally settled on
her.
She could no longer pretend she was just a human with knowledge of the supernatural world. She had to be a part of it—vicious natures, turf wars, and death. And it left her shaking.
Ryle shrugged. “They’re damn aggressive, and they’ll continue the fight until they are all dead or your cabal is dead. Then, he’ll claim her land and everything she has. The kings and queens produce a venom called honey. With it, they can kill or turn a woman into a sex slave who’ll do anything to get another taste of his honey.”
“Seriously?” The thought left her floored and concerned.
“But he won’t turn you, baby,” she whispered.
“He’ll kill you because you’re Jeri’s blood, and he never allows blood relatives of his victims to live.”
Zhara gripped her necklace tight. “Wonderful. Another thing to worry about.”
“You’ll be kept safe,” Ryle assured her, reaching out to snare her free hand and give it a squeeze.
“Jeri’s not your queen,” she said, pulling her hand free and turning to look out the window again. “There’s only so far you can go. Kensal’s cabal is only twenty strong. If this bat is as dangerous as you say, then Kensal will have to think about her own family’s protection. She’ll call you back.”
“You and Kensal are friends,” Ryle reminded her. “Kensal doesn’t leave her friends hanging, and she won’t walk away from the alliance. That means you have me in front of you from now until this is over.”
“Maybe I want you on top of me,” she said softly, and closed her eyes as if that would allow her to avoid the rejection she knew was coming. Then, she felt heat searing her back and knew Ryle had moved closer. She wanted to move away to escape the pat on the head she knew was coming.
“Look at me, Zhara,” Ryle said in a low commanding tone that stroked her nerves, and made her nipples peak. “Now.”
Zhara turned and sank into the gaze devouring her. Her breath stalled at the heat in the eyes that left her speechless. Gold flecks on ebony . She was in no doubt the animal was studying her.
“I’m going to put my cards on the table here,” Ryle said, resting her hand against the wall next to Zhara’s head. “I want you, but I’ve never been the relationship kind.”
“Surely there’s been at least—”
“The longest I’ve ever seen any one woman was two weeks and when she wanted to get serious, I stopped calling.”
“Maybe you’ve never met the right person,” Zhara said.
“My job has always been the love of my life,” Ryle admitted with a ghost of a smile.
“Kicking ass, taking lives, retrieving, infiltration, and protection are my specialties. Sex is a hobby and commitment is a liability, so the most I can promise is the moment.”
Zhara wanted so much more than that, but could she continue to live her life this way? Hungering for Ryle and never taking a sip of her?
Ryle could break her heart as lovers sometimes did, but wasn’t it worth the risk to take whatever she was offering?
She’d get over a broken heart, but would she ever be able to truly love another woman if she didn’t get Ryle out of her system?
“So why don’t we just have dinner?” Ryle suggested quietly. The look in her eyes was an invitation that Zhara couldn’t refuse. “I’ll cook us something.”
“You’ll cook?” Zhara lifted her brows in question as she casually rested her hand on Ryle’s hip. Heat flared in her eyes, and Zhara reveled in the fact that Ryle wanted her too.
Ryle laughed. “I might be a confirmed bachelorette, but how do you think I keep busy when I’m not working?”
“Screwing women, or tying them up and flogging them?”
Ryle’s lips curled up, but there was something in her eyes Zhara wasn’t sure she liked. Yeah, she was jealous of those women who got even that part of Ryle that she wished was hers.
“No. I take classes to learn new things.”
“Is that how you became a Domme?” she asked.
Ryle shrugged and leaned closer to her. “I want you, Zhara, and I’ll top you anytime, baby.”
http://www.evernightpublishing.com/zh...
Several Sentence Sunday
It's Several Sentence Sunday with Taken by The Wind. Stop by for a new excerpt and a few feature--Character thoughts.
https://serenitysnowromance.weebly.co...
https://serenitysnowromance.weebly.co...
Magick Monday
It's Magick Monday with Taken by the Wind. Stop by for a look into Juliet's mind and a few excerpts.
https://serenitysnowromance.weebly.co...
https://serenitysnowromance.weebly.co...
Wicked Wednesday
It's Wicked Wednesday with Taken by the Wind.
Come by a new excerpt.
http://www.evernightpublishing.com/a-...
Come by a new excerpt.
http://www.evernightpublishing.com/a-...
Tap that Ass Thursday
It's tap that ass thursday with Taken by the Wind. Welcome to the world of wind nymphs where love is air's reward. Come by for a new excerpt and stay for a look at A Northerly Breeze
https://serenitysnowromance.weebly.co...
https://serenitysnowromance.weebly.co...
Several Sentence Sunday
Several Sentence Sunday heralds to beginning of my new website, Spice of Life Romance.
This week I'm featuring seven different books, on per day. So, come by for A look at A Northerly Breeze and stay for a peek at E.A. Reynolds' Vanilla Passion.
https://spiceofliferomance.weebly.com...
This week I'm featuring seven different books, on per day. So, come by for A look at A Northerly Breeze and stay for a peek at E.A. Reynolds' Vanilla Passion.
https://spiceofliferomance.weebly.com...
Leading Ladies
This week I'm doing a series of posts on my website entitled Leading Ladies.
The leading lady series is about the beta stars of the three books I’ve chosen. Heat In the Air, Burning for An Assassin, and The Boss's Daughter.
Veda is half-black woman with fears and doubts about her weight and her self-worth.
Fallina has similar issues in addition to being the only daughter of a drunk.
These leading ladies remind me a little of the ladies of old. They have just enough attitude to spark a fire in the women attracted to them. For instance, Katherine Hepburn and Audrey Hepburn, Natalie Wood and Grace Kelly. Oh, I loved Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief. And Dorothy Dandridge. They were ladies with style, grace and spunk on screen not to mention sexy as hell.
No. That’s not a giveaway to my age, just a curious mind. I wanted to know what was so great about those ladies, so I watched some movies.
The first leading lady is Camille...https://spiceofliferomance.weebly.com...
The leading lady series is about the beta stars of the three books I’ve chosen. Heat In the Air, Burning for An Assassin, and The Boss's Daughter.
Veda is half-black woman with fears and doubts about her weight and her self-worth.
Fallina has similar issues in addition to being the only daughter of a drunk.
These leading ladies remind me a little of the ladies of old. They have just enough attitude to spark a fire in the women attracted to them. For instance, Katherine Hepburn and Audrey Hepburn, Natalie Wood and Grace Kelly. Oh, I loved Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief. And Dorothy Dandridge. They were ladies with style, grace and spunk on screen not to mention sexy as hell.
No. That’s not a giveaway to my age, just a curious mind. I wanted to know what was so great about those ladies, so I watched some movies.
The first leading lady is Camille...https://spiceofliferomance.weebly.com...
