Just a little teaser…

Still playing with the new pony.

Well, he's a horse, even if he's a small one.

But technically he's a pony, as he's under 14.8 hands.

Anyway.

The release for "Watch me" was pushed back to August.

Not terribly happy about that, but alas, nothing I can do about it.

So in the meantime I'm finishing up my self publishing venture.

Okay, it's not going majorly fast. I have about 30k right now, which makes it about half done. Maybe a little more than half.

It'll probably go to about 50k.

I've been working on this series on and off for several years. The later books are sitting on my drive, but I wanted to start the series off with a little introduction of how the series starts. So that's the one I'm writing at the moment.

I'm not letting the cat out of the bag just yet, but when I'm ready…I'll give you the details.

But… I'll let you take a peek:

     Kelverian tried to pull away, disgust and fear warring for dominance inside him, but found he lacked the strength. Unused to being so helpless, he could only lie in the dust and let the angel proceed as he wished. He shuddered when the man's lips touched the fragile skin on the inside of his wrist, leaving a burning pain behind.

     Once the angel let go, Kelverian tucked his arm beneath his body to protect it. Damn it hurt, the burn radiated outward, shooting from his wrist all the way to his heart.

     "Kelverian, you are now under my protection. If you dare rebel against us, I will revoke my seal and Raguel will have you hunted down and destroyed — by your own kind."

     Before Kelverian could utter a single word, the weight on his back was gone and the angel vanished. He glanced at Raguel, unable to hide the terror he'd experienced. "Who was he, and what was this about?"

     "My boss. Camael."

     It rang a bell. A loud, clanging alarm bell. "Remind me who he is."

     "A Great Crown Judgment Prince."

     Oh holy crap. He knew there were eight of them, and they held jurisdiction over every angel. Even Metatron deferred to them on occasion. Kelverian stared blankly at his left wrist, at the slight glow beneath the skin. It didn't hurt anymore, but damn. He carried Camael's sigil. No wonder he'd felt a burn. He struggled to his feet, feeling completely wiped out. God, he'd never known pain like it."What did he do?"

     "I'm sorry he dropped his shield. Being so close…he had no right to do it."

     "Shield?" Oh hell, they shielded themselves?

     Raguel nodded. "If we were to lower it, or drop our shields, you would be unable to stand in our presence."

     "It felt like I'm dragged into the abyss! Do you have any idea how it feels to be crushed?"

     "Not the abyss. He didn't lower you. He raised you."

     "Raised?" It dawned on him what Raguel meant. "Heaven? That's what heaven feels like?"

     "To you, yes. A few more moments, and he would have liquefied your body."

     How could they defend themselves against that? Horror gripped his spine and twisted hard. He hadn't known, and he doubted his brethren knew, either. Oddly, none of the angels he'd fought had affected him like this. "Was it just because he was so…elevated? Or can all of you do this?"

     "We all can. The lowest to the highest."

     "I don't understand. If you have a weapon we have no way of defeating, why not use it to exterminate us? No angel ever did this to me."

     A smile quirked Raguel's lips. "No, they would not. It is a double edged blade. You cannot use Heaven as a weapon. It is forbidden. And if they had, then humans for a hundred miles would have felt the Grace and come running. Even now, I suspect, many are on their way here because of Camael."

     Grace? That's what they called it? As far as he was concerned, there was nothing lovely about it. Pure agony, that's what it was. "Did it ever occur to either of you to just tell me what you want, rather than slam me into the dirt, Grace me, and do it?"

     "I don't command him." Raguel shrugged and helped him up. "Your other wrist, please."

     "This whole kissing my wrist stuff is gross, just for your information." Nevertheless, he let Raguel grip his arm. "And we seriously need to work on our communication."

     Raguel placed his lips against the inside of Kelverian's wrist. Another burn, less painful than Camael's mark, then a second sigil glowed beneath the skin.

     Kelverian drew his arm away. "Are you done molesting me now?"

     Something dark and hard crossed Raguel's features. "We did not molest you."

     "Felt like it," Kelverian muttered and rubbed his forearm. "So what happens if I get killed again? Purgatory?"

     "If you are killed before you find your vessel, yes."

     "Vessel?" Kelverian's head jerked up. "Could you elaborate on that? I have to find a container of sorts?"

     Panic entered Raguel's eyes. "I cannot tell you. I said too much already."

     "You haven't said enough. How can I find something when I don't even know what I'm looking for?"

     "I cannot–"

     "Come on, Rag. Throw me a bone. At least tell me where to start looking."

     "No." Raguel's gaze hardened. "And don't call me Rag. My name is Raguel. Unless you prefer to call me Rufael, Suryan or Akrasiel."

     Amusement took hold. "One name wasn't enough for you?"

     "Do not be insolent."

     "I think I'll call you Rag. Just because you hate being called that." Kelverian grinned. "So, Rag, are you going to help me out a little? What's the big secret?"

     Raguel's expression became thunderous. "I cannot tell you. Do not ask me again."

     "And you call yourself the angel of fairness." Kelverian slapped the dust off his clothes, trying to appear as if he weren't fazed. Truth told, Raguel's change in speech pattern hadn't gone unnoticed, nor had his expression. He wasn't about to push his luck with an Archangel.

So that's what's coming.

I hope you enjoyed the little taste.