Time Out for You! A Disobedient Soul Collector

Welcome Shiela Stewart to the Brewing Passion blog today kids.  Behave yourselves....

Listen up parents. At one time or another, your child is going to disobey you. Yep, that's right. Innocent little Sally is going to stand her ground and say no. Little Tommy is going to ignore your rules. Its how they test their boundaries. But as young children, we can still control them, and set them on the path that is right and true. But the moment that child is an adult, you have little to no control over what they do with their lives. It sucks big time, especially when you see them veering off the course of good and swaying on a tight rope of wrong. All we can do is stand back and watch it unfold. Sure, we can give them advice, talk them out of whatever we think is bad for them but, as adults, they'll do what they want.  Now, if a parent is lucky enough to have a child who obeys the rules, wants to live right, then we know we've done a good job in raising them. But that's not always the case. No mater how well we raise our little Sally and Tommy, something in the big scary world may tempt them to the dark side.  It's terrifying as a parent to stand back and watch your child struggle, watch them walk the fine line between good and bad. Even God had trouble controlling his children. Lucifer was the most defiant.

In my latest novel, Offer the Demon, Aurora Starr is just that. Disobedient. She's been raised to obey her lord and master, Satan and she knows the minute she turns twenty-one she will have to collect souls for him. Days into her job as Soul Collector, she knows it's not the sort of life she wants for herself. She wants to be human even if it means disobeying both her parents and Lucifer. But there are consequences for her disobedience and they are harsh ones. Severe beatings from Lucifer doesn't deter her and Aurora is determined to hold her ground and fight for what she wants. And what she wants now is the love of a man. A human man. Taboo in the demon laws, she is willing to sacrifice it all just to keep him.  Its hard for parents to sit by and watch their child ruin their life. But what they consider best for her, may not be what that child wants. In the case of Aurora Starr, her parents discover that despite what they believe or want for their daughter, she has to make her own choices in life.All we can do as parents is raise our children right and hope they end up on the right track. Now, here is a glimpse of my novel, Offer the Demon: Bk 2 in the Demon series which will be released on December 30th.

Blurb.
Twenty-one years ago a bargain was made for her existence. Twenty-one years ago was the beginning of the end.Born to serve Satan, Aurora Starr wishes she could lead a normal life. Being a demon, that's not so easy to do. By night she takes the lives of those Satan chooses. Despite her hatred for her job, she knows she must continue. All she wants is to live like a normal human. Enter Scott Monroe.Tall, blond, and gorgeous, he is more than Aurora can resist. Knowing that mating with a human is taboo, Aurora throws caution to the wind and begins seeing Scott. But when Satan makes her choose between her family or the man she loves, Aurora has had enough.Excerpt:For weeks now she'd worked under the cover of darkness, collecting souls for Satan.She hated it, passionately. Though she hadn't been doing it that long, she'd already grown weary of it. She hated taking people's lives. Hated seeing the look in their eyes as their breath was stolen, as their hearts began to pound rapidly. And she hated having their deaths on her conscience. If only she could quit it, like a regular job. But she couldn't."I know," she huffed when the voice grew stronger inside her mind. "I'm going."Lifting off, she sent herself to the vacant lot at the edge of the city. Setting down, she saw the woman up ahead. Slowly, her feet not even touching the ground, she moved toward the woman, and saw with horror just what she was doing.The knife in her hand shook. The full moon made it shimmer. Closing her eyes, the woman slid it along her wrist."No! You don't have to do this!"The woman jumped. Lifting her head, she gasped. "What are you?"Do it! the voice screamed inside Aurora's head.Aurora didn't want to do it, but she was given no other choice. "Death."Holding her arms out, the woman wept. "Please take me."Aurora hesitated as the blood trickled down the woman's arms. Suicide was not the answer. Aurora had had enough. "No, there's help for you. You don't have to end it like this."Aurora cried out when the piercing pain shot like fire into her head.Take her!"But she's so young." The pain had her falling to her knees. Grabbing hold of her head, she pleaded. "Please." She begged for a woman she didn't even know. "Let her go." The slice shot into her, so intense she was sure her head had exploded. "Okay." She cried out, whimpering in pain. "Okay, I'll do it." The pain slipped away, leaving only the
memory.Catching her breath, Aurora stood and looked down at the horrified woman. "I'm sorry." Closing her eyes, because she couldn't watch, she split the artery the woman had begun to sever. Aurora cried as the woman screamed in pain, and as her life drained away, Aurora grieved."Why? Tell me why she had to go!"It is not for you to question, but to deliver."But it's a shame to end someone's life so young." The woman couldn't have been much older than she was.No more! You will do as I say.Aurora stood up, enraged, her black hair flying out behind her as she stirred up the wind. "I will not do it anymore," she screamed into the darkness and had it echo back at her. It happened so quickly, she barely noticed herself being lifted off the ground. She did, however, notice when she was tossed up against a building with enough power to crack the foundation. She coughed, sputtered as she slid to the ground. But determination was pushing her.Standing, she sucked in a deep breath, and let it fly. "Is that all you've got?"The ball of fire, unseen by the naked eye, shot toward her. A demon certainly could see it, and Aurora had only a split second to brace herself before it hit. White-hot lightning slashed into her flesh, burning a jagged line across her torso. Slumping to the ground, she clutched her chest. She understood when she was beaten. "Okay, you win."Her body weak, she sent herself home.Hunter was busy reading his book when Aurora set down on the floor in front of him."Oh little one, you didn't….""He's wrong. They are worth saving." With that said, she collapsed.Offer the Demon available at Decadent Books on December 30th. www.decadentbooks.com Shiela's website: www.shielasbooks.ca