Fan Fic Me ALL the Way to 2014 RT Convention

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Fan Fic Me ALL the Way to 2014 RT Convention

Today is an exciting day! We get to announce the winners from the Fan Fic Me ALL the Way to 2014 RT Convention contest that started all the way back in September 2013.

Sit back down, Sam. First thing I wanted to say is thank you to the judges who participated and took time from their busy schedules to read the submissions—Stacey O’ Neale, Elissa Petruzzi, Kevan Lyon, Laura Kaye, Sophie Jordan, Stacey Morgan, and Cora Carmack.

Narrowing down the submissions to the favorites and then ultimately picking ONLY three and from that three, putting them into first, second, and third place was exceptionally hard. The winners were picked by a reader to ensure no bias in the submission.

I wish all could send everyone who submitted to the contest to RT in New Orleans, because from the submissions I read, all of them were pretty damn good.

Now, if for any reason the 1st Place Winner is unable to attend the RT event, the grand prize defaults to 1st Place Runner Up and then 2nd Place.

Let’s get to the good stuff.

2nd Place Runner Up

Signed books from Cora Carmack, Laura Kaye, Sophie Jordan, me, and a slew more, plus goodies

Stacia Nicole McPherson

The Winning Submission

***

I slammed the phone down, my pulse quickening as adrenaline flooded my veins. The Sentinel confirmed a sighting of Eric in a motel outside of Raleigh. The Daimon who had hurt Alex. I clenched my fists, trying to tame my fury. It could wait. After all, I knew where he was. And nothing was going to stop me from getting to him.

I had my weapons with me so I didn’t need to go back to the school. I flew out the door and almost ran head first into Leon. He towered over me and I stepped back, agitated. His timing sucked.

“How come you’re always around when I least want you here?” I quipped, pulling the door closed behind me and discreetly slipping around him to head for the vehicle.

“Maybe because I always seem to know when you’re going to do something stupid.” Leon shoved himself in front of me, blocking the driver side door. His smirk made me want to drop kick him. I needed to calm the hell down.

“What?” I didn’t want to tell him where I was going. Or why.

“Where you going, Aiden?” Leon crossed his arms, signaling he wouldn’t budge.

“I have a lead on the whereabouts of Eric. The Daimon who was working with Alex’s mother. I’m going there.” I glared at him, hoping he wouldn’t fight me. I knew he was a better fighter than me, and stronger. But I felt I had enough motivation and pure adrenaline to take him down if needed. At least I hoped.

He surprised me by smiling. “Why thank you Aiden, I’d love to come.” He hopped into the driver seat and left me gaping at him. I silently got in the passenger side and eyed him warily as he took off . “Where is he?” Leon raised his eyebrows, not asking why I was doing this or trying to talk me out of it. I could have easily given this job to other Sentinels. But I wanted to be the one to deal with him.

“A motel near Raleigh.”

Leon nodded and turned right. I wanted to explain to him why I was doing this. Confiding in others wasn’t my strong suit though, so I kept my mouth shut. He was helping me and that was all I could ask for. I just hoped he didn’t get in my way when I got a hold of Eric. I exhaled roughly and laid my head back, closing my eyes to fend off my distorted images of Eric. I would make him pay. This was the last thing I thought before I fell asleep.

“Alex!” I yelled, running through the forest. The rain came down steadily, hindering my vision. I raced through the trees, my hair dripping into my eyes, with one singular thought. Alex. I felt as if a piece of me had fractured when I discovered she’d been taken. She hadn’t left my mind since, eating away my sanity with each passing hour.

And then I saw her. She was on the ground, not moving. My heart clenched and I fell beside her, pulling her into my arms. She seemed so small. Fragile. Not like the Alex I knew. The Alex I…loved. “Alex, look at me. Please.” I begged, my breath catching as she caught her own.

She blinked, barely acknowledging me. My eyes traced her injuries. Tags ran over her collarbone and down both of her arms. The fury and despair I felt was overwhelming as I blinked back tears. “It’s going to be okay,” I said helplessly. There was no way she could survive this. No one could survive this. “Everything’s going to be okay,” I said again. But I didn’t believe it.

I shot up in my seat. My head pounded from the memory as I slowly took in my surroundings. I ran a hand through my hair and stopped when I realized it was shaking. “You okay?” Leon asked quietly.

I spared him a brief glance, hoping I hadn’t said anything in my sleep. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry I fell asleep.”

Leon shrugged, still eyeing me cautiously. Suddenly, I really hoped I hadn’t spoken in my sleep.

“We’re here.” He nodded towards the run down motel. It almost looked deserted.

“How did you now which motel?”

“I called Mark. I knew you had asked him to look into it. I didn’t want to wake you.” Leon said this casually, but I heard an undercurrent in his tone. He was worried. He should be.

I got out the car and took in everything. This was on the outskirts of the highway, not close to much. I needed more privacy though. “Did you see any abandoned buildings nearby?

Leon gave me a half smile and nodded. That was all I needed. I took out a dagger and headed towards the motel. Leon walked beside me silently. I was surprised he wasn’t talking more and giving me his opinion on everything. I knew he loved to do that. “Why are you helping me?” I had to ask.

Leon lead us to where we knew he’d been spotted. Room 32. This was a one star motel at the most. I frowned at the trash scattering across the cement walkway. Scratch that. Make this a half star motel.

“I not helping you,” he whispered in my ear. “I’m making sure you don’t get yourself killed. You’re not exactly thinking straight.”

“What?” I startled, narrowing my eyes at him. “I’m a Sentinel. This is my job. I’m just doing my job.” The lie flowed effortlessly from my mouth.

“Okay, Aiden. I got your back.” He winked and we stopped outside the door. As much as I had wanted to do this alone, I felt a small wave of relief. I was glad Leon was here. And he wasn’t lecturing me about it…for the most part. “You know what he looks like?”

I nodded. I didn’t have a picture of him, but I knew his description. We busted down the door to a darkly lit room. The door let shadows streak across the room from the setting sun. Eric sat on the bed, a dumfounded look on his face to see two Sentinels in front of him. His dark hair and perfect features were enough to convince me it was him. I couldn’t see the monster beneath, but I could feel it in his stare. His eyes widened and he jumped into a crouch, prepared to throw himself at us. I launched my dagger at him.

He flew back and screamed as it imbedded into his shoulder. That should have killed him. It would have if I had thrown a titanium dagger. Killing wasn’t in the cards just yet. We hauled him off the bed as he thrashed and shouted profanities at us. We moved him to the car and I held him down for the couple minutes it took to reach the warehouse.

Eric thrashed against us but couldn’t do much else. He was wild, but weaker than the both of us. I strapped him to a wooden beam and stood back, my chest heaving from adrenaline. This was it. I had him. He was right here in front of me. Eric continued to fight his restraints, but eventually simmered down in realization. He wasn’t getting out of this one.

His lips twisted in a bitter sneer. I didn’t know where Leon was. I couldn’t see him, but I had a feeling he was in the room somewhere. “Who the hell are you?”

I reached forward and pulled the dagger from his shoulder. He screeched and slumped back. I held the dagger carefully, not taking my eyes off of him. “I am Aiden St Delphi. I am the last thing you’ll see before you’re begging for your death.”

Eric’s eyes widened and then he laughed. “What’s with this? Why not just put me down?” He scoffed, but I could tell he was rattled.

“You hurt someone I -” I cut myself off abruptly. I had almost said loved. Leon was here, I had to remind myself. “Someone I care about. Her name is Alex.”

“Alex?” Eric’s eyebrows furrowed, then shot way up. “Oh, that little bitch? Damn, she tasted good. I hated having to share her with Daniel. The hours we fed on her were magnificent. She screamed and screamed.”

I think he was hoping this would enrage me so much I’d end up killing him quickly. But no, not quite. It did have part of the effect. I knew the things I’d do next would haunt me. My love for Alex had driven me to such lengths I couldn’t decipher right from wrong anymore. It was more than Alex though. This was for my parents, whose deaths still haunted me. I could do this for them. For Alex. I hoped they would forgive me. I was sure I wouldn’t forgive myself.

***

1st Place Runner Up

Signed books from Cora Carmack, Laura Kaye, Sophie Jordan, me, and a slew more, plus goodies

Andrea Lynn Diaz

The Winning Submission:

****

I can’t believe I’m going to be 21 tomorrow. I’m not a big drinker, but still, it will be nice to know I’m not breaking the law if I decide to have one. Cam knew I didn’t want to have a big party so he spoke with his cousin about us spending the week at their cabin. The best part is that it’s at a ski resort.

We got here last night and today we are going skiing. I’ve been excited since he first told me. It’s not something we could do in Texas. Even if we could, I wouldn’t have had anyone to go with.

After getting some coffee and putting on the layers of clothes we need, we take the snowmobiles up to the lodge. My excitement changes to nerves the closer we get. HOLY CRAP that is a huge mountain.

“Are you ready sweetheart?”

I look over to Cam and I think he can see the fear in my face. My stomach feels like a ton of bricks have dropped into it. Cam grabs my free hand and looks me straight in the eyes.

“Baby, you are going to love this. It’s such a rush. Plus it’s my idea and we all know my ideas are extraordinary.” His blue eyes are twinkling and I know he is really excited about this. “I’m going to take you over to the bunny hill and show you how to work the skis.” His voice gets deeper and he takes a step closer to me. “We’ll go nice and slow. “

He purposely made that sound sexy to distract me. Even bundled up he looks like he just stepped off a runway. I start picturing taking off all his clothes and using my mouth to warm him up. My tongue aches’ to taste him. Cam’s chuckling brings me back to the present. I jerk my eyes up and see a smug grin on his face. He leans in and I feel his hot breath on my ear.

“I can promise you that every dirty thought you have in that mind of yours, we can act out later.”

My heart is racing and I really want to say screw this skiing thing but I can’t let him know he got me distracted so easily. I narrow my eyes at him. “Who says I was thinking about you. Maybe I was just thinking about a fantasy involving a ski instructor, a fire place and a lot less clothes. I’m guessing there are some good looking ones around here willing to help make that a reality.” It doesn’t even faze him. His smug grin stays in place.

“Sweetheart, that works for me. I’m your instructor today. And I can promise you once we get back to the cabin I will take all these clothes off, even though you look fucking hot in your gear. I’ll see what I can do about the fireplace.”

He leans down and gives me a kiss that has my body instantly responding. Lava starts flowing through my veins burning me up, despite the cold out here. I drop my skis and wrap my arms around his neck pulling him closer. Cam instantly deepens the kiss. You would think after all this time we wouldn’t want each other so badly but that urge hasn’t subsided. Actually it’s grown stronger. I still set my alarm clock an hour early. I think Cam is seriously considering throwing me back on the snowmobile and testing out the fire place when I hear someone clearing their throat.

“Alright you two break it up. There will be plenty of time for that later. It’s time to hit the slopes.”

I look over and see his cousin Sydney. I only just met her at Christmas but she has always been Cam’s favorite cousin. Her eyes are the same shocking blue as Cam’s. Blue is obviously the dominant gene in their blood line. One look at Sydney and you can see she is a woman in love. Everyone in their family was really happy when she became engaged on Christmas Eve.

Being around Sydney makes me happy. She gives me hope. After being attacked last year she could have let it define her like I did but instead she was able to work through it. She even pushed to keep the cabin when Kyler’s mom though of selling. Kyler is very protective of Sydney up here. Last night we came down to have a drink and he stared down any man who even walked to close to her. It’s sweet to watch.

With a ragged breath Cam says “Why don’t you guys go ahead. I’m sure you’ll be pretty bored doing the bunny hills with us. I’ll come show you how awesome I am in a little bit.”

Sydney starts laughing “You know it’s going to be so much fun watching you and Kyler race. Both of you are so full of yourselves; I don’t know who I want to win. You both need to be taken down.” She is still laughing as she takes off towards Kyler.

Cam helps me get my ski’s on and helps me stand. Ok, I can do this. The next thing I know my butt is getting very cold from sitting in a pile of snow. I start laughing as Cam grab’s my hands to pull me up.

“I can’t even stand, how am I going to make it down a huge hill alive?”

“Ah young grasshopper, I will show you the way.”

We spend the next twenty minutes going over the basics. I don’t fall again, which I take as a good sign. “Ok instructor, let’s go try this bunny hill.”

“Has your butt warmed up yet? You know I would be very happy to help. It’s such a small thing it probably needs my big hands to bring some warmth back to it.” Cam is checking out my ass and his hands start to follow his eyes.

I think his mind is always on sex. Honestly it’s frequently on mine too, but we did say we were going to ski today.

“Thank you for your offer, but my butt is doing just fine. Come on; let’s go get on the lift.”

Cam helps me get in and then he grabs my hand. As we start moving, I get the sensation that I’m flying. Looking around I see miles of snow covered mountains. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen something more beautiful. The sun makes the snow look like glitter. It’s like being in a big snow globe that’s just waiting to be shaken.

“I can’t believe how gorgeous this is up here. “ I tell him.

“It takes my breath away.” His voice is low and smooth.

I turn to look and him and he is staring at me with a look I can’t quite decipher.

“Avery, this past year and a half has been the best part of my life. I love sharing all these experiences with you and can’t wait to someday share them with our children.”

My heart starts beating fast. I worry about having a heart attack and falling out of this lift. I doubt I would survive the fall. We have talked about the future in general terms but never about kids. I don’t even know how I feel about them. Turning into my mother scares me to my core. Most of the people I grew up with had parents that were the same as mine. It’s all I know.

“Sweetheart, just breathe. I’m not asking you to have kids tomorrow, or even to marry me. I know you’re not ready for that.” He takes a deep breath. “But one day you will be my wife and I will watch our children grow inside you. You have one of the kindest hearts of anyone I know. You are going to be an amazing mother.”

He is looking at me with so much love and hope that I start calming down. His faith in me, in us, gives me courage. I love this man so much and suddenly I’m filled with clarity. The final darkness that has stayed attached to my mind is being broken apart by rays of light. Our future moves across my mind like a film reel. It’s moving so fast I can only catch glimpses. I see little league games, chocolate chip cookies, school plays and more love than one heart can hold. I lean over and press my lips to his. It’s one of the softest kisses I have ever given him. When I lean back I can see his eyes watering.

We are almost to the top and will get off soon. Cam looks at me and says “Ready?”

With a full heart and a full smile I tell him I am. I am ready for anything the future brings for us.

***

And now, for the BIG PRIZE. Let’s pull an America’s Next Top Model by recapping the prize. An ALL EXPENSE PAID trip to the 2014 RT BookLovers Convention in the New Orleans! The registration is already paid, the hotel is already booked, and we all need is to get this winner on a plane.

1st Place Winner is…..

Lora Beth Johnson

The Winning Submission…

***

I took a deep breath.

You are awesome. I didn’t quite believe it, so I said it out loud, because, well, who was going to hear me?

“Bliss Edwards, you are a freakin’ badass.”

I watched my reflection in the mirror as I brought my gun to my shoulder. I think it was a shotgun? Maybe a rifle? I don’t know. They all pretty much do the same thing, right? I rested it against me like I’d seen in old movies where British soldiers go to India and say things like “har har!” and “smashing!”

“Bliss Edwards, you are gonna kick some—”

The gun went off with a sharp crack and I squealed. A chunk of the ceiling smashed into the vanity, dust and some chalky substance fluttering to the sink. Oh well. It would match the flickering lights in the kitchen and the bloody handprints on the front door.

As apartment goes, mine was pretty fortified: top floor, dead bolt, windows that didn’t open unless you shoved, groaned, prayed to the gods of warped hinges and sacrificed the blood of a virgin.

Speaking of—

I was about to go pop my zombie-killing cherry.

Okay, yes, I’d avoided it. I’d stocked up on canned goods and water, back when I thought I was just paranoid. But now, despite my very careful (read: panicked) rationing, I’d run out. Kelsey had gone to get food a few days ago. We all know how that went.

Kelsey had no qualms about killing zombies—said it made her feel like Lara Croft. Cade probably didn’t either, wherever he was. But I felt weird about it. I mean, whatever they were now, they had been people once. I’d probably feel differently if one were about to bite my face off.

I hesitated before opening the front door, going over my game plan. Twenty-seven steps down. Thirty feet across the parking lot. Leap across a ditch, sprint along the overpass, and then trek up the hill to find hidden resources in an already-looted store.

Give me a red jaguar shirt and throw in some history trivia and this might as well be Legends of the Hidden Temple.

I opened the door slowly. Like, really slowly. Like, I’m pretty sure I could have made it to the store and back by the time I got that door open. Children could have been conceived and born, empires risen and fallen, and a new series of Sherlock aired before I got that door open.

The steps were harder. Walking down steps? Not great at. Walking down steps while holding a gun during a zombie apocalypse? Pretty much guaranteed disaster. The fact I made it to the bottom without accidentally shooting myself was nothing short of a miracle.

The parking lot appeared empty. I mean, empty of zombies. There were plenty of cars and bikes and other abandoned modes of transportation, but I was pretty sure they wouldn’t kill me. I listened carefully before I took my first step into the parking lot. For some reason, I felt like once I left the shadow of the apartment, I’d be exposed and vulnerable. The breezeway was safe, home base. It was familiar and comforting and strangely sheltered.

Which is why I may have overreacted when I heard a voice behind me.

“Hey.”

I jumped three feet into the air, letting out a high-pitched scream. Whipping around, I lifted my gun instinctively, and before I realized what I’d done, a loud crack echoed off the building. I wasn’t prepared for the kickback and the gun slapped my face so hard I landed on my ass. My head smacked into the pavement and my vision spotted.

“Owwww,” I moaned, staring up at the bright sky.

“Ow? Ow?” a masculine voice said from the direction I’d fired. “You bloody shot me, and you’re the one saying ow?”

I groaned as I sat up, rubbing the back of my head. I pulled my hand away, and a spot of blood soiled my palm.

“Jesus, love, are you okay?”

My eyes focused on a guy sitting across from me.

Correction: Not guy. Adonis.

Blonde hair, blue eyes. Facial hair somewhere between Chris Pine and Brad Pitt. Unlike me, he didn’t look like the apocalypse had taken much of a toll on him, other than the blossoming bloodstain darkening his jeans.

Shit.

It literally took me that long to realize I had just fucking shot someone.

“Oh my God, are you okay?” I tried to push myself up, but the ground tilted under me, and I had to catch myself with my bloody palm. I chanted “Oh my God” under my breath, as I half-crawled, half-dragged myself toward him.

“It’s not deep,” he said. “But Christ, word of advice? Zombies don’t usually start conversations with ‘hey.’”

Holy shit, he had a British accent.

British.

Accent.

I’ll say it one more time.

British accent.

“I’m so sorry!” I winced. “Can you walk?”

He laughed, which quickly turned into a pained groan. “Can you?”

Aaaaand this is the moment a zombie decided to make an appearance. She was standing behind him, growling, drooling, and tilting her head like a dog wanting a biscuit. I’d seen that look before when she spotted prey in the form of muscular god-like bar occupants.

“Hey, Kels,” I said, quietly, gently. It was the same voice I used when I accidentally got between her and a new pair of shoes.

British hottie whipped around. “Know her, do you? Now’s not the time to catch up. Want to take me back to your place?”

DID I?

Let me answer that: yes. Yes, I did.

Zombie-Kelsey growled again and took a tentative step forward, watching us like she used to watch sports: bemused, but predatorily staring at the players’ asses.

British guy swung his arm around my neck, and we helped each other to our feet. Kelsey took another wobbly step forward. The next was more certain. And the third even more so.

The next thing I knew, she was running.

I dragged the Brit to the stairs, and we clambered up as fast as we could. It felt like those dreams where you run as hard as you can, but don’t get anywhere. I could hear Kelsey groaning behind us, but didn’t turn around to see how far ahead we were.

One flight. Two.

My head was pounding and blood trickled down my neck, but I was running on adrenaline. We reached my door just before Kelsey.

I slammed it in her face. “Sorry!”

The Brit sank to the ground. For the first time I could see the extent of the injury. It was gross. No, like seriously. Hardcore gross. I felt like throwing up, but I held it in because I have this rule about throwing up in front of hot guys: don’t do it.

“All right, love, you’re going to have to help me out with this a bit. Think you can find some tweezers and rubbing alcohol?”

I nodded.

He groaned. “Maybe some drinking alcohol, too?”

I nodded.

“Right then.”

I ran back to the bathroom, took a moment to smooth my hair down. And yes, maybe I put on a little mascara. Sue me. I ran back with tweezers and alcohol and grabbed the bottle of Kahlua I kept in the kitchen in case of emergencies.

British guy raised his eyebrow when I handed him the bottle.

“It’s all I have,” I explained.

“Bottoms up.” He tilted the bottle and took a swig. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he looked up at me. “All right, love, want to take care of this bullet?”

“Uhhh… what?”

“It’s only fair. You put it in me.”

So many places I could go with that sentence.

“I don’t know how to remove a bullet!”

“Didn’t look like you knew how to shoot either, but look how well that turned out.” He grinned. It was a great grin.

“Ugh.” I knelt to get a better look at the wound. SO. GROSS. But I shot the poor guy, and the least I could do was pull the bullet out of the gaping, bloody hole in his leg. I poured the alcohol over the tweezers, and then moved them closer to the wound. My fingers shook and my stomach churned. I took a deep breath.

Nope. Not happening.

“I can’t do this.”

“Sure you can, love. Didn’t you play Operation as a kid?”

“Yeah. I played Battleship too. Doesn’t mean I can captain a naval frigate.”

He laughed and met my eyes. “I think you can do anything you put your mind to.”

My breath caught, and somehow—something about the look in his eyes and the steadiness of his tone, and yes, the accent helped—I believed him.

“You don’t even know me.”

He raised an eyebrow again, this time cocky and full of promise. “Yet.”

***