Heavy Metal
Goddesses Rising
Book Two
Natalie J. Damschroder
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
ISBN: 978-1622668908
ASIN: B00BFQANU0
Number of pages: 341
Word Count: 98,000
Cover Artist: Liz Pelletier
Book Description:
The world is not what Riley Kordek imagined. On the run from those who’ve targeted her, all Riley wants is a chance to figure out her new ability to bend metal’s energy. When a hot guy who knows more than he should helps her escape her attackers, she thinks she might’ve found someone who can lead her to the answers she needs.
Three years ago, Sam Remington walked away from his employer and the woman he loved, and now, all he’s looking to do is fill the gaping hole left behind. Except, when Sam takes Riley to the Society for Goddess Education and Defense, the stakes rise beyond what either of them could have imagined.
After being alone for so long, falling for Sam would be far too easy—and far too painful, once his old flame calls needing his help. Worse, Riley uncovers a plot with disastrous ramifications not only for herself, but for Sam and the people he loves—and potentially every goddess in the country.
CHAPTER
ONE- HEAVY METAL
“The Society for Goddess Education and Defense
is your go-to resource for learning about your heritage, preparing for the onset of your abilities, and building
supportive relationships with your fellow goddesses.”
—Sam Remington, promotional video, Society website
—Sam Remington, promotional video, Society website
Riley’s sneakers crunched on gravel as she
crossed the pitted lot in front of the squat, rundown bar just off a quiet road
in Bridgeport, Connecticut. There was no sign over the door to tell her she was
in the right place. Even if she was, her information wasn’t necessarily
reliable. But she’d reached her limit even before her car had been stolen, and
now all she wanted was a moment to sit down and decide her next move. What it
was would depend on who stood behind the bar when she went inside.
The door creaked when she pushed it open and
thudded solidly behind her after she stepped through. She shoved her hands in
the pockets of her denim jacket and glanced around. The room was dim, hazy even
though smoking had been banned in bars and restaurants years ago. The tables
and chairs were mismatched, some wood, some metal frames and vinyl seats, even
a few molded plastic. Most were empty at this late hour. Riley had wanted to be
here earlier, when it would be more crowded and she could linger unobserved,
but the car thing had made that impossible.
She made her way past a couple leaning close
over a two-top, ignoring their beers in favor of making kissy-faces. She
settled with her back to a corner and studied the other people in the place.
Stalling. Postponing the moment when she found Sam Remington, or didn’t.
Three guys at the bar shouted at a replay of a
European soccer match on the TV over their heads, groaning loudly when the
goalkeeper made a diving save. At the other end of the battered expanse of oak,
a grizzled old man held up two fingers at the bartender. He added some whiskey
to the old guy’s glass, and when he spoke, his deep, slightly rough voice
reached Riley easily.
“That’s your limit, Tedley.”
“I can count,” the old man groused, but he
winked at the bartender and pulled a few crumpled bills from his pocket. A
dimple flashed in the bartender’s cheek before he turned to deposit the money
in the till.
Riley sagged into her chair, her eyelids
stinging. She’d found him. Maybe he could help her, maybe not. But for the
first time in months—hell, in years—she had a move to make. Half an ounce of
control, or at least the illusion of it.
Sam looked a little different from the video
she’d watched, oh, fifty-five times on the website for the Society for Goddess
Education and Defense. His dark hair was longer, for one. Shaggier. It looked
just as silky, though, when he shoved one side behind an ear. And his T-shirt
hugged his chest and biceps much more lovingly than the tidy button-down he’d
worn in the video. She wouldn’t have guessed he was so tall, either. At least
six foot four. Her head would probably hit the center of his chest.
She swallowed and glanced away. The image that
had flashed through her mind was definitely ill timed. No reason her head would
ever have occasion to meet his chest. But if it did…
“What can I get you?”
Riley jerked her head up. In the few seconds
she’d been fighting her thoughts, Sam had crossed the bar to her table. Why
wasn’t there a waitress working so he didn’t have to leave the bar? Damn the
assholes who’d taken her car and made her get here so late.
The soccer guys called goodbyes over their
shoulders, and the couple followed them out. Sam waved and then rested his
hands on his hips, waiting for her order. She cleared her throat, the sound
loud in the now-quiet bar. The TV was off. Maybe she’d been lost in
visualization longer than she’d thought. And there was that chest again, the
hollow between his collarbones set off perfectly by the slight V-neck of his
gray shirt.
“Uh, Coke, please.”
“Pepsi okay?”
“Yes,” she said even though she hated Pepsi,
just so he’d walk away sooner. She needed time to think, to figure out how to
approach him. She hadn’t practiced anything before now, afraid to hope a vague
Facebook reference could lead her to the right place.
Traveling to Connecticut wasn’t a big deal,
since she’d been on the move for what seemed like forever, but she didn’t want
to expect too much and be flattened when she wound up in limbo once again.
So while Sam drew her soda from the tap, she
tried to come up with an opening gambit. It wasn’t easy with her brain so
fogged from fatigue. She’d been sleeping in her car as she traveled, not having
enough money for a motel anymore. She’d walked a few miles to get to the bar,
too, and while she wasn’t out of shape, it added to the toll of a stressful day
after a very long string of stressful days. And it was well after one in the
morning.
She took a deep breath and shook off the haze. She shouldn’t lose this opportunity. What if she didn’t get it again? So maybe just keep it simple. Hi. What do you know about goddesses?
She took a deep breath and shook off the haze. She shouldn’t lose this opportunity. What if she didn’t get it again? So maybe just keep it simple. Hi. What do you know about goddesses?
No, that was stupid. She knew what he knew—it
was all over the Society website. Brief mentions in news items and meeting
agendas and press releases, plus that video about a new educational program,
all added up to “this guy is connected.” But he wasn’t one of them. He couldn’t
be—he was male. That was the only reason she was here.
Maybe it would be best to blurt it all out. I need your
help. I’m all alone and crazy things are happening all around me, and
everything I’ve been raised to believe has been flipped on its head. Goddesses
don’t exist, but if that’s the truth, then I must be crazy.
About the Author:
Natalie J. Damschroder is an award-winning author of contemporary and paranormal romance—Love with a Shot of Adrenaline. She sold her first book in 1999, and 2013 will see the publication of her 14th novel. She grew up in Massachusetts and loves the New England Patriots more than anything. (Except her family. And writing and reading. And popcorn.)
When she's not writing, revising, proofreading, or promoting her work, she does freelance editing and works part time as a chiropractic assistant. She and her husband have two daughters she's dubbed "the anti-teenagers," one of whom is also a novelist. (The other one prefers math. Smart kid. Practical.)
You can learn more about her and her books at:
Everybody Needs a Little Romance
September 9 Guest blog
Official Blog of A.C. James
September 9 review
The Speculative Salon –
September 10 Spotlight
September 11 Interview
Adrienne Woods books and reviews
September 12 Interview
Sarah Ballance
September 13 Spotlight
Eclipse Reviews
September 13 Spotlight
Sapphyria's Steamy Book Reviews
September 15
Literal Addiction
September 16 Spotlight
Nicky Peacock Author
September 16 Spotlight
Faerie Tale Books
September 17 Spotlight
September 17 Spotlight
A Bibliophiles Thoughts on Books
September 18 Spotlight
Book Suburbia
September 19 Spotlight
Victoria's Gossip
September 19 Interview
Dalene’s Book Reviews
September 20 Guest blog
Ramblings From This Chick
September 20 Spotlight
Wicca Witch 4 Book Blog
September 23 Interview
Butterfly-o-Meter Books
September 23 Interview
September 23 review
Paranormal Romance Fans for Life
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