Fading Light
Shadow Born
Book 2
Angela Dennis
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Date of Publication: September 23, 2014
ISBN: 1619224569
ISBN13: 9781619224568
ASIN:
Number of pages: 279
Word Count: 76,000
Cover Artist: Kanaxa
Tagline: Everyone has a breaking point.
Book Description:
Her hundred-year penance lifted, Shadow Bearer Brenna Baudouin returns to the Earthly plane with her partner, Gray Warlow, to keep the peace between humans and supernatural creatures—and to prevent another apocalyptic war from happening.
The attraction between them is nearing a critical point, but their checkered history has left Brenna unable to trust either her heart or her instincts.
It’s chaotic business as usual until humans begin turning to statues of dust. There is no explanation, no sign of magical foul play or a biological toxin. The humans are convinced it’s the work of a deviant supernatural faction, twisting the knife in the already tense relationship between their species. Brenna and Gray agree—the deaths have a former comrade-turned-rogue stamped all over them.
In a race against time, they enlist the help of both friend and foe to save the human race and stop the impending civil war. Along the way, they are forced to come to terms with their past and decide, once and for all, whether they will come together or fall apart.
Warning: Contains a heroine who knows her weapons but not her own heart, an outbreak of supernatural proportions, copious bloodletting, and a race to save an endangered species—humans. All tied up in a tight bow of sexual tension.
Available at Amazon BN Kobo iTunes Google Play
Excerpt
Copyright © 2014 Angela Dennis
All rights reserved — a Samhain
Publishing, Ltd. Publication
Darkness
embraced Brenna like a thick wool blanket. It wrapped around her, blocking the
dim lamplight as she walked toward the seedy bar. Glass residue from the riots
crunched beneath her leather boots. Mixed with snow, the bits of broken beer
bottles and smashed windows glittered like an army of broken icicles. She
breathed deeply, inhaling the cool night air. It smelled of sour beer and clove
cigarettes and left a bitter taste on her tongue.
Shadows embraced
the sides of the stone structure that housed the Dirty Ruby, one of the few
multi-species bars in Denver proper. They stalked across the snow and mixed
with the night to merge into a black mass. From its midst stepped a man. Well
over six feet, he moved with grace in contrast to his size. The moonlight
played across his face, highlighting his chiseled features.
Brenna’s pulse
quickened and she took an involuntary step forward. Self-conscious, she ran a
hand through her copper curls, freeing them from the careless bun. The thick
strands streamed down her back like fire as she moved, her breath coming in
quick harsh bursts. She slipped off her black leather duster and draped it
across her arm. Without it the tight black corset left her taut belly and back
exposed, but she didn’t feel the cold. She never did around Gray.
“Four demons.
Thirty humans. Keep the casualties to a minimum.” Brenna brushed past him,
tossing him her coat. “I’ll bring them out. You send them back to hell.”
“Hell?” Gray
grinned. His teeth gleamed in the moonlight. “You speak human now?”
She shrugged.
“When in Rome.”
Her back to him,
she turned toward the freshly white-washed door. But before she could move, he
had her shoulder in a vise grip. His fingers twined in the hair at the base of
her skull. His breath hot against her cheek. “I know your other partners let
you boss them around.” He turned her to face him. “I’m not them.”
He stepped
forward, forcing her back. They moved in an awkward dance until her ass hit the
stone wall. Trapped, she stared at him, wary. A shadow fell across his face
hiding all but his piercing violet eyes.
“We enter
together. Once they’re dead, we leave.” He stepped back, loosening his hold.
“The humans—”
“Won’t remember
a thing.” He crushed his lips to hers even as he slid the duster across her
shoulders. “And I’m not your coat rack.” Releasing her, he stepped back.
Brenna rubbed
the back of her hand against her bruised lips. Gray would be the death of her.
If she didn’t
kill him first.
She leaned
against the wall to regain her bearings as he stepped into the light. He moved
like a jungle cat. Ropes of strong muscles slid beneath his bronzed skin as his
wild untapped power stirred beneath the surface. Akin to a force of nature, he
would never go unnoticed. Even incognito, only a fool wouldn’t recognize Gray
was dangerous. He was a beautiful, powerful thing to behold. And he was hers.
If she wanted
him.
His black hair
shimmered in the pale lamplight. It was tied with the usual brown leather
strap, but a few pieces had slipped free. They curled around his face,
softening his features. The sight of him stirred memories of what they had been
to each other. Memories she had struggled for nearly a hundred years to
repress. But she still wanted him with a fervor that was both frightening and
exhilarating.
A sigh slipped
from her lips as she pushed off the wall to follow him into the bar. Wooden
planks creaked beneath their feet as they stepped inside. The room was crammed
wall-to-wall with sweaty bodies. Humans surged on the dance floor, moving in
chaotic abandon. Brenna stripped off her duster. The heat from the wood stoves
was overpowering. Sweat beaded on her forehead. It dribbled down her face,
sliding across her bare skin to pool between her breasts.
She threw the
duster on the seat of a red plastic booth then slid in beside it. Her leather
pants moved across the slick fabric like silk as she took a quick inventory of
the room. Humans clanked beer bottles together, their shouts drowning out the
death metal band screeching in the far corner. She closed her eyes to focus and
searched for her prey. It took several minutes, but she found what she was
looking for. The stench of rotten flesh and brimstone. It was subtle, but
unmistakable. The demon was here, but he wasn’t alone.
Her seat shifted
as Gray slid into the booth beside her. “This is new. They don’t usually hunt
together.” He tossed a muscular arm across her shoulders.
Brenna leaned
into his body. Her head against his chest, she breathed him in. He smelled of
sage and wood smoke. “I doubt they’re aware of each other. Demons are
territorial. They don’t play nice, and they’re not that bright.”
Gray shrugged.
“There’s a first time for everything.”
“True.”
He brushed a
stray curl from her face. Unable to resist, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the
simple touch.
“You take the
males. I’ve got the females.” His breath was hot against her skin.
Her body
tightened. She pulled back, a false smile playing on her lips. Beneath it she
cursed her inability to keep him at a distance, even on a job. With a quick
nod, she tossed back the shot of whiskey he shoved across the table. She leaned
into him, her hands pressed against his chest. “We’ll meet at the van.”
“Agreed.” Gray
kissed her lips. “Sam knows the drill.”
She could still
taste him as he walked away, and that treacherous part inside her yearned for
more. The best way to blend in was to act like a couple, but they needed another
option. She was already sexually frustrated, and the night had barely begun.
But there was nothing more cathartic than a good hunt.
Brenna glanced
at the demon. It lounged on a barstool, deep inside a human man around thirty.
With a bored look, he watched as a young woman, her shirt in tatters on the
dirty floor, straddled him. Her skirt hiked to her crotch, her body trembled as
he drained her life force. A second woman stood behind him. Clad in tiny purple
panties and a lace bra, she swayed to the music. Glassy eyed, breasts heaving,
she waited her turn. It was disgusting.
It had been a
human war that had ripped through the Veil between the planes of reality, and
the humans had paid the price. Supernatural creatures, the humans now called
deviants, had poured onto the Earthly plane, only to be trapped once the Veil
had healed. The humans had managed to survive the onslaught by allying
themselves with sympathetic deviants, but they had gotten too comfortable. And
the demons were taking full advantage.
Brenna slammed
the shot glass on the table. Time to play human.
About the Author:
Angela Dennis lives outside Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband, son and a sheltie with a hero complex. When she is not at her computer crafting stories, she can be found feeding her coffee addiction, playing peek-a-boo, or teaching her son about the great adventures found only in books.
You can visit Angela at her blog www.angeladennisauthor.blogspot.com or at her website www.angeladennisauthor.com
She loves to hear from her readers, so find her on Twitter for a chat @angeladennis
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1 comment:
Interesting book
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