HOW TO TAME A BEAST IN SEVEN DAYS
The Embraced Series
By Kerrelyn Sparks
Published by St. Martin’s Paperbacks
**On Sale March 7, 2017**
Mass Market Paperback
$7.99
ISBN: 9781250108210
Ebook ISBN: 9781250108227
About the Book:
Kerrelyn Sparks’ previous series, Love at Stake, constantly hit the New York Times bestseller list and created a massive fan following for her witty vampires. With the end of her vampire series, comes the start of an extraordinary new fantasy romance series called The Embraced beginning with HOW TO TAME A BEAST IN SEVEN DAYS (St. Martin’s Paperbacks; March 7, 2017). Set in a medieval mythical world, the series explores a special group of people with powers born when the two moons of the world form an eclipse. In the start of the series we meet Luciana, who can speak to the dead, and the Beast of Benwick who can controlling lightening.
Luciana grew up on the Isle of Moon, hidden away because of her magical powers. But when her father arrives, he offers her a choice: remain on the island or return with him and marry the Beast of Benwick in order to save their legacy - and her father's life.
Lord Leofric, the Beast of Benwick, has not been touched since he was a child. Born with the power to harness lightning, he is a danger to everyone he touches. When he meets his betrothed, he expects a loveless, lonely marriage...until he discovers she's vastly more powerful than he realized. But is she strong enough to withstand his touch?
If they can survive, their love will alter the future of the kingdom. But will their extraordinary powers cost them everything?
Filled with romance, humor, and a beautifully imagined new world, HOW TO TAME A BEAST IN SEVEN DAYS is a fantasy in the vein of Game of Thrones with all the fun of The Princess Bride. Luciana is a vibrant leading lady that will have readers rooting for her spunk and devotion to her family while the Beast is a swoon worthy hero worth taming.
Praise for Kerrelyn Sparks:
"A deeply satisfying, delightfully swoon-inducing close...full of vulnerability and tenderness."
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire
"Mixing paranormal romance with humor, Sparks clearly has a style all her own, one that readers love."
— USA Today's Happily Ever After blog
"Sparks skillfully infuses her writing with a deliciously sharp wit."
— Booklist
Excerpt:
As Leo and his
companions rode north, the rain began, and the rolling green landscape gave way
to increasingly taller hills. Their horses went at full gallop, eating up the
miles before the rain could turn the dirt road into a sea of mud.
By the time they
passed the second beacon, the rain was pounding on them. Their uniforms were
drenched, their hair plastered to their heads. The hills had become moun-
tains, and flocks of sheep huddled in the narrow glens where a few trees could
give them shelter.
Thunder clapped
overhead, and Leo spotted the first flash of lightning to the west. Good. He
was going to need all the power he could get. Normal people didn’t stand a
chance against the winged creatures that breathed fire. People like his father.
Leo had heard
the story many times over a campfire. His father’s last battle had been against
the Norveshki. Cedric had plowed through a dozen of their fierce warriors, but
when a dragon had attacked, all his bravery and expertise had been in vain.
Another flash of
lightning, this one a little closer. Leo would need to break off from the group
soon. As they neared the village, a mountain loomed to the right, topped with
craggy cliffs and a beacon tower. It was Mount Bae- dan, which the village was
named after. He spotted a cliff that overlooked the village. That was the
perfect place.
“My lord.” Nevis
drew his attention to a horseman charg- ing toward them. A scout.
Leo and his
companions slowed to a stop. “Report,” he said, loud enough to be heard over
the pouring rain.
The scout bowed
his head, causing a puddle of rain to slosh off the brim of his cap onto his
chest. “Four drag- ons from Norveshka have attacked the village of Mount
Baedan.”
“No warriors?”
Leo asked.
“None, my lord.
Just the dragons. They swooped into the valley and set the village ablaze to
force the people from their homes. While the villagers ran to a nearby cave,
two of the dragons captured two small children and flew away.”
Leo stiffened,
his hands tightening on the reins, as the men around him cursed under their
breaths. Ten years ago, the dragons had started snatching sheep. Now they were
nabbing small children.
He glanced
westward, hoping to see another flash of lightning streak across the sky. He
needed the power now. “The rain put out the fires,” the scout continued. “The
villagers are starting to leave the cave. A group of men
rode out, hoping
to rescue the two children.”
Leo swallowed
hard as bile rose up his throat. The res- cue attempt would be in vain. Men on
horseback could not cross the mountains as fast as a dragon could fly.
Thunder cracked
overhead so loud, the men flinched. “Ride on to the village,” Leo shouted at
them. “The last two dragons could still be close by. I’ll take care of them.
You protect the people.” He turned his horse and started up the slope of Mount
Baedan.
Higher and
higher his horse climbed, but eventually the path became too muddy. Leo
dismounted and patted the horse, the quilted material now drenched through.
“Go join the
others.” He gave the horse a slap on the rump, and it started down the
mountain.
Leo abandoned
the muddy path that snaked back and forth up the mountainside. Instead, he
scrambled straight up the rocky slope. He was halfway up when a bolt of
lightning shot from the sky and struck the ground thirty yards away, blasting a
boulder into bits.
Yes! The
lightning had found him and was zeroing in. Energy from the blast rolled toward
him, seeking him out in waves he couldn’t see, but could feel. His skin
tingled. His hair, which had been plastered to his head, now crack- led as it
lifted into the air.
Thunder boomed
overhead, sending another wave of energy toward him. It slithered under his
damp clothes, giving him a slight shock. Then an increase in power. And speed.
He charged up the mountainside faster than any human could go.
Anticipation
swelled inside him as he reached the first set of cliffs. Another lightning
bolt ripped through the sky, this one hitting only fifteen yards away. It
blasted through the rocks, causing the cliff to crumble away. As the ledge
beneath his feet trembled, he ran and leaped.
He landed on the
next cliff six feet away as thunder cracked and the first cliff tumbled down
the mountainside. More energy surged into him, and he scrambled higher up the
mountain. Faster. In a race against the next strike.
He reached the
highest cliff. Nearby on the mountain summit, the beacon tower stood, deserted
in the storm, its flame long smothered by the rain. The village lay nestled in
the valley far below. He spotted houses built of stone with their thatched
roofs burned away. The chapel of Enlightenment partially destroyed. The village
lookout tower stood as high as the chapel bell tower and was manned by a lone
villager. No doubt, he was keeping an eye out for the last two dragons.
Nevis and his
troop arrived, and the villagers poured from their homes to welcome them. Leo
winced at the sight of small children running about. Dammit, Nevis, get them
back into the cave.
A rumbling noise
echoed through the valley, sounding much like thunder, but Leo knew better. It
was the beating of dragon wings. The last two dragons had waited for the people
to reappear.
Leo ripped off
his gloves and threw them down, along with his bow and quiver. Then he drew his
sword and pointed it to the sky. “Now!”
Lightning broke
through the dark clouds, racing toward him. He widened his stance and braced
for impact. It struck his sword, fracturing so that a dozen smaller streaks
shot off in a circle around him.
The major
portion of the lightning sizzled down his sword, eager to reach his flesh. It
hit his bare hand and jolted him so hard he fell to his knees and dropped the
sword. The dozen fractured shards rebounded, drawn to him like a magnet. They
pounded into him, jerking him back and forth. Thunder cracked over him so loud
his ears rang.
Power surged
through him, so fierce and scorching he thought his skin would melt, his guts
would boil, and his head burst like a kernel of corn dropped into a fire. Pain
and power, power and pain, he could no longer tell the difference. He only knew
he wanted it, wanted to drink it in, soak it up, and claim it all.
The fiery
torture eased to a warm, buzzing sensation, and he found himself on all fours,
gasping for air. How many times had he endured this? And it still hurt like
hell. He rested back on his knees and splayed his hands in front of him. Sparks
skittered around his fingers like a host of fireflies.
Good, but not
enough. The Beast wanted more.
He grabbed his
sword and hefted himself to his feet. “More, dammit!” He lifted his sword in
the air.
Lightning struck
again, driving him to his knees and knocking the sword from his grip. He cried
out as both pain and power ripped through him. Nevis was right. Someday he
would explode.
Thunder cracked
around him as if he’d become the center of the storm. His ears grew numb, only
hearing the buzz of energy pulsing around him. This time, when he examined his
hands, streaks shot out a few yards. Not enough to kill a dragon.
He fumbled for
his sword once again. Nevis’s question reverberated in his head, bouncing off
the inside of his skull. Do you enjoy courting death? Over the years, he’d
found he could take in more power each time, but what was the limit? How would
he know when it was too much?
He stumbled to
his feet and slowly lifted the sword. When he had the weapon only waist-high,
the lightning streaked toward him. Like a desperate lover, it pounced, not even
waiting till he was fully cocked. It struck hard, flinging him through the air
into the wall behind him. His head cracked against stone, and he crumpled into
a heap.
Rain splattered
on his face, keeping him conscious. The pain was merely the price he paid for
the ability to protect his people. The pain would be fleeting.
The power he
could keep for months.
He rose to his
feet. If he were normal, he’d have suffered a concussion and some broken bones.
Hell, if he were normal, he’d be dead. But instead, he swelled with strength
and power. Tiny streaks of lightning swirled around him so fast, he appeared to
glow.
He strode to the
edge of the cliff to see what was happening. The dragons were flying low,
probably to avoid the lightning. They swooped down at the screaming villagers,
herding them away from the cave. Making them easy to prey upon.
With the
superfast speed he now possessed, Leo pulled a length of coiled rope from his
sword belt and tied one end loosely to a tree deeply rooted in the rock wall of
the cliff. The other end, he tied to one of his metal arrows. He grabbed his
metal bow, nocked the arrow, and imbued them with some of his energy. Now, when
he shot the arrow, it would fly faster and farther.
He aimed for the
lookout tower and let the arrow fly. It whistled through the air and struck the
top wooden beam of the tower, embedded deep. Continuing at his fast speed, Leo
tightened the rope, tossed his bow and quiver over his shoulder, sheathed his
sword, then looped the sword belt over the rope. He ran to the cliff’s edge and
pushed off.
Hanging on to
the belt, he careened down the length of the rope. Just before crashing into
the tower, he swung his legs up and over the top beam and landed on the top
plat- form. The lone villager gaped at him.
“Go!” he
shouted. With lightning sizzling around him like a golden nimbus, he didn’t
need to speak twice.
The villager
scrambled down the ladder, yelling that the Beast had arrived.
After dropping
his sword belt on the platform, Leo quickly readied another arrow and pivoted,
searching for the dragons. Even though it was possible for him to sim- ply
shoot a lightning bolt from his hand, he’d learned from experience that raw
power didn’t always go exactly where he wanted it to go. Since there was a chance
of hitting innocent bystanders or setting their homes on fire, he preferred to
use a metal arrow imbued with his power so he could control the force and
trajectory.
There, through a
steady sheet of rain, a pair of red, glowing eyes was glaring at him. The
dragon was perched on the bell tower of the chapel. It sat up, expanding its
chest, a sure sign it was about to breathe fire.
Leo released
enough energy to make sparks pop and crackle around the metal arrow. When he
shot it, the arrow would fly with enough speed and power that it would actually
pierce the dragon’s scaly skin and release an electric shock wave through the
creature’s body.
He aimed for the
dragon’s chest, but just as he let the arrow fly, the dragon pushed off, flying
straight at him. Fire erupted from the dragon’s mouth, forcing him to drop flat
onto the platform. Flames shot over him, missing him by a few inches.
Meanwhile, the arrow hit the dragon’s hip.
Sparks spread
from the arrow, jerking the dragon around in midair. It shrieked, then shot up
into the sky and turned north toward Norveshka. Leo notched an arrow to shoot
again, but screams below made him look down.
The second
dragon had grabbed a child. “Nevis!” Leo shouted. “Catch it!”
Nevis spurred
his horse and galloped after the dragon. It was gaining altitude, now higher
than the rooftops of the houses.
Leo sent a surge
of energy into his bow and arrow and aimed, trying to keep a safe distance from
the child. The arrow zipped through the air. Direct hit to the dragon’s tail.
Sparks exploded around the wound, racing up the dragon’s body, and it jolted,
bellowing in pain and dropping the child. A dress flapped in the wind. It was a
little girl.
Nevis charged onward
as she tumbled from the sky. Villagers screamed, then let loose a round of
cheers as Nevis managed to catch her.
The dragon flew
away, filling the sky with an angry roar.
Leo lowered his
bow and arrow and watched through the rain as the villagers crowded around
Nevis. The little girl was safely deposited in the arms of her crying mother.
Nevis glanced back at Leo and gave him a thumbs- up before being dragged off
his horse by a swarm of happy villagers.
With a cheer,
the villagers led Nevis and his men into the cave. Boys led the horses,
including Leo’s horse, to the stables. Women dashed into their homes to gather
cups and jugs of beer and wine. A few men rushed into a nearby pen to slaughter
a lamb. Leo wasn’t sure if the village was celebrating the rescue of one child
or drowning their sor- rows for the two who were lost, but clearly they
intended to partake of food and drink. And even more clearly, it was a
celebration he could not attend.
He glanced at
his hands. Sparks still shimmered around his fingers. One false move, and
lightning would streak from his fingertips, possibly killing someone. He’d been
in such a hurry he’d left his gloves on the cliff. With a sigh, he picked up
his sword belt, then buckled it on.
The rain was
still pelting him, so he climbed down the ladder to a second platform just
below. Drops of rain leaked between the wooden planks overhead, and the wind
blew more rain at him, but it was an improvement. He sat in the driest corner
and rested his back against a wooden pillar. For a short while, because he had
released so much energy, he would feel all right. But soon the pain would start
again.
He spotted two
men rolling a cask toward the cave. The villagers must have run out of beer.
Sounds of laughter emanated from the cave. Soon he could smell the scent of a
lamb roasting over a fire. His stomach grumbled. A quick search of his pockets
came up empty.
With a sigh, he
leaned his head against the pillar. Alone again. It was always this way. He was
too damned dangerous to be near anyone. Even Nevis had learned to stay away
from him when he had this much power.
He closed his
eyes as a memory flitted across his mind. The first time lightning had found
him, he’d been only five years old. One strike had sent him flying, and he’d
crumpled onto the ground, twitching uncontrollably. His nanny had run to him.
Calling out to him, she’d touched his face. Then a surge of energy had shot
through her, and she’d col- lapsed beside him dead.
His first
victim. Someone he’d dearly loved.
“I didn’t mean
to . . .” Leo whispered, the sound whisked away with the wind. “Forgive me.”
Since then,
everyone had known to keep their distance. And if a stranger didn’t know, he
soon learned when he heard the new name Leo had been given.
Never touch the
Beast.
Never let the
Beast touch you.
The rain
continued to fall. The energy inside him spread throughout his body, expanding,
rebelling against the narrow confines of his human shell, demanding to be
released and used. Not now. He had to keep as much power as possible so it
would be available whenever he needed it.
The sun lowered
in the sky, and the wind became more chilled against his wet clothes. He
welcomed the cold. It made it easier to deal with the energy boiling inside
him, threatening to escape like steam from a kettle.
The strains of a
pipe and fiddle came from the cave. The people were dancing, their music
accentuating the thud- ding rhythm in his head. The energy kept expanding,
push- ing against the inner walls of his skull, pushing so hard he expected to
hear the sound of bone cracking. He squeezed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth
against the pain.
Sometimes he
thought this was the worst part about his gift. The headaches would torture him
until either he re- leased some power or it managed to escape on its own.
“My lord?” a
female voice spoke below.
About the
Author
KERRELYN SPARKS is the New York Times bestselling author of the Love at
Stake series.
Visit her online at www.kerrelynsparks.com
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