Release Blast: Flame by Alicia Michaels

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Title: Flame
Series: The Bionics # 5
Author: Alicia Michaels
Audience: New Adult
Genre: Dystopian/Sci-Fi/Romance
Formats: E-book and Paperback
Publisher: Crimson Tree Publishing
Cover by: Strong Image Editing
Editor: Cynthia Shepp Editing and Review
Pages: 109 pages
Publishing Date: June 27, 2014










 
 



 
 

War has come to the United States. It’s been brewing for years as the government and Military Police wage war on the outcasts known as the Bionics. It’s spilling out into the streets as the militant Rejects continue to wage war against the ‘inferior’ humans, the M.P.s are raiding neighborhoods and putting Bionics to death, and I am fighting alongside the Resistance to save our kind from extinction. To top it all off, the president has now declared martial law, and the rights of American citizens are being stripped away one by one. Together, with the vigilante known as The Patriot, and my Resistance family, I am prepared to fight the impossible fight, to stand up for what’s right. From a single spark, our little rebellion has grown into a revolution, a roaring fire that will envelop the nation. At the same time, things in my personal life are finally turning around. I’m in love with a beautiful girl who loves me back, and we might have a shot at a real future … unless the enemy manages to snatch away from me everything that I hold dear.

Goodreads / Amazon

A weapon’s muzzle suddenly comes up to the back of my head and I freeze, lifting my hands and the CBX with it. An M.P. in white, fiberglass armor circles around me, the gun now focused on my forehead. I can see just by looking that he has it on the kill setting. “Look, man,” I say calmly. “I’m not one of them. I’m on your side here.” He raises the face shield of his helmet, and I’m face to face with a fresh recruit. He can’t be any older than eighteen and skinny as a rail, shaking like a leaf. “Don’t come any closer,” he says, his high-pitched voice trembling with the force of his fear. Around us, the fight rages on. “You’re all the same, just a bunch of freaks.” I shrug. “Come on, dude. We both know I could have killed you by now. But I’m not here to fight you. We just want justice. Look around you and you’ll see the real killers, the real freaks. Turn your gun on them, and I’ll do the same.” He frowns. “Fight with you?” “With me, next to me, behind me, whatever. What’s your name, kid?” He swallows noisily, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “Ethan.” I nod. “Okay, Ethan, I’m Dax. You got a girl, Ethan?” Ethan lowers the gun. “Yeah… I mean, kind of. She doesn’t really know I like her.” I smile. “Been there, man, done that. I got a girl too, back home. I kind of told her I loved her a few days ago.”
Ethan’s eyebrows shot up. “Whoa, that’s huge.” “Right? Big stuff. Plus, I promised her I’d try to make it back alive. The way I see it, I stand a better chance of that if we can try to fight together, even if it’s just for today. What do you think? Let’s end this shit so we can get home. You have a girl to win over, and I’d rather not piss mine off by coming home in a body bag.” Ethan nods. “Yeah. Yeah, okay, sure.” My hand grasps his shoulder just as a flying metal disc comes whizzing at his head. He cries out as I take him to the ground, just barely saving him from being decapitated. I’m not quite as lucky. The metal disc slices into my cheek as it flies by, laying it open. Pain explodes along the left side of my face, leaving a trail of fire that goes from my jaw to just beneath my eye. Another inch and I’d be sporting a falsie like Blythe. Behind Ethan, one of the Rejects has some sort of makeshift gun mounted on his shoulder. It’s the size of a small cannon, and it is shooting another disc at me. Dropping for cover and avoiding another gash, I grab Ethan’s shoulder again. “You good?” He stares at me with wide eyes and nods. “Yeah.” “Cool. Stay down while I kill this dickhead.” This time when he fires at me, I’m ready. The pistons in my leg joints fire rapidly and I jump, my boot connecting with the disc and kicking it back the way it came. I give Ethan a hand up as the Reject’s head slides from his shoulders, taken off by his own disc. “Can dish it out but can’t take it,” I grumble as I help Ethan to his feet. He smiles at me appreciatively. “You saved my life, man. Thanks.” “No need to thank me. Now, let’s go save some others.”

 
 
 
Title: The Bionics
Series: The Bionics # 1
Pages: 96 pages
ISBN: 1940534313
ASIN: B00F3T8T3S



About The Bionics Series:
The year is 4010. Nuclear war and the wasteful nature of humans have all but destroyed the United States. A new government regime rules the day with strict laws, rationed food, and careful control. When those injured in the nuclear blasts that rocked many of the nations largest cities are offered another chance by the Restoration Project, how could they refuse?
Little do they know that the robotic additions to their body will paint targets on their backs once the government decides that they are dangerous. At the forefront of the resistance is a girl with a bionic eye, Blythe Sol, who wants nothing more than to be a normal girl. Blythe has yet to realize that normal will never exist again for her, or anyone else.
About The Bionics, Book 1:
All I ever wanted was to be a normal girl. I had dreams of joining the ranks of the Military Police and making my family proud. But the nuclear war that laid waste to our country destroyed any hope I had of being normal ever again. They took everything away from me, including my humanity. I am now half-human, half-machine, part of the never-ending freak show that is the Restoration Project.
They hate what they created and they fear us for being powerful.
And so they hunt us, destroying our lives so that they can bury what they built. What they don’t know is this: there is a Resistance out there and The Bionics aren’t going down without a fight.

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Title: Titanium
Series: The Bionics # 2
Pages: 153 pages
ISBN: 1482577968
ASIN: B00F3JHEU2



We stand on the brink of a double rescue mission, a plan so foolhardy that even our bravest men are quaking inside with fear. Storm the capitol, free the prisoners, don’t get killed. It seems like a suicide mission, but not a single one of us has anything to lose.
In my past life, I was a scoundrel; a drug peddling street thug who cared nothing for anyone because I had no one to care for me. The nuclear blasts of 4006 reminded me of the value of life, and a girl with the saddest eyes I’ve ever gazed into gave me someone to care for. Now, as we embark on our most dangerous enterprise, I can only hope that we make it out alive and that those we have lost can be recovered.
Foolishness … fear … hope … These are the elements that threw our revolution into motion. As the momentum of the Resistance continues to build, we can only pray that hope continues grow larger than our fear.

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Title: Secrets
Series: The Bionics # 3
Pages: 152 pages
ISBN: 1940534348
ASIN: B00FFH0EAE



Before The Resistance, my life was one of privilege and comfort. Before The Resistance, mine was a mindset of naiveté and blind trust in a broken and corrupt government. Before The Resistance, I’d never stood up or fought for anything in my life.
Now, there is everything to fight for and everything to lose. All for a glimmer of hope in our future. It may seem a small thing but with the smallest bit of hope, men have risen against their oppressors with fists raised, even when they knew they stared into the face of death.
Now that I have found something to fight for, I can only hope that my past will not become a roadblock to my future and that the secrets I’ve kept from those whose trust I’ve gained will not come back to ruin the new life I’ve made. If they do, I fear that I will not only lose my place as part of the Resistance, but the heart of the girl I am slowly coming to love.

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Title: Spark
Series: The Bionics # 4
Pages: 160 pages
ISBN: 1940534437
ASIN: B00HZCQJ4M



Most nineteen-year-old girls are thinking about college, stretching the wings of newfound adulthood, and boys. Well, I’ll probably never go to college, and all my dreams of the future are gone. I’ve been adult for much longer than I should have been, and my girlhood was stolen the minute the North Koreans dropped their nukes over the United States. As for boys … well, that’s pretty much out of the question now. My love life is too messy to even talk about.
I have nothing.
Except, maybe, my cause—my mission—The Resistance. It is the hope I have to cling to. I am counting on it to pave the way to my future. As things heat up and the terrorist sect known as The Rejects make themselves known opponents of society in this war, the choice to be on the side of good is harder than ever. My friends are broken; Olivia is a shell of her former self, and Jenica is barely hanging on. Dax and Gage … well, we’re not talking about my love life, remember?
The Rejects, the government, President Drummond… they are pressing in on us from all sides, and the weight is tremendous. Still, when given the choice to crumble or stand, I’d rather stand. Times are dark, but we are here, a rebellion, a whisper in the dark, a spark that lights the flames of change.

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Ever since she first read books like Chronicles of Narnia or Goosebumps, Alicia has been a lover of mind-bending fiction. Wherever imagination takes her, she is more than happy to call that place her home. With seven Fantasy and Science Fiction titles under her belt, Alicia strives to write multicultural characters and stories that touch the heart. V-Card is her first Contemporary Romance.
The mother of three and wife to an Army sergeant, she loves chocolate, coffee, and of course good books. When not writing, you can usually find her with her nose in a book, shopping for shoes and fabulous jewelry, or spending time with her loving family.

 

Website / Vcard / Blog / Facebook / Facebook V-Card / Twitter / Amazon / Pinterest / Instagram

June 27

Book Nook Nuts - http://booknooknuts.blogspot.com/

Booky Ramblings of a Neurotic Mom - http://bookyramblingsofaneuroticmom.blogspot.co.uk/

Indy Book Fairy - http://paranormalbookfairy.blogspot.com/

Coffee Books & Art - http://sarityahalomi.blogspot.com/

Bound 2 Escape - http://www.bound2escape.com

Books, Brownies and Barkers - http://booksnbrownies.com

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Eclipse Reviews - http://www.eclipsereviews.weebly.com

Portals to new Worlds - http://authorkarenswart.blogspot.com

Darkest Cravings - http://www.darkestcravings.weebly.com

June 28

Pretty Girls Read Books - http://opinionatedperson.wordpress.com

3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! - http://3partnersinshopping.blogspot.com

Our New Generation for Reading - http://jessica13bridgers.blogspot.com/

Angee's After Thoughts - http://www.angeesafterthoughts.com

Blushing Divas Book Reviews - http://www.blushingdivasbookreviews.com

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A Book Junky's Obsession - http://abookjunkysobsession.com/

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June 29

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My Paranormal Book Review - http://myparanormalbookreview.blogspot.com/

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Guest Blog & Giveaway: Shield by JC Andrijeski

I'd like to welcome JC Andrijeski today! 

 I've read Rook (Allie's War #1) and really enjoyed the book.  I look forward to reading Shield (Allie's War #2).  I strongly encourage all you readers to start this series.  You won't be disappointed!

JC created a guest video blog for today's post.  I think you all will enjoy the video below!

GIVEAWAY!!

Two prize packs consisting of a print book, mug, notebook, magnet, and t-shirt.

3 Paperbacks

10 ebooks

(Physical prize packs open to US shipping)

To enter please complete the rafflecopter at the end of this post.

Title:       Shield

               Allie’s War, Book Two
Author:   JC Andrijeski

Genre: New Adult / Urban  Fantasy/ Romance 

Publisher: White Sun Press 

Cover Artist: White Sun Press

Book Description:

 

“And they say Death will live among them in the guise of a child....”

Grappling with her new identity as “Bridge,” a being meant to herald the end for all of humanity, isn’t even Allie’s biggest problem. She’s also coping with a whole new set of rules around her seer marriage, as well as the power-hungry Rook she helped put in the White House, who is currently doing his best to start a war with China.

Then the boy appears. A sociopath with all of the energetic markings of Syrimne, a highly dangerous telekinetic seer who killed thousands during World War I, he doesn’t appear to have aged in one hundred years.

Worse, he thinks Allie belongs to him.

Excerpt:

The lock made a squealing sound as if it hadn’t been turned in months.

When the door swung wide, Terian had to fight to keep from gagging at the smell that flooded the hallway from the light-less hole. Bile rushed to his throat; he covered his mouth and nose with the hand holding the gun. He swore profusely, fighting the impulse to shoot the two people close enough to blame for this abomination.

“Not so pleasant is it?” the old man sneered. “Hiding the sins of the past? Not so neat and clean...”

Terian raised the gun, pointing it at him, then thought better of it and stepped around him instead, snatching one of the torches from an iron bracket and entering the small chamber, the sleeve of his forearm firmly over his nose and mouth. He swung the torch in a wide arc, taking in the small stone space. The ceiling rose higher than he would have expected, at least twice the height of the corridor outside, but the floor space stood only at about eight by eight feet.

Terian turned around twice in the small cell, then stopped, startled when he saw a gleam of eyes reflect light back from his torch. He’d missed the creature in his first turn around the room. Even now, it stood as still as a posed corpse.

Four lowered the torch, blinking as his eyes adjusted.

The boy stood with every muscle in his small frame relaxed. Yet his demeanor wasn’t one of subjugation or defeat, like the boys aboveground. On the contrary, his expression was calm, even politely interested. His shoulders sloped down below his neck, his arms below them, all the way to his hands, open at his sides, with delicate fingers. In appearance he was adolescent, perhaps fourteen or fifteen years old for a human, twenty to twenty-five for a seer.

He stood so motionless and his skin shone with such a dull gray sheen he appeared to be made of wax. His eyes followed Terian’s every movement as if gliding on smooth rails, not once jerking or showing a reaction.

After a few seconds, Terian realized he himself had tensed. He felt as though he were being hunted, watched the way a giant cat might watch the motions of an antlered buck.

Behind the boy, a palate of rags and what might have been an ancient mattress stood near one wall of the cell, all the same dark gray with black streaks. The smell concentrated from there, and moreso from a bucket that stood near enough to the “bed” that Terian wanted to shove it further away with the toe of his boot, if only to get the image of this creature sleeping next to its own excrement forever out of his mind.

“What is your name, boy?” Terian said. He found himself fascinated by the black eyes, the utter lack of expression. “Can you speak?”

The boy’s expression changed.

Terian saw a dense hatred concentrate in those pupils, so fathomless it actually caused him to flinch back. Hearing noise behind him, he turned. The woman stood in the doorway, as did the old man. The boy’s look of murder aimed precisely at the man with the hole shot through his hand.

“You did that?” The boy turned to Terian.

He spoke Prexci of such an ancient dialect that Terian had to concentrate to make out the words. He slid into the Barrier, tried to look at the boy from there. Once he had, he focused and refocused his sight, not believing what he saw.

Above the filthy creature’s head spiraled a collection of structures that nearly gave Terian an erection. A kind of fascinated awe fell over him as he stared at those spiraling shapes.

The boy said again. “You did that? You shot him?”

“Yes,” Terian told him, clicking out. “I did.”

For a long moment, the boy only looked at the wasted human. Finally, he turned to Four.

“Yes. I will go with you.”

Without fully turning his head, Terian spoke to the other two. “What the fuck is this precious bundle of joy?” He glanced over his shoulder.

The woman turned sheet white. “You said you knew. You said he entrusted you...”

The old man gave another of those sick, grating chuckles. “I told you. He likely killed your precious Teacher with his own hands...”

“You wouldn’t be far off with that, old man,” Terian said, raising the gun. “But you still haven’t answered my question...”

The woman raised her hands to Terian in a kind of pleading supplication, her eyes darting nervously between him and the boy on the cot. “You must understand. It was for his own protection...for all of our protection. We feed him well...”

Terian gave a harsh laugh. “Yes. This is practically the Ritz. But I’m not here to spank you for your housekeeping skills, Fraulein...” Even so, he realized in some surprise that he was angry. Beyond angry...he was furious. His hand shook as he pointed it at the two “monks.” That they would keep any seer in such a place, much less a seer like this, with structures like he had...it was inconceivable. That Galaith could have been part of such a travesty...

“Unchain him,” Terian said, motioning towards the boy with the gun. “Now.”

The woman’s face drained further of blood. “Sir?”

“You heard him. He’s coming with me. Now unchain him.”

“Sir! You don’t understand! His collar...the restraint wire on his sight is attached to his chain! It was a safeguard, so no one could ever leave with him...”

She trailed when Terian raised the gun to point at her face. Terian cocked his head, staring at her. The woman stared at the boy, then back at Terian.

“You can’t possibly understand what you are doing!” she cried. “He cannot be allowed to leave this place!”

“The boy won’t hurt me. Will you, lad?”

“No. I won’t hurt.” He paused. “...You.”

Terian smiled. “See? We’re going to be pals, me and this handsome devil...”

The old man with the bleeding hand laughed, stopping only when he broke into a paroxysm of thick coughs. He spat a gob of phlegm in the direction of the boy. Wiping his mouth on his dirt-encrusted robe, he spoke up.

“I’ll unchain him.” His voice had a note of finality to it. “I’ll do it...I’ll let the little bastard go. It’s mine to do...”

“Merenje, no!” the woman cried, but Terian swung the gun back on her, stopping her from going after him.

“Stay,” he said, smiling when she pulled up short. “That’s a good girl...”

The old man stumbled across the room, still holding his hand to his robes.

The boy stood perfectly still as Merenje reached him. He didn’t move as the old man fumbled with the metal collar around his neck. Terian hadn’t seen it until then, as it blended so perfectly with the color of the grimy neck.

Now that he saw it, however, Terian realized the thing was an antique. Instead of the light, thin organic hybrid metals used on the seers in the pens upstairs, the boy’s collar weighted his neck with several inches of what appeared to be iron. The organic skin on the outside looked like it came from some kind of reptile. The back end, instead of having a thumbnail release valve triggered with retinal or other scanner, consisted of an iron ring that connected to a thick chain bolted into the wall above the palate of rags where the boy slept. The chain didn’t even give him the range of the small cell. No wonder the bucket remained by the bed.

Feeling his anger return, Terian watched the old man grasp the chain, which was also coated in organic skin.

“Use the key,” the old man said. His pitted eyes stared at the boy’s. “Use the key now...I’ve triggered the lock!”

“No!” the woman screamed.

But Terian already understood. Chuckling, he entered the Barrier space, and found himself facing an elaborate structure that had Dehgoies’ and Galaith’s aleimic fingerprints all over it. A golden weaving of light, it configured in a kind of delicate beauty around the boy, strangling his aleimi through the organic components of the collar.

Recalling the symbol he’d found in Dehgoies Revik’s journal, the same one he’d used to fool the woman into thinking Galaith had sent him, Terian imprinted it on the Barrier structure. It fit perfectly into the missing piece woven into the restraint collar around the boy’s neck and its organic tissue.

As he withdrew from the Barrier space, Four heard an audible click.

His vision cleared, leaving him back in the pitch-black dungeon.

The boy met his gaze, and smiled.

About the Allie’s War Series:

An urban fantasy paranormal romance set in a unique, gritty version of Earth, populated by a second race of beings called seers, the Allie’s War series centers on the relationship of a strong female protagonist, Allie Taylor, and her antihero guide, Dehgoies Revik. Falling into the new adult genre of books, the Allie’s War series takes place in a modern version of Earth you’ve never seen, that spans centuries along with the lives of its main characters, the seers, and the wars they fight with themselves and their human allies and enemies, (steamy sex scenes in parts!).

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Allie's War series

http://www.goodreads.com/series/65200-allie-s-war

Shield: Allie’s War, Book Two

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17618582-shield

About the Author:

JC Andrijeski has published novels, novellas, serials, graphic novels and short stories, as well as nonfiction essays and articles, including the Allie’s War series, The Slave Girl Chronicles and bestselling novella, The Alien Club. Her short fiction runs from humorous to apocalyptic, and her nonfiction articles cover subjects from graffiti art, meditation, psychology, journalism, politics and history. JC has traveled extensively and lived abroad, but currently lives and works on the Oregon Coast.

Please visit JC's blog at http://jcandrijeski.blogspot.com or her website at www.syrimne.com

website: www.jcandrijeski.com

blog: http://jcandrijeski.blogspot.com

FB author page: https://www.facebook.com/J.C.Andrijeski

Goodreads author page:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4470130.J_C_Andrijeski

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jcandrijeski

@jcandrijeski

Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/JC-Andrijeski/e/B004MFTAP0/

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jcandrijeski/

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Book Tour Spotlight: Deadly to Love by Mia Hoddell

I'd like to welcome Deadly to Love by Mia Hoddell today! 

Tour Wide Giveaway:  Deadly to Love swag (UK only)

Title: Deadly to Love (Elemental Killers #1)
Author: Mia Hoddell
Genre: YA/Paranormal/Urban Fantasy/Romance

Description:

There is a love that is so dangerous, so powerful, so intoxicating that it embraces your heart and smothers your mind until it leaves you defenceless.

Serena knew that but still, it didn't stop her. His name was Kai. He was the most beautiful, irresistible man she had ever encountered. Their attraction was too compelling to fight and she knew she would go to the end of the world beside him. That is love.

However behind the allure was hidden a deadly secret – a secret that threatened her fragile life... But secrets best left unsaid never remain hidden forever. When Kai reveals his true identity, she is exposed to a frightening world she had no idea existed. Controlled by powerful Elemental forces her life is placed in mortal danger.

Unbeknown to them, their lives have been entwined from the beginning and it leads her to discover an even greater secret about who she really is. As the pieces begin to unravel and death becomes a reality, Serena is forced to decide what is more important...her love or life.

Book Tour & Giveaway: Angel Bait by Tricia Skinner

I'd like to welcome Angel Bait by Tricia Skinner today!

Tour Wide Giveaway:  5 ebook copies of Angel Bait

To enter, complete the rafflecopter at the end of this post.

Title:                          Angel Bait Book 1 of the Angel Assassins Series
Author:                      Tricia Skinner 
Genre:                        Urban Fantasy Romance
Publisher:                   Crimson Romance (F+W Media)
Date of Publication:    February 18, 2013
Number of pages:       140
Word Count:              65,000

Book Description:

Saved by the angel sent to kill them, four half-angel boys are trained and employed as Heaven’s assassins. Jarrid and his nephilim brothers are raised as members of The Eternal Order, and must enforce Heaven’s laws by hunting down those who defy the Directorate.

His only shot at freedom is Ascension, but his employers won’t permit the ancient ritual. Then Jarrid learns a Renegade angel is in Detroit. Such a high-level take­down is the answer to his prayers—all the leverage he needs to Ascend.

For freedom, Jarrid is willing to do anything to lure his elusive enemy out of hiding.

Even use an innocent woman as bait.

News reporter Ionie Gifford has no clue an angel outlaw wants her dead. She agrees to help Jarrid, the enigmatic nephilim with penetrating silver eyes and a worship-worthy body, but only because he accepts her terms. He’s her all-access pass into the city’s supernatural underworld where she hopes to locate her mother’s killer.

Blind­sided by Ionie's beauty and tenacity, Jarrid soon finds the eternity-old glacier around his heart thawing. With duty and desire at war within him, he’s forced to make a choice—either save Ionie from the trap he snared and stay chained to Heaven, or allow her to become collateral damage.

Excerpt from ANGEL BAIT

She leaned back and studied him, taking in the casual way his thigh rested against a chair. Her throat closed, smothering her clever retort. Jarrid angled his chiseled face to study items on her desk, and Ionie caught the awed stares of her passing colleagues.

One woman tripped over her own feet.


Another face-planted into a wall.


Jesus Christ.


The half-angel was so handsome it hurt. Jarrid didn’t seem to notice the attention directed at him. Or maybe he didn’t care.


“You’re upset I won’t allow photos, but you still plan to work with me,” he said, his fingers sliding over a shriveled dictionary. “I want to know why.”

Blunt and to the point.

“I’m not upset.” Ionie snorted, a sound she hoped made her seem indifferent. “You’ve answered my prayers. I’m used to working obits, or chasing the occasional fire truck.”

He flicked his head at the desk adjoining hers. “You work with someone?”

“I don’t do partners.”

“Yet you will do me.” The simple statement, spoken in his sexy rumble, liquefied the marrow in Ionie’s bones.

“Uh,” she said. “My work takes on a whole new meaning when you say it.”

He leaned in, a smooth slide of firm muscle and taut flesh. She caught a whiff of his scent; she hadn’t noticed it before. Something nameless, celestial like the man – the being – it belonged to. She inhaled deep, lulled by his nearness. Gorgeous. No other word fit him better.

“Is there a problem?” Jarrid’s lips curved down. His tone held an edge she couldn’t place.

“Problem?” Mario’s smooth voice yanked Ionie from her trance. She shook her head and leaned away from the nephilim. “You okay, kid?”

What the hell am I doing?

Ionie strained to smile at Jarrid. The half-angel’s face presented a solid mask, obscuring any hint of his reaction.

“I’m fine,” she said. “Mario, this is Jarrid. He’s with the Eternal Order ... and my new story. Jarrid, this is Mario Hernandez. He trained me on the graveyard shift.”

“Story?” The men exchanged handshakes. She could see Mario’s mind working behind his casual expression.

“On Patrick’s say so.” She suppressed some of her excitement. “I’m doing a feature on angel society.”

“Angels don’t seek attention. Why the switch?”


“Times change,” Jarrid said in a tight, controlled voice.


The older reporter narrowed his eyes at the flat tone. She didn’t blame him. “Doesn’t explain why the boys above have sent a nephilim. Aren’t you guys a bit high level for PR?”

The muscles in Jarrid’s arms ticked. “My work is classified.”


“I bet,” Mario said.


What the hell?

Ionie stared at her friend, then Jarrid. The corded line of his neck bulged with thick throbbing veins. Her source appeared ready to pounce on the curious old coot. She slid off her chair. “We should get going.”

Neither man moved. Ionie reached out and touched Jarrid’s bicep. His arm shifted beneath her hand like she’d branded him. She removed her fingers before he decided to break them off.

No touching. Got it.

Without a word, he marched from the office. With the weird question and answer session over, she grabbed her bag and hauled ass to catch up.

“What happened back there?” She jogged to keep pace with him, his long strides churning yards of polished marble floor in his wake. “Why are you acting like this?”

Jarrid turned on her with a scowl. “Your buddy is inquisitive.”

“Newsflash. He’s a reporter, like me. Nosey is what we do.” That didn’t help. Not the way Jarrid stared at her as if she’d sprouted horns. “You’re a big deal in Heaven, huh? If it’s a secret, you shouldn’t be hanging around journalists. We suck up secrets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”

“We keep to ourselves.” A tremor of annoyance filtered through the words.

“Not anymore.” The two of them standing in a newspaper lobby made the whole conversation seem ridiculous. Ionie stepped closer to Jarrid and angled her head to see his eyes. “Not many people can say they’ve seen, or met, an angel. Your kind might want to keep on the down low, but when you step out, you’re going to draw attention.”

His steady glare told her he didn’t believe a word. Or maybe he didn’t like what he heard. Or maybe he just liked glaring at her like she’d eventually shut the hell up.

Jerk. Angels weren’t the only ones who preferred seclusion. Try tracking down the Fae. Those bastards were near impossible to get out in the open. She’d tried.

“Angels and nephilim are private. I get the cloak and dagger bull, but you came to me. This covert thing? You want people to answer your questions?”

He gave a microscopic bob of his head.

“First lesson? People are naturally curious, especially humans.” Ionie moistened her bottom lip. She hated the nervous response, but Jarrid held a remote control on her anxiety. “They may have questions for you, too. We’re drawn to the unknown like butter to toast, at least according to my grandma. I’ll help you. You’ll help me. Everybody gets what they need.”

Silver eyes dipped to her lips.

The gap between them sizzled like someone had flipped on a low-voltage current. Every hair on her skin saluted. She stared into his eyes and her heartbeat doubled. By now she should be nervous, but the hint of danger she sensed in him only brought an embarrassing rush of arousal.

Her face must have flushed apple red because Jarrid’s mouth parted. His now wide gaze traced over her features, lingering on her cheeks and lips. She should kiss him. Kiss him right in the middle of her workplace. Kiss him in front of Stan the desk clerk who took classified ads. One kiss on the nephilim’s too-full lips. One hard press ....

She licked her lip again. His gaze tracked her tongue. Before she could lean into his body and act on the impulse, he jerked back and stepped out of reach.

“What are you doing?” His voice was low, dangerous.

What was she doing? She’d almost pounced on a guy at work! She didn’t jump her sources. Another wave of heat seared her face and she stared at her feet. “So ... we still have a deal?”

Jarrid didn’t reply. She chanced a peek at him. He looked pissed. His back was ramrod straight and his eyes glowed. Maybe she’d offended his angel sensibilities with her odd human reactions.

Wasn’t he half-Human? Did he feel an attraction to her? 


A miserable minute ticked by. 


“We still have a deal,” he said. “First, you meet my brothers.”

About the Author:

After spending several years as a newspaper reporter and corporate communications director, Tricia Skinner cast off traditional journalism for the freedom of novel writing. ANGEL BAIT is her urban fantasy romance debut. Her read­ing tastes are all over the place, but she’s mainly drawn to fan­tasy (and its sub­gen­res), para­nor­mal, sci-fi, and history.

In those rare moments when she’s not writ­ing, Tri­cia is a new­bie “green” prac­ti­tioner, a fit­ness pro­cras­ti­na­tor, and a tech­nol­ogy geek. She is a mother and a wife. Her fam­ily includes two Great Danes.

Tri­cia stays active in various writing communities. She’s the Web Edi­tor for Pony Express(ions), the online lit­er­ary jour­nal of the Mas­ters of Lib­eral Stud­ies Pro­gram at South­ern Methodist Uni­ver­sity; a vol­un­teer with SMU’s The Writ­ers Path; the Newsletter Editor and a Mud Puddle Critique Group moderator for the Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal Chapter of Romance Writers of America. . In Decem­ber 2012 she received a master’s degree with a Cre­ative Writ­ing focus from SMU.

She welcomes correspondence from readers.

Visit her online at www.TriciaSkinner.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com /AuthorTriciaSkinner

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/triciaskinner

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