by Jamie Magee
They were both well fed this night. He had devoured every rush of energy she had, each emotion, and his exaltation had filled her more than she could say.
The very idea they could provide for the other, offer the most basic needs and offer them purely without coercion was just as remarkable as both of their mysterious pasts.
Gwinn dropped her gaze to the bank. She had to wonder if beneath the water there was another piece of the mystery, something Shade had brought with him that had managed to survive generations nestled in the silt of the swamp.
When her gaze glided back to the starlight water her soul seized.
She leaned forward, thinking the wine had finally gotten the best of her and she was seeing things.
Avidly aware of her, Shade opened his eyes and looked up at her. “Gators, they do their thing, I do mine. We have an understanding.”
“No gators—not living.”
Shade rose up as Gwinn pulled herself to a standing position.
Even though Shade’s shirt nearly reached her thighs and well down her arms she shivered in the heat of the summer night.
Under the water, gliding with a near still current were souls, or ghosts—something—and they were very dead.
Now that Gwinn was leaning over the rail of the deck looking directly down she noticed the stars were not nearly as visible, only the flow of souls which stretched in every direction as far as her immortal gaze could see.
“This normal?” Gwinn asked in a shaky voice.
“No.”
Shade wasn’t watching the dead any longer. He’d sensed someone.
He never knew Mia. Like Chalice, the man’s history with the Sons began and ended before Shade was discovered. But he knew what he looked like. He’d seen the surveillance with the others. He’d watched Mia attack Akan only to back away.
He was there across the swamp, standing in the darkness. His eyes pierced through the night peering into Shade’s.
A gaze you’d give a long lost friend, one you parted ways with on bad terms.
“Inside,” Shade said.
Gwinn didn’t immediately back away, he had to pick her up and move her.
His energy slammed the doors closed, even though it was a pointless barrier.
“We have to speak to him,” Gwinn said, searching for her clothes and putting them on as quickly as possible.
“He’s dangerous.”
“For all you know he’s been out there the entire time.”
Shade’s expression turned stone cold. “Then we are about to discover how to kill a dead man.”
“Stop it,” Gwinn demanded. “There he is, someone the Club has been hunting for. Adair can attract Talley. We have both dead men in our grasp. We can stop this all.”
Curse words spilled from under his breath as he armed himself, even though he knew his weapons would be useless.
Gwinn was determined as ever as she pulled her shoes on. She was downright giddy.
This mess was causing too much trouble; it was dividing the Club, putting Adair at risk. Hell, it was putting Shade at risk because no matter what he’d honor Judge if the choice was before him. And now she could stop it.
Yes. She was going to walk up to dead man and reason with him.
Sometimes the most obvious answer is the correct one.
As far was Gwinn was concerned this was over.
Peace was going to be restored. She had her man, her best friend. Her craft. Balance.
Done.
Up Next: Queens Rise, Season Two episodes 9-12 #OneClick
Where To Find Jamie Online:
authorjamiemagee.com
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Other Books by Jamie Magee
“Web of Hearts and Souls”
Insight (Book 1)
Embody (Book 2)
Image (Book 3)
Vital (Book 4)
Vindicate (Book 5)
Enflame (Book 6)
Imperial (Book 7)
Blakeshire (Book 8)
See (Book 1)
Witness (Book 2)
Synergy (Book 3)
Redefined (Book 4)
Derive (Book 5)
Rivulet (Book 1)
Contemporary Novels:
Impulsion
Friction
Deploy
Acknowledgements
Over the past four years I have published seventeen novels and each of the acknowledgements are moved from one novel to the next. That wasn’t done to take short cuts, but because on this journey I have been blessed enough to keep the same souls at my side. I wanted to take the time with this acknowledgement to state how precious they are to me.
My husband, no doubt, deserves some kind of medal! The man is there from the first instant the idea is thought to life, through the long days of writing where I slip into another world. He manages the blessed life we have built, taking care of our little ones, making sure that there is some kind of substantial meal on the table for each of us. He’s a saint when it comes to telling me what day of the week it is, and letting me know that dawn is approaching and it might be a good idea to get some sleep. He understands that music drives me and is just fine with the same song playing on repeat for days until I have the scene trapped in words. He’s used to having a conversation with me and in mid-sentence I stop and rush to write a line down. There is no doubt that he didn’t sign up to share his wife with the fictional family that always dances in my mind, but he rocks it all the same. I can’t tell you how amazing it is to have someone want your dreams as much as you do, someone that never lets doubt creep into your mindset.
My children, they make me smile every day. They are now to the point where they’re all for naming characters, dancing to that same song that plays over and over. They love to joke about ‘mom’s bubble’—they know that mom dreams wide awake and tease me when they have to pop that bubble to tell me something.
Steffini Walker, Sabrina Hoover—there are not words to express how thankful I am to have found you both! Your love for these characters inspires me each and every day. I love you girls!!
Editors, they come in all shapes and sizes, each with their very own style and outlook on the words they’re reviewing. I struck gold with mine, and I mean that. It is hard to find someone who can not only edit the horrid mess I leave behind in my creative rushes, but to also find someone that can strengthen your story and not alter your voice. Someone who is not afraid to tell you exactly what you need to hear good or bad, to fortify your daydreams into words. Todd Barselow is a saint and I count my lucky stars each day that I found him in this crazy publishing world.
Graphic designers are one of the unsung heroes of the publishing world. Which is sad because they’re the ones that give your daydreams a face, they bring the emotion and definition to your work that readers new and old will recognize over time. Emma Michaels is another gift; she not only helped me find the image for my debut novel, Insight, but has also been through each of my covers since. She has a way of understanding exactly what I envision and does not rest until that vision is there before us both. This cover was far different from the others. It had to be more than an image that may or not change over the course of time. It had to be a logo, a brand, something that could be identified with this story for seasons to come. Emma rose to that challenge, and I have to say this is one of my favorite covers. It’s almost as if she saw the emblem in my mind clear as day and worked until it was created. Emma, you are amazing!
My Betas are amazing. It’s their truth that makes them that way, how they are not afraid to tell me what they like and don’t, how they don’t bat an eye when I hand them a contemporary story, a YA story, or this story. They read each with an open mind and their feedback is priceless. There is not a doubt that it always mirrors the feedback my readers will give me once the story is published for the world at large.
I have the best street team ever! Thank you girls for shari
ng my daydreams with me!
Readers. I swear to you, to this day it blows my mind that there are people on this earth that I will never have the chance to meet that have shared these stories with me, people who get it, who leave reality and step into my daydreams with me if only for a moment. You humble me. I can’t stress that enough. Thank you so much for taking a chance, giving up your time to read my work.
As you can clearly see, people often think that writers have solitary lives, and in some real fashion we do, but more so than not, the story you are reading was impacted by not only those that walked the publishing line with the writer, but the world at large. Inspiration is everywhere, in every dark and positive moment, in every song, drive, commercial. Everything is inspiration. Life is beautiful, even the dark stressful moments. You just have to find that beauty, and thankfully I have outstanding people in my life that ensure that I notice it each and every day.
