by Elodie Colt
I let Chris guide me as I fumed inside, eager to throw some punches and get off some steam.
“What the hell was that, man?” Chris yelled at me when we were outside, shoving me hard.
“Are you kidding me? Didn’t you see what she just did? David could have been killed.”
Chris huffed a dry laugh. “As if you care about the guy.”
“That’s not the point. We need to make her understand that she needs to get her emotions in check, Chris. It was pure luck I got her out of the Bluster in time. If I weren’t there to step in, she could have made the whole ceiling collapse, and then she would be the one buried under concrete,” I countered pointing a finger at him.
“And you think shouting at her is going to help?” I just scoffed shaking my head. “Dylan, you can’t work with her and against her at the same time. She’s not your enemy.”
“Isn’t she?” I spat back. “As far as I know, she’s the reason Ricky lies here.” I pointed to Ricky’s gravestone.
Chris shook his head as if disappointed with me. “You know what? Drown in your fury and choke on your rage, I fucking don’t care,” he hissed before bumping against my shoulder and disappearing inside, smashing the door loudly behind him.
“Fuck,” I cursed, kicking a stone.
That girl was going to be the death of me. How could I protect her when I hated her for all she stood for?
I stood in the cemetery watching the stars for hours and smoking one cigarette after another. After some time, the door creaked open, and Jimmy exited. I took a deep breath for mental strength bracing myself for the wrath of my leader, but instead of yelling at me or punching me, he stopped next to me crossing his arms.
“I need you on my side, Dylan. No one knows better than me what you went through, and I’m the last one who doesn’t sympathize with you. I know Haylie is waking your demons, but you need to get a grip on that. We’re the only ones who can help her. If we fail, the Hunters will get to her, and if that happens, a lot of people are going to get killed.” I stuffed my hands into my pockets. He was right, of course, but that didn’t make things any easier.
Jimmy turned to me putting a hand on my shoulder. “You’re my best man, Dylan, you know that. And I won’t give up on you, never have. Prove to me that you’re on my side on this. Help her find out about her ability and support her in getting control over it. Help me save her.”
He waited for me to acknowledge his words, and I gave a short nod before saying quietly, “You have my word.”
Jimmy squeezed my shoulder in thanks, and left me alone with my thoughts. I sighed and wiped a hand over my face.
The real issue was that we couldn’t lose Bryceland, too, not now that her safety was in our hands. Barely five hundred Naturals existed on this planet, and I had the luck to meet three in my life.
Two died under my protection, and if she was the third to get killed, it would kill me for good this time.
~~~ To be continued in: A Flare of Power, Book 2 ~~~
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Thank you so much for grabbing a copy of this book!
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I loved writing it and will stay tuned for the following books in the series!
To celebrate with you the launch of A FLARE OF HOPE, I’ve got a little goodie for you. Click the link below to get the chance to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card!
ATTENTION: this giveaway is active until 20th September 2017.
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Acknowledgments
First, I want to thank all the people who are a member of my Street Team. There aren’t enough words to express how thankful I am to have you by my side. Thank you a million times!
Special thanks go to all the amazing indie authors who supported me. Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to take that leap of faith into publishing.
Another huge thanks goes to Yuli A. and Stacey S. You were my first betas who fought their way through my unedited drafts, and pushed me with your honest feedback. You’ve become dear friends and I can’t tell you how thankful I am to have you as my fans. You guys rock!
A big shout goes to Yvonne, my Aussie cover designer who did her best to consider every one of my ideas and was super fast in creating the covers of The Jaylior Series. The result is amazing!
My love also goes out to my editors at Swish Design & Editing Kaylene and Nicki. Even if we’re living on opposite ends of the world, we did great work together. You were so forthcoming and didn’t just help with corrections, but with everything else needed to get my book out there. Thanks for your support and help to improve my writing. You’re gorgeous!
Last, but not least, thanks to everyone who bought my book. I hope you like it as much as I do.
Stay tuned – Cheers, Elodie
About the Author
First things first—I'm not an English native speaker. I live in a boring little town on the outskirts of Vienna, Austria, so probably very far away from you! I'm an avid reader and have been reading English books my entire life. When I write, I can't think in my mother tongue anymore. For a long time, this was the reason I refused to take that leap of faith into publishing, because I feared I could never compete with the others. A year later, I decided it was worth the risk, and now here I am... Crazy!
I’m a hybrid steamy/erotic romance author. Doesn’t matter if contemporary, paranormal, dystopian, or urban fantasy—I write & read them all!
Relationship status—living happily with my boyfriend, not married and no kids, yet. I have a fulltime job in marketing and wish to make a living as an author. Let's see how this will turn out in the future...
I'm too organized. Everything has its place, everything is planned. Also, I’m always busy and looking for work, which is pretty exhausting sometimes.
I'm a music hoarder. My playlist spreads over every genre and is organized very neatly. I play piano and guitar pretty well, but I’m just playing at home for fun. I love to sing in my car. Dancing is my secret hobby. If I could turn back time, I'd build a street dance crew, but this ship has sailed, lol.
I have an uncanny talent for remembering faces and names, but I’m shitty when it comes to directions. I'm not kidding you, I can get lost everywhere, especially on ski slopes!
I don't function without my morning cup of coffee—Café Latte to be precise. I love movies, my Kindle Reader, snowboarding, wakeboarding and sunbathing. I hate The Simpsons (I know, I’m probably the only person in the world, but I just can’t warm up to them), zombie movies, and fish (as in the food—got sick once and can't touch that stuff ever since).
My biggest idol is Stephanie Hudson, author of the Afterlife Saga. I've never read such mind-blowing books in my entire life. I dream of visiting her someday and just talk with her about how she invented such an epic story. So, Stephanie, if you read this, please let me know, and I'm on the next flight to the UK!
That's pretty much the short version of it. If you want to know more or have the feeling you need to stalk me, find me on the usual platforms.
Stalk me here: Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Goodreads ~ Website ~ Amazon
Other Books & Upcoming Releases
Standalone, In Blood We Trust
The HEED ME Novellas:
Book 1, Hire Me (FREE!)
Book 2, Hit Me
Book 3, Hunt Me, coming soon
The JAYLIOR Series:
Book 1, A Flare of Hope
Book 2, A Flare of Power, coming 2017
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