by Claudy Conn
I was frozen in place as I searched the shadows.
She was tall, lithe, and graceful. Her blonde hair was like silk. Her amber lit eyes were alive with fury. Her skin was pale and she had a classically lovely face. She moved with caution, so she was aware I was a witch.
How the hell did she get here? She was supposed to be at a meeting in London?
My Shama was already on the alert, always protective when I was in danger, and damn, I was in danger. I could feel her power.
The ancient vampire Allora stood eyeing me, and she wore a sneer on her face.
Something glinted in the narrow ray of moonlight that shined through the window. A sword. She held a sword. Was this the sword she used to kill my grandmother? If so, it was now even more powerful than it had been. Damn, I was in trouble!
Shit, shit, shit!
* * * * *
I would never leave you hanging:
Here is an excerpt from the first chapter in Craving-Torment
I stepped into the portal and the first thing that hit me as I stepped out and into the library of MacLeod Castle was the stillness.
The room was clothed in the darkness of night. The scent of the leather bound books that usually gave me comfort and excitement—didn’t, because another scent met my nostrils and made them flare.
An uneasiness took over and a shiver shimmied up my spine.
It was then, all at once, that the scent became stronger and I knew I was in serious trouble.
I heard Devin at my back screaming my name.
“Bobbie…coom back, now! Bobbie…ye cannae stay there…” he shouted and pounded at the divider.
I hurriedly closed the portal. There was something else in the room with me and I didn’t want them to go through the portal.
In the darkest corner I saw someone move. Someone was there just taking a step forward, watching me all the while.
I could just make out a form.
A female form.
The female stepped forward towards me. She was, of course, alone. No other vampire could enter MacLeod without an invitation.
I readied myself. My heart was pounding, as I knew just what I was about to face.
I heard Devin’s calls. He was distressed and shouting for me to return to him. I couldn’t pay attention to what he was saying. I had to concentrate on facing this threat. There was no running away from it. This threat would follow. I knew I had to zero in on my Shama with all my might if I was going to protect myself.
“Jeremy!” I heard Devin scream his name as he moved off to Jeremy’s quarters to get his attention. Devin knew what I was about to face. I don’t know how he knew, but he did. Had he managed to pick up the scent or was it gut instinct?
The female moved forward and I could see that she was tall, lithe, and graceful. Her blonde hair was like silk. Her amber lit eyes were alive with fury. Her skin was pale, but she had a classically lovely face. She moved with caution, so I knew she was aware that I was a witch with some power.
“Allora,” I said softly.
She did not respond.
Damn, but Jeremy had thought she would still be in London. Had she taken an evening flight? A charter, perhaps?
She was supposed to have a meeting with the ancient vampires of her clan. What had happened? Had that meeting been canceled?
My Shama was already burning with instructions, always protective when I was in danger, and damn, I was in danger. I could feel Allora’s power, a might specific to her aura. I concentrated on it, learned its perimeters as my magic scanned her and shielded me.
The ancient vampire Allora stood, eyeing me, but the sneer she wore on her face told me she didn’t know who I really was. Oh, she knew I was a witch…but that was all she knew.
Something glinted in the narrow ray of moonlight that shined through the window. A sword. She held a sword of some potency. Was this the sword she used to kill my grandmother? If so, it was now even more powerful than it had been. Damn, I was in trouble!
Shit, shit, shit!
“Allora,” I said again, as calmly as I could muster and felt ashamed that my voice was shaky.
“Hello witch,” she finally responded. In her hand, pointed at me was a sword of some size. I couldn’t help but look at it and out of the corner of my eye, I saw her smile.
I already disliked her for so many reasons, top of which, for beheading my immortal grandmother and taking her away from me before I ever met her.
In that moment, a feeling I have never experienced before entered my heart. Hate.
My witchy senses totally on call and alert, I watched her. It was then that I sensed something was terribly off about her. I blinked to make certain my suspicion was correct.
Oh yeah. My suspicion was correct.
I watched her entire body, sword and all as it faded in and out, right before my eyes. I didn’t think this was an optical illusion. I knew better.
Slim rays of moonlight engulfed her as she took another step forward giving me an even better view of her person.
Someone in my head—me actually, whispered, you know what to do. Did I?
LOOK FOR CRAVING—TORMENT WHICH WILL SOON BE
AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER IN KU
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0755ZTLMF/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1503844895&sr=1-1&keywords=Craving-Torment
About Claudy Conn
Claudy Conn, a native New Yorker, now lives with her husband, Bob; Rocky Man, who weighs in presently at 190 pounds and their horse, Southern Pride.
She loves horses and riding and raised her ten-year-old gelding Southern Pride from the moment he was born. She also loves gardening, swimming, skiing, hiking, and travel—and of course, reading, writing, but no, she says, no arithmetic!
To get her monthly news, her reviews for all her new paranormal romances, and excerpts, come on and visit her at her website.
To see pictures of their hybrid wolf and his mother Cherokee now gone, have a look at her Facebook page!
For all her titles check out her amazon page: Claudy Conn
