It’s not just a song by Staind from 2001, I believe. But just in case you like the song as much as I do, here it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=araU0fZj6oQ
My apologies to my friends for being radio silent lately. If you follow me on Facebook (and if you don’t, please do so https://www.facebook.com/KCFreemanAuthor/ or @KCFreemanAuthor), I mentioned a couple incidents involving emergency room visits and one hospital admittance. I’m on the road to recovery but am just now finding the energy to focus on my life’s work — writing urban fantasy and paranormal romance while caring for my beautiful large family of five kids, one hubby, one mostly cranky elderly mom, and one dog dedicated to the pursuit of killing me by tripping me on a daily basis on the stairs.
Excuses! Excuses! you may exclaim! Yeah, I know. Should’ve demanded my laptop in the hospital. I bet there would’ve been some fun stuff coming off my medicated-addled brain then.
In the spirit of amends, I’d like to offer you a sneak peek into Book 2 of the Greylyn the Guardian Angel series – working title “Revelation” but I’m open to suggestions. In Book 2, Greylyn finds herself trapped in a vampire den somewhere on the outskirts of Washington, DC. But she’s not alone.
***
Smears of dull colors emerged behind Greylyn’s eyelids as she fought to open despite the agony throbbing behind them. Bile crept up her throat, a lingering effect of the inhaled chloroform. Forcing it down, she willed herself to focus, to block out the residual pain and nausea. A few calming breaths were followed by a dry hacking cough. Her nasal passages, throat, and eyes still burned. Desperate to rub at her eyes to quell the stinging, she tried to raise her hands to her face only to painfully realize they were trapped behind her back by iron chains.
The vampires had gotten the best of her. Just two vamps to be exact. Two!
How did I allow that to happen?
She prided herself on being better than that. Hell, she’d slaughtered dozens of the foul creatures at a time. Taken on entire packs of werewolves by herself. She’d even busted through a legion of assorted monsters with barely a scratch – okay, there had been more than a scratch but…she refused to think about that right now.
Obviously she hadn’t been at the top of her game in the club.
Gee, I wonder why?
Once again, she’d allowed Kael to mess things up for her. This time, a human would most likely pay the price for her weakness. Poor girl was probably already dead or undead. Couple more deep breaths to tamper down anger at herself for being so stupid, but it didn’t help.
Slowly, she pried her eyes open, blinking several times to clear her vision. Wasn’t anything to see. Just varying shades of black. The ground was hard and ice cold, like sitting on top of a glacier.
All was quiet as well, except for someone, who she couldn’t see, breathing softly. Definitely not the girl from the club though. She craned her neck to check out the other side of the room. Her muscles screamed in protest, unable to move the rest of her body due to heavy iron chains clamping her wrists together behind her back. She could make out no solid forms. But a familiar citrus and sandalwood scent pierced through the remnants of the chloroform.
“It’s about time you woke up.”
Kael.
What the hell was he doing here?
Shaking her head to clear the remnants of chloroform-induced fog, Greylyn’s raspy voice squeaked out, “So dealing with bloodsuckers now, huh? Classy, Kael. Real classy.”
His response was a loud rattle of chains. “I despise those creeps as much as you do. I have never, and I repeat – never, lowered myself to work with vamps. Werewolves, yes. Shifters, yes. Zombies and ghouls, only if absolutely necessary. Even jinn if the price is right. But not vamps.”
Greylyn didn’t believe him for a second. Why else would he have been at the club earlier, and now in the room with her after she’d been captured? It was too convenient.
“They got me, too.” More clanging of chains against the hard ground. “I realized why you were at Dante’s Inferno with that jackass of a partner when I saw the vamps. When you went missing, well…it didn’t take too much pondering to figure out what happened. Went looking for you, followed your lovely jasmine perfume deep into the woods, and…” more chain rattling, “…here am I!”
“Stop the bullshit, Kael! What were you doing there if you weren’t there cheering on those leeches?”
“No bull, love. I was there…for you. Purely business though. It seems my boss doesn’t believe you’re making a lot of progress.” He paused. “Once we get out of here, you must explain to me how you – the squeaky clean kickass guardian angel – lowered herself to team up with such a notorious fallen archangel! Hell, Lucifer is a teddy bear compared to that guy.”
“My business with Olivier is none of your concern.”
Laughter was his reply. “Oh, honey. Everything you do is my concern.”
A metal against concrete scrapping sound bristled her eardrums. He added, “We can discuss business some other time. Right now, let’s figure out how to get out of here before we find out if guardians can also be turned into vamps. That’s not a hybrid creature I want to become or encounter.”
***
Until next time, loves!
