Well, I did it! I have to admit getting this book ready for publication by my self-imposed deadline of Halloween became a marathon this week. Pulling everything together, keeping an eye open for anything from a extra space between words to a hole in the plot so large no one had spotted it, and trying to stay sane, has been interesting to say the least.
So, if you're a fan of the genre, I hope you'll read the first chapter below, and like it enough to download it from Amazon or Smashwords.
They stood on a
narrow unstable tower of rock jutting out above the encroaching maelstrom. The
shriek of mountains shattering pierced the air; she watched as a thousand black
splinters punctured the demon’s body and face as he fought for survival.
Stinking yellow-green sulfur fumes seeped through the long thin slashes opening
round them. The abyss was close.
She
realized if the barriers sundered, he would do his best to drag her down with
him. If he couldn’t have her, no one would.
Hellish
screams rent the air as those he’d left behind eons ago howled their
satisfaction at the prospect of their revenge at his return.
His
face contorted; black and yellow bleeding into the brilliant blue of his eyes.
“This is not the end,” he snarled baring his teeth, ignoring the low thrum of
disintegration.
Tormented
twisted shapes bulged towards him, trying to reach and haul him through the
fragile barrier. Daemons howled and reached through the fabric of their world
to pull them both into theirs.
His
hands tightened around her neck, and she watched, frozen, desperate, terrified
as a drop of red blood bloomed on his lip and slowly fell towards her.
Then the voice
of another, chasing the nightmare away. “It’s okay, Tatya. It’s over. He’s gone
and can never come back.”
And the golden
link connecting her to the voice pulsed with reassurance and conviction.
Tatya jerked
awake, covered in sweat, legs entangled in the bedding making it impossible to
move. She froze at the sound of footsteps in the corridor till she remembered
where she was.
The door opened,
and Eva’s tousled blonde head and sleep filled eyes appeared. “The same dream?”
She nodded.
“Sorry. Did I wake you?”
“No problem.
It’s five thirty, and I wanted to be up early anyway. Coffee?”
“That’d be
great. You up for a run before I leave?”
“You bet. Let’s
see who’ll beat who today.”
They grinned at
the old joke.
After pulling on
a sweat top and pants, and downing a quick coffee, Tatya followed Eva down the
steep cliff path to the beach. The house was in an isolated spot and saw only
occasional visits from a few hardcore surfers. The tide was out, and the
dampened sand created a firm surface for their morning jog.
Eva lasted an
hour before staggering to halt, and gasping for breath. “How you do it is
beyond me, but I’ve had enough. Don’t stay too long, I’m making pancakes for
breakfast.”
Once Eva had
left, Tatya let herself go, racing back and forth on the mile-long stretch of
white sand for another hour. When she felt the kinks easing from her body, she
stopped running and stood for a moment staring out to sea. Thin gray clouds lay
in a line along the horizon, and the pale delicate blue sky hinted at fine
weather after yesterday’s spring storm. This morning the water was as peaceful
as a sleeping babe, its surface smooth and glasslike, tiny wavelets surging and
retreating, sushurring softly on the seaweed and driftwood strewn beach.
She remembered
the recurring nightmare.
She sat with
others, young and old, men, women, and children on a beach. They shared a
fermented drink laughing, joking, drinking, eyes twinkling, and teeth glinting
in celebration. Red-orange flames danced under the bright moonlit solstice sky.
The bard stared at her across the fire. He’d seated himself opposite where she
couldn’t avoid his gaze. He smiled, his blue eyes hypnotic as dark gold snakes
covered in flickering black lines crawled out of his ears, eyes, nose, and
mouth and slithered towards her. She turned to Vanse for help, but as she
touched his arm, he disintegrated into ash. Then the half-daemon, half-vampire
grabbed her, and she was back on that ledge fighting for her life.
The memories and
dreams never truly left her. And along with the dreams came thoughts of Vanse.
Sometimes she dumped her pent-up lifelong hatred of everything vampiric onto
him. At others, when she could scarcely breathe at the thought of being
separated from him, she wondered why she was putting herself through the
unnecessary torture of staying away. It was all she could do to stop herself
driving as fast as possible to Orleton.
To say the
relationship between them was complicated was an understatement. Vanse had
saved her from the half-daemon, half-vampire, Angelus by giving her his blood,
so for a time she’d been connected to both of them. Until she’d killed Angelus.
But to keep the demon in hell, she and Vanse needed to stay connected. She
could cut him off for short periods, but when either of them thought of the
other, the link sparked. Regrettably she had no power over his thoughts. She
did her best to rationalize the emotions he aroused in her, telling herself
she’d deal with the situation when she returned to Orleton.
She’d miss the
sea––its vast unceasing movement and unending changes of color eased her inner
restlessness. But she would miss Eva more. They’d been roommates in college,
and Eva had offered her shelter and solace while she grieved for the loss of
her Aunt Lil and Sean. Tatya laid both deaths at Angelus’s feet; his need for
her powers had destroyed the people she loved. She had never been able to
confirm it, but her aunt’s illness must have had a psychic origin, with Angelus
the most likely culprit. But she hadn’t died from her illness. The monster had
orchestrated her death using Sean as his instrument.
The link flared
and faded. She was always conscious of her connection with the vampire master.
Sometimes it felt as if he was checking in on her, making sure she was
managing. But he was discreet, didn’t push her. She knew he was waiting for her
to initiate contact. And it was true he was never far from her thoughts. How
could he be? If her memories were correct, she’d loved him for many lifetimes.
And he’d waited, and saved her repeatedly over many lifetimes.
This new mixture
of demon, vampire, and human blood that ran through her arteries and veins had
changed her. The alteration to her metabolism after linking with Vanse hadn’t
been obvious at the beginning, but during the months since, she discovered she
beat Eva at every physical activity they undertook––unlike college when her
friend had been the sporty one winning trophies while she practiced Tai Chi in
the park. These morning runs on the beach had presented an opportunity to
explore the potential of her body. Being able to run faster, for longer was
only one change: when she tired, she recovered quicker; she didn’t need as much
sleep; her skin glowed and her hair, already thick and curly, shone with deeper
red highlights, and grew quicker than normal. She wondered how long her
lifespan might be, seeing as how she was a hybrid, and wasn’t certain if she
had the right to call herself human anymore.
Another benefit
she enjoyed, and took great advantage of, was eating as much as she wanted,
when she wanted, with no effect on her weight. In fact, her metabolism quickly
burned up every calorie she consumed. She was often hungry and felt guilty at
the huge amounts of food Eva prepared for her each mealtime.
As if she’d
heard Tatya’s thoughts, Eva’s voice floated down from the top of the cliff.
“Yoo-hoo! Breakfast is ready! You’d better get a move on!”
She was right.
If Tatya had any chance of making her goal of being in Orleton tomorrow
afternoon, she’d have to leave soon.
Looking at the
long empty stretch of sand, she smiled. Coming here had been good for her.
She’d needed time and distance to get the events of last autumn into
perspective. At one point, she’d considered moving here, buying a property
nearby, but her roots were in Orleton. Apart from Vanse, who she suspected
might compel her to return if she didn’t do it of her own free will, she missed
her friends, Bill Corwin, the local sheriff, and her mentor, Changing Sky, not
to mention the people who came to her for healing. She’d grown up in the small
mid-western town, knew it well, was familiar with its people, and didn’t want
to resist its pull.
Even though the
cliff path was a steep climb, Tatya was barely out of breath when she reached
the top, and strode into Eva’s kitchen. She breathed in the delicious smells:
fresh orange juice, coffee, piles of pancakes, and a large bottle of maple
syrup were spread out on the kitchen table.
“Eve, you’re an
angel.”
“That’s
understood, but eat while the food’s hot. You can shower after. There’s your
latte, and I didn’t forget the extra shot.”
Tatya eyed the
large pile of pancakes on her plate with relish, before sloshing a generous
amount of syrup over them. “Mmm ... my favorite! Seems a shame to leave when
I’ve just gotten you trained.”
“You’re welcome
anytime, Tat. You’ve always got a place here.”
“Yeah, you, me,
and Jimmy. A cozy threesome.”
“You can keep me
company when he’s away. Seriously, Tat, my door is always open for you.”
Tatya stuffed
another chunk of maple syrup covered pancake into her mouth.
“Hey! Go slow
there’s plenty more.”
“I may need to
hire a cook.”
“How are feeling
about seeing your old place? You think you can handle that yet?”
Tatya flashed on
the image of Aunt Lil’s house, her childhood home after her parents’ tragic
deaths in a train accident, with black clouds of smoke rising into the sky as
it burned to the ground. She shrugged, serving herself more pancakes and syrup.
“I haven’t been back since the fire, so I won’t know till I see it, but I won’t
be going out straight away. I’ll finish getting the shop and my living space
set up. Readjust to seeing the town again. Then when I’m ready, I’ll go take a
look.”
Eva refilled
their coffee cups. “Do you aim to rebuild? Or are you thinking of selling?”
“Sometimes I
think I’ll do one, sometimes, the other. Watch this space. I’m not making any
impulsive decisions. No matter what happened that place holds precious
memories.” She patted her stomach. “I’m stuffed. That was delicious. Thanks,
Eva. You’ve put me back together. And not for the first time either. You’re a
real friend. You need anything from me, just ask, and I’m there for you.” As
her confidante in college, Eva had salvaged Tatya’s broken heart from more than
one relationship that ended in disaster. “You told Changing Sky you’re coming?”
The mention of
the shaman brought a smile to Tatya’s face. “Nope. I haven’t told Bill either.
I saw them both when I signed the contract on the building the other month.
It’ll surprise everyone, but it’ll be so good to see them. I’ll need more sage
bracelets and I need to restock all my supplies. The whole lot went up in
flames along with the old house. That’s how I think of it these days. The old
house.” Tatya was quiet for a minute as thoughts of happier times surfaced.
“It won’t be
easy seeing people. The smallest thing can trigger memories.” Eva’s voice was
anxious, the mother hen seeing her chick totter off on her own.
“I know. But
avoiding it isn’t going to make it go away. And I need to work. I’ve been
thinking of getting someone in to help establish the herb plots.”
Neither said
anything, but Sean’s presence hung heavy between them. He’d been her best
friend and partner in the herbal business they’d started two years ago.
“Be careful,
though. Remember that card. You’ve pulled it every single time I’ve done a
reading for you.”
Eva was a
fortune-teller. A good old-fashioned seer who used a crystal ball, the I Ching,
and her specialty, Tarot cards, which she taught Tatya how to use during her
stay. The card in question was the Abyss.
The memory of
Vanse turning to ash from her dream came to mind. “But in a certain way,
there’s danger at every step. You can get killed just crossing the road.”
“In New York or
Los Angeles, yeah. But Orleton?”
They laughed.
The only time there was even a hint of a traffic jam in Orleton was the 4th of
July parade, or on the odd occasion when the Winnebagos blocked Main Street
during the tourist season.
“You haven’t
forgotten any of your new outfits have you?”
One day Eva had
surprised her by taken her on a trip to San Francisco’s Uptown Oakland
district, dragging her from one shop to another, insisting she needed at least
a few smart outfits for the next chapter in her life.
“People judge by
appearances. You’re not a college grad anymore. You’re an upcoming business
woman, and your clothes should reflect that.”
“And this is
coming from a woman who wears hippy tie-dyed skirts from the sixties?”
“Hey, I’m a
fortune-teller. I’m allowed to be eccentric. You should see some of my
competition’s outfits.” And they’d giggled as Eva described get-ups ranging
from the stereotypical gypsy to the Siberian shaman.
An hour later,
standing by the truck, Tatya looked around for the final time. The stubby brown
hills nearby, the darker purple mountains further away, and as she turned, the
dark line of Prussian blue of the ocean in the distance. With her heightened
senses she could hear the waves, soft in the background, and she breathed in
the fresh salt sea air. Staying here had purified and healed her body and her
mind.
“Looking forward
to the first road trip in your new baby?” Eva asked, opening the passenger door
of the vehicle and dropping Tatya’s bag on the floor.
Tatya had spent
a part of her aunt’s inheritance on a brand new shiny black Chevy truck. She’d
never owned a new vehicle. Every single one of her previous cars and trucks had
been second or third hand. “I can’t wait to see how it handles. A long drive
will give it a chance to stretch its muscles.”
“What time will
you get there?”
“Tomorrow afternoon.
I’m going to take it slow, enjoy the scenery.”
“Drive safe.”
“Come here, you.
Thanks. For everything. I mean it. I won’t forget. I owe you big time.” She put
her arms around Eva and hugged her tight.
Listening to the
engine’s smooth purr, as she headed for the freeway, she calmed the butterflies
fluttering in her stomach. She knew why she was nervous. Vanse. She’d put him
out of her mind over the winter, while she cried her heart out over the two
people she’d lost, and mourned their passing. Now she had to return to the land
of the living––or in Vanse’s case, the land of the undead.
The link flared,
as his emotions, knowing she was returning, poured through the connection, and
her body shook with the strength of his feeling. She slowed down, and summoning
her power, she cut the link. A short sharp cut. Her hands and fingertips glowed
as she gripped the steering wheel. Good. Eva’s psychic exercises were working.
She no longer
leaked power, a powder keg waiting to blow. She was stronger physically and psychically.
He’d caught her unawares, that was all, but she’d be prepared next time. He
should know overwhelming her wouldn’t make any difference to how she felt about
him. Sparks would fly and rules made clear when they met. Keeping her speed
down till her anger calmed, power retreated, and her hands steadied, she fixed
her eyes on the ribbon of road ahead. But as she drove, her thoughts kept
circling back to the tall dark and handsome vampire.
Vanse had waited
centuries for her, but she’d comprehended nothing of this, till knowledge of
her past lives had awakened. The trouble was in her first life she’d loved
Vanse, and each time they’d met, that love had rekindled. When Vanse halted her
transformation she’d experienced the intense emotions a newbie vamp has for its
maker. This was now layered on top of memories of her love for him from the
past. Vanse was waiting for her to return. Tomorrow she’d be in Orleton, and
unable to avoid him. The problem was, despite her protests to the contrary, the
thought of seeing him a shiver of anticipation up and down her spine.
Vampire Sacrifice, Book Two of the Samsara Trilogy, is an ebook available from:
