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Demon Storm
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We all have demons… some are more real than others.
With Treoir Island in shambles after a Medb attack that left the survival of the missing Belador warrior queen in question and Belador powers compromised, there is one hope for her return and their future – Evalle Kincaid, whose recent transformation has turned her into an even more formidable warrior. First she has to locate Storm, the Skinwalker she’s bonded with who she believes can find the Belador queen, but Storm stalks the witch doctor who’s threatening Evalle’s life. When he finally corners the witch doctor, she throws Storm a curve that may cost him everything, including Evalle. The hunter becomes the hunted, and Evalle must face her greatest nightmare to save Storm and the Beladors or watch the future of mankind fall to deadly preternatural predators.
PLUS BONUS SHORT STORY – DEADLY FIXATION, from the Belador world.
Excerpt:
Until recently, Storm wouldn’t have cared if he lived or died.
But now he had Evalle’s safety to consider first. Nadina, the witch doctor he’d been hunting, would die painfully if she touched Evalle. Wind swirled past his face and he picked up a new scent.
Something old that smelled of decay. He had no time to spare for whatever unnatural being crept through the city at this hour unless it was connected to Nadina.
As long as it wasn’t another of the witch doctor’s tricks, he’d leave the creature to VIPER agents–Beladors and other supernatural warriors who kept such beings from preying on humans. Those humans were unaware of the deadly things that prowled the night, or of the guardians who held them at bay.
Nadina’s nasty scent continued to burn strong on each inhale Storm drew. Clouds cleared and moonlight dusted an old brick building at an intersection up ahead. Ignoring everything but stalking his prey, Storm continued the hunt, searching far ahead of him in the dimly lit streets.
A blur slashed across his field of vision, moving toward one of the large windows on the street side of the brick structure. A tall window swung open and the blur disappeared through the opening, then the window closed. Nadina was leading him where she wanted him to be. If she hadn’t been, he wouldn’t have seen her at all.
Fine. One place was as good as another for her to set her trap, and for him to evade it.
With no humans present to witness his nonhuman speed, Storm took off running toward the building. Just as he passed two tall evergreens at the street corner, he felt power coil and snap at him.
He whirled away, but not fast enough to dodge a chain that slapped across the back of his neck.
Shoving his hands up to his chin, he spread his fingers to stop it from wrapping his neck.
Razor sharp metal thorns jutting out along the chain slashed his skin. Pain seared his hands, but he spun away from his attacker and the chain fell away.
The foul smell of decay overpowered Nadina’s licorice scent.
A seven-foot tall demon stared down at Storm, with red eyes glaring bright as two warning beacons in the night.
No coincidence that the creature was here in this spot. It had to be Nadina’s, because he couldn’t place this demon as any particular type. What had she traded to end up with this one?
Storm didn’t know and didn’t really care. He had to kill it quickly or risk losing Nadina. Moss-green hair stuck out in a scattered mohawk that arced over the demon’s
oversized head and turned into a rattail falling past a sharp shoulder. Claws as long as Storm’s fingers curved on the hand holding the end of the chain, and sores covered the gray skin clinging to its bony body.
Storm caught a familiar smell mixed with the putrid decay. Not just alongside it, but part of it. The demon stank of Nadina’s scent.
An anaye? Had Nadina created this thing?
The demon opened his wide jaws and released a gurgling snarl.
If this was a test, Storm had no time for it. His body shook with the drive to shift into his jaguar and get that extra burst of power. Wouldn’t Nadina love for him to lose control right now? Yep, this had to be her abomination. The anaye stomped forward, slinging the jagged chain around and around. Power sizzled along the metal this time.
Ah hell. That was not good.
Winding the metal whip faster, the demon released it. Storm dove beneath the spinning links that would slice his head if they made contact. The chain whistled as it passed overhead, close enough for him to feel the wind created by the spinning weapon.
The demon had been ready for Storm’s defensive move and lifted a foot to crush his head.
Staring up at a four-toed foot the size of a garbage can lid, Storm shoved both hands up to grab it. The damn demon must weighed as much as a car. He wouldn’t be able to hold that downward force for long.
His muscles were shaking already. Searching all around for something he could use to knock this hulk off his feet, Storm’s gaze latched onto the chain.
If Nadina had also created those deadly links, that weapon would answer to Storm. He called out a chant, ancient words rolling with power he directed at the metal.
The demon was too busy trying to break Storm’s arms to notice the chain silently snaking through the tall weeds.
Dark blood boiled inside Storm just from interacting with Nadina’s majik, a connection he’d fought his whole life, but he had no other choice at the moment. He forced his beast to stay inside and held that control in an iron grip.
To the chain, he shouted, “Huelga para matar!” Strike to kill!
Coiling behind the anaye, the razor links shot up in the air and struck the demon in the throat then wrapped itself around and around.
The demon stumbled backwards.
With the pressure against Storm’s arms finally gone, he rolled away and shoved up to his feet.
Storm couldn’t leave this demon free to walk the streets of Atlanta. He uttered a command and the chain tightened, cutting through the anaye’s neck. The severed head fell to the ground. In the next three seconds, the head and body shriveled until it became liquid. A wide maw opened up in the earth and sucked in demon liquid as if pulling it through a straw. Storm whispered a last order and the chain slinked over the edge, falling into the bottomless void.
The ground closed up and weeds crawled back through the surface, leaving the spot as if it had never been disturbed.
Was that the best Nadina had to throw at Storm?
If so, then she’d severely underestimated his power. Had she watched her little demon show, expecting Storm to give in to his dark blood and shift?
Not today, bitch.
If the point of this exercise had been to force his jaguar out of hiding, that demon had barely challenged him. But now there was no reason to continue playing hide and seek with her.
Storm crossed his arms and spoke in a quiet tone. “We can play these games all night or you can face me, Nadina. You wanted me to come to you. Here I am.”
The windows on the building opened on their own and Nadina’s voice drifted out to him. “You have surprised me with your abilities, but you will need more than majik tricks to protect Evalle. You will have to accept your destiny to become one with the black jaguar.”
Or I could just kill you and forfeit my soul.
If it was only Storm’s soul at risk and he’d never met Evalle, he’d make the sacrifice without hesitation, but then his father’s spirit would wander endlessly between two worlds.
And Storm had promised to return to Evalle.
Climbing through that window risked breaking that promise. But walking away meant far worse–leaving Evalle at risk. It was time to end this here and now.
With no choice left, Storm dropped to his haunches and prepared to leap.
DEMON STORM… book 5 of the bestselling Belador series, available in ebook and print (includes the DEADLY FIXATION short story)
A little about Dianna Love:
New York Times best seller Dianna Love always liked to do things big…and still does. After spending many years traveling across country to create unusual marketing projects for Fortune 500 company, she’s now released her energetic muse on creating high-octane romantic thriller stories and urban fantasy. Her first book won the prestigious RITA® Award (as Dianna Love Snell) and she now has a new Slye Temp romantic thriller series with the most recent being DECEPTIVE TREASURES. Dianna also writes the NYT Bestselling Belador urban fantasy series and book 5 – DEMON STORM, will be available Oct 20, 2014
When not speaking at national and international events throughout the year, Dianna lives in the metro Atlanta area with her motorcycle-instructor husband and a tank full of unruly saltwater fish named after celebrities
Learn more about Dianna & her books here: Website | Facebook | Twitter @diannalove | Goodreads
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TITLE: Fire Me Up
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