I want to give a heartfelt thanks to
Koomkey.com and to everyone who donated to the #VTtoRT campaign. We collected over $700 (including the generous match) toward's Vicki Trask's trip to the RT Convention in May! *sets off fireworks*
As a reward for your awesomeness, I posted on my FB page a couple teasers from the fourth and final book of the Between series. Just in case you missed them, here they are again!
*****
The windows rattled with the force of the wind and rain outside. Moonlight streamed into the room, interrupted only by the flickering candles around his altar. He stepped forward, chanting an incantation in a tongue that had not survived the ages, the one he was born to speak.
Ceriida telus kvarial
Hubride shalaa miejr
His hand disappeared into the folds of his cloak briefly as he extracted a sgian dubh with a razor sharp edge. On the altar rested a small cauldron, already brimming with the blood of an innocent girl he’d slain that morning in preparation for the evening’s rites. She was a street urchin; she would not be missed. Light as a feather in his steely grip, she’d made a soft, gurgling sound as he’d sliced the blade across her neck, extracting the necessary ingredient for his birthing ceremony. He’d dropped her in the shadows beside a dumpster to be collected with the day’s trash. She’d served her purpose. He felt no remorse.
Reveloria onghamii plius
Desari sodam glarava
The storm kicked up outside as he drew nearer the cauldron. A quick flash of silver and his own essence was mingling with that of the urchin’s. Drip. Hiss. Drip. Hiss. His nostrils flared at the familiar scent of the now writhing pool of blood.
Decevus uighel hy yawe
Torag avear iuyovir da
A shimmering haze formed in the air above the cauldron. Voice rising with each phrase, he lifted both arms and called to the souls on the other side of the portal. He felt their response to his summons like a vise grip on his lungs. His body shook with the effort to keep the wavering portal alive. Hell itself pressed against the thin film, waiting to be set free, waiting for the portal to be thrown open at last, the goal he had so utterly failed at before, but now lay within his reach.
*****
SPOILER ALERT: If you have not yet read Even In Darkness, you don't want to read this teaser, as it reveals a critical plot point from that book!
*********
“When I finished my ride, Ian met me out at the barn and said he and Sarah have a surprise for us. We’re to come to the house as soon as you’re ready. Shall we be off to see what it is?” The dimple in his smile chased away my dark thoughts and I took a deep breath. Well, as deep a breath as I could manage with limited lung space.
“A surprise, huh? Don’t you think they’ve done enough for us already?” I gestured to the nursery with one hand.
“That they have. But love knows no bounds. Not theirs for us. And not mine for you.”
His lips came down over mine, soft and seeking. I opened for him and tasted him, got lost in him for a moment. When we pulled apart, his blue eyes had darkened and gone fuzzy around the edges. “Perhaps they can wait just a moment longer…” He reached down and picked me up, making me squawk in surprise. He grinned at me, obviously proud of his ability to still carry me in his arms. A chuckle bubbled up from deep within me. Damn, I was so lost to this man.
“You know, they say that sex can bring on labor,” I said with a teasing tone.
“What?” he said, his jaw dropping open so dramatically that I couldn’t help but laugh harder. “Truly?” he said with a waggle of his eyebrows.
“Stop it. You’re going to make me pee.”
With a flourish, he set me back on my feet and gave me a raucous wink. “Fine, pee. And then we’re going to see if what they say is true. I reckon we’ve waited long enough to meet this bairn.” With a smack on my bottom, he chased me down the hall to our tiny bathroom and waited for me, then led me into the bedroom where he proved just how creative he could be in getting his way.
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