Only a Month to Go
Wraith, Book 2 of the Angelis Series is not far away now, and today you get to see the cover for the first time.
What do you think?
Are you ready for more Spectra and Bay?
Sneak Peak
“Don’t kill my wife, Mathew.”
Panting, I lowered my arm and the wooden sword it held and almost fell into my husband’s arms.
“Save me!”
“Always.”
Lifting my chin, Mercury claimed me with a kiss so intense it breathed life back into me, stealing away the ache of hours of wrestling and sword practice.
“Oh, enough of that! She needs to know how to tap her own energy resources, not rely on you for replenishment.”
Chuckling, Mercury stepped back. “She’ll get there. She taught herself to siphon and shield; otherwise, Ryder would have killed her when he married her.”
Huffing, Mathew grabbed a water bottle from the ground and took several mouthfuls. He stood shirtless despite the ankle-deep snow we were training in today. His jumper and shirt had come away as the swordplay became more physical.
“If that’s your attitude, we should just switch to live blades and see if instinct kicks in for her like our fathers did with us.”
Tilting his head, Mercury assessed me. Then, holding his hand out to the side, he blinked, and a blade covered in fire flared into being.
“Let’s try.”
“What?! I was joking, Merc. You can’t expect her to just kick into celestial memory.”
“Why not? We did. We may have got hurt a few times to start, but each time we got a lick, we ensured we didn’t get it again.”
Looking between the two Angelis with my eyes wide, I shook my head.
“You’re joking, right?”
Mathew glared at Mercury, but when Merc simply shook his head, Mathew closed his eyes and, tucking the practice sword into his belt, put his hands in the air, and took five steps back.
Eyeing Mercury’s flaming weapon, I lifted my training sword and swallowed. “Um, I don’t have one of those. How is this fair?”
“You are Michael’s daughter, Spec. Protecting yourself, and protecting others, will be second nature to you in whatever form that takes. If a fallen comes at you with a flaming sword, you will find a way to protect yourself. Until you learn to generate shield and sword, I suggest you get very good at dodging.”
As Mercury stepped toward me, I backed up.
“Wait, you mean I don’t even get a weapon? Isn’t that going to hurt if it hits me?”
“Yes. So, don’t get hit.”
Twirling his wrist, Mercury sent the sword into a spiral of flame, and then it was coming my way. Yelping, I dodged, the fire singeing the hair on my arm when I lifted it to protect me.
“Fuck!”
“Spectra!” Standing off to the side, Mathew scolded me, but Mercury was swinging his sword again before I could apologize.
Ducking left, then back and right. Mathew stood with his arms folded while Mercury swung his sword in my general direction.
“You’re not even trying to hit her. If you’re going to go at her like this, we should just go back to the training sword. She was doing better with it. Either make her react or let me get back on with the training.”
Lifting a brow at Mathew, Mercury turned those raised eyebrows my way. “I’ll heal you if you get too hurt.”
“Too hurt? How about we just don’t hurt me?”
“That’s not how this works, Spec. You either protect yourself, or you get hurt.”
“Um, sorry for butting in, but the boss may have an issue with this approach,” Bronwyn perked up from the bench she’d been sitting on to watch.
Mathew kept his arms crossed and merely looked down at his shoulder, not bothering to turn around. “He’s not here. She’s ours to train. The de Sang doesn’t get a say in this.”
Peering at Mathew’s back, Bronwyn scowled. “She’s his wife.”
“Either sit and watch or leave, but stop distracting us. It’s too easy for dueling Angelis to lose control.”
Sinking her brows low over her eyes, Bronwyn dropped her voice to a hiss. “But, it’s his wife?”
Holding a hand up to indicate she shut up, Mathew nodded his head at me. “You have always learned your ability best under stress, Spectra. Mercury is right. This is the best way for you to learn. I’m sorry.”
Blinking at Mathew, I glanced at Mercury to see the sword coming straight for me. Jumping back, I slapped the flat of the blade to the right to avoid it stabbing me, yelping when the flames burned my hand. Thinking I could nurse my injury was wrong. Mercury came straight back at me and slashed at my side, burning a hole in my loose flowing top and caressing my skin with the fire before the sword swung over his head and came towards mine.
Ducking, I fell to the ground and rolled to distance us. Getting to my feet again, Mercury was on me. All of his strikes now aimed to connect. Ducking and swerving, I did my best not to feel those flames again.
A few close calls, material singeing on contact, and my skin breaking out in a sweat. Not only from exertion but the heat building around me as the sword surrounded me with quick thrusts and swings. Exhausting quickly, I twisted away from a lunge, only for Mercury to pull back and the sword to catch me behind the thigh with the blade. Crying out, I fell to the ground.
Eyes glowing, Mercury brought the sword down towards me, instinct telling me he wouldn’t pull up.
“Merc, no!” Mathew called as the sword’s heat swept toward my stomach.
Exhaling quickly, heat radiated through my midsection as the sword passed into my incorporeal being.
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