This weeks Snippet is the first meeting between Character and Villan. I picked a scene from NO ANGEL, the thirst story in my most recent release, the single author anthology MOST WANTED.
NO ANGEL is a paranormal story, with characters from both SEXY DEVIL and PRIMAL MALE revisiting. It’s also a story that I absolutely love, and I hope this little peek at it hooks you too.
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An hour later they were all leaving the hospital even Caleb. “You stink, my brother,” Gabe said to him as they stood in the elevator.
Caleb grinned and rubbed a hand over the stubble covering his jaw. “Yeah, but I have a healthy baby boy.”
“You need a shower.”
“Yeah, but I have a son.”
Everyone laughed and Devil nudged the other man. “That’s going to be your answer to everything for a while, isn’t it Caleb?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
The doors slid open and once again everyone exited en masse. Gabe stayed back, and wrapped his arm around Anna.
“You okay?” he whispered, his lips brushing against her ear and sending a shiver down her spine.
“Of course.”
“My family can be a bit…overwhelming at times.”
“I like them,” she said gazing up at him. “There’s a lot of magic here. You’re very lucky.”
He looked like he was going to argue, but then he just shrugged and said maybe she was right. Then he kissed her.
His hand cupped the back of her neck and held her close while his mouth moved over hers. It was unlike any kiss she’d ever experienced. It wasn’t a passionate fucking kind of kiss, but one full of … promise.
“Gabe,” she said when he pulled back.
“Anna,” he replied.
She didn’t know what else to say. Somehow, in less than twenty-four hours, she’d fallen in love.
Stunned, she said nothing. Gabe pressed a quick kiss to her lips and then led her toward the parking lot.
The others were a ways ahead of them, waiting by the back of Gabe’s truck. When there was less than ten yards separating them, the hairs all over Anna’s body stood up.
She pulled her hand free and reached for her blades. She wanted to close her eyes, to search out the energy that she felt, but she had nothing to put her back too.
“Anna?”
“Get behind me, Gabe. Now.”
She saw him look at the knives she gripped and then swing his head around, his gaze searching the parking lot. “I don’t see anything, Anna.”
“What’s wrong?” Drake called out.
“Nadya get in the truck,” Devil’s deep voice commanded. “Caleb and Mel, stay here.”
Anna heard Nadya arguing with Devil’s orders and worked to tune them out. She saw Drake approaching her, his movements slow and cautious. “What is it, Anna?”
“Demon,” she said. “Nearby, I can feel it. But I can’t see it.”
“I can’t sense anyone,” he said.
Gabe stepped between them, as if to protect her from Drake. “If Anna says it’s nearby, it’s nearby.”
“You’re trying to sense the human soul,” she said. “Focus on the demon essence instead.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt the ripple of evil wash over her and her feet were moving.
“Anna!”
She sprinted around Gabe and Drake but she was too late. Everyone had shuffled around as if Anna was the threat, putting Nadya the furthest away from her. Only she could see the thing behind the teenager as it materialized and reached for the girl.
“Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto,” Anna prayed as she dropped her blades, called to her inner power and threw two balls of hellfire at it in rapid succession. It batted the fire away as if it was nothing but that gave Nadya time to drop and roll under the truck.
Anna reached for another knife from her sheath, and Devil stepped forward but the demon disappeared.
“Holy shit!” Gabe muttered from directly behind her.
“There’s nothing Holy about that thing,” Anna muttered as she turned a slow circle. “It’s still here.”
She backed up until she was up against Gabe. “Keep watch,” she said and closed her eyes. It took two seconds and she found the source of the vibrations bouncing over her skin. She opened her eyes and spun around Gabe, ready to fight.
The demon was standing between two parked cars, less than two yards away.
It was tall, golden skinned, and had wings folded along it’s back. It moved forward and without hesitation and Anna stepped to meet it — only to be grabbed from behind by Gabe.
“No!” he said, his hand wrapping around her arm and stopping her.
She sensed more than saw Drake, Devil, and Jewel flank them.
The demon didn’t even glance at them; he had eyes only for Anna. Staring at her, he smiled a grossly beautiful smile, then disappeared into thin air.
The vibrations disappeared and Anna jerked her arm away from Gabe to sheath her knives. “It’s gone.”
“What the hell was that?” Devil asked.
“That,” Anna said with a glance at Drake. “Was a fully manifested demon lord.”
To find out more about MOST WANTED visit the Bookpage.
For more Saturday Snippets, check out these authors.
Victoria Janssen
Shelley Munro
Anya Bast
Cynthia Eden
SJ Day
Jaci Burton
Michelle Pillow
Juliana Stone
Moira Rogers
TJ Michaels
Lacey Savage
McKenna Jeffries
Jody Wallace
Eliza Gayle
Kelly Maher
Vivian Arend
Taige Crenshaw
Beth Williamson
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I enjoyed the excerpt, Sasha. 😀
Love those stories. every word i read was excellent.
but you know you’re my favorite, right?