I promised a snippet!
Here’s a quick scene from Book 3, because I promised! To set the scene, Jackie has escaped some up-to-no-good Serim in Yucatan, Mexico and is flying back to New City. Her companion is a new character (and one of my favorites), a nephilim Enforcer called Ethan (though his name might change).
Keep in mind that this is not final draft, and is subject to all kinds of tweaky things, and is a little rough.
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Clearly Ethan was not familiar with flying coach. The Serim he hung out with must have normally chartered their own planes, because my companion scowled at every person that came down the aisle as I tried to read the in-flight magazine.
“I do not like this,” he murmured as a large man entered the plane and moved to the back. “This is not a defensible position in the slightest.”
“Of course it is,” I said, not looking up from the newest issue of National Geographic that I’d found crammed into the seat-back in front of me. “We’re in an exit row.”
“My knees are touching the seat in front of me,” he whispered with something akin to horror. “How am I to leap to your defense if I am pinned in my seat?”
“Um, you don’t?”
He looked affronted at the thought, and his hands flexed suspiciously. I would have bet money that he was wishing he had his wooden bō in hand. He looked as if he wanted to whack a man in a business suit with it.
“Calm down,” I said, flipping pages in the magazine restlessly. “It’s a long flight and it’ll go a lot faster if you sleep.”
“I do not sleep.”
Right, I kept forgetting that. I was usually the only one that usually didn’t sleep around here. “Because your mother was a succubus, right?” At his stiff nod, the plane began to roll forward on the tarmack. Ethan’s hands clutched the seat arms so tightly that I thought he was going to rip it off, and I smacked his hand with the magazine. “Why don’t you tell me more about Enforcers?”
Anything to distract him before he got an air marshal on our cases.
Ethan gave me another frustrated look, though his hand relaxed a little on the seat. “We serve the Serim council with our lives. What more could you wish to know?”
Obviously Ethan was still working on his social skills. “How old are you, for starters?” I would have bet money that he wasn’t thousands of years old like Noah and the other Serim. He didn’t have that weary cast to his eyes that the others did.
“I am twenty-eight.”
Well, that wasn’t too bad. “Huh. I would have pegged you younger.” Like, twelve, if it wasn’t for the six-foot-six body, broad shoulders and hands the size of clubs. “So what other cool stuff do Enforcers get? Did you get super strength?”
“I am stronger than a succubus, yes.” He frowned at me as if I were asking him what color his underpants were.
“Dur. Everything is stronger than a succubus.” I leaned in close as the plane roared and tilted back, and we took to the air. “Did you get the curse?” I yelled over the thrust of the engines. “You know, the two day sex thing?”
He flinched and gave me an offended look – so did the lady across the aisle from us. Oops. But Ethan looked twice as scandalized as the old woman. “You should not ask me such things, Jackie Brighton.”
“Why not? I’m curious. Your boss wanted me to carry a bun in the oven, the least you can do is tell me about your kind. I didn’t even know you existed.”
He ignored me, jaw clenched, until the plane leveled out in altitude and the flight attendants got up, rolling the heavy carts down the aisle. Ethan seemed to compose himself after that, and gave me a quick, dismissive glance. “We require good deeds.”
I had already pulled out my magazine and was flipping through it again. I glanced up as he spoke under his breath. “I’m sorry, did you say good deeds?”
He gave me another stiff nod. “Good deeds.”
“Like…a boy scout?”
He looked at me, chagrined and puzzled. “What is a boy scout?”
Good lord, where had they kept him for the past thirty years? “Never mind. So…good deeds, huh? Interesting. How big of a deed?”
He shrugged, still ill at ease with discussing the topic. “As big as it needs to be. Small deeds fuel me for a small time, larger deeds for a longer time.”
Interesting. “So…that’s why you’re helping me, right? This is a really big good deed?”
He gave me a warning look. “I am helping you because Noah Gideon asked me to assist you and I owed him a favor of his choosing. Just because I require good deeds to survive does not mean I am immune to the plight of others.”
Touché. I gave him a chagrined half-smile. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to make you sound like a junkie. Or a douchebag. So you owe Noah a favor, huh? What for?”
Ethan’s eyes were carefully blank. “That is a private matter between Noah Gideon and myself.”Obviously I’d steered the conversation off the tracks. Ethan had shut down – I wouldn’t get any more out of him. “Well, whatever your reason, I appreciate the gesture.” I patted his hand. When he flinched, I pulled back. “You okay?”
He nodded, his eyes still wide as he stared at the flight attendant as she rolled the cart down the aisle a few inches, then halted again. “I am not used to so many people so close.”
Yeah, about that… “Where did you say you grew up again?”
“In a sanctuary. Many of the Serim have hidden from the outside world, choosing to spurn its evil, licentious ways. I am a guard there. Or I was until Ariel called me to duty.” He did not seem pleased by it, either.
So Ethan had grown up in some sort of monastary. I wondered if that was where he’d met – and worked with – my boyfriend Noah. “So did a lot of people live in this sanctuary?”
“Just the Serim.”
“Just the Serim?” I raised an eyebrow. “You must have had a few chicks there at least once a month, right? To serve the curse?”
He gave me another stiff look. “The others went to town on regular excursions. I did not. My needs were served at home.”
Boy. Not all his needs, if I was missing my guess. Great. Just what I needed to rescue my ass. The forty-year old virgin.
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Hope you enjoyed it! (ETA – sorry about the formatting! It might look better over at my Livejournal.)
Oh that was wonderful! I am going to go buggers by next year when the book comes out! Thank you for sharing!!
:O Love the snippet. I was finally able to buy both your books yesterday and I got my amazon message telling me they are in the mail (dances) I cant wait to sink my teeth into them. *No pun intended* lol
Wow, sucks can have babies… wow! So what kind of bribery needs to take place to get more juicey snippets?
Came across your book at the store last Friday. Zane (the model) drew me in but the blurbs had me buying both books. I’m so glad I did. Can’t wait for the third.
Thanks for a great read.
Jen
Ohhh I like the sound of the 3rd book. I see Noah’s involved and is Zane going to be around as well?
Hi Betty – absolutely! They will both be back.
YEAAAAAAAAH
I was judt wondering when the 3rd book is going to be released?
Thank you for the sneak peak. I can tell you it going to be another great book!
Jill:
I Love the snippet. Is there anyway you can post a snippet involving Zane? I just love him and I am going through withdrawals. Come on help a girl out?
Hmm…a Zane snippet? Let me see what I can do. Give me a day or two.
Yeah!!! Thank you so much.