by Laura DeLuca
Young Adult
Romance
Categories: Mystery/Thriller
Publisher: Pagan Writers Press
Release Date: April 11, 2012
Heat Level: Sweet
Word Count: 85,560
Available at:
Description:
The “Phantom” was a musical phenomenon that Rebecca had
always found enchanting. She had no idea that her life was about to mirror the
play that was her obsession. When her high school drama club chooses “Phantom”
as their annual production, Rebecca finds herself in the middle of an unlikely
love triangle and the target of a sadistic stalker who uses the lines from the
play as their calling card.
Rebecca lands the lead role of Christine, the opera diva, and
like her character, she is torn between her two co-stars—Tom the surfer and
basketball star who plays the lovable hero, and Justyn, the strangely appealing
Goth who is more than realistic in the role of the tortured artist.
Almost immediately after casting, strange things start to
happen both on and off the stage. Curtains fall. Mirrors are shattered. People
are hurt in true phantom style. They all seem like accidents until Rebecca
receives notes and phone calls that hint at something more sinister. Is Justyn
bringing to life the twisted character of the phantom? Or in real life are the
roles of the hero and the villain reversed? Rebecca doesn’t know who to trust,
but she knows she’s running out of time as she gets closer and closer to
opening night. Only when the mask is stripped away, will the twenty first
century phantom finally be revealed.
Excerpt:
The orchestra tuned for its
virtuoso, and Justyn stood ready. But no one else was ready for the magical
performance he began. Beside her, Carmen was rambling on about something
mundane. Rebecca elbowed her to silence so she could listen to the perfectly
thrilling tenor. As she listened to the song unfold, the world around her
started to slip away. Gone was the high school auditorium. Gone were the rowdy
teenagers. The Gothic stranger on the stage had become the embodiment of Erik,
and Rebecca watched him in all his dark glory, belting out his tormented love
through the words of his song. And she was as breathless with wonder as
Christine herself must have been when the masked stranger serenaded her in the
candlelit labyrinth of the opera house. In that moment, Justyn wasn’t just
portraying the phantom. Justyn was the phantom.
“Let the music touch your soul.
Let the darkness make you whole.
Do not fear what is unknown.
Your true path has now been shown.
Listen to the words I sing.
Embrace the peace that night will bring.”
As he continued to sing in his
deep but somehow angelic voice, Rebecca found that she couldn’t tear her eyes
away from him. With every line, her heart began to beat faster. She truly felt the arms of night wrapping her
in a warm embrace. She could almost feel the hands of the phantom glide along
her body as the words poured forth. The music caressed her. It possessed
her—mind, body and soul. Each word left her longing, yearning for more.
She was gawking so obviously, it
was hardly surprising when Justyn felt her eyes on him and steadily met her
gaze. She realized her mouth was hanging open in stunned awe, and she quickly
snapped it shut. His lips moved into just a small hint of a smile. He never
took his eyes off her while he sang the final verse, making her cheeks flush to
the point that she felt almost feverish. But it wasn’t embarrassment but
excitement, arousal even, which was sending her mind spinning in so many
directions.
When the song was over, and
Rebecca had recovered just a hint of her composure, she couldn’t help but burst
into a healthy round of applause. A few scattered people joined in, including
Debbie and Carmen after she nudged them in the ribs. But only Miss King seemed
to truly appreciate the brilliance of his talent as much as Rebecca did.
“That was amazing, Justyn!” the
teacher gushed.
“Lord Justyn,” he corrected as he
stepped down from the stage.
A few others complimented him as
well, but he took in all in stride. In fact, his serious expression never
faltered as he stepped down from the stage. He seemed almost bored, like it was
all he could do to hold back a yawn, despite the smiles and words of
encouragement.
But not everyone in the crowd was
pleased as Justyn glided down the aisle, so ethereal in his dark garments that
he still resonated the spirit of the Opera Ghost. Miss King might have been
excited about the newest male addition to her cast after being limited for many
years, but Tom and his group of boisterous companions glared at him as he
passed them by. Jay sneered and tossed a
balled up piece of paper in Justyn’s direction, but the Goth was quick, and
caught it in his hand without missing a beat.
“I think you dropped something,”
he said.
His speaking voice was no less
melodic than his singing voice, but something about his tone made Rebecca
shiver. He tossed the paper back at Jay, who was nowhere near as coordinated as
Justyn. He practically fell off his seat in his efforts to catch it.
“Hey vampire,” Tom called when
Justyn went to walk away. “Are you sure you can handle the competition?”
Justyn smiled, a cool, sarcastic
half-smile, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you?”
Miss King didn’t notice the short
confrontation, and Justyn vanished from the auditorium as quickly and
mysteriously as he had appeared. Only Rebecca had noticed the very real tension
between the two boys. She wondered if it was a bad omen for them to start off
the production with hard feelings and envy. That could only lead to trouble.
The kind of trouble that could end with someone getting hurt. The kind of trouble that Rebecca would do
whatever it took to avoid.
Connect with Laura DeLuca
Website/Blog - http://authorlauradeluca.blogspot.com/
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLauraDeLuca
Twitter - https://twitter.com/authorldeluca
Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4670048.Laura_DeLuca
Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/authorldeluca/
Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/authorldeluca/
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