The
Spirit Chaser
Book
One
Kat
Mayor
Genre:
Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance,
Horror,
Ghosts
Publisher:
Kat Mayor
Date
of Publication: November 13, 2015
ISBN:1517161479
ASIN:
B01845NL8K
Number
of pages: 424
Number
of words: 134,300
Book
Description
Some
places are too evil. Some places should be left alone.
Austin
Cole has it made. Star of the hit television show Spirit Chaser
Investigations, he has become the world’s most famous paranormal
investigator. Although hard work, a talented investigation team, and
favorable genetics have something to do with it, it’s his lack of
fear and willingness to take risks no one else will that make Spirit
Chaser Investigations cable’s number-one show.
When
a ghost-hunt-gone-wrong seriously injures his best friend and lead
psychic, Austin is forced to find a replacement for a team member he
considers irreplaceable.
Casey
Lawson can’t catch a break. She’s been on her own since she
turned eighteen and is scraping by as a part-time psychic and cashier
at a New Age store. When a desperate Austin Cole calls her up and
offers her a position on his team, has her fortune finally changed?
He’s
a control freak; she’s stubborn and opinionated. It takes time, but
when they finally realize they’re working on the same side,
everything clicks, both on and off screen.
Just
when things are looking up, a new threat emerges. Over the years,
Austin has angered plenty of demons, and one of them has set her
sights on him. Now he’s the one in danger, and it’s up to the
team to rescue him from the riskiest investigation of their lives.
Excerpt:
“I got your
message. I guess that means Austin tracked you down.”
“Yeah,
he did, and I have some questions about that for later.” Casey
threw her purse on the entry table and flopped down on the couch.
“But first I want to talk about you. I saw what happened on the
finale. It was awful.” Casey paused for a moment. “How are you
doing?”
“Yeah,
that wasn’t my finest moment.” No it wasn’t. Casey thought it
was a crappy thing to do, televising what had to be the lowest point
in Barrett’s life. But she understood about ratings and the
Almighty Dollar. “I’m better now, though,” he told her.
“How
did it get in your head?”
“She
was strong. Very strong.”
“She?”
“Yeah,
the entity self-identified as female. She got in before I even knew
I’d been attacked.” An involuntary shiver went through Casey’s
spine. Barrett had always been careful. If an entity could get hold
of him like that, then no one was safe.
“So,
do you remember what happened?”
“Thankfully,
no. I have vivid memories of everything that happened before we
entered the warehouse. But after that, it’s all kind of a blur.
This is what I do remember: She put the darkest thoughts of violence
and rage in my head.” It had been like seeing his friends through
someone else’s eyes. He had been crazy-out-of-control-angry at Gary
and Luis. But the level of
hate
he’d felt for Austin was off the charts. Not only did he want him
to suffer a slow, agonizing death, he wanted to inflict the pain and
watch every excruciating moment as he slipped closer and closer to
the edge. Barrett exhaled. “Anyway, the next thing I know, I’m in
the hospital with a broken arm, terrified of something I can’t name
or describe. You remember how I was in high school? When everything
was hopeless and I was hating life?”
“Yeah,”
Casey said. For as long as she had known Barrett, depression had been
a daily struggle. He was the typical high school loner, a bit of a
weirdo who didn’t fit into any of the usual cliques. He wandered
around the halls with a sad, empty look in his eyes. The dark cloud
over his head was what drew Casey to him in the first place. She was
an outcast in her own right. Being the preacher’s emo daughter who
spoke to ghosts didn’t win her any popularity contests. His
vulnerability struck a chord with her. She wanted to take him home
with her, like a stray puppy, and hold him until he felt safe and
secure. But her comfort was not what he needed.
“That
was nothing compared to the level of depression and despair I was
feeling after the … thing”—he couldn’t bring himself to
articulate the word “possessed”—“attacked me. I found out
later that the doctors placed me on a suicide watch.” Barrett shook
his head. “Weird. Sorry to unload on you. I’ll save the
confessing and emotional vomiting for my priest and shrink.”
“No
worries. I shouldn’t have brought up a sore subject.”
“No,
Casey. You’re one of the few people who’ve even asked how I’m
doing. My boyfriend, Derek, wants to ignore it, pretend like nothing
happened. He’s afraid if we discuss it, I’ll lose it or
something. I think a few of my friends are even kind of scared of
me.” Barrett sighed. “Well, enough about me. What have you been
up to, Ms. Lawson? Something fabulous, I’m sure.”
“Not
really. I’ve been working at my friend’s store. It’s a
low-stress job and not taxing on the brain. I’m kind of at an
in-between place in my life right now. Trying to figure stuff out.”
Casey paused and took a breath. “So, what’s the deal with this
Austin dude? He tells me you’re the one who suggested me as a
replacement. Why?”
“Because
you’re the best. And Spirit deserves the best. They’re great
people and I don’t want some attention-seeking charlatan screwing
things up for them.”
“Well,
if it’s so great, why don’t you want to go back?”
Barrett
sighed and put his hand to his forehead. “That is a completely fair
question, especially since I’m the one who gave Austin your name.
But truthfully, I’m still in recovery mode. When Luis exorcised the
she-demon, he got rid of my familiars, too. And I relied on them a
lot.” Unlike Casey, Barrett came from a long line of seers. The
familiar spirits that helped him see the future and communicate with
the dead had been in his family for generations. “I mean, I can
still see ghosts, but I can’t see the future anymore, and that kind
of sucks.”
“So
ask them back.”
“No,
I don’t want to do that. After the she-devil got in, I’m not
itching to open myself up again.”
Casey
couldn’t blame him. “Well, even without your familiars, you’re
still a million times better than most of the so-called psychics out
there. And when you do get better, you’re going to want you’re
fantastic job back.”
“No.
I have my own personal reasons for not wanting to return that I’d
rather not get into. It’s a great job, Casey, just not great for
me.”
“Well,
I haven’t even interviewed yet. Once Austin meets me, he might say
forget it.”
“I
know for a fact he has no one else lined up. The job is yours to
refuse or accept.”
“I
don’t know. I’m going to tell it like it is. Some people can’t
handle that.”
“That’s
what makes you the perfect choice. Austin is very persistent, very
charming, and very persuasive. It’s nearly impossible to tell him
no. And once he gets his mind set on something, he won’t stop. The
team needs someone like you to stand firm, because Austin can’t see
the danger and really doesn’t understand it. He’ll lead them all
straight into hell without even knowing it.”
About
the Author:
Kat
Mayor is a native Texan, wife, and mom. In addition to The Spirit
Chaser, she has written a young adult series, The Circle. She’s a
full-time reader, part-time writer, and when she’s not kicking a
story around in her head, she loves to read and review books on
Goodreads.
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The spirit is willing but the flesh is chaste.
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