Witches
The
Anathergians Trilogy
Book
Two
Michelle
C. Reilly
Genre:
Science Fiction/Paranormal Romance
Word
Count: 82k
Cover
Artist: Michelle C. Reilly
Book
Description:
Auden,
the immortal king of the Anathergians, is lost within a sea of
emotions. Rocked to his very core from his battle against the
Variants, he fears Travik—father to Auden’s Lifemate, Leah, and
the Anathergian who turned humans into Variants—has committed the
ultimate evil and killed Leah. Desperate, Auden struggles to discover
the truth.
And
what of Leah’s foster brother, Ceadan, who turned into a Variant to
save his sister? Was he successful? Did he survive?
Auden
and his fellow Anathergian warriors join with the council of witches
to search for—and hopefully save—Leah and Ceadan.
Will
they find them? Are they alive? And what is Travik’s evil plot for
humankind?
Excerpt:
Using Auden’s
Bugatti, they made their way to the salon where Ceadan had been.
Auden eyed the place. Built sometime in the 1960s, the house was now
a business establishment because of zone changes. Patches of white
stucco were missing from the walls and the faded black trim peeled
away from the wood.
When all four of
them entered, the thin teenage boy at the desk stood and backed
against a wall. His wide brown eyes, outlined in dark liner, stared
at each of them. His jaw worked as if he tried to speak, but no words
came out.
Gunner stepped
forward and the boy squeaked and plastered himself closer to the
wall. The Anathergian pulled Ceadan’s receipt from his pocket.
“We’re trying to track down a friend of ours and, the last day he
was seen, he visited…” He scrutinized the room and rocked back on
his heels. “This lovely establishment. Can you give us an idea of
who he saw?”
The boy’s Adam’s
apple bobbed, and he nodded as he tentatively read the receipt.
“Uh…” his voice wavered, “let me see who was here that day.”
He reached for the
mouse on the desk and surveyed the information displayed on his
monitor. “It…uh…looks like Daisy took care of him.”
Gunner used the
receipt like a guitar pic and strung it across the fingers of his
other hand. “And, is Daisy here?”
The kid’s eyes
widened, showing an extraordinary amount of sclera. “Oh! Yes. I’ll
take you…uh… All of you to her.”
They followed the
boy down a hallway and into a room on the left. A girl with her head
shaved on one side and the rest of her fluorescent orange hair
sticking out in spikes sat at a table drawing as she rocked out to
whatever music played in her ear buds.
“Uh… Daisy?”
The boy’s voice shook. When he got no response, he tried again.
“Daisy, you have some…uh…men here to see you.” This time he
knocked on the wall next to her.
The girl’s head
lifted, her eyebrows drawn down. When she saw Gunner behind the kid,
she smiled and pulled out her earbuds. When she stood and sashayed
around the table, Auden scanned her black pants covered with multiple
buckles. He wondered how long it took her to get them on and off.
Daisy’s gaze
slowly analyzed Gunner from the top of his head to his white
sneakers. The thick liner around her eyes emphasized their blue
color. “Hey. What can I do for you?” She had a slight southern
accent proving she wasn’t a Las Vegas native.
Gunner, never one to
let a good thing pass him by, put on the charm. “Hey, darlin’.
I’m looking for a friend of mine. He came here a few weeks back and
then he decided to go and disappear on us. I’m hoping you can give
us a clue what you did to him while he was here.” He reached into
his front pocket and, when the girl’s gaze followed his hand, he
slowed his movements so she could get a better look. Auden shook his
head.
He pulled out his
phone and displayed the photo of Ceadan they’d found in the
complex’s database. The girl studied it while blowing a huge, pink
bubble from the gum she chewed. “Yeah, I remember him. He’s the
reason I’m orange now.”
“Orange?” Gunner
asked.
“Yeah, you know?”
She pointed to her head. “Orange. Except his is yellow, you know?
Like the vests construction guys wear.”
Gunner glanced over
his shoulder at Auden with a raised eyebrow and then turned back to
the girl. “So, it’s like bright yellow?”
She nodded and blew
another bubble. When the gum stuck to her lip, she swiped it with a
finger and sucked on it with a sexy grin at him. Nico snickered
behind him.
“So, what else did
you do to his hair?” Gunner asked her.
She shrugged.
“Mohawk.”
Gunner blinked a few
times. “What kind of Mohawk?”
“Just your typical
type. You know? Long in the middle, shaved on the sides. And very
bright.”
Gunner fiddled with
his phone for a minute and then showed the girl the display. “So,
is this what he looked like after you finished with him?”
She blanched when
she saw the photo. Auden leaned over to see Ceadan now with a high
line of bright yellow hair running down the middle of his head and a
smooth scalp on either side.
“Wow.” She
reached for the phone. “That’s a cool app. What’s it called?”
“Ah, ah, ah,”
Gunner said while shaking his head and pulling the phone away. “It’s
my special app. So, would you say this is him?”
She shook her head.
“Pretty much. But, you’re missing his ear studs. He had a few on
each ear.”
Gunner let a breath
out between his teeth and it came out almost like a whistle.
“Alrighty, then, I think that’s all we need.”
The girl swiveled
toward her counter, picked up a business card, and handed it to
Gunner. “Let me know if you need anything else. I’m always happy
help out.” The sly smile she sent Gunner gave Auden a pretty good
idea of what kind of help she was willing to give the man.
Gunner nodded to the
girl with a smile and a wink, and they all circled around to leave
the premises.
When they were
outside, Nico said, “Dude, every single time. We can’t take you
anywhere.”
Gunner gave him a
who me? look, with his arms spread wide. “Who’s talking, Mr.
I’ll-Fuck-Whatever-I-Can-Get-My-Dick-Into?”
Nico stopped and
squinted his eyes. “Not whatever I can get my dick into. I am
choosey,” he paused. “Well, a little choosey. They have to be
breathing at least.”
Gunner let out a
snort. “Whatever. Should I play you a recording of growling cats?”
When Nico glared at
him, Gunner quirked an eyebrow. “Then get in the car and quit your
whining.”
About
the Author:
Michelle
C. Reilly is a science fiction romance writer. She's a single mom of
two wonderful boys. She spent ten years in the U.S. Navy as a
Hospital Corpsman Preventive Medicine Technician, which meant she was
actually attached to or stationed with the U.S. Marine Corps. She has
a Masters in Science in Public Health, but she is generally an IT
geek and a geek of many other things as well. She currently resides
in Las Vegas, NV, with her two cats, Meowdy and Moose, and her dog,
Katie aka "The Old Lady."
Make
sure to visit her website www.michellecreilly.com
for more information about her and her upcoming books.
Feel
free to visit, ask her questions, and hang out with her on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/michellecorareilly
And
if you're a tweet-a-holic (or even if you're not), follow her on
Twitter at www.twitter.com/MichelleCReilly
Goodreads:
www.goodreads.com/michellecreilly
Pinterest:
www.pinterest.com/michellecreilly
YouTube:
www.youtube.com/michellecreilly
Tour
giveaway:
1
- Signed paperback of Witches open to US Shipping
1
- $15 Amazon Gift Card
8
– Kindle files of the first two books in the Anathergians Trilogy:
VARIANTS and WITCHES
3
– Kindle files of the first two books in the Anathergians Trilogy
and the first Anathergians Novella: VARIANTS, WITCHES, and NICO: THE
ROGUE WARRIOR
5
– Swag bags open to US Shipping that include:
1
Beaded hook bookmark
1
Magnet
1
Sticky note pad
1
Temporary tattoo
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