Excerpt Thursday The Solstice Heat

Kasey watched him silently. She had to move. She had

three weeks and then was homeless. It made everything

she’d said last night seem even more of a reality to her. Here

he sat in this house, sipping coffee, not looking a bit

disturbed by the fact he’d gotten someone to pay her off

quietly so she would find somewhere else to live.

Kasey sat back and looked over at him again. “Make sure

you bill me accordingly for your time.” She would not fall

apart in front of him. She let out a hushed breath.

His angry eyes met hers. “I didn’t do... it... for... the...

money,” he said, pausing on each word.

Kasey lifted her chin higher. “That’s fine, but I’m sure it

took time away from more important things you had to do.”

She crossed her arms and sat back, wishing she could melt

into the chair.

Dade hissed out a loud breath and sat back. “Well, I

don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve about had all the

light brunch conversation I can stand.”

Several heads nodded in agreement.

Kasey stood up. “Why don’t all of you go relax on the

terrace, and I’ll clear this up.” She began picking up dishes

and stacking them.

“Enough!” Chris bellowed as his closed fist slammed on

the table hard enough that the dishes rattled.

Kasey turned and glared at him, her hands on her hips.

“Oh, I don’t think so!” she spat.

Chris shoved his chair back and stood.

She flashed a hand out at him, and an unseen force sent

him flying back into his chair and sent it sliding back three

feet. “Don’t!” she practically growled.

Chris flicked a hand, and all the dishes from his end of

the table went crashing onto the floor.

Everyone scrambled back from the table as he slowly

stood again. “Do. Not. Slap. Me. Back. Again,” he grit out

in a low voice.

Dade ran around the side of the table and stood beside

him, his hands out to his sides. Chris didn’t even turn to

look at him. “Stay out of it.”

Dade lifted his hands and backed up a few feet.

Kasey’s chest was heaving with ragged breaths. “At least

I slap at you with something tangible instead of taking

cheap shots with words, Christopher Larkin!” Her fists were

clenched at her sides. She opened them, and the table shook

with a force she’d never used before. The dishes lifted up,

and then they dropped down hard enough several shattered.

Kasey watched the glass and china scatter everywhere and

then looked back at Chris. “Take that out of the payoff

money you’ve swindled for me!” With that she ran out of

the room.

Chris stood there feeling every bit as angry as she had

looked. He wanted everyone to go away and leave them

alone. He started to step towards her and then stopped and

clenched his hands at his sides. His knuckles were white.

Leena went to go after Kasey and smacked up against an

invisible wall. She felt her hand over it for a second, then

turned and looked at everyone in the room.

“Someone tell me what the fuck just happened!” Dade

bellowed.

Kasey is a woman that exudes energy and brightness; she is as equally passionate when angry as she is when she’s happy. The energy she carries from life comes through in all her magical workings with spells and stones, giving them great magical strength. She is a dreamer and often wishes she could re-write her own story so that she was charming and sophisticated enough to be with a certain wealthy male lawyer she wants more than anything else.

Chris is a force of strength and experience that is carefully hidden behind the easy mannerism he has adapted so carefully.  There is nothing he cannot do where magic is concerned and he has tried all manner of things, whether right or wrong.  His fortune has left him wanting for nothing else in life, except the one thing money can’t buy him, the woman he feels too unclean to approach.

Separated by two different life styles yet their passion and magic ignite sparks hotter than the Solstice heat.

Can they work out a way to be together as they try to stop a killer from striking again?

Available in several formats at: CLASS ACT BOOKS

Jacqueline Paige

Step into a world of magic and passions. . .

All Things Paranormal

                                                             http://jacquelinepaige.com/

http://jacqpaige.blogspot.com/ 

http://j-risk.webs.com/

Excerpt Thursday From Beltane Magic

The eight stood in a circle around the small fire pit.

Outside the shelter, the rain poured so hard it was like a

steady, deafening sound. Cora stepped closer to the fire and

stared into it. She glanced up and nodded to Leena. Taking

Dade’s hand, she whispered, “Let’s hope some ancestors are

available tonight.”

Dade lifted her hand and kissed it before he let go. “I’ll

make sure they are.” He picked up the shaker sitting in front

of him and gently began to shake it from side to side. His

lips moved in a silent chant, and he closed his eyes.

Owen watched as Leena and Steven both turned their

backs to the circle and faced the pouring rain. Raising their

hands, they lowered their heads in concentration. If he

hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he’d never have believed

someone telling him.

As their heads came up, the wind seemed to continuously

circle the shelter and block out the pouring rain. He could

no longer see or hear the heavy downpour.

Not knowing what to expect next, he looked back at the

others. Chris, Kasey, and Rachel were standing with their

hands clasped and staring into the fire as the flames rose

higher. The flames were almost white now, and he blinked

to make sure it wasn’t just his eyes.

Dade’s motion with the rattle became faster and louder as

he moved to stand beside Cora. Her head was thrown back

and her eyes closed, and she seemed to be shaking with the

rhythm of the rattle. Her eyes flew open, and she stopped

shaking to look into the fire. He could see the sweat beading

down her face, and her hands trembled. The look on her face

told him she was afraid, but she said nothing. She reached

empty hands toward the fire, and the flames flew higher.

Not knowing what else to do, Owen went to stand behind

her in case he was needed at some point.

She stepped back and cried out in fear. He caught up her

shoulders and held her tight as Dade instructed him to do.

Glancing over her shoulder and into the fire he saw, he

wasn’t sure what, images but they blurred together and he

couldn’t understand them.

Cora cried out again and sagged back against him. He

caught her tight against his waist and held her to his chest.

His own chest began to burn. He didn’t know what was

going on, but he felt compelled to stop it. “Stop now!” He

said roughly.

At once, Dade stopped shaking the rattle and the three

controlling the fire dropped their hands and gasped when

they looked at him holding the slumped woman in his arms.

Leena and Steven settled the wind and turned around to

see the others crowding around Owen. He looked at Leena.

“I have to set her down, or my legs are going to give out.”

Dade set his rattle down and scooped Cora into his arms.

She was still shaking and breathing as if she’d been running.

He walked over to the table and sat with her held in his

arms.

Leena and Chris helped Owen to sit at the table. “Hell of

an initiation.” He put his head down on the table for a

moment and then looked over at Dade. “Is she okay?”

Dade looked down at her as her eyes opened. “Yeah, but

she didn’t quite share the strength of this with us.” He

glanced back at Owen. “If you hadn’t discovered your gift

tonight, it would have been a lot worse.”

Owen looked over at Leena, who was looking worried.

“Can I drink now?” He let out a long breath and accepted

the bottle she handed him. After taking two long swallows,

he looked back at Cora. “I dunno what just happened, and I

don’t know what I saw, but as soon as I touched Cora, the

fire had images in it... images I’m not sure I even want

explained.”

Cora sat up slowly in Dade’s arms. “I’m okay now,

Dade. Thank you.” She pushed against his arm.

“Well, you can just sit here for a moment or two longer.

You scared the shit out of me! If Owen hadn’t told us to

stop, I don’t know what would have happened! Jesus, Cora,

why didn’t you tell us it was that strong?” Dade asked.

She touched his cheek lightly, then rested her head

against his shoulder. “I had no idea it was that strong, Dade,

or I wouldn’t have exposed all of us in a negative way.” She

took a deep breath, then climbed off Dade’s lap and looked

over at Owen. “I owe many thanks to you, Owen Grey. I

couldn’t pull back completely, but I felt when you took half

the burden. You’re going to come in handy when I have

seeing to do.”

Owen took another drink, before offering her the bottle.

“You’re welcome, and I’ll get back to you on answering

whether I want to help again or not.” He rubbed his chest.

“My chest still burns like hell.”

Everyone glanced at Cora then back to Owen as Leena

sat beside him and grasped the hem of his sweater. “May I?”

He shrugged as she lifted his sweater. He heard gasps then

looked down to see a burn in the shape of a cross on his

chest. It covered the skin from his collarbone to the bottom

of his rib cage. She touched it lightly. “It’s not hot; does it

hurt?”

Leena is a woman that is gentle in everything, her personality and moods. She always feels maternal with her closest friends and would go out of their way to look after any one of them. Her ability of controlling the elements and knowledge of plants make her magic abilities strong and unbreakable.  She is a leader at work and in life, always working hard to keep those around her close, but never allowing anyone to get too close.

To the outside world she is just Leena Duncan, a quiet woman who works a normal job and lived a quiet life.

A few times a year she can openly use her magical gifts at celebrations within a small community of people she calls friends.

Having lived through the horrors that can come from the hands of someone you thought loved you; she decided never loving again would prevent more emotional scarring.

It takes one man at a rainy Beltane celebration to change everything she is comfortable with and one killer to change her safe world.

           

Owen is a man that reflects humor and cavalier vibrations to others, he is gentle and caring as is his ability to draw negative and heal others. If you didn’t know him, you would never realize he came from violence.  Knowing how the real world can be, he has vowed to never put himself into the position, or allow anyone else that could open up the world he has carefully sealed shut forever. 

He creates worlds and puts them on paper to entertain others.  After years of using his imagination he finds out his friends can do things he thought only his mind created.  

For his entire adult life Owen Grey has always played it safe and kept to his own world of writing, never getting too close to anyone.

Having lived a nightmare growing up he would never take the chance of repeating history.  He may write about happily-ever-after, but knows it is pure fantasy and doesn’t exist.

Until her . . . 

Several formats available at:

CLASS ACT BOOKS

Jacqueline Paige

Step into a world of magic and passions. . .

All Things Paranormal

                                                             http://jacquelinepaige.com/

http://jacqpaige.blogspot.com/ 

http://j-risk.webs.com/