Awesome Excerpt Thursday ~ Kaidyn's Courage by Diana Waters

Book title: Kaidyn's Courage

Author: Diana Waters

Genre: M/M Romance / Fantasy

Publisher: eXtasy Books

Date published: March 15, 2019

Book length: Approx. 51,000 words

Blurb: Kaidyn is the son of the queen and a trainee officer in the kingdom of Sareen. He is also a Half-Blood—his father is from Iskandir, a neighboring kingdom which has been at war with Sareen for many years. Bitter and angry at the prejudice he faces, Kaidyn meets Sorin, a healer from one of Sareen’s most prominent noble families. As their relationship deepens, the war between Sareen and Iskandir grows worse. Not only will the pair inevitably become involved with the conflict one way or another, but Sorin is also hiding a secret, and time is running out for them both.

Note: This is the second book in the Wild Magics series (the first being the short novella, A Trust to Follow). However, both books are completely readable as standalone stories, as they take place in the same universe but feature a different cast.

Excerpt:

“Oi! The Watch, run!”

Kaidyn’s ears had caught it, too—the clinking of steel as a patrol wandered nearby, perhaps attracted by the sounds of their struggle. No others could walk the city streets openly armed, even by day. Not that Kaidyn wanted to stick around any longer than his attackers. He had no wish to be locked up for the night either.

The man directly in front of him seized him by the collar of his shirt. “Something to remember me by,” he muttered, and Kaidyn knew his mouth was open but couldn’t hear his own gasp as he was dealt a final blow. The hit wasn’t in his stomach again, as he’d been expecting, but at the side of his head. It felt like an object struck him, not merely a fist, but something blunt and hard. He felt the blood begin to drip from the base of his skull and trickle down his neck. The world wavered around him as the last of the men ran off. Cowards, all.

Kaidyn took an uneven step, then several more. He tilted toward the ground but did not fall. Luck. Where is Luck? I have to find him, before...

He was still so angry, but his thoughts were leaking out of him along with the blood, the dizziness beginning to con-sume them. If I don’t hurry...

The stars were wheeling somewhere above him. When did I fall to the ground? He tried to search for a familiar landmark, but his sight was failing him. Kaidyn had either drank too much or been hit too hard.

“Oh!” Kaidyn heard a gasp, but it had not come from him. It wasn’t Luck, either. He tried to get up, to defend himself once more, but his hands met only empty air.

“I’m not going to hurt you, I promise—”

Kaidyn growled, his tone low and furious.

“All right, all right,” the voice soothed him. “I’ll just wait until you’re ready to walk again, shall I?” The unknown per-son sounded sympathetic. Gentle, even, and impossibly, unbearably kind. But that must have been in his head, because surely nobody who saw Kaidyn in his current state could be anything but disappointed, disgusted, or a combination of the two.

“It’s going to be all right,” the voice continued, and to Kaidyn’s astonishment he felt a cool hand touching his brow, brushing wisps of hair from his forehead. He could not remember the last time he had been touched with such tenderness. “I have you. You’re safe now. I won’t leave you alone here.”

Kaidyn shook his head, forcing his sight to clear. A pair of eyes stared anxiously back down at him and drew him in, as though calling him on from somewhere. But from where? Where...

Kai!

He had definitely imagined that part, because this stranger, whoever he was, could not have known his name, much less the one reserved for his closest friends.

Kai!

But he could not think any longer, he was falling, falling... and running again, running away from the pain and the bile rising in his throat, escaping everything but the darkness that finally overtook him to swallow him whole.

EXtasy buy link: https://www.extasybooks.com/978-1-4874-2218-9-kaidyns-courage/

Amazon buy link (print): https://www.amazon.com/Kaidyns-Courage-Magics-Diana-Waters/dp/1487423748

Amazon buy link (Kindle): https://www.amazon.com/Kaidyns-Courage-Wild-Magics-Book-ebook/dp/B07PN1RWN4

Author Bio: Diana is a New Zealander currently living in rural Japan. She has no idea where in the world she’ll be this time next year and is pretty okay with that. Other than reading and writing, her main passions include travel, amateur photography, and competitive swimming.

Author Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/diana.c.waters

Author Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/diana_waters

Author Twitter link: https://twitter.com/diana__waters

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Awesome Excerpt Thursday! ~ No Mere Mortal (Decagon Book 1) by Amara Dey

Blurb: Peace on the enchanted world of Decagon is about to end. Radiance, its daylight realm, is on the brink of invasion from the night dwellers of Moonshade. And only human-born Venus Myles, a dance teacher unaware of her divine lineage, can stop them.

Radiance sends Bolt to Earth to enlighten Venus, and their passionate connection sizzles. But before Bolt tells Venus the full extent of his world’s dilemma, or the unimaginable consequences if she refuses to help, he is unexpectedly withdrawn.

Reeling from the shock of Bolt’s sudden disappearance, Venus travels to Radiance in search of him…and finds evil at its most depraved lying in wait.

Sexy and enthralling, No Mere Mortal is awash with enchantment, danger, and spicy romance.

Excerpt ~

“Found you, you little mongrel.” With a vicious growl, and a flap of her cloak, Purple Lady levitated and zoomed forward. “No escaping me this time.”

Venus viewed her chances of survival as slim to none without the Mirror, but the potions might slow the woman.

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Venus replied.

With her eye on the airborne enemy, Venus retrieved the last two vials from her bag, and flung one. It shattered against the tiled wall and the green spillage grew vines. They caught her assailant by the wrists and ankles, held firm, and pulled her tight against the tiles. Arms and legs splayed, she looked ready for a knife thrower to prove his skill.

“I wish I had a dagger to use on you now.” Venus couldn’t help it, the retort fitted the situation.

“You piece of human feces, I should have killed you that night.”

“But instead you ran from my Mirror. You’re naught but a coward and a bully.”

“Who will slash you to ribbons when she frees herself.”

“Whatever,” Venus said, and smashed the second vial on the floor

~

Find out more about Author Amara Dey

Buy it NOW!

Amazon

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Fiction Friends - Axiom (Prequel to Summoned) By Rainy Kaye

Fifteen year old Dimitri’s life changes when his father is murdered, causing him to inherit a family curse. Now he’s left at the mercy of rules he doesn’t understand and the sinister side of people he thought he knew. Forced to commit crimes that increase in severity, Dimitri struggles to find his place in a world where he doesn’t exist. Available only on Amazon.    










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Fiction Friends - Summoned by Rainy Kaye

Twenty-three year old Dimitri has to do what he is told - literally. Controlled by a paranormal bond, he is forced to use his wits to fulfill unlimited deadly wishes made by multimillionaire Karl Walker. Dimitri has no idea how his family line became trapped in the genie bond. He just knows resisting has never ended well. When he meets Syd - assertive, sexy, intelligent Syd - he becomes determined to make her his own. Except Karl has ensured Dimitri can't tell anyone about the bond, and Syd isn't the type to tolerate secrets. Then Karl starts sending him away on back-to-back wishes. Unable to balance love and lies, Dimitri sets out to uncover Karl's ultimate plan and put it to an end. But doing so forces him to confront the one wish he never saw coming - the wish that will destroy him. A dark twist on genie folklore, SUMMONED follows a reluctant criminal as he unravels the mystery of the paranormal bond controlling him.

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Free Serial Read - Jack Primus Part Three - Fire On The Mountain

Fire on the Mountain

We managed to make it to our hotel room and as we were grabbing our things and cramming them into our bags (mostly weapons) Hannah looked over at me and said, “Ah Jack, didn’t I drive you here?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Well, if I drive you here, how did you get your motorcycle? I thought you said it was hidden in the woods near Ophir Pass. And it was like you remembered where you bike was, even though you didn’t drive it here.”

I was dumbfounded. “I, ah, what the hell is going on? I just talked to Loskeep. He said he would try to help me, but he isn’t even on this planet and…well Yig is the all-father snake. He has never had time to help me before.”

“Yig loves you, Jack.”

“He does?”

Suddenly we heard some shouts from below. “Get out here Primus! Or are you scared, like all the other Stalwarts we have killed. Come out here and meet the Creeper.”

“Here we go again. I’m locked and ready to C.K.A. I say we give them what they are asking for.”

“Yeah, sure, Jack, as long as we play by our rules.”

“I won’t roll any other way. Those Xemmoni bastards need to stay off my planet!”

“So are you geared up Hannah?” I asked, as I took up an axe in one hand while a sledge hammer filled the other.

Turning, I saw that she had just finished strapping a gold handled samurai sword onto her back. She reached into her duffle bag and with a wicked smile drew out a double barreled shotgun. She cocked it loudly and said. “I’m good.”

She sure was, I was thinking, but instead I said, “You aren’t really a normal gal are you?”

“We can talk about that later. Right now we need to waste these Sks.”

“I think we need to be careful. That bastard Creeper batted me with a car.”

“Primus, we have your precious bike,” a shout came from below. “I wonder how long it will burn.”

“That does it. Have you heard of the jump and stab?”

“Since I have the feeling you are making it up as we go, I doubt it.”

I made a face. This woman was no fool, no matter how blonde her hair was. “That’s when I get all of them to attack me and then you come in behind them and axe them each, one by one.”

“I’m down, but it sure seems like you getting the rough end of that deal.” She leaned in and gave me 

the best kiss of my life and whispered, “Good luck.”

A second later I was leaping out the window!

I saw a gaggle of Darcarre clustered around my bike. Half of them held torches and their flicking light danced in my eyes as I plummeted to the ground.

The Creeper was there, looming as large as an upended bus. My boots took the twisted freak in the face and it grunted, but really let out a scream when my sledge smashed him in its tattered ear. The scream only increased when my axe tore through his mangled face as I fell.

I had surprised and stunned the Creeper enough that the Darcarre got some of my special Stalwart attentions when I smacked down on the snow.

“No one touches the bike!” was hurled at them about the same time my axe was. One of the younger darklings had turned towards me and was rewarded by having my axe split his face. Then, grabbing the sledge with both hands, I waded into them. Swinging it wildly, I didn’t bother to aim, but just kept the weapon moving. Screams and the sounds of breaking bones surrounded me, but I focused on my task until a hand the size of a bookcase batted me across the parking lot.

I tumbled violently, smacking pavement, ice, and finally a stone wall.

“Primus!” the Creeper screamed through bloody torn lips as its titanic form raced at me.

“Quit talking my ear off,” I yelled, as I got to my feet. The guy was over forty flippin feet tall, I just stared for a second, and then said, “Screw this,” and began to run. Creeper growled like 20 grizzlies as he chased after me. Looking of my shoulder, I yelled,” Oh damn,” as I saw him tossing cars from his path, like they were empty beers cans.

I jumped, wild eyed and startled, when a car crashed into the pavement only seven feet to my left. 

“Oh crap,” I yelled and started to arc around the back of the hotel. The sounds of a shotgun going off could be heard and really hoped Hannah could hold out for a while, but I would be lucky to last out the minute.

As I continued around the old hotel, the Creeper took off a section of its roof and chunks of wood, plaster, and shingles rained down on me. A splintered beam connected with my shoulder, but I didn’t have time to feel it.

Yep, things were getting tricky.

I managed to make it around another corner of the hotel and that was when I came across a corpse of trees. “Oh Hail Yig,” I muttered, as I began to weave a spell. Yig had heard me, for the pines came alive clutching and tearing at the Creeper as he turned around the side of the hotel.

Now I had a terrible choice.

I could either strike against the Creeper while he was entangled or help Hannah. I could no longer hear her shotgun going off.

I chose Hannah.

So after flipping Creeper the bird, I ran off to aid to aid her.

I could only hope that I would be in time.

The mangled, angry screams of The Creeper followed me and I blazed around the side of the house.

Hannah was holding her own, but fighting the Darccare frankly just sucks. They are the only

Xemmoni race that can heal themselves and half of them are immune to bullets. I saw that her 

shotgun was gone and she was trying to hold a half dozen of the inky darklings back with frantic swings from her Samurai sword.

I still had the sledge and I was forced to use it when the two remaining Glooms, that we had faced earlier, tried to block my path. Their fingers were moving like wounded spiders and before I could reach them, their damned Flesh To Mist Bestow crashed into my chest. I couldn’t help myself and I cried out as my very body began to disperse into string of fog.

“Oh so you play like that,” I growled and before the Glooms could snatch their sickles off their belts, 

I had already dashed forward and broken one’s jaw with a snap that woke up every baby in the neighborhood. That one tumbled back. The second one moved in, but I yelled, “batter up,” and his head crumbled like he was a rotten corpse.

I wanted to finish the wounded one off, but Hannah was crying out in pain. She had been holding them back- yeah, this was no normal girl- but now they were releasing their Black Veins spells on her and I looked on in horror as corrupted threads of darkness spread over her body, tearing into her flesh.

The Darcarre forgot one thing though…me! I was in their ranks before they even knew I was there. My sledge took down two and despite how wounded Hannah was, she killed a third. You can’t heal decapitation.

We might have finished the scum off, if the Creeper hadn’t escaped the trees that held him. He roared around the corner of the hotel, like five hundred lions. I tossed my hammer into the ranks of Darccare and grabbed Hannah by the hand. We would have made it to my bike of the biggest Cell Disruption I could imagine crashed into my back. I rolled in the snow screaming as my flesh bubbled and boiled. It flowed off my bones and I thrashed in agony. Somehow, through everything, I could hear the 

Creeper chuckling.

Then I heard my bike starting. But Hannah was right there trying to help me. I think she might have even used a spell to heal me. Yep, this was not you typical blonde beauty.

“Hop on if you want to live,” I heard a man’s voice call out from off the back of my bike. I was in too much pain to make out more than the fact he was dressed in mostly scarlet and leather.

“How can we all fit?” I managed to gasp.

“Become a snake dumbass. Do I have to do your thinking for yah too!”

There was a wush of flame and suddenly a wall of fire separated us for the Xemmoni. I knew it wouldn’t hold them back for long, so I transformed myself into a servant of Yig and entwined myself around Hannah’s leg. I wasn’t too pleased that her hands went around this stranger, but sacrifices had to be made and my bike bike roared off into the night as behind us the smoke mixed with the fog and the falling snow.

Find Out How Jack Started!