Dani-Lyn Alexander
  • Home
  • Young Adult Books/ Reviews
  • Adult Books/ Reviews
  • Bio/ Contact
  • Dani's Divas
  • Blog

Escaping Darkness Book Blast!

5/10/2013

0 Comments

 
Escaping Darkness

A novella to The Stone Legacy Series

To follow The Stone Guardian

Picture
She may have spent years in an asylum, but that didn’t make her crazy–just fearless.

Dropped in Moscow with her friends on an impossible mission against underworld forces, Tara is left to her feelings of overwhelming inadequacy. Her boyfriend is a healer, her best friend is “the Guardian,” and everyone else is a powerhouse of awesome strengths. The only thing she has been able to contribute are her memories, which has left her with nightmares of her time spent at the mercy of the evil Sarian–who everyone has gone to fight.

Alone with her emotions, Tara finds herself falling into a city of depravity and corruption. And amidst all this evil is a young man with an agenda of his own, who leads her down a road that will either prove she is a hero at heart, or drag her into a world she’s always feared.

He wants revenge, she wants redemption. And in an underground rings of missing girls and bloody sacrifices, only the fearless can survive…

Excerpt:

Strolling through the streets, Tara watched the locals browse the produce market in the food district. The first time she visited this area, her and Peter were searching for Contessa. The red-haired temptress lived just a block away, but if Tara never saw that woman again, it would be too soon.

Mounds of colorful fruits sat piled on wooden carts. Market workers weighed, priced, and handed over the merchandise before waving goodbye.

Tara wished she could be one of those people. Anyone. A young woman with a scarf covering her hair hovered her nose over a peach, a warm smile spread across her lips while she counted several into a bag. She would be fine. The woman looked so peaceful. Why couldn’t Tara just snap her fingers and be the woman with the scarf? Have a completely different life.

She sighed.

The smell of cigarettes pulled her out of her daydream. Tara coughed and waved her hand in front of her face. “You know that habit will kill you.”

Malachi grinned. “I highly doubt that.”

She narrowed her eyes. “And you really have to stop just appearing out of nowhere. You’re like a freaking phantom.”

His grin widened. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” He flicked the ash from his cigarette and took another drag. “So, are you better today?”

She laced her fingers in front of her. “I guess I owe you a thank you, don’t I?”

He shrugged.

“Well…” A nervous itch ate at her arm. She scratched it, and glanced at him. “Thanks.” He stared into the crowds of people while he took another drag.

It was time to get to the bottom of this. “Who are you, Malachi?”

He glanced at her. “In what way are you asking?”

“Is there more than one way?”

“Yes.”

She examined the lack of black under his eyes. “You toned down the makeup today.”

He flicked the ashes from his cigarette. “It’s not makeup.”

“Really? So all the black around your eyes is…” She shrugged just one shoulder and waited for him to respond.

“A curse.”

“A curse,” she said, more as a statement than a question. He stepped forward, his gaze locked with hers. In the light of midday, she could see him more clearly. The black shadows were hardly noticeable. But when she stared more closely, it didn’t seem like makeup at all. The darkness was buried deep in his skin like tiny capillaries. Tara stepped away. Maybe she should hear him out. “What kind of curse?”

Malachi gestured to the fruits stacked on the cart beside them. “Did you come here to buy something?”

She glanced at the pears, and then gripped her stomach. “I’m not hungry.” But the truth was she’d give anything to be able to eat one of those pears. Just a bite.

He nodded. “Yeah, me either. Not anymore.”

Her eyes grew wide. There was something really, really wrong with this guy. What he did to protect her that night was certainly not normal. But she still had no idea why Mr. Green’s men went after her. If she wanted to find out, she’d have to stick around this time. “What did those guys want?”

“Let’s walk.” Tara followed when he turned and strolled down the sidewalk. She didn’t have much choice if she wanted to know why she was suddenly a target.

He hooked his thumbs in the front pockets of his pants and cast his gaze to the cobblestone walkway. “That drug Andrei gave you is called Drop5. It’s new, from some dealer in Japan.”

“And how do you know Mr. Green?”

“I used to work for him. The drug is supposed to make the collection of offerings easier.”

She swallowed. “What do you mean offerings?”

He glanced over his shoulder, and slowed his pace. “Those guys don’t just traffic drugs,” he said in a more hushed voice. “It took me a while to find you. You’re here with the guardian, right?”

Tara nodded. “What do you want with Ashley?”

He suddenly spoke with more urgency. “Nothing. But something is happening that she’s not aware of, and if we don’t stop it, Sarian will have all the power he needs to not only control the book, but overthrow the underworld, and then the middleworld. Nobody will be able to stop him. Not even your little team.”

“How do you know about all of this? I thought only Riyata knew about Sarian and the underworld.” Her lips parted as she stared at him. “Wait. Are you Riyata?”

“Unfortunately, no.” The lines in his mouth deepened with a frown. “Maybe if I were, I could have done something.”

“About what?”

He glanced up at her and rubbed the back of his neck. “Nothing. Nevermind. The point is, Sarian is working hard to get enough power to make sure nobody is able to take the throne from him once he has it. But he wants something else—something more. The more human sacrifices that are made in his name, the more power he’ll have to take whatever he wants—including your friend.”

“But I don’t get how all of this works together. Why is he using drugs?”

They turned a corner and continued into the shopping district of the city. Fruit carts and the scent of earthy spices were replaced with windows of boutiques selling clothes and purses.

“Sarian doesn’t care how he gets what he wants, and even though the king would tear him apart if he knew, Sarian has resorted to using humans to do his dirty work. He promised to give them certain powers once he is strong enough to overthrow the king. Meanwhile, the drug is used to make it easier to handle the girls until it’s their time. And the guys have their fun with the girls meanwhile.”

Tara’s chest jumped. “What?”

“Nothing’s off limits. The girls are just toys for them until—” He glanced up at her. “After five hours of high, it makes you crash, and unless you’re lucky enough to have someone around to protect you, they collect. Mr. Green is the one in charge of this district, but he’s not the highest ranking.”

“So if you weren’t there that night…”

“You’d be gone.”

She rubbed her face, her cheeks clammy and cold to the touch. With Ashley still on her rescue mission, and she and Peter on the rocks, she would have to go to Renato for help. Until Ashley returned, he would know what to do. They would figure it out together. “I need to get back to the hotel.”

He stopped and pushed his palms on either side of her, caging her against a brick wall. Tara pressed her hands against his chest to keep him at a distance. “You can’t leave. I have unfinished business.”

“W-What do you mean?”

He slowly dropped his hands to his sides. “You owe me a favor, and payoff starts now.”

http://www.amazon.com/Escaping-Darkness-Stone-Legacy-ebook/dp/B00CO73CR0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368228196&sr=1-1&keywords=escaping+darkness+theresa+mcclinton

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1115111133?ean=2940016556482

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Sign up for my newsletter

    * indicates required
    Email Format

    Follow me on:

    Follow @DaniLynAlexande
    Picture
    Visit Dani-Lyn's profile on Pinterest.

    A Tribute
    to my brother,
    Chris,
    I'll always miss you!

    Picture
    My younger brother, Chris, was only forty-three years old when he lost his battle with lung cancer. I miss him every day!

    A good friend of his, Bryan Clay, wrote this song for him.
    Picture
    Picture

    Proud to be Published by:

    Picture
    The Perfect Gift and The New Year's Wish
    Picture
    Kingdom of Cymmera Book One: Reluctant Prince / Book Two: Lost Princess
    Picture
    Anonymous
    Picture
    Dune Road
    Picture
    Realm of Light Book One: Trust and Betrayal / Book Two: Truth and Deceit
    Picture
    Ghost
    Follow this blog

    Works in Progress

    Completed Works

    Picture
    Editing Services

    Visit me at:

    Picture
    The Romance Review
    Follow Me on Pinterest
    The Romance Reviews
    Visit Ask David for an excerpt and reviews of: Trust and Betrayal (Realm of Light)
    Night Owl Reviews

    Find my books on
    Amazon

    Archives

    November 2016
    October 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    April 2012
    February 2012

    RSS Feed

    Flag Counter
Web Hosting by iPage
✕