Inherited Thorns Full Prologue & New Cover
My book Inherited Thorns is now available.
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WAOTBKE
Amazon CA: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00WAOTBKE
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00WAOTBKE
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1121799694?ean=2940151266413
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/inherited-thorns
In
the first installment of the Empathetic Enchantments Series, you will find out
what kind of shape shifter lies dormant within the Randall families
heritage—one never before written about in this light.
When trouble arises and laws must be
implemented amongst the most powerful warlocks, an enforcer is sent in. Bad boy
Acer Randall fears nothing—that is, except two things. The centuries-old family
curse that transforms him into a bizarre freak of nature and the foreign
emotions that stirs within himself by a seductive enchantress, Haven. Her pull,
like that of a siren, cannot be ignored; yet for self-preservation he must stay
away. Haven promised, on her coven's behalf, to end Acer's life, but can she
bring herself to do what must be done when her feelings for him are so
unbridled?
How is it that Acer, one of the most in-tune
empaths on earth, is unable to read Haven's emotions? Has
she clued into Acer's truth and cast a spell from which he cannot break free?
I'm sharing my Prologue for free!
Prologue
Wounds
heal, ripped flesh mends, hearts break, and yet we survive. A soul of corruption coated with thorns that
tear at our very essence…
Well, that’s a different story for another day. There’s no healing the poison
of evil once it seeps into the pores of a man. Immorality slithers through the
host’s veins paralyzing his heart but with a possible glimmer of hope that
someday, the seeds from the warmth of love will be planted in the darkness to
chip away at the frost of wickedness.
A real man
doesn’t leave his family behind. He fights for them, and they for him. Not me.
Nope I’m Acer Randall, an abomination who hightailed it at the first
opportunity I found.
I often appall
the people whom I come in contact with, when I point out the honest atrocity
within myself—the one that’s crept into every crevice of my being without my
knowledge or permission, but there’s no denying the repulsive man I’ve become.
I was at a complete loss as to what they wanted me to do. Lie? That’s not my
style unless it cripples my opponent, of course I’m a trained assassin. Lurking
behind my seductive charm and extraordinarily handsome face, there’s a bastard
waiting to ruin you. To expose your weaknesses and to inflict pain is my
pleasure.
I buried my face
in my calloused hands. My only vulnerability sat at the other end of the room
at a table with another woman. Haven’s leather-covered, curvaceous ass perched
up on the tall barstool, legs crossed like a lady but her breasts overflowed
like perfect, tasty, cupcakes out of her black top, which tied up tightly in
the back. I imagined myself behind her, my lips trailing kisses down her neck,
untying her blouse with the intent to bring her to my place and use those exact
strings to wrap around her ankles and wrists. My dick hardened at the thought
of Haven in such compromising positions.
A rough voice
penetrated my daydreaming, hauling my ass back down to reality. “Acer, you
could get any woman you want. Why waste your time on an enchantress?” Dragging
my face away from Haven, I cocked an eyebrow at my best friend, Blaze, standing
at the edge of the table. He ran his mouth as he scooted around and into the
black leather, oval booth I’d sat alone in. I slouched down, resting my elbows
on the table. Blaze tilted his head to the side.
“Because I can,”
I answered in a short response, irritated he hadn’t taken the hint that I
wasn’t interested in a conversation right then. I intertwined my fingers together.
Outstretching my arms, and rested them forward on top of the table.
“You’ve always
been addicted to your own self destruction,” Blaze commented nonchalantly. The
bottle of beer overflowed on the table after he popped the cap off. He tipped
back the brown bottle, resting the top over his bearded lips, draining the
liquid in one greedy gulp.
“Manscaped huh?”
I asked and puckered my lips in a failed attempt to hold back my cocky grin.
Blaze ran his
calloused hand over his sandy blond mustache and beard. He shook his head side
to side and shrugged his shoulders. “Yup, Hell likes my facial hair short. She
said I look sexy this way,” he admitted as his forehead pulled up and sharp
blue eyes inspected me.
“Pussy,” I
taunted. “You’re not going to start shaving your legs I hope.” I throw a napkin
at him, hoping he’d clean up the damned mess he’d made on the table.
“Prick,” he shot
back. “At least I’m not drooling over a woman who doesn’t even know I exist,”
his angled jaw slackened as soon as the sharp words flitted off his tongue.
“Wow! That was
harsh. You got me, man.” I held my hands over my heart like I’d been wounded
and laughed. Christ, he was right. Blaze never blew smoke up my ass to make me
feel better. He didn’t sugarcoat anything; I didn’t think he was capable.
“Sorry, Acer. That was a low blow,” Blaze offered,
sucking in a deep breath.
“You’re all good,
and clearly I deserved the attitude.” I faced Blaze and eyeballed the bar
first, hoping like hell no one peered in my direction. Glasses clinked together
as the bartender, Detria, slid them into the rack hanging over the lengthy bar.
The clanking of balls echoed off the pool tables, and conversations between the
unknowing locals continued without interruption with a variety of witches and
warlocks.
Luckily part of
my abilities that I kept hidden from the world allowed me to hear each and
every word Haven said as clearly as if I’d sat beside the two women.
Eavesdropping… Whoever thought of that as a freaking super power was… genius.
“Someone from your
past, Haven?” The woman, I recently learned they called Brielle, questioned
Haven uncertainly. Brielle rumpled the napkin between her fingers and pressed
the cotton against the beads of sweat under her platinum blond curls on her
forehead. Her round eyes narrowed on Haven as she jolted up and placed her
hands on her full hips. Her curly hair resting half way down her back. Haven
sat silently in the chair across the tall table from the blonde vixen.
“You looked like
you saw a ghost earlier. Are you alright, Haven?” Brielle asked in an
authoritative voice. She raised her hand to Haven and quickly withdrew her
fingers.
I peered through
the crowded bar in effort to get a better view. Brielle’s a twisted individual,
and she acted as if she cared for Haven. Clearly she cared for no one other
than herself. To others, Brielle appeared gorgeous. Lucky me, I literally
viewed her offensive nature, which oozed out of her skin similar to sludge.
“Yeah, I’m great.
He reminded me of someone though. I guess the whole situation freaked me out a
little, some douche bag forcing his mouth against mine,” Haven said impishly,
shrugging while and crossing her arms over her chest. Disregard for Brielle
danced in Haven’s wild green eyes.
“You conveyed the
impression that you enjoyed the kiss and confrontation a little bit?” Brielle
questioned, with a slightly accusatory tone. Brielle traced the rim of her
glass of water with her finger several times. Her face registered shock, and
her blue eyes widened unnaturally before returning to normal. She shifted
uncomfortably in her chair, her lips mashed together, and turned down at the
edges.
"Brielle, is
everything alright?" Haven asked after she witnessed the shocked
expression take over Brielle’s face and stiffened her body in response to
whatever she saw. Haven sat up a little closer. Still unresponsive, Haven
called to her once more but louder with an edge of panic. "Should I get
some help for you Brielle?" Haven shook Brielle by the shoulders. The
whites of her eyes glossed over as they returned from the back of her head.
"No, yeah
I'm fine,” Brielle tried to conceal her unease abruptly. She swept her blond
curls over her shoulder.
"We don't
mess with their kind. Stay away from him, Haven. Acer Randall’s a Black Diamond
Warlock," Brielle said in a throaty, demanding voice. Her warning sculpted
at my sensitive flesh like knives carving at my heart. I dropped my head,
resting my tousled mop on the back of the seat and rolled it back and forth.
“Why the hell do
I care what they think of me? I never did before,” I mumbled and
unintentionally squeezed my eyes shut tight.
“Exactly what
I’ve been asking, bro.” Blaze glanced up from his phone. His brows pulled
together as he hit the screen with his pointer finger.
Brielle leaned
forward, resting her breast on the table as she spoke, "You may be fairly
new to the policies of our sanctuary, but if you continue to think and act with
no regard for the coven, you leave me no choice but to go to the council. You
must be aware of The Black Diamond Warlocks’ job responsibilities?” She drummed
her brightly painted blue and white crackled nails in a wave pattern off the
surface of the table top.
Haven jumped as a
man bumped into the back of her stool accidentally.
"I’ll be
more careful Brielle, I promise,” Haven squeaked out.
“Lucky thing that
he didn’t leave you with more than a kiss on your mouth, my dear. Did he leave
anything behind?” She smiled kindly with the gentle reminder. "He's a
trained killer, assault is his specialty, sweetie." Brielle shivered and
brought her trembling hand to rest on her plunging neckline.
“Oh... I forgot.
I didn’t see that he left something with me,” Haven objected. Brielle turned
toward haven with a full face, judged Haven. Her barely there eyebrows creased,
lips puckered, and she leaned toward Haven, squinting at her, but before
Brielle could let the words flit off her sharp tongue, Haven interrupted her.
“Furthermore
Brielle, I went through my childhood running from bullies like you. I may be
part of the coven you rule; however, I do not belong to you and won’t stay if
you’re unable to find the decency within yourself to be civil to me. Jealousy
is a disease. Get better real soon, Brielle.” Haven spoke in a calm tone and
pushed herself backward, almost knocking the tall stool over.
Brielle cleared
her throat several times and said in a sharp tone, “I like you!” Haven
swiveled, glaring at Brielle. “And I want you to stay with us,” she continued
as she shifted on the tall stool. Her innocent act fooled some, but clearly
Haven saw right through her shenanigans.
“I’ve heard
enough. I’m heading back to the tavern at the lodge. You’re welcome to join me
Blaze,” I offered. The dark clouds summoned my departure.
“Sure, I’m
meeting Hellfire there when she gets off her shift at seven anyway,” Blaze said
and scooted out of the booth. Our ability to sneak out unnoticed surprised even
me.
“Good, I need to
talk Blaze,” I sputtered and bit the inside of my cheek before I peered back
over my shoulder at Haven, one last time. Her cherry red hair cascaded over her
shoulders and contrasted with her green eyes; she resembled an exotic goddess.
Sometimes you
meet someone just as uniquely dark and twisted as yourself, and for a moment,
you think there’s a glimmer of hope in the sacrifices you made in life to get
where you are.
In my case,
that’s a complete rarity. I prayed that my struggle would be worth the misery
I’d endured; positive that the light in her soul shined bright enough for the
both of us, she may be the cure to my disease of self-hatred. For once, I
wanted to live and see what tomorrow brought, because she breathes.
Pick up your copy here. Note, all paperbacks purchased through Amazon are eligible to receive the ebook on Amazon free through Kindle matchbook. I know how much I love to have both copies.
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WAOTBKE
Amazon CA: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00WAOTBKE
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00WAOTBKE
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1121799694?ean=2940151266413
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/inherited-thorns
Inherited Thorns Paperback
Sammie Sidelinger
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