Hunted by the Undead has been out in the wild for almost two months now, and it's wayyyy overdue for me to share some of its snippets with you. So today's the day—Hunted snippet coming in hot! Plus some book fairs and intriguing indie stories that might capture your attention.

In case you missed one of my earlier emails, I predicted that my latest release, Book 2 in This Earthen Cage saga, should appeal to readers who enjoyed the Twilight series but thought Edward acted like an immature jerk when he broke up with Bella in New Moon. 😉

(Yeah, that reader might be me. No, I'm not apologizing for that.)

After Helena and Konstantin faced the wrath of a demon lord—as well as that of his psychopathic servant—at the end of Claimed by the Undead, Konstantin realized he can't keep pursuing his romance with his beloved light witch. Not if he wanted to keep her safe and alive.

So spoiler alert, toward the start of Hunted, he broke the mystic heart-bond that united Helena's soul with his. 😭 Then he accompanied her on a short train ride from Kufstein, Austria to the Innsbruck station, from which she would seek her fortune without him.

Or so he hoped.

We all know Teuton witches don't tend to follow priestly advice, even when it's good advice. If they did, there might not be any stories to write. 🤣

Read on for insight into Konstantin's mindset while they're on that train ride....

***

Thursday morning brought cloudless skies and refreshing sunshine, the flowers in each window box painting a myriad of colors in their quests to attract bees and other pollinators. Helena’s train would leave at eight twenty-five, so I woke her at seven, easing myself off of the blankets where I had spent most of the night. She had not fallen asleep until nearly midnight. I posed the necessary query as soon as she finished stretching and rubbing at her eyes.

“Any nightmares?” Standing near the foot of the bed clad in my black robe, I toyed with my pointed fingernails and awaited her response.

“None. I think part of me knew you were beside me, so I slept very soundly.”

That statement thrust another dagger through my heart. I could not be there to shield her tonight, or the next night, or the night after that. Five years. Eighteen hundred twenty-six nights she must battle her traumas without my help. If heaven still heard the pleas of the undead, I would pray for her to meet a deserving Teuton man within weeks. Someone who would hold her heart with honor.

Now that my master had brandished his malice by demolishing a village on my account, I suspected I would spend the next five years hiding in the fortress of the Cursed Ones, avoiding contact with the living except when I needed to collect the twice-yearly sacrifices. I did not yet know how to occupy myself in my goddess’ absence. Kasimir advised me to find a hobby, maybe two. Astrology was his choice. Should I research the particulars of gardening, so I could restore the castle’s hidden meadow? Helena had bubbled over with ideas about that before she left to study with Lady Bäbe.

It would be pointless to work the earth without her.

She had talked through her grief while I held her on the bed last night, relating her fears about how our people would react once they knew everything she kept secret. She worried Teutons might disparage her due to her blood status, since at eighty-five percent it hovered near the non-magical borderline. They might think her light was weak, and that her blood carried the stain of mundane humans. Her blonde hair proved she did not stem from a pure Teutonic bloodline. How could she stand strong once other witches learned of her low blood status?

I had soothed her anxiety with the reminder that only three people knew her blood status. She did, I did, and her father knew it. Therefore unless she mentioned it to someone else, no other Teutons would ever know that her blood ran along the threshold. If she ever allowed a priest to bleed her, blood status would be the least of his concerns.

When I brought that up, Helena admitted she was scared to have any Teuton read her blood truths aside from me. But throughout our partnership I had avoided bleeding her, fearing the sweetness of her life would bring my instincts to the fore and incite me to drink like a camel. Aside from that, as a trained priest I knew most witches found bleeding to be sensual, so it would not be wise to indulge in such things until she agreed to achieve sexual union with me.

Helena had burrowed into my chest and I stroked her hair while she mourned the loss of those she loved. She mused about erecting a monument near the ashes of her hometown with the names of every victim etched in stone. I told her that would have to wait, for I did not want her anywhere near the Black Castle throughout our separation. I needed to concentrate on luring Wuotan into a bargain to shield her from his wrath, and I ought to force Nemo into a similar pact. Only then could my beloved have a degree of safety from our enemies.

We sat beside each other on the train to Innsbruck, our gloved hands joined beneath my outer cloak. We could not speak of anything significant, for the train’s caboose was crowded for a weekday, mostly with outsiders. Two male Teutons of fire sat toward the front facing away from us, and an elderly witch of wintry wind sat across the aisle knitting what appeared to be a pair of socks.

“Why did you change into your robe for this trip?” Helena asked me under her breath, after the man reading a newspaper in the seat across from us cocked an eyebrow at me for the eighth time. “Your leather jacket looks more natural.”

“I’m aware.” Raising the hood of my robe to shade my face and bother our outsider buddy in the opposite seat, I ran my gaze over the countryside and added, “I have somewhere to go very soon. My leather jacket wouldn’t survive that place.”

“You—you mean—?” Helena’s countenance went as white as a sheet, and her fingers tightened on mine.

“You look to your future. I’ll look to mine.”

The man across from us lit a cigar and turned a page of his newspaper, his movements fitful. Idiot must not be from the Austrian Tyrol or Bavaria. Even outsiders from those lands knew how Teuton priests dressed. I tried not to roll my eyes as I evaluated the others with us in the caboose. A Jewish elder wearing a kippah and a long suit the same color as my priestly robe caught my gaze and nodded in acknowledgement. I did the same.

Helena sidled closer to me, and I continued to observe the countryside. Soon I would have to jump off the train, but I needed to do it between towns if possible. I could not ride all the way to Innsbruck with my beloved. Not when the demon lord might be watching us right this second, no matter how fervently Helena had prayed.

“Over halfway there,” she said when the train left the Jenbach station.

She leaned her head against my left shoulder and closed her eyes while I scanned the trees, their increasing density summoning me into a glade of secrets. The newspaper man had disembarked at Jenbach. A rotund fellow scooted into the caboose from the back door, likely having stepped outside to get fresh air. Once he found his seat, I stood up and beckoned Helena to do the same.

“What are we—?”

“Getting some air,” I told her in hushed Teutonica, clutching her upper arm as I made my way to the back door. Thankfully its glass panes were darkened. I slid the door open and we stepped onto the train’s railed landing.

“What are we really doing?” Helena asked once I secured the door, her eyes nervous as she gripped my arm.

The wind caught my cape and whipped its obscurity around us, her scarlet cloak not faring much better. Her hood blew back to reveal her vibrant hair, and I bent close to her ear as I dug inside my robe to retrieve a small bag.

“I have to get off here so a certain entity won’t follow your path beyond the city. Remember to stay inside the boundaries of the forest witch’s property as much as possible, to shelter beneath her wards. Do you understand me?”

“I—I don’t—you’re getting off here? Jumping?” Her eyes widened in horror as I pushed the bag into her hands.

“Keep this with you,” I instructed her, my forehead centimeters from hers while I spoke my final farewells. “There’s enough in there to support you for at least five years. Maybe longer. Never doubt my love, Helena, even if you find someone else. There’s an item in there that contains my deepest sentiments. It’s yours to do with as you will. I’ll defend you from the shadows for all of my existence.”

Before she could reply, I seized her lips in an impassioned kiss, ensuring her fingers grasped the bag in the same instant. Then I launched myself off the train.

✨ Read More ✨

So what have other readers thought about Book 2 in Helena and Konstantin's saga? Even though they spend the majority of the book apart, people seem to be resonating with their commitment to break the barriers between them. Here's some of the feedback Hunted has received so far:

If you haven't started reading Hunted yet, what are you waiting for? It's available at all major retailers as well as libraries—including Hoopla! (That's a biggie; it usually takes months or sometimes years for indie books to get accepted to Hoopla.) Plus you can binge read the whole series on Kobo Plus, along with Gift of Light, a bonus novella from the Elemental Bloodlines series that introduces Helena and Konstantin.

That being said, have you read Gift of Snow, which is currently free on retailers? If you have, you've met Helena and Konstantin as side characters in a handful of chapters toward the middle of the book. Plus Konstantin takes matters into his own hands in a rather major way right at the end. 😱

By that time our Black Priest and his light witch seem to be an established couple, wouldn't you say? 😉 More reason to delve into the saga of how they reach that point!

Book Fairs in November

If Hunted's price tag gives you pause, you might want to take a look at a fun book bundle happening this week at itch. Back in September, Claimed by the Undead was part of a first-in-series bundle, and now in November it's time to continue the adventure with second-in-series books.

Twenty books for just $19, which means Hunted is technically less than a dollar if you buy the bundle. Since Hunted is not Book 1 in the series, I probably won't be discounting it very often aside from moments like this, so now's your chance to grab 20 Book 2s for less than a dollar each. Get on it!

We've also got a stuff your e-reader with fantasy event happening today. Some of the books listed look new-to-me, although if you read on a device other than Kindle you'll have to scroll past the first few. Either way, fantasy awaits!

I've got a few books in one BookFunnel event this month (although that might change as the month progresses). If urban fantasy with a dash of romance interwoven is your thing, browse all the books involved by clicking the graphic.

Other Books You Might Like

Found two mystical eBooks for you to add to your TBR this week. The first one is an unexpected magical journey to love, free with newsletter signup. The second is a short story about vampires and death, and it's free on most retailers. That second one should help out if you're struggling to meet your reading goals for the year. 😁

The middle of nowhere just got a lot more interesting!

I’ve always been the class dork—shy, bookish, not particularly pretty and definitely not popular. In other words, nobody important. Orphaned twice as a toddler, I’m not even sure who I am, except a burden to my super-strict adoptive “aunt.” When the gorgeous new quarterback, Rigel, arrives at Jewel High and turns his back on all the popular girls vying for his attention to seek out ordinary me—of all people!—I’m over the moon. I mean, who wouldn’t be?

But then weird things start to happen. The first time Rigel touches me, sparks fly—literally! Soon I notice other oddities, like how I suddenly no longer need my thick glasses. My complexion even improves! When I demand to know what’s going on, the answer both thrills and terrifies me. Not only is Rigel my bonded soulmate, apparently I’m not such a nobody after all. But my unexpected status comes with huge risks that threaten both my life and our newfound love.

✨ Newsletter Freebie ✨

A short story At Death's Gates.

Someone wants vampyre Lily dead, and a bargain with Death has been struck. Death sends servant Agaar to bring Lily to him, but the task becomes more complicated than either Death or Agaar anticipated.

✨ FREE On All Retailers ✨

That's all I've got for you this week. I hope you enjoyed that quick look at what Konstantin and Helena face in Hunted by the Undead! Will light ultimately triumph over the darkness of evil, and will Helena manage to seal her commitment to her tormented Black Priest?

Join a young Teuton witch and her darkest muse's journey at the first link below, and then be sure to peek at the Continue The Adventure bundle if you're a bargain hunter like me. Have yourself a wonderfully weird week, and happy reading! 😊

Talk to you soon,

C.L. Carhart

Get Hunted by the Undead:

https://bf.clcarhart.com/h3rjjdnaj6

Continue The Adventure bundle:

https://itch.io/b/3359/continue-the-adventure

Stuff Your E-Reader with Fantasy:

https://www.skgauthorservices.com/stuff-your-e-reader-event.html

Download Gift of Snow for free:

https://books2read.com/ebgiftofsnow