It's been wild around here in C.L. Carhart's world this past week, mainly because my husband had a couple days off around the Easter holiday. Despite a rash of rainy weather, we managed to hike to 1 spectacular waterfall—photos below—and watch the sunrise at a rather odd rock in South Carolina. ☀

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you've already seen a sunrise pic. If not, you'll have to wait until next week's newsletter, because this one's all about the waterfall. Aaaaaaand maybe some more ARC opportunities . . . .

ARC Team Expansion

First of all, I'd like to offer the biggest heartfelt thanks to all you ARC readers who have read & reviewed the first 3 books in my Elemental Bloodlines series. Elemental Bloodliners unite, right? 🚋 I truly appreciate each one of you and hope you'll keep on reading & reviewing until I quit writing (which might not be for a verrrrrrry long time, fair warning!)

Of course, any time an author runs an ARC team, there are always a few readers who join up but never share reviews of any of the ARC books. 😔 Therefore, it's about time I purge the non-reviewers from my list and open things up to add new readers & fresh perspectives!

Would you like to dive into Doro and Amira's witchy romance before the public, and share your opinions of their story with the wide reader world? Now's your chance to join the Elemental Bloodliners! Just fill out & submit the form linked below, and then keep your eyes on your inbox in a couple weeks.

✨ I'd Like An ARC! ✨

***If you're already on my ARC team, you do NOT have to fill out the form!

Gift of Darkness Snippet

You've been waiting far too long for a sneak peek at the first snippet from Gift of Darkness, so I hope this one's worth the wait. Today we meet up with Doro as she's seething from yet another rejection. No Teuton priest seems willing to perform the blood-transfer ritual for her and Amira so her beloved can finally seize magic for herself. But why are the priests so hesitant? 🤔

******************

Rejected again.

Why had I expected anything else? For three years now, I had propositioned every Teuton priest I knew—and many I did not—hoping to find one willing to conduct the blood-transfer for my fiancée and me. And for three years I had come up empty. No priest around here dared to attempt the deadliest ritual known to our people, not on a pair of women whose love defied cultural expectations.

The local priests were all cowardly males who feared social repercussions if the ritual succeeded. Amira might not agree with me on that, but today’s rejection cemented it in my brain. Offer your heart to a Teuton your age, and you’ll discover all the mysteries hidden from you. That was what the priest had said.

He had used the male form of the term ‘Teuton,’ his point blatant. Give up your unnatural attraction to a female outsider and breed magical children. That’s all you’re good for, anyway. You’re unhappy now because you’re ignoring your maternal instincts.

“As if I’d spread my legs and cook for some idiot who wants me to worship him like a mindless peasant,” I grumbled to myself as I pulled out of the diner’s parking lot. Thanks to the dampness of the road, my car’s tires squealed a bit on my way out. Glancing at the low hanging rain clouds, I stamped on the clutch in my quest to leave first gear’s uselessness behind. I should have known Karl’s uncle was just as bigoted as him.

My elemental magic seethed in my blood as I turned my car off the highway along the Inn River, striking out for the road winding homeward. Once I made it back to Wildertal, I would head for the local beer garden straight away. After that awful priest’s comments, I could use a drink. Especially if I could unload to Amira at the same time.

The past two weeks had been rough for our family. Visions of my father in his final hours swam before my eyes as I wound my way through birches and oaks, their branches heavy with moisture. He had finally relinquished his fight against cancer ten days ago, his spirit ascending into an eternity that seemed so far from the Alpine village I called my home.

He had never once chided me for my disinterest in men. He always said he wanted me to be happy, even if that meant cultivating a romance with the gracious outsider he and my mother adopted seventeen years ago. Amira and I grew up as sisters and best friends, supporting each other through the trials and triumphs of adolescence into adulthood. Just before my senior year of high school, when Amira confessed that she loved me as more than an adopted sister, it felt as though the fates had snapped into place.

But now our staunchest ally had passed into eternity, and a priest who lived a short drive from our village had the gall to suggest I find myself a man. A Teuton male who wielded elemental magic like I did. One who could bind my heart and cleanse it from its unholy yearnings.

“Obviously I’m begging to face death for Amira’s sake because my heart bleeds for a man. Makes perfect sense.” Darkness sharpened my vision as I rolled my eyes, taking the final curve into Wildertal. Pity it was a Friday evening and a rainy one at that. I would have to stifle my magic before I entered the beer garden. No need to terrify innocent outsiders with my black eyes.

I cast my elemental sense in a wide net as I turned into the tight parking lot, choosing a spot facing the street. Seven Teutons were inside the restaurant, and I recognized each of their elements. There seemed to be quite a few non-magical humans inside too, though I did not take a count of their empty spirits. Wildertal was a haven for tourists wishing to explore the Austrian countryside. On a stormy evening in late May, the only bar in town beckoned any and all.

Raising the hood of my jacket, I sprinted toward the oaken door as soon as I locked my car. A dimly-lit sign advertised “Kramhof: Alpine Retreat and Cuisine” to anyone passing through on the main street. Since the parking lot was nearly full, I suspected most patrons ignored the motel’s entrance in favor of the side door reserved for the bar. A painted gnome sat in a planter to the right of the door, tipping its pointed hat to the weary traveler.

I tossed the gnome a vague smile before tugging the door open. Pop music tantalized my ears from overhead speakers, the cloying scents of alcohol mingled with grilled foods luring me inside. My gaze fell upon my fiancée as I shut the door behind me. She stood just paces from me, clad in a prim Dirndl—her standard waitress attire—her back turned as she took the orders from a family with three young children.

Just the sight of her took the edge off my irritation. My muscles released a trace of their tension as I looked toward the bar along the far wall. I caught the eye of Rolf, the owners’ son and bartender. A glint of magic sparkled in his gaze for a split second before he looked down to top off a mug from the tap. He might get in trouble if his sister caught him doing that.

Amira brushed my arm on her way to the kitchen, her aura empty of magic but brimming with inquisitiveness. She knew I had met with Herr Hippler and doubtless wondered how it had gone. She had too many customers to attend at the moment, so I wove my way between the tables to the bar, planning to order a drink before seeking out a dark corner. None of the stools along the bar were free.

“Rough day?” Rolf eyed me with concern while he prepared my gin and tonic, his bushy brown eyebrows rising toward his hairline. I sensed his elemental energy reaching out to my darkness, offering a wisp of stability.

“Couldn’t get much worse,” I groused, taking the glass from him and catching the straw in my teeth. I took a slow sip, relishing the sharp bite of the gin. Rolf looked as if he wanted to pry further, but I turned away. “I’ll be in the corner. Catch you later.”

Thankfully, the two-person table Amira and I usually occupied whenever we met up here had not yet been claimed. I sauntered toward it in a daze, ruminating on my distasteful encounter with Herr Hippler and his wife. His bound wife, a witch whose gaze appeared strangely empty, even when she tried to lure me out of my shell with talk of her infant grandson. The baby was cute; she had shown me a boatload of pictures on her smart phone.

But that “maternal instinct” priests claimed I harbored remained dormant. Amira and I had talked about having children once she became a witch like me, but we agreed that she would be the one to experience pregnancy and childbirth. She longed to nurture a baby of her own, while I preferred to maintain my body’s current proportions. The blood-transfer would leave permanent scars without distending my abdomen.

My fiancée slid into the chair across from me while I sipped my drink and pondered dark thoughts about outdated customs and how best to overcome them. Her warm brown eyes met mine as she set a can of Fanta onto the table and leaned forward. “He won’t do it, will he?”

“He won’t because he’s a homophobe like his damned nephew. Says I need to find myself a Teuton male to unveil all the mysteries I’ve never dreamed of.” I curled my lip and traced a line through the condensation on my glass.

Amira’s shoulders slumped and she dropped her gaze to her soda can, twisting it around in a circle. “Maybe he’s just scared he’d do something wrong. I still think that’s Karl’s excuse, not that he’d ever admit it. He’s afraid he’d kill one of us by accident.”

“Ugh. Don’t mention his name.” I rubbed my forehead as memories from three years ago infiltrated my brain. Karl and I had grown up together, and he was the first Teuton priest I spoke with after I returned home from college. A guy I had long considered my friend refused to perform the blood-transfer upon Amira and me, the first in a long series of rejections.

“He’d only been a priest for what, a couple months when you asked him?” My fiancée cracked open her soda and took a swig, favoring me with a doubtful look. “I’m not sure I’d be brave enough to cut open two of my friends and summon a demonic horde in the process.”

I barely suppressed a snort, Amira’s nonchalance lightening my mood. “One demon. Just Wuotan. Not all of hell’s minions.”

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Waterfall Pix

Last Thursday, my husband and I made a quick trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, where we hiked to Second Falls in the Graveyard Fields area. Short hike with some elevation gain and lots of rhododendrons lining the path! This waterfall is very popular, so we went early in the morning to beat the crowd. And we still met an awesome dude who took a great pic of us both!

Other Books You Might Like

What? No book fair to share this week? 😱 Yep, have to keep you on your toes since not too many readers have been clicking on the book fairs I've shared lately. It's a lot more exciting to consider one book at a time, right? I've found a couple intriguing reads for you to check out, one of which is free on BookFunnel.

Skye's whole life, she has been told she was the one to defeat the dark source. She took pride in getting rid of evil. Until the coven that has been her life tries to use her for their selfish ways. Turning her back on them felt right at the time. Maybe she made a huge mistake, but she was never letting them use her.

Drik's life has been nothing but fun and games. Spreading evil as much as he can. He knows there is a light witch that is destined to destroy him, but he has come up with a plan to change that destiny. Will their souls handle what is destined for them or will they destroy each other any way they can? Wherever her light goes, his darkness will follow.

One path, one destiny, two fated.

✨ All Retailers ✨

Áine is one of the most powerful witches in the kingdom. However, for all her talent and skill, she proves vulnerable when a handsome stranger shows up and she makes a deadly miscalculation.

There is something very wrong and Red can feel it. As snow blankets the kingdom of Nmakel, Red deserts his post and leaves the bloody war far behind. When he arrives at Áine’s cottage she is long gone. Determined to find her, he treks out into the bitter winter forest, but he isn’t the only one looking for Áine.

Rigan is finally given an opportunity to prove herself. She leads her pack far into enemy territory, but disaster strikes just when they have their prey in sight.

✨ FREE On BookFunnel ✨

I'd better get back in front of my laptop so I can delve further into Doro and Amira's love story. I've made it to Chapter 11 (almost halfway through!), and things are getting rather . . . undead. ☠️

Did you miss the signup for my ARC team? Here it is again, in case you wait to join Doro & Amira as they grapple with all sorts of harrowing magic!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1EuE2HEEQKuBLQ6DaLQOYNehuB7J-URZDqAtWVXUxaYU/viewform

Talk to you soon,

C.L. Carhart

Pre-order Gift of Darkness: https://bf.clcarhart.com/mj224e5krw

Get Gift of Air for free: https://bf.clcarhart.com/6w57qgfhc9

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