My very first book, Rekindled Prophecy, kicked off the Greylyn the Guardian Angel paranormal romance series. Considering the blood, sweat, tears, self-doubt, debilitating anxiety, and all it took to get this book out to the world... I am delighted with the final product and it still holds its rightful place in my heart.

Being as you may be inundated with Psychic in Suburbia and need a bit of a break from my endeavor into paranormal women's fiction (without the swoon-worthy romance), perhaps you'd like to dive back into paranormal romance.

If so, this teaser from my debut novel, Rekindled Prophecy, is here to tempt you back to the dark side, if you dare.

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

Lying paralyzed on the ground, Greylyn watched in abject fascination as the handsome man savagely twisted the neck off the last member of the card shark’s hit squad. From this vantage point, she could not make out his expression. His movements were smooth and agile, but also brutal. An exquisite and macabre dance of primal violence.

No more bad guys to fend off, he whipped out a handkerchief from his breast pocket with a flick of his wrist and wiped away the blood and gore splattered on his face and hands. He did it in such a nonchalant manner, as if it were commonplace to violently beat men to death. A chill ran up Greylyn’s spine as he turned to face her.

Do I thank him or run?

In two quick strides, he knelt beside her. One hand came up to brush a tendril of hair out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. The angered expression he had worn just seconds before evaporated. His eyes softened. A small smile tugged at his lips.

A wave of heat originated from his touch, spreading out to her entire body. “Everything’s alright now, Gr ...” His voice, smooth yet husky, trailed off but with a slight accent marking him as not English, but from someplace close … someplace familiar.

A chill raced through her veins, freezing her in place as she watched his glowing topaz eyes widened before morphing to a deep crimson hue.

A demon?

No, not exactly. The hint of sulfur was missing. The way pinpricks of pain flashed out when one touched her skin did not happen. Oh, there were pinpricks of something, but not the same sensation. No, he was not a demon, nor was he possessed by one. Of that she was certain, but the realization something was different about this man was enough to jar her back to her senses.

Her fingers coiled tighter around the hilt of her dagger – a weapon bestowed upon her as part of her initiation into the world of guardian angels. The handle, intricately carved with a Celtic symbol interlaced with the sign of infinity and two opals of varying shades embedded in the center, now pressed into the soft skin of her palm. Months of intensive practice, it was now an extension of herself. Its sharp, jagged edges of an unbreakable shimmering blue metal were forged specifically to kill demons, to kill anything not intended for this world. Greylyn prayed it also worked on whatever this man was.

He had not moved. Just stared at her with those freaky eyes of blood. She slashed upward with the blade. He jerked away, but not in time. A gash appeared across his cheek and his hand flew up to his face. Greylyn used his momentary surprise to push herself off the ground to run away. Not two steps later, the man grabbed her upper arm, hauling her backwards into his chest with such momentum she felt, as well as heard, the cracking of her spine from the impact. The small bones of her wrist popped painfully under pressure from his much larger hand, forcing her fist to unclasp and the dagger to fall. His other hand snaked around her waist.

“Going somewhere so soon?” His voice held a gruff edge to it now, no longer velvety smooth.

Every instinct screamed at her not to, but she defiantly craned her neck to stare up at her captor. Big mistake. He whipped her around to face him. Now pressed against his chest, the thumping of her own heart against her ribcage mixed with sound of his own rose to a deafening level, blocking out all other sounds. His lips curled on one side, highlighting a dimple. Perfectly white teeth glinted in the dim moonlight. Warm breath caressed her face, smelling slightly of bourbon.

“Let. Me. Go,” she ground out from clenched teeth. Her body shivered, but she refused to acknowledge the fear. Although it was likely she might not survive her first guardian assignment, Jasper’s mantra that he had drilled into her head over the last year rang in her ears – Never acknowledge the fear. A guardian does not have the luxury of giving in to fear. Greylyn prayed her eyes reflected resolve and courage, not the terror coursing through her veins. Or whatever else was pulsing through her body.

A full grin broke out on the man’s face. The red flames dancing in his eyes smoldered before returning to their topaz hue that had riveted her in place earlier. His entire face relaxed. “Now, love. Why would I do that? There’s so much we have to discuss before …”

Greylyn stomped down on his foot with all her strength. Considering their significant size difference, she did not expect it to work, but it startled her captor enough for him to loosen his grip. She wrenched her arm away while her other fist swung up and slammed into his face. Blood gushed from his nose, flowing down to drip off his chiseled chin.

Instead of an angry shout or a return punch, he glared steadily at her with no other outward show of pain or emotion.

“So much for civility then.” The words were spoken so softly through thinned lips that she almost doubted he had spoken at all until his fist shot out. Excruciating pain blinded her.

The jerk broke my nose!

Strong hands gripped her arms and yanked her with such force her neck snapped as her body sailed across the alleyway. Colliding with the moss-covered stone wall of the tavern, all the air whooshed out of her lungs. A coppery tinge filled her mouth.

Pain and anger boiled up, fueling a surge of adrenaline that brought everything into crystal clear focus. All sound, except for her assailant’s heavy breathing, stopped. She waited.

Why didn’t he attack? Why did he stop?

She raised her head in defiance, blood and muck clinging to the strands of hair covering her face.

I am a guardian angel. No evil shall pass by me.

This man was obviously evil. Demon or not, evil was evil. She had no choice but to put an end to him.

“Like hitting little girls, do you? Not very gentlemanly.” She clicked her tongue behind her teeth as her arms numbly pushed her into a squatting position. Sizing him up, this time as an opponent, Greylyn saw past the fashionable attire and good looks to the dark soul underneath. A blackness exuded from his aura, so dark it mingled with the night sky. How had she not seen it before?

The man straightened to his full height, hands at his side curled into fists. “You shouldn’t be here, love.” She had expected an angry retort or another attack, but his voice was soft and shaky.

Her eyes darted around the alley. She needed a weapon, preferably her own. Where had it gone? With the moon fully ensconced behind the clouds it was impossible to see more than his faint outline, even with her superior nighttime vision.

Greylyn rose to stand, her back against the broken stone wall. “Well, I am here. Ready to party.” She had aimed for a daring, but jovial tone. The slight squeak at the end belied her inner fear.

“Looking for a good time, I see. Well then, how about a dance?”

He sprung at her in a blur, but Greylyn dodged just an inch to the left and he slammed into the same wall he had thrown her against. She pivoted to attack while he was still prone on the ground, but a sudden glint of blue caught her attention. Her dagger! Just a few yards away.

She dove to the right, her outstretched fingers grazed the hilt, but her hesitation cost her. A hand clamped down fully on the handle and wrestled it away from her grasp. He rolled her over roughly, straddled her hips with her arms trapped underneath his knees, and smashed her face with the fist holding her own weapon.

Pain exploded as bones and tendons cracked and blood seemed to spurt from every pore. The assault continued, punch after punch, blow after blow. Greylyn’s world turned crimson just before a blackness edged her vision.

Her first assignment as a guardian angel. Her first failure, and quite possibly, her last.

Death was inevitable. Not even her own supernatural strength could save her from this monster. Despite the agony racing throughout her body, her mind clearly accepted her fate.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil.

Silence fell over the alley. The rain of punches stopped. Greylyn’s eyes opened to peek at her attacker. What she saw chilled her to her soul – the demonic red eyes had smoldered away, back to their original gold-flecked hue. The man’s face transformed from pure rage to sadness as a tear rolled down his cheek. A tear? “I’m … I … Oh no …” His trembling lips continued to move, but no coherent words formed.

“What in the bloody hell …” An angry roar shocked her out of her stupor. That voice she recognized. Jasper.

Unable to move, she gaped as a tall shadow with piercing eyes of ice jerked her assailant away from her.

“You damn …” He did not finish his sentence, just punched the man in the face while holding him by his lapel.

Greylyn gulped in air. She was not dead, not yet. Renewed energy pulsated through her body and gave her strength to push herself up on shaky arms. She stared, turning to look at each man as they circled each other. Both men with deadly intent etched on their faces. In between getting hit, and throwing jabs of his own, the stranger muttered, “Had to be you! It just had to be you!” One final uppercut to Jasper’s jaw, and the guardian angel fell back.

Her mouth opened to scream for him to leave Jasper alone, but no words came out. He turned to her, his face bloodied, but with a sad smile. “Until next time, love.” Seconds later, he vanished down the alleyway.

Suddenly able to move again, Greylyn jumped up and ran over to Jasper. “Who the hell was that?”

“Oh, I’m fine, by the way.” With the indignant look he flashed she knew Jasper was far from being fine. Physically, yes, he was alright. But his icy-blue eyes spoke volumes of fury she could not understand.

“I’m so sorry …” She checked him for injuries, hands roved over his body. His clothes were spattered with blood. Other than his pride, and a black eye that would fade in an hour or two, he was in perfect shape.

Greylyn knew she looked a mess. Hell, she should be dead. Instead, the blood had already dried and the sizzle of her bones mending underneath her skin comforted her.

I am not going to die. At least not tonight.

Jasper cupped her chin. “Yes, I know. It’s my fault. It was too soon to send you out on your own like that. I realized my mistake and came to find you in case you needed assistance.” A nerve twitched in his jaw. “And I find I was correct. You certainly needed help.” Disappointment was evident in his tone.

“Oh, no! Edward? Did he escape? I came out here looking for him, but these guys,” she waved her hand towards the corpses littering the alley, “were after him and …”

“Yes, yes. I get it. You ran into the bad guys and as a bonus, you got a bloody dark guardian your first time on your own.”

“A what?”

“A dark guardian. The exact opposite of us, darling. You are just lucky I came along when I did. That one would’ve carved you up like a porterhouse steak.” He pushed himself off the ground. At his full height of well over six feet tall, he towered above her.

“Does this dark guardian have a name?” She did not know why it mattered that she find out his name. Jasper narrowed his eyes at her in obvious disapproval.

“That one in particular is Kael,” Jasper spat. “Truly nasty piece of work. Avoid him at all costs. Hopefully, you will never have to see that creature again.”

He turned towards her and grabbed her by the upper arms, leaning forward so they were nose to nose. An aroma of whiskey and tobacco wafted into her face. “Greylyn, promise me that you will stay away from Kael. If he ever crosses your path, either annihilate him completely with your dagger through his heart and then rip it out of his body while it is still beating; or run. Just run.”

***

Centuries later, Jasper’s warning still echoed in her ears. Kael arose every so often,

almost as if he were taunting her with his presence. He would toy with her, undo whatever good she intended to do, and just in general made her afterlife difficult. Every encounter etched into her memory, chipping away at her tough veneer. One day, she vowed, she would end him for good.

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

Sound intriguing? Then why not try out, Rekindled Prophecy, and dive into a world of angels, demons, heaven, and hell, and all that lies in between where immortal enemies dare to resist the temptation to become eternal lovers.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XW7YG26

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

But wait! There's More!

https://clcannon.net/cozpn

In the mood for some cozy paranormal reads?

We’ve got you covered! Enter to win these bestselling paranormal books & goodies!

Prizes include:

Print copies of The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, Sprinkles And Sea Serpents by Danielle Garrett, Fur The Hex Of It by Jane Hinchey, Love’s A Witch by Tricia O’Malley, Love Letters & Thirst Tonics by Hailey Blackwood, and Magic, Movies, And Murder by Emily Fluke + a spooky season candle, book light, read more books metal bookmark, and black cat page holder!