Hi ,

I wanted to apologize to my subscribers for two reasons. I don't usually release two newsletters on the same day, but today I did it for a special reason. I had plans to release my book today, but I have been having trouble with the ISBN library and can't currently obtain an ISBN for my new book, so this will unfortunately delay the process; however, I do still want to treat you to the first chapter and a sneak peak at the new cover, so low and behold, continue reading below:

Blurb:

Hannah Fraser, a forensic anthropologist, is summoned to a remote Alaskan research station to investigate a chilling discovery, a perfectly preserved boy encased in ice. What begins as a scientific breakthrough quickly turns into a nightmare when a mysterious illness erupts after the ice is disturbed.

As the infection spreads with terrifying speed, Hannah and the Head of Security must fight to contain the outbreak before it reaches the outside world. But isolation, fear, and dwindling time push them to their limits.

With humanity at risk and danger closing in, Hannah must uncover the truth behind the discovery before it's too late to stop what's been unleashed.

Chapter One:

Xavier Evans stared at the young woman, who couldn’t be more than eighteen, walking towards him on the tarmac. One woman and man followed in her wake, carrying all the luggage, while all she carried was a backpack. There was no way she could be who they were expecting, but she did fit the description they had given him. Red hair and all peeking out of her parka.

When she stopped in front of him, his heart did a triple thump as her vibrant green eyes locked with his. There was something otherworldly about them, and he found himself at a loss for words. He couldn’t see much else, but it was enough to wake up his libido.

“You must be Xavier. I’m Doctor Hannah Fraser,” she said, shoving her gloved hand at him. “And these are my assistants, Cheryl Blakely and Flynn Peters.”

He stared at her hand mindlessly for a moment before he cleared his throat, trying to get his mind back on track. The last thing he could afford was getting distracted. Being the head of security, his duty was to keep everyone safe and get the doctor inside before they froze to death. It was thirty degrees below zero. Far too cold to stand out here and do idle chitchat.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said. After shaking her hand, he gestured towards the door a hundred feet behind him. “Right this way.”

Xavier shivered as a chill blew through the opening in his hood, ruffling his dark brown hair. It was one of those colors somewhere in between black and brown that could pass as one or the other. It gave him a hell of a time filling out security applications and driver’s licenses.

Punching in the security code, he opened the door and allowed them to enter first. Once the door was secure, he turned to face the newcomers. They were now in a small foyer, not any larger than a small apartment living room. It was void of color, except a Bird of Paradise plant in the corner. It felt a little like being in a tin can sometimes.

In the middle of the room was a desk with a computer and a turnstile on either side of it. Xavier scanned his card and went through the turnstile, then hung his jacket on a coat rack next to the main door leading into the Station.

“I’ll need to see your identification,” he said, sitting down in front of the computer.

Hannah placed her bag on the edge of the desk and pulled out a makeup bag, a small bag of medicine, two books—romance by the looks of it—and a bra. He glanced up at her and noted her cheeks had turned a pretty hue of pink, making him grin. He couldn’t help but wonder if she was wearing a bra under all her clothes.

She chuckled nervously, stuffed the bra under her jacket, and then continued digging through her bag’s contents. “I know it’s in here somewhere.”

In the meantime, her companions handed him their identification. They had flown up from Vancouver, British Columbia. She was well known in her pathology field, which in a way surprised him. By her appearance, he wouldn’t have pegged her for a doctor. She had the looks of someone who could have easily been on the cover of a magazine but instead was here at the station with him. A shiver rippled through him, and a vision of kissing her ruby lips jumped into his mind.

He squeezed his eyes closed momentarily. He’d transferred up here to get away from the memory of his ex-girlfriend, Catherine. Away from how she had bled him dry and ruined his life. Was Hannah trying to escape from something too? You don’t come all the way out here to socialize.

“Ah ha, found it! I must have put it in my suitcase when I was trying to find my notes.” In her excitement, her hood slipped off her head and her red hair cascaded down her shoulders, making him swallow hard.

She handed him her driver’s license, and he couldn’t help but take a peek at her date of birth. He looked between her and the picture on her license. There was no way she was twenty-eight.

“I know. I know. I look sixteen, right?” she grumbled.

“I was going to say eighteen, but ya.”

After checking everything over, he leaned over and pulled out their access cards from the bottom drawer. With a few clicks of the keyboard, he activated their cards. “Your cards will only give you access into your rooms, the gym, the library, as well as any medical and research rooms within the facility. If you find that you need access anywhere else, please come and see me.”

“Funny to have such high security in the middle of nowhere,” Flynn, one of Hannah’s assistants, commented.

“You can never be too careful, even out here. We have at least two hundred people in this facility, as well as sensitive information that not everyone is privy to.” That two hundred included his twelve-man security team, who covered all six floors. Thankfully not too much had happened since he arrived, so it was a relatively easy job.

“Speaking of which, has the specimen arrived?” Hannah asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“One second.” Xavier picked up his radio and contacted one of his teammates to man the desk so he could show the newcomers around, then responded to her question. “It should arrive later today.”

“Were you apprised of its condition?”

“They don’t tell. I don’t ask.”

She tilted her sweet head to the side and studied him. “You aren’t the least bit curious?”

Truth be told, when he first started at the station, he wanted to know everything. But they had enough on their plates without knowing every little thing, and the director didn’t like them prying into the research.

He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not paid to inquire.” The less he knew, the better, because then he wouldn’t get accused of taking something if it disappeared. If it posed a threat, that would be a different story, but a fossil frozen in ice was the least of his concerns. They had the proper isolation rooms on the research floor to separate it from the rest of the population in the station.

“I don’t think I could do that,” she said. “I like to know every detail.”

“Makes sense. You wouldn’t be a doctor if you didn’t like to know what makes things tick.”

As they were talking, one of his men walked in, dressed in their usual attire—white shirts with a small security logo on the front and Finley’s Research Security on the arm patches, along with black pants and polished black shoes.

“Man the desk, please. I’m going to show Doctor Fraser and her associates around the station.”

“Sure thing,” his buddy replied, taking up a position behind him.

Xavier nodded towards him, then turned his attention back to the newcomers. “We’ll put your luggage in your room before we do the grand tour.”

“Can we have thirty minutes to freshen up? It’s been a long flight,” Cheryl asked, her wavy hair standing on end from static after pulling off her toque. He fought to suppress a grin. It looked like she’d stuck her finger in a light socket.

He looked at his watch. “We might just have to wait until after dinner for the tour then, because Director Adams wants to see you in the conference room in an hour.”

Pushing the chair back from his desk, he stood up and moved over to the sliding door. He pulled his access card from his pocket and held it in front of the scanner before punching in the code. The sliding doors opened, and they walked into a hallway. To his left was a staircase that led down to the lower floors.

“You have two options. We can take the stairs or the elevator. Your pick.” He pointed down the long hallway to the elevator.

Hannah looked at their gear and then back at him. “I think we’ll take the elevator, thank you.” As they walked down the hall, a square black case that Cheryl had stacked in her arms started to slip off the pile.

“Oh no!” she cried as it tumbled towards the ground. Xavier snatched it out of the air, pulling it safely into his arms. Cheryl let out a visible sigh of relief. “Thank you so much. You’re a lifesaver.”

Instead of piling it back on top, he opted to carry it. By the look on Hannah’s face, the girl would have been up shit creek without a paddle if the item broke. Hannah held herself together, though, and didn’t say a word.

It didn’t take long for them to get down to the second floor. They walked halfway down the corridor and turned to the left, then a short bit later, turned to the right. “Geez, this isn’t confusing at all,” Hannah said with a wry grin.

“Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it. We’re essentially a great big square, and if you get lost, there are security phones along the outer hallways—one in each corner.”

Xavier stopped in front of a room. “Doctor Fraser and Mrs. Blakely, this is your room. Flynn will be sharing a room next door with one of our resident engineers, Levi White.”

“Please, it’s just Miss Blakely. I’m not married.” She made a point of saying as she fluttered her eyelashes at him.

Xavier smiled. “Duly noted.”

Cheryl was a cute little thing, but she wasn’t his type. Besides, he had no interest in pursuing a relationship while stationed out here. They may be in the middle of nowhere, and fun activities were slim to none, but he was here to do a job, and that was it.

Hannah swiped her card on the reader, and the doors slid open. She stepped inside and placed her gear on the table before turning to him. “If I need to speak to you specifically, where would I be able to find you?”

“Our main security office is on the main floor where we came in, to the right of the elevator. I’m there from zero eight hundred to sixteen hundred hours.”

“Good to know.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to it.”

Hannah nodded her head and then turned to Cheryl. “Did you want to use the washroom first?”

Special visitors to the station received the best suites, which had a full bathroom, as opposed to the normal crew, which only had a sink and toilet inside theirs. Only the director and assistant director had the same. Xavier didn’t really mind. It’s not like he had any plans to entertain. Communal shower rooms were the norm out here.

Stepping out of the room, he allowed the doors to close behind him. Just as he was about to head back to the front, his radio squawked. “Alpha-one to Delta one, the elevator has malfunctioned. The director is inside. A repair crew has been dispatched.”

“Ten-four, I’m on my way there now.”