Hey Guys! Today is my turn in the "Vigilante of Shadows" Tour and I'm glad to introduce you to an amazing story.
(please forgive the size of the "Excerpt" I just couldn't make it work any other way but it is definitely worth the reading!)
Vigilante
of Shadows
Scarlet
Rain Series, Book One
Miranda Stork
Genre: Paranormal
Thriller/Romance
Number of pages: 267
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/vYI-jh8Fa48
Book
Description:
Aodhan
clutched uselessly at his head, groaning. He knew it was useless, because the
voice was not inside his head. It followed him, skimming across buildings and
land. It had followed him since he was sixteen, and it still followed him
today, like a memory too horrific to be forgotten…
Aodhan is a
shadow-demon, hardened and cold after years of being alone, after his love, his
Entwined, was cruelly taken away from him. He has closed his heart to the
world, and now spends his life ridding the world of men like those who took his
beloved away, an immortal hit-man…
Arianwen Harris is a
young DCI, working for York City Police. When a known criminal is found
viciously killed, she finds herself trailing a hit-man who has seemed to escape
clutches again and again…but she begins to find herself drawn to his dark
charms and roguish good looks…
As their two worlds
collide, Aodhan and Arianwen find themselves coming together to escape a far
greater enemy, one that threatens to create a world far worse than the one they
live in. As they battle to hold back the oncoming forces, fate has another
plan; one to draw them together and heal their broken pasts together…
Excerpt
Knocking
his drink back, feeling the rich liquid burning his throat, Aodhan wiped his
mouth off with the back of his hand, and slowly stood up from the vinyl bar
stool. He waved his hand to get the attention of the barmaid, but she was far
too engrossed in the attentions of her personal Adonis to notice Aodhan.
Shrugging, he laid a ten-pound note down on the bar, next to his empty glass.
He
turned and walked out of the bar door with long strides, feeling the cool night
air on his face. The bouncer outside the doors turned and stared at Aodhan’s
six foot frame, no emotion showing on his features. Aodhan returned the cool
stare, and then began walking off into the night.
He
walked along speedily, his hands shoved deep in his jean pockets. The sounds of
the night surrounded him-distant cat song, the steady hum of far-off cars, the
soft sound of wind whistling underneath people’s windows. He loved being out at
night, not because it was a time when his ‘kind’ were more active, but simply
because it was so much quieter than the day. The sounds of people rushing
around disappeared, and left a peaceful calm with the soothing darkness.
Of
course, there were the voices in his head, but that was another story.
He
shrugged his shoulders up, cutting off the wind whistling around his neck. He
wasn’t particularly cold, but the noise was annoying when your ears were so
sensitive that a pin dropping sounded like a two-ton weight.
Aodhan’s
mind went back to the girl from the bar. He hadn’t meant to be so brisk with
her, but it was really best that no-one got that close. It really wasn’t his
style to be the mysterious, dark, lone ranger, but it was for the best in this
case. He had begun to…kill people. People who wouldn’t die if they hadn’t found
out about them…
Aodhan
was a demon.
A rare
demon, as well, a shadow demon. He had been born to a Scottish clan just over
eight-hundred years ago, to humans. Contrary to what he saw people believed in
the media and books, demons were actually born to humans. There was no line of them,
like vampyres or werewolves. They were simply…random.
When
he had been born, there were no noticeable signs of what he was. He just looked
like any of the other babies born to them, strong and healthy, but definitely
human.
As he
grew older, he had shown great proficiency with all weapons, learning faster
than any of the other boys in the clan, becoming more powerful and stronger
than most of them. Even some of the boys older than himself had a hard time
keeping up with him. He was never big-headed about it though, simply fitting in
with everyone else. However, the clan talked about how the strange-eyed boy was
so much quicker and stronger than others twice his age, and whispered about
ancient gods coming back to the earth. His looks weren’t too odd for his clan,
everyone having black, brown, or auburn hair, but his eyes were odd. All others
in his clan had mostly blue eyes, some of them had brown eyes. But he had
startling clear green eyes, more like a cat, in the clan’s eyes, than a human.
When
he was thirteen, he suddenly began developing strange growths near his temples.
After going to see the clan’s wise woman about it, she simply cackled, and
whispered, “Those who are given the gift of darkness, should not fear the
unknown.” He had shaken off the wise women’s words, telling himself that she
had finally gone crazy.
The
growths had developed further, until they started to look like small dark
horns, about the length of his thumb. They curled close to the curve of his
head, smooth with small ridges forming at each stage of their growth. Luckily,
Aodhan’s hair grew wild and long, allowing him to cover them up as much as he
could.
When
he became twenty, he was a well-loved member of his clan. He was kind and
helpful to all, and helped to fight off their enemies more times than he could
count on both hands. But he was holding a dreadful secret from his family.
Since his horns had grown, he had also noticed many other things.
He had
begun to...see things. Shadows.
When
he was out hunting in the forest near to their home, he would think that he had
seen someone moving in the trees behind him, but when he swung around to face
them, nothing. Then he would hear a soft chuckle, his name being called on the
wind. At night, in his bed as he tried to sleep, he would see black figures
running around the walls.
He had
tried to tell the wise woman of the village again, thinking them to be spirits
sent to drive him mad, or something worse. She simply shook her head at him,
and chuckled, rocking herself to and fro. He had got used to them by now,
drawing the blanket up over his head so that he couldn’t hear their taunting
murmurs....
Aodhan
suddenly stopped walking, snapping out of his daydreaming. He was sure he had
seen one of...them. Looking all around himself, he scanned the buildings around
him with his vivid eyes. The problem with them, was that they could hide
anywhere they chose-walls, buildings, floors, anywhere-especially at night.
The
red brick buildings around him looked empty, the few alleyways just leading alongside
the backs of houses, a few bins scattered about. No-one else was walking near
him on the pavement, no sound anywhere.
Just
as he was about to turn around and carry on walking, pulling his jacket up
again, when he heard something behind him. Something whispery and cold.
“Aodhan...”
About the Author:
I was born in
Guisborough, North Yorkshire in 1987 and have lived in various places around
Britain, including Newcastle and Glasgow.
My writing is inspired
by various writers, including the vivid characters of Charles Dickens, the
imagination of Stephen King, and the gothic imagery of Anne Rice.
My love of horror began
at an early age, when I was only three or four. I could read proficiently at
the age of three, and devoured fairy-stories, but I always had a bent towards
the darker stories, such as the Brother's Grimm's tales...Red Riding Hood was
always a firm favourite, although I always felt sorry for the wolf, despite him
having tried to eat everyone!
Amazon Author Page:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mirandastork
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/authormirandastork
I love this cover too. Had fun when Miranda was visiting my blog too. Great author :)
ReplyDeleteYou give me too many books I want to read. Great!!! :)
ReplyDeleteThe cover is striking.
ReplyDelete