The ground fell away as Bahlin’s humming began, and I started to warm up.
Behind me I heard Hellion scream at our retreating forms, “Game on, Niteclif. Game. On.”
No doubt.
About the Author
Denise Tompkins lives in the heart of the South where the neighbors still know your name, all food forms are considered fry-able and bugs die only to be reincarnated in aggressive, blood-craving triplicate. Thrilled to finally live somewhere that can boast 3 ½ seasons (winter’s only noticeable because the trees are naked), her favorite season is definitely fall. It’s the time of year when the gardens are just about to pass into winter’s brief silence, and the leaves are out to prove that nature is the most brilliant artist of all.
A life-long voracious reader, Denise has three favorite authors. Why three? Because favorite authors are like chips: a person can’t have just one. Her little house was so overrun with books last year that her darling husband bought her an e-reader out of self-preservation. He was (legitimately) afraid she might begin throwing out pots and pans to make room for more books, and he didn’t want to starve.
Her debut novel, Legacy, is the first book in The Niteclif Evolutions.
You can find out more about Denise by visiting her website, www.denisetompkins.net, or by following her on Twitter, @DeniseJTompkins.
Trust no one…except the one who walks in the dark.
Anthropology PhD candidate Lexi Harrison never bares it all when she belly dances for a strip club crowd. She doesn’t have to—she’s that good. Every performance earns money toward her degree, and restores the sense of power that her painful childhood ripped away.
Something is different about tonight. A man whose silver gaze seems to touch her skin beneath her veils. When a rowdy customer crosses the line, he comes to her rescue with the speed of a falcon—complete with wings.
Mikos Tyomni has never seen anyone dance the raqs sharqi like Lexi. Trust his tormentor, Archangel Michael, to put him in close contact with the cause of his downfall: a mortal woman. Particularly this mortal woman. The Defender. He has only thirty days to win her trust before Hell’s deadliest demons attempt the mother of all prison breaks.
No matter how sexy the messenger is, Lexi’s career plans don’t include some crazy idea that she’s the last line of defense against the forces of evil. Until her university mentor’s murder leaves her holding the key to Hell. And fighting a losing battle against a passion with the unholy power to bring down Heaven…
Enjoy the following excerpt for Key of Solomon:
Oh, shit! Lexi let out a startled squawk as he closed the protective distance she’d put between them until he was within a foot of her. His fists knotted as if he wanted to grab her, but he held back.
“How do you know Beliel?”
Lexi held up the sanjiegun, gesturing out a circle in front of her body Mikos was damn near to breaking. “Whoa, personal zone here.”
“Alexandria, this is important. Answer my question. How do you know Beliel?”
She cringed. Her full name again. “He showed up at my apartment earlier.”
Mikos jerked back. Fascinated, she watched his pupils and iris begin to spark again, the silver pinpoints of light widening. For Pete’s sake, what had she done or said?
“What happened?” he asked.
She shrugged, and looked down. With a sharp snick, she extended her sanjiegun, rested the tip on the floor and idly spun it like she was trying to start a fire. Christ. She suddenly had an urge to duck her head and squirm like a child caught doing something wrong.
“He made me an offer,” she said and lifted her head, her gaze sparring with his.
“What kind of offer?”
The phrase an offer you can’t refuse flashed into her mind. She didn’t let it out. Probably a smart decision based on the silver sparking in his eyes. Where the hell did he get that unusual ability?
Instead of uttering any number of smartass comments wavering on her tongue, she answered, “A normal life. One with a family.”
“A normal life,” he repeated. His tone sounded as if it had as much emotion as a rock.
Oops. Better scratch that. She actually knew a rock with emotion.
“Lexi, you must stay away from him.”
“Hey, I didn’t invite him. He just showed up.” She wrinkled her nose. “What’s the big deal?”
“You don’t know him. He’s dangerous.”
Lexi placed on hand on her hip and tapped her right foot. “So? I didn’t know you, but that didn’t stop you from