Crossed
Keeper
Witches 0.5
by
Kristy Centeno
Genre:
YA Urban Fantasy
Bryn
McCaskey lived by simple rules: kill demons, never use magic against
school bullies, and avoid running her mouth in front of her Grams.
It
all seemed easy enough to follow.
Until
Rhyzel Connor rolled into her life.
Suddenly
everything she thought she knew about demons is put to the test as
she finds herself teaming up with the most unusual of teammates to
save a fellow witch from a hit.
Only
problem is she doesn’t know how trustworthy Rhyzel is.
When
magic is involved a good outcome isn’t always guaranteed and Bryn
will have to put her neck on the line to get to the bottom of the
well, even if it means unmasking Rhyzel and everything he stands for
in an attempt to solve the biggest mystery she’s ever come across.
Excerpts:
#1
The roar of an engine speeding in our direction drew the Snotty Four’s
attention away from me and to a piece of black and green hunk of metal on two
wheels headed right for us. Karen and Natasha squealed as the front tire of a
beautiful Yamaha motorcycle sped toward them. They jumped to the side, leaving
Marianne, Jill, and me in its destructive path.
Marianne and Jill released their iron grip on me and quickly hightailed
it after their besties, rushing to the parking lot of the abandoned restaurant
to my left as the motorcycle screeched to a stop a mere three feet from my
right foot. I had a mini heart attack, but instead of running for cover, I
stood frozen to the spot as if my shoes had been superglued to the sidewalk.
I brought my gaze up to the rider, unsure if I should thank him or
curse at him. Who the hell drove their motorcycle off the road and right in the
direction of five teenagers? No one. Not unless they were crazy, drunk, or
stupid. Or all three. There were a lot of psychos out there nowadays.
“Hey, jerk!” Karen yelled at the stranger, who failed to acknowledge
her.
Instead, he lifted the helmet off his head and directed a set of green
eyes at me. His hair was the color of copper and contrasted against his pale
skin. He was very attractive, there was no denying that, but something about
him instantly put me on alert.
For starters, no normal person had specks of red in their irises along
with their natural color. Second, he gave out an interesting vibe. Like he was
surrounded by some inner force that, although invisible, I could still sense.
#2
Heavy footsteps stopped right outside the seventh door. Something
pounded on the wood once, twice, as if requesting an invitation to come inside.
The creepy factor tipped the scale.
I spread my legs apart as the door to the apartment rattled. Something
insisted on testing the endurance of the wooden frame repeatedly. I brought my
right arm to my chest, fingers curled into a fist.
And then I waited.
The door exploded into giant splinters as the first demon burst into
the living room. It wasn’t as big as my imagination had led me to believe, but
it wasn’t small either. Taller than me for sure. And bulkier by far. It resembled
a human kangaroo hybrid, but not nearly as cuddly. Definitely not cute. Not
remotely.
In my short career as a Keeper witch I’d seen my share of ugly demons.
This pointy-eared, stocky, brown-skinned walking nightmare was among the top
five. Its short snout was filled with triangular teeth that seemed deadly
sharp. It held its girth on two muscled legs with inverted knees and three-inch
talons on each of its toes.
Behind that demon stood at least a dozen more monsters like it, waiting
to be granted access to their prey of choice. Their slanted eyes studied me
with predatory hunger. Except for the occasional twitch of their elf ears, not
one of them moved. Or growled. Or challenged me. Not until the one in the front
dipped its massive head back, howled, then bolted toward me.
#3
I rummaged through the backpack to make sure everything was still
inside and intact. Nothing was missing or broken. I zipped the bag up and
pushed my arms through the loops. I spun around and stopped dead as I caught a
blur of movement in a mirror hanging from the wall next to the main door. A
large shadow had filled the doorframe behind me for a mere fraction of a second
before stepping aside. It could’ve been my imagination, but instinct told me it
wasn’t. I glanced over my right shoulder, but the space between myself and the
sliding door leading to the balcony was empty. I turned back to the mirror. A
huge shadow filled the frame. There was no mistaking the glowing red eyes.
I had the kneejerk reaction to spread my legs, square my shoulders, and
raise my right hand in preparation for an attack. Then I noticed something
peculiar and paused. The shadow wasn’t reflecting from somewhere in the room,
but seemed to be a part of the mirror itself. There were no discernible features
except for the eyes—blood red eyes that were eerily like Rhyzel’s. The energy
was different from his though. Heavier. More oppressive.
The similarities ended with the eyes. This being was an entirely
different entity.
Kristy
Centeno loves to spin tales of creatures that go bump in the night,
with a sprinkle of romance to top them off. Her passion for writing
stems from a lifelong enjoyment of reading and the pleasure derived
from the magical worlds created by authors like her. She prefers her
female leads strong, independent, and stubborn who will stop at
nothing to save their loved ones and protect those they care for.
Kristy
currently resides in Pennsylvania with her five kids, a quartet of
noisy parakeets, and a spoiled puppy. When she’s not working or
writing, she juggles her free time between raising a handful of
minions and pursuing other career goals.
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* Excerpts *
#urbanfantasy #YA #coverreveal #kristycenteno
* Excerpts *
#urbanfantasy #YA #coverreveal #kristycenteno
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