Shadows
of the Past
Shadow
Slayers Stories Book 1
by
Nellie H. Steele
Genre:
Supernatural Suspense
"A
well-thought out and imaginative novel." - Indies Today
The
blood wasn’t real. Her heart hammered in her chest. The
blood wasn’t real. She could feel the terror coursing
through her veins. The blood wasn’t real. But what if it
was hers?
Ever
since the nightmares started, Josephine “Josie” Benson’s life
had started spiraling out of control. At night, she couldn’t sleep,
and during the day she finds it increasingly more difficult to cling
to reality. Nothing in her twenty-five years of life had prepared her
for this moment, and, somehow, no matter who she turned to no one had
any concrete answers. No one except for the mysterious stranger.
He
swears he knows the answers to all of her questions, but how can
Josie trust him when he only calls her Celine, a name she has no
memory of or connection to.
Can
this stranger who looks at her like she has secrets really be
trusted? Does he know the reason for her nightmares? Or could he
somehow be behind them?
Grayson
Buckley can see the physical toll the nightmares are taking on her
and it breaks his heart. He desperately wants to help her, to free
her mind and awaken her, but he knows it isn’t time yet. He can’t
rush this. One day she will awaken, and when she does all will be
made known.
When
one accident finally reveals the answers she’s been dying for,
Josie finds that her life will never be the same. Will Josie be able
to accept the truth of her past and the power that dwells within her?
Or will she succumb to the evil that now manifests itself in the
world around her?
Find
out in Shadows of the Past: Book One in the Shadows
Slayers Stories!
Stolen
Portrait Stolen Soul
Shadow
Slayers Stories Book 2
Things
were supposed to be better now that she had awoken, but somehow, they
seemed to be getting worse.
Celine
Devereaux Buckley, who once lived a mortal, very human life as Josie
Benson, thought that coming home would be safe. She would be
surrounded by those she loved and who loved her most, but her
homecoming was more complicated than she ever imagined.
Shortly
after arriving, she begins feeling strange. As her physical condition
once again worsens, she and her family can’t help but wonder what
could be causing her so much pain. When Damien Sherwood, her beloved
human cousin, connects her missing portrait to Celine’s troubles,
he throws himself into a desperate search to find it. The image, a
portrait of Celine with mystical powers to guard the Buckley
household, has gone missing, and without it, everyone is in grave
danger. But how can they get it back when Celine is already under
attack from its absence?
Damien,
tired of watching Celine suffer, finally comes up with a plan to
retrieve the missing talisman. Crazy though it may be, he’s willing
to try anything. With the help of Celine’s magical gifts and her
former human boyfriend, Michael, Damien travels back in time to track
down the missing portrait. However, unexpected dark forces are
lurking even in the past.
Will
Damien and Michael be able to retrieve the painting before it’s too
late for Celine? Can they change the course of the past without
damaging the future they love? Or will their efforts end up getting
them killed?
Find
out in Stolen
Portrait Stolen Soul.
This is book two in the stunning Shadow
Slayers Stories series
and will keep you on the edge of your seat and holding your breath
until the last page.
Shadows of the Past
Excerpt 1:
A dark-haired man studied the outside of the medium-sized Craftsman style home set in the middle of a wooded lot. It was off a country road; it took some work to find it. “Just like her to pick somewhere like this,” he thought as he stared up at the light blue exterior trimmed with dark wood. He shrugged his trench coat around him tighter though he didn’t really need it; it was warmer here than where he was from. He looked at the box in his hands. It was the first step. He waited until she left the house with a man who also lived there. She looked the same as he remembered: flowing golden blonde curls, bright, sparkling blue eyes, delicate facial features with high cheekbones, and a smile that could light up a room even on the darkest of days. She had been smiling a lot, so very unlike the last time he had seen her. She seemed happy, but he could not avoid this moment. He approached the porch and set down the box outside of the door. She would find it there when she got home, and she would remember, she had to remember. They were doomed if she did not remember.
Excerpt 2:
“Okay, let’s begin, Josie,” the doctor said, starting the pendulum moving. “Now just try to relax, let your body sink into the chair, relax. Your limbs are beginning to become tired and heavy and your eyes are starting to close. You’re starting to feel completely relaxed, and when I count backwards from ten, you will become even more relaxed. When I finish counting, you will be completely relaxed and asleep.” The doctor counted backward from ten, pausing after each number. When he finished, Josie was under.
She sat motionless in the chair, eyes closed, limbs slack. “Josie,” the doctor began, “I want you to find a safe place, a place where you are happy. Tell me when you’ve found one.”
“I have one,” Josie murmured after a moment.
“Good. I want you to remember this safe place. If you become afraid while we’re talking, I want you to go to that place, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Josie, I want you now to recall the dream you described to me earlier. Can you remember that?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to remember that. I want to stay here.”
“Josie, you can go back to your safe place anytime you want, but right now I want you to recall the nightmare you’ve been having. Tell me when you remember it.”
“Okay,” she said, after a momentary pause, “I’m thinking of it.”
“Can you tell me what you see? Tell me what’s going on.”
“It’s dark. I’m running; the walls are cold and wet, like a cave. I’m scared. I have to get out of here. He’s coming. I can hear him. He’s coming behind me. I have to run.” Josie began to breathe harder. She pinched her eyes shut and wrinkled her forehead before speaking again. “Aidez moi, aidez moi. Il arrive. Aidez moi. Mon Dieu, aidez moi.” Josie panted, gripping the chair, her voice rising to a fever pitch.
“Josie, Josie, you’re okay, it’s just a dream.”
“Non, non, il vient. Je dois partir.”
“Josie, please speak English.”
“HE’S COMING, I MUST GO!” she shouted, tears rolling down her face.
“Josie, you’re safe. It’s just a dream. Can you tell me more?”
“NO! NO!” she shouted, wincing in pain as the tears continued to stream down her face.
Stolen Portrait Stolen Sous
Excerpt 1:
The house loomed large on the horizon. Damien took a deep breath as he studied the dark structure’s silhouette. Lights still glowed from the inside; someone was still up. With any luck, he could avoid them and go straight to his room without any interaction.
He approached the house and entered the foyer. Celine and Gray were making their way across the room. Just my luck, he mused. “Hey, D!” Celine greeted him.
“Hi!” he called, meeting them in the middle of the room.
“Late night researching with Alexander?” she asked.
He smiled at her, wide-eyed. “Yes, er, no. I mean, that’s not what we were doing. I mean, we were, but then we were playing chess. He’s excellent at chess. I mean, not like I’m getting my butt kicked every time, but it’s challenging, so that’s fun,” Damien babbled.
Gray stared at him, crinkling his brow in confusion at his rambling. “Heading to bed?” Celine asked.
“Yep, yes.” He feigned a yawn. “Gosh, I am so tired. I’m going to go right to bed and go to sleep.”
“Is everything okay, D?” Celine asked, realizing his nervous babbling signaled he was anxious about something.
“Yep. It’s all good. I’m all good. Just tired.”
“Well, you better get to bed then! We’re heading up too, we’ll walk with you.”
The trio started across the foyer, on their way to retire for the evening. As they approached the stairs, the door opened, Michael came through.
“Hi, Michael, good to see you,” Celine said, stopping to greet him.
“Hey, buddy!” Damien called to him from across the room. “Late one, huh?”
Michael didn’t respond. He appeared frozen in place, unable to move. Even from across the room, Celine noted that he appeared unwell. “Are you okay?” she asked, as she approached him.
There was no response. Michael took one stumbling step further into the room before collapsing.
Excerpt 2:
When she awoke, Damien was gone. She glanced around the room, finding herself alone. The digital clock’s face was blank. She tried the light; it was not working either. The power must be out, she determined. She’d have to find a flashlight and search for Damien after checking on Michael.
Thunder sounded overhead as she climbed out of bed. Lightning illuminated the room as she navigated to the door. She stepped into the hallway, finding it was deserted. Her bare feet padded down the hall toward Michael’s door. His door was ajar to his darkened bedroom. She pushed it open, glancing into the room as lightening tore through the sky.
The room was empty, the bedsheets rumpled. Celine stepped inside, scanning the room. While the power outage was concerning, she didn’t understand the need to move Michael. Had something happened? If so, why wasn’t she told. She made her way to the bed. Lightning lit the room again, revealing an additional detail. She hadn’t noticed earlier, but the sheets were blood-stained.
She gasped, grasping the sheets to examine them closer in the dim light. Something must have happened to Michael. Had his wounds reopened? They were almost healed. Was he attacked again? Why hadn’t they woken her?
She tossed the sheets down, exiting the room. She called into the darkness, searching for anyone still in the house. There was no response. The stillness of the house disconcerted her. She called out again, her voice echoing off the walls.
A noise drew her attention down the hall. She followed the hallway past Damien’s door, continuing guardedly in the darkness. Thunder crashed and lightning lit the next hallway. A figure loomed at the end. “Hello?” she called out. “Gray? Alexander?”
She received no response. She continued down the hall toward the figure. “What happened to Michael?” she asked, still not receiving a response.
Halfway down the hall, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. An overwhelming apprehension filled her. She gazed at the figure in front of her, suddenly alarmed. “Who are you?” she queried.
Thunder boomed, drowning out any potential response. As the lightning brightened the hallway, she stared at the figure. Shadows obscured any details. She swallowed hard, backing away from the figure. She inched backward as the figure approached her. Without warning, she bumped into something behind her. Glancing backward, she was surprised to find a wall at her back. A wall sealed the hallway which was once open to another wing.
Celine turned, pushing against the wall. The figure advanced toward her. Celine whipped around, placing her back against the wall, ready to fight. She reached out to cast a preemptive warning strike with a fireball, nothing happened. She jiggled her hand again, but to no avail. The figure closed in on her along with the walls. A scream escaped her mouth as lightning flickered across the figure.
What is your favorite part of this book and why?
FOR SHADOWS OF THE PAST: My favorite moment in the book is the first time Josie comes face to face with Duke Marcus Northcott. The scene is dramatic, and the experience is overwhelming for Josie. It is a keystone moment for both characters and the first moment we see Marcus in the story. The imagery of him circling her, like an animal circling its prey, creates a vivid impression of her life when Marcus was present.
FOR STOLEN PORTRAIT STOLEN SOUL: My favorite moment in this book is the end. I won’t give it away but those final words in the last chapter between Damien, Gray, Alexander and Michael are epic!
Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?
I am a pantser, not a plotter, so my characters can definitely hijack the story. I start out with a general sense of direction but as the characters come to life, they can alter the direction, sometimes even completely change the book and its outcome.
I have intended to remove characters from the story (through leaving town or killing them off) and had them stay long after I intended them to because they had their own ideas about how they fit into the book! As the character takes shape, they are often quite different from what I originally intended when I roughly planned them.
It makes for an interesting ride for me when writing!
Nellie
H. Steele lives in the South Hills of Pittsburgh with her family and
her many fur-babies. When she isn't writing, she enjoys teaching
Statistics at a local university or watching her dogs and cats play
in the yard.
Nellie
is the author of the Cate Kensie Mystery Series, a cozy mystery
series following the adventures of Dr. Catherine Kensie, a history
professor turned Scottish Countess, and her beloved dog, Riley, as
they navigate their new lives in their quirky Scottish highlands
castle, solving mysteries along the way! She is the creator of the
Shadow Slayers series, a suspenseful series with a supernatural
twist! Follow the Shadow Slayers through time as they fight to banish
darkness from the world. Nellie also writes an adventure series,
Maggie Edwards Adventures. Follow Maggie Edwards as she travels the
world solving mysteries and finding unique treasures!
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