Fury’s Magic Excerpt

And now, an excerpt from FURY’S MAGIC–due out in NOVEMBER!!! 🙂

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” I held up my sword. Xan was perpetually sharp so I never needed to hone her edge, but she asked for a good polish every now and then. The ornate blade vibrated in my hand. She was growing stronger. Every time I used her, the energy sang. At times I felt I could almost hear her speak, but the barrier between us hadn’t quite broken open yet. Although Hecate wouldn’t tell me what the sword’s full potential was, I knew that I hadn’t tapped into her full nature yet, but I knew it was just a matter of time.

Tam lounged on the sofa, one foot propped up on the seat while the other hung over the edge. Leaning back, he read on his tablet. Without looking up from his book, he said, “Yes, I want to go. Quit worrying about me.”

“All right, but remember, I asked.” I went back to shining my blade, although I wasn’t about to stop worrying. I knew very well that Tam could hold his own. After all, he was one of the Bonny Fae. And not just one of them—he was their Prince—the Lord of UnderBarrow. But I’d still feel responsible if he got hurt. My lover and friend, his health mattered to me, and the fact was, we were headed into a dangerous situation. Hauntings were seldom easy—if the ghosts were chill, then most people left them alone. It was only the nasty ones that they called me about.

Jason let out a snort from behind the counter. “You’re both nuts. Why on earth do you want to go prowling around a boat filled with ghosts?” He was mixing up a batch of Dove’s Love—a powder designed to calm volatile situations. We sold far too much of it here at Dream Wardens—a magical consulting shop. Sales of the powder were very good. The fact that it was needed so often? Not so good.

“Because it’s a job? Because Hecate found it for me? Because I need the money?” Finally satisfied that Xan was as clean and sparkling as I was going to get her, I slid her back into her sheath and set the blade to the side. “We should head out. The ghosts are more active once the sun sets.” I glanced out of the store window. The light had waned and dusk already was stretching its hand over the skies. We were well into October, and daylight faded by four.

Tam abruptly closed his tablet and stood, stretching as he yawned. “Then we shall go. Jason, do you need me anymore today?” He was tall and lanky, with long black hair that curled to his waist, and his eyes were silver, ringed with black. Not only striking to look at, Tam had a natural magnetism and charm that exuded from every pore in his body.

And he has good hands, I thought. Very good hands. And lips. And…

“Not right now, no.” Jason put an end to my reverie. He, too, was tall and ruggedly good-looking, with wheat colored hair and vivid green eyes. Where Tam wore his hair loose and flowing, Jason gathered his own back into a braid. His nose had an unusual curve to it, like most hawk-shifters’s noses.

Jason owned Dream Wardens. He had let me set up my own little business in one corner—the Crossroads Cleaning Company. I took on exorcisms and psychic cleansings, and offered tarot readings and I threw the bones for those who wanted oracular advice. Hecate had strengthened my gifts in those areas, and while business waxed and waned, I usually made a decent living. But it had been awhile since I’d had a job like this one, and I was trying to remember what I needed as I gathered together my tools.

I opened my bag to make sure that all my ritual tools were there. Hecate had given me a sacred crystal skull that allowed me to focus my energy toward the dead, and I had several different powders and sprays—Rest Ye Well powder that Jason made, Exorcism oil to evict spirits from their possessed victims, holy water from Hecate’s sacred fountain, graveyard dust and Crossroads dust. A leather sheath held my dagger with a bronze hilt and a crystal blade that was to be used for magic only. Also in the bag were a clapper-bell to drive the dead away, and other assorted goodies.

“I think I’m ready.” I looked around to make certain I hadn’t forgotten anything else.