Hi, Y'all,
This year, I'm participating in Drea Becraft's Bewithching Halloween Blog Hop, along with a whole slew of talented authors! I'm excited about doing this, it's my first hop. Gee, I hope I'm good at it, LOL.
Here's an excerpt from Embrace the Night, my latest in the PHOENIX Files paranormal romance series. It's the first meeting between the hero and heroine, John and Tatiana.
Approaching Dr. Black's office, he found the doors open. Just as he'd expected, the doctor faced a rear window, with only the back of his leather chair beyond that ridiculously large desk visible.
"Thank you for coming, Agent Groves," the deep, booming voice emanated from the chair. "Enjoying this lovely weather?"
John scoffed. "Sure." He removed his fedora. "So, what's the mission?"
"Hold on now, speedy. You'll find that out when your partner gets here."
After his cross county trek, he found himself a little annoyed that his partner hadn't already arrived. "Well, where is he?"
A female voice answered from behind him. "I'm right here, and I hope you can tell I'm not a he."
He spun around in the direction of the sound, and saw her standing there. She was statuesque, nearly matching his own six feet four inches in height. She wore some sort of spandex workout gear, shaded red, that clung to her lithe, shapely body like a second skin. Her dark hair, streaked with red, clung to the sides of her bronze face as is she'd been sweating. Her flushed appearance was strangely appealing.
She raised an eyebrow, folded graceful arms across her chest. "Are you gonna just stand there gawking at me, or introduce yourself?"
Right away, John decided he did not care for her attitude or her mouth, regardless of her loveliness. Annoyed, he approached her, stuck out his big hand. "I'm John Groves."
She shook his hand with a firm grip. "I'm Lieutenant Tatiana Yates. Nice to meet you, Agent Groves."
He could feel his eyes widening. Did she say lieutenant? They expect me to follow orders from a woman? Doing his level best to hide his surprise, he responded in kind. Then he and his shapely superior both stood near Dr. Black's desk.
She announced, "We're ready to be briefed, sir."
"Good, because there have been some strange happenings at the museum of history," Dr. Black began. "Artifacts seem to be getting up and removing themselves from the premises."
John snickered. "It's more than likely a fader," he said, shaking his head. Faders, with their powers of invisibility, were often caught doing things they shouldn't, simply because they thought they could get away with it.
Tatiana looked thoughtful. "If things are being taken, and it's not an inside job..."
"It's definitely not an inside job," Dr. Black interjected. "It's not even a human job. Whoever is doing this doesn't always use doors or windows to enter the building. I've seen the security footage."
She clapped her hands once, loudly. "This isn't an ordinary fader, then. It's got to be a sublimer, since they can pass through solid objects."
So, she's already figured out the case. Why does she need me along? John cleared his throat. "Do we have any leads, Doctor?"
"Not at the moment, but we've set up surveillance at the museum."
"We don't need leads," Tatiana said, eyes lit up like the fourth of July. "I know exactly where to start."
He watched as she produced a tiny cell phone from her armband and punched a number into the keypad. “Who are you calling? Don't we need to get going?”
She didn't answer, but held out her open palm, effectively dismissing him. “Marcelo, where are you? Mmm Hmm. I'll meet you there in 45. I'll be needing your help on a case. Okay. Bye.”
He rolled his eyes. God, she's rude.
Ending the call, she turned to him again. “Alright, let's go.”
Anyway, participation in this hop means a prize. Don't you just love free stuff? I'm offering a "swag pack" to one lucky reader, that will include a copy of Darkness Rising, bookmarks, a 2012 calendar, magnet, and pen. Pretty sweet, huh? To qualify for the prize, sign up as a follower for this blog. Want an extra entry? Like either, or both of my Facebook author pages between now and Monday, October 31. My Kianna Alexander page is here, my Alexandra Kane page is here. That's a total of three chance to win, my friends! So get on the good foot, as they say.
Also, I hope you'll check out the bevy of talented authors participating in the hop, by clicking on the image in this post. I'll update you Tuesday on the winner. Good luck, y'all!
Best,
Alexandra
