Spellbound Sneak Peek

Sneak Peek: Spellbound: The Gateway Trilogy, Book Two

PLEASE NOTE: This excerpt is unedited and subject to change.

Chapter One

It was cold and dark and he was hungry. He had been cold for so long that he wasn’t conscious of the chill any more. It just was.

And the darkness…deep and impenetrable, the darkness was his only comfort. In the inky blackness he was nothing, just a ripple in the pool of shadows. But the darkness of night was only temporary, and soon the light would come. Then he would know.

He was the Darkness: A cursed soul, a terrible monster, an ever-present shadow with an unquenchable hunger for blood. The hunger was the only thing he knew, the only thing he could remember feeling. And yet, he knew with a certainty that he must fight the need with everything he had.

It was a fight he was doomed to lose, again and again. The hunger was too strong. But hunger wouldn’t kill him. Only something alive could die. He would fight the hunger, though, would not give in until it was impossible to ignore. Until it became so overwhelming that he could no longer contain it. His anguish would escape first in the form of a cry. A howl of pain and torment. A warning, frightening children in their beds and the grown-ups who should know better.

There are no such things as monsters.

* * *

The potion bubbled in the small cauldron, its surface a dark, opaque black. Laurel frowned. She had measured the ingredients precisely. This didn’t make any sense. She hadn’t expected much -- an image, a face maybe. The blackness of surface was more disturbing than if she had seen nothing at all.

The sweet scent of the brew hung heavily in the kitchen, and Laurel caught traces of the individual elements in the rising steam. Meadowsweet, anise, camphor and orange all blended in a delicate balance. Laurel could feel the magicks at work, and her heartbeat sped up. She squinted, watching for a change, some flicker of light, but the blackness only seemed to deepen. It was more than a color; the darkness was a place, shadowy and deep. So deep, it almost seemed as if there was something there. She leaned closer. The steam from the brew was intense and beads of sweat trickled down the side of her face, but she didn’t wipe them away. She watched the potion. Waiting.

“Laurel!” The voice came from behind and Laurel spun, her heart in her throat. At the sight of the two men a few feet away her shoulders sagged.

“You guys just about gave me a heart attack.” The slightly balding man and his companion exchanged a surprised look.

“Remy and I’ve been calling your name since we came through the front door.” He frowned, taking in her flushed features. “Are you okay?”

Laurel shook her head, clearing her thoughts. “I’m fine. I was just chasing a vision.” She frowned toward the still bubbling brew. “It wasn’t going too well.”

With a wave of his hand, Remy dismissed her failed potion. “Forget about that. We’ve got big news.” A grin split his handsome face, his excitement palpable. Laurel held her breath, but he shook his head and took the other man’s hand. “You tell her, Virgil.”

Virgil gave Remy a soft smile before turning to Laurel, his gaze intense. “Amanda’s here.”

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