Prologue from Reap &
Repent:
Prologue
What does a guy have to do around here to get some
service? Deacon Walker marveled as he glared at the undulating queue
of grotesque reapers in front of him.
For all that’s holy, move the hell along already.
It had been a long week, and it wasn’t over yet. He
needed to make at least one more pass through the hospital circuit
before he could call it a day. He could already feel the tug of a
freshly departed soul. Again. People were dropping like flies lately.
He massaged his brow, trying to soothe his exhausted
patience as the line inched forward at a snail’s pace.
He was worn thin. Over the past few weeks, three
demon soul poachers had popped up in his fair city of Meridian like
poisonous mushrooms after a hard rain. While it wasn’t unheard of
for one to slip out from Hell every now and then, three was a
nightmare.
When it got topside, a demon’s M.O. was to steal a
human body, poach a few souls from the dead and dying, and then make
its merry way back to Hell, taking its host’s soul along for the
ride. The only way to save the souls a poacher was carrying was to
behead the host with a scythe. Not a pretty thing to do, but the poor
suckers were too far gone by then to survive anyway. No human could
withstand the pressures of being ridden by a demon. And it was worth
it to save a handful of souls, not to mention inconveniencing the
demon.
Deacon refused to lose any souls from his territory.
At all.
So far the score was Deacon, 3. Demons, 0.
As a reaper, carrying souls to Purgatory for judgment
was his job and he wasn’t about to cede his territory to poachers
who used up their hosts like they were disposable Tupperware. So now,
in addition to his normal day job, he also had to keep an eye out for
more demon invaders.
While demons burned through most human hosts in a
matter of days, some in a matter of hours, they had discovered long
ago that under the right circumstances they could ride a reaper. Of
course, they couldn’t just worm their way in like they did with
humans—they had to be invited. But once a deal was struck? They
were in.
And reapers? Yeah, they could hang on for decades
inside a reaper. Deacon knew that fact firsthand.
His stomach twisted at the thought, but he shook it
off, looking ahead with a heavy sigh.
Seriously, this line? Still. Not. Moving?
God, he needed a freakin’ vacation. Extended. He
dragged a hand through his hair in frustration as his mind flipped
through postcard-esque locations of reapings past. He snarled at the
thought of New Orleans in summer. He would definitely want to go
someplace cool—cool as in frigid, not hip. He was sick of the heat,
and it was only the beginning of summer in the semitropical Midwest.
Come to think of it, he was sick of a lot of things.
This place was high on the list. It was as hot
as…well, Hell actually. Or at least what he imagined Hell to be,
although he’d never actually been there. Thank God.
Steam rose from random cracks in the stone floor of
the underground station, veiling the place in a humid sulfur stench.
He pushed forward, finally making his way to the
front to deposit his cargo of souls. He didn’t bother chatting. In.
Out. Move on. It was a motto that served him well.
Mission completed, he hustled through the crowd,
forgoing the bar-side frivolity of some of the more socially inclined
reapers and their small talk about their glory days in the field
or—even better—the missteps of the newest reapers. Newbies often
tested their limits to humorous if not disastrous effect at least
once in their early careers. That was exactly why new reapers had
mentors or at least worked in teams. From all the laughter, he could
tell that the stories were good ones. It didn’t tempt him.
He slapped his palm against the black granite
monolith and flashed out of Purgatory to what he prayed was his last
stop of the day.
BUY LINKS: Reap & Repent is
available March 3, 2014 in a Harlequin E Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
Romance Box Set with the works of three other amazing new Harlequin
authors! Reap & Repent
will be available for single-title release June 2, 2014.
AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1gF6Q98
KOBO: http://bit.ly/1cSZBam
ITUNES: http://bit.ly/1njOngj
Harlequin: http://bit.ly/1gf0Cbs
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3 comments:
Thanks for having me! Love the Sleuths'!
This is really puzzling. I know I commented on this, but now it doesn't show up.
Wow! Lisa Medley had a fantastic book launch party on Facebook last night. I can't wait to read you book and the rest of the books in the set. Best of luck with your book!
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