After Jaiden found Daniah in Juniper, they returned to Garnet City. Daniah is destined to become Queen of Zoku, a race of angel half-breeds who protect the humans from a soul-stealing evil. Now, Daniah is learning of her abilities and responsibilities as queen. Just as things seem to be going smoothly, a group of Zoku show up to help, led by an angel, Shelly.
Mallory has been on her own for most of her life,
trying to protect and save those around her. She is Toyek, and she's been
hiding in plain sight while fighting for her life. She is intent on finding her
friend’s daughter, whatever it takes, when an innocent trip to the supermarket
takes an interesting turn.
Orion has been hired to find a female and, as a
Tracker, finding people is his specialty. He discovers much more than he was
looking for when he runs into the beautiful Mallory. While pursuing both his
target and the resistant Mallory, he finds himself fighting to defend Princess
Daniah and the Zoku.
Can Orion and Mallory work together to help Daniah
be the hope the Zoku so desperately need? Or will a few surprises and a tragedy
be all it takes to break the united front of the Zoku fighting against the evil
Meikal?
Excerpt
At some point, I
realize I am dreaming and this time I am not running, I am standing in a garden
much like the one outside my window, alone.
“It has been a while since I have seen you. I
can’t say it’s good to see you, though.”
The same voice that tormented me in my dreams
before breaks my solitude, and I whirl to
find him. I don’t even bother to
respond, my stomach filling
with dread, as I know that the only way out of
this dream is when he pushes me out. I am sleeping alone. For the
first month after we got back, I slept in the same bed as Jim
before we decided that we were probably OK. The
only way out of a dream like this is either a person of the opposite sex pulls
you out with skin-to-skin contact, or if the dream walker pushes you out.
“Not going to say hi?” the voice taunts,
and I feel (rather than see) the
object coming at me from behind.
I dodge, but I’m
too slow and now there is a knife imbedded in my
shoulder. I cry out before I can stop myself, the
pain intense and sudden. I feel the blood soaking my shirt,
and it occurs to me that I will probably
die before I get out of this dream.
“Guess you’ve gone soft
on training. Thought I
wasn’t coming back for you, huh?” he taunts further. Without
warning, another knife is stabbed into my stomach. “I am going to
finish what I started with your family,” he says in a
low voice, and I barely hear him through the pain blossoming in my
body.
I bent over when the knife went into my stomach,
and the thought of death becomes more certain. I
sense the foot being kicked at my face just before it hits me. I lean
back, fighting the pain in my abdomen and
shoulder, and almost manage to move far
enough. The foot, which is attached to a vicious looking woman, connects
with my forehead and I fly backwards, landing
hard on my back. My vision blurs, and I
try to roll to ease the pain in my shoulder as the
knife jams in farther. My senses
dull, and even though the voice is taunting me and the woman is
smiling down on me like a reaper come for my
soul, I only blink and breathe through the rolling pain.
Suddenly, I hear
a growl and the woman lunges for me a split second before I hear a man calling
my name. My vision goes completely black, and I only wish unconsciousness would
have followed; instead I feel pain, loads of pain.
“Jim, I need you to get to Cord’s as fast as you
can. Bring
Zach!” A
panicked voice says. Instead
of figuring out who it is, I focus on trying
to pass out; that way, I don’t
have to deal with the pain.
“Jane, please come to your cottage, now!”
I hear the same clipped voice say, then I
feel something soft against my face.
“Cord, love, are you
with me?” He asks. I
blink, realizing that I am blind again,
just like the dreams before, and I let the tears come. “I felt the first
knife, and I tried to get here as fast as I could, I’m so sorry I wasn’t
faster,” the voice says softly, and I feel air across my face.
I feel the light
pressure of something soft against my lips, then I smell the most wonderful
smell. Instantly, the voice is Trevor and the smell is
him, and I figure he must have just kissed me. How terrible, I think,
that I can only get some feeling and emotion from this male when I am pretty
close to dead. I cry harder, the
pain growing white hot as my heart throbs.
“Shush, love,
I’m sorry. It will
be better soon, I promise,” he says, and I
wish with everything I am that it would be.
“Oh, my gosh,” Jane says as she
enters my room, then I hear another gasp and I figure it must be Jake.
“Before we can heal her, we have to get the knives
out of her,” Jake says. “Trev I need you to hold her steady,
and I will pull the one out of her back first. Then
Jane, you heal her, OK?”
Apparently everyone is in agreement,
as the next thing I feel is a burst of paint in my shoulder that feels like I
was stabbed again, then a numbing sensation that turns into heat.
Then
I start to feel woozy as some of the pain subsides. I feel myself on the edge
of passing out, and I wonder if it is from blood
loss or pain, or maybe both.
“I can’t heal the stomach wound without my
brother,” Jane says, sounding horrified. “Once you pull
the knife out, she is going to lose even more
blood,” she says, and her voice chokes up,
as if she is crying.
“We can’t leave it in her. I’ll
pull it out while Trev holds her, then we’ll both
put pressure on her while we wait for Zach,” Jake says, his
voice clipped.
“Jim and Zach are on their way, I called them first,”
Trevor says, his voice rough.
Suddenly, I feel
another shot of fire in my stomach. I must have missed
the signal due to my blindness. I feel even more pain as they
apply pressure to my stomach, and I
can’t help the moan that spills from my mouth.
“It will be better soon, love,” I hear Trevor say,
close to my ear. I turn my head without thought to
get closer to him, and I feel my mind floating away. “Please open your
eyes, Cord, please don’t fall asleep yet, love,” Trevor says urgently,
and I hear the panic in his voice.
I blink my heavy eyelids and try to keep them open.
At
least, I think they are open.
“Can you heal her eyes?” Jake asks softly. I don’t
hear a response, then Jake asks,
“Why?”
“It is caused from the magic of the dream.
It
isn’t a physical wound, it is hard to explain,” Jane pauses, then
adds, “Think of it this way:
when there is a wound to heal, I can feel it with my power.
So I can feel what exactly is torn and needs mending in her stomach, just as I
could in her shoulder. With her eyes, there
is nothing technically wrong; they feel fine, healthy,” she
finishes and even in my state I think, Huh.
“Zach, hurry, we are
in Cord’s room,” I hear Jake call. He
must have heard the door.
“Geez,” I hear Zach mutter, then I
feel more pressure on my stomach.
The pain intensifies, heat flares in my abdomen, but then
it numbs a bit. As some of the pain dissipates, I lean
my head closer to Trevor. I feel
his face against mine and I sigh, feeling
sleepy.
“Almost done, love, hold on,” he says softly,
then I hear Jim.
“Here, I have
a cloth for her eyes to ease the burn.” Coolness falls
over my eyes, and I sigh.
I hear Jim and Trevor chuckle, then I hear a loud
sob and wonder what just happened. I feel more waves of pain, heat,
and numbness, and I feel sleepier with each one.
“Tired,” I mumble, and I
feel Trevor smile, as his face is right next to mine.
“Can she sleep? Or should I keep her awake?”
Trevor asks, his voice the only thing I can hear
clearly. Whatever
answer was given, I don’t catch. “Sleep,
love, everything is fine,” he whispers, and I
feel him lightly kiss my forehead.
About the Author
Chelsea O’Neal lives in her fantasy world where people
can fly, vampires could be real, money is never an issue, and the romantic
meeting of your true love is a normal happening. When not relaxing in Chelsea-ville, she
enjoys talking with animals that talk back and taking long walks with her
Prince Charming…
Actually Chelsea lives in the United States in
Nebraska, where she was born and raised, with her black lab Daisey, who hasn’t
spoken actual words, but she is pretty sure Daisey understands her. She is yet
to meet her Prince Charming, though she is quite sure he is out there. Chelsea enjoys working in a library as well
as a cosmetologist. She is an avid reader and writing has always been her
passion. Zoku’s Hope is her second novel, and she is working on her next book
now.
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