Day of Death (A Rise of the Dread Series Novel) Dark Sci-Fi Fantasy Romance by LaVerne Thompson ➱ Book Release with Giveaway
I will stop at nothing to get to the truth, no matter whom it hurts or whom I have to kill.
Day of Death
A Rise of the Dread Series Novel
by LaVerne Thompson
Genre: Dark Romance, SciFi Fantasy
EXCERPT:
Chapter 1
Day of Death
By LaVerne Thompson
Tomas
I didn’t
drink so much I couldn’t hear the soft threads of boots over the cobbled
stones. One person. The individual following me made a good attempt at being
quiet. With anyone else it might have worked, but I was a King’s Men, a
well-trained operative. I hunt others, but it had been a while since I was the
hunted. As an illusion generator I could trick others into seeing whatever I
wanted them to see. I used this power now.
Just
around the corner was an unlighted alleyway. I knew this area quite well and
hopefully it would be empty. I lured him into it, but paused as I rounded the
corner and got out of his line of sight. A perfect place to create the illusion
of a doorway on the side of the building near the end of the fence. Making it
appear as though I’d gone through the door, while I’d really hidden myself
along the side of the fence. I didn’t have long to wait.
A male,
over six feet, with a long, dark hooded cloak draped over a soldier’s frame,
came into view. I pressed back into the shadows against the fence, blending
into my surroundings, waiting for my stalker to walk right into the wall. To my
shock, the man stopped near my hiding place. At the last second, before I could
use my sword on him, the man raised his blade. A short sword. He’d seen through
my illusion. In one swipe, he sliced straight through my larynx. A strangled
gurgle escaped my parted lips. In disbelief, I tried lifting my hand to my
throat, but my arm was too heavy. I couldn’t quite raise it. My fingers could
no longer grip my sword as it fell from my numb fingers, clattering to the
ground. The illusion of the doorway vanished, revealing the stone wall. When
the man cut my guts open, pulling them outside my body, the pain in my throat
dissipated. As my life’s blood saturated the stones, I no longer felt anything
at all.
Piper
***
Blood
streamed down my cheek as I ran through the square. No one was around at this
hour. I could see adults in the distance, but none were near enough to give me
aid. Nor would I ask for it. I wasn’t supposed to be here. Bile and acid burnt
my lungs, but I dared not stop. Fear fueled my limbs, giving me the speed I
needed to put more distance between me and the sound of the older boys’
footfalls who chased me, calling me names. I shouldn’t have gone beyond the
gates of the town. Shouldn’t have born witness to Janae’s banishment. Janae,
older than me by a month, had been my best friend, but I had to know. See for
myself.
My
people, the Day Walkers, from the Kingdom of Day, are no different from the
other natio states of our world. Except for the Sepawns, the only powerless
state. The Keeper Nation, Intel Dynasty, Giant Empire, and Night Kingdom, all
their citizens had powers of some kind. If a child didn’t show some kind of
enhanced ability, power, that would benefit the state by their eighth year, the
parents got rid of them. Banished from the town, city, or wherever they lived.
Taken into the wilds to survive or not. That rule was absolute. No exceptions
existed in those states, mine included. The lucky ones died. The fear was for
the ones who did not manifest a power and survived. They faced a worse fate if
captured by the Dreads. They were the ones who made up the outcasts from every
nation.
At least
Janae’s fate, banishment out of the Kingdom of Day, and into the wild at the
age of eight, would never be mine. My power manifested a few months ago. I
hoped despite everything that my former friend found someone to help her. She
was smart and tricky, but none of that mattered. Not to our people and the boys
who threw stones at her, then at me when I tried to stop them. Instead, they
chased me, but they’ll never catch me. They never have, and this time was no
different. They were assholes. That’s when I swore to myself I’d grow strong
enough, become one of the finest fighters of the land and hone my skill, so I’d
be one of the best. No one would ever throw rocks at me again, or dare to call
me a hybrid. At least not without respect.
Day
of Death
Chapter
2
By
LaVerne Thpmpson
Alekk
I could
practically smell the hybrid on her as she passed me into the room and yet, her
scent wasn’t unappealing. Like moonlight nights on the ocean. Not that I could
smell her mixed blood, really. That wasn’t my talent. I could release solar
energy beams from my hands and burn anything I aimed at, but I never relied on
just that. I knew how to use the sword on my back, too. But damn it all, a frigging hybrid must decide Tomas’ fate? What the
fuck!
Yes,
Agent Adams’ reputation preceded her. I was well aware of her ruthlessness. Her
battle skills were among the highest, for one of any age, and she was young. If
she had been male and a pure blood, the king or I would have issued an
invitation to join the ranks of the King’s Men.
None of
that mattered as I stared at her. She wasn’t beautiful in the traditional
sense. Her nut brown skin gleamed in the harsh interior light. Her face was
interesting enough, with her high cheekbones, lush lips and a wide nose. The
scars along her neck, arm and at her hairline told me she was a fighter.
Perhaps making her more appealing to me instead of repulsive. Enough scars
covered my body, providing my own roadmap of the life or death work I engaged
in.
I couldn’t
find fault with her scars, but why couldn’t I? I liked my women soft and feminine to counter
the hardness of both my body and my life. Piper was hard. Her arms were toned,
and her dark leathers practically molded to her frame. Her short cropped
leather vest and low riding pants sat perfectly on her hips, provided a
showcase for an impressive four pack. Unlike most females, who wore their hair
long or in elaborate styles, Piper wore her jet black hair cropped short along
the sides. I could see her scalp. It had some height in the center and was just
long enough to run down to the nape of her neck. Not giving anyone enough hair
to grab in a fight. Like some soldiers might wear theirs. But that’s what she
was. A type of soldier.
It should
be disconcerting, but on her it just fit.
The
beginning of something other than anger and frustration rose its unwelcomed
head. I shoved it down. It had no place here. Once my business with her was
done and I exonerated Tomas, his killer dead, I would return to my more
appropriate bedmates.
LaVerne Thompson is a USA Today Bestselling, award winning, multi-published author, an avid reader and a writer of contemporary, fantasy, and sci/fi romances. She also writes romantic suspense and new adult under the pen name Ursula Sinclair, her alter ego, who likes her relationships a little more complicated. http://www.amazon.com/Ursula-Sinclair/e/B00415YAVK/
Her stories are highly sensual with erotic elements but she has a few that are considered erotic. Most of her books also have a touch of violence and a few more than that. She enjoys good action scenes in movies and has incorporated some of those elements in quite a few of her books. She is also a certified chocoholic.
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