The Paranormal Paradox (and an excerpt from DAUGHTER OF ASHES)

Since it’s just a few days before Samhain (Halloween, to most), and spookiness often abounds this time of year, I thought I’d ratchet things back just a little bit, and stir up a different kind of energy. With a background in parapsychology and my decades of working as a Spiritual Healer, I thought I could give you a different view to consider, as well as some fun reads from my books.

We’re all used to being scared out of our minds by things we don’t understand, but which we have been told are evil or bad for us. Fear seems to be the universal human reaction to the unknown. And nowhere is that more underscored than when it comes to the paranormal.

Hollywood has taught us to fear the spirits of the departed. They’ve taught us that ghosts only come back for revenge, that they’re gruesome and sinister and, above all, dangerous.

Modern society have also taught us to fear those things that do not exist on our plane. They’ve taught us that anything we believe in as children is not real, and is best ignored, and then taught us that what we’ve chosen to blind ourselves to must be evil, and therefore to be feared.

I grew up in an environment very much like that. As a small child, my senses were fostered as “an active imagination” – which soon turned to “grow up” and “stop imagining things” as I drew nearer to adolescence, and they wanted it all to go away.

It never really did.

I’m here to tell you that ghosts aren’t necessarily evil. They are the spirits of departed human beings. Yes, evil people (in life) can return (or never leave) as evil ghosts. They can do horrible, terrible things from that side – but, then again, they did them from THIS side, too. However, in much the same way that those evil people are in the minority in our living world, so too are evil spirits of the departed in the minority. While these are the only ones Hollywood and modern ghost stories usually see fit to tell us about, they make up only a small fraction of the spirit world population. The vast majority of spiritual presences in this world are benign or even benevolent. They’re people, just like you and I. Unless you’re afraid of every person you pass on the street, there’s no reason to be afraid of every ghost who crosses your path. I’ve shared a number of homes and working establishments quite peacefully with the spirits of the departed. I treat them as I would wish to be treated (with respect and dignity), and we get along just fine.

I’m also here to tell you that those creatures of myth and legend that you thought weren’t real? Well, most of them are.

As a child, I lived in England. And I spent many an afternoon ensconced within the arms of an old oak tree, conversing with creatures – both beautiful and shockingly odd-looking – I was later told “didn’t exist.” I spent nights that I was afraid to go to sleep (not because of what was in the darkness, but because of what haunted my dreams) whispering with the Brownies (house spirits – not Girl Scouts…lol) who lived within the walls of our home.

Many of those creatures and spirits have followed me throughout my life. They are my friends, and I don’t care if that makes me crazy in the eyes of some people.

However, my very first encounter with a spirit was at the age of two – a young man who’d been killed in combat, and who often came to keep me company while I colored or played – like a watchful older brother or father, intent to keep me safe. Though it’s been over thirty years since then, and I’ve never encountered him again, those visits formed the foundation for my life, and my understanding that, no matter what others said, there really IS “more to heaven and earth” out there.

Have you ever had an experience with the Other Side? If so, and you feel like sharing, I’d be interested to hear.

Now, for some reading! :) This excerpt comes from my brand-new Fantasy Romance series, Legends of Tirum. Telyn and Nacaris are quickly becoming two of my favorite characters, for a great number of reasons. Mostly, though, I really love the depth of these two characters – they manage to complete each other, without actually needing each other to be complete. It’s a very interesting relationship. :)

Excerpt from Legends of Tirum I: DAUGHTER OF ASHES

Sala floated back into the fireplace, and the fire suddenly doused itself into little more than hot ash and a few smoldering coals.

Telyn swallowed hard, suddenly edgy now that she was completely alone with Nacaris.

“I don’t know how to do this,” she admitted quietly.

“Shh.” He touched a finger to her lips, stilling her. “I understand there are things you can’t share with anyone. I’m only asking to be a part of what you can share.”

His face filled her vision, and Telyn’s eyes widened as his lips replaced his touch against her mouth in a soft, gentle kiss she never expected from this battle-hardened man. Enclosed in his embrace as he released her lips, Telyn allowed herself to sink against the leather of his tunic and breathe in the scents of man, horse, and travel that clung to him. It was a comforting scent, underscored by something dark, dangerous, and uniquely Nacaris. She sighed regretfully. “I wish–”

“What?” He nuzzled her hair, and stroked a hand lightly over her back. “Talk to me, Telyn.”

She stifled a mirthless laugh. He had no idea how much she struggled to keep her thoughts from him — she already feared they were doomed. “I wish it could always be like this.”

“What, always on the hunt? Roaming endlessly, without a home?” He squeezed her lightly. “Be careful what you wish for, balnyt. Nature is both a capricious and mischievous mistress. You may get what you want, in ways you least desire.”

Telyn shuddered, hearing the ring of prophecy behind those teasing words. She wasn’t fool enough to test them just now. Instead, she burrowed into his embrace and allowed herself a rare moment to be something other than a warrior.

Want to read more?  You can find the book at http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-91/Esther-Mitchell-Legends-of/Detail.bok

Happy Halloween - The Season of the Druidess

Happy Halloween. This dark holiday has its beginnings in the Celtic fire festival of Samhain, pronounced SOW-uhn. As it was the Celtic New Year, it fell between the old year and the new, so as a day without time the veil between the world of the living and the dead was at its thinnest on Samhain. Druids played a very important role in the celebrations and rituals of Samhain, so rather than the season of the witch, you could call it the season of the druid or druidess. Let’s travel through the mist of time to celebrate with the ancient Celts with these Samhain/Druid excerpts from my Celtic/Romance books.

Our journey begins thousands of years ago on a Samhain night as we take a walk in the deep dark woods of pre-roman Britain with this excerpt from A Wolf and a Druidess to be released 12/07/10.

from THE WOLF AND THE DRUIDESS:
Her mother had been so proud and told everyone, "See how wise my daughter is, so blessed by the gods, the druids took her to foster." Few were chosen, training took many years, and a druid’s ranking in the tribe placed as high as the chief’s. Seren was surprised how much older she was now, five and twenty years, still she had a need for her mother. The loss was deep. It left a hole in her. Warmth and joy would return to her heart tonight when she celebrated her favorite feast day, Samhain, the New Year, with her departed mam.

Just moments ago she heard the call of an owl, the chirp of a bird, and the whistling wind, but the forest had suddenly grown so quiet she could hear the crackle of dried leaves and the rustle of her elbow brushing across a bush.

As she walked, she glimpsed a creature passing like a black shadow between the spooky trees. It crept in stealth like part of the darkness itself. A shiver shot through her. But the mysterious being didn’t make a sound and seemed uninterested in her. Seren held the torch out as she turned around, searching for anything there. She saw nothing.
Seren kept to the narrow path as she walked deeper into the forest. She’d sensed something. Mayhap a spirit, they came to earth tonight, but she knew it wasn’t her mother's ghost, she’d recognize her.

There was no turning back. Whatever it was, she would make peace with it. Seren had to bring the Samhain meal to her mother and honor her, yet she couldn’t shake the odd feeling someone watched her.

Holding the torch high, she chanted. “The torch is burning, the year is turning, by this light, I greet the spirits of Samhain night.” Seren called out, “Who is there? Be you sprit or man?”

No one answered and she picked up her pace down the dirt path through the thick forest, so dense with trees. They crowded in on her, like a trap. Brandishing the burning torch like a bright weapon, she hurried on shaky legs toward the cairn. She gasped, nearly tripping over a large fallen branch, but caught her footing.


The next stop on our journey will be at the bonfire. The Celts celebrated Samhain with a great deal of singing and dancing around the towering blaze. In this excerpt from Druid Bride you can join Tanwen and Brude around the fire to get a feel for what fun the ancient Celts had:

from DRUID BRIDE:
Now that the fire was blazing, Tanwen raised her hands above her head and
twirled, chanting as a gray-headed Lossio beat the bodhran. "The fire sparks.
The veil parts. Spirits among us, bones, ashes, dust are once again family and
friends. Ancestors come near, feast with us here. Dance and Sing around the
stone ring. Great powers abound, the circle goes around. All hail Samhain."
Musicians came forth, strumming a harp and playing the Pict triple pipes. Brude
meant to tell her they couldn't wed this eve, but as he neared her, she seemed
more like the woman he longed to lie with again. Between thoughts of Tanwen
entwined with him, the roaring bonfire, and the music, he forgot his
forebodings.

He joined in a dance around the flames. The earth beneath him vibrated to the
beat of Lossio's goatskin drum, the haunting hum of the triple pipes, and the
ethereal tone of the harp. He was smoke rising from the fire, and the music
pushed him high into the air. Mellow warmth swirled in the pit of his belly.
Brude spun faster and faster around the blaze. As he leapt in the dance, he
turned his gaze toward Tanwen.

Now, one of the most important feature of Samhain was on that day spirits of the dead and supernatural beings easily crossed into our earthly dimension. In this excerpt from Druid Bride share the wonder and magic of the ancient Celts as they visited with loved ones once more, who had passed on:

from DRUID BRIDE:
With thoughts of the new family she and Brude would soon have, Tanwen fastened
her gaze on the feasters scattered across the hall. Here and there, between
clusters of people, lay empty animal pelts with plates piled with food in front
of them. Places for the spirits of the dead who came through the oak door to feast at Samhain.

Her ancestors, all of her family was here at her wedding, and sharing this day
with her. Her brother Boudicius, her mother, her father, her aunt, and her
grandmother Boudica, who had foreseen this very day. It brought a tear to her eye.
After feasting, the tribe climbed up the hill, where the kids played a game with
an apple hanging from a stick alongside a lit candle. One by one, amid squeals
and giggles, they tried to take a bite of the fruit, while the flaming candle
dangled dangerously near. Adults sat with each other, telling funny stories and
some serious ones of the events of the past year, encouraging the dead who
gathered with them to take interest in the affairs of the living. Others danced
around the bonfire, and many couples broke off from the crowd, to find little
spaces of privacy here and there, for coupling long into the night.

Brude swept Tanwen into his arms and carried her all the way down the hill and
to his wheelhouse, where he laid her on his soft bed.

Next, let's look at the Celtic tradition of setting out food or treats for the ancestors and celebrating this day with them. In this excerpt from The Fox Prince, join the characters as they bake and then put out treats for the dead.

from THE FOX PRINCE:
"Lads!" Nesta clapped her hands hard. "The tarts are almost done."
"Come, get your face painted for Samhain," Aelfrida called to the boys.
Firmly, she cupped the tallest lad's chin in one hand while brushing a chunk of
crumbling charcoal across his cheeks. He shut his eyes tight and she blew the
excess soot away. She looked at his sooty face and clicked her tongue.
"I do not know if you are a spirit of the dead or a dirty-faced lad."
He raised his arms and curled his fingers like claws then moaned loud enough to
be heard in the otherworld.
"Oh!" She laughed. "A spook you are then!"
"Paint my face," the youngest lad called as he bobbed up and down.
The charcoal felt dry and powdery in Aelfrida's fingers as she sketched the outline of a skeleton on the little urchin face.
"You are a true haunt," Nesta declared.
Aelfrida smudged the third lad's face with black charcoal and pronounced, "The spirits are sure to think you one of them and pass you by." She stood back and grinned. They are so cute. Not a one is a terror as they are of a wont to be. "Let me paint your face, Githa," Aelfrida called to the little girl.
"Nay." Githa shook her head and scampered toward the wall.
Aelfrida burst out in laughter. A pounding noise sounded at her back followed by
creaking and a chill gust of wind. She swiveled to her left. The door was open
but no one was there. The children suddenly grew quiet. Their wide eyes fixed
upon a spot to her right. Slowly, she turned.
"Boo!" Tryffin stood there with a huge grin on his soot-covered face.
Aelfrida flung her hands aside her head. "You are a sight." She dropped her
shoulders and burst out in giggles.
"I am a spirit come to find a live body for Samhain." With a seductive gleam in
his eyes he said, "I think I shall take yours."

That brings us to the end of our journey but for more excerpts, trailers, and information on my books about long swords, hot heroes, and warrior women please visit my website.

Happy Samhain/Halloween,

Cornelia Amiri

Her Fallen Angel by Felicity Heaton - Second excerpt...

We're going to have to skip ahead in Her Fallen Angel for this excerpt. Chapter 2 is a rather naughty scene so I can't post it here... so on to chapter 3 for your second excerpt of Her Fallen Angel.

Her Fallen Angel
Felicity Heaton
Annelie fell for Lukas the moment he walked into her pub three years ago. He’s stunning, his vivid green eyes lending to his otherworldly beauty, but he’s seriously out of her league. When he tells her that she’s beautiful and confesses that he wants her, she can’t resist him and his passionate kiss. She unleashes her desire and seizes the moment and Lukas with both hands. But Lukas has a secret, one that will test Annelie’s love for him and threaten to tear them apart.

He’s an angel.

Annelie can’t believe it when Lukas says that their feelings for each other aren’t a sin, but she can believe his pain when he tells her the reason he’s on Earth. He is fallen, cast out of Heaven as punishment for a crime he didn’t commit. Lukas isn’t about to give up and accept his fate though. He’s determined to prove both his innocence and his love for Annelie, and to show her that the intense passion they share is real.

When Lukas and Apollyon discover who framed him, will he be able to stop them from going after Serenity and Annelie? Will he be able to protect the woman he loves and fly away with her into their forever after?

ALL OF THE STORIES IN THE HER ANGEL SERIES STAND ALONE, JOINED BY CHARACTER AND WORLD ONLY, AND DO NOT NEED TO BE READ IN ORDER.

Buy Her Fallen Angel at:
My website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Fallen%20Angel
Alinar Publishing: http://www.alinarpublishing.com/books.php?title=Her%20Fallen%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Her-Fallen-Angel-Romance-ebook/dp/B0046ZRNEG/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Her-Fallen-Angel-Romance/dp/B0046ZRNEG/
Fictionwise.com: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b114586/Her-Fallen-Angel-/Felicity-Heaton/?




EXCERPT - Chapter 3
It was morning.

Lukas could feel the sun outside, calling him with false promises of vaulted blue heavens in which he could fly. He couldn’t do that anymore. They had even taken that from him. His heart cried in anguish at the thought of never flying again but he buried his pain deep. It wasn’t difficult when his head was pounding and sore.

Something touched his back, stroking it lightly and with care. He could feel love in that caress and concern. He tried to gather his scattered thoughts and senses so he could focus on the person behind him. It was impossible. Her fingers felt good against him, soothing his raging head and bringing back memories of last night and being with her. Bliss. Being with her had been nothing short of bliss.

She touched his shoulder blades and his skin shifted and itched.

No.

Lukas focused harder but it was too late. The urge drove through him, brought out by her teasing fingers and tender touch, and he couldn’t contain it. He gritted his teeth, tried with all of his might, but she swept her hands over his shoulder blades again.

“Don’t.” He started to move away from her but wasn’t quick enough.

His wings erupted from his back so fast that it hurt and they knocked her off the bed. She hit the floor with a thud.

No.

Lukas scrambled to his knees, naked on the bed, his white wings unfurled and stretching across the room. He grimaced when they caught the lamp on the bedside table and it toppled off and smashed.

Annelie sat nude on the wooden floor, staring up at him with wide eyes, her face ashen.

He made a low noise of frustration and her gaze leapt from his wings to his eyes. She shook her head, scrambled to her feet and bolted for the bedroom door. Lukas reached it first, his head spinning and thumping, and blocked the way, jamming his hands against the doorframe. She tried to pass him, pushing his chest, and he grabbed her wrists to stop her from hitting him.

“Let me go.” She snatched her hands back and tried to pass him again. He caught her around the waist from behind and pulled her against him as she struggled. His body got the wrong idea when her soft warm backside brushed his groin. Getting an erection was not going to help matters.

He turned with her so she was back in the bedroom.

She scratched his arm, elbowed him in the ribs, and ran forwards when he released her.

“Annelie.” Lukas furled his white wings against his back.

She ignored him, grabbing her clothes and throwing them on. Her black t-shirt was backwards but he didn’t think she would appreciate him mentioning it when she was panicking. She clawed her long red hair back into a rough ponytail, eyed him warily and then dashed forwards, ducking under his arm. He grabbed her again, not wanting to frighten her or hurt her, but unwilling to let her go. He couldn’t let her walk out of the door. If she did that now, he would never see her again.

“I can explain.” Lukas wasn’t quite sure what he intended to tell her but it sounded like the right thing to say in a situation that was rapidly going downhill.

“Explain what... that I’m going crazy or that I just slept with an angel?” Annelie gave up trying to get past him and backed away, her legs hitting the end of his bed. She plonked down onto it and stared at him. Her feelings were all over the place. Angels had acute senses but he couldn’t tell whether she was angry or petrified. She leaned forwards, rested her elbows on her knees, and buried her face in her hands. “I’m going to Hell.”

“No, you won’t... Annelie... look at me.”

“I’d rather not.” She pulled the blue duvet over her head until he couldn’t see her.

Lukas sighed and rubbed his face, desperately trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t inflame things and would go some way towards repairing the damage the sudden appearance of his wings had done.

“I’m sorry.” It was the only thing that came to him. She emerged from the blanket and shook her head, the disbelief still written across her face.

She looked down at her arm and pinched it.

“What are you doing?” He frowned.

“Trying to wake up. This has to be a dream.” She pinched herself again and dismay crossed her face when she looked at him. She paled. “God, this is real... the wings are real... you’re an angel... and I just blasphemed... and I slept with you!”

His shoulders sagged and he focused through the riot it in his head. It was difficult to concentrate but he managed it and his wings slowly shrank and disappeared into his back. Annelie looked as horrified on seeing them disappear as she had on seeing them appear. Her heart raced in his mind and no matter what angle he looked at it from, the situation showed no sign of improving.

“It is not a dream, and it is not a sin.” It was the bane of all his kind that mortals thought they were off limits, saints who couldn’t enjoy life in the way a human could. That belief couldn’t be further from the truth. They had rules, laws that they had to obey, but all angels were fun and frivolous creatures when they weren’t on duty, and many of them had fallen in love with mortals.

Just as he was in love with her.

He hadn’t realised it until he had gone away. Before then, he had merely thought that she was pretty, easy to talk to, interesting and someone who eased his loneliness. A friend. Going away had made him realise that he had been falling for her since first setting eyes on her. If he told her that now, would it fix anything? Would she still hate him?

“Annelie?”

She didn’t seem to be listening. She was staring at his shoulders, as though waiting for his wings to appear again, her eyes large and mouth open. It was a struggle to keep them away but he had to do it, no matter how much they wanted to come out again and how much his head hurt.

Drinking had been a bad idea.

But then, it had been the only way of erasing his pain, and humans had always seemed to use drink to cope with things. The position he was in right now, another black mark against him probably wouldn’t mean much. It would only damage his pride.

He laughed bitterly. “I am not even an angel at the moment... I haven’t been since the night we met.”

Her dark eyes met his. Confusion shone in them now.

It hurt him to think about the past three years. Annelie had been the one thing that had helped him through his most troubled times and eased his suffering. She had given him friendship and support, and had made his pain bearable, but now he feared that she would leave and he would never see her again, and he needed her more than ever.

Things had never been this bad for him.

She couldn’t leave. She was the only good thing left in his life.

“Funny... you have wings like an angel.” Annelie stood and stepped closer to him. Her heart still raced, rushing in his head, speaking of her fear. She took another tentative step forwards and cast her gaze over him, from head to toe and back again.

“Wings I cannot use.” Saying that made it hit home and his heart hurt, his chest burning with the pain of being denied the one thing that had given him comfort and hope all this time. They hadn’t taken his wings from him.

Only now they had.

“I am... fallen... I think you mortals call it.” Lukas leaned against the doorframe. He closed his eyes, clenched his jaw and steeled himself against the pain caused by talking about his situation. It ebbed and flowed through him, strong waves that filled him with despair and sorrow, and anger too. “I was banished here three years ago... and three weeks ago I went to appeal against my sentence and make them see the truth.”

“The truth?”

He opened his eyes and looked at her, resting his head against the wooden frame.

“I did not commit the crime that I am being punished for.” He searched her eyes, wishing that she would show a sign of compassion, or affection, something other than anger and hurt. He needed to see something warm in her, something to give him a thread of hope to hold on to. “I wanted to tell you so many times.”

“That you were falsely accused?”

He smiled at her confusion but it lasted only a second. “That I am an angel.”

“Why?” Her gaze darted between his eyes and her heart began to calm at last, her fear beginning to fade. He wanted to reach out and touch her, to caress her cheek and know that he hadn’t messed everything up between them, but he didn’t dare.

“Because... I hate lying to you. I hate hiding things from you.” Lukas pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. He drew a long breath and sighed, trying to push away his pain and focus on the moment and making things right with Annelie. If that was possible. It had to be. “Because I want you to know me.”

“Why?”

Was that the only question she had for him? He deserved her anger, and her disbelief, and he was prepared for it. He had always known it would be impossible to tell her that he was an angel without going through this. Even if he had found a way to break it to her gently, she still would have thought she was going insane and would have struggled to believe what she was seeing.

Lukas opened his eyes and stared at her feet. She had moved closer. Her small bare feet made him smile. They were so delicate. Everything about her was delicate and soft. He loved her for that. He loved her for her smile and how open she was with him, and how she always found time to speak to him.

“I meant what I said last night, Annelie.” His gaze met hers again and he stepped away from the door, towards her, closing the gap between them. His head ached but the pain in his heart eclipsed it. He didn’t want her to leave, and if baring his soul was the only way of making her stay, then he was willing to go through that. He was willing to risk her breaking his heart. It would be the last straw for him, and he would no longer have a reason not to fall into darkness and live up to the name of a fallen angel, but it was a chance that he had to take. “There is a reason that I come to the pub and sit on that stool and talk to you... and I think you know what that reason is.”

Her eyes widened, her cheeks coloured and she dropped her gaze. Lukas hesitated a moment and then gently placed his fingers under her jaw. They shook so much that he was sure that she would notice. So much rested on this touch. If she accepted it, he would take it as a sign that there was hope for him, and for them. If she pushed him away, he wasn’t sure what he would do.

She remained still, her gaze downcast, and didn’t shirk his touch.

Lukas drew a deep trembling breath and raised her eyes back to his. The look in hers said that she knew all too well what he was talking about and that he hadn’t misjudged her feelings. He wasn’t the only one who had fallen in love over the past three years. She had never once spoken to him about men, had never been out on dates, had always smiled at him in a way she never did with other men, always laughed and found a way to touch his hands. She was in love with him too.

But there was a barrier between them, one that he couldn’t push her to break through. It was her decision. It had to be. He wasn’t mortal and she had to accept that. She had to come to understand his kind and his world, and see whether she could still love him or whether she had to move on. All he could do was try to convince her that it would be worth it if she stayed with him, and that he wanted her more than anything.

More than flying?

He wasn’t sure of that yet. He had a decision to make too, one that depended on hers.

His wings pushed to break free again but he held them at bay, wrestling for control. It was difficult enough under normal circumstances to hide them. The headache from the drink was making it almost impossible.

Lukas took his hand back and rubbed his eyes.

“I guess now I know why you’re such a good listener.”

He shook his head. “I am only a good listener for you. I am a lousy listener for others. It wasn’t my specialty.”

“Angels have specialties? Actually, I don’t think I want to know. I still feel as though I’m dreaming all of this.”

“What can I do to make you see that this is real, Annelie, and that I mean you no harm?”

A smile touched her lips—shy and sweet. “I don’t think you’ll hurt me.”

“I already did.” Lukas’s heart beat harder when she met his gaze, holding it, and there was a hint of warmth in her dark eyes and no fear. She wasn’t lying. She really did believe that he wouldn’t harm her.

“I was just shocked.” She lowered her gaze and frowned, raised her hand and turned the neck of her black baby-doll t-shirt inside out, looking at the label there. She smiled at it. “Can I see them again? It might help me believe that I’m not going crazy.”

Her eyes crept to his shoulders and she let go of her t-shirt.

His wings?

They were aching to be free.

But he wasn’t sure it was a good idea.

She had been gradually calming down since he had put his wings away. If he unfurled them, he could panic her again and undo any progress he had made with her. The soft look in her eyes pleaded him and he relented. He would do anything she asked of him. If she believed that seeing his wings would help her come to terms with what he was, then he would let them out.

He nodded and she stepped back, as though afraid that he would knock her flying with them again. He wouldn’t let that happen. This time he was ready and in control. He wouldn’t hurt her.

Lukas moved away from her, finding space near the built-in wardrobes and the door to the bathroom. There was nothing there that he could knock over and Annelie was at a safe enough distance.

His shoulder blades itched, the skin shifting as his wings pushed for freedom. He clenched his fists and let his white wings out as slowly as possible, so they didn’t frighten Annelie. Her gaze fixed on them as they appeared. They grew larger until they were fully out and furled against his back. The long feathers tickled his bare legs. He stood before her, naked, unashamed of both it and his wings. This was who he was, and if she couldn’t accept it, then perhaps it was for the best, even if it was breaking his heart.

“I wish I could have been honest with you,” he whispered and her dark brown eyes moved from his wings to his eyes. “Everything has gone horribly wrong and I feel like crap. My head is killing me.”

“Are you allowed to swear?” Her eyebrows rose.

He nodded. “I can do most things a human can without any repercussion.”

She surprised him by stepping forwards and pressing her palm against his forehead. Her hand was cool, refreshing, and his eyes slipped shut. It felt so good to have her touch him, as though they had taken the first step towards moving past the fact that he was an angel.

“You’ll feel better soon. You didn’t look so good last night.” Her voice was honey and sweetness to him, low spoken and filling him with soothing warmth. Her hand lingered against his brow. “I shouldn’t have let you drink so much.”

“I have never tasted alcohol before.”

“Really? I shouldn’t have let you drink at all then. Will you get into trouble?”

He shrugged, opened his eyes and looked into hers. “I would not consider it a perk of being banished. It is not as nice as mortals make it out to be.”

“I could have told you that.”

The intensity of her smile stole his breath along with the fact that her hand still rested against his forehead. Was this progress? She wasn’t trying to run. He had moved away from the door, giving her a clear path, and she had remained with him. She had chosen to touch him and be near him. Was it possible that she could accept what he was and still love him?

She was so beautiful. He could look at her until the end of time and never tire. He had watched her age these past three years and she had only grown more beautiful to him. Her soft features, large dark eyes and rosy sensual lips made her more stunning than any female he had ever seen.

Annelie moved around him and he rolled his eyes closed when she ran a hand down his left wing. He held his groan inside, not wanting to scare her away. The feel of her fingers stroking his feathers was divine.

“They’re really real,” she whispered and stopped behind him. She ran her hands down both of his wings, teasing his feathers and his senses.

Images from last night danced through his mind. It had been everything that he had thought it would be and so much more. He had wanted to feel her hands on him, to kiss her and touch her, for so long now without truly realising it. He had thought it nothing more than lust, hunger brought about by years of celibacy, but it was more than that. It was love. The alcohol had done one good thing. It had cast his inhibitions aside and given him the courage to make a move on her. He could bear the pain in his head as payment for his glorious night with her.

He shivered when she caressed his lower back with long strokes of her fingers. Her touch was light, tickling, and he could sense concern in her again. What was she looking at that had her so worried?

“What happened?” Her fingertips traced another line across his back and then she stroked his shoulders.

The scars.

He hadn’t realised that they were still there. Was that what she had been touching this morning too? The thought that she would still lay her hands on him, would still feel such concern for him, added another slender thread to his hope.

“I was punished.” He couldn’t bring himself to say any more. They had lashed him to remind him of his duty and the sin he had committed. Sin. He would have laughed at that if it hadn’t hurt so much.

“But you said you didn’t do it.” She came around to stand in front of him, her dark brown eyes wide with confusion.

“I did not do it, but I cannot prove that. There is no evidence to the contrary. I have searched for it, returned to the scene of the crime every other night for the past three years trying to find a clue that would free me of my sin.” His heart sunk when he recalled how his hope had faded with each visit to the ruins of the building that remained in the closed lot. He shut his eyes as images of that night flashed across his mind and he could almost feel the heat of the blast, the sting of the cuts as he tumbled along the ground, and the smell of the fire. “I did not do it.”

“Lukas?” Annelie’s hand was soft against his cheek and, without thinking, he leaned into it, seeking the comfort she offered and taking it. The memory faded again but it would return soon. It haunted him each night, filling his dreams with burning bodies and Heaven’s Court and the look of shame on his fellow warriors’ faces when the jury had passed judgement on him. “What happened?”

Did she really want to know? He needed to see. He looked deep into her eyes and used her hand against his face to strengthen the connection to her that had always been there. He didn’t usually feel humans’ emotions so easily. Annelie’s were always there for him to read, held barely beneath the surface. She was so open with him.

“There was going to be an event at a factory. My team received an order to go there. I was the first to arrive. When I did, the building exploded, incinerating everything. It transpired that no one knew of the event. It had not been foreseen.”

“What does that mean?” Her hand remained against his face, making him strong and able to tell her everything. She had to know. He hadn’t spoken about this to anyone but he needed to share it with her.

“Only a supernatural creature can create an event that the Higher Order of Watchers wouldn’t see. An angel did it. They planted bombs and destroyed the building, with all of the humans still inside.”

Her eyes widened. “Why?”

“I do not know.” He stepped back, clenched his fists and jaw and stared hard at the wooden floor of his bedroom. “All I know is that I was there and no-one believes me when I say that I had been assigned to that area. The rest of my team did not receive the order, and there is no record of it. The records state that I was assigned somewhere else.”

“Surely there has to be something you can do?”

Lukas laughed bitterly. “There was. I could appeal three years after being sentenced. I did and I failed... I accused my commander of falsifying the records to protect the perpetrator. Not my finest hour. The result is that I am stripped of my wings and most of my powers.”

“Can’t you appeal again?” Annelie sat on the end of the bed. She seemed comfortable with his wings now, distracted by his plight, but he knew that it wasn’t over. She still wasn’t his. Would she ever be? He wasn’t sure if she would be able to accept him as an angel. Could she accept him as a mortal? Was he brave enough to risk everything for her and her love?

He was the one unsure now. Heaven had turned its back on him but he wasn’t brave enough to do the same to it. He still longed to clear his name and return to duty.

“No.” He concentrated so his wings disappeared. He could still use a glamour but he preferred not to deceive Annelie by falsifying his appearance. When they were gone, he gathered his clothes and tugged on his boxer shorts and black jeans. “Well... I can when I have waited three hundred years.”

She gasped. “What will you do?”

“Wait.”

“You can’t do that.” She frowned at him. “There has to be some way of proving you’re innocent.”

The force behind those words convinced him that she believed he was as innocent as she said and that she wasn’t going to walk out on him. She wanted to help him. It was written in every beautiful line of her face and the tone of her voice.

“Someone must have seen something.”

“They did, but Heaven’s records don’t show the angel involved. No one saw me or the real perpetrator. My kind are not recorded in Heaven’s history of Earth. They only saw the explosion happen and then I returned and reported it, incriminating myself.” Lukas paused and frowned. Why hadn’t he thought of it earlier? “Heaven’s records may not record angels but Hell’s might.”

“Hell?” Annelie looked even more uncertain now. “What are you going to do, walk in there and ask the Devil if he’ll take a look for you? I went to Sunday School and I know that he probably won’t help an angel, even a fellow fallen one.”

She bit her lip when his gaze snapped to her and dropped her chin, her cheeks colouring deeply. He might have fallen but he wasn’t Lucifer. She peered up at him through the messy strands of red hair that had escaped her ponytail, her apology in her eyes, and Lukas sighed. He knew she hadn’t meant it like that, but being compared to Lucifer had struck a chord deep within him, one that made his hope fade fast. He would never survive three hundred years on Earth waiting for his appeal. He wasn’t strong enough to endure such endless pain, not without succumbing to temptation as the Devil had. He had to do something about it, just as Annelie had said.

“I do not need to ask the Devil.” Lukas sat beside her on the bed. “There is an angel who will likely help me. Annelie?”

She turned to face him, her eyes meeting his and her expression soft and inviting.

He hesitated. Was he strong enough to say what was on the tip of his tongue? Would she agree or would she leave him? He was moving too fast but he couldn’t go without her. He had to take the risk and believe that she wanted to give him a chance, and that she would say yes.

“Will you come to Paris with me?” Those words were some of the most difficult he had ever said. He waited with bated breath, desperate to hear her answer. She said nothing, just stared at him. “Please? Give me time to prove to you that it doesn’t matter that I am an angel... that I am still the man you have known these past three years.”

She still hesitated.

Lukas swallowed and took hold of her hand, holding it in both of his, caressing the back with his thumbs. She had to agree. She had to come with him and give him a second chance. He couldn’t do this without her and he couldn’t leave her here. If he did that, he was sure he would never see her again.

“Annelie?”

She finally nodded.

Lukas smiled. “We shall get you some things from your home and then fly straight there.”

“I thought you couldn’t fly?”

His face fell. This punishment was going to take some getting used to. Even a mention of the fact that he was unable to fly made him ache inside.

“By plane then,” he whispered and thought about how difficult it was going to be to travel via human methods. “Do you have an old passport?”

She stared at him, her expression distant, as though she wasn’t quite keeping up with him and everything was sweeping her along. He waited for her to catch up. Rushing her would only make her change her mind.

She glanced at his shoulders and then finally nodded again. “What use is that though?”

“I can alter it but we will have to get tickets at the airport so I can be near the terminal to change it there too. I still have that power.” Lukas stared at his feet. He would have to get used to seeing floors and pavements. He didn’t think he could bring himself to see the day sky until all this was over and he had proven his innocence. He would do it somehow. He would end his punishment and free himself, and make them see that they had accused the wrong angel. He had always put humans before him. He had never harmed them.

He closed his eyes.

Flying was going to be torture. Even if he didn’t look, he would know that he was high in the sky, where he longed to be. He would endure it though.

Annelie’s hand came to rest against his shoulder. “Why don’t we take the train? I’ve never been through the tunnel before. It’ll be much more fun than flying and will give us time to talk.”

Lukas smiled and placed his hand over hers. It was kind of her to pretend that she hadn’t noticed his pain. It was kind of her to see the suffering his loss of flying caused him and to understand it.

Perhaps there was hope for him. For them.

He would do everything in his power to make things right.

He would prove his innocence.

He would prove his love for her.

Buy Her Fallen Angel at:
My website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Fallen%20Angel
Alinar Publishing: http://www.alinarpublishing.com/books.php?title=Her%20Fallen%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Her-Fallen-Angel-Romance-ebook/dp/B0046ZRNEG/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Her-Fallen-Angel-Romance/dp/B0046ZRNEG/
Fictionwise.com: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b114586/Her-Fallen-Angel-/Felicity-Heaton/?



Felicity Heaton
website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk
blog: http://felicityheaton.blogspot.com
twitter: http://twitter.com/felicityheaton
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/feheaton

Felicity Heaton - Her Angel series - Competition Time!

To celebrate my guest blogging day here at The Romance Studio, I thought I would have a competition. I'm going to make it pretty simple... all you have to do to enter and be in with a chance of winning an ebook of your choice from my backlist is:

1. visit my website at http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk
2. take a look around at the books
3. come back to this post and say which three books on my website you think sound the most interesting to you (if you've read my books before, feel free to mention books you've read and enjoyed)

Make sure you leave your name on your comment. I'll swing by tomorrow to choose a winner and will update this post with that person's name.

Have fun!

Felicity Heaton
website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk
blog: http://felicityheaton.blogspot.com
twitter: http://twitter.com/felicityheaton
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/feheaton

ETA: Winner chosen was Ilona - Please contact me at felicity.heaton [at] yahoo.co.uk to claim your prize!

Her Dark Angel by Felicity Heaton - Second chapter excerpt...

Well, you've had the first chapter excerpt for the first book in my Her Angel series, Her Dark Angel. Here's the second chapter to tease and tantalise you...

Her Dark Angel
Felicity Heaton
An angel without a mission, Apollyon lives trapped in Hell guarding the bottomless pit. Surrounded by endless darkness, he longs to fly free on Earth once more but his master hasn’t called him in centuries. When the call finally comes, it’s to serve a new master, a beautiful woman he has often watched over, a woman who has always captivated him.

Serenity is shocked when a gorgeous black-winged angel shows up in her city of Paris claiming that she called him when she was only casting a simple vengeance spell. He’s no other than the angel of death! When Apollyon offers to obey her and help her have revenge on her cheating ex-boyfriend, she can’t resist the temptation, but can she resist him? Can an angel as dark as Apollyon ever fall for a mortal woman like her?

Their charade as lovers quickly becomes reality when one dance leads to another and Apollyon proves that he’s as sinful as he looks. His sensual and hungry touch brings Serenity back to life, freeing her from the hurt of being betrayed and reigniting her passion, but she can’t ignore her growing fear. Lost in their moment together, Apollyon realises that there is a reason he heard her call—he’s in love with her.

But will Serenity see past the wings and believe that Apollyon returns her feelings and won’t hurt her? When her ex-boyfriend asks her to forgive him and be with him again, will she take the easy route or will she find the courage to fly away with her dark angel?

Dark, passionate and erotic, Her Dark Angel is a tale of intense desire and deepest forbidden love guaranteed to get your heart racing.

ALL OF THE STORIES IN THE HER ANGEL SERIES STAND ALONE, JOINED BY CHARACTER AND WORLD ONLY, AND DO NOT NEED TO BE READ IN ORDER.

Buy Her Dark Angel at:
My website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Dark%20Angel
Alinar Publishing: http://www.alinarpublishing.com/books.php?title=Her%20Dark%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Her-Dark-Angel-ebook/dp/B00408AQ98/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&m=A7B2F8DUJ88VZ&s=digital-text&qid=1282589354&sr=8-17
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Her-Dark-Angel/dp/B00408AQ98/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1282589405&sr=8-13
Fictionwise.com: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b113258/Her-Dark-Angel-/Felicity-Heaton/?si=0


EXCERPT - chapter 2
Serenity’s hazel eyes went wide and she stepped back when the hulking mass of man standing before her drew the sword that hung at his waist, afraid that he had changed his mind and was going to kill her after all. She wasn’t sure what to think when he eased himself down onto one knee in front of her, lowered his head, and held his sword out to her, the hilt and tip of the beautiful blade resting on his palms.

“I am yours to command.” His French was perfect, making his deep voice so sexy that a shiver tripped over her skin whenever he spoke.

Was she supposed to do something?

People were staring again as they passed. What did they see? They certainly weren’t seeing a man offering a sword to her, that was for sure. To them, did he look as though he was kneeling with his hands raised in supplication?

Was he dressed in black and gold armour that didn’t leave much to the imagination?

Did he have huge black feathered wings?

She imagined that he didn’t. If he did, the people would probably be screaming rather than merely glancing at him as though he had gone insane.

“Erm, okay.” Serenity hesitated before touching the sword. The gleaming steel was cold beneath her fingers. She took her hand away, not liking the feel of it. “Thanks.”

He stood with grace, his muscles shifting beneath his golden skin, and she tried not to stare at his physique. Either he worked out a lot, or angels were naturally endowed with the body of a god. He was pure perfection as he stood close to her, his broad chest rising and falling, moving the beautifully decorated black breastplate. His stomach was bare, taut muscles delighting her hungry eyes, and the smallest black loincloth in the world protected his modesty.

Something that she was lacking. She lowered her gaze, taking in the toned length of his legs. They were as powerful as the rest of him. Her eyes roamed back up, over the black cuffs that covered his forearms, decorated in gold with images of lions, and over his biceps to his strong shoulders. From there, they wanted to go to his face, but his wings were too fascinating. They were large, casting a shadow across both him and her, tucked against his back.

She wanted to walk around him and investigate every delicious inch of him, taking in that he really was an angel and not a man parading as one.

An angel.

Abaddon.

Her mother had taught her gods, goddesses and mythology. She knew all about him and his kind.

Her eyes finally leapt to his face. He had a smile that could stop hearts and vivid blue eyes with icy flecks in them. They held her gaze, unwavering and strong, and her temperature rose when they narrowed slightly and his pupils widened. What was he thinking in there?

Did he like what he saw as much as she did?

The man was a god.

No, an angel.

And he was beautiful.

Breathtaking.

But he wasn’t at all as she had thought an angel would look. Everything about him spoke of darkness, right down to his aura. Whatever power he had, it was strong and it wasn’t the sort that resurrected mortals or healed them. It felt as though the opposite would happen if he unleashed it.

Abaddon. The angel of death. Although he had denied that title. What title did he claim as his then?

“So, Abaddon—”

“Apollyon,” he interjected with a charming smile that teased his sensual lips and made her heart beat a little faster.

He was an angel. No matter how good he looked and how much he was making her forget her pain just by looking at him, she couldn’t think about him like that. It was wrong of her. He had offered his assistance in getting revenge on her bastard ex and she was going to take it. Whatever dark power this gorgeous man had, she was going to let it rip in her ex’s direction.

“Apollyon?” She stopped her gaze from dropping down to take him in again. If she told him to put on something a little less distracting, would he be able to do it? She had seen through whatever spell he had used. Could he ever fool her eyes?

“I prefer my true name.” He cast a quick glance over her. His eyes lingered in all the places a mortal man’s would.

Surely, she was off limits too? Angels were asexual weren’t they?

The voice at the back of her mind said that the tall hunk of handsome standing in front of her definitely didn’t look asexual. He looked like sin incarnate, not like an angel at all.

“Serenity.” She offered her hand to him.

He took it and a jolt ran through her at the feel of his strong warm hand grasping hers. She shook his hand but he didn’t let go when she was done. He held it, his thumb resting lightly against hers.

“My mother thought I could bring peace to a chaotic world.” Her heart sped when his thumb grazed hers and then he took his hand back, his fingers brushing her palm and sending another shiver through her. “I’m not much good at it.”

“At what?” He quirked a dark eyebrow and tilted his head to one side.

Serenity sighed inside. Did he know how good he looked? Could angels be conceited? She supposed they were all beautiful so he probably didn’t realise that the reason all the women were staring as they passed wasn’t because they thought he was apprehending her or anything of the sort.

They were staring for the same reason she was.

The man was six feet plus of godliness.

“Being peaceful... I’m actually quite chaotic.” She shrugged. “Nothing I do comes out right. I mean... I thought I was casting a simple spell for vengeance and suddenly you’re here telling me that you heard me calling you. I wasn’t asking for an angel.”

“You weren’t.” He placed his palm flat against her chest and she jumped. Her pulse rocketed and she blushed from head to toe at the feel of his wrist against her breasts. “Your heart called me, not your words.”

Serenity smiled and nervously took hold of his hand and removed it from her chest before she lost control and threw herself at him.

“So you’re good with revenge?”

“Very good at it.” He stood taller, straightening to his full impressive height, looking even nobler and handsome. “I am Apollyon, the great destroyer, king of the bottomless—”

“Wait.” She cut him off and held her hands up. “Great destroyer? Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. I mean, you’re an angel and your boss-on-high would probably be a little upset if you blew up half of Paris to fulfil my wish for revenge, and I don’t want him dead... just in pain... and I can really take care of this myself. I didn’t mean to bother you.”

“It is little bother.” He frowned. “I will only do as you command. The choice of revenge will be yours and I will exact it.”

“What about your boss?” She didn’t want to piss God off. She was sure that he was already fairly angry that people like her existed on Earth, those that could use magic and make their own miracles.

Not that she had managed anything like that so far. She was better at lighting candles and the small stuff like love potions.

Serenity glanced up at Apollyon. Would a love potion work on an angel?

She cursed and told herself to get a grip. Angels probably couldn’t enter into relationships with mortals and this attraction to him was probably because she was rebounding.

“You are my master now.” The serious edge to his expression said that he wasn’t joking. “I do as you bid.”

Serenity’s eyebrows rose and she slowly absorbed the fact that she had her own personal angel.

“Then we should...” She wasn’t sure what they should do. Skulk off and plan something horrible to do to her ex because he’d cheated on her? It all felt a little cloak and dagger and not at all like her. She had never sworn revenge on anyone, had always let her anger go and just got on with her life. Not this time though. She wanted him to pay. “Do you drink coffee?”

“I have never tried it.” Apollyon smiled. “But I have been told by others that it tastes strangely bitter and sweet at the same time, and has an interesting effect on the body. I would like to try it.”

“Coffee it is.” Serenity led the way towards the fountains and Apollyon came up to walk beside her.

She really hoped that people weren’t seeing him as she was.

“What do you look like to them?” She looked at a few people to make her point.

“A man dressed in a black suit.”

“No wings?”

He shook his head. “Do not worry. It is only you who are unaffected by the image I project.”

“Can it affect me?”

He stopped and looked at her. The breeze tousled his fine long black hair, teasing the strands of his ponytail.

“You wish not to see me as I am?”

When he said it like that, it made her feel bad. His blue eyes darted between hers, as though he wanted to see the answer in them before she said it.

“No.” She stepped towards him. Her heart beat faster again and her palms sweated. She took a deep breath and smiled up at him. “You’re fine just the way you are.”

The wind blew again, catching her blonde hair and sweeping it across her face. She started when he brushed the strands from her face, smoothing them behind her ear, and his fingertips caressed her cheek as he trailed his hand off her. Did he know what he did to her with that touch? What just looking at him did to her on the inside? She kept telling herself that he was an angel and he was off limits, but her body wasn’t getting the message. It burned to feel his hands on her, to feel his lips against hers and have him hold her close.

It was insane. She had only just met him and she wasn’t usually the sort who threw herself at men. Her ex, Edward, had pursued her for months before she’d finally given in and agreed to a date with him, let alone anything else.

Now she was ready to throw herself into the arms of an angel and pray that he caught her and kissed her just as she wanted him to.

“He really hurt you,” Apollyon whispered.

Serenity blinked and her desire deflated at the thought of what Edward had done to her. She really had to clear her head of whatever ridiculous attraction she felt to Apollyon because it wasn’t going to happen.

She started walking again, not waiting for him to follow. She needed a moment to breathe. Since setting eyes on him, her head and heart had been at war and she had to give them both a reality check. Apollyon was here to help her get revenge and that was all. She couldn’t throw herself at him, or make a move, or do anything that would only end in her getting her heart broken again or winding up as miserable as Edward had made her.

“I said something wrong?” Apollyon strode beside her, his long lithe legs making easy work of her hurried pace.

She was quiet a moment, lost in her thoughts, her gaze drifting over the white stone buildings that lined the narrow street.

“No.” She moved through the crowd at a busy intersection, crossed the road and then walked along another narrow road to the street where her favourite café was. “It just caught me off guard. I mean, I get this sense that you know what you’re talking about... as though you... it’s silly.”

“Can feel it?”

She stopped dead outside the café and looked back at him.

He stood a few paces behind her, his black wings still tucked against his back and the gold decoration on his black armour reflecting the sun.

She nodded.

He walked up to her and looked into her eyes. “I can feel it. It is part of the reason I agreed to help you. You do not deserve such pain. You always seemed so happy until recently.”

“You’ve been spying on me?” It came out louder than she’d meant it to.

A couple of well-dressed dark-haired women sitting at one of the round tables in front of the café looked her way and then started talking in hushed voices.

“I am an ang—” He frowned when she slapped her hand over his mouth. His warm breath bathed her skin, tickling her and sending a shiver dancing up her arm.

Serenity snatched her hand back. “I don’t think that’s a good word to use in public.”

“We all watch. It is what we do.”

She grimaced. That had probably sounded even worse. The two women were deep in conversation now, furtively glancing at her and Apollyon. They probably thought she had a harem of stalkers.

Serenity grabbed Apollyon’s hand and dragged him into the small café. It was quieter inside, only a few people at the small round wooden tables and in the armchairs. She chose a spot away from everyone, near the window, and sat Apollyon down in a low brown armchair next to a small table.

“Wait here,” she said and hoped that he would.

What had she gotten herself into?

Serenity ordered the coffees and looked over at Apollyon while she waited for them to come. He was sitting looking out of the window. Watching the world go by? Did angels really do that? If he said they did, then they probably did all watch over the mortals.

He shifted his shoulders, frowned and then his black wings unfurled, sending a breeze through the room that had people grabbing their papers, napkins and anything else that had tried to escape in the wind.

Serenity stared open-mouthed at the sight of him. He sat with his black feathered wings outstretched behind him, almost reaching back to the other side of the room. How big was his wingspan? Each wing was at least eight feet long.

She grabbed the coffees when they arrived, went back to him, and sat in a daze in the armchair opposite him, staring at his wings.

Apollyon shifted his shoulders and his wings furled again, the longest feathers curling around and grazing his boots.

“I needed to stretch,” he said with an apologetic look and then smiled. “It has been a long time since I have had so much freedom. It feels good to stretch my wings.”

She bet it did. He looked like the cat that got the cream, smiling ear to ear, a twinkle in his blue eyes.

“What does it feel like to fly?” she said before she could even consider what she was asking.

His smile widened. “Bliss. The wind on my face, the feel of it in my feathers, and the way I can see everything and go anywhere. There is no feeling like it.”

“It sounds nice. I’ve flown... in a plane... but it’s still flying, right? Something in common.”

“Would you like to fly?”

Was he offering to take her up? The thought made her stomach feel tight but something inside her made her nod.

“I am sure we can do something about it.”

He picked up the white mug of coffee and raised a dark eyebrow at it. He sniffed it first, peered at the frothy top, and then took a sip.

His feathers quivered and his eyes widened, darting to hers. “What drug is in this?”

Serenity picked up her own mug of latte and sipped. “It’s not really a drug. It’s caffeine, a natural stimulant. Humans are addicted to it.”

He eyed the mug suspiciously. “A stimulant?”

He looked as though he was going to take another sip and then set it back down on the round table between them. His gaze met hers again and his pupils dilated until his irises were almost as black as them. He shifted uncomfortably and crossed his legs, settling his hands in his lap.

“I do not think I should drink any more. It would be unwise.” His voice was tight and the unmistakable spark of desire in his eyes wasn’t going anywhere. “I will be having words with my fellow warriors when we next meet. They did not explain the effects well enough.”

Effects? She looked down at his hands in his lap and then back into his dark eyes.

Viagra for angels?

“I thought you were all asexual,” she blurted and then covered her mouth when he turned horrified eyes on her. She blushed ten shades of crimson and tried to think of a spell that would take back what she’d said. It probably wouldn’t work on him anyway. Magic didn’t affect gods and goddesses, so it was unlikely to affect other supernatural beings.

“I am not asexual.” The way he said it made it clear that he would be happy to prove it to her right now in the coffee shop.

Serenity gulped her drink and kept her focus on it, avoiding the smouldering look he was giving her and wanting to crawl under the table and hide.

“I have not had a woman in many centuries but I am in no way an impotent creature.”

Did he have to say it loud enough for the whole coffee shop to hear? She sunk into her chair, trying to avoid the looks she was getting.

“I take it back,” she whispered into her mug and peered at him over the rim of it.

He glowered, passion no longer reigning in his eyes. A dark malevolence shone there and the sense that he wasn’t exactly a good angel in the way she had imagined them returned.

“Some people say you’re the Devil.”

He leaned back into his chair and sighed. “First I am the angel of death, and now the Devil? The rumours do spread and stick, don’t they?”

“What are you then?” She emerged from her mug, sat forwards on the edge of the armchair seat and looked him over. He was sin made flesh, luscious in every way imaginable, and she was sure that angels weren’t supposed to be so tempting.

“I told you. Apollyon, the great destroyer... angel of the Apocalypse, responsible for raining hell down on Earth when everything comes to an end.”

That wasn’t comforting at all.

“You’re not a good angel then?”

He smiled and there was a sexy sort of darkness in his look. “I am good, if by that you mean I do not work for the Devil, but I can be very bad.”

She could imagine. She shouldn’t be, but she was picturing him in every position possible and he looked wicked from every angle.

“So what does my mistress command?” His smile held. Something about it made her feel as though he was encouraging her to say the things that were raging through her head.

What didn’t she want to command? She couldn’t though. She was sure that it was wrong to order an angel to commit sin. For now, while her conscience was still functioning and she could resist the temptation sitting across from her, she would focus on getting her revenge.

“Nothing involving death. I want him to suffer. I want him to feel jealous and hurt and unloved... as though he doesn’t matter to me.”

Apollyon smiled as though he liked the sound of that.

She held his blue gaze. What she was going to propose was crazy, and would shatter what little restraint she had around him, but she was going to do it.

“I have a plan.”


Buy Her Dark Angel at:
My website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Dark%20Angel
Alinar Publishing: http://www.alinarpublishing.com/books.php?title=Her%20Dark%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Her-Dark-Angel-ebook/dp/B00408AQ98/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&m=A7B2F8DUJ88VZ&s=digital-text&qid=1282589354&sr=8-17
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Her-Dark-Angel/dp/B00408AQ98/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1282589405&sr=8-13
Fictionwise.com: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b113258/Her-Dark-Angel-/Felicity-Heaton/?si=0



Felicity Heaton
website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk
blog: http://felicityheaton.blogspot.com
twitter: http://twitter.com/felicityheaton
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/feheaton

Her Fallen Angel by Felicity Heaton - First chapter excerpt...

Now that I've introduced you to the Her Angel series, and the hero of the first book in it, Her Dark Angel, it's time to introduce you to the second book, Her Fallen Angel, which is also my latest release as it came out on October 16th! Lukas is a different sort of hero to Apollyon, but he's just as gorgeous!

Her Fallen Angel
Felicity Heaton
Annelie fell for Lukas the moment he walked into her pub three years ago. He’s stunning, his vivid green eyes lending to his otherworldly beauty, but he’s seriously out of her league. When he tells her that she’s beautiful and confesses that he wants her, she can’t resist him and his passionate kiss. She unleashes her desire and seizes the moment and Lukas with both hands. But Lukas has a secret, one that will test Annelie’s love for him and threaten to tear them apart.

He’s an angel.

Annelie can’t believe it when Lukas says that their feelings for each other aren’t a sin, but she can believe his pain when he tells her the reason he’s on Earth. He is fallen, cast out of Heaven as punishment for a crime he didn’t commit. Lukas isn’t about to give up and accept his fate though. He’s determined to prove both his innocence and his love for Annelie, and to show her that the intense passion they share is real.

When Lukas and Apollyon discover who framed him, will he be able to stop them from going after Serenity and Annelie? Will he be able to protect the woman he loves and fly away with her into their forever after?

ALL OF THE STORIES IN THE HER ANGEL SERIES STAND ALONE, JOINED BY CHARACTER AND WORLD ONLY, AND DO NOT NEED TO BE READ IN ORDER.

Buy Her Fallen Angel at:
My website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Fallen%20Angel
Alinar Publishing: http://www.alinarpublishing.com/books.php?title=Her%20Fallen%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Her-Fallen-Angel-Romance-ebook/dp/B0046ZRNEG/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Her-Fallen-Angel-Romance/dp/B0046ZRNEG/
Fictionwise.com: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b114586/Her-Fallen-Angel-/Felicity-Heaton/?




EXCERPT - Chapter 1
Lukas was looking worse for wear.

Annelie had never seen him drink alcohol. She had often wondered why he came to her pub but stuck to soft drinks. Seeing him slowly sliding down towards the bar, his head propped up on his hand and his eyes closed, she was no longer surprised that he lay off the booze. He couldn’t handle it.

His scruffy sandy locks fell forwards when his head slipped from his hand and he jerked up. He rolled his eyes a few times while blinking and then pulled a face as he inspected the damp elbow of his black shirt and the wet bar where he had been leaning. A sigh lifted his shoulders and he stared at the half-full glass of whisky in front of him. Perhaps she should have cut him off after his third, but his charming smile had persuaded her to supply him with a fourth, and a fifth. She regretted it now. At the time, he had looked as though he would be fine. Now, he looked as though he was going to pass out.

Perhaps she shouldn’t have given him the first shot. What if he didn’t drink because he was an alcoholic and she had just ruined his recovery? She could never live with herself if that was the case.

She handed some change to a patron and walked along the length of the dark wooden bar to Lukas, neatening her appearance as she did so. She tugged the hem of her back baby-doll t-shirt down to sit smoothly along the waist of her black jeans, and combed her fingers through her long red hair. She always felt as though she looked like a mess when things got frantic behind the bar, and she wanted to look her best for Lukas.

The pub was quieter now that it was approaching closing time. A few regulars remained along with a group of people she didn’t recognise that sat in the corner near the old bay windows. She could finally speak to Lukas without interruption.

Annelie leaned on the damp bar opposite Lukas and swept his fair hair out of his eyes. He leaned away, almost fell off his stool, and then looked at her. She felt an all too familiar jolt when his green eyes met her brown ones and her heart fluttered in her chest when he smiled lopsidedly.

“You okay?” She went to take her hand away but he took hold of it, bringing it down to the bar and toying with her fingers.

His gaze fell there, a look of fascination entering his eyes, and she told herself not to read into it.

So what if this was the first bordering-on-intimate contact they’d had? So what if he had made her heart stop the moment he had first walked into her pub three years ago and it had stopped every time she had seen him since? It didn’t mean anything.

At least, it didn’t mean anything to him.

Sure, they had talked and whiled away the hours, and Lukas was an amazing listener and always seemed genuinely interested in her problems and helping her solve them, but he had never once shown any interest in her beyond friendship.

She wished that he would.

He was drop dead gorgeous. Six feet plus of masculine beauty. And she wanted to pounce on him whenever he walked through the door.

Which had been almost every other night until recently.

He had gone away for three long weeks without a word, leaving her wondering if something terrible had happened to him. Then the moment he walked back into her life, he hit the drink, hard.

Lukas didn’t answer her. His green gaze remained fixed on her hand and he turned it this way and that, his hands warm and gentle against hers. Her heart whispered that this was interest beyond friendship.

Someone stepped up to the bar at the far end and she waved to Andy to serve him. She couldn’t leave Lukas until she knew what was going on in his head and why he was suddenly drinking, or at least until she was sure he wasn’t about to fall off his stool and hurt himself.

Annelie bent lower so she could see his face. His gaze finally left her hand and met hers again, bright in the lights from the rows of drinks behind her.

“I said you okay?” She searched his eyes.

His pupils were wide. He raked his gaze down over her chest, fire following in its wake, and then back up to her face. It remained fixed there, as though he was studying her, intense and focused. A blush crept onto her cheeks.

“Hell of a week.” His reply was so quiet that she barely heard him.

“You’ve been gone three.”

His eyebrows rose. “Three?”

She nodded. He released her hand and ran his over the messy finger-length strands of his hair, preening it back. He brought his hand down, pinched the bridge of his nose and screwed his eyes shut.

“Hell of a three weeks.” Lukas smiled but she saw straight through it.

Something was up. Andy tried to call her over but she waved him away again. Andy had been tending bar long enough to handle problems on his own now. Lukas needed to talk. She had seen it the moment he had sat down tonight, but the pub had been so busy that she hadn’t been able to talk to him other than taking his order. He had never really spoken much about himself and the one time he needed to she hadn’t made time for him. He had always made time to listen to her. What sort of friend was she?

“I was wondering where you were.” Her tone was jest but her heart meant the words.

Lukas looked at her as though hearing that had made his day and then dropped his gaze to his drink. He ran his finger around the rim of the whisky glass and then sighed.

“Sorry about that.”

She never had been able to place his accent. It wasn’t British. She had asked him about it once and he had simply said that he had lived in many places. She had told him her whole life story and he hadn’t even told her where he was from. She was fine with that though. It added a sense of mystery to him that she liked.

He picked up his glass and she took it from him.

“I think you’ve had enough of that.” She tipped the contents away behind the bar and stashed the glass there. “How are you getting home tonight?”

He frowned, propped his head up on his palm, and closed his eyes. “The usual way.”

“I can’t let you drive.”

A smile curved his delicious lips. “I don’t drive. I fly.”

She laughed. “Well, I can’t let you drink and fly.”

He was drunk if he thought he could fly home.

Annelie covered his other hand with hers and he opened his eyes, their green depths meeting hers again. They were sharper now but not enough to satisfy her.

“I’ll give you a lift if you wait until we’ve closed.” Hopefully he would have sobered up a little by then and could direct her to his place. She had never seen him outside work before.

He stared into her eyes for what felt like hours and then nodded. Annelie took her hand back and smiled, relieved that he would wait for her. She didn’t want him going home alone and perhaps she could talk to him during the drive and find out why he was suddenly drinking.

The bar would close in twenty minutes but it would be at least another hour before she had finished cleaning up. She glanced back at Lukas. He rested his arm on the counter and used it as a pillow, his eyes closing. He hadn’t drunk that much, but it was still best that he slept it off. Andy would go home when the pub closed and she would be quiet while she counted the money and cleaned the place.

Before long, the pub was empty except for her and Lukas. Annelie tied her long red hair back into a ponytail and wiped the bar down, avoiding disturbing Lukas as he slept. She stopped by him and stared at his face. He looked so peaceful and gorgeous when asleep. She hesitated and then, with her heart in her mouth, brushed the tangled strands of his fair hair from his forehead. His lips parted and he murmured something. She smiled and brushed his skin again, lightly so he wouldn’t wake, but enough contact to make her feel a little giddy. When had she fallen for him? It had come on so slowly over the past three years that she hadn’t realised she had those sorts of feelings for Lukas until he had gone away, and then she had been worried that he wasn’t coming back.

But here he was again, at her bar in the same stool he always occupied, and she was happy to see him.

Even if he was asleep.

He stirred and blinked slowly, as though trying to wake himself.

Annelie didn’t take her hand back. She was feeling brave tonight.

“How are you feeling?” She combed her fingers through his hair.

Lukas frowned, his green eyes fixed on the distance, and then groaned. She took that as a negative answer.

“No better yet?”

He nodded, moving her hand with him, and she stroked the curve of his ear. A smile touched his lips and then faded again when he closed his eyes.

“I’m almost done. I’ll have you home soon.” She went to walk away but he caught her wrist, sat up, and looked at her with such earnest eyes that her heart beat harder.

“I ever tell you that you’re pretty?” Those words rocked her to her core. Her pulse raced and her throat turned dry. She shook her head and he reached out with his other hand and ran the backs of his fingers down her cheek. There was nothing but honesty and warmth in his eyes. They sparkled with it, looking brighter now even though the lights were lower, entrancing her. “Your beauty puts angels to shame.”

Annelie tried to convince herself that it was the drink talking. Tried and failed. She had worked in pubs since she was in her early twenties, almost ten years ago, and had run this one since her parents had retired early. She had enough experience to spot levels of inebriation. Lukas’s eyes were sharper and his words weren’t slurred. He wasn’t drunk anymore. He was definitely still tipsy, but that excuse didn’t hold with her heart. It believed him. He really did think that she was beautiful. She blushed. It burned her cheeks before she could get the better of herself. She worked at a bar. She was used to men telling her that she was beautiful at the end of the night, but the way Lukas said it, the fact that it was him, made her believe him.

“You really are.” His hand slipped from her cheek to her jaw and he grazed his fingers along the curve of it. He smiled and her heart thudded. He was beautiful. She had never seen a man like him, with such deep green eyes and a smile that could make her heart pound and body tremble. “Beautiful.”

“Hush.” She took his hand away from her face and held it a moment. “Quit making me blush, Lukas.”

His smile held. “I love the way you say my name. Say it again.”

Annelie rolled her eyes. “Lukas.”

“Not like that.” He drew his hand towards him, luring her with it, until she was close to him. She stared into his eyes, her mind racing forwards to contemplate things it shouldn’t be. He wasn’t going to kiss her. Even if he was looking more sober now, she couldn’t let things go down that avenue. “Say it like you mean it. Like you said it just then.”

Annelie looked deep into his eyes, lost in them and the way the flecks of pale gold seemed to shift and move against their emerald backdrop, and blinked slowly. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Lukas.”

“Mmm, that is more like it.” He pulled her closer and tilted his head.

Annelie broke free, pulse rocketing, and ignored the disappointed look on his face. She couldn’t kiss him, no matter how tempting it was.

“Let me finish cleaning and I’ll take you home.” She hurried away to the other end of the bar, not daring to look back at Lukas, not while she wanted to kiss him and was weak enough to go through with it.

By the time she had finished cleaning, Lukas was looking far more sober and he was watching her. Annelie could feel his eyes on her, following her around the room as she placed the chairs upside down on the tables. She would wash the floor in the morning before opening time.

She walked over to Lukas and he turned on the stool to face her. His eyes held fire that burned within her, enticing her to kiss him after all. She cleared her throat, averted her gaze, and nodded towards the door.

“Come on.” She didn’t wait for him to get down off the stool. She started towards the door and Lukas was soon beside her. She snuck a glance at him. He always looked good in the black shirt and jeans he wore. They hugged his figure just the right amount, giving subtle clues about how sexy the body they hid was and luring her into picturing him naked. Even when she shouldn’t be.

She closed the door behind him and locked up.

“You okay?” She pocketed her keys and started down the quiet dark road with him towards the car park at the back of the pub.

“I have been better.” He tilted his head back, staring up at the night sky, and sighed. There was such a look of melancholy in his eyes. What was he thinking?

“Where did you go, Lukas?” She took her car keys out of her pocket, turned the corner into the car park, and pressed the button on the fob. The lights on her small car flashed. “I really was worried about you.”

He stopped and looked at her. She turned and met his gaze, letting him see that she wasn’t just saying that. He had disappeared without a word and it had frightened her. She had missed him. He stepped up to her and touched her face again, his palm warm against her cheek. His eyes held hers and she swore she saw another flicker of affection in them.

“I had to go away. I should have told you, Annelie. I should not have worried you.” There was black magic in his voice and the way he said her name, soft but with an underlying note of passion, and she was under his spell. He stroked her cheek, sending a shiver through her, and smiled into her eyes. “I did not think I would be gone so long. I promise I will not do it again.”

Annelie told herself to break free but she couldn’t. She didn’t want to. She wanted to stand there in the warm night, feeling hot from head to toe because of Lukas’s caress and the ardent look in his eyes. She wanted to believe that his words meant what she thought they did and that he liked her and things between them would be different now. She hadn’t looked at another man since Lukas had walked into her life, had dreamed the impossible of him falling for her, and now it felt as though the impossible was possible after all.

Lukas wanted her as much as she wanted him.

She stepped into his embrace, her heart thundering against her chest, and stared up into his eyes. His fingers stroked her neck, his thumb brushing over her chin and then under her jaw. He tilted her head back, his eyes fixed on hers, and lowered his mouth. She shivered when their lips met and then pressed her hands against his firm chest and melted into him as he kissed her. It started out slow, a bare meeting of lips, but before she could draw another breath, his mouth covered hers and he stole it away.

It was everything that she had imagined it would be. She craned her neck, slid her arms around his shoulders, and kissed him, their lips meeting and parting, tongues tracing each other. He groaned and it was music to her heart, driving her on. She licked his lower lip, tangled her tongue with his, and kissed him harder, her breathing coming faster now.

Sense reared its ugly head but she shoved it away, not interested in anything her mind had to say on the matter. The kiss was divine. Lukas was divine. It didn’t matter that he was still a little tipsy and that they were kissing in the middle of an unpleasant car park. She knew in her heart that this wasn’t the drink talking.

He pulled back, breathing hard, and his eyes searched hers. The fire in them matched the inferno burning within her. Did she look so hungry too? She wanted to devour him.

“Annelie...” He started and looked as though he was going to kiss her again, but then he stepped back. “I am sorry. If I have offended—”

“No.”

His eyes darted to hers.

She couldn’t bring herself to say it. She wanted him too. She had wanted that kiss more than anything. She was on the brink of saying it but other words came out instead.

“We should get you home.”

He looked disappointed again and nodded. Annelie walked to her car, cursing herself, feeling Lukas trailing behind her. She was aching all over to feel his hands and lips on her again. Why couldn’t she have just said what she had wanted to? Lukas, it was fine that you kissed me because I want to do that to you and a lot more besides. It was so easy to say it in her head.

She walked around the car and glanced at him. His eyes were on her again, drifting over her body, bringing the fire back in their wake. She burned for him. She burned so much that she felt as though she was going to die if he didn’t touch her and kiss her again, if he didn’t quench the flames as only he could.

If she had said what she had wanted to, would he be kissing her again now? Would that divine body be against hers and his hands be on her, skimming over her in the way she was craving, bringing her to life with passion and need?

Annelie yanked the car door open and got in. Lukas slid into the passenger seat beside her and she started the engine, put the car into gear and drove. He was quiet, only giving her directions across London to where he lived. When they reached it, she pulled the car to a halt in a space outside and stared at the building. It was a beautiful pale Georgian four-storey townhouse.

“You live here?” She couldn’t quite bring herself to believe it. She had never figured Lukas for a moneyed type. He had never once looked as though he had more than a few hundred pounds to his name.

Lukas nodded and got out of the car, not waiting for her. Had she put him in a bad mood? Her eyes followed him. He was walking in a straight line, not wavering at all, and seemed sober now. If he kissed her again, she wouldn’t be able to resist him anymore. She wouldn’t have a reason to.

Annelie stepped out, locked her car, and hurried across the quiet road to him. He waited at the black front door of the building, his gaze on her again. She stopped at the bottom of the steps, waiting for him to say something. All he had to do was invite her in. If he invited her in, she would take it as a sign that she hadn’t messed anything up and that he still wanted her.

His eyes held hers for what felt like hours and then he spoke.

“I just want to be clear about one thing. I did not kiss you because of the drink.” He glanced away and then met her gaze again. “There is a reason I like to sit at the bar and talk to you, Annelie. There is a reason I kissed you.”

He looked as though he had wanted to say more but she didn’t give him a chance. She ran up the steps, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him again. He stumbled backwards into the door and wrapped his arms around her waist, his tongue delving into her mouth and duelling with hers. This was Heaven. She couldn’t hold in her moan.

Lukas fumbled with the door behind him and they fell into the entrance, still locked in each other’s arms, their mouths fused in a kiss that drove Annelie crazy with hunger. She moaned again and kissed him harder, pouring out her passion and need into it until it became choppy and rough, a clashing of lips and teeth. Lukas’s groan sent a wave of heat scorching through her and she gasped into his mouth when he grabbed her backside. She hopped and wrapped her legs around his waist and he hit the wall with her, pinning her there, his body hard against hers and making her tremble with the images of them that flashed through her mind. She wanted all of them to happen right now, this instant, wanted to live out every hot dream she’d had of Lukas.

“Which floor?” She managed between kisses, too hungry for him to break contact for more than a second.

“Fourth.” There was a laugh to his voice that brought out her smile. He kissed her again and turned with her, heading for the stairs. Was he serious? He couldn’t carry her all the way to the fourth floor while kissing her.

Lukas seemed intent on proving her wrong. He held on to her, his hands grasping her backside, his body shifting between her hips in the most delicious way, and kissed along her jaw as he took the steps two at a time.

Annelie didn’t pay the slightest bit of attention to her surroundings. All she could think about was what would happen when they reached his apartment and how good it felt to be in his arms. She kissed his throat, earning quiet moans from him whenever she nipped it with her teeth or sucked. The rougher she was, the louder he groaned, and it drove her on, making her want to bite him harder.

She wriggled against him, hot all over, moist in her knickers, and moaned when he nibbled her neck, kissing and licking it, sending shivers dancing over her skin and stoking the fire of her hunger for him. She leaned her head back and he held her closer, devouring her throat, taking her higher and higher, and not only towards his apartment.

“Almost there,” he whispered into her mouth and her temperature soared with anticipation. He kissed her throat, her cheeks, and then her lips. He paused there and said the one thing that shattered her reservations, the one thing she had wanted to hear above all else. He breathed it against her lips in a husky voice, turning three simple words into the most erotic thing she had ever heard. “I want you.”

Annelie trembled in his strong arms, swept away by her need and his passion, and she kissed him.

She wanted him too.

And she was damn well going to have him.


Buy Her Fallen Angel at:
My website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Fallen%20Angel
Alinar Publishing: http://www.alinarpublishing.com/books.php?title=Her%20Fallen%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Her-Fallen-Angel-Romance-ebook/dp/B0046ZRNEG/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Her-Fallen-Angel-Romance/dp/B0046ZRNEG/
Fictionwise.com: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b114586/Her-Fallen-Angel-/Felicity-Heaton/?



Felicity Heaton
website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk
blog: http://felicityheaton.blogspot.com
twitter: http://twitter.com/felicityheaton
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/feheaton