Eiry Nieves's Blog

I was going to smother her with her own long, red hair…she would gasp and ask me why…with her eyes, her throat would be too swollen to manage chatting. Her eyes would stand out against all that red, I thought to myself.
I sensed Lexington shuffling next to me,“What did I do now? Why are you planning to suffocate me with my hair…and smiling?”
I waived her off, “You are so self-centered. Not everything red is about you, Lexington.” Egotistical, carrot.People can be so self-absorbed, really.

Please keep in mind that this may and most likely will change as I go over things.

“Have you ever noticed how hard it is to find a shadow in the night? I guess that’s why so many people are so obsessed with the idea of bringing things to the light…to the clear, so to speak.”


“Come closer…if you dare.”
I forced down the laugh bubbling through me. Strange sensation that. So much have change in so little time that every now and then I had a hard time believing it myself. Screwing up my face, “Nah. I’ve already seen what you’ve got going on there and it is not that impressive; so when I refuse to come any closer is not out of cowardice but… out of lack of interest, really.” I finished with a shrug before turning around. Once I was sure to have his attention, because really, the heat of his look gave him away- I started to walk away from him. As if I didn’t find him threat enough to worry about giving him my back right after insulting him.
He lunched for me and snaked his arms around my middle in a possessive vise grip that pushed the air out of my hungry lungs. Just like that. Would have been too much to ask for a war cry before the attack? I wished he had done so even more when a rather unbecoming yelp escaped my lips. We both stopped to acknowledge each other; in the way he had me, I had to look at him over my shoulder. Not that I was complaining much. I’ve been in worse situations. The things one endure…really. I was such a hopeless forgiving soul.
“What was that little sound?” He asked between laughs. “I bet I can make you do it again.” He waggle his eyebrows.
I threw him a coy smile; just for that, he should have known I was up to no good. I guess this was one silver lining of being human like…keeping my emotions and thoughts to myself whenever I desired to do so. Like in this instance, for example. I didn’t want to admit he was using far too much force on my ribs; had the Atari been in working order, I wouldn’t have had a choice on the matter. I just didn’t want him to hold back with me…I wanted all of him for as long as I was able…before—
I forced my mind back to the present. For a second all my attention was captured and then enthralled by the alien feeling of my hands rubbing against Ashlan’s stubbles. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that. Not that I ever would…I knew this thing that was happening to me was not a permanent kind of thing. Patting his cheek, a bit to hard if we are going for the truth, “Oh, Ash. That little sound?” He nodded eagerly, mischief shinning in his eyes, “was just a diversion, so when I did this you didn’t see it coming.” I accommodated my body just right and put all my upper body strength into throwing him over my head. He didn’t have a real chance to stop me since I was moving before the words were out of my mouth.
He hit the ground with a grunt, “Why, you sneaky, devious, underhanded…”
I waved him off, “Oh, shhhush it. Do you want to make me blush with your flattery?” Then with a mocking pout, “And not that I am about to instruct you on how to properly complement me, far be it from me, what you being the man and all that…but you should have stopped at the first one…they all mean the same, you know.”
He narrowed his eyes.

Okay, first off: let it be know that this book will be darker than the previous one and it will also depict many action scenes than book one (having fun with that last one). Of course I have not let aside the romance, drama and comedy...but, you'll see.
Prologue:

Selene looked up; I caught a startled cringe cross her youthful features before she could hide it from sight. Self-consciously, I tugged on the cowl of the cloak until it covered my face from view. My mind was coldly grazed by a most displeased presence; I could tell it hadn’t liked my open display of weakness. It didn’t understand my reasoning; not knowing how to express his disapproval through mortal ways, I heard sorrowful mourns that should have scared me but that now didn’t for I had become accustomed to. As a matter of point, I derived strength from its mere existence. It was promise of sorts.
Unbidden anger rolled over me; replacing my cockamamie, earthy self doubts. I gave free rein to my tempestuous emotions; I wanted her to feel them...to fear me. For her fear fed my power. The world became red as though I was taking it in through tainted lens…but I knew. The world wasn’t red…it were just my profane eyes, the world through those eyes. The girl’s frightened gaze widened when my dark force reached her kneeling form. My sharp gaze zeroed in on her nervous fidgeting, I felt a perverse flick of satisfaction run wild in my veins at the sight. I had to caught myself before a moan left my lips; closing my lids so to hide my eyes rolling into the back of my head in boundless bliss.
Then I remembered why she was here and the flicks of satisfaction were obliterated by cold, murdering fury, leaving a sour taste at its wake. Ugh. I should have her publically flogged for her incompetence as an example to others; she had failed me. And failure wasn’t acceptable. But punishing her in that fashion would beat the purpose of secrecy. That was the only reason her back was not a bleeding, shredded mess. “Tell me…one more time…what happened.” She bitted her lips, evidently pondering the wisdom of answering my question; her slight hesitation, as small as it was, was taken as a direct insult to my person.
My powers throbbed inside me; in the blink of an eye, a visible force shook my body and poured off of me in strong, pulsating waves. “Now. I want to hear you now, Selene.”
Her soulful brown eyes blinked repeatedly before fastening on the marble floor. Avoiding my rusty eyes at all cost. “We underestimated her. We…we…we outnumbered her by many, as planned…but o-overpowering her was not a matter of numbers.” She was stating the obvious. My jaw tightened in irritation.
“Selene?” The sound that left my lips close to a hiss. I wet my cracked, dry lips. My throat felt raw, I tasted the entity’s starvation as though it was my own, turning my voice undeniably rasp.
“Mistress?” She said warily, not meeting my gaze.
“Skip to the part I want to hear.” I commanded.
She swallowed audibly, “Jade…did not say your name, Mistress. However…she did say…that you were a member among our Council. I heard her clearly as day. Aisha knows. Assuming she remembers, of course.”
And just like the coward she was, she had listened hidden in the shadows, faraway from peril. She could have killed Aisha Blackwell when that offending female was down. But she did nothing of the sort. Foregoing, once again, a direct order. I had no use in my ranks for someone who dared defy my ruling. This girl kneeling in front of me was now a walking…talking liability. I had no tolerance for loose ends. Nor patience. Right on the heel of that realization, I felt the frosty breath of something outwardly whispering in the back of my head intelligible sweet nothings…seducing me into rescinding control to him. Reminding me of its presence. “Really, Selene…was it really that hard? And as for Jade…well, she has to die. Dead people can’t talk, now can they?”
Just then she looked up and understanding of her situation dawned on her. I could tell she knew she would be sharing Jade’s fate. But it was too late.
The shinny black floor on which she kneeled started to tremble and crumble apart, a never-ending pit appeared from under her. Only a small piece of swaying marble now held her. She tried to move away, escape her fate, but her feet were securely frozen to the ground by glistening blue hands that arose from under her and held her still. Her terror filled screams were an unwelcome annoyance to my sensible ears. Silence her, I commanded the bounded entity residing within me. With lethal glee it let out an earsplitting yowl while separating from my tangible form; crystal vases exploded, giving under the pressure. From my chest a light bright enough to blind human eyes appeared and diffused, illuminating the dark cave to daylight proportions.
With cracking contortions of muscles, the diabolical, primordial apparition made its way to Selene. The eerie sounds reverberated on the walls, multiplying. The incorporeal entity condensed into an inglorious sight; it was grotesque, to be sure, but beautiful at the same time in its raw, magnetic power. White-eyes shone brightly from an inhuman contour, too many misshapenness together on that face to call it human-like. Its almost seven feet of height were too much to take in at once. The double row of incisors of the creature grew to feral lengths; the condensing change never altering the slow pace of the creature. I was well aware the Triata could have quickened his walk…but the creature was enjoying the torturous tempo; how its victim suffered each second he delayed that final blow. I felt the echo of its twisted pleasure flickering inside me, after all, we were connected…the derived gratification seemed to start at the pit of my belly and then extend toward my limbs like firecrackers.
The male Triata extended its hand and grazed Selene’s face with his pointy talons, marking his pray as caught; leaving three deep bloody indentations on the girl’s now marred skin. Just playing with her. In the next instant, the girl’s jaw started to open and continued to do so until it reached unnatural spans; I knew it not to be of her own accord. The dislocating pop of a jaw had me flinching lightly, involuntarily; the Triata started to enter her body in order to posses it. His naked, shinny black foot was the first thing to be shoved into her body. I watched all with cold detachment from my throne. She was no one to me…just a mean to an end.
With the deed done, Selene’s body stopped trembling; it still showed signs of intense fatigue, her form was covered in perspiration and her breathing was ragged, labored. A full hour passed before her eyes popped open. Her once brown eyes were now an egg –white from corner to corner, the need to feed was most evident in its milky gaze; the eyes of a Triata looked back at me from a girl’s face. “Come here, my pet, it’s time for your feeding.” I showed the newly Triata possessed girl my vein. Like a poisonous snake, Selene’s body hissed and lunched for the exposed pad of white flesh I offered at my wrist. Her incisors lengthened and sunk true into my skin. My head lulled back in unchecked enjoyment; the Triata varied between pulling and swallowing down big gulps of the liquid of life I freely gave. Her eyes snapped open and held mine; the brown iris slowly returning to the girl’s eyes; at once concealing her true nature. I snaked my right hand into her long, luscious hair, pressing her fangs deeper.
All would be well, I mused to myself. Aisha Blackwell was a walking corpse. It was a matter of letting her body know it was past time to drop dead. I smiled brightly. Tomorrow could not come fast enough.

The book the Shadowlands (Aisha Blackwell's Chronicles) is going to be free for download for two days only on AMAZON. That is, the fourth and fifth of January 2013! Spread the word!