An unhappy shape shifter can be a dangerous companion....
It's Frisky Friday, and for A Writer's Naughty Thoughts, Fridays are also anything can happen days.
My excerpt for this week is from my 2nd book, Deadly Enchantment. A shapeshifting wizard romance set in Victorian England published by New Concepts Publishing,
In this snippet, which occurs at the beginning of the third chapter, Dominic Westcroft has reason to suspect Serena Blanford, one of the guests his sister has invited for him to consider as a potential bride, possesses magical abilities she's trying to keep hidden. Believing she may actually be a plant placed in his home by his treacherous brother, he decides to give her a purity validation test.
Serena has no idea what this "test" actually entails, but given the reaction of the other women who went through it, she knew it wasn't anything she wanted to experience. Up until this point, she has successfully managed to keep both her and her cousin safe from having to undergo the ordeal, but now Westcroft is adamant they both submit to the procedure. When Serena declines, he advises his servant that she will be leaving first thing in the morning. Knowing if she's sent away that she'll never be able to solve the mystery surrounding her sister's death, Serena agrees to do what Westcroft wants. However, when they approach the room where the testing is taking place, Serena hears her cousin crying and rushes in to comfort Allison only to learn they forced her cousin to drink a potion of some sort.
Serena has no idea what this "test" actually entails, but given the reaction of the other women who went through it, she knew it wasn't anything she wanted to experience. Up until this point, she has successfully managed to keep both her and her cousin safe from having to undergo the ordeal, but now Westcroft is adamant they both submit to the procedure. When Serena declines, he advises his servant that she will be leaving first thing in the morning. Knowing if she's sent away that she'll never be able to solve the mystery surrounding her sister's death, Serena agrees to do what Westcroft wants. However, when they approach the room where the testing is taking place, Serena hears her cousin crying and rushes in to comfort Allison only to learn they forced her cousin to drink a potion of some sort.
As Serena scowled at Westcroft, she almost
wished her gaze possessed the power to kill or at least cause great
discomfort. “What was in that drink you
forced on her?”
“Unicorn’s
blood,” he answered blandly.
Serena
gaped at him in horror. “You made her
swallow animal blood?”
He lifted a
brow. “As the unicorn is a mythical
beast, that would be rather difficult, don’t you think?”
Serena
frowned, her confusion battling with her mistrust. “Then what was it?” she inquired
suspiciously.
“An herb, similar
to a truth or veritas potion, but this one validates the truth of one’s
essence or spirit rather than their words.”
Despite the small setback, Dominic Westcroft is determined to uncover his young guest's secrets even if it means "testing" her himself.
M/F, Shape shifting wizards in Victorian England.
Read the first three chapters at: Deadly Enchantment
Available at NCP, Amazon, Barnes & Noble or ARe
Thanks for visiting. I hope you enjoyed this brief excerpt and wish you and yours a very Frisky Friday.
Very intriguing snippet Kathryn. Enjoyed this :) Loved the unicorns blood.
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Roz