Fair Warning: Wizards don't always play fair.
Welcome to MFRW Book Hooks, a regular Wednesday feature! Today, I'm sharing a snippet from my second book, Deadly Enchantment, a Victorian paranormal romance concerning the deadly rivalry between two shape-shifting wizard brothers. The legitimate heir, Terrence, received his father's money and title, but his illegitimate half-brother, Dominic, received all their father's affection and love, earning all of Terrence's resentment.
Published by New Concepts Publishing, the story revolves around a young psychic woman unwittingly drawn into the brotherly conflict when she faces off with the dark wizard of Ravenscroft, whom she is convinced has brutally slaughtered her sister in a fit of jealous rage on their wedding night.
In this segment from Chapter Four, Serena decides to confront Westcroft directly by marching into his study and insisting he admit his true goal is to purposely frighten the other women, who'd been selected by his sister as his potential brides, into leaving. Though Serena knows Westcroft possesses magical powers, she's just not sure what form they take other than parlor tricks, so she decides to see for herself just how far he is willing to go, but changes her mind when she recognizes the danger in provoking the beast. Except she's too late. When she reaches for the door handle she discovers he'd locked her in with him. Magically.
Bravado stiffening her spine, Serena turned back to face Westcroft.
“I believe, my dear, that like me,
you already are damned.”
Then, before her eyes, his form
blurred and he shifted into the shape of the white leopard in her dreams. Terrified beyond reason, Serena rushed to the
door and cried out as she clawed at its handle, desperate for the portal to
open. But the house and household, like
the approaching predator, appeared deaf to her pleas. With nowhere else to turn, she pressed her
back and against the door and straightened her spine to face her death as
bravely as she could muster. But instead
of attacking, the animal stopped just three feet away and stared at her through
unblinking blue eyes that seemed vaguely human.
“What do you want?” she asked, her
voice sounding hoarse and strange to her ears.
In response, the leopard tilted its
head to one side.
When it took another step forward,
she closed her eyes, unable to look any longer.
She fully expected to feel the cat’s sharp teeth rip into the flesh of
her throat, instead she felt hot breath caress her fingers and a warm, wet
tongue lick her already moist palm. Then
a hard nose gave her fingers a nudge in an obvious request to be petted.
Though Dominic Westcroft has done nothing to hurt Serena or her cousin, yet, the potential remains ever-present, and Serena still suspects the wizard is responsible for the brutal murder of her sister. Now, her suspicions may have taken an ugly reality.
M/F, Shape shifting wizards in Victorian England.
Read the first three chapters at: Deadly Enchantment
Available at NCP, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Wonderful intense and intriguing scene Kathryn.
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Roz