Excerpt
With my good arm, I pull my leg up to bend the knee. Hiking the hem of my dress up, I reveal torn muscle and shredded skin. I wince as the fabric moves over it, tugging flaps of skin in directions they aren’t meant to go.
Elias’ hands set
to work, scooping water up, and pouring it over my thigh. Each drop, gentle as
the administration of them may be, pulls a moan of pain from my lips. Wrapping
fingers tightly around a stone, I do what I can to bear the pain without making
Elias feel worse.
The blood washes
away, revealing the true devastation wrought by the dead wolf’s jaws. My leg
hangs open, dark muscle showing itself to the sky as it was never meant to do.
“Itand have
mercy,” he whispers, calling on the goddess of fortitude.
But she’ll spare
no blessings for the likes of me.
“What do I need
to do?” he asks. His eyes roam over me, and one hand finds its way to my cheek.
Brows knitted together, he clearly longs for something to do, some reassurance
that I’ll be ok.
Does he want me
to be alright for the sake of spending more time together? Or merely for the
sake of having an escort for the rest of the trek?
I hope for his
sake that it’s the latter. But the well of loneliness within me wishes for the
former.
Either way,
there’s nothing he can do.
“My body will
mend itself,” I tell him. “It’ll hurt, but it’ll mend. It’s already started.”
His eyes drop to
my arm, my leg. The bleeding has stopped, and the cuts aren’t as deep as they
were mere seconds ago. Had he seen it when the wounds were first inflicted, he
likely would’ve been sick.
“I wish you
would’ve let me help,” he murmurs, sliding his hand along my jaw until his
thumb finds my earlobe.
Exhaustion pulls
my inhibitions low. Despite myself, despite the guilt churning within me, I
lean into his caress.
Nolan won’t want
me back, anyway.
My heart shrinks
from the thought, and I close my eyes, nuzzling my cheek into Elias’ palm.
“Letting you
help would’ve been a terrible idea. They could never kill me. They had no salt,
no silver. They couldn’t say any incantations.”
I pause,
squeezing my eyes tight against the horrid images which flash before them. I
don’t want to see the ways they could’ve hurt him. I don’t want to watch them
tear him to shreds. I don’t want to see his blood on the ground.
“They could’ve
killed you, though,” I whisper.
Suddenly
desperate to see him alive and healthy, to ease my conscience just a bit, I
open my eyes. Sure enough, he’s there, face inches from mine. The moonlight
glows in his magnificent eyes, but the blood of the Howlers still adorns his
face.
Reaching for his
sodden shirt, I lift a corner of it to his face. Wiping away the dried blood, I
memorize the strength in his jaw, the kindness in his eyes. I trace the small
kink in his nose, a remnant from a previous fight.
From a distance,
it’s almost impossible to notice, but this close…
My eyes drop to
his lips, full and soft. They part, but only to speak.
Confusion
wrinkles his brow. “If they couldn’t kill you, why were they sent after us? To
maim you and kill me?”
“No,” I say,
shaking my head. I stifle a groan as my thigh stitches itself together. “They
sent them to find us. They know where we are, now. They know which way we were
headed. They’ll find us.”
Those words sew
our lips shut, for we both know. This won’t be the last of the vampire and his
pledge. And if this was just the search party, what awaits us down the path?
Author Info
Elexis Bell is a quiet nerd with too many hobbies, including everything from gaming to shower-singing and even archery, weather permitting. She specializes in sarcasm and writing stories that make people feel. She's made a home for herself with her husband, their dog, and a small army of cats.
She writes dark, gritty stories, sprinkling gut-wrenching emotions over high fantasy romance, thrillers, post-apocalyptic romance, and science fiction.
For further information, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, or check out her blog on her website.
1.How would you describe your style of writing to someone that has never read your work?
My writing style is probably best described as gritty, sensual, and lyrical.
I hit hard and fast.
I don't add fluff.
And flow is king.
My characters are intensely human even when they're a made up race, with real flaws and struggles. There are always dark themes laced throughout. And there's almost always a slow burn romance simmering between a couple characters.
2.Do you feel that writing is an ingrained process or just something that flows naturally for you?
It flows. I don’t plan my books or do any outlines. It ruins the fun for me. I’d much rather let the book unfold however it needs to, exploring the world and plot as they reveal themselves to me.
3.Do you take your character prep to heart? Do you nurture the growth of each character all the way through to the page? Do you people watch to help with development? Or do you build upon your character during story creation?
I let my characters develop as I write. Sometimes that means that they turn out to be a bit different than I expected, and then I have to go back and adjust what I’d already written to maintain continuity.
But I’ll happily make a million adjustments in the name of letting them develop as I go. It just feels more like I’m getting to know a real person that way.
4.Have you found yourself bonding with any particular character(s)? If so which one(s)?
I bond with many of my characters. Nearly all of them get some aspect of me or my life. Some get something as small as a favorite smell. Some get a life changing experience.
Having that little bit of similarity makes it nearly impossible for me not to bond with them.
But if I had to choose a specific one, I’d say that I’ve bonded most with Ness from A Heart of Salt & Silver, Chloe from World for the Broken, or Annabelle from Annabelle.
5.Can you share your next creative project(s)? If yes, can you give a few details?
I have several projects in the works, ranging from paranormal short stories to fantasy novels to a sci-fi series.
Allmother Rising (currently in editing) is a dark high fantasy romance novel with druids and princes, magic and god-battles, companion animals and outright war. It features M/F and F/F romance.
Where Darkness Leads (also in editing, potentially being renamed) is a dark romantic high fantasy novel. Magical slavery, blood, and sacrifice twist this romance into knots.
Second to None (also in editing) is a thriller novella set in a haunted house. But with one member of the party harboring some dark secrets, the ghosts are the least of their worries.
And then, there’s my current writing project. The Regonia Chronicles. It was originally intended to be a single book, but it has ballooned to include five planets, two alien races, and even a unique language. So instead of one book, it’s three, plus a few standalones in the same universe.
For further information, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, or check out her blog on her website.
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Nanowrimo: https://nanowrimo.org/participants/elexisbell
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