~*~*~*~ Blood & Lilies ~*~*~*~
~*~*~*~ BLURB ~*~*~*~
First in the Bloodlines Series
Once cast from Heaven, Zillah has vowed to destroy God and overtake his kingdom. But a key is needed to open the gates between the two realms.
The Key to the gate walks the earth in the form of a woman...young, innocent and completely unaware of her importance in the battle between good and evil. Once her blood is shed, Zillah can open the portal to release her father...Lucifer himself.
Cara, a college sophomore, is quickly thrown into the world of the supernatural, as well as learning of her true ancestry. Vampires, werewolves and the Nephilim are now a part of her reality. As the beings struggle to protect her, she fights to keep her sanity as her mortal realm is crushed.
Secrets are revealed that could shatter Cara’s new found love, as well as lead to her ultimate death. A family is torn apart as the battle to save the key leads them down a road of betrayal and heartache. Loved ones are lost, lines are crossed, and nothing is as it seems. Lies and truths twist and turn, leaving us with only one question…
Could you sacrifice the one you love to save the world?
~*~*~*~ Excerpt ~*~*~*~
The evening sky pulsed, hues of deep purples and blacks engraving blurry lines above the earth. The night echoed its cries, carried by angry breezes through the hills of the land. The cemetery, cascaded in carved tombstones that sprouted from the ground, laid empty and dormant, except for the busy, yet silent whispers of the dead.
The ground, wet and damp, gave way beneath Cara’s bare feet as she trudged through the mud pushing between her toes. Her eyes traveled towards the ground to study her soiled feet, finding her body was draped in a simple, yet elegant white dress which graced her pale legs just below her knees. The plunging neckline stopped just beneath the cleft of her breast as the thin silk straps hugged the tops of her shoulders, exposing her bare delicate skin.
She scanned around her, alone and frightened, like a young child strayed from its mother. It was so dark, and the crested moon, swarmed by rolling darkened clouds, offered no safe haven of light to guide her way. Slow and unsure, she stepped cautiously, waiting blindly for an edge that would send her spiraling down into a never-ending abyss, swallowing her whole. The shadows danced in front of her, playing tricks on her unfocused eyes as her feet took her step by step.
Where was she? How did she get here? She could hear faint whispers of the dead crying out to her from the spirit world. Their words made no sense as they all jumbled together like a soft but unmelodic hum in the air. Her ears strained to make out parts of the words, hoping to piece together some language so she could better understand why they’d brought her here.
Realization struck. The voices had guided her here. She turned around to where the whispers grew, louder and more needful. She followed them as they increased, vibrating through her head as if they were coming from inside her brain, instead of churning in the air around her. The darkness frightened her, yet she still continued, following the only guidance she had.
Cara.
She could hear it now. Through the vast echo of the whispers, she could make out her name. They called to her, begged her to come near. She obeyed.
Something hard struck her toes, shooting instant pain up through her legs, like lightning igniting through her to her very core. Her body flew forward as she reached out to stop her fall. She expected a large stone to split her head. Or perhaps the tip of a metal cross would impale her through her chest and end it all, without her knowing or seeing it in the darkness before her. But there was nothing as her body hit the soft ground beneath her.
Grass laced itself through her fingers as she looked up to the gravestone in front of her. The clouds that had hugged the moon so well broke, lighting the etched carvings before her so she could see. What she read on the engraving shook her to the core. Her eyes couldn’t process, couldn’t comprehend what she was seeing.
Cara L. Chadwick
Beloved Friend and Student
We will miss you always
Oct. 18, 1992 to Dec. 21, 2012
A cry escaped her lips as Cara pushed herself up from the ground as fast as she could, stumbling backwards. She wanted to turn away, run and never look back. There was no way in hell she was going to stay here to hang out with her own tomb. And the date…it was this Friday’s date…or had it already arrived and was now in the past? Cara realized she had no idea of what time it was, or the day, but she needed to escape and get out of this place as fast as her bare feet could carry her.
~*~*~*~ Blood and Kindred ~*~*~*~
~*~*~*~ Blurb ~*~*~*~
Continuing the Bloodlines Series with Book 2
Cara expected a relaxing spring break, free from studying, free from exams. Instead, her reality has been crushed as she is thrown into a world of the supernatural and finds out that the very battle between Heaven and Hell centers around her.
Halflings, Vampyres, and Werewolves are now part of her reality as she struggles to survive. Her best friend is now a vampyre and Zillah, the ancient vampyre queen is still hot on her trail. New enemies emerge as lost loved ones resurface.
In this exciting sequel to BLOOD and LILLIES, the Halflings fight to protect the key while everywhere they turn; they face betrayal and new enemies. Will Eamon lose Cara forever when she finds out the secrets behind the Halfling’s heritage and learns what she truly is? Or will Zillah finally win in her quest and open the portal between all realms, destroying our mortal reality and the key along with it?
~*~*~*~ Excerpt ~*~*~*~
Thunder tore through the cabin as the walls trembled against the quaking foundation. Damon grabbed a vampyre by the neck and tossed him through the drywall. His deadly sword quickly followed, piercing directly into the heart of the monster. The blood sucker cried out in pain as it clawed desperately at his attacker. The blade exited. Before the vampyre’s feet could hit the floor, edged steel smoothly creased against his throat, flawlessly severing head from body.
Damon moved quickly through the horde, his weapon swift and true, eliminating numbers of the enemy’s army. One after another, they poured from all crevices of the house, their numbers many, each falling at his feet as they advanced towards him. Decapitated heads rolled at his feet, mouths gaping open, eyes wide with shock. Damon looked around as the whispering movements of the Halflings pressed on. He searched for his wife, hoping for a glimpse of watching her in action. Her movement was intoxicating, and he loved watching her graceful executions.
The sea of heads swarming in the room made it difficult to pick Shannon out. Damon focused, honing his senses as the chaos stilled before him. Using his mind, he slowed the clatter of bodies before him, giving him only a few moments to examine the occupants in the room.
She was nowhere to be found.
His heart contracted, as if an invisible fist had jammed itself inside his rib cage, crushing his beating organ right where he stood. Something wasn’t right and he could feel it. Panic hit as he released the trance on his mind as the battle before him came rushing back to full speed.
“Eamon!” he called out to his twin across the room. “I can’t find Shannon!”
Eamon spun around with his sword, taking out a half circle of vamps out as he did. He pushed through the bodies, scanning and assessing the people around him. Other Halflings made their way through the horde of vamps, each graceful and deadly in their movements, but none being the one he searched for. He could hear Seamus still outside with other warriors, as well as the hellhounds, battling the flocks of minions the queen had stashed about the grounds. He knew she wasn’t out there though. Shannon had come inside with them. He was sure of it. Immediately, his eyes hit the stairs. Muttering under his breath about their plan to “stick together”, he forced his way to the stairway, only to be blocked by another fury of vamps.
Damon’s eyes followed his brother’s. Seeing the opportunity the blockade had given him, he charged without another second to spare. Leaping over enemies, he struck in mid air, taking out foes with the brunt force of his blade. His foot reached the top of the stairs, as he heard the gargled chokes of one desperate for breath. Damon’s heart sank as he came to the entrance of the room, only to see his worst nightmare playing out before his eyes.
Soiled boots struggled and kicked above the ground, as a shattered blade lay in scattered pieces across the wooden floor. The girl’s body shook and quivered in midair as frantic hand store at the vice around her throat. Shannon thrashed against the blackness consuming her as Zillah continued squeezing her like a python constricting its prey.
“Put her down!” Damon ordered as he charged forward.
The Queen’s face peeked around the Shannon’s limp body. Obsidian spheres glared at him, filled with warning. The edges of her lips curled up into a sinister grin, pleased and eager for another visitor.
“Step any closer and I will snap her neck.” Zillah ordered, as he held Shannon to the side. She raised the girl’s body higher and squeezed harder wanting to make sure her point was made.
The sound of fragile bones splintering under the pressure echoed in Damon’s ears. He cringed against the sound of twigs snapping as throttled breath begged for him to stop. His movement ceased as fear washed over, locking his feet to the ground in terror.
“Please!” he begged, surrendering his sword down to the ground. He knew he was going against everything he stood for, everything they had fought for so long, but the thought of losing her…
“Please, let her go. You can have me. Please!” Blood burned under his skin, pulsing violently as it raced with need. The fear of his wife being killed threatened his sanity, as well as his humanity. The demon bitch had found his only weakness. To save her, he would sacrifice his life.
Damon threw his hands up in surrender, his eyes begging in silence for the monster to release his wife. He couldn’t hear the thunderous quaking from downstairs, anymore. The only sound filling his head was that of the labored and shaky breathing of pressing death surrounding him. The seconds ticked by slowly, as an eternity seemed to pass as Damon waited for Zillah to release her clutch.
Shannon’s body fell with a thick thud, lying motionless between them. Weighted misery flooded him, robbing him of his air, and stilling his heart. Dropping to his knees, Damon stared hopelessly at to her unconscious body. Her heartbeat fluttered, barely registering, as her life had already begun slipping away.
Vengeance took hold as rage coursed through him, erupting with murderous intent. The Halfling unsheathed a jagged stake from his ankle as the voltage in his eyes ignited. A feral growl rippled from his chest as Damon leapt at the vampyre queen.
~*~*~*~ BIO ~*~*~*~
Lyn Croft is a sci-fi fantasy writer born and raised in sunny Southern California. There, she raises her daughter, works full time, writes novels, and plays video games in her spare time.
Her new book, "Blood & Lilies ~ Bloodlines" is her debut novel, and the first in a series of epic tales for the battle between good and evil.
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