A Grave Inheritance
by Kari Edgren
Selah Kilbrid may descend from the goddess Brigid, but her heart beats—and breaks—the same as any human. Yet enduring the scorn of London's most noble lords and ladies is a small price to pay for a chance at true happiness. Selah would endure much more for love, and her betrothed, Lord Henry Fitzalan, is prepared to challenge anyone foolish enough to stand in their way—even another goddess born.
But when a captivating young gentleman draws Selah into a world shadowed by secrets, she is forced to confront her darkest fears. What if some differences are too great to overcome and a future with Henry is doomed from the start?
With these doubts threatening her impending marriage, a violent attack on an innocent child pushes Selah to the very edge of her power. She must find a way to cross into the Otherworld and regain her strength—or forfeit the streets of London to death and disease.
EXCERPT:
Deri stopped just out of reach. The threadbare shawl had slipped
from one shoulder, and the loose end trailed in the mud behind her. “There yeh
be Biddie girl,” she chirruped. “Did yeh like our skip along? Poor Deri had to
creep like a tortoise for yeh to keep up.”
Poor Deri was a cold-blooded killer, and at that moment I wanted
nothing more than to wrap the shawl around her scrawny neck till the pale skin
turned dark as a plum. And I may have regardless of the inevitable burns if the
girl weren’t so quick on her feet, and almost sure to escape.
“Can’t recall when I’ve had a pleasanter time,” I said, matching
her tone in an attempt to buy more time. “Do you often skip through the
rookeries? Or is tonight a special occasion?”
She shrugged and twisted a toe in the mud. “The folks in here is
weak from need, and little Deri likes to play with the children.”
“Like you played with Jenny?”
A malignant grin curled on her mouth. “Aye, she be the most fun of
all.”
Hatred twisted in my gut. So far as I cared, every last layer of
skin could burn from my hands if it meant ridding the world of this devil.
Leaning a bit closer, I waited for the opportunity to pounce. “You’ve a
powerful gift. Why not go after the healthy and strong? Surely they would offer
more sport for someone like you.”
“Oh, I’ve longed to get yeh, Biddie girl, to muddle yehr brain or
give yeh the plague.” She made to snatch at me, only to withdraw her hand at
the last moment. “But yeh know the rules—yeh get what yeh give between us.
Ain’t no sense plucking a hair from yehr pretty head if it means losing one of
me own.”
I moved back with a jerk. You get what you give… The meaning
struck hard—to stop her heart would have stopped mine. Merciful heavens! A few
more seconds and we both would have been dead.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Kari Edgren is the author of the
Goddess Born series. In 2010 and 2011 she was a semifinalist for the Amazon
Break Through Novel Award. In 2013, she was a RWA Golden Heart finalist. Ms.
Edgren enjoys writing both historical and contemporary fiction, so long as
there’s a spark of paranormal. She resides on a mountain top in the Pacific
Northwest where she spends a great deal of time dreaming about the sun and
torturing her husband and children with strange food and random historical
facts.
I enjoyed the excerpt!! Thanks for sharing!!!
ReplyDeletethe excerpt's nice
ReplyDelete