jaw, the shine of a sharp white
tooth. Golden eyes shone like fire.
“The Cruor Venator don’t
just take the blood of shape-shifters,” she said, each word softly hissed. “Any
blood will do. But yours…your fire …” A deep rumble filled the air, caged
thunder, born in her throat. “Fire is elemental. Only dragons have fire in
their blood. You will stir their hunger.”
“I’m no dragon,” Eddie
whispered. “I’m human.”
Long Nu leaned away from him, a
slow retreat, revealing a massive body that in the darkness resembled a sinuous
coil of muscle and claws, and draped leather. Eddie did not look too closely. He
began breathing again. His heart pounded so hard he was dizzy -- and that was
dangerous.
Staying calm kept him cool. Staying
calm was the key.
“You’re wrong,” said Long Nu.
“What you bury only grows stronger, in time. This is true of what sleeps in
blood.”
Eddie swallowed. “Stay out of
my head.”
“I can’t,” she said simply. “You
hide so much of your heart, even from yourself. Hide too long, and you will
forget it’s there.”
He sat up, but had to shield
his eyes as golden light flared bright as the sun, blinding him.
When he could see again, he
found Long Nu on her knees, human and mostly naked. Her clothes were torn,
hanging off her in rags. Eddie averted his eyes, and dragged the blanket off
his bed. He handed it to her.
“Ma’am,” he said quietly.
Long Nu’s hand touched his
fingers as she took the blanket. Her skin was hot -- just as hot as his. Even hotter,
when she grabbed his wrist with her other hand, and held him tight. Smoke rose
between them. Eddie set his jaw, and met her golden gaze.
“There are so few left of my
kind,” whispered Long Nu. “Find the girl.”
“I will,” Eddie promised, and
found himself adding, “Whatever it takes.”
Long Nu gave him a mirthless
smile, and the smoke between them suddenly became fire. It did not burn him,
but the flames flickered up both their arms, like tiny deadly fingers.
“If the Cruor Venator is
hunting her,” she said softly, “it might just take everything you have.”
***
To read more of WITHIN THE
FLAMES, and to learn about the Dirk and Steele series, please visit my website
at www.marjoriemliu.com .
THE MORTAL BONE
The 4 th Book in the
Hunter Kiss Series
Nomad born and bred, demon
hunter Maxine Kiss has always relied upon herself to fight the darkness that
surrounds her, the predators—human, zombie, and otherwise—who threaten the
earth. Haunted by the past, determined to change the future, Maxine soon
understands that to save the man she loves, she has only one choice—to lose
control and release her own powers of darkness…
CHAPTER ONE
What
happens in Texas, stays in Texas. Except when demons are involved.
I
was sitting on the sagging porch of the old farmhouse, sipping an ice-cold
ginger ale, when a red pickup truck appeared around the last bend of the long,
curving, driveway. I stood, shielding my eyes against the late-afternoon
sun—noticing, as had become my habit, the gold glimmer of my wedding ring
standing out in stark relief against the obsidian, mercury-streaked tattoos
that covered my entire left hand.
Dust
kicked up behind the truck, but not much. The driver was taking a slow
approach.
I
hadn’t lived on this land in years. Maybe it was a nosy neighbor coming to
visit. Or a social worker who had heard that a teenage boy was in residence and
not attending school. Could be someone lost—but the driveway was almost three
miles long and blocked by a heavy gate. A bit out of the way, just to ask
directions.
I
felt a tug against my tattooed skin. A persistent ripple that traveled like a
small shock wave from my toenails to the base of my neck, as though an
electrical pulse was moving through Zee and the boys.
I
set down my drink. Against my neck, the tip of Dek’s tattooed tail thrummed,
like the quiet warning of a rattlesnake. When I
tooth. Golden eyes shone like fire.
“The Cruor Venator don’t
just take the blood of shape-shifters,” she said, each word softly hissed. “Any
blood will do. But yours…your fire …” A deep rumble filled the air, caged
thunder, born in her throat. “Fire is elemental. Only dragons have fire in
their blood. You will stir their hunger.”
“I’m no dragon,” Eddie
whispered. “I’m human.”
Long Nu leaned away from him, a
slow retreat, revealing a massive body that in the darkness resembled a sinuous
coil of muscle and claws, and draped leather. Eddie did not look too closely. He
began breathing again. His heart pounded so hard he was dizzy -- and that was
dangerous.
Staying calm kept him cool. Staying
calm was the key.
“You’re wrong,” said Long Nu.
“What you bury only grows stronger, in time. This is true of what sleeps in
blood.”
Eddie swallowed. “Stay out of
my head.”
“I can’t,” she said simply. “You
hide so much of your heart, even from yourself. Hide too long, and you will
forget it’s there.”
He sat up, but had to shield
his eyes as golden light flared bright as the sun, blinding him.
When he could see again, he
found Long Nu on her knees, human and mostly naked. Her clothes were torn,
hanging off her in rags. Eddie averted his eyes, and dragged the blanket off
his bed. He handed it to her.
“Ma’am,” he said quietly.
Long Nu’s hand touched his
fingers as she took the blanket. Her skin was hot -- just as hot as his. Even hotter,
when she grabbed his wrist with her other hand, and held him tight. Smoke rose
between them. Eddie set his jaw, and met her golden gaze.
“There are so few left of my
kind,” whispered Long Nu. “Find the girl.”
“I will,” Eddie promised, and
found himself adding, “Whatever it takes.”
Long Nu gave him a mirthless
smile, and the smoke between them suddenly became fire. It did not burn him,
but the flames flickered up both their arms, like tiny deadly fingers.
“If the Cruor Venator is
hunting her,” she said softly, “it might just take everything you have.”
***
To read more of WITHIN THE
FLAMES, and to learn about the Dirk and Steele series, please visit my website
at www.marjoriemliu.com .
THE MORTAL BONE
The 4 th Book in the
Hunter Kiss Series
Nomad born and bred, demon
hunter Maxine Kiss has always relied upon herself to fight the darkness that
surrounds her, the predators—human, zombie, and otherwise—who threaten the
earth. Haunted by the past, determined to change the future, Maxine soon
understands that to save the man she loves, she has only one choice—to lose
control and release her own powers of darkness…
CHAPTER ONE
What
happens in Texas, stays in Texas. Except when demons are involved.
I
was sitting on the sagging porch of the old farmhouse, sipping an ice-cold
ginger ale, when a red pickup truck appeared around the last bend of the long,
curving, driveway. I stood, shielding my eyes against the late-afternoon
sun—noticing, as had become my habit, the gold glimmer of my wedding ring
standing out in stark relief against the obsidian, mercury-streaked tattoos
that covered my entire left hand.
Dust
kicked up behind the truck, but not much. The driver was taking a slow
approach.
I
hadn’t lived on this land in years. Maybe it was a nosy neighbor coming to
visit. Or a social worker who had heard that a teenage boy was in residence and
not attending school. Could be someone lost—but the driveway was almost three
miles long and blocked by a heavy gate. A bit out of the way, just to ask
directions.
I
felt a tug against my tattooed skin. A persistent ripple that traveled like a
small shock wave from my toenails to the base of my neck, as though an
electrical pulse was moving through Zee and the boys.
I
set down my drink. Against my neck, the tip of Dek’s tattooed tail thrummed,
like the quiet warning of a rattlesnake. When I
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