ONDINE by Emma
Raveling: Excerpt 1
Afternoon sunlight drenched the wood, heat seeping
through my jeans and warming the back of my legs.
Rui’s icy voice sliced through the delicate spring
air. “I need you to get the money from him.”
Potheads occupied the narrow recess beside the
stairs while the cheerleaders and athletes took the table farthest from the
building door.
They weren’t getting involved.
Neither was the Student Council group gathered along
the west side.
I’d managed to follow her rules for the four months
we’d been in L.A. The championship tournament was in two hours and she’d be
seriously pissed if my performance wasn’t better than the last one.
I needed to concentrate on my own shit, not get
involved in anyone else’s.
Troy’s fear ratcheted up another notch and the hot
spike of emotion raked against my insides.
“I—I don’t know him that w-well…”
“That’s a problem.” Rui adopted an expression of
mock concern and pulled out a cigarette. “‘Cause your dad owes mine a lot of
money.”
Empath magic reached inside him, sensing clumps of
frustration and rage, hardened over the years.
“It’s just me and my mom,” Troy said in a desperate
voice. “I don’t see him that often —“
Mistake
one.
“Often?” Rui’s voice rumbled with the dark glee of a
predator who’d spotted its prey. “So you do see him.”
“N..no.” Troy’s eyes darted around the courtyard.
Don’t, don’t…
Wide eyes locked on to me. Great.
“What do you mean, no?”
“I m-m-mean…” He stumbled over the words.
“S-sometimes I do, but…”
Mistake two.
“Then you can get the money from him, right?” Rui
lit his cigarette. Troy flinched at the click of the lighter. “I don’t think
your old man would like it if my father got his hands on you.”
Troy swallowed, his gaze flickering toward me again.
Sasha followed his line of sight. “You thinkin’ a
chick’s gonna help you?”
Rui slowly turned. Black hair, dark eyes set against
olive skin. Cold, grim awareness etched into his face, creating an impression
of severe superiority.
The things he’d seen and experienced exceeded your
worst nightmares and he wanted you to know it.
Rui flicked his cigarette, ash landing a foot away
from me.
“She’s not bad, Troy. Don’t think she’s your type,
though.”
I suppressed a sigh and stood. Might as well get
this over with.
“You don’t know my type, Vergara.”
A flicker of surprise in those dead eyes. “You know
my name. I’m flattered.”
“Don’t be.” I strode over and leaned against the
metal railing of the stairs. “You just have a rep of being an asshole.”
Kane stepped forward, body tense. Rui’s arm shot out
and stopped him.
“You’re that junior.” A ring of smoke gently swirled
around his face. “Transferred here a few months ago. Kendra, right?”
Empath detected a quick shift. Irritation and anger
smoothly transformed to calculating curiosity. The unusual degree of control
set off my internal alarms.
I shouldn’t underestimate him.
ONDINE by Emma
Raveling: Excerpt 2
I tracked her.
Feet slid soundlessly across the mat. Thick
atmosphere, taut with anticipation, pressed in, carrying the heavy odor of
sweat, cleaning bleach, and plastic.
Adrenaline crackled through my veins like a live
wire, pulsing in time to the audience’s hum of excitement.
She neared, feinting a few strikes, but not close
enough to do any damage.
Two years ago, I’d won nationals in my age and
weight category. Our constant moving had prevented me from repeating it.
But this time, I was so close
I could taste it. Winning this sparring match would secure the state
championship. Next would be regionals, followed by nationals.
If you’re still here in two months.
The thought unnerved me.
That was all she needed.
I caught the blur of her arm a millisecond too late.
Her fist slammed into my right ribcage, impact ricocheting up my torso.
Referee stood. “Point. Blue!”
Damn it. A careless mistake.
I felt the weight of her eyes boring into my back,
heard the disappointed criticism repeated over the years.
Not good enough, Kendra.
I mentally shook myself. Two minutes left in the
match and I was already behind.
Ref’s arm dropped. “Fight!”
Everything faded and the entirety of my focus zeroed
onto the brunette in front of me.
I had to win.
Sara Ruggiero, reigning champion, had excellent form
and a technique honed through years of disciplined practice.
She danced just out of reach, movements fluid and in
control. Her hands, covered in protective blue mitts, guarded her face. She was
good, very good even, with an aggressive style fueled by anger.
And right now, she was pissed. The deciding round of
her last championship in high school was with a newcomer a year younger than
her.
We circled, darted forward and back. Attack and
retreat. With each step, pain radiated from my ribs.
She smirked. Hurt?
I let my eyes harden. Show me what you got.
Her torso twisted, foot shifting back in preparation
for a jodan kick.
Empath sensed her vulnerability, the twinge of
discomfort along her lower back from an old injury.
Gotcha.
Leg arced toward my face in a perfectly executed
high kick. I whipped aside at the last second.
Off-balance, she tilted slightly toward the right,
leaving her back open.
I pivoted behind her and my right fist hammered her
kidney. She stumbled forward, a cry escaping her lips.
ONDINE by Emma
Raveling: Excerpt 3
He tensed. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying I want in.” I settled on the corner of
the desk and levelly met his look of disbelief. “I want you to take me to his
place so —“
“No.”
“I can do this.”
Rui stood and walked back to the car.
“You don’t know what I can—“
“I don’t care what you think you can do.” He whipped
around to face me, his expression hard. “You don’t know jack shit about my —“
“I know what he does,” I said quietly. “I know what
he did to you. To your broth—“
In one fluid movement, he swept me off the desk and
shoved me against the wall. Two hundred pounds of muscle locked me into place
and confirmed Troy’s story.
Rui’s actions revealed a high degree of training, a
controlled, physical strength I’d initially suspected in the school courtyard.
An icy shiver shot down my spine. If we were thrown
into a ring together, he really might give me a run for my money.
Muscled forearm pressed against my neck, effectively
pinning me in place.
“Rui,” I said through my teeth. “I can stop him.”
The smart thing to do was walk away and let him, his
father, and Troy sort out this mess. Sure, Troy would get the short end of the
stick, but that wasn’t my problem.
Except my conscience wouldn’t stop prickling. I
couldn’t let it go.
Maybe because Troy reminded me of past regrets and
this was an opportunity to change the outcome. Maybe because the white-hot
anger in Rui was a festering wound that felt all too familiar.
Hell, maybe I just really wanted to prove to my
mother I could do this.
I could stop one human male.
Rui’s voice dropped to a whisper. “You don’t know
shit.”
Cold eyes bored into me, hard and demanding. Magic
bubbled through my veins. Beneath the anger, Empath sensed determination and
worry. It was almost as if he was willing me to understand…
My gaze flickered up. Harsh light illuminated the
ugly industrial walls of the garage, bouncing off metal and steel. Something
winked in the corner.
Lens reflection meant surveillance. The entire place
was probably bugged.
I blinked once. Slowly.
Rui studied me for a moment longer before the
grinding pressure against my windpipe eased. I coughed, lungs desperately
sucking in air.
Without another word, he exited the garage and I
followed. Flickering yellow streetlights cast sickly triangular patches across
the asphalt. Night air closed in, thick and humid.
The relentless drone of the Route 60 overpass grew
louder and more insistent as we neared the main street.
“I’ve seen you,” he finally said. “At Rave.”
The club was only a few blocks away. “Yeah.”
“You like working the floor.” I felt the weight of
his glance through the shadowy gloom. “But you don’t buy.”
“Not my thing.”
“You sound offended.”
I shrugged. “Needing something makes you weak.”
“Sometimes what we need is good for us. Sometimes
it’s not. But we all got something we’re addicted to, girl.” He laughed, a
harsh rumble of bitter amusement. “You’re just addicted to physical release.”
The scrutiny made me uncomfortable. “So what’s your
addiction?”
“Belief.” He pulled out a pack of cigarettes. “You
working with the cops?”
“Not exactly.”
Empath swept through him, attempting to make sense
of the puzzle that was Rui Vergara. He wasn’t lying or concealing who he was.
The pain was there, hot and unstable. A thread of something wistful, too.
Sadness? Maybe regret.
But there was also ruthlessness and a barely
controlled fury that came from being kicked down one too many times.
Who was it directed toward? His father? Troy? And
how quickly could it shift to me?
The lighter’s flare briefly highlighted the
solemnity etched into his skin. He seemed far older than his age.
“No, you’re not a rat.” He took a long drag and
tilted his head. Wariness heightened at the shrewd look in his eyes. “Just
another person who has something to hide.”
Ondine by Emma Raveling
(Ondine Quartet 0.5)
Publication date: December 19, 2013
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
(Ondine Quartet 0.5)
Publication date: December 19, 2013
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Synopsis:
“I shouldn’t get involved.”
Rebellious and headstrong, sixteen-year-old Kendra Irisavie doesn’t have much respect for authority. An ondine with the powerful gift of Virtue, she uses her tough attitude and Empath magic to navigate through high school and keep others away.
Because being an ondine also means keeping secrets.
Kendra and her mother are Rogue water elementals in the middle of an ancient war. They hide among humans, their survival constantly threatened by monstrous Aquidae demons.
Along with a rigorous training regimen to mold Kendra into a lethal fighter, her mother has instituted four rules to keep her safe.
Trust no one. Relationships are weaknesses. Emotional attachments are dangerous. Be responsible only for yourself.
But when Kendra witnesses a classmate in trouble, she intervenes and her decision to break the rules comes at a price.
Sometimes, humans could be more dangerous than demons.
Ondine is a short prequel novella for the young adult urban / paranormal fantasy series, the Ondine Quartet.
Rebellious and headstrong, sixteen-year-old Kendra Irisavie doesn’t have much respect for authority. An ondine with the powerful gift of Virtue, she uses her tough attitude and Empath magic to navigate through high school and keep others away.
Because being an ondine also means keeping secrets.
Kendra and her mother are Rogue water elementals in the middle of an ancient war. They hide among humans, their survival constantly threatened by monstrous Aquidae demons.
Along with a rigorous training regimen to mold Kendra into a lethal fighter, her mother has instituted four rules to keep her safe.
Trust no one. Relationships are weaknesses. Emotional attachments are dangerous. Be responsible only for yourself.
But when Kendra witnesses a classmate in trouble, she intervenes and her decision to break the rules comes at a price.
Sometimes, humans could be more dangerous than demons.
Ondine is a short prequel novella for the young adult urban / paranormal fantasy series, the Ondine Quartet.
Purchase:
Will be found here come release day:
----
AUTHOR BIO
(No author photo)
I’m a fantasy writer who lives a slightly eccentric life with my accommodating husband and our charming, neurotic dog. I'm currently working on the Ondine Quartet, a young adult urban fantasy/paranormal series featuring a kick-ass heroine, powerful magic, and the complex world of water elementals.
I have a weird love of spreadsheets and organizational tools because they give me the illusion that I am somehow in control of the chaos that is my life. I adore beautiful art such as painting and sculpture, classical music, lyrical writing, and great graphic design. My all-time favorite books (as of this writing) are Immortality by Milan Kundera, 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka.
I have a weird love of spreadsheets and organizational tools because they give me the illusion that I am somehow in control of the chaos that is my life. I adore beautiful art such as painting and sculpture, classical music, lyrical writing, and great graphic design. My all-time favorite books (as of this writing) are Immortality by Milan Kundera, 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka.
Author Links:
No comments:
Post a Comment