Dealing
with Devils
The
Road to Salvation Series
Book
2
Pembroke
Sinclair
Genre: Young Adult Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Booktrope
Date of
Publication: January 16, 2015
Number of
pages: 170
Cover
Artist: Greg Simanson
Book
Description:
Dating a demon
has its advantages, like helping deliver souls to Hell. Wait...what?
Katie’s world
has been turned upside down. She's fallen for Josh—despite the fact that he’s a
demon from Hell. Wes is finally out of her system and her life.
Convinced she
can change Josh, she sets out to make him a better person, only to find out
things aren’t as simple as she’d originally thought. For one thing, Josh has
Katie help him deliver souls to Hell, and she kind of likes it. And to top it
off, other more powerful demons are battling for her soul, and revelations from
the past could change the course of her life forever.
Buy Links:
Excerpt
CHAPTER
1
KATIE
LEANED AGAINST the railing, staring into the night. A warm breeze touched her
face, bringing with it the scent of salt and fish. Every so often, droplets of
water touched her skin as the waves lapped against the side of the boat. The
bass from the music that played behind her vibrated through her feet and into
her chest. Lights flashed at her back, throwing her shadow onto the waves below
in spastic fashion. She took a deep breath and squinted her eyes. On the far
horizon, just to her right, she could barely make out the lights of Liberty
Island. She sighed again and leaned forward farther, resting her elbows on the
railing.
She
had always wanted to see New York. She and Deb had tentatively planned a trip
for the summer after graduation, before going to college. Katie thought maybe
it would be a trip to orient herself with the city—attending college in the
city was high on her list of things she wanted to do—but she hadn’t decided
where to go yet. In fact, it was the last thing on her mind at the moment. She
needed to get her life back first before deciding what she was going to do with
it. As usual, when Josh had showed up in her room earlier tonight and asked her
to come with him, she couldn’t bring herself to say no. She knew the
possibility existed that she would be involved in something unpleasant such as
witnessing Josh taking a soul, but she told herself she was going to stop it
this time. She wouldn’t stand idly by.
Arms
wrapped around her waist, and the heat from a body penetrated into her back.
She leaned into the familiarity and placed her hands over his. This was also
why she hadn’t refused his request. She enjoyed the safety she felt in his
arms. The way the world melted away and only the two of them existed.
“What
are you doing out here?” Josh whispered in her ear.
She
shrugged. “I needed some air. It was hot in there.”
Why
was it so comfortable in his arms? Why did it feel safe? It shouldn’t. His
nearness should have made her skin crawl and nausea creep into her gut. He was
a demon, an unholy creature that thrived on human misery. Yet, that wasn’t how
he acted. He cared about her, protected her, kept his promises to her, actually
wanted to be with her. He had completely turned the few notions she had of good
and evil upside down and instilled curiosity in her. She wanted to know about
his world. And that should have been distressing to her. Despite the comfort
and safety Josh offered her, she knew he was dangerous. Katie had experienced
first-hand how demonic he could be. He had used her to get to Wes. But more
distressingly, he’d threatened to kill her mom. How could she stay with him? A
part of the reason she did was to keep her mom safe. How had her life gotten so
messed up?
“It’s
a nice night.” He nuzzled against her neck. “But I really need you to help me
inside.”
She
nodded. “Sure.”
She
took a deep breath and stiffened. This was her moment. She had to stay strong
in her resolve to stop the soul gathering from happening.
He
loosened his grip on her waist, and she turned to go inside with him. When she
faced him, he placed his arms around her shoulders and softly kissed the tip of
her nose.
“On
second thought, we have a few minutes. Let’s enjoy it.”
She
relaxed slightly. A few minutes would be nice. Katie smiled and placed her
hands on his hips. She hooked her middle fingers around his belt loops, and he
pulled her into his body. His heart beat against her. His arms tightened around
her shoulders. Once again, the net of safety dropped around her. Once again,
the world melted away. Nothing mattered but being in his arms. She closed her
eyes and inhaled the spicy scent of his cologne.
Her
pocket vibrated, pulling her out of her reverie. She released Josh and moved to
get the phone out. He stepped back to give her space. It was late, who would be
texting her right now? Crap! What if it was her mom? Katie didn’t think her
mother had a habit of peeking in on her in the middle of the night, but she
wasn’t entirely sure either. No, it couldn’t be her mom. If she discovered
Katie missing she wouldn’t text, she would call. She stared at the screen and
frowned.
“It’s
a text from Deb.”
Deb
and Katie often talked into the night, but this was late, even for her. It must
have been important.
Josh
positioned himself against the rail and stared at the distant lights of the
city. “What does Deb have to say?” His tone was indifferent, disinterested.
Katie
opened the message and read it. She inhaled a sharp breath. Shock settled into
her stomach like a rock. She took a few steps backward until she felt the
support of the rail against her back. Josh turned and slid closer to her,
cocking his head to the side to get a better view of the screen.
“What
does it say?”
“Paul’s
dead.”
The
words barely came out of her mouth. She couldn’t believe she was actually
saying them. She hadn’t known the guy well, but the news affected her deeply.
Her mind went back to the last time she saw him—at the reservoir. The look on
his face as Josh took his soul was clear in her mind. Dizziness swept over her.
“Huh.
Well, it’s to be expected.” Josh turned back around and stared into darkness.
Katie
turned to him, her mouth agape. She studied the side of his face, trying to
read his expression. Was he really that cold and heartless? His gaze finally
met hers.
“You
can’t live without a soul, Katie.” The words were matter-of-fact.
Her
breath caught in her throat. “You did this to him?”
She
reminded herself that he was a demon. He was that evil.
He
shrugged. “In a manner of speaking. I just gave him an option. It was up to him
if he wanted to take it. He could have made different choices.”
Katie’s
head spun faster. She shouldn’t have been surprised at Josh’s reaction. He was
a creature from Hell and acting accordingly. But at the same time, it seemed so
out of character from the way he acted with her. He showed compassion with her,
caring. More often than not, he acted human. This callous side shouldn’t have
surprised her, but it did. Why? And what about her? Why hadn’t she done
anything? She was there, she could have intervened, told Paul to run, but she
didn’t. She had just stood there like an idiot and watched the whole thing
happen. In her defense, she didn’t know he would die. Would she have acted
differently if she had known? Yes, she would have. Still, did that excuse her
inaction?
“What
about the guy at the club?” The words croaked out of her mouth. She was fairly
certain she already knew the answer to the question.
“Same
outcome. Again, Katie, you can’t live without a soul. We all die. Some just
choose to go a little sooner than others.”
Her
chest felt tight. Breathing became difficult. Guilt coursed through her body.
She should have done something. She should have tried harder. She shouldn’t
have let them give away their souls.
“Hey,
it’s all right.” Josh’s voice was low, comforting. He gently rubbed her arm.
“There was nothing you could have done to save them. I would have gotten what I
wanted no matter what.”
Katie
opened her mouth to speak, but the words never came out. A door to her left
slid open, blaring music poured into the air. A boy and a girl not much older
than Katie stumbled onto the deck.
“Jossssh!”
the girl called. “There you are.”
She
wore a powder blue bikini that barely covered her. Katie’s eyes drifted up and
down the girl’s body. She was well muscled and well endowed—Katie had no doubts
she was an athlete. As tall as she was, she could have been a basketball
player. She obviously spent a lot of time in the sun. Her skin glowed golden
brown. Her blue eyes seemed hazy, but Katie imagined they normally glowed. She
was pretty. Katie glanced down at herself briefly. She definitely wasn’t as tan
as the other girl. Katie wasn’t in bad shape—she worked out for volleyball and
in the off season—but she didn’t think her muscles were as well defined. She
crossed her hands over her chest and shrank back slightly.
The
guy wasn’t bad, but definitely not Katie’s type. He was a bit thin. His swim
trunks hung from his bony hips. She thought one wrong move would send them to
the floor. His ribs were visible, and his cheeks seemed sunken in. He brown
hair was slicked back on his head, and his eyes were glassy, like the girl’s.
As
the girl stepped toward them, she lurched to the left and almost fell over. The
only thing that saved her from hitting the deck was the guy holding her arm.
Katie was amazed nothing popped out of the scant material on her body. Her
drink splashed out of her cup, and the tang of alcohol hit Katie’s nose. The
pair stepped up to them, with the girl sliding along the rail until she was
pressed against Katie’s body, which made her even more uncomfortable and afraid
to move. She was probably the only reason the girl was upright. What in the
world were these two doing? Were they just two drunk kids that wandered onto
the deck and had no respect for other people’s boundaries? It didn’t matter.
Katie had other things to worry about. She was analyzing what she could have
done differently with Paul. Josh stepped closer, sandwiching her between
bodies.
“Meg,
Scott. We were just on our way back in.” Josh smiled and leaned closer to
Katie. “This is Katie, guys.”
Meg
turned her glassy red eyes to Katie and pushed herself upright. She held out
her hand, which Katie took. It felt like she was gripping a dead fish.
“It’s
nice to meet you,” Meg slurred. “Josh told us a lot about you. Didn’t he,
Scott?” She turned to the boy behind her and giggled.
He
laughed and averted his gaze to the deck. “He did.”
Katie
smiled nervously and glanced from the pair to Josh. Her stomach tingled with
anticipation. It was slowly dawning on her that she was expected to help Josh
steal another soul. Maybe even two. She shook herself mentally. She needed to
focus. She couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t be responsible for another
death.
Meg
grabbed Katie’s arm and pulled her away from the railing. The action was
abrupt, and Meg had more strength than Katie thought possible. Where were they
going? Should she say something now? But what? Nothing came readily to mind.
She allowed herself to be pulled slowly across the deck and back inside.
“C’mon,”
Meg said. “You have to check out the sauna.”
Katie
glanced over her shoulder at Josh and pushed her eyebrows together. “Sauna?
Isn’t it hot enough out here for you?”
Josh
smiled and raised his eyebrows. “It’s never hot enough here.”
Meg
giggled. “Plus, it’s private.”
Katie
returned her gaze forward, following the path in which she was being led. They
pushed their way through the crowd that was writhing and gyrating to the
pulsating music. Sweaty limbs rubbed against Katie’s exposed skin, chests and
backs squeezed her as she turned sideways to get by. Lights reflected off
tanned skin in a haze of red, blue, and yellow, with the flashing strobe making
everyone appear to be moving in slow motion. Or were they actually moving in
slow motion? Had Josh slowed time down? Katie wasn’t sure. It didn’t matter.
She had to stay focused on her task.
Katie
contemplated slipping out of Meg’s grasp and disappearing into the crowd, but
where would she go? It wasn’t like she had a lot of options on a ship, and she
needed Josh to get her home. She couldn’t risk upsetting him and getting
trapped so far away. How would she explain that to her mom? Oh, God! Mom! Would
Josh threaten her life again if Katie messed up his plans to take these souls?
She felt sick to her stomach. What was she going to do?
The
crowd thinned, and they stepped into a dimly lit hallway. Meg continued to pull
Katie along, while Scott and Josh trailed behind. Scott stared at the two girls
through hooded eyelids and licked his lips. Katie could only imagine what ideas
were running through his alcohol-soaked brain. The thought didn’t comfort her.
Meg opened a door and skipped into the middle of the dark room. A rectangle of
light from the doorway barely illuminated her. She threw her arms into the air.
“Ta
da!” she yelled, obviously feeling proud of herself.
Katie
couldn’t tell what there was to be excited about; the room was dark. When the
door closed behind her, it was cloaked in complete blackness. Katie wrapped her
arms around her chest. Someone touched the small of her back as they walked by,
causing her to stiffen. A light clicked on and bathed the room in soft orange.
It was an impressive bedroom with a king-sized bed to her left flanked with
nightstands on either side. Large windows looked out onto the black ocean, and
drawers and shelves lined every wall, except the one to her right, which had a
door. Katie assumed that probably led to the sauna. Everything was accented in
gold. Had Katie been in there for a different reason, she would have taken the
time to appreciate the rich beauty, but as it was, she didn’t let her gaze wander
too far from the people in the room.
Scott
walked over to Meg and wrapped his arms around her waist. She tossed her arms
around his neck and plastered her lips against his. Their tongues darted in and
out of each other’s mouths and filled the room with moist sucking sounds. Katie
tightened her arms around her body. After several uncomfortable minutes, the
pair broke the kiss and turned toward Katie. Josh stepped up behind her and
placed his arm around her shoulders. Meg held her hand out to them.
“Come
over here and join us.” Her tone was low and seductive.
Katie’s
body tensed once again. She didn’t want to join them. This wasn’t her thing.
Her legs itched to run out of the room, but Josh’s arm kept her in place.
“Gladly.”
Josh smiled. “But I believe you said you would give me something in return for
bringing Katie in here.” Josh gently squeezed Katie’s shoulder.
Now!
Katie’s brain screamed. Now is your chance to stop this. Say something! But the
words were stuck in her throat. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She
looked at Josh in desperation. Was he doing this to her? Why couldn’t she
speak?
Meg
started giggling, which caused Scott to laugh.
“Right,”
Scott said after taking a breath. “Our souls.” He gestured with his hand for
Josh to approach. “So come get them.” He and Meg started laughing again.
Josh
stepped forward, a smile of evil satisfaction on his face. Ice entered Katie’s
veins as he approached with his arms outstretched.
“No,”
she said under her breath, finally finding her voice. “I can’t take part in
this.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t loud enough to deter Josh or warn the two
teens.
She
had to get away. Perhaps a drastic action would be enough to stop the gathering
from happening. Mustering all the strength she could, she turned and ran out of
the room. Hopefully it was enough. She heard Josh call her name, but she didn’t
stop until she ran into a rail. Glancing down, she saw the dark water gently
lapping the side of the boat. She inhaled ragged breaths. Her stomach ached,
her knees went weak. Slowly, she sunk to the deck. Why couldn’t she speak? She
wanted so desperately to stop him, and she couldn’t. She failed. She allowed
two more people to have their souls taken because of inaction. Or did she?
Maybe she freaked them out and they changed their minds. She could only hope.
But what about Josh? What was he going to say? Was he going to be upset? Was he
going to do something drastic? She should go back, but she couldn’t make her
body comply with the command to stand up.
She
closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the rail. A groan escaped her
lips. She felt like a horrible person. Why did she allow this to keep
happening? Why didn’t she have the strength to fight it? Footsteps sounded on
the deck, and Katie looked up. Josh approached and sat down next to her. Katie
wanted to apologize for running away, ask him not to be mad at her, but the
words wouldn’t come out of her mouth. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled
her close. She laid her head on his shoulder.
“It
was a lot to take in at the moment,” he said softly. “Too many emotions to
process at one time.” He placed his hand under her chin and lifted her head.
“But you still did a great job.”
The
words did little to comfort Katie. She was still worried about what would happen
down the road.
His
lips found hers, and Katie lost herself in the kiss. His mouth opened slightly,
so Katie opened hers. His tongue found hers, and Katie pulled herself closer to
his body. That helped relieve some of her concerns. Maybe he wasn’t angry with
her. That would be such a relief. Something clanked against her teeth.
Confused, she tried to pull away, but Josh held her tight. Whatever was in her
mouth found its way down her throat. Panic tightened her chest. What was going
on? She tried harder to pull away, digging her nails into his arms and nearly
choking on whatever was making its way toward her stomach. Her arms sagged as
she was engulfed by warmth, followed by a tingling sensation that started in
her stomach and spread out to her extremities. A feeling of peace washed over
her.
Josh
released her from the kiss but continued to hold her close. Katie was thankful.
Her body felt light, airy, like it would float away. A sensation of giddiness
passed through her, followed by excitement. It reminded her of feelings she’d
felt as a child when she rushed to the tree on Christmas morning to see what
Santa had brought her. A sense of hope surged through her. She turned to Josh.
His features seemed clearer, his skin glowed with a golden hue. The blue of his
eyes seemed brighter, his touch warmer and softer. She gently touched his face,
and his lips curled into a smile. The tingling in her body grew more intense.
Josh’s gaze and embrace held the promise of eternity. She didn’t want him to
let go. She wanted the feeling to last forever, and she wanted to continuously
feel it with him.
“What
did you give me?” Her voice came out as a whisper.
“A
soul.” He leaned forward and kissed her again.
About
the Author
In 2009,
eTreasures Publishing published my first novel, a sci fi adventure story. Since then, they have published my two YA
zombie novels, my religious zombie novella, two children’s picture books, and
two novellas with romantic elements. I
have an urban fantasy novel about dragons and a vampire novelette that was
published by MuseItUp Publishing. Musa
Publishing has published my novelette with romantic elements and a collection
of short stories. I have a middle grade
urban fantasy novel that was published by Little Devil Books. My nonfiction book about slasher films was
published by Scarecrow Press.
Writing is my
passion. I enjoy creating fantastic
worlds and memorable characters. I’m an
active promoter of my works and love to talk to readers at book signings and
readings. Doing giveaways on Goodreads
has been an exciting experience, and having contests for readers has been
fun. I actively promote various authors
on my blog and participate in blog tours to promote my own work.
I write under
several different pen names. For my
children’s titles, I write under J.D. Pooker, and for my YA and adult novels, I
write under Pembroke Sinclair. My
nonfiction work is done under my real name.
I am a member of
the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and am on a committee to create membership
criteria for iPAL, which is a sister group to the Published Authors Liaison
group and focuses on independent and self-published authors. I am also a member of the ALA and really
enjoy doing library visits.
Author Links:
***GIVEAWAY***
One set of The Road to Salvation Series (books 1 and 2).
Blog Tour Organised by:
Thank you so much for having me on your blog!
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