Today, I’m happy to introduce my talented writing buddy, Jeanne Bannon, who has a new book!
Beautiful Monster, The Exchange (book 1)
Lev Baronovsky, a soulless creature of the night, has a
problem. Carly, the love of his life has just died in an accident and in three
days will pass to the other side. Without a soul, he cannot cross over with her
and the thought of spending eternity without his beloved is unbearable. Is
seventy-two hours enough time to find a way?
With the help of his brother, Alexei, they must face the
vilest creature of all, Boris, an ancient one with selfish motivations of his
own.
CHAPTER
ONE
Lev moved swiftly through the hallways, darting
in and out and around what, to him, were slowly moving nurses and
orderlies—those unfortunates working the midnight shift. Faster than any human
eye was capable of detecting, he made it to Carly’s room in a flash. In fact,
he made it there just in time, nostrils plucking the acrid scents from the air
better than any dog’s.
He sat on the bed beside her in the dimly lit
room and noticed, thankfully, she had no roommate. The bed beside Carly was
recently vacated. The scent of death still lingered heavily and sadly.
Taking her delicate hand in his, Lev noticed a monitor
clipped on an index finger. It seemed it measured her pulse and heartbeat. He
noticed too that her heart was beating slowly, though he didn’t need a monitor
for that. He heard its throb, and it made him think of a dying battery.
However, relief settled on him as he realized
he was the first to arrive after the accident that had left her comatose.
Carly’s family was nowhere near yet. It would take hours for them to get here
from the other coast. He had time, plenty of it. Stealthily, Lev glanced into
the hallway from his perch in the darkened hospital room. The occasional nurse
strode past, but it was late, or perhaps the better term was early. In the wee
hours of the morning, there would be fewer staff than during the day.
With a sigh, he took Carly in. Her blonde hair
was matted and dirty, even though it looked as if someone had tried to clean
her up, perhaps finger combing her thick mane and tucking it behind her head.
Her face was still perfect. Not a single scratch had sullied her beauty.
A knot twisted in his belly. Why hadn’t he
known? He could have saved her if only he’d known. But even Lev couldn’t know
everything. It was his brother, Alexei, who’d given him the news moments ago.
“Brother,” he’d said, “there’s been an
accident. Go now to the hospital or you’ll never see your precious Carly
again.”
He hadn’t asked the how, the why, the when.
Alexei had dropped his mental barriers. Lev felt them fall like a drawbridge.
His brother had let him in. It was easier than speaking—Lev was able to glean whatever
information he needed in an instant. But with the simple facts of Carly’s
accident came the realization his brother was happy for the turmoil. A hint of
a smile had curled Alexei’s full lips, and his eyes were bright. Lev was not
surprised.
He pulled his thoughts from Alexei and looked
down at his beloved’s hand in his. The pallor of it matched his own. He
listened to the slow rush of blood through her veins, willing it to grow
stronger.
Moving close, he whispered, “I can save you.”
He brought her dainty wrist to his lips. She smelled like death already—like
the musk of freshly turned earth. It was now or never. His fangs pricked at her
delicate skin, drawing a bead of crimson. It tasted of iron and copper and of
her. Carly’s very essence was in that droplet.
He stopped himself, knowing she wouldn’t want
him to go through with it. They’d talked about it many times, about the
possibility of him turning her, so they could be together, not for just the
blink of an eye that was a human lifetime but for eternity. She would be
furious if he turned her, and he wouldn’t blame her. Lev knew the pain and sorrow
of being changed into a monster against one’s will.
But at least she would still exist. We could still be together. He shook off that small, but oh so inviting
thought. No, he would not make a monster of her.
With a flick of his tongue, he licked the
droplet away. A shudder of pleasure shot through him, and as he pushed her
wrist to his mouth, like a child ready to bite into a ripe peach, the monitor
blared a warning. He dropped her arm. Panic filled him. Carly’s pulse rose and
fell suddenly. The stagnant tone of a heart that was no longer beating blared
from the machine, stabbing sharply in his ears, but the growing silence of
blood no longer pulsing through veins and arteries seemed louder. Hesitation
had cost him. His compassion, as his brother would say, was his one true
downfall.
Two nurses and a doctor were in the room now,
buzzing frantically around Carly. Lev had disappeared through the pane of the window
unseen and watched from outside where the moonless sky hid him. His jacket
flapped in a breeze that also tousled his long black hair. It whipped and
slapped against his cheeks.
It was said creatures like him could feel no
pain. That they existed only as predators—takers of life—but Lev’s world had
just crumbled. If he had a beating heart, it would be broken in two. Tears
welled in his eyes, and he longed to let them fall. No, more than that, he
wanted to scream, wanted to rip his cold dead heart from his chest and stomp on
it.
Lev gathered himself as best he could, pinching
the tears from his eyes and staring up to the heavens, but there would be no
help for him there. For Lev Baranovsky, there was no God, only this perpetual
hell he lived in. Love may come for him again in time, though he wasn’t sure he
wanted it to. Would he ever get over losing his precious Carly? The vicious
cycle of love and heartbreak was enough to drive him mad.
He should go now. Carly was gone. There was
nothing he could do. Even though his brother would be at home, he needed the
comfort of his own space to grieve.
He looked down at the ground two stories below,
and when he peered back up for one last glimpse of his beloved, his brows
lifted and his dark eyes grew to the size of poker chips.
Carly was dead, but she wasn’t gone.
Bio
I've worked in the publishing industry for over twenty years, first as a freelance journalist, then as an in-house editor for LexisNexis Canada. I currently work as a freelance editor and writer and am represented by Karen Thomas of the Serendipity Literary Agency.
My debut novel, Invisible, a young adult paranormal romance, has recently been optioned for film. Invisible is an Amazon bestseller both domestically and internationally and continues to receive wonderful reviews.
Another of my novels, Nowhere to Run, tells the story of Lily Valier, a woman of substance and beauty, and her dilemma when she falls in love with a man whose mission it is to bring her down.
Currently, I'm finishing up work on Dark Angel, a paranormal thriller.
Links
Facebook Author Page
Care to try out Jeanne's new book?
Care to try out Jeanne's new book?
The Blogging from A-Z Challenge is five and a half weeks away and yours truly needs some minions. I think I have to get cracking with asking people individually otherwise I’ll be stuck when April steps in.
So far, on my team, I have Michelle Wallace, Sheena Kay Graham and P. V. Ariel.
If you think you’ll have the time and you’re reliable, hit me up with a comment or email. My minion badge is off to the side.
So far, on my team, I have Michelle Wallace, Sheena Kay Graham and P. V. Ariel.
If you think you’ll have the time and you’re reliable, hit me up with a comment or email. My minion badge is off to the side.
Congratulations, Jeanne!
ReplyDeleteFine looking Minion badge you have there. Hope you find a few more Minions.
Thank you very much, Alex :)
DeleteJeanne's cover is incredible. Lee lured me in as a minion already or I would help.
ReplyDeleteThanks for you kind words about my cover, Elizabeth :)
DeleteWOW...optioned for film! That's awesome!!
ReplyDeleteHi DL, thank you. Stilling waiting though. It's a long process.
DeleteThanks so much for visiting!, Yup, I'm loving that badge, Alex.
ReplyDeleteI can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to have someone talk to me about a film option. So exciting! I hope it hits the big time, Jeanne!
ReplyDeleteHi Bish, thanks so much. It is exciting but a long process as well. I tend to forget about it, LOL. I appreciate your kind words. :)
DeleteThank you for letting me take over your blog for the day, Joy. I very much appreciated it :) xo
ReplyDeleteNo problem, Jeanne. Anything for you!
ReplyDeleteSo tempting I won't try to resist :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from Shout with Emaginette
Lol, Anna, please don't resist :) Thanks for stopping by :D
DeleteI'm so tempted! I'd like to be a minion, but I will probably be out of town and away from computers for the first week of April (I know--it's going to make A to Z more challenging!), so I probably had better not!
ReplyDeleteWould not be fun to live eternity without your beloved. Hard decision for Lev.
ReplyDeleteJoy; I am not participating in A-Z; in fact I plan on a month long blog break.
Love the minion badge you have chosen! The book sounds like one Hannah Bug and I need to read.
ReplyDeleteJeremy Hawkins is the genius behind the badge. :)
DeleteCongratulations, Jeanne!!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much :)
DeleteJeanne is a great writer! I haven't read this book, but I have read some of her other work.
ReplyDeleteThat she is, Carol. Thanks for coming by.
DeleteThanks so much, Carol and Joy. You've certainly put a smile on my face :D
DeleteThis book sounds fabulous! Best wishes on lots of sales :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Catherine - from your lips to God's ears, lol :)
Delete