Eternity can suck when
it’s all work, work, work. Death harvests souls even when they
stack up faster than pancakes in an all-you-can-eat-buffet. No wonder
she can’t shed the Grim Reaper rep.
As the patron angel of
death and dying, Azrael works closely with Death but is dying for
true intimacy. She’s the only immortal who’s ever aroused such
powerful emotions in him. One taste of her leaves him needing her
like humans need air and food, but will a demon’s lies leave a bad
taste?
No one escapes Death –
except King Sisyphus. Twice. With the help of Damien the demon,
Sisyphus tries again, and she’s determined to have justice. Some
say Death’s a bitch, but only when she has to be. But will the
price of justice be a broken heart?
Genre: Urban fantasy/dark
paranormal
Publisher: Decadent
Publishing
ASIN: B008RQFJEQ
Number of pages: 113
Word Count: 43,000
Cover Artist: LFD Designs
Author Bio:
Cate Masters loves romance
with a dash of magic and mayhem! Multi-published in contemporary to
historical, sweet to erotic, fantasy/dark fantasy to speculative, she
sometimes mashes genres. Reviewers
have described her stories as “so compelling, I did not want to put
it down,” and “such romantic tales that really touch your soul.”
When not spending time
with her family, she can be found in her lair, concocting a magical
brew of contemporary, historical, and fantasy/paranormal stories with
her cat Chairman Maiow and dog Lily as company. Look for her at
her blog
and in strange nooks and far-flung corners of the web.
Cate
loves to hear from readers! Friend her on Facebook or Goodreads, or
email her at: cate.masters@gmail.com
EXCERPT
Death stepped from the shadowy curtain
of night along a deserted stretch of road toward the mangled hunk of
cherry-red metal that used to be a sweet Z240 sports car. Stardust
glinted in the black hair that dipped to her waist.
She kept a safe distance from the
wreck. Inside, a thirtyish man slumped behind the wheel, the air bag
deflating away from his near-lifeless body. Blood oozed from a nasty
gash to his head. Should have worn his seat belt. Too late for life
lessons, though. Those weren’t her expertise anyway. Just the
opposite.
Leaves crackled in the underbrush
beyond the nearby trees. Death gripped the silver charm bracelet on
her wrist, her senses on high alert. Her finger poised near the
hidden latch, ready to release a stream of lightning.
A deer. It stilled, its wide eyes fixed
on her.
Seeing nothing else, she continued with
a modicum of caution. Taking souls didn’t exactly make her popular,
and after so many millennia, she should’ve been used to it. The bad
jokes. The Halloween parodies. A scythe? Please. She’d never used
cheap props. Only the finest weaponry. No mortal ever suspected the
intricately designed baubles adorning her bracelet were anything more
than ornamental.
Moonlight gleamed off the curves of the
sports car, and she ran a gilded nail along its hood. She wouldn’t
mind taking one of these babies for a spin. In its former condition,
of course, before this guy took the curve too fast and wrapped it
around a tree. Humans always rushed everywhere, sometimes straight
into her arms.
The man’s moan signaled she had no
need for weapons. This one would give her no trouble. She fingered
his blond hair, matted with blood. What a shame. So young, and so
handsome. He’d leave at least one lover grieving, no doubt.
His eyes fluttered open. When he looked
up, recognition intensified the flicker of life in his eyes.
She needed no introduction. They always
knew her, unmistakable in the glimmering black filament gown, its
folds revealing a glimpse into infinity.
The stilettos usually earned a second
glance, the four-inch heels glistening like fool’s gold. The
butterfly tattoo spanning her upper arm likewise drew curious looks,
which inevitably changed to horror when the souls recognized the face
imprinted within that colorful ink: their own.
View more about Death Is A Bitch at
http://catemasters.blogspot.com/2011/04/death-is-bitch-dark-paranormal.html
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Love the excerpt! Especially the bit about the tattoo. I'm curious about that one! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Leah!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks Freda, for hosting me and Death today!
Great excerpt, Cate!
ReplyDeleteThanks Alex!
DeleteThanks much, Alex! I appreciate you stopping by.
DeleteWow, this excerpt is good! I'd like to read more..
ReplyDeleteSo glad you liked it! :)
DeleteThis one sounds great! Thanks for the chance.
ReplyDeleteThanks Martha!
Delete