Dark Spirits–An Excerpt

10/30/2012 ARC , dark spirit , excerpt , little girl 1 Comments

Dark Spirits is my second book in my YA paranormal series. It’s going through edits right now and will be available at the beginning of 2013. I thought I’d give you a sneak peek to one of the scenes in this next book. There might be some changes before it gets published, so you're basically reading part of the ARC (advanced readers copy).

Anyway, in this scene, Paige and Nathan are at the Sunday Market, finishing up eating their corndogs . . . Enjoy!

I rose and stuck my hand out for him to give me his corndog stick. He handed it to me, and I went to the overflowing trash can a couple yards away. Then my ears began to ring. I looked at Nathan, and he hurried to me at a painfully human pace. We looked around, but the few people strolling by were immersed in conversation and paid no attention to us.

Nathan took my hand and steered me in the other direction. "C’mon, let’s get back to the truck." As we rushed off, Nathan kept glancing over his shoulder, his posture stiff and alert.

Our ears continued to ring, but still nothing out of the ordinary caught my eyes. When we reached the parking lot, there were people filing into their vehicles and exiting the premises. I wondered if one of them could be a dark spirit. I was just about to get inside the truck when a soft crying noise tore at my heart. It sounded heartbroken and lost. I followed the sound while Nathan stuck our bags in the backseat. I moved to the front of the truck and there sitting on the curb was the most angelic-looking little girl I’d ever seen. She had to be about five years old, and I wondered where her mommy was. My heart immediately went out to her. She was crying in her tiny hands, leaning forward on her knees, her blonde curls tumbling over her face. She scooted her elbows above her knees while she continued to cry, pushing her blue dress up,
revealing black patent leather shoes and white laced socks.

"What’s wrong, sweetie? Did you lose your mommy?" I asked, kneeling in front of her.

"Paige, no!" Nathan hollered at the same time she dropped her hands and grabbed my wrist, yanking me toward her. She was amazingly strong, completely throwing me off guard.

She slowly rolled her head around her neck, her baby face contorting into a ghastly mask, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. Then her dark glowing eyes poured into mine. I was too stunned to do anything but stare, even though her grip was like a tourniquet around my wrist.

"Let. Her. Go," Nathan demanded, now by my side.

The girl jerked her head up, her glowing orbs on Nathan now. "You have no power over me," a man’s deep voice spewed forth from her pink, pouty lips, chilling me to the bone.

"No?" Nathan said, bending so his eyes were leveled with hers. "But I can break her neck, which will take you out of the equation."

"You can’t do that, Nathan," I gasped. "She’s a child!"

"She’s soulless, Paige," he said, keeping his eyes trained on her. "I’m going to tell you one more time. . . Let. Her. Go."

Nathan wasn’t playing around. He was serious, and his ears were red, signaling the rage boiling inside him. The dark spirit must have realized it because he released me. I stumbled sideways, falling into Nathan’s quick arms. The sheer force of it knocked us to a sitting position on the asphalt.

The little girl hopped to her feet and moved her head clockwise in little jerks, her mouth opened in a silent scream. She stepped forward and stopped in front of us. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, then focused on me, dark and glowing. She grimaced, then blinked, and her eyes turned blue. "Help me," she said in a sweet toddler voice.

I reached for her, but Nathan snatched my wrist, locking his arms around mine. The girl scowled, then blinked, and her eyes were dark and glowing again. I sucked in a sharp breath, and her mouth formed a circle. Her head fell back in deep laughter. It was dark, sinister, and male.

She stopped, looked at me, and pointed. "Vos ero pessum ire," she said in the same deep man’s voice as before. Then she turned and ran away.