This weeks Saturday Snippet theme is Weapons, and oh, I have to admit this is a subject close to my heart. With a shooter for a brother, a background in martial arts and personal security, I’ve been able to train with, and play with many different kinds of weapons. Most of my stories don’t have much use for weapons or big fight scenes, so when Anna Blair was born, I knew just what s her weapon of choice would be. Blades. Sharp, shiny, and versatile.
Anna’s story is NO ANGEL, in the Most Wanted anthology. She’s a demon hunter by necessity, as they’ve been hunting her for her whole life. In this snippet, she’s confronting one big bad demon lord whose come to take her to hell.
Fifteen minutes later she came across a park. The swings and merry-go-round were empty and there was plenty of open space with no houses to close.
“Perfect,” she muttered. “Close enough so you can find your way back to Gabe if you survive this.”
She picked a patch of grass and pulled one of her knives, took a deep breath, and without hesitation, sliced it across her left forearm. It wasn’t a terribly deep cut, but her blood welled and flowed out of it.
She put the blade away and held her arm out she watched the dark crimson drops fall onto the dewy grass and soak into the earth. It looked like any other human’s blood, red and thick, and life-giving. Only there was so much more in her blood.
She felt him before she saw him. The cold chill that had all the tiny hairs on her body standing up, making her extra sensitive to the energy vibrations around her. She turned slowly, expecting to see nothing, surprised to see tall, golden, and winged Focalor standing ten feet away from her. He smiled at her, as if he’d just dropped by for tea.
She arched an eyebrow at him. “No invisible attack this time?”
“You were kind enough to call me, I figured you wanted to give yourself up, maybe make a deal to protect those new friends of yours.”
Anger stirred in her gut but she tamped it down. She needed a clear head in this fight to have any chance of surviving. “I don’t make deals.”
“You’ve no wish to protect them?”
“I have a wish to end this, here and now.”
“Come now, Anna Blair, you of all people should know there isn’t much on earth that can defeat the power of hell. Why do you want to fight me? If you come willingly, I’ll ensure you survive being stripped of your powers.”
“Survive? And then what? You’ll keep me in hell as a play-toy to be poked and prodded at every now and then?”
His smile widened. “You’ve been a worthy opponent, I wouldn’t do that.”
“Worthy, huh?” She stepped to the right, and watched as he stepped to the left, circling her. “I’m surprised I’m considered only worthy when it’s taken almost thirty years for you to get even this close to me.”
He flinched at that, just a small one, but she saw it, and she knew. He was worried. He didn’t like it at all that she’d evaded his minions for so long.
Reaching into her backpack, Anna’s fingers wrapped around the comforting handles deep inside and pulled. She tossed aside her backpack and unsheathed the lovingly crafted butterfly swords. The curved blades slid free of their leather sheath with a smooth hiss, and she stood facing Focalor with one in each hand.
“Enough talk,” she said. “This ends now.”
“Ah, yes.” His smile was benign as he eyed her swords. “Your blades have felled some of my best soldiers. But do you really think they’ll hurt me?”
“These ones will. Forged in my own hellfire, blessed by God’s servants, and wielded by me, someone who has mastered powers born of evil.” She bared her teeth as she moved to the right, watching him counter shift to the left. “Powers you gifted to a weak spirit.”
“The spirit wasn’t weak, the powers were.” His wings expanded behind him.
Preparing for flight, she told herself. Out loud she laughed. “Powers are as strong as those who wield them, you know that. And I am not weak.”
“Let’s find out shall we?”
He lunged and she swung. Expecting him to fly, she’d swung high, but not high enough. The shiny steel of her blade just missed his foot as he flew over her head. She spun and crouched, but still took a solid kick to the head. She rolled with it, and came up swinging.
Focalor was on the ground now, on his feet, and throwing bolts of hellfire at her. Deflecting the flames with her left blade, she stepped into the fight instead of away from it, and swung the right.
What people are saying about MOST WANTED:
“An angel with a demon’s powers describes Anna in “No Angel”. Anna has spent her life trying to keep one step ahead of the demons that want something from her. Gabriel might now know about the “other” side of life but he knows that Anna is something special and he wants her in his life. Finding out how to end the threat to Anna’s life and their budding relationship, leads Gabriel to understand his new family members. I especially loved the final battle and how it ended. “No Angel” is more than a battle of good vs. evil – it’s a battle of love that trumps all.” – Jo, from Joyfully Reviewed
“The stories in this book are all unique and exciting in their own way. Each character easily holds your attention, and the plots are just as captivating. I flew through this in one sitting, and that may be my only regret. I wanted to keep on reading! Ms. White is a fabulously talented writer, and purchasing any of her books is money well spent.” – Lototy, Coffeetime Romance & more.
“This isn’t your typical Sasha White book. Yes, all three romances have her trademark eroticism and blatantly wicked sensuality, but there’s also a touch of lightheartedness, humor, and the paranormal. I think that long-time Sasha White fans will love MOST WANTED. New readers will undoubtedly question why they haven’t read Sasha before.” – Laurie of Laurie’s Laudanum
Follow the links below for more snippets from some great authors.
Anya Bast
Leah Braemel
Jaci Burton
Vivian Arend
Ashley Ladd
Taige Crenshaw
Shelley Munro
Jody Wallace
TJ Michaels
Victoria Janssen
Elisabeth Naughton