Angel's Fury: The Heavenly Host 1Blurb:Faith Eldridge has suffered terrifying nightmares her entire life. When her nightmare takes form and attacks her, she barely escapes with her life and she fears she’s finally gone mad. For thousands of years, angelic brothers Sullivan, Knox, and Vaughn have fought, bled, and been tainted by the monstrosities hell spits out. They’ve fought for a humanity that no longer believes they exist, and they do it for their ultimate reward: their soulmate. When the brothers are sent to kill the demon that broke from hell, they find him gone, but not before he’d attacked a human—their long-awaited mate. Faith recovers from her attack and from the shock of discovering angels are real, and she falls deeply in love with her damaged warriors. But the demon’s also waited millennia for Faith. She holds the key to his release from hell. The powers of the heavenly host are sorely tested as the demon gathers the forces of hell to reclaim Faith. Story Excerpt:Vaughn felt the wave of evil wash over him, a wave strong enough to wake him from his sleep. He shuddered as the residue from the wave coated him. He pushed aside the cloying feeling and focused instead on the source. He stretched out his mind, seeking the origin, and failing to find where it had started. All he found was a trail that reached farther into the distance than his mind could reach. He’d need to fly if he was going to track the wave to its source—and fly now, before it faded. “Did you feel that?” Vaughn asked his brothers. He used his telepathy to send the question to his brothers, but knew someone from their host would soon be in contact using the same method. “It shook the ground below our feet,” Sullivan answered. Vaughn easily sensed the anxiety and frustration coming from his brother and imagined he was already pacing, like a caged lion, in the darkness of his daylight refuge. “It was stronger than anything I’ve felt in decades,” Vaughn said. “Do you think it was a breach?” “Shit,” Knox cursed. “I hope it’s not a full breach. If there’s a demon above ground he could create enough chaos to have us overwhelmed by rampaging blood suckers by nightfall.” Knox swore again and Vaughn imagined both his brothers were now prowling their underground lair. “I can’t wait for you,” Vaughn said. “I need to move now.” He pulled on his black leathers—saving the power he would have expended by teleporting his garments onto his body—for what may yet prove to be an extended hunt. “Don’t go alone,” Sullivan said with a sigh. “We’ll follow as soon as darkness falls.” “Vaughn.” His name was a summons from their leader. “Mikhail has sent for me. I’ll contact you when I can.” Vaughn closed his eyes and focused on their host’s leader. He arrived at Mikhail’s side before he’d taken his next breath. An instant later Grigori, Parker, and Dominic were gathered around them at the lookout above their village. Mikhail had called on each of the guardians who were still able to walk in the light. Most of their angel brethren had suffered injuries throughout their years on Earth that had both enhanced and limited their innate angelic powers. It was hard to come away unscathed from so many thousands of battles. None stood now as they had when they’d first descended. Those who hadn’t died from their injuries were now more powerful and more deadly than they had been at their creation. That added power came at a price, however, and that price was different for each of them. For Sullivan and Knox, the price was to never again walk in the sunlight. For Vaughn, it meant being caged for two nights each lunar cycle. He knew his penance was not as great as some, but the nights he was caged were still horrific. He lost himself to the madness of the beast within. His constant fear was that one day he’d actually escape his cage and kill all those he loved in a mindless, bloody rampage. He shuddered at the thought and focused now on Mikhail. Mikhail was staring at him intently. Their leader knew all their secrets, all their fears. That was Mikhail’s curse. “I won’t ever let that happen, Vaughn.” Vaughn nodded once, clear in the understanding that Mikhail would end his life before he allowed the wolf within him to harm one of their own. “We leave immediately,” Mikhail said. “The trail is weakening with each passing second and I fear we have a long way to go before we find the origin of this attempted breach.” “Are you sure they didn’t actually succeed this time?” Parker asked. “It sure as hell felt like one of the fuckers broke loose.” Mikhail turned to Dominic and raised an eyebrow. “You’re the one with the demon radar. Is one of them above ground again?” Dominic’s jaw tensed as he shook his head. The light shone on the fine silver scars that ran down his face and neck. Vaughn had been the one to carry Dominic home after he’d been attacked by a demon who’d made it to earth. He knew the scars continued down the length of Dominic’s back. He’d nearly died that day. “We’ll follow you,” Mikhail said as Dominic stretched out his ebony wings and took flight. Dominic’s close call with death had left him with a keen awareness of demons. They could all sense the residue of a demon’s taint, but Dominic was aware of them on a visceral level. Dominic might hate that shared connection, but he still used it to their advantage. He was a guardian, as was Vaughn. The job of protecting the Earth fell to them and they would all continue to fight until their souls ascended to heaven. Vaughn spread his wings and joined his battalion as they followed the wave of evil to its point of origin. Author Bio:I live in Australia, in an area surrounded by the bush. I wake early and walk for an hour. It gives me time to think about the characters I am writing about and their interactions. I have on occasion been interrupted in my walks by a kangaroo—sounds like a joke, but they are abundant in the bush around my home. I have been an avid reader since I was twelve years old. My first series of books were Nancy Drew, and they have left me with an enduring love for mystery and suspense novels. I do love romance, though, so I write what I would love to read, which will always have strong heroes and a happily ever after. What girl doesn't want that? My love of fantasy has let me explore the paranormal genre, and I love the way it lets me escape reality for a little while. My hope is that people will enjoy reading my books as much as I have enjoyed writing them. I have three series out currently. Eminence Shifters, the spin off and companion series Pine Falls, and a new series– The Heavenly host. The Eminence Shifters series features predominately cougar shifters, while Pine Falls has a menagerie of paranormals including cougar, coyote, bear and wolf shifters, vampires, demons, and even an angel. The Heavenly Host is about a Host of Angels that have been earthbound for over six thousand years and the battle they wage to fight the evils of hell and claim their reward– a mate to love for eternity. Follow Ashley Here:
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A.M. HalfordMondays: Free post days where I post about anything I feel like talking about. Archives
May 2018
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