Thursday, November 24, 2016

Book 2 of the Covalent series is here



The Pain Season by Libby Doyle

The Covalent Series Book 2

Release Date: October 31 2016

Page Length:  351 pages

ASIN for Amazon ebook: B01M0ISS3Z

Publisher: Fairhill Publishing LLC






ON THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, ZAN O'GARA'S LIFE WILL CHANGE.

Tonight’s the night. Rainer Barakiel is going to tell me all his secrets. I thought I’d be excited, but I feel like someone shoved a knife into my gut.

Heh. Fitting, considering I met Rainer because of his expertise in edged weapons. The daggers used in that ritual sacrifice became our best lead thanks to him. What kind of omen is it, that I met the love of my life because someone found a human spleen in the bushes?

I didn’t expect someone like him. When he opened his door I couldn’t talk, I was so stunned. God, how I flirted with him. Hell of a way for an FBI agent to act. This whole relationship is a hell of a way for an FBI agent to act. I didn’t want to face that he was hiding things from me.

What if he has something to do with this murder?

I’m being paranoid. He’s denied being a criminal and I believe him. I don’t see how my instincts could be so wrong. He can’t be bad. He can’t.

He’s hiding things from me, but he loves me. I feel it. Maybe he didn’t expect to fall in love with me, but he did, and now he wants out. He’s going to confess, leave it all behind. For me.

I wonder, after he tells me all his secrets, will this become a wacky story we love to tell? Or a story I tell only to myself, alone in a stale-smelling apartment, stewing in pain? The story of how my heart got damaged beyond repair.

WARNING: This book contains foul language, violence, and explicit sex. Adults only, please. Although not a cliffhanger, this is not a stand-alone novel. The story began in The Passion Season, and will continue in The Vengeance Season.




Excerpt – Autumnal Equinox – Chapter 1

Set up: Barakiel, a superhuman warrior from another dimension, has just killed a gang of demons who attacked Zan O’Gara, the woman he loves. This shocking introduction to his true identity made Zan run away, but not before she called 911 and made a stand against the demons. Being an FBI agent, she was armed. She killed two of the beasts, but the gunfire resulted in another 911 call. Barakiel became catatonic in the wake of an emotional scene with Zan. The police arrived, and were handled by Pellus, Barakiel’s trusted friend. Pellus is a traveler adept, a type of Covalent who can manipulate the properties of matter and energy.

***

In a few minutes, Pellus heard the crunch of gravel in the driveway. He looked through the peephole as two police officers emerged from their vehicles, one tall and fat, the other short and muscular. They looked around suspiciously. Pellus thought it best to play a frightened senior citizen, so he adopted the dry, gray hair and shriveled skin of an old human. He opened the side door.
“Officers. I am so glad you are here! I thought I heard gunfire.”
“Yes, sir,” the short one said, as the other headed to the main building and peered in the window. “We received a couple of emergency calls. A woman said she was being attacked at this address, then a few minutes later someone reported shots fired.”
“No woman lives here officers. Maybe she is somewhere nearby.”
“Did you see anyone in your yard?”
“No, but I was afraid to look out.”
“Could you tell where the shots were coming from?” the officer asked, as his tall colleague rejoined them.
“No, I am sorry. It was confusing. They seemed like they were coming from everywhere.”
The two of them stepped away to confer. They obviously didn’t think Pellus could hear them. The tall one told the short one that he couldn’t see anyone in the house. He said the owner was obviously rich, and that the place would appeal to a burglar or a home invader. They stepped back to Pellus.
“Are you sure you didn’t see anyone?”
“Yes, I am sure.”
“Is this your place?”
“No. My nephew’s. I am watching it for him while he is away on a business trip.”
“Your nephew,” said the short one. He poked at a handheld device for a minute or two. “Uh, records show this place is owned by B&P Bridesburg, Ltd. What’s that?”
“My nephew’s company. His name is Rainer Barakiel.”
“Does he own a gun?”
“Not that I know of.”
“What’s with the get up?” asked the tall officer, pointing at Pellus’ brown robes.
“I am from Kyrgyzstan. This is how we dress at home.”
The officer frowned. “Mind if we look around?” he asked.
“Please do.” They headed toward the back of the main building, where the yard was sunk in darkness. Pellus followed. As they neared the edge of the building, the adept noticed goldish glints of color in the grass. For a moment, he was confused. Then he realized.
Shell casings from the gunfire!
He began to cough violently and stumble. The officers stopped walking. The short one grabbed Pellus’ arm.
“Are you all right, sir?”
Pellus waved him off and faced the back of the yard, his hand to his chest. He continued to cough and tremble. It gave him the chance to adjust his vision so he could see molecular structure of the cursed bits of metal against the structure of the grass and soil. He bent forward, pretending to catch his breath as he broke the bonds that held the metal in the form of shell casings. Tiny shards of metal remained in the grass.
I can only hope they do not notice. I have no time for anything else.
“Are you sure you’re all right, sir?” the short officer asked.
“Yes, please. Just give me a moment.”
Although it took much longer than Pellus would have liked, the short officer waited next to him, perhaps afraid he would keel over. The tall one walked over to the hedges that grew next to the compound wall and peered up at the elevated pipeline that ran along the south side of the property, a remnant of the chemical plant that had once operated there.
“I am sorry,” Pellus said when he had finished. “I will be fine. Do what you need to do.”   
 


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About the Author



Libby Doyle is an attorney and former journalist who took a walk around the corporate world and didn’t like it. She escapes the mundane by writing extravagant yarns, filled with sex and violence. She loves absurd humor, travel, punk rock, and her husband. Discover more at http://libbydoyle.com/index.html

You can connect with Libby at:


Twitter: @LibbyDoyle9

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