Unedited Snippet Five from Book Five

While some could argue there is a spoiler in today’s excerpt, I think the book’s title has already given it away

I am going to be virtually nonexistent during October working on book 5.  I’ve set my email to autoreply and, except for two days a week, I have sworn off my Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, and even my email. If you contact me via these channels and I don’t answer immediately, that’s why.

In the meantime, please enjoy a random, unedited snippet from Heart of the Raven:

CONTAINS SPOILERS for Ashes of Deceit. If you haven’t read that book yet, then read at your own risk.

Jorick’s face tightened stubbornly and Katelina snapped, “For God’s sake, Jorick, what is Malick after? Just tell us already!”

“Fine!” His voice dropped so low that she had to strain to hear him. “He’s after the heart of the raven.”

Verchiel choked and Katelina stared, incredulous. “But that’s was just a legend!” She looked to the redhead for help. “Right?”

Neil gave a soft cough. “I, uh, don’t want to interrupt but what is the heart of the raven?”

Jorick groaned with impatience, and Verchiel shot upright. “Oh! Let me!” He swiveled towards the uncomfortable guard. “There’s an old legend. Way back in the beginning there was Adam and Eve and Lilith and Samael. Samael and Lilith got into a fight – no wait, first they got turned into vampires-”

“Schwachsinnige,” Sadihra muttered and rolled her eyes. “I’ll tell it. In the beginning God created Adam and Eve, and Samael and Lilith. Samael loved Lilith, but she was in love with Adam, who loved Eve. Samael asked the serpent for help, and the serpent tried to convince Lilith to love her husband. After that, everything was good, so the serpent tried to butt into Adam and Eve’s relationship. When they ignored him, he got angry and as revenge he convinced Samael that Eve was the better woman, and helped Samael seduce her. Lilith found them and in her fury she went to Adam and coupled with him while he slept.”

“What a way to wake up!” Verchiel interjected with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Sadihra gave him a dark look and went on. “Adam woke up, horrified, and then God appeared and threw them all out of Eden. The serpent was really Lucifer in disguise, and since he was jealous of man, he was happy to see them punished. He rewarded Samael and Lilith by giving them immortality and the ability to transform into beasts; she a raven and he a bat. When God saw this, he struck them barren and cursed them to walk forever in darkness, drinking blood, and shunned by goodness.”

Verchiel coughed loudly and she talked over the top of him. “Eventually Lilith struck out on her own and wandered the world, turning vampires. Samael made only three other wives, and when he found out how free Lilith was with their gift, he hunted her down. They fought and he cut out her heart. When he saw what he had done, he was so filled with remorse that he couldn’t destroy it, so he kept it; an eternal token of the wife he loved the most.”

Katelina had heard the story before, though with less detail. It usually ended with “It’s just a legend”, only now… “So is it real or not, Jorick?”

All eyes moved to Jorick and he tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair “Let’s just say that Malick had a shriveled heart he believed to be the heart of the raven.”

“How did Malick get something like that?” Neil asked.

Sadihra made a soft noise in her throat. “More importantly, how did he lose it and why did he come after you?”

Related articles

• Unedited Snippet Two from Book Five & Meter Link (joleenenaylor.wordpress.com)
• Unedited Snippet One from Book Five (joleenenaylor.wordpress.com)
• Unedited Snippet Three from Book Five – Adult Content (joleenenaylor.wordpress.com)
• Unedited Snippet Four from Book Five (joleenenaylor.wordpress.com)

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Posted by Joleene Naylor on October 12, 2012

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