For this guest post, I thought
I’d offer up a scene from “Catch a Wolf” that I really liked writing, but
decided it really wasn’t right for the book or Ly’Tana. So I rewrote the scene
into what was published, making Ly’Tana murderously angry but not totally out
of her mind. As I like to save stuff that I delete, because I can look at it
later and if it didn’t work for this book or character, I might use it in
another. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
I killed wantonly, like a lover reaching to
kiss her suitors. Any man within reach of my blades felt their deadly and
bloody kiss. My blades reached for throats and eyes and arms and faces, kissing
each and every one. I laughed as I kissed, screamed laughter, bathing in the blood
that fountained with every lover’s embrace. My heart, shattered with
Kel’Ratan’s death, ceased its wail and grew numb and silent at last.
My suitors awaited me. I saw them, clustered
together in a dark knot, watching me while others tended to those I had already
kissed. For they were all my suitors, come to beg my hand in marriage. Our
marriage born of blood and death.
If Wolf was Death’s angel, I was Death’s
hand-maiden. I am come, my lovers, I
called. Wait for me. Soon we shall
embrace, and dance the dance of death.
They bunched together, much like frightened
sheep before the onslaught of the storm. They beckoned to me, my beloved
lovers, all of them. Their voices called to me, their arms opened wide to
receive me. Hurry, their voices
called.
I became one with Mikk, melded into a single
creature, neither woman nor stallion, but a fantasy mixture of both. Our minds
became one, our souls touched, merged, rebirthed into a new spirit. I saw with
his eyes, he saw through mine. My hearing rose to new heights; I heard the
breath hissing from the lungs of our suitors, tasted their fear. Our hearts
beat as one. Time slowed to a crawl, then ceased altogether. Greater than the
centaurs of old, we are a species created for one purpose: to kill.
Our beloved Brutal. We marked him for our
kiss. Our betrothed, now awakened, watched us, half woman, half prancing,
snorting stallion, fear bright in his fevered eyes. Why do you back away, my lovesome lord? Come, and I will kiss you, my
betrothed -
Voices from behind us intruded, rather
rudely, upon our communion with our suitors. Harsh voices that grated upon our
sensitive hearing. We twitched our ears in annoyance, our tail lashed from side
to side. Go away, you crude voices, we
thought, how dare you intrude upon my
communion with my lovers. Leave me alone to my marriage of blood and death.
For indeed we loved our suitors, each and
every one of them. Why do you back away
from me? I am Death’s hand maiden and I want to kiss you. Come closer, my sweet
lovers, come to me. Stop. Do not flee. Betrothed, why do you cringe from me?
Our suitors fell back, their mouths opened in
panic, swords falling from nerveless hands. Come
hither, my loves, we called, our swords singing a sweet siren song. I love you. Come and dance the dance with
me.
Damn that horrid voice. We heard it, a
strong, compelling voice, far to our rear. Our tail lashed again in annoyance.
We were alive to the night, alive to the
swords singing in our hands, alive to the fear of our suitors. We craved hot,
fresh blood. We wanted to bathe in it, smell its sweet, coppery scent, taste it
on my lips. Our lovers, our beloved suitors will kiss us, and we will drink
their blood -
Another voice spoke, its hard texture making
our ears, melded to the sweet song of our blades, cringe as our beloved suitors
now cringed.
Suddenly, our beloved arose. He beckoned to
us, calling our name. The skin over his face, blind with panic yet unable to
resist our divine, seductive beauty, waxed pale. Yet, he closed the distance
with unsteady, tottering steps. Our lovers also rose from their knees, their
arms wide, begging us, craving us, ready to receive our kiss. They staggered in
the wake of our beloved, hands empty, throats bared, begging for our kiss.
I am come,
my lovelies. I am here. Death’s Hand Maiden has arrived.
We pranced closer. Within moments, we would
be one with them, sharing our kiss among them all. Their blood would be ours,
our wedding present. Our gift to them was our sweet kiss, our singing swords,
our vengeance. Their gift to us was their sweet oblivion.
Our beloved betrothed shook his head like a
hound shaking water from its fur. His hands went to his face in a desperate
move to free himself from our spell. Ah,
don’t, my love, I called silently. You
want me. I know you want me. You know you want me.
He pointed a long pale finger in our
direction -
“Shoot her, you fools!” he roared. “Shoot her
now!”
Something in me snapped, jolting me from the
union with the proud and deadly creature beneath me. My lovers, my beloved
suitors staggered to their feet. My prancing stallion ceased his dance,
swinging to face my lovers. My swords halted in their song -
“Do something!”
Crossbow bolts twanged through the air toward
me, their shrill whistles harsh next to the sweet song of my swords. I waited
to meet their rush, for my lovers’ love to strike me, to carry me to them for
the last dance.
The sound of crossbow bolts shattering
brought me to myself. A jolt, much like a sharp slap, hit me in the ribs. I
caught my breath in a deep inhale, clearing some of the fog from my brain.
Sanity returned with a rush.
Shattered yew wood and sharp steel arrow
points dropped harmlessly to the stone cobble in a clatter. I stared at them in
a daze, remembering dimly the desire to dance with the troopers, now too dangerously
close for my safety. What was I thinking? Why for the love of the Lady would I
love my enemies and want to kiss them?
Confused, I looked about me, remembering the
swords singing in my hands. I still wanted Brutal’s blood dripping from my
blades, but the previous love-lust was gone. Mikk stood patiently, yet tense,
under me, his neck still arched, waiting for my signal to charge. Yet the
oneness I felt with him had disappeared as well. I could recall it only through
a vague feeling from deep within me, but I failed to wrap my mind around the
concept.
Brutal nearly danced in his fury. A magical
shield that protected himself and his soldiers now protected me. He kicked the
limp body of Ja’Teel lying at his feet sharply in the ribs several times in rapid
succession, venting his fury on his hapless wizard.
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Cover Reveals
Catch a Wolf
Saga of the Black Wolf
Book 2
A. Katie Rose
A. Katie Rose
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Publisher: Untreed Reads Publishing
Book Description:
Raine, Ly’Tana and the others escape Brutal’s trap, but with dire consequences. Kel’Ratan has been grievously injured, and Rygel must take him to safety to save his life. Yet, they are not out of danger. A monstrous storm called the Wrath of Usa’a’mah has halted their flight from Khalid and they must seek shelter within a remote monastery or die under the storm’s power.
But High King Brutal has allied himself with the deadly assassins, the Shekinah Tongu. The secretive clan has sworn out a Blood Oath against Rygel in retaliation for his leaving their brothers in the forest to die. With their hellish hounds and Brutal’s dark wizard, Ja’Teel, they track Raine and Ly’Tana through the devastation left by the storm. Raine leads them into the west, toward Ly’Tana’s home of Kel’Halla, with Brutal’s menace confronting them at every turn.
As he finds himself falling in love with the exotic Ly’Tana, Raine is plagued by a mysterious voice in his head. Is he going crazy? In Raine, Ly’Tana discovers the one man she cannot live without. However, an evil entity has targeted Ly’Tana, bent on her destruction. How can Raine, Rygel, Kel’Ratan and her griffin bodyguard, Bar, keep her safe from its vast, unseen power?
Hunted by Brutal and his evil allies, Raine, Ly’Tana and their friends discover a new, and very strange, force dogging their trail – a pack of enormous, cunning wolves. Mysterious wolves who call to Raine in the night, and bring alive the secret he’s kept hidden, even from himself. Taunted by nightmarish visions, Raine is forced to confront his own dark demon – the beast within himself.
Who will catch Raine and Ly’Tana first? Brutal and his pets – or the wolves?
Thus begins the second novel of the Saga of the Black Wolf series.
In a Wolf’s Eyes
Saga of the Black Wolf
Book 1
A. Katie Rose
A. Katie Rose
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Publisher: Untreed Reads Publishing
Date of Publication: April, 27, 2012
ASIN: B007XXQWZ4
Number of pages: 497 (approx.)
Word Count: 155,000
Cover Artist: Ginny Glass
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/kSNgnzUIsTU
Book Description:
Raine is a slave, a gladiator. Known as the Bloody Wolf, he is the champion of all champions in the Empire of Khalid. Ly’Tana is a warrior princess of Kel’Halla and is set to wed the heir to Khalid’s throne, Crown Prince Broughton. When Raine and his new wizard pal, Rygel, accidentally murder the High King, they set in motion events rapidly spiraling out of control. Ly’Tana discovers the true, and violent, nature of her betrothed, a man nicknamed Prince Brutal for his vicious nature, and escapes her marriage.
But Brutal will stop at nothing to have her for his wife. To entice his runaway bride into a trap, he brings down and captures her griffin bodyguard, Bar. Ly’Tana vows to have Bar back or die trying. She seeks the help of Raine and Rygel, and frees Bar from Brutal’s clutches. Yet, in doing so, Raine and Ly’Tana are forced to flee for their lives, hunted by Brutal’s secretive assassins.
Can they escape the hunters and their silent, evil hounds? Can Ly’Tana evade Brutal’s hungry need to marry her and seize her beloved country? Can Raine keep Ly’Tana alive and still save himself from capture and torture? Can they stop themselves from falling in love?
Thus begins the first novel of The Saga of the Black Wolf series.
About the Author:
A. Katie Rose is a Colorado native, and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado. She enjoys riding, teaching and learning from horses, likes camping, reading novels, watching movies and, of course, lives to write fantasy books. She currently works as a photographer in San Antonio, Texas, and is a slave to her six cats and four horses. “In a Wolf’s Eyes” is her first novel.
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