Title: Archangel’s Desire
Author: Karen Swart
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Raven Black is no martyr, but she has a secret she
deems worth protecting. Placed into the care of Zadkiel, the Archangel of
Mercy, Raven Black tries with all her might and main to hide her deadly secret.
It’s difficult to know who to trust or who to confide in, but Raven knows she’s
unwilling to be exploited to get the Archangels’ greatest enemy. She seals her
lips, refusing to speak and enduring the ensuing torture in silence.
After centuries of nothing but duty, Zadkiel is
tormented by the hellhound Raven. The closer he gets to her, the more he
discovers about this lethal beauty. With each passing moment an uncontrollable
desire is awakened, and with it an ancient evil is provoked.
When he discovers her secret, Zadkiel must choose
between all of mankind and the woman he has come to love. Can he save her in
time, or will his failure bring forth the end of days?
He would awaken a desire that
would burn through hell.
Author Bio
I am a complete
book addict, and really proud of it. My entire world is made of books. From
reading to writing to blogging to helping other authors. A day without my world
of books would be impossible. I am a mother of three, two boys and a little
princess. Happily married for 8 years with my high school sweetheart. I live in
South Africa, just on the rims of the Kalahari Desert in a small town with one
shop and friendly faces.
Media Links
Book Excerpts
Excerpt #1
As Raven faded away, I
turn to look at Chax. Although Chax was our leader, his short temper always
seemed to doom a situation. His green eyes pierced mine as he regained his
footing and pulled out his sword.
“There are more ways
to deal with something than just force, Chax.” I smirked at him.
“Agreed, but not in
Raven’s case.” Chax brought his sword in front of him, determined to get the
weapon he needed to bring down Lucifer.
“She is still a
fallen, and in my care. I will not let her be harmed in any way.” I stepped a
little to the left, bringing my body to a perfect counter position.
“So, you choose her
side rather than our cause?” Chax accused me.
“Please, I am not one
of your little fallen apprentices. I chose the right path, the one without
hurting an innocent girl.” I steadied the weight of my body on the balls of my
feet, and secured my position.
“I migh-“ Chax was cut
off by something crashing through my office wall.
“Where is she? Where
is that hellhound?” an even more intoxicated Camael yelled while trying to stay
upright.
“You have got to be
kidding me!” At the sound of Chax’s pained words, my eyes flew in his
direction, and I lifted my eyebrows at his statement.
He blushed a little.
“Too much time with my mate,” he replied.
“I see,” I replied and
caught Camael before his face ended up in my chair.
“What the hell are you
doing, Camael?!” Chax replaced his sword and grabbed Camael on the other side.
“That hellhound needs
a lesson in respect.” Camael’s words slurred with his heavy tongue.
“He needs to be
healed, Chax. Is there no one who can help?” I was worried for my old friend;
he was not doing well at all.
“No, not even the
visits in heaven seem to be helping, although I might have an idea we can
test.” Chax grabbed Camael on the shoulder and forced him to sit down. His head
hung backwards as his dark eyes looked up and tried to focus on us.
“If it might work, we
need to try it. He is unable to fulfill his duties in this state.” A bitter
taste was left in my mouth. I didn’t like what I was seeing at all.
“What about Raven?”
Chax asked.
“I will find her, and
I will let her take me to him. The moment I have him in sight, I will notify
all of you.” My eyes drifted to Chax.
“And you think that
you will be able to persuade her to help us trap him?” Chax frowned.
“Yes, but she will not
know that she is doing it. I will steer her the way we need her to go.” Chax
nodded and grabbed hold of Camael.
“Do that then, but if
you fail, it will be my way, Zadkiel.” He shifted out, taking Camael with him.
Excerpt 2 –
I pried away the curtains and
looked outside. A setting sun lay on the horizon, sending a final farewell. The
silhouette of pink, purple and orange shadows danced in the sky as the
blackness crept in to surround it. How many had I seen, and yet the sunset
still takes my breath away. Created with such detail and love, our Sire made
sure that the day began and ended in great beauty. The bathroom door opened
behind me and my senses were invaded with the scents of roses and forest. I
turned to find Raven stepping into the room, her hands rubbing her hair with a
towel.
“Okay, I am clean now. Can we
please get on with it?” She turned and her eyes found mine.
For a moment I was left
dumbfounded. Get on with what again?
Her porcelain white skin glowed
with a soft pink rose color from the wash, and her black hair was as dark as
the souls I have to carry away to hell. A thought entered my mind of how
perfectly balanced she was between light and dark. Her hair and clothes created
the stage of darkness, and her green eyes and porcelain skin the center of
light. Interesting.
“Hello, earth to Zadkiel?” Her
eyebrows drawn together, she waited for me to reply.
Reason entered my clouded mind and
I cleared my throat. I turn around to close the curtains. “Yes, we can begin.”
“For a moment there, I thought
Camael might not have been the only one with a problem.” Her words cut deep.
“There is reason behind that,
Raven. There are many of thousands of reasons, to be exact. My reply was a bit
harsh, and I could see the impact it made.
Nose into the air, eyes closed to
be barely open, she pinned me with her defiance.
“Sure, whatever. I don’t have time
for all the angel shit. Are we going to do this or what?” Her anger delighted
me in a weird way.
“Get on the bed,” I instructed,
moving to the end of the bed.
She climbed on it and lay back, her
eyes looking at the ceiling.
“I first need to merge with your
mind, and then I will help you descend into a deep sleep. Remember that it’s
just a dream, and although the pain feels real, it’s just in your head.” She
didn’t reply, but I could see the doubt on her face.
I spread my wings and climbed onto
the bed, my hands placed beside her legs.
She flew up and glared at me. “What
the hell?”
“I need to enclose you again, just
a precaution.” I could feel her body awakening to the action. How receptive this warrior was to my touch.
“Fine,” she grumbled as she lay
back again. I hid my smile, and slowly descended towards her head. As I stood
over her, our eyes met. Her green eyes were darker, spurred on by her anger and
most likely lust. Her lids were half closed. I watched her breathing become
labored with my presence. It delighted me, thrilled me.
To have such power over such a
beautiful being was exhilarating. My mind raced with forbidden images of her
gasping, moaning, and screaming.
“Zadkiel?” Her voice quivered.
No comments:
Post a Comment