Electric Desert Nights Series
by
Jewel Quinlan
Entranced
Kandi
The Drop
Entranced
Blurb:
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“Hey, Scarlett, you want to know why Wade’s scrutinizing every chick that passes?”
Scarlett perked up. “Why?”
Wade frowned at the incubus’s teasing tone. “What? I’m hungry.”
An amused smile spread across Somer’s handsome face. “Wade’s soulmate is supposed to be here tonight. Come on, Wade. You don’t really believe what that hag in Miami said, do you?”
“What hag?” Scarlett looked back and forth at the two of them.
Wade stuck his hands in his jean pockets and kicked at some litter on the ground. “No.”
It had been a mistake to pop into the psychic’s shop while he’d been with Somer at Ultra Music Festival in Miami. But, at the time, he’d been a little drunk and high himself because he’d fed on the blood of several people who’d been under the influence. Getting his fortune read had seemed like a bit of random fun. But when he’d sat down with the woman at her velvet-covered table and spread the colorful tarot cards out before her, her eyes and tone had pierced him with their gravity.
The candles in the sconces on the wall behind her had made her head seem like it was a floating oracle—probably because he’d been high—and it had mesmerized him. “You are going to have an unusually long life,” she’d said glancing at his palm. “And you will have no lack of good health.”
Somer, sitting next to him, had started sniggering at that point.
Then she looked at the cards on the table. “You’ve had a happy life so far, but you want more,” she said. “A while ago, something inside you led you to seek an unusual path. But this path is not as wonderful as you expected it to be. Something is missing.” Her long bony fingers had stroked at the images on the cards as though she were receiving messages by touching them.
Somer’s sniggering increased in volume, and the psychic had pinned him with her large milky eyes. In a low voice she’d asked him to wait outside because he was disrupting the flow of energy. He’d left without protest, and the psychic had proceeded with Wade’s reading. That’s when she’d gone into greater detail about his current life and his future. She’d commented on his constant travel, his small circle of tight-knit friends, and the loneliness he felt now. He hadn’t said a word to confirm or deny anything, but she’d been right. Vampires tended not to stay in any one place too long. And paranormal creatures tended to be loners, which meant it was difficult to make friends. At the time, Wade had been dwelling on the fact that the last remnants of his human life were fading away. The remainder of his human friends and relatives had died at the beginning of the year, and he no longer had anyone to look in on.
It wasn’t something he ever talked about, so having a stranger home in on his deepest feelings had made them even more real and depressing.
The psychic had swept away the first batch of cards and laid more down. She smiled as she gestured to a cluster of three with yellow backgrounds and pictures involving smiling people holding cups. “Things are going to change for the better. Happiness is on its way.”
He’d perked up at that and hope had streaked through him. He hadn’t realized how much he’d needed it until that moment, however ridiculous the whole thing was.
She flipped another card over. “You’re going to meet your soulmate.” She flipped two more cards over. “Yes. In June, at a place you’ve been before. There will be a lot of people there.”
There was only one place that could be. Here, at the twentieth anniversary of EDC. The reading had ended after that, and a stunned Wade had walked out and told Somer everything. Big mistake. He would never hear the end of it.
He knew the whole psychic thing was a bunch of bullshit. They were notorious liars. It was just that that damn jag of hope had taken root inside him. As the days had passed, curiosity had sprouted from it, one that demanded to be satisfied. And now he couldn’t stop himself from looking at all the girls the way he was. Would he know it was her on sight?
“What hag?” Scarlett asked again.
Somer filled her in than smirked and asked, “Do vampires even believe in love?”
Wade glared at him.
“Why wouldn’t they?” Scarlett said, her brown eyes filled with compassion. “Love is amazing. There’s no reason vampires should spend eternity without it. You just haven’t felt it yet, Somer.” Her face lit up as she said, “Someday you’ll see. It’s so powerful and freeing. Nick and I couldn’t imagine ever being apart. Even after all this time, it’s like I can still feel him.” A smile flashed across her pretty face. She was becoming more opaque, the wispy pale traces of her features were filling out and taking on healthy human colors. Her creamy skin was kissed with just a hint of sun, and her brown eyes were kind. Her clothing was the same outfit she’d died in, jean cutoff shorts and a fringed bikini top. She solidified every year on the anniversary of her death.
“So did this soothsayer give you any details at all? Did she describe the woman or tell you how you were going to meet?” Somer persisted.
“Nah, she just said I would meet my soulmate here.” Wade answered Somer’s teasing question for Scarlett’s benefit. Somer had only given her a short synopsis.
“What about a time? Did she give you a time?”
Scarlett shook her head. “You can be a real rascal sometimes, Somer.”
Wade’s fist streaked out in a blur to punch Somer in the gut.
“Oof!” Somer cringed back, hands pressed to his midsection. But the blow failed to wipe the smile off his face.
“No, she didn’t. Besides, if she was right—and I doubt that she is—I don’t have to look for her. She’ll come to me.” Wade shrugged. “Whatever. Let’s head over to Kinetic Field. DJ Momo is coming on soon.”
He turned and began walking, the other two trailing behind him. And, as the last glow of sunlight disappeared, Scarlett completed her shift into solid form.
Kandi
Blurb:
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Enjoy this excerpt:
“Hey pretty girl, want some kandi?” A rumbling chuckle followed the question.
Mya musings were abruptly forgotten when she saw the gorgeous guy who’d appeared by her side. He held a pink beaded bracelet out to her. Oh yeah, kandi. “Um. Sure,” was all she could get out. He had sandy blond hair and gorgeous green eyes that glowed with good-humor.
Taking her hand, he slipped the bracelet onto her wrist. It was composed of neon pink beads, that alternated with pastel pink and, in the center, square white beads spelled out the word goddess. “Look at that. It suits you perfectly,” he said. He wore several other brightly colored beaded bracelets on his forearms. Some had charms on them and others, like the one he’d given her, had words like dance, joy, and party strung onto them.
Mya blinked. The guy was so good-looking he practically glowed with magnetism. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him, and her skin still tingled from where he’d touched her. She gave her head a slight shake, trying to snap out of it. “Thanks. It’s pretty.”
He leaned in close and his bare chest bumped her arm, sending a rush of heat through her. “Mind if I hang out with you? I’m Somer.” He stuck his hand out and she shook it, causing another rush of heat to curl through her. What was it about him that made her body respond so strongly?
“Um, I’m Mya. You want to hang out with me?” He was giving her one of those looks that made her feel suddenly shy.
He looked amused. “Yeah. Is that okay?”
“Sure. I guess.” She got caught up in those eyes again and the bright smile. The space was so packed with people that they were forced to stand close together, only centimeters apart, near enough to feel the heat of his body and inhale his scent. It was a mix of warm spicy cologne, shaving gel, and the musty scent of male. The gnawing hunger in her belly spiked again, and she couldn’t stop herself from checking him out. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, so there was nothing to stop her from running her gaze over his wide, firm chest and shoulders. Lower down his torso tapered into well-toned abdominals. She stopped at the white mesh shorts and felt disappointment wash over her. Oh, he’s gay.
“You like my outfit?” he asked.
“Yeah. It’s…nice.”
“Hey, we match,” he said, bumping his hip against hers.
She was wearing a white skirt and cropped tank top and had used some puff paint to draw flowers on them.
“You’re gorgeous, by the way,” he said.
His directness made her blush. “It’s nice of you to say so. I know I’m not really your type.” She winced and wished she could take back the words as soon as she said them. They smacked of insecurity. Why had she drunk so much beer?
“What are you talking about? You’re exactly my type.” He beamed another one of those smiles at her.
“But aren’t you…you know…gay?” Her cheeks heated again with embarrassment, and this time she wanted to kick herself. The alcohol had definitely loosened her tongue.
“No.”
She gestured at him with her hand. “But the outfit, the hair…and, you’re way too good-looking to be straight.”
He laughed. “Am I?”
She nodded and returned his smile. It was impossible not to, his charm was infectious.
“Well, now you’ve done it,” he said in a mock-dangerous tone.
“What?”
His green eyes sparkled wickedly down at her. “Forced me to have to prove myself.”
Before she could figure out what that meant, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
That’s when everything was turned upside down.
The Drop
Blurb:
Where you can buy it:
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Enjoy this excerpt:
In the space of a moment, as the DJ dropped the track into a deep reverberating bass, Tyler’s entire world tilted. One second he was dancing with Scarlett, the next second she was in his arms kissing him and everything around them fell away. He felt as though he were zipping through a tunnel of space-time as colors and sounds warped, looking and sounding odd. And then, he returned to himself. Only, he wasn’t quite himself. Someone else took up a good portion of the space inside him now and that person was taking control.
“Scarlett,” he breathed, packing all the love that he felt into the syllables of her name. He brushed her blond bangs back from her face and skimmed his fingers down her smooth cheek. Suddenly, Tyler’s entire perception of Scarlett shifted and he now looked at her with new eyes. It was as if he had been near-sighted and was suddenly given glasses. Instead of the cute blond stranger he’d met, she was his entire world, his reason for living. The potent feelings of love and admiration, and memories of his intimate connection with her, flooded his mind, pushing aside all that he had known before. They were so strong the Tyler could no longer figure out who he was separate from them. He knew they were not his feelings and memories, yet he didn’t fight them. They were filled with such happiness that he was actually eager to embrace them. His mind had somehow been unlocked to allow in the cornucopia of memories of a perfect life. He didn’t question where they came from and he had no desire to shut them out. And in the process, as he filled with them, he could feel his soul begin to drift somewhere into a corner of his being.
“Nick?” Scarlett cupped his face in both hands. “Is it really you?”
This time it was not Tyler who answered. “Yes. It’s me, babe.”
Scarlett wrapped her arms around him in a bone-crushing hug, and he could feel her back heave with sobs of joy. “I can’t believe it. After all this time. How? Why? No. I don’t care. I’m just so glad you’re here. I’ve waited so long.”
Nick wrapped his arms around her, stroked her silky hair, and kissed the top of her head. Then he leaned in close to whisper in her ear the words that burned on his lips to be spoken. “I love you.”
She pulled back and looked at him with tear-filled eyes. “I love you, too!”
About the Author:
Restless by nature, Jewel Quinlan is an avid traveler and has visited sixteen countries so far. Lover of ice cream, dark beer, and red wine she tries to stay fit when she’s not typing madly on her computer concocting another romance novel. In her spare time, she likes to do yoga, hike, learn German, and play with her spoiled Chihuahua, Penny.
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