Ask and you shall receive...*coughEXCLUSIVEcough*THANKS Ilona! :D
"I'm prepared to let Derek go and forget he was ever here," Saiman said. "Provided you accompany me to the Games tomorrow night."
Never ask that question.
"No," Derek said.
I studied the glittering crystal glass in my hand, playing for time. A large crest had been painstakingly cut into the glass, a flame encircled by a serpent. The light of the electric lamp set the cut design aglow, and the crystal scales of the serpent sparkled with fiery colors.
"Lovely, isn't?"
"It is."
"Riedel. Hand-cut. A very limited series, only two made."
"Why do you want my company?"
"My reasons are twofold: first, I require your professional opinion. I find myself in need of a fighter expert."
I arched my eyebrows.
"I would like you to evaluate one of the teams at the Games." Saiman permitted himself a small smile.
Okay. I could do that. "And second?"
Saiman studied the glass in his hand for a long moment and smashed it against the table. It shattered with a pure chime, showering the carpet with a spray of glittering crystal shards. In the cage Derek snarled.
I killed the desire to roll my eyes at all the drama and nodded at the stub of crystal. "If you're planning to cut me with that, you're out of luck. A bottle works much better for this kind of thing."
Delight sparkled in Saiman's eyes. "No, actually, I was planning on making a philosophical point. The glass you now hold in your fingers is the only glass of its kind in existence. It's the ultimate luxury – there is nothing else like it."
The flesh around his wrist swelled, flowing like molten wax. My stomach lurched and tried to crawl sideways. Here we go again. He stored magic like a battery, but I really thought with the technology as strong as it was right now, he wouldn't be able to metamorphose. Live and learn.
Saiman's shoulders widened. His neck, chest, and thighs thickened, straining his sweatshirt. Crisp muscle showed on his forearms. The bones under the skin of his face shivered and I nearly vomited my water.
A new face looked at me: handsome, strong, sensuous, with a square jaw, defined cheekbones, and hooded green eyes under reddish eyebrows. Thick blond hair spilled from his head to fall in a glossy wave onto his newly massive shoulders.
"For most people, I'm the ultimate luxury," he said.
The man collapsed, thinning, flowing, twisting, but the eyes never changed. I stared into those eyes, using them as an anchor. Even when their corners sank, their irises became dark, and a velvet fringe of dark eyelashes sheathed them, I could still tell it was Saiman.
"What I offer is much greater than sex," a Hispanic woman of startling beauty said. "I offer wish fulfillment. Anything you want. Anyone you want. I can give you your fantasy. And more, I can give you the forbidden."
His face shifted again. Derek. A very reasonable facsimile, good enough to fool me in a bad light. The body still remained female, however. He was getting tired. He must've chugged a gallon of nutrients in anticipation of my arrival to be able to pull this show off.
"I can give you a friend." Saiman-Derek grinned. "Guilt-free. Nobody would ever know. All the secret faces you picture when you pleasure yourself? I can give them to you in the flesh."
Derek just stared, speechless, an expression of utter disgust stamped on his face.
"Is there a point to this demonstration, besides upsetting my stomach?"
Saiman sighed. "You refuse everything I offer, Kate. It hurts my pride."
I crossed my arms. "I refuse because no matter what shape you wear, I know it's you. And you don't really want me for who I am. You want me because I said no."
He considered it. "Perhaps. But the fact remains: by refusing me, you are now my ultimate luxury. That one thing I can't have. You won't see me. You don't return my phone calls. All my attempts to apologize for my behavior during the flare have gone unanswered. It's very difficult to seduce a woman when she refuses to acknowledge your existence. I'm looking forward to having you to myself for an entire night."
"Fucking pervert." Derek finally found adequate words to express his take on the situation.
"I prefer the term 'sexual deviant' myself," Saiman said.
Never ask that question.
"No," Derek said.
I studied the glittering crystal glass in my hand, playing for time. A large crest had been painstakingly cut into the glass, a flame encircled by a serpent. The light of the electric lamp set the cut design aglow, and the crystal scales of the serpent sparkled with fiery colors.
"Lovely, isn't?"
"It is."
"Riedel. Hand-cut. A very limited series, only two made."
"Why do you want my company?"
"My reasons are twofold: first, I require your professional opinion. I find myself in need of a fighter expert."
I arched my eyebrows.
"I would like you to evaluate one of the teams at the Games." Saiman permitted himself a small smile.
Okay. I could do that. "And second?"
Saiman studied the glass in his hand for a long moment and smashed it against the table. It shattered with a pure chime, showering the carpet with a spray of glittering crystal shards. In the cage Derek snarled.
I killed the desire to roll my eyes at all the drama and nodded at the stub of crystal. "If you're planning to cut me with that, you're out of luck. A bottle works much better for this kind of thing."
Delight sparkled in Saiman's eyes. "No, actually, I was planning on making a philosophical point. The glass you now hold in your fingers is the only glass of its kind in existence. It's the ultimate luxury – there is nothing else like it."
The flesh around his wrist swelled, flowing like molten wax. My stomach lurched and tried to crawl sideways. Here we go again. He stored magic like a battery, but I really thought with the technology as strong as it was right now, he wouldn't be able to metamorphose. Live and learn.
Saiman's shoulders widened. His neck, chest, and thighs thickened, straining his sweatshirt. Crisp muscle showed on his forearms. The bones under the skin of his face shivered and I nearly vomited my water.
A new face looked at me: handsome, strong, sensuous, with a square jaw, defined cheekbones, and hooded green eyes under reddish eyebrows. Thick blond hair spilled from his head to fall in a glossy wave onto his newly massive shoulders.
"For most people, I'm the ultimate luxury," he said.
The man collapsed, thinning, flowing, twisting, but the eyes never changed. I stared into those eyes, using them as an anchor. Even when their corners sank, their irises became dark, and a velvet fringe of dark eyelashes sheathed them, I could still tell it was Saiman.
"What I offer is much greater than sex," a Hispanic woman of startling beauty said. "I offer wish fulfillment. Anything you want. Anyone you want. I can give you your fantasy. And more, I can give you the forbidden."
His face shifted again. Derek. A very reasonable facsimile, good enough to fool me in a bad light. The body still remained female, however. He was getting tired. He must've chugged a gallon of nutrients in anticipation of my arrival to be able to pull this show off.
"I can give you a friend." Saiman-Derek grinned. "Guilt-free. Nobody would ever know. All the secret faces you picture when you pleasure yourself? I can give them to you in the flesh."
Derek just stared, speechless, an expression of utter disgust stamped on his face.
"Is there a point to this demonstration, besides upsetting my stomach?"
Saiman sighed. "You refuse everything I offer, Kate. It hurts my pride."
I crossed my arms. "I refuse because no matter what shape you wear, I know it's you. And you don't really want me for who I am. You want me because I said no."
He considered it. "Perhaps. But the fact remains: by refusing me, you are now my ultimate luxury. That one thing I can't have. You won't see me. You don't return my phone calls. All my attempts to apologize for my behavior during the flare have gone unanswered. It's very difficult to seduce a woman when she refuses to acknowledge your existence. I'm looking forward to having you to myself for an entire night."
"Fucking pervert." Derek finally found adequate words to express his take on the situation.
"I prefer the term 'sexual deviant' myself," Saiman said.
Look for Magic Strikes, Book 3, to come out in 2009!
11 comments:
I loved this guy in the first book. Glad to see him back. And YOU, missy. Congrats on the SCORE!!!!
Wooo~~~ Exclusive indeed. Hehe.
Great excerpt!
Oooohhh! Really must read the 1st two books. At least the first is actually on the TBR pile!
Haven't read the author or the book but wow, wasn't aware you were so put out.
It was a question Katie, if I recall correctly a while ago, certainly wasn't meant to put you out of wack. It is a blog, you need no ones permission on what you title things and sorry for trying to understand what you were thinking. I, of all people, think you can create whatever words or meaning you want on the internets.
Sort of how we got the word blog, no? ACK! that is a question - don't answer! Don't even think about it. Your head could explode.
I haven't even read the excerpt yet, but Ilona YOU ROCK!!! Just sending the snippet was awesome!
'Kay, scampering off to actually read it. Foaming at the mouth here.
AAAAA I CAN'T WAIT!!!! Thank you!
Me one this so bad. She promised me an ARC Oh the waiting the horror of waiting *falls to ground crying*
Okay apparently me can't write or talk today. ME want is what I was trying to say *drops head on desk* i was too excited...
Awesome excerpt! Thanks Kate & Ilona!
I love the inter-relations between these characters and can't wait until MAGIC STRIKES! :D
Thanks for the excerpt! It's such a tease though! I can't wait till it comes out. I love Ilona!
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