Embermyst

NOTE: Due to the publisher going out of business, this tale is currently no longer available for purchase. Embermyst is being rewritten and edited for further publication elsewhere at this time. Details will follow upon completion and acceptance.

Till eternity do we remain…

As the God of the Afterlife, Death has grown accustomed to his dreary duty until he meets an unlikely soul: an empowered woman named Morticia. She was living with a big secret in a world full of fear before an exorcism gone wrong landed her in his realm.

Was it a twist of the Fates?

Death didn’t think so.

While she hovers between the mortal plane and the land of the dead, can he convince her of the legends of the divine, claiming she is his one perfect Mate? Or will the promise hanging around her neck cause her to return to the land of the living and the man that failed her?

Embermyst is a paranormal romance short story of legends, gods, and alternate realms all vying for perfect balance during the oppressing times of the early 1690’s witch hunts across the globe. It is part of the Paranormal Pleasures: 2016 Halloween anthology published by Victory Tales Press in October 2016 and features three other authors as well as myself.

Excerpt:

“Death?” she asked. She sounded uncertain due to the purr in his voice.

“Yes?”

“Why do I feel drawn to you? Why do you seem drawn to me?”

He pulled his hand back from her face, but not before he brushed her silky black hair out of her face with a lover’s touch. “I do not know,” he admitted softly. “Do you know there is a rumor among the Gods? A legend so to speak.”

“What kind of legend?”

“It states that for all the Gods and Goddesses there is but one mortal companion who is their other half. One soul among them all that once found, and acquainted with, you are bound to for eternity. They say the mortal ascends to divinity and immortality, becoming a God or Goddess themselves. It is believed no divine being is truly whole with eternal life until they have found their Bond Mate.”

She studied him. “And you believe I am that mortal?”

“Do you have any other explanation for this feeling?” he asked, rubbing his bony thumb over her thigh. He wished he could actually feel the soft fabric beneath his fingers, wished he could feel her smooth and flawless skin. That too was another earthly charm lost on him. “Do you feel it too?”

“I do…” Her voice was a breath of a whisper.

“What do you feel?”

As he leaned closer, she shivered and her eyes fluttered a second, the searing orange burning brighter with excitement. “I feel…this otherworldly connection. A chill, but not the chill I would expect from Death’s presence. Instead of this wave of despair it feels like crackling lightning sparking along my limbs, jump starting my heart. It almost…feels like I belong, like I have come home.”

Death smiled more, tracing his finger down the side of her face. “You just put to words what I could not explain within myself.”

She turned her gaze to him. Her eyes were windows of awe and surprise for only a moment before she seemed torn by something. She looked down, setting the amulet amongst her skirts, then reached up to finger a chain hanging around her neck. The charm strung through it was buried between the crevice of her breast.

“What is it, Morticia?” he asked with concern at her sudden change. She looked seemingly…regretful.

“I was engaged, Death.”

Publication Information
!!CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT AS OF OCTOBER 31, 2017 DUE TO VTP’S CLOSING!!

Paranormal Pleasures: 2016 Halloween Romances
Publisher: Victory Tales Press
Authors: Gerald Costlow, Barbara Miller, Daelyn Morgana, and Vicki Crum
Format: eBook and Paperback
Release Date: eBook – September 26, 2016
Paperback – October 1, 2016
Length: 59.7k words, 210 pages eBook, 174 pages print
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Paranormal, Short Stories
Price: $2.99 eBook, $9.95 paperback

Victory Tales Press offers four sweet to sensual stories to stir your heart and satisfy your craving for romance. Our talented storytellers dare you to enter a world where romance dwells in the most unlikely places.

Ghost of a Chance
By: Gerald Costlow

Billy Sherritt, the only warlock born in 300 years, is now a teenager and facing some choices about his life that he doesn’t like. He unexpectedly gets sent back in time to 1640 in England, to meet the previous warlock and namesake Bill Sherritt and his sweetheart, Abigail. A Witchfinder is about to show up and the entire witch community is in danger. Billy wants to help, but he arrived as a disembodied ghost and he’s forced to stay with Bill wherever he goes.

If he can’t help this couple escape and make their way to America, his own future might be in danger. So far, he’s only managed to compound their love life. It’s hard to have a romantic rendezvous with a teenage ghost in the room.

Right Turn
By: Barbara Miller

Greg Sutton comes to Maple Grove looking for an inexpensive house since his estranged wife will end up with the current one in their divorce. His kids Eric and Kelly are not happy about the move, which will take them away from their friends, but he has to find work to take care of his children.

Lois Smith has a more desperate reason for hunting an out-of-the-way place. She is a romance author and is being stalked by a fan who wants to play out his fantasies about her. Her realtor sends her to a place in Maple Grove, a mansion in need of some tender loving care. Though Lois doubts she is at the right house, it looks like a perfect place to hide away from her stalker.

Without realizing it, the realtor sent both Greg and Lois to the same wrong place. The Mansion has secrets and wounds of its own. Will the mishap end up being the right turn in Lois and Greg’s lives?

Embermyst
By: Daelyn Morgana

As the God of the Afterlife, Death has grown accustomed to his dreary duty until he meets an unlikely soul: an empowered woman named Morticia. She was living with a big secret in a world full of fear before an exorcism gone wrong landed her in his realm.

Was it a twist of the Fates?

Death didn’t think so.

While she hovers between the mortal plane and the land of the dead, can he convince her of the legends of the divine, claiming she is his one perfect Mate? Or will the promise hanging around her neck cause her to return to the land of the living and the man that failed her?

Something About Autumn
By: Vicki Crum

Autumn Graham has always been a dreamer, a free spirit who never quite fit in with her peers. As an adult, and now an independent business owner, she’s worked hard to put all that fanciful nonsense behind her—until a mysterious stranger walks into her bookstore asking for books on the occult. Tall, charming, handsome as sin, Dorian fascinates Autumn like no man ever has. He claims to be a fantasy writer, but she suspects there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye. When the instant attraction they share quickly spirals out of control, Autumn finds herself falling hard for the enigmatic stranger. But can she handle the astounding truth about Dorian’s real identity?

Where To Buy

CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT.

What are reviewers saying about Paranormal Pleasures?

“This story is fully of WONDERFUL romances and EXCELLENT writing. I strongly suggest it.” –Cassy Machado

“Another great read from Victory Tales Press!” –Amazon Customer