Excerpt from Betrayal
I wanted to punch him in the face.
For at least the hundredth time today, I swung my fist towards his infuriating smirk. He easily dodged it, of course, and proceeded to look down at me like a child. “You’re getting closer,” he teased.
Throwing my arms down in frustration, I shook my head. “How am I supposed to learn if you won’t even let me get a hit in?”
He laughed and resumed a fighter’s stance. “How are you supposed to learn if I just stand still and let you pummel me? That’s not ever going to happen in the real world. Now, try with your legs.”
I rolled my eyes and shifted my feet so that my stronger right leg was in front. Ideally, I’d be having this battle underwater where my legs were not an issue.
“Protect your face,” he yelled at me and I lifted my fists up to nose level. I could do this. He’d taught me how to incapacitate my enemies. Just go for the knee.
I faked a few smaller kicks, pretending to hesitate. Then, like a ninja, I struck. The underside of my right foot was directly on target and I expected it to land a perfect hit to the side of his left knee. Only it didn’t happen.
Out of nowhere, he grabbed my ankle and I was suddenly airborne. The world spun around me once before I landed with a thud on my back, effectively knocking the air from my lungs. I even saw some stars floating by. My training sessions were getting harder every day, and after this debacle, I decided that it was time to quit.
A shadow moved above me and I used my hand to block out the rest of the sun. Looking up at his ominous figure I said, “I’m done.”
I heard another laugh rumble through my trainer’s chest as he reached down and grabbed my arm. In one swift motion, he pulled me up off the ground.
“You would have broken my knee with that kick, Eviana. I had to stop you.” I glared at him. “What?” he continued. “I’m not going to let you hurt me. But you did well. I knew that you’d learn eventually.”
I jumped towards him as fast as I could, intending to get him in a choke hold. My arms slipped around his neck, but my body kept rolling over him as he bent forward and used my momentum to toss me towards the ground. In less than two seconds, I was on my back again with a forearm pressing against my throat and my pride seeping away into the dirt.
“Ahh!” I screamed in frustration. The annoying grin on his face told me that I would never beat him in a fair fight. Palmer was my cousin, my trainer, and also one of the numerous protectors now living at my house. We’d been practicing for the past two weeks and although I couldn’t hurt him yet, Palmer reassured me that I was improving.
Betrayal
Book Two of The Syrenka
Series
Life as a mermaid
can be suffocating.
Eviana Dumahl has
returned home as a clan leader, an orphan, and a heartbroken teenage girl. Her parents are dead and her boyfriend,
Brendan, has decided that he needs some time away. While battling her inner turmoil, Eviana is
forced into the war that Lucian Sutherland has incited amongst her own
kind. With the help of Kain, her friend
and formally betrothed, the two work together to prove that they deserve their
birthrights as young merfolk leaders.
When The Council
requests a demonstration of Eviana’s mermaid powers, she finds herself with an
opportunity to win back Brendan’s heart.
But her orders to train with a repulsive merman and the presence of an
attractive new suitor challenges Eviana to embrace her leadership and resist
temptation. Lucian is after her, and no one seems to understand why. Loyalties are tested as the casualties
increase, showing Eviana that sometimes it is impossible to delineate between
friends and enemies.<
Arise
Book Three of The Syrenka Series
With power comes the
responsibility to accept its consequences.
After the betrayal of those closest to her, Eviana Dumahl struggleto cope with her new reality. Kidnapped, broken, and confused,
she is forced to engage in a war that will alter merfolk politics forever. With
her estranged father leading the charge, Eviana has no choice but to stand by
his side. Her continued existence hinges on the acceptance of the power growing
inside her, even when that means embracing the family’s dark lineage.
Kain Matthew will sacrifice the world for Eviana. And he is not alone. As time
runs out, her friends fight to save her life and theirs. An unlikely alliance
gives them the edge they need to take a stand, although it keeps Eviana’s heart
trapped in the past. A new discovery explains some of her previous mistakes,
but it may not be enough to stop her father’s plans. Merfolk, selkies, and
water sprites work together to save their kind, only in this final battle, not
everyone will survive.
In the striking series conclusion, Eviana will learn the true meaning of power,
sacrifice, and love.
Excerpt from Arise
Kain
I finished packing up the duffle bag full of knifes, hand grenades, and a couple of Japanese short swords. It was Julian’s weapon of choice, but I preferred to stick with my natural abilities. I’d been practicing my compulsion and my water control seemed to improve every day. It was like a switch had been turned on and I suddenly knew exactly how to manipulate the element with very little effort. The compulsion I would save for a few choice selkies if needed.
As if listening to my internal thoughts, Brendan appeared on the beachside deck and knocked on the door frame. Neither of us acknowledged his presence, so he walked inside and sat down next to Daniel.
“I need to talk to Marisol,” Daniel said and quickly jumped out of his chair then disappeared around the corner. I would thank him for that later.
“Do you need any help?” Brendan asked.
“Nope.”
After a full minute of silence, he spoke again. “Abhainn will find her, right?”
I stopped filling the snack bag I was working on and took a deep breath. Do I respond or do I stay silent? I decided to listen to my heart. “Do you really care?”
As though I stabbed a sword through him too, Brendan recoiled in shock. “Of course I care! I love her more than anything in this world!”
“If you truly did love her, you would have left a long time ago.” My voice wavered with anger and a thousand other emotions. Apparently we were going to have this discussion and I wasn’t fully prepared to filter my words.
Brendan jumped to his feet and leaned across the table toward me. “You would have loved that, wouldn’t you? Having her to yourself. Going through with a marriage she never wanted. It would have been perfect for you if I would have stayed in Washington, right?”
“Yes,” I said through gritted teeth. “She would have had a chance to choose me.”
“She always had that chance. I never stopped her.” He moved around the edge of the table so that we were looking at each other eye to eye. I could see the lines around his face and the grey tone of his skin. He looked like hell and I smiled. “What’s so funny?” he snapped.
Ignoring his question, I stared into his eyes. “She doesn’t want you now.”
He sucked in air then turned away from me. “But I need to help her.”
“No, you don’t. We have this under control.”
Check out my review of Promises here
About the Author
Amber Garr spends her days conducting scientific experiments and wondering if her next door neighbor is secretly a vampire. Born in Pennsylvania, she lives in Florida with her husband and their furry kids. Her childhood imaginary friend was a witch, Halloween is sacred, and she is certain that she has a supernatural sense of smell. She writes both adult and young adult urban fantasies and when not obsessing over the unknown, she can be found dancing, reading, or enjoying a good movie.
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Betrayal: Book Two in the Syrenka Series
