His last gasp became a wail of despair… #Fantasy #MMRomance #Giveaway

 

Blurb

The Karthagans have regained their ancient powers of manipulating nature, but at the price of madness. In their lust for control, they've destroyed their island and most of their race. They come now to Belega, where one of them, Camron, seeks domination over the known world. The Mage has come from the northern continent of Sennia to bring peace but finding his strength no match for the coming struggle, he passes his abilities on to Natan, who only desires a simple life.

Now only Natan has the ability to stop Camron, but the personal cost is more than he imagines. It is only with the combined strength of his friends, his Karthagan lover, Kavi, and his deep desire to bring lasting peace to the earth, that he finds the courage to overcome Camron and restore balance to the world.

Exclusive Excerpt

Kavi stood at the mouth of the tunnel and stared into the blackness of the cavern, stalling to let his pursuers catch up.

They were down there, all those bodies lying in the lake. Impressions of horror and pain and black despair swirled in the freezing air on the lake’s surface.

He dropped to his knees, covering his face with shaking hands. “I’m afraid, Gregor.”

His broken whisper echoed through the chamber. A low wail rose from the water in reply. Kavi searched for Gregor’s presence in his mind. The Mage wasn’t there, though their connection had been strong outside this terrible place. He was alone. The wail rose to a shrieking wind, and Kavi opened his arms to gather it in. Pain struck him first, confusion and a dawning horror as memories that weren’t his crashed into his mind…

Bodies lay beneath him, his limbs growing numb where they lay in the icy water of the lake. A heavy weight struck his back, and another, driving the wind from his lungs. Wait! He was still alive! But voices and gruff laughter drowned out his thoughts. Another body splashed in front of him, and he found himself staring into the unseeing eyes of Grahm, his dear friend, his broken body lying at an unnatural angle. Another weight fell on him, crushing his face against the body beneath him. He could no longer breathe, and his last gasp became a wail of despair…

The drowning man’s cry rose into the air and became part of the others in the shrieking wind around Kavi. It gathered force, then roared toward him. The small part of Kavi’s mind still lucid in the swirling chaos became aware of swift footsteps approaching down the passageway. It was time. He threw himself to the damp earth. The furious wind roared over his head and swept into the tunnel.

The pursuing men were plunged at once into the nightmare of decaying bodies and screaming wraiths. Some went mad and slew themselves. Others fled into the tunnels, babbling of dead faces trapped in their minds.

Kavi sobbed into his hands. Not all the grief was his. Anguished voices had ridden that wind, full of anger and sadness. But the voices had changed. A cry of such hope-filled gladness went up as the wind burst into the tunnels, and he found himself weeping in joy without knowing why. He rose shakily to his feet to mourn anew as the wisp of a lonely wail floated from the darkness over the lake. That of a soul left behind.

He sent a tentative thought out, searching, but exhaustion claimed him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered to the loneliness and turned away.

About the Author

Dianne grew up in one of the older homes in the middle of Los Angeles, a place of hardwood floors and secret closets and back staircases. A house where ghosts lurk in the basement and the faces in the paintings watch you walk up the front stairs. Rooms where you keep the closet doors closed tight at night. It’s where her love of the mysterious and wonderful came from. Dianne is the author of m/m romance, paranormal/suspense, fantasy adventure, the occasional thriller, and anything else that comes to mind.

She now lives in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon with her incredibly patient husband, who puts up with the endless hours she spends hunched over the keyboard letting her characters play. Dianne says Oregon’s raindrops are the perfect setting in which to write. There’s something about being cooped up in the house with a fire crackling on the hearth and a cup of hot coffee in her hands, which kindles her imagination.

Currently, Dianne works as a floral designer in a locally-owned gift shop. Which is the perfect job for her. When not writing, she can express herself through the rich colors and textures of flowers and foliage.

Blog: https://diannehartsock.wordpress.com/

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/diannehartsock

FaceBook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/diannehartsockbooks/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4850270.Dianne_Hartsock

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diannehartsock/

Dianne Hartsock will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway