These
days it seems like the world faces one disaster after another. Feels
like only a few weeks ago that I ran a charity snog for survivors of
the Italian earthquake. Now my news feeds are full of desperate
images from Haiti in the wake of Hurricane Matthew. Over 900 people
killed at last count. Reportedly 90% of settlements in the south of
the country destroyed. The impoverished country still hasn’t
recovered from the earthquake in 2010. Matthew’s devastation is a
double whammy.
I
can’t just sit here comfortably and do nothing. So today’s kiss
is dedicated to the long-suffering folk of Haiti. I’ve never shared
this excerpt before. It’s from my paranormal erotic romance Rough Weather —especially
appropriate since the hero Marut is Haitian, and is lord of the air.
For
every comment left on this blog post, I
will donate one dollar to the hurricane relief fund at Oxfam America.
You can donate, too:
Also,
I will give
away a copy of Rough
Weather
to one randomly selected commenter, so please include your email
address.
Read.
Comment. Share this post with your friends. Do what you can to help.
(And
don’t forget to visit Victoria Blisse, who has more sexy Sunday
kisses on offer!)
Thank
you!
She
fought the wind along every inch of the path through the dunes.
Crouching low, leaning forward to offset its force, she battled
against fierce gusts that threatened to sweep her from her feet and
dash her to the sand.
The
intermittent showers had become a chill downpour. She paused to catch
her breath, peering through the grey curtain that obscured her view
of the sea ahead, and sent her mind questing for another trace of
Marut. Thunder crashed around her. Otherwise, there was no answer.
Dread tightened into an aching knot in her chest as the rain beat
down upon her nakedness and plastered her hair to her head.
The
rain is hers, the sweet springs and the salty billows, all of the
watery world.
Although
usually she loved the rain, now it was just another obstacle keeping
her from her lover. Enough. As soon as she issued the silent
command, the precipitation slackened to a drizzle, though the wind
continued its relentless assault. She had no time to wonder at this.
Ahead, massive breakers rolled onto the beach, up to the very foot of
the dunes. The rocks where she’d first seen Marut were
half-submerged in a roiling whirlpool flecked with ivory foam.
Stepping
into the seething ocean, she felt the current tug at her ankles and
draw her deeper. A sheer wall of water loomed over her, gleaming like
polished black glass. She dived into the wave before it could swallow
her, kicking hard to send herself into calmer waters closer to the
bottom.
Even
her preternaturally acute vision could discern few details in the
murk below the surface. Still, she had no doubt she was headed in the
correct direction, towards the westernmost extremity of the island,
some twenty-five miles away. A sense of Marut’s presence drew her
like a radio beacon. With her mind on her lover, she allowed instinct
to control her body. Power rippled along her spine, propelling her
through the depths, faster than she’d ever swum before. The water
offered no resistance. Ondine gave herself up to her element, leaving
a bubbling wake as she raced towards her lover’s call.
She
broke the surface finally, after an endless transit that might have
taken minutes or hours, and filled her lungs with ozone-scented air.
Crests of wind-whipped water hid the horizon, but alternating red and
white flashes from the Aquinnah lighthouse confirmed that she’d
reached her destination.
There
was no sign of her lover.
“Marut?
Marut!” The gale drowned her cries.
Useless
to call out.Ondine focused inward, summoning an image of her
mate.
Marut.
Beloved, where are you?
The
drone of an engine reached her ears. She gazed at the racing clouds
above her.
The
pitch of the engine noise rose higher and higher to a keen of
tortured metal. Then silence. Seconds later, a small plane ripped
through the clouds and plummeted downwards, clearly out of control.
“Marut!”
Her throat was raw with screaming. Wind-driven water washed over her
head. Blinking the salt from her eyes, she followed the plane’s
deadly trajectory, trying to determine where it would land.
As
she watched in horror, one wing tore way and tumbled into the sea.
Unbalanced by the loss, the plane turned jerky somersaults. Fierce
gusts tossed the aircraft to and fro like some weightless bauble. She
kicked hard to raise her head above the waves and caught a glimpse of
the red clay cliffs to her right. Please, she prayed to some
unknown power, keep him away from the coast.
As
if in answer to her entreaty, the damaged craft veered to the left,
caught in some random blast of air, then hurtled down into the ocean.
The
minor tsunami that followed the impact sent her diving again. She
surfaced next to the wreckage of Marut’s Cessna, which floated on
its side, its remaining wing pointing into the water like a rudder.
Ondine wrenched the door open. Seawater poured into the compartment.
Marut
lay crumpled over the controls, battered and bleeding. Physical pain
shot through her at the sight, paralysing her for a long moment. But
there was no time to waste. It took every ounce of her strength to
drag him from his seat and away from the plane, which began to sink
as the sea filled the cabin.
Ondine
clutched his inert body against her side with her right arm while
paddling with her left, working to keep his head out of the water.
Although his eyes were closed and a ragged, bloody gash marred his
forehead, he was definitely breathing. A wave swamped them both.
Marut sputtered and gasped without regaining consciousness.
I’ve
got to get him to shore. How could she, though, without him
drowning in the storm-churned swells?
All
of the watery world. The truth was a sudden bright light
scattering the darkness in her heart. Still clasping her lover to her
breast, she let her thoughts spread out across the heaving billows.
Be
still.
The
winds of the northeaster still howled around them, but the surging
ocean calmed, bit by bit. Gentle undulations rocked their bodies. She
rolled Marut onto his back, her arm across his chest, and prepared to
tow him to land.
“Uh—uch!”
Racked by a fit of violent coughing, he sank beneath the surface for
an instant. She hauled him up into the air and he twisted in her
grasp, struggling to see her face. “Ah…uch…Ondine? Oh, thanks
be to the loas! You’re here!”
“Don’t
move! You’re injured, maybe badly…” She tried to flip him into
a back float once more, but he squirmed like a snake in her arms.
“The
storm…the plane… I had to get home to you…”
“Hush!
Save your strength…let me…”
The
wind snatched the words from her lips. Leaving the water behind, she
rose on a pillar of air, cradled in Marut’s arms. He murmured
endearments as they flew higher, covering her face with kisses. The
gale swirling around them stole his words too, but she felt every
one.
Now
they were among the clouds, enmeshed in darkness with lightning
crackling around them. Electric currents rippled through her flesh,
awakening her senses. Marut’s eyes glowed with inner fire. He
released her in order to tear off his tattered clothing, yet still
the winds bore her up as steady as the waves below. Exhilaration and
joy drove out any hint of fear. In perfect trust, Ondine surrendered
to the prince of air.
Don't forget to leave a comment. I'll donate a dollar for every one. And you could win a copy of Rough Weather, too!
