Witch’s Rule
The Witch Chronicles # 3
Ann Gimpel
Publisher: Taliesin
Release Date: 11/7/14
Available for pre-order mid-October
Genre: Dark Paranormal Romance
Jenna falls in love with two very different men. Standing on the verge of Earth’s destruction, will she defy convention and follow the song in her heart?
Book Description:
Jenna’s a special witch, sort of, when her magic works, which it often doesn’t. One of three remaining demon-stalkers, she and her sister witches, Roz and Colleen, are Earth’s only hedge against being overrun by Hell’s minions. On the heels of Roz’s and Colleen’s weddings, Jenna is headed for the U.K. when a demon confronts her. Any other witch could teleport out of the plane, but not her. Frustration about her limited power eats at her. It would be pretty pathetic to get killed for lack of skills a teenager could master.
Tristan is a Sidhe warrior, but his primary gift is attunement to others’ emotions. He fell hard for Jenna, but hasn’t had an opportunity to act on their attraction beyond a few kisses because she returned to Alaska, and he’s been in the field fighting demons.
As seer for the Sidhe, Kiernan is haunted by visions, particularly an apocalyptic sending that seems to be coming true. A confirmed bachelor, he doesn’t understand his attraction to Jenna, but it’s so strong he can’t fight it, and after a while, he doesn’t even try, despite recognizing Tristan’s claim to her.
Startling truths surface about Jenna’s magic, and then there’s the problem that she’s falling in love with two very different men. At first she believes she has to pick one of them, but her spirit refuses to walk away from either. It’s impossible to choose between a seer with dreams in his eyes and a beautiful man who intuits her every need. Standing on the verge of Earth’s destruction, will she defy convention and follow the song in her heart?
Excerpt:
…Her thoughts
turned to Tristan. Before getting snared in all the demon-muck with the minion
in the plane, she’d been hoping the tawny-haired Sidhe would be part of the
greeting party at the airport. There were lots of possible reasons he might not
have met her, but the most likely was he wasn’t interested in her—at least not
that way.
Oh give it a
rest. It’s not like he’s so much as called or e-mailed in the weeks since I
left the U.K. I’ll just embarrass myself—and look pathetic—if I ask after him.
Ronin had said
something about Tristan being assigned to one of the garrisons dealing with the
Irichna who’d been running rampant through the U.K. countryside. There was at
least a slender chance he couldn’t just drop everything and show up to greet
her. Worse, maybe he’d been forced into the Dreaming by a demon. Sidhe were
immortal, but they could be compelled to leave the human world if they were injured
badly enough.
The Rolls slowed
at the carved, wrought-iron gates to Ronin’s estate. Magic flashed, and they
swung slowly inward. “It’s just past ten,” Colleen said. “What’s scheduled for
tonight?”
“Nothing in
particular, but we do need to talk,” Ronin said.
“More to the
point,” Jenna spoke up, “what ground did you cover before I got here? Is there
anything I need to catch up on?”
“Oh, that’s
right.” Colleen turned toward her and cocked her head to one side. Like Roz,
she was dressed in a fleece jacket, jeans, and lace-up boots. Far more
practical clothing than Jenna’s short skirt, high-heeled boots, and inadequate
jacket. “You told us your problems, but we didn’t share ours.”
A cold fist of
fear closed over Jenna’s stomach and squeezed hard. “I’m not sure I want to
know, but what happened?”
“Well, we got
here okay,” Roz answered. “Not here, exactly. We came out above the Sidhe
armory, closer to the center of town.”
“Thought we’d
pick up a few Seraph blades,” Duncan noted. “Since we can’t handle iron like you
witches, the blades come in handy fighting Irichna.”
Jenna cracked
her knuckles in frustration. “Yes, but what happened?”
“What else?”
Colleen made a sour face. “Irichna.”
“How they
figured out where we’d materialize will remain one of the mysteries,” Roz
mumbled. Even though her words were casual, Jenna picked up a hint of fear
beneath them. She shook her head to clear an almost paralyzing fog from
creeping in. What she’d been afraid of—that the Irichna employed minions to spy
on them—was looking more and more real.
“How many?” she
asked, her throat so dry it was hard to get the words out.
“Fortunately,
only three, but they didn’t exactly lie down and cooperate,” Ronin said. He
focused his next words at the driver. “Just drop the lot of us off at the main
house, Kiernan. It’s probably best if we hash out a plan before everyone turns
in for the night.”
“Long story
short,” Colleen picked up Roz’s tale, “it took until just before we met up with
the car and Kiernan to neutralize the demons and ferry two of them to the Ninth
Circle of Hell. Ronin and Duncan annihilated the third one. We never did get
into the armory to pick up blades for the men.”
“Does that mean
the U.K. problem is solved?” Jenna asked.
“Probably not,”
Duncan replied. “There are always more of those blasted buggers, no matter what
we do.”
“And they show
up in different forms,” Ronin added, “which makes it tough to know if these
were the ones causing all the problems.”
“It’s not as if
they’re a static population,” Roz said. “We’ve never been able to estimate
their numbers.”
“Isn’t that the
truth,” Jenna groused as the car rolled to a stop in front of Ronin’s home that
looked more like a castle than anything else. Built from interlocking
flagstones and huge beams of lumber, it soared five floors. Light glowed from
leaded glass panes, adding a welcoming touch. Even though it was night and she
couldn’t see the grounds, Jenna remembered them to be immaculate. Sidhe didn’t
employ many servants. Most of the day-to-day tasks were accomplished with magic.
She snorted inwardly. Maybe she could pick up a few housekeeping tips, along
with whatever else the Sidhe taught her.
She exited the
car behind Roz, and a thought struck her. “Aw, hell.”
“What?” Roz’s
hands flew upward to draw power.
“Nothing like
that,” Jenna said. “My luggage. It’s still at the airport.”
“No worries.”
Ronin walked to Roz and draped an arm over her shoulders. “I’ll send someone
round to fetch it.”
“You’ll have way
more than us,” Colleen pointed out, “since we teleported.” She leaned toward
Duncan and gave him a kiss.
Jenna glanced
from one couple to the other and hoped to hell no one picked up on the emotions
running through her. She was happy for her friends. Duncan and Ronin were
amazing men, but the surfeit of connubial bliss underscored just how alone she
was. Earlier she’d told Roz and Colleen to hurry up and produce a child or two
so she could settle in as a maiden auntie and spoil them shamelessly, but
nothing like that was likely to happen anytime soon. Not until they got the
demons on the run.
Niall surged to
her side, along with Krae and Llyr. The changeling swept unkempt black hair out
of his dark eyes and caught hold of her arm. “Don’t paint the devil on the
wall.”
“Huh? When did
you start reading minds?”
“I’ve always
been able to, and Krae showed me an easier way where I don’t have to use hardly
any of my own power.”
“Really?” Jenna
stopped at the top of a dozen broad stone steps and glanced at the changeling.
“How?”
He grinned like
an imp. “Simple. I borrow yours.”
“Thanks. It’s
not polite to help yourself to people’s thoughts, though, or their magic.”
“Maybe not
polite,” Niall’s grin widened, “but very interesting.”
“Humph.” Jenna
pushed on the ten foot tall oak door carved with runic symbols. At first it
didn’t budge, but the air brightened around her hand, and then the door swung
open. Someone, likely Ronin, had done something to countermand the warding
protecting his home.
Kiernan
shimmered into being in the great hall. Jenna drew back and blinked in
surprise. He’d obviously teleported from the driveway, but she wasn’t used to
squandering power so casually. Something drew her gaze upward; by the time she
realized it was Kiernan’s magic, she was looking into his blue-green eyes. They
were cool, laced with mystery, but fire smoldered in their depths, as if in
challenge. When she tried to look away, she couldn’t. Jenna drew herself up and
squared her shoulders, but the Sidhe was still taller than her by a good few
inches. “Don’t force me,” she sputtered. “If you want something, ask first.”
“I’ll keep it in
mind, witch.” With a cross between a smile and a smirk, he turned and trotted
into a broad, furnished hallway that ran much of the length of the downstairs.
Snug black pants fit like a second skin, outlining a high, tight ass. A faded,
gray T-shirt strained across his heavily-muscled back and arms. He was built
like an ancient Viking warrior with shoulders so broad she could almost imagine
him at the helm of a warship, shaking his fist into the teeth of a shrieking
tempest. Unlike Duncan and Ronin, who kept their hair long enough to braid,
Kiernan’s black locks were close-cropped, which emphasized his angular
cheekbones and strong, clean-shaven jaw. Breath caught in Jenna’s throat, and
her belly tightened with a rush of sexual energy.
Because she
couldn’t tear her gaze away, she stared after the Sidhe. Coaxed by magic,
lights flared on when he passed, and an assortment of plush leather furniture
in earth tones came into view. Occasional tables laden with antique sculptures,
cut crystal lamps, and other artistic pieces were scattered about. Jenna took a
deep breath to ease the tingling in her nipples and then another, hoping her
face wasn’t as flushed as it usually got when she was turned on. To divert
herself, she spun in a circle, taking in grandeur museums would have gone
rounds to own. “Where do you want us?” she asked Ronin.
“Back study,” he
said as he and Roz swept past, followed by Colleen and Duncan. “It’s cozier,
and we’re a small group.”
“Oh-oh.” Niall
nudged her. “Better watch it. I felt that flash of energy from twenty paces.”
Jenna stuck her tongue out at him, and he reached back to pinch her, edging out
of the way before she could slap his fingers.
A swoosh of
power behind her sent her heart into overdrive. She twirled, ready to shout at
Colleen and Roz to come back and help, but the words died on her lips. Kiernan
stood there beaming like a Cheshire cat. Despite the smile, he looked arrogant
and dangerous, with a raw sexuality that practically held a life of its own.
Breath clattered from her lungs. “But you were ahead of me,” she stammered. “Up
there.” She pointed behind her and felt like an idiot.
“Observant of
you.” He closed the distance between them until he stood scant inches away. The
heat of his body eddied toward her, and it took all her willpower not to throw
her arms around him and drag his mouth down onto hers.
“Do, er, did you
want something?” Her voice came out high and squeaky, and she coughed to cover
her discomfiture. As if she were drawn by invisible puppet strings, Jenna
leaned toward him, so close her breasts brushed his chest, and her breath
hitched uncomfortably. She clasped her hands behind her to reduce the
temptation to touch him.
“I want many
things, but most of all I want to get to know you better.” He ran a finger down
her cheek, leaving a trail of iridescent motes that floated before her eyes.
“Once we’re in with the others, there wouldn’t have been an opportunity to tell
you that.”
She opened her
mouth to say something, anything, to break the sexual tension that overshadowed
common sense, but he dissolved into nothingness, and she was left blinking at
the afterimage of where he’d stood. Jenna breathed deep to settle herself. If
she was going to spend hours training with Kiernan, she had to get her libido
under control, and damned fast. Otherwise she’d be so addle-brained she
wouldn’t learn a thing.
About
the Author:
Ann Gimpel is a mountaineer at
heart. Recently retired from a long career as a psychologist, she remembers
many hours at her desk where her body may have been stuck inside four walls,
but her soul was planning yet one more trip to the backcountry. Around the turn
of the last century (that would be 2000, not 1900!), she managed to finagle
moving to the Eastern Sierra, a mecca for those in love with the mountains. It
was during long backcountry treks that Ann’s writing evolved. Unlike some who
see the backcountry as an excuse to drag friends and relatives along, Ann
prefers solitude. Stories always ran around in her head on those journeys,
sometimes as a hedge against abject terror when challenging conditions made her
fear for her life, sometimes for company. Eventually, she returned from a trip
and sat down at the computer. Three months later, a five hundred page novel
emerged. Oh, it wasn’t very good, but it was a beginning. And, she learned a
lot between writing that novel and its sequel.
Around that time, a friend of
hers suggested she try her hand at short stories. It didn’t take long before
that first story found its way into print and they’ve been accepted pretty
regularly since then. One of Ann’s passions has always been ecology, so her
tales often have a green twist.
In addition to writing, Ann
enjoys wilderness photography. She lugs pounds of camera equipment in her
backpack to distant locales every year. A standing joke is that over ten
percent of her pack weight is camera gear which means someone else has to carry
the food! That someone is her husband. They’ve shared a life together for a
very long time. Children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out their
family.
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Character Interview:
Please welcome Jenna Neil from Ann Gimpel's Witch’s Rule.
What is your name? Do
you have a nickname?
Jenna Neil
What is your hair
color? Eye color?
Sort of taffy blond, hazel
How old are you?
Oh my,
but you never ask a witch her age!
Where were you born?
Where have you lived since then? Where do you currently call home?
We’ve called
Fairbanks, Alaska home for the last ten years or so, maybe more. Time flies. We
is Roz, Colleen, and me. We own a magicians’ supply store in downtown
Fairbanks. Sometimes we’re even there—when we’re not off fighting Irichna
demons.
What is in your
refrigerator right now? On your bedroom floor? On your nightstand? In your
garbage can?
Sad to say, the fridge is empty. A bunch of clothes that need
washing are on my bedroom floor. The nightstand has a grimoire and my e-reader.
Sigh, the garbage can has demon bits from the last attack. Really need to
teleport that crap out of here and burn it.
What is your biggest
fear?
That the Irichna will kill off Roz and Colleen and I’ll be all that
stands between Earth’s destruction and the demon horde.
What or who is the
greatest love of your life?
Strange, I always thought it would be one man, but
I fell hard for two: Tristan and Kiernan, both Daoine Sidhe. Tristan’s an
empathy and Kiernan’s a seer.
Which talent would you
most like to have?
I used to think I wanted stronger magic. It would be a real
spoiler to go any deeper into that answer. <grin>
What is the quality
you most like in a man/woman?
Honesty and loyalty
Which words or phrases
do you most overuse?
Awesome. Me and Dean Winchester. LOL
Thanks so much for hosting me, Diane. Sorry for the tardy reply, but I've been out of the country and away from wifi. I just love your character interviews. I have so much fun with them.
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