Teaser Tuesday - The Space Between

We're getting closer to the release of The Space Between, Part One of The Book of Phoenix. Eek! I'm so excited for you to read it. Beta-readers have been loving it. Some of my favorite quotes from betas:

"Easily as good as the Soul Savers books." (Claire - creator of the UK Kristie Cook Fan Site, so you know this means a lot coming from her!)

"I'm melting off my chair..." A few pages later, "I'm on the floor again." And a bit later, "I need a cold shower!" (Julie - admin of the UK Kristie Cook Fan Site)

"I cried laughing here." (Julie again)

"Two words for you: Ah. MAZING!!!!!" (Marissa, admin at Comfortably Read book blog)

"Wondering if Jeric might give Tristan a run for his money on my book boyfriends list!" (Christina, author's assistant)

"AMAZING!!!" (Mindy, admin at Forbidden Reviews book blog)

"I couldn't stop reading it. I'm totally intrigued! I'm blown away." (Author Heather McCorkle)

"Love it, love it, love it!" (All the betas! *grin*)

And now an excerpt for you! You've met Leni and Jeric in other teases. Now it's time to meet Jacey from the year 1989:

I watched for Bex, wondering if I’d have any chance of talking her into leaving early, although I was pretty sure of the answer. At least, until I saw her new boyfriend—what was his name? I couldn’t remember—stumble outside, his arms around two chicks and their mouths all over his neck. Neither of them were Bex. In fact, where was Bex? Still in the bathroom, where she’d gone when I came outside? My gaze flicked between the door, still watching for Bex, and the boyfriend with his bitches. They huddled together near the wall opposite me, not even trying to hide their mini-orgy.

“Oh, hell no,” I muttered, pushing myself off the wall I’d been leaning against as a light drizzle began to fall.

Maybe I’d had enough beer for liquid courage after all, but probably not. All I could think about was seeing Bex’s face when she came out. Although she asked for most of her boy troubles, the poor girl didn’t deserve this. Edgy, disappointed, and now completely pissed off, I stomped over to the trio.

“What the fuck, you dickwad?” I yelled as I grabbed the collar of one girl’s jacket and, ignoring the pierce of the metal studs in my palm, yanked her away while my right hand swung, nailing what’s-his-name in the jaw. While he gaped at me, stunned and rubbing his face, the other girl stepped into my space, her flabby boobs nearly touching my chin as I glared up at her. The ring in her nose wobbled as her lips lifted in an ugly smirk.

“What are you, psycho?” she snarled. “Well, you picked the wrong bitch to mess with.”

Her hands twitched at her side, but not waiting to be hit first, I drove my knee into her stomach. She doubled over briefly, but before I could punch her in the head, her hand came up with a knife in it.

“Bring it on,” I taunted, my hands out, fingers wiggling at her. I rolled my shoulders, trying to ignore the icy fingers of water sliding under my coat and down my back.

The girl swiped her knife out, the streetlight bouncing off the silver blade as it swung toward me. I jabbed my fist out to knock it from her hand, or at least to keep it from slicing open my face. The knife never connected, though. Something yanked me backwards, out of its reach.

Not something. Someone. And as soon as the large hands clamped onto my upper-arms, the breath flew out of me. As though I’d been socked in the stomach, but nothing had hit me. I gasped, trying but unable to catch my breath as those hands dragged me farther down the alley, the touch searing through my leather jacket, into my skin, down to my bones. Every nerve zinged in my body like they did when I touched one of Pops’ lamps with wiring problems. The pounding in my ears barely drowned out the stupid tramp screaming at me, the sound of her voice fading as someone dragged her in the opposite direction. But the pounding didn’t drown out the word, “dyad,” a voiceless whisper floating around my mind as if I should have known what it meant.

My body finally stopped moving, and as the hands turned me in place to face their owner, my fists balled, and a whole slew of profanities prepared to launch out of my mouth.

But they never made it out.

My breath caught in my lungs once again. My brain went numb, any thoughts becoming an incoherent jumble. The whole world disintegrated around us as my gaze met the darkest, most haunting pair of eyes I’d ever seen returning my stare, filled with the same expression I must have held. One that said with no trace of doubt, as if it were a self-evident, unquestionable truth decreed by the gods (if they actually existed):

“I. Know. You.”

I know you. The words almost tumbled from my mouth, would have if my tongue hadn’t been so tied.

Except … I’d never seen him before in my life. Trust me, I wouldn’t have forgotten this face. A perfect, heart-stopping, I-want-to-know-what-it-tastes-like face framed by chin-length, wavy hair as dark as his eyes.