Raven's Flight: The Shadow Guardians, #0.5

By CB Samet

Avery Swift's paradise vacation turns into a nightmare when she learns dark forces are after her. The Thoren sister's come to her aid, and Avery takes an excursion to find rare and powerful Asgardian ore with the help of Shadow Guardian Jake Folkvar. But Hel's wolves are hot on their trail, and they might not make it off the mountain alive. 

Raven's Flight is the introductory novella in The Shadow Guardians urban fantasy romantic suspense series. If you like engaging characters, sizzling tension, and magic, then you'll love this series.

 

Enter a world where shadows hold secrets, where ancient legends and modern cityscapes intertwine, and where a group of extraordinary individuals rise to become the enigmatic Shadow Guardians. Brace yourself for an electrifying urban fantasy series that weaves together the ancient tapestry of Norse mythology, heart-pounding action, spine-chilling suspense, and sizzling romance.

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: CB Samet
• Release date: Jan 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215878095

Book preview

Chapter

One

Avery stared down at the blood on her shaking hands. The dark crimson congealed before her eyes as the sticky substance began to burn her skin. Dropping the stained corkscrew, she ran to the bathroom of the deluxe suite of the tropical island resort. Outside, tiki torches were starting to light at dusk, illuminating the path to the sandy surf.

The beauty of the hotel room and tranquil evening view starkly contrasted the crime she’d committed. A jacuzzi filled half the bathroom, wrapped in marble tile with gold inlaid swirls. Beside it was a large walk-in shower with matching tiles.

As she scrubbed her hands with soap and water in the sink, she gaped at herself in the mirror. Her short blonde hair was disheveled, but there was no blood on her face.

To her shock and horror, her clothes started to simmer and smoke, precisely where Alfred’s blood had soiled them. Panicking, she stripped down to her underwear and hurled the garments into the bathtub.

After putting on fresh clothes, she returned to the sitting room where the body rested on the floor.

Alfred.

She should be amidst a nervous breakdown. She should call the police. Instead, she stood numb and staring.

Before her eyes, his flesh crackled and sizzled.

And decomposed.

Impossible!

Stomach lurching, Avery covered her nose and mouth as she left the room, fleeing the scene of the crime.

Jake sheathed his knife as he watched the blonde woman flee her hotel room after killing Al. He crouched down, holding the leaves of a fern in order to have a clear view through the window while remaining out of sight.

The dead body bubbled and smoked on the floor of the sitting room. Fortunately, Jake was outside, peering through the window rather than standing close enough to catch a whiff. Dark Elves were notorious for their post-mortem stench.

Now that Jake’s mark had been terminated for him, he could pack his bag and leave. Alternatively, he could take a few days off and enjoy the tropical paradise.

Ha. A laughable notion. He had work to do. Demons to slay. Monsters to kill.

A vacation would have to wait.

Yet, he didn’t have the urge to check off his current assignment as finished. It didn’t feel complete after witnessing a terrified woman fleeing the room. He felt inexplicably protective of her. He wanted to meet her, perhaps more so knowing she was badass enough to defend herself against a Dark Elf.

Of course, Al’s actions begged the question ‘why?’ Why was this woman a target? What monster would the underworld throw at her next—if Helheim deemed her to be important enough to try to assassinate her again?

Sky stepped out of the cab and into the salty breeze, smiling into the fading sunshine.

Three sisters.

One reunion.

On a Hawaiian island resort.

This was living. Fortunately, her middle sister, Storm, had offered to pay all expenses. Sky was saving for her own house, so exotic trips were out of her budget. At twenty-three, she was doing well enough to open her own herbal remedy shop after college, but her earnings were still modest.

The taxi driver passed off her suitcase, and Sky wheeled it toward the hotel entrance. Visions of white sand, aqua beaches, and tan, shirtless men filled her head. She wanted to enjoy Mai Tai’s, walks on the beach, and watch lean twenty-somethings with ripped bodies wade in the water. Since all of her sisters were single, they could compare notes on their hunk-observations.

She hadn’t seen Storm in several years because her brooding middle sister liked to stay off the grid. Storm had a cover job as a travel blogger, but her actual work was something far more sinister, lucrative enough to pay for a tropical vacation for all of them, and never discussed.

Raine was more accessible and came home for holidays. Although she told their parents she worked for the government, Sky knew Raine’s job was also far from ordinary.

But this trip was about vacation, not vocation. They were here for Vitamin D, stress relief, and merriment with no mention of the sadness of the past or angst about the future—especially how those related to the occupations her siblings had chosen.

Checking in?

She stepped up to the hotel clerk at the counter, flashing a bright smile. Yes. Sky Thoren. Ready to relax in paradise.

After she checked into her room and dropped off her luggage, Sky returned to the lobby to greeted her two sisters.