107Hi everyone! I'm glad to be back - yes, I'm posting FIVE stories on Fictionpress including the latest and PUBLISHED version of Saving Smiles/Fatal Attraction (which is why the same story will be listed under both titles). These stories are permanently free on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Apple. (There are download links in my profile if you want to download the book.) Here is my promise to you: Unless something serious happens in my personal life, I hope to update this story once a week. I will try to respond to every review I get. This story is clean. (I can't promise it's perfect, and if you catch any mistakes, please feel free to let me know!)
A little about this book
This book is published as Awaken, Book 1 of The Dark Paradise Trilogy. It was originally published under Saving Smiles (Andie's section) and Fatal Attraction (Keirah's section) until I combined them and added a new character - Reese. Some things are the same, some have completely changed. Regardless, I hope you enjoy.
Here is the blurb:
There's something wicked happening in Onyx City... Souls are being recruited by the devil himself to prepare for an all-out war against Heaven, and Reese Lespoir finds herself at the heart of it. She's awoken from a coma by a kiss from a mysterious stranger who's more prickly than prince. She learns she now has the power to see the future, which apparently, requires careful training. Enter Prickly Prince, who seems to find more enjoyment being a witty drunk than honing her craft. When a girl is taken by Onyx City's most notorious criminal, who may or may not be a demon, Reese is thrust into the forefront of the impending war well before she's ready. Her new friend, Andie Shepherd, is intent on getting her sister back from the demonic criminal at all costs, and if Reese doesn't help her, Andie may have to rely on the assistance of a vigilante known only as Black Wing, dangerous as he is tall, dark and handsome. And that's only if he's in a particularly generous mood. Just because he has wings doesn't always mean he's an angel, after all.
As always, I would love reviews! If not here, then on Amazon, Kobo, Apple, and/or Barnes & Noble.
Also: If you're interested in downloading Catalyst, Book 2 in The Dark Paradise Trilogy, please consider signing up for my newsletter (link in my profile)!
Prologue
He knew the moment she arrived in Onyx. She was special. She was different. She was the Key.
Not that she knew it.
In fact, she didn't know anything. Her parents brought her here because Onyx had some of the best doctors in the country. For the past year she had been in a coma. In fact, she'd be turning seventeen in a manner of minutes; at least, according to the pocket watch he borrowed from the Ferry.
He slipped the watch into the pocket of his brown slacks and turned his attention back to her. As clichéd as it sounded, he hadn't seen anyone more angelic in his entire life, and he'd been around for a long time.
His lips curled into a smirk. It was time.
He was going to wake her up.
Strolling over to her, his eyes took in her sleeping form. It was nearly midnight and the full moon's soft glow seeped through the window and cast an ethereal aura around her. In all honesty, he hadn't known she'd be this beautiful. It would make his job much easier.
He had thirty seconds.
His eyes sculpted her face: the hollow, high cheekbones, the short bridge of her upturned nose, the pale, almost sickly face, her pointed chin, and the blonde waves that invaded her forehead and tumbled past her shoulders to the middle of her chest. The silky strands glowed, as though someone was washing and conditioning her hair for her, even though hair upkeep wasn't important for someone in her state.
Ten seconds.
He couldn't see the color of her eyes, her height, or the shape of her body, but he could wait. He had been waiting for a long time; a few more days wasn't going to make a difference.
Five seconds.
Her lips were full. Whoever was washing her hair was putting lip balm on her lips. They were shaped like a bow, the angles more rounded than sharp. It fit her.
Three …
He bent his head, licking his lips in preparation.
Two …
His hair fell into his face, but he paid it no mind before pressing his lips to hers.
All it takes is a kiss, as they say.
Though he knew it was dangerous if she caught him standing there, he stayed until her eyes snapped open so he could see the color, a stormy grey. It was another unexpected thing about her. They were feisty, completely unlike the fragile features that composed the symmetry of her face. It was nice to be surprised again.
Before she could make him out, decipher the reality of his presence, he was gone. His job was done. Now all he had to do was wait for the pieces to fall into place.