Read a sneak peek of my latest novel!

Recently, a literary agent at Aionios Books requested a prologue for my novel. (Go follow them on social media - they tweet about great new stories!) I really enjoyed writing it! I think it makes a great introduction for my novel.

Here's hoping the literary agent thinks so, too! It would be incredible to find a good home for my book. I think I'd pass out from excitement.

Anyways, here's the new prologue to my latest novel, The Dark Reign!

Enjoy! :)

Part One

Prologue

                               THE SHADOW’S OMEN      

Ten years ago

    I still remember the day the soulless tried to kill me.

   It was during the middle of the night when darkness had swept over my room like a fog. The trees were clanging against the window, trying to claw their way in, and I cowered under the blankets for protection. The whispering wind quieted for a moment, and that’s when I heard it – footsteps outside my door in the hallway, unlike those of my parents.

   A stranger was in my house.

   I sat upright in bed, throwing off the covers and running into the closet. I had just locked myself in when the door handle to my room jiggled. Then, the door opened with a squeak and a streak of light shot across the hardwood floor. My heart thumped wildly as the person slowly entered my room.

   I tried to see the intruder through the small slots of the closet door. It was a man, as tall and as strong as my father, wearing a long, dark cloak. I swore that his eye color was the same as the darkness outside, but I assumed I was just imagining things.

   I was too young to understand how much danger I was really in.

   “I know you’re in here, Riley Stark,” The unusual man spoke. “Come out wherever you are.”

   I held my breath as the man inspected my room, looking under the bed and behind my curtains. As soon as his back was turned and he was far enough away, I bolted out of the closet and headed straight for the door. I didn’t scream or cry, and I didn’t call for my parents. My only concern was getting out alive.

   He noticed me as I sprinted past him, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw something that I still can’t believe to this day. The man’s entire body faded into a shadow, like the sun eclipsing the moon. There was nothing left of him besides a black mist.

   “You’re not getting away that easily!” His disembodied voice hissed. “The heir to the Stark legacy must be stopped!”

   I had managed to make it down the staircase when he – or, a part of him – finally caught up to me. Like a tidal wave, the shadow swept over me, pulling me back. I thrashed and kicked, but it was too strong. It was suffocating me more as the seconds ticked by, and I couldn’t even scream for help.

   And then, everything stopped. The shadow released me and I crawled away.

   The shadow dissipated, transforming back into the man I saw before, and he slumped to the ground. There was a strange dagger in his chest, and he tried to remove it, but it remained firmly in place.

   He attempted to reach for me but I moved away, right before he began to cough up black blood. “You can’t escape it forever, Riley Stark! Death will become your legacy!”

   My father stood in the hallway, watching over the man carefully. Once the man had stopped breathing, Dad removed the dagger from his body and scooped me into his arms.

   “Are you all right, Riley?” He asked. “Did he hurt you?”

   I shook my head. “I’m fine. Who was that man? What did he want?”

   Dad was quiet for a moment. “It’s nothing you need to worry about, kiddo. You know that I’ll always protect you, right?”

   I nodded as my mother appeared behind us. She had flicked on the kitchen light and was staring at the dead body on the floor.

   “What’s going on here?” She asked. “Should I call the police? What do we do?”

   Dad shook his head. “The police can’t help us, Claudia. That was one of them – the soulless. I’ll inform the Sentinels right away.”

   “The…soulless?” My mother asked, placing a hand over her mouth in shock. “I don’t believe it!”

   Dad nodded. “It’s true. We’ll stay at a hotel tonight. I don’t feel comfortable keeping you two here.”

   That was the first time I saw a dead body, but it wouldn’t be my last. I’d never forget the stench of blood, and the unsettling feeling I had watching someone’s life slip away.

   We moved to a new house a week later and never spoke of the incident again. No one tried to kill me after that, but I never felt completely safe after the events of that night. I had a feeling that whatever was chasing me wouldn’t stop – and I was right.

   The soulless wanted me dead, and it was personal.