Excerpt: Shadow Rising by Yasmine Galenorn

Shadow Rising by Yasmine Galenorn
Book 12 in the Otherworld Series

We’re the D’Artigo sisters: sexy, savvy ex-operatives from the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. Being half human, half-Fae means our powers go haywire at all the wrong times. My sister Camille is a wicked-good witch, with three gorgeous husbands. My sister Delilah is a two-faced werecat and a Death Maiden. And me? I’m Menolly, a jian-tu turned vampire, and I’m dating a sexy werepuma and the godfather of vampires. Unfortunately, life is about to get very, very nasty…

Nerissa and I can’t decide on what we want to do for our promise ceremony and we’re bickering like an old married couple. My sisters and I head to Otherworld for a meeting with Queen Asteria, where we discover that Shadow Wing has dispatched Telazhar to reignite the Scorching Wars. And as soon as we return back home, we find Gulakah, the Lord of Ghosts, waging a battle to control the magical beings over Earthside. Caught between two terrible enemies in a battle spanning two worlds, we can only hope we’re in time to stop all-out annihilation.

Chase reached out to the little girl. A flicker of energy oozed out from his hands, and the girl turned toward him, eyes wide. She reached out to him, then opened her mouth. A haunting scream echoed through the room.

The spirit, startled, whirled around. When he saw what Chase was doing, he roared— his anger shook the room, and pens and pencils and the cookie plate and anything else that wasn’t nailed down started fl ying through the air.

Camille and Morio began a low incantation, driving forward as if they were plowing through a whirlwind or hurricane, one step at a time, their palms out, energy crackling before them.

A shriek caught me off guard. I stumbled back, turning to see Roz, still pinned to the wall, but now a knife was lodged in his shoulder.

I raced over to him and levitated up to eye level. As I grabbed the hilt— it was a kitchen knife, like a serrated tomato knife— and yanked, he let out a curse and I stuck the knife in my belt, not wanting it to become airborne again. I tried to pry him off the wall, but to no avail. Blood fountained from his wound but it wasn’t in a vital area and, while it might sting, right now it didn’t put him in danger. But if anything else aimed itself for him, he could be spitted like a rotisserie chicken.

Torn— Roz needed me to protect him, but the spirit was bearing down on Chase— I tried to weigh where I was needed most.

“Go, Chase needs you!” Roz struggled to move his head. “Menolly, you know he can’t fight that creature!”

I glanced around. Things were still flying through the air, but Roz was right. Chase was the most vulnerable. I nodded and, wishing I could be in two places at once, raced back to Chase’s side.

He and the ghost were playing tug-of-war with the girl’s spirit, dragging her back and forth. She was crying, but no sound escaped her lips. I landed by Chase just in time to see a chair come flying across the room at him. I couldn’t intervene directly— the legs were pointed in our direction and one wrong

placement and I’d have a stake through the heart. So I dove for the detective, taking him down to sprawl on the floor.

Bio:

New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn writes urban fantasy for Berkley: both the Otherworld Series and the Indigo Court Series.  In the past, she wrote mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime, and nonfiction metaphysical books.

Yasmine has been in the Craft for over 32 years, is a shamanic witch, and describes her life as a blend of teacups and tattoos.  She lives in Kirkland WA with her husband Samwise and their cats.  Yasmine can be reached via her website at www.galenorn.com