Fade by A.K. Morgen Excerpt and Giveaway

As I mentioned last post, Arionna is a lot more courageous than I am. No matter how frustrating Dace is, or how frightening things get, she picks herself up and keeps moving forward. I love a heroine who's not afraid to beat her fear down into a little ball, tell her hero what's what, and do what needs to be done. And Arionna certainly does that, even when all she wants to do is curl up in a ball and cry.  I can appreciate that in a heroine. 🙂

Now, how about an excerpt from Fade and a giveaway?!

Excerpt:

"Don't touch me, Dace." My request was the barest of whispers, as fragile and vulnerable as I felt. I struggled into a sitting position, then huddled against the back of the chaise, the afghan that had been covering me wrapped around my shoulders. My heart pounded, fear coursing through me. Would he ignore my warning? Would everything I experienced tonight stop mattering to me if he did? Had it already stopped mattering? "Please, don't touch me," I begged, my eyes meeting his across the room to do a little begging of their own.

He opened his mouth to say something, reconsidered, and then nodded once. His eyes slid away from mine as if he knew I couldn't look him in the eyes and think.

I drew a deep, grateful breath.

For a long time, he didn't try to come any closer. He simply stood right where he was in the center of the room, staring at the wall with those sad, knowing eyes. Those half-human, half-wolf eyes. The same eyes I'd seen earlier tonight.

That reminder shocked my system like cold water being poured over me.

Every thought, every question, and every worry I'd had since meeting him, as well as those that came rearing their ugly heads at the rave, poured in one right after another. I didn't know what to say, how to begin, or where to begin. There were so many things I needed to know, and so many things I couldn't even put into words.

"Why?" Apparently the words weren't necessary after all. Every question, every fear, and every ache I had burst out in that single word, sounding both hurt and angry at the same time.

 Dace bowed his head. "I don't know why, Arionna."

"What are you, Dace?"

I knew what he was going to say before he ever opened his mouth. That knowledge had beat at me all night long, demanding I listen to the little cues I'd been given since meeting him. That I pay attention to the animal that leapt and snarled, and stared and waited. The one that defended me without a moment's hesitation tonight, and bound me to this confusing person who just might have owned half my soul from the moment our eyes first met.

I didn't need confirmation of any of that, but Dace gave it to me anyway.

"I'm the wolf you saw." He closed his eyes, his shoulders slumping.

I felt no surprise, no shock, and no fear when he said it. Nothing at all. I was numb inside and out, like everything I'd suspected had been confirmed. And I guess it had. I'd grasped at this truth from the moment I met him. I'd simply been too ignorant to understand.

I wanted to cry, but not for myself. Dace looked defeated, as if his admission cost him everything. Remembering the way his fear whispered across my mind, choking me, I thought maybe it had.

"How? It's . . . ." I shook my head, trying to dislodge words and make my mouth work. I wanted to tell him he was crazy, that no one in their right mind would believe him. That he could not be a wolf any more than I could be a fairy. I couldn't make myself voice those denials though, because it seemed less possible that he was merely human than it did that he was a wolf, or half a wolf, or whatever term defined him.

"What am I?" I whispered. The question hurt. For my entire life, the question had always been who am I, and now it wasn't. Somewhere between meeting Dace and waking twenty minutes ago, everything I knew about myself, people, and the world around me had changed. I was a what now, not a who, and knowing that didn't scare me nearly enough.

Giveaway:

You can leave me a comment on any of my posts here today, and at the end of the day, I'll pick a comment (with the help of random.org) to win an ebook copy of Fade!

And if you write paranormal or fantasy, head over to my blog to check out the fun contest we have going on over there. One grand prize winner will win a read (and publication consideration) by a Curiosity Quills Submission Editor, and the opportunity to work with some amazing authors and artists on a host of other great prizes (like a first page critique by Jamie Ayres or a live one-hour plot session with C.L. Parker). The grand prize winner will also receive ebook copies from authors like T.M. Franklin, Jessa Russo, Vicki Keire, and Krystal Wade. You can find all the details here: http://www.akmorgen.com/2012/09/pitch-contest.html