Teaser Tuesday: The Firebird

The gag prevented Riella from screaming. If she had, she would have been hoarse by now. How much longer? How much longer until the client had enough of this torture? Client, not man. Regular people didn’t do these things to their own kind. She struggled weakly against the restraints. The leather bands bit into her wrists, adding another layer of blood to the cuts.

The client walked around her, adjusting ties and binds. He never said a word, and he wore the same impassible expression all along as if he didn’t see a woman in front of him but only a tool to get relief for his frustrations.

Surprisingly, he didn’t get off on her being submissive. He enjoyed her rage. And she was enraged over the bruises he’d left on her creamy skin, and possibly a couple of broken bones too. It was hard to tell as there was too much pain all around.

The struggle brought no relief. The machine he’d tied her to was designed in such way that she couldn’t break free by herself. Too many restrains and odd angles that gave her no leverage. She shouldn’t waste her strength that way, but she couldn’t help it. Her body reacted outside of her control. But she wouldn’t give in. She refused to let this monster break her.

The client pulled on a lever. Her leg twisted unnaturally. Riella let out another soundless scream.

(The Nightingale Circus Collection - The Firebird)

Human Instincts Book Trailer

I'm still not crazy about book trailers, but this one was easy to make so here you go.

Teaser Tuesday: The Swan

“The good news, Miss Semenova,” Spinner said, “is your doctors were right. The bad news is … they were right.”

Anya rolled her eyes at his back, unamused.

“It’s unsalvageable,” Spinner continued.

“See this?” Rake pointed at the outline of the right lung where a discolored area surrounded the bottom lobe.

“Uh-huh.” Spinner nodded and said over his shoulder, “It looks like the doctors killed the bug but failed to contain the infection. It’s seeping out through the pleura.” He shook his head. “This isn’t good. We’ll have to remove everything before the abdominal cavity is damaged too. You really don’t want to get rid of everything in there.” He gestured at her torso. “I mean it can be done but…”

Anya wrapped her arms protectively around herself. Was he talking about eviscerating her? Serioja’s comforting touch on the back didn’t erase her suspicions.

(The Nightingale Circus Collection - The Swan)

Teaser Tuesday: The Magician

Half an hour after the show ended, the circus announcer, a heavy man with a green-tinged complexion and dark patches spread over his skin, huffed and puffed his way inside. “If this is your way of catching a free ride—”

“I’m not catching a free ride,” Nicholas said, standing up from his box, though he would have to settle for that if his plan failed. The man had brought no reinforcements, and that said something. He wondered what it meant.

“What do you want then?”

“A job. I’m your new magician.”

The man gave him an up and down look. “We don’t need a magician. The audience these days is too clever for cheap tricks.”

“Not like my tricks.” Nicholas pressed his hand on an empty spot on the wall, and when he removed it, its outline remained clearly burned in place.

“Don’t damage my property.”

Grinning, Nicholas ran his palm over the same spot on the wall. The mark vanished.

(The Nightingale Circus Collection - The Magician)