Leads & Lynxes
Author: Rebecca Chastain
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: November 17, 2020
Series: Terra Haven Chronicles #1
Genre: Fantasy
Snippet:
Dazed, I stared into Marciano’s warm brown eyes and tried to remember how my limbs worked. The giant wood elemental knelt and set me on the ground, supporting me when I would have flopped bonelessly to my back. I had no choice but to hold still as Grant bent over me, filling my vision. His gray uniform strained against the bunched muscles in his arms, and his dark gaze was glacial when it met mine.
“What did you promise her?” he demanded.
“Who?” The dryness of my throat made my voice crack. My eyes watered, and I swallowed hard but didn’t blink. I didn’t want him to think I was crying. Was it too much to ask that he offer me some water before beginning his interrogation?
“Don’t play dumb. You’re reckless, impulsive, and naïve, but I never expected you to be this stupid.”
Well, as long as he didn’t expect me to be this stupid.
Grant’s hands fisted against his thighs, and his voice came out a growl. “Are you so hard up for fame that you made a deal with the harpy?”
“I didn’t.” Pain snapped across my skin, sharp and bright, like a powerful shot of static electricity engulfing my body in a quick flash. The shock barely registered before it disappeared. What the…?
“Damn it, Kylie. Tell me the truth. What did you promise her? What possible trade could you have made to convince Zipporah to toss you into the middle of our murder investigation?”
He thought I had done this on purpose. He must think me brainless. Anger boiled through my confusion and chased away the last of my near-death daze.
“I told her I had a death wish,” I said. Pain nipped my skin, there, then gone. “I told her I couldn’t stand to be away from you and your charming personality.” Another shock flicked my flesh. “I told her my life was meaningless unless you were telling me how stupid I was.” This time, the jolt of pain made me gasp, but I barreled on, riding a rush of fury. “Obviously I traded her my common sense, my self-respect, and my last spare iota of intelligence.”
Agony seared my skin, darkening my vision. When it faded, Grant still glowered in my face. His lack of reaction to my obvious pain hurt on an entirely different level.
“Are you through?” he asked. The muscles of his square jaw flexed.
“If you let her see the cats, she might drop the sarcasm,” Marciano rumbled.
Grant’s eyes narrowed, but he straightened and stepped back.
Marciano shrugged a backpack off his shoulder and dropped it between us. He opened the flap but paused to point before rummaging inside. “Verity and Sooth.”
Puzzled, I glanced to the direction he indicated. He had set me down facing Seradon. She monitored the canyon ahead of us, vigilantly scanning for trouble. She wore a backpack similar to Marciano’s, hers equally loaded down. At her feet sat a lynx.
The stocky cat possessed dense, silver-brown fur and feet that would have looked less out of place on a mountain lion. At full height, the lynx would have stood no taller than Seradon’s knee. Presently, she crouched, glaring at me with pale-yellow eyes, her black-tufted ears pinned to her scalp.
I twisted to confirm Winnigan held the leash of another lynx. Like Seradon’s, it wore a soft leather harness and glared at me with equal animosity.
Lynxes were truth seers. No matter the illusion, they could see through it, which explained their presence. The cats would act as early warning detectors, sniffing out hidden traps. They could also sense any verbal lie, and they detested them. The sparking pain had come from the lynxes, their magic punishing me for my spoken untruths.
Flushing hot, I pinned Grant with my glare. He could have warned me.
About the Book:
Be careful what you ask for…
Kylie got into journalism to write important stories. Ones about gargoyles and dryads, elemental warriors, and thwarted magical attacks on her city. The bigger the story, the better. So when she lands the opportunity to ask an enchanted everlasting tree for the answer to any question she desires, she doesn’t have to think about it. She wants the story of a lifetime.
So does her nemesis, Nathan. If anyone is going to write a high-profile story, the senior journalist believes it should be him—and Nathan’s not above playing dirty to get his way. Kylie must work fast or risk losing control of her story.
But with every new lead forcing Kylie and her gargoyle companion Quinn deeper into a deadly maze of murder, warped magic, and monstrous beasts, rushing could prove fatal. Kylie is determined to write her dream story, but even she is beginning to wonder: Is the story of a lifetime the last story she’ll ever write?
USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Chastain returns to the beloved world of the Terra Haven Chronicles for a brand-new spellbinding adventure of elemental magic and courageous gargoyles. If you love action-packed stories filled with mythical creatures, brave heroines, and adorable sidekicks, you’ll love Leads & Lynxes!
Purchase links:
Amazon: https://smarturl.it/LLAmazon
Kobo: https://smarturl.it/LLebookKobo
Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/33mdInq
Apple Books: https://smarturl.it/LLApple
Google Play: https://bit.ly/3iwSI3Z
About the Author:
REBECCA CHASTAIN is the USA Today bestselling author of the Madison Fox urban fantasy series and the Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles fantasy trilogy, among other works. Inside her novels, you’ll find spellbinding adventures packed with supernatural creatures, thrilling action, heartwarming characters (human and otherwise), and more than a little humor. Rebecca lives in Northern California with her charming husband.
Connect with Rebecca Chastain:
Website: https://www.rebeccachastain.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebeccachastainnovels
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Author_Rebecca
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chastain.rebecca/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rebecca-chastain
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-Chastain/e/B00MW89XB0/
Giveaway
To celebrate the release of Leads & Lynxes, Rebecca is giving away five (5) ebooks to one (1) winner. It includes the five books she’s written in this world—the Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles trilogy (Magic of the Gargoyles, Curse of the Gargoyles, Secret of the Gargoyles) and both books in the Terra Haven Chronicles (Leads & Lynxes, and the prequel, Deadlines & Dryads). Open internationally, must be 18 to enter and win.
This giveaway is sponsored by the author. Open to participants who are legally allowed to participate in such a contest as allowed by their local laws. All federal, state, local, and municipal laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. By participating in the contest, participants agree to be bound by the decisions of the contest sponsor. Prize will be delivered by the contest sponsor. This blog, its reviewers, and the owner are not responsible for items lost in the mail. By entering this giveaway, participants agree to abide by these terms.