The release of In All Things, Balance (Daughters of the People, Book 4) is right around the corner. It marks the midpoint of the Daughters of the People Series. Yes, the story is halfway complete!
As always, I'm excited to share another piece of the overall story with y'all. First, though, the description:
The People are in a time of great need. The Prophecy of Light has been rediscovered, the Eternal Order constitutes a growing threat, and the IECS Archives may hold the key the People need to forever be free of An’s curse.
Moira the Reluctant, immortal Daughter of the renowned Rebecca Upton, journeys from her home in Ireland to assist with efforts to locate Sanctuary, the legendary refuge of the Seven Sisters. There, she meets Tom Fairfax, a reserved archivist tasked with organizing and modernizing the Archives. Tom is everything a Daughter could want in a future mate, handsome, intelligent, and kind. Above all, his touch arouses her in a way no other man’s ever has.
The moment Tom spied Moira, his heart tangled into a knot and hasn’t loosened since. The beautiful Daughter has a sharp tongue and a temper to match, and is not at all the kind of woman he dreamed of calling his own. In spite of the attraction he feels for her, Tom goes out of his way to avoid the fiery Daughter, determined to protect himself from certain heartbreak. Moira is equally determined to have him, regardless of his apparent infatuation with another Daughter.
When Moira’s brother is kidnapped, she and Tom are thrown together in a way neither anticipated, forcing them to trust one another or risk losing their budding love under the crushing weight of the Order’s never-ending quest for continued immortality.
An excerpt (different from the opening scene on the book's page) is below the "Read More" break. The official release date is 23 February 2015.
***
Tom slouched on a bar stool and lowered his voice. “What are you worried about, Moira?”
Her fingers tightened on his arm and her answer was just as hushed. “Things that go bump in the night. Do ye trust me to protect ye?”
He studied her for long moments, weighing her question. Yes, he did trust her, at least enough to get him safely from The Omega to the IECS through the kinds of bumps in the night that would worry a Daughter of Moira’s age and skill. He nodded once and was surprised by the relief flickering across her expression.
She beckoned Andrea and Phil’s other companion over and sent them out to find and secure vehicles. “One man per vehicle, driven by a Daughter with at least one other along for protection,” she said softly to him.
Her words ground his thoughts to a halt. “You don’t have to explain it to me now.”
Her hand moved from his arm to the waistband of his jeans. She hooked a finger through a belt loop and slid an odd glance at him from under lowered lashes. “Know yer curious. Seems best to occupy yer mind with reality rather than letting it go a-wandering.”
He stared at her, nonplussed. In any other woman, he’d call what she was doing flirting, the tilt of her head, the softened voice, her fingers resting on his lower abdomen through a layer of worn jeans, so close to where he wanted them, her touch was more tease than reassurance. He deliberately focused on his surroundings, attempting to block out the sheer, unmitigated lust racing through him before…
He bit back a curse. Too late. Tom Junior reared his head and poked at the fly of Tom’s jeans, angling for a touch from Moira’s delicate hand.
She tugged on his belt loop. “Pay attention, Tom. I need ye alert.”
He swallowed hard and cleared his throat. “I’m paying attention.” Maybe not where she needed him to, but by golly, he sure was alert. Fighting his body’s natural reaction to Moira distracted him from the worry eating a hole in his gut. God willing, she’d never notice his hard-on and would attribute his stiff posture to irritation at her high-handedness.
Sig sauntered in and tossed the keys to Moira from across the room. “All clear. I set a guard to watch the parking lot.”
Moira caught the keys and stuffed them in her pocket. She glanced casually down, and his heart dropped into his gut. Dammit. How did she always know when he was aroused? And why the hell did desire stir so easily around her anyway?
The next half hour passed in a blur. The Omega emptied steadily until the only occupants were the group clustered around Tom and Moira, and the bar’s staff. Will and the waitresses cleaned around them, emptying and wiping down tables, sweeping and mopping the floor. Tom moved once to help and was pulled to an abrupt halt by Moira’s finger, still holding his belt loop. He’d thought her attention had wandered to the Daughters in their group jumping to do her bidding. Apparently not.
She finished speaking to one of Phil’s companions, the honey blonde with exotic features who’d called in the bomb-sniffing dog, then put her mouth close to his ear. “Ye need to leave, tell me and I’ll escort ye, but don’t attempt to part from me again.”
Her breath feathered over his ear, raising goose bumps along his skin. He leaned into her, breathing in the sharp scent of her shampoo as she directed a handful of Daughters to scout the area between The Omega and the IECS.
He had a funny feeling that when she’d told him not to part from her, she was talking about more than stepping away from her to help Will’s staff clean the bar.