I entered my fiancé Colin’s room. "You
can take a break if you want, Jimmy. I’ll stay with him for a while."
Jimmy, the orderly, made to leave. "I
could use some coffee. After that, I’ll wait outside for you. Just yell if you
need me."
"Thanks."
I waited for the door to shut behind him, then
pulled a chair across the room. I placed it near the head of the bed and
perched on the edge of it. "Hey, cutie. You awake?"
Colin lay on his back with his wrists buckled
to the rails. A thick strap crossed his chest. It wasn’t the first time I’d
seen him restrained, but it never stopped bothering me. I undid the chest
strap.
Colin resembled a
child. His light reddish-brown hair had a wild, cow-licked quality, his tight
curls a chaotic dance, and his face had the long-lashed, boyish features that
would keep him handsome throughout his life, but there was more. He had
innocence about him, as if he were seeing everything for the first time. That
hadn’t diminished over the years, though his delusions and hallucinations added
a sense of whimsy.
Without opening his eyes or otherwise moving,
Colin said, "I have to talk to you." His voice dropped so low that I
had to lean forward to hear. "I saw her."
I unbuckled the nearest arm strap. "You
saw who?"
"The hag. And I remember what she
is."
"I don’t understand."
"She's a scout—a tracking dog."
Paranoia came with the territory of Colin's mental illness, but it unnerved me
when he talked like that.
"Honey, why were you on the roof?"
"That’s what I’m trying to tell
you." He opened his eyes and looked at me. "She’s looking for me.
That’s why I went to the roof. She nests there."
"Promise me you'll stay off the roof,
okay? It's dangerous."
"Not for me," he said, so calmly, as
if he were saying he had made a delicious ham and cheese omelet.
I almost believed him, but then he broke the
spell.
"I can fly."
His confession triggered an explosion in my emotions—a
dirty bomb at my core. It infected all of me.
"Don’t say that!"
"It's true."
Through gritted teeth, I seethed at him.
"It isn’t true." I put my face in my hands and the image of him lying
dead on the patio appeared in my brain. "Look. You can’t fly. Okay? No one
can fly. I need you to get better, Colin. I need you to be okay. Flying is not
okay. Do you understand that?"
"But…"
"No buts!"
Lunacy ebbed and flowed. That was how it
worked—the human condition. I’d never met anyone immune to those currents. Some
people just worked harder than others to hide it, especially from themselves.
So-called "stable" people pushed their emotions down deep. They had
their methods—just as I did—for maintaining a façade of normalcy, but even the
ones most in denial couldn’t fully insulate themselves from the suspicion that
they didn't quite fit the so-called norm.
Then there were those who gave up the fight
for sanity. Keeping the tide at bay could be exhausting. When you had no
strength left, it was far too easy to go with the flow. I knew this from
experience. I called it "stalking the moon."
I found my pin and pricked my finger, then my
thumb. I breathed. Finally, I said, "Honey, no matter what, you don’t have
to fly away."
"I might have to, to keep you safe."
"I can take care of myself."
"There’s a chance that might be
true."
I sighed. "Thanks for the vote of
confidence.”
Stalking the Moon
Wyrdwood Welcome
Book One
Angel Leigh McCoy
Genre: Supernatural Suspense
Wyrdwood Welcome
Book One
Angel Leigh McCoy
Genre: Supernatural Suspense
Publisher: Wily Writers
Date of Publication: April 24, 2020
ISBN: 978-1950427055
ASIN: B0832JJRPG
Number of pages: 290
Word Count: 88,868
Cover Artist: DIStudios.pl
Tagline: A New Mythology for the 21st Century
Book Description:
Normal life is complicated enough. Add magick to the mix, and suddenly all hell breaks loose!
Viviane doesn't have time for voices in her head or monsters in her bed! Her family relies on her. She's in charge of a mentally ill mother, a sneaky grandfather, and a sexy (but delusional) fiancé. And yet, the whispers in her mind are barging into Reality—with claws and teeth and murderous intent.
When her fiancé goes missing, she'll do anything to find him. If that means magical, mythical creatures hunt her down, then so be it. This could be the end of her life as she's known it, but well… Consequences be damned.
Angel Leigh McCoy wears author, game designer, and audiobook narrator hats—sometimes simultaneously. She is the creative force behind the Wyrdwood series of novels and the Dire Multiverse audio drama. She was a senior writer on the award-winning video games CONTROL and GUILD WARS 2. Her work on the White Wolf World of Darkness series included books for Mage, Vampire, Changeling, and several others. She was also the first female game designer on the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS team at Wizards of the Coast. These days, she works from home and is intent on building her own epic worlds, including Wyrdwood and the Dire Multiverse. Her cats approve.
Prizes:
1
Audible.com 3-month membership (or 3 credits if you’re already a
member). Entitles you to partake of the Audible Originals titles offered free
each month to members. (all-told, a $45 value) If you’ve ever wanted to try
audiobooks, this is the time.
5
- Wyrdwood Welcome Swag Bags
Each swag bag includes:
-Free ebook copy of JUMPING THE
MOON, Wyrdwood Welcome Book #2, due for release on May 15, 2020.
-A “Proud to be Wyrd” pin
-A Wyrdwood magnet
-Invitation to the private and
exclusive Wyrdwood Facebook group
-Treats from the “Wyrdwood
Candiporium”
-A surprise toy!
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