Friday snippet on Saturday- Wicked Hot
This book is insane. My editor will either love it, or send a hitman after me. Snippet after the jump! Click if you dare.
Wicked Hot – coming Aug. 08
Copyright 2007 Charlene Teglia
St. Martin’s Press, all rights reserved
unedited excerpt
There was a dragon outside the kitchen door. I rubbed my eyes and blinked, but it was still there. I’d woken up alone and made my way to the source of sustenance, since my hosts were not sustaining me with their lust, and the first thing I saw when I stumbled naked and bleary-eyed into the kitchen was a dragon.
Its great head was lowered to peer through the glass. I debated the etiquette of answering the door in my birthday suit, then shrugged. It was a dragon, not a Girl Scout selling cookies.
I opened the door. “Hello.”
“Hello.” The dragon emitted a breath of flame as it spoke. I jumped back to avoid getting my hair burned. I already had bedhead. On top of that, my hair was frizzy from the humidity. I didn’t need to add singed to the list of things making me less attractive to my target.
“Hey. Watch it. I’m not sure where the kitchen fire extinguisher is.” I frowned at the dragon, who regarded me with multi-faceted eyes and blatant curiosity.
“I apologize,” the scaly and serpentine winged visitor on the back porch finally said. “I came for a progress report.”
A familiar scent of sulfur came with the words. I cocked my head and stared. “Nick? Is that you?”
“Ah. You like me in this form.” The dragon grinned, an odd expression to see on that inhuman face. It showed a lot of teeth, all of them glittering and sharp. “I had no idea it would delight you to talk to a giant man-eating reptile who could scorch you with a breath.”
“I’ve already been scorched.” I scuffed the floor with my foot at the memory of last night’s shake and bake. I’d been having such a good time up until then, too. “How come getting sandwiched between two Nephilim cooked me?”
“You were sandwiched between them?” A tiny flame flickered from the dragon’s mouth as Nick spoke, but it was controlled this time and didn’t come close to burning me. Light played over the beast’s body, making a rainbow of color. Smoke curled from his nostrils.
I’d never seen the boss look so cool.
“Can you blow smoke rings or little animal shapes?” I asked, fascinated.
“I can do anything. Tell me more about the Nephilim.”
Right. Business. “Dalen’s got the hots for a witch, so he’s using me for practice. To see if he can control his lust without endangering his partner. This may either get me a Nephilim feast and you a new soul, or I may get incinerated. Is there any chance he can do that? Give off so much lust that I can’t handle it and end up a pile of formerly blond ashes?”
The beast drummed its fore nails on the porch, clearly impatient. “What of Eli?”
Nick didn’t answer my question. I was used to him answering questions with questions, but that didn’t mean I liked it, and right now it was more than annoying. I thought anything that could end in Edana goes bye-bye damn well constituted a need-to-know basis.
I ground my teeth and narrowed my eyes at him. “Fucking Socratic method.”
“Temper, temper.”
“I’m a demon. And it’s first thing in the morning after I did not get any lust the night before.” I scowled at Nick the dragon. “I am not in a good mood.”
“Report.” A warning flame erupted with the demand.
“Go to hell.” I stepped back and slammed the door. If he wasn’t going to help me, why should I help him? I went to the fridge and searched out bread for toast. I ignored the ominous roaring and rattling sounds Nick made outside and popped two slices in. What else? Protein. I found peanut butter in a cabinet, a knife in a drawer, and I had everything I needed for breakfast.
I was spreading a thick layer of the extra crunchy variety on my toast when Dal came in. I smiled at him. “Hey.”
“Hey.” He crossed the room to tousle my hair. “Did I hear the back door slam?”
“Jehovah’s Witnesses,” I said. “They’re relentless. They’ll probably be back.” I knew without looking that Nick was gone.
Thank you, Jennifer.
Recent Comments