Stopping Time: Paranormal Fantasy Young Adult/New Adult Romance (Kerrigan Chronicles Book 1)

by W. J. May

  Romulus and Remus. Mythological siblings who turned on each other. How appropriate.

  Together, the giant beasts searched the little canyon. The thick fur on their shoulders standing up. Their savage yellow eyes piercing the starless night.

  A dark abomination of the animal world, hell hounds were bred in the shadows beneath the mountains on the outer rim of the kingdom. Nothing but bloodlust and destruction in their veins.

  Her father had banned them outright. Anything that was born so far within the badlands wasn’t allowed entry into the kingdom. But he could never manage to say that to Kailas, especially near the end. When the puppies had first come to the castle, their tiny fangs dripping with the blood of a freshly killed rabbit, her brother had been delighted. Since then, the trio had been inseparable. The beasts followed the prince wherever he went, dogging his every step.

  The wind picked up through the trees and the dogs sat back on their haunches, noses pointed towards the moon. A feral snarl rumbled out of Remus’ chest, curling his lips back from his teeth as he rotated slowly around and zeroed in on the fallen tree.

  Katerina cringed away from the light, clutching her mother’s necklace as she leaned as far away as she could into the log. One wrong move and the dogs would tear apart the tree like it was an unfortunate plaything. Her body would not be far behind.

  As Romulus picked up another trail leading out of the canyon, Remus made his way over to the tree. Katerina covered her mouth with her hands, freezing in breathless terror as he lowered his nose to the peep-hole, his foul breath blasting into the hollow log. Another growl rumbled through him, making her heart stutter and skip, and as he opened his mouth—his monstrous fangs gleaming in the light—she found herself offering up a silent prayer.

  If anyone out there is listening...please protect me.

  He lowered his eye to the peep-hole and stared straight at her. Then he walked away.

  Katerina’s arms dropped to her sides in shock as both hounds took up the fresh scent and disappeared over the ridge of the mountain, vanishing with a final howl at the moon. She was shaking so hard she had to hold onto the tree for balance. And when she finally dared to emerge, the beasts were long gone and she found herself quite alone.

  What? What the... What just happened? I could’ve sworn that...

  The pendant glowed warm against her skin as she turned her eyes back to the castle.

  “Alwyn.”

  It seemed his tracking spell had worked after all. Still, she wasn’t taking any chances.

  The second she was sure the dogs could no longer hear her, she took off running again in the opposite direction. The wizard had told her to head east, but at this point any direction would do. As long as it was away from the castle, it was fine by her.

  So for the rest of the night, Katerina did exactly what Alwyn had told her to do. She ran until she couldn’t run any more... and then she kept running.

  It came in bursts—tapering off with exhaustion—then exploding out of her once more. Up one mountain, and down another. Winding through an endless series of trees. Wading her way across river after freezing river, dragging her body back up onto dry land.

  By the time the sun peeked out over the tops of the trees, she was lost and disoriented. More tired than she could ever imagine. More shaken than she could possibly withstand. Cold and hungry, stumbling one foot after the other in a sort of bloodshot daze.

  It wasn’t long after that she came to the top of a grassy hill. Since she’d been trekking through mostly forested mountains thus far, she could only imagine that she had left the boundaries of the kingdom behind and was in one of the rural provinces that bordered their lands. She had never been so far from home before, and even in the state that she was in she couldn’t help but stare at the picturesque beauty of it all.

  Then she twisted her ankle on a loose stone, and went tumbling down the hill.

  A thousand cracks and bruises later, she finally hit the bottom. But this time, when she rolled to a stop she didn’t try to get up. The world around flickered and dimmed before she finally gave up the ghost and closed her eyes. Slumping lifelessly into the tall grass. Waiting for death.

  “I REALLY DON’T THINK you should be poking her like that, Nixie. It looks like the poor thing’s been through enough.”

  “Oh, what do you care? It’s not like I’m hurting anything.”

  “Would the two of you just give it a rest? Now give her some space. Wait, she’s waking up!”

  Katerina’s eyes fluttered open and shut as she slowly awakened to the world around her. A world that was drenched in sunlight and sprinkled with morning dew. Three bright lights were twinkling in the air above her, and she raised her head weakly, trying to focus.

  “I’m just saying she doesn’t look much like a princess.”

  One of the lights dive-bombed the other with a little smack. “Quiet, Beck! She can hear you!”

  “Hello?” Katerina’s voice trembled as she pushed onto her elbows, squinting painfully into the sun. “Are you...are you talking to me?”

  A tiny voice squeaked a startled reply.

  “Heavens, she can’t even see us! I forgot, we’re still small!”

  There was a sudden burst of warmth as the three lights hovering in the air grew bigger and bigger, eventually lowering to the ground. It got to the point where they were so bright that Katerina had to look away. By the time she turned back, three little women stood in their place.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness.” The woman in the middle bowed, and the other two quickly followed suit. “My name is Marigold. This is Nixie and Beck.”

  Katerina scrambled back to her feet, staring with open-mouthed shock. “You’re...you’re fairies!” She had heard of them, of course, but such creatures weren’t allowed anywhere near the castle walls. Truth be told, there were rumors that they had died out decades before.

  “See?” Nixie’s mouth curved up with a little smirk. “I told you we’re famous.”

  Beck reached around and smacked her again. “Shut up!”

  “Yes,” Marigold replied, stepping forward, ignoring the childish scuffle, “we’re fairies. And I’m very glad that it’s we who found you this fine morning.”

  “Oh, yes?” Katerina took a step back, nervously pulling her cloak tighter. “And why is that?”

  The fairy’s eyes warmed to such a degree that her tiny feet seemed to leave the ground. “Because, dear princess...we’re going to help you live.”

  END OF EXCERPT

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  Book Trailer:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-_vVYC1gvo

  LIKE MOST TEENAGERS, Rouge is trying to figure out who she is and what she wants to be. With little knowledge about her past, she has questions but has never tried to find the answers. Everything changes when she befriends a strangely intoxicating family. Siblings Grace and Michael, appear to have secrets which seem connected to Rouge. Her hunch is confirmed when a horrible incident occurs at an outdoor party. Rouge may be the only one who can find the answer.

  An ancient journal, a Sioghra necklace and a special mark force life-altering decisions for a girl who grew up unprepared to fight for her life or others.

  All secrets have a cost and Rouge's determination to find the truth can only lead to trouble...or something even more sinister.

  RADIUM HALOS - THE SENSELESS SERIES

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  Everyone needs to be a hero at one point in their life.

  The small town of Elliot Lake will never be the same again.

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at four others have an increased sense as well. Only Kieran, the new boy from Scotland, isn't affected.

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  An incredulous group of heroes. A traitor in the midst. Some dreams are written in blood.

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  TUDOR COMPARISON:

  Aumbry House—A recess to hold sacred vessels, often found in castle chapels.

  Aumbry House was considered very special to hold the female students - their sacred vessels (especially Rae Kerrigan).

  Joist House—A timber stretched from wall-to-wall to support floorboards.

  Joist House was considered a building of support where the male students could support and help each other.

  Oratory—A private chapel in a house.

  Private education room in the school where the students were able to practice their gifting and improve their skills. Also used as a banquet - dance hall when needed.

  Oriel—A projecting window in a wall; originally a form of porch, often of wood. The original bay windows of the Tudor period. Guilder College majority of windows were oriel.

  Rae often felt her life was being watching through one of these windows. Hence the constant reference to them.

  Refectory—A communal dining hall. Same termed used in Tudor times.

  Scriptorium—A Medieval writing room in which scrolls were also housed.

  Used for English classes and still store some of the older books from the Tudor reign (regarding tatùs).

  Privy Council—Secret council and "arm of the government" similar to the CIA, etc... In Tudor times, the Privy Council was King Henry's board of advisors and helped run the country.

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  Did you love Stopping Time? Then you should read Never Look Back by W.J. May!

  USA Today Bestselling author, W.J. May, brings you to a new level of fantasy. Fans of Underworld and paranormal worlds will love this story!"The wise learn many things from their enemies." My name's Atlanta Skolar, and I'm a huntress. No, not the vampire-slaying type, or the ever-brooding Winchester brothers from Supernatural. I live a relatively normal life—during the day at least. I go to school, have friends, and try my best to survive Uncle James' horrendous cooking.However, the nights in the city of Calen are not always calm. There's a thin veil between our world and the world of monsters, the good and the bad. I'm one of the few who stands between the two. With the help of my uncle, who's taken me in since my parents' deaths, I spend the nights making sure the balance is maintained and that each side keeps to their respective places.At least, that was until something rattled the cages and everything hit the fan. There's a new evil in town, an evil that's been here before, and it may be responsible for my parents' deaths. An evil that isn't satisfied with the balance. It'll do all it can to make sure darkness falls over Calen and the rest of the world once again.Scary? That ain't the half of it.It's particularly interested in me. Why? No idea. But it's my job as a huntress to make sure the evil is stopped, no matter what.

  Read more at W.J. May’s site.

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May’s site.

  About the Author

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  W.J. May grew up in the fruit belt of Ontario. Crazy-happy childhood, she always has had a vivid imagination and loads of energy.

  After her father passed away in 2008, from a six-year battle with cancer (which she still believes he won the fight against), she began to write again. A passion she'd loved for years, but realized life was too short to keep putting it off.

  She is a writer of Young Adult, Fantasy Fiction and where ever else her little muses take her.

  Read more at W.J. May’s site.