Shadow Kissed: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (The Witch's Rebels Book 1)

by Sarah Piper

  There was still so much we didn’t know. Why the Hunter was trying to turn witches into vampires, why he’d killed some and taken others. Why he’d set the traps for us at Norah’s, only to vanish with Haley before we even arrived. Whether the vamps who’d ambushed us tonight were truly just goons-for-hire, or part of a larger conspiracy.

  For all I knew, Norah had been part of that, too. Something about her packing up and leaving town right before the attack isn’t passing the smell test.

  I was still struggling to make sense of the readings in Sophie’s book of shadows, and I had so much more to read through.

  And my heart still ached for Bean, desperately wondering if I’d ever find her again, if her part in this story was over.

  But I didn’t have to face these challenges alone. I had my rebels. We had each other.

  I tucked the High Priestess back into the book and got to my feet, looking at each of my friends, nearly overcome with gratitude.

  “We’re going to bring that hunter down,” I said.

  “I hear that,” Emilio said.

  “It won’t be easy, love,” Darius said. “He’s operated right under our noses this whole time, and we never even caught his scent. May as well be a bloody ghost.”

  “But he’s not a ghost,” I said. “Just a man. He’s got weaknesses just like the rest.”

  “Okay,” Ronan said. “That still doesn’t tell us how to find him. If anyone has any ideas, I’m all ears.”

  “We don’t have to find him,” I said. “He’ll find us.”

  They all watched me, waiting patiently for my plan. Trusting that I had one.

  “There’s one thing he wants more than anything, and I have it.”

  “Yeah? What’s that, Cupcake?” Asher asked.

  I clutched the book of shadows to my chest, and a fresh wave of warmth slid over my skin, pulsing in time with my heartbeat. It was mine, my birthright, woven into my fabric with the same genes that’d made my hair curly and my eyes blue. From now on, there would be no more running from it. No more hiding. Only accepting and embracing. Only becoming.

  I’d tried for so long to outrun this, to repress it, to deny it. But now it felt like I was coming home to an old friend who’d been right there waiting for me all along.

  I looked at each of my rebels in turn, that feeling of rightness settling deep into my bones, and reclaimed the words I’d almost lost.

  “My magic.”

  Thank you so much for reading Shadow Kissed! I hope you’re looking forward to the rest of The Witch’s Rebels series, starting with the next book, Darkness Bound!

  If you loved reading this story as much as I loved writing it, please help a girl out and leave a review on Amazon! Even a quick sentence or two about your favorite part can help other readers discover the book, and that makes me super happy!

  And if you really, really loved it, come hang out at our Facebook group, Sarah Piper’s Sassy Witches. I’d love to see you there!

  XOXO

  Sarah

  Origins of The Witch’s Rebels

  Thank you so much for checking out Shadow Kissed!

  I was primarily inspired to write this series by three things: my fascination with Tarot, my love of all things witchy, and my desire to see more kickass women telling stories for and about other kickass women.

  I’ve always enjoyed books, movies, and TV shows about witches, monsters, and magic, but I never found exactly the right mix. I wanted a darker, grittier Charmed, an older Buffy, and most of all—as much as I love the brothers Winchester (who doesn’t?)—I really wanted a Supernatural with badass bitches at the helm, hunting monsters, battling their inner demons, and of course, sexytimes. Lots and lots of sexytimes.

  (Side note: there’s not enough romance on Supernatural. Why is that? Give me five minutes in that writers’ studio…)

  Anyway, back to The Witch’s Rebels. We were talking about badass bitches getting the sexytimes they deserve.

  Right.

  So I started plotting my own story and fleshing out the character who would eventually become our girl Gray, thinking I had it all figured out. But as I dove deeper into the writing, and I really got to know Gray, Darius, Ronan, Asher, Emilio, and Liam, I discovered a problem. A big one.

  With so many strong, sexy guys in the mix, I couldn’t decide which one would be the hero to win Gray’s heart. I loved them all as much as she did!

  I agonized over this.

  It felt like the worst kind of love triangle. Er, love rhombus? Love—wait. What’s the word for five of them? Pentagon! Yes, a love pentagon.

  Pure torture!

  But then I had my lightbulb moment. In the face of so much tragedy and danger, Gray fights hard to open herself up to love, to trust people, to earn those hard-won friendships. Her capacity for giving and receiving love expands infinitely throughout the story, so why the hell shouldn’t she be able to share that with more than one man?

  There was no reason to force her to choose.

  So, she doesn’t. And her story will continue!

  You, dear reader, don’t have to choose either—that’s part of the fun of reverse harem stories like this. But if you happen to have a soft spot for a particular guy, I’d love to hear about it!

  Drop me a line any time at sarah@sarahpiper.com and tell me who’s winning your heart so far! I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours! *wink wink*

  About Sarah Piper

  Hi! I'm the author of The Witch's Rebels series and other sexy, swoony urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels-in-progress. I live with my adorable husband in New York City, but I'm secretly (okay, not-so-secretly) longing for a little cottage in the woods. Or maybe by the sea. Or in the mountains? Pretty much anywhere we can escape from all this craziness!

  In the mean time, I spend my days sleeping like a vampire and my nights making inappropriate jokes and innuendos, writing witchy stories, playing with my ever-expanding collection of Tarot cards, reading way too many books, binge-watching Supernatural (Team Dean, in case you're wondering), and obsessing over the best way to brew a cup of tea.

  You can also find me hanging out in my Facebook readers group, Sarah Piper's Sassy Witches! If you're sassy, or if you need a little more sass in your life, or if you need more Dean Winchester gifs in your life (who doesn't?), join us!