The Romance Dance: Castle Ridge Small Town Romance
Page 27
“Grab her!” The old man spoke in English.
“Touch her?” Xander sounded horrified like I was the slime of the world. “I can’t.”
“She’s got the amulet.”
I tried to get to my feet, but the pulsing inside threw me off balance. I crashed back onto the floor. Pain seared my fingers and heat rushed my veins.
My body jerked. My head spun.
Something slammed into me from the inside, like it was in my body trying to get out. Back and forth I jerked. A powerful energy thumped from my ribcage to my stomach and back again.
I trembled from head to foot. My vision blurred. Images swam before my eyes—a blue river, golden statues, Egyptian pyramids, deceit, and death.
“What’s going on?” The sound coming out of my mouth warbled. “Am I dying?”
This felt worse than the time I had pneumonia with no medicine, or the time I broke my arm and Fitch duct taped it…
Fogginess seeped into my consciousness. If I blacked-out they’d steal the amulet, leave me to be caught, to go to prison, to face Fitch’s wrath.
Whatever was inside me ignited like a nuclear bomb. My skin could no longer contain my insides. I’d explode into tiny pieces and scatter across the museum floor.
“It’s happening… To. Her.” Jeb’s voice was faint as if coming from a distance, but I saw his shoes through squinted eyelids.
“But it’s my right. My inheritance.” Xander stomped his sandaled foot near my head. “My destiny.”
“It’s too late.” Jeb’s voice curled like a sneer with extra hatred. “The transfer has occurred. This stupid girl is now in possession of King Tutankhamun’s soul.”
Buy Soul Slam
Other Books by
Allie Burton
A Castle Ridge Small Town Romance Series
The Romance Dance
The Christmas Match
The Flirtation Game
The Playboy Switch – Coming soon!
The Marriage Merger – Coming soon!
Soul Warriors Series
Soul Slam
Tut’s Trumpet
Peace Piper
Cleo’s Curse
Lost Daughters of Atlantis Series
Atlantis Riptide
Atlantis Red Tide
Atlantis Rising Tide
Atlantis Tide Breaker
Atlantis Dark Tides
Atlantis Twisting Tides
Atlantis Glacial Tides
Acknowledgements
Switching from young adult to contemporary romance has been an exciting journey. I want to thank those who encouraged me to make the change, who helped me distinguish the differences between writing first person young adult and third person romance, and who assisted me with the learning curve of writing something different. Through the process, I have grown as a person and as a writer.
Thanks to my developmental editor, Caro LaFever, who pushed me to dig deeper into the character’s emotions, careers, and backstories. Who also read each of the Castle Ridge books twice! Thanks to Addison Fox, for her encouragement and critiques. Her knowledge of the romance genre is undeniable. And thanks to Tanya Saari, my proofreader, without her I’d have commas in all the wrong places.
Finally, thanks to my husband, who is the hero in my own romance.
About the Author
Allie Burton has always been a reader and writer. She wrote her first novel at the age of twelve when she was stranded at a hospital by a snowstorm. Receiving her first romance from her grandmother, she fell in love with the genre. As an adult, she read young adult books with her own teens and was excited to find something fresh and new. Now, she writes both.
Having so many jobs as a teen and adult became great research material for the stories she writes. She has been everything from a bike police officer to a professional mascot escort to an advertising executive. She has lived on three continents and in four states and has studied art, fashion design, and marine biology.
Allie is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Romance Writers of America. She loves to ski, golf, and run. Currently, she lives in Colorado with her husband and two children.
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