#Excerpt – #TheEmissary – #MegaSale – #AlertTheMedia

I’ve been having so much fun finding excerpts to share with you guys, I decided to keep going. Hope you’ll enjoy this scene between the Archangel Azrael and his first Emissary, Jake Daughtry. (It was such fun writing about these two!) Happy Reading!



Chapter 1
“Angel Eyes”
The Jeff Healey Band

~~~

Cowering in Terror,
At That Still-Dark, Still-Deserted Truck Stop,
Halfway Between Here and There.

AZRAEL STOPPED ADVANCING. Jake squinted against the brilliant white glare that surrounded the angel towering over him.

“Do you have to be all bright like that in order to kill me?”

Cocking his head to the side, Azrael bellowed, “What?”

“It’s like staring into the sun. Go ahead and cleave, if you want to, but can’t you do it without first making me blind as well as deaf?”

Azrael grimaced. “Better?” He’d turned the volume down a hundred decibels or so, and the fiery aura surrounding him faded.

Jake nodded. “Okay. Cleave away.”

“You are not making an ounce of sense. Why do you keep going on about cleaving?”

“Off the top of my head, I’d say it’s because that big sword you’re swinging around looks like it was designed for cleaving all over the place.”

Azrael stared at the sword in his hand as though he’d never seen it before, and couldn’t imagine why he was holding it. In a nanosecond, it whooshed out of sight, faster than Luke Skywalker’s light saber.

To Jake’s amazement, Azrael flushed flamingo pink. His golden curls fell back into place around his face, and his size returned to something less monolithic in nature. For a moment, the angel looked as though he might even apologize, but he appeared to think better of it. Instead, he drew himself up straight, squared his shoulders, and cleared his throat.

“I am not going to cleave you in twain, Jake, but do not try my patience again. Perhaps you and I need to have a serious discussion. We do not seem to be . . . on the same page, I believe you would say.”

“A discussion? Is that angelspeak for telling me I can’t quit?” Jake tried to stand, but gasped as his back refused to follow through on that idea.

Azrael scowled. “Emissary in training or not, you are still too fragile. This will have to be corrected.” He waved a hand in Jake’s general direction, and the pain disappeared at once.

Jake scrambled to his feet. He preferred to face Azrael eye to eye, even though it didn’t increase his chances of being able to defend himself from the angel at all. The few bits of power he’d been given would be all but useless against that kind of strength, but standing still felt better than cowering on the ground at the feet of an infuriated behemoth.

“Is the pain gone?” For a fleeting moment, Azrael looked genuinely concerned.

“Mostly. What now?”

“Now we talk. I have put a Pass By compulsion on the entrance to this place, but it would still be more comfortable and quiet in your truck.”

Jake turned to follow Azrael back to the semi, then froze in his tracks. “What the—? You found time between all the thundering, and glowing, and . . . and . . . sword-waving to put the door back on?”

“Nonsense. I was focused on you. The door took care of itself.”

“Huh? What’s that mean?”

“It means your truck heals almost as fast as you do.”

“I heal fast? Since when?”

Azrael’s expression flip-flopped between anger and frustration, finally compromising on irritated resignation. He stalked across the parking lot, and Jake trailed behind, painfully aware he’d just had a narrow escape. Maybe more than one.

A hardheaded temperament and big mouth had gotten Jake in trouble throughout much of his life, and it looked like it would still be a problem in the afterlife, as well. He’d have to work on that—assuming Azrael did not accept his angry resignation.

“What exactly does a ‘Pass By compulsion’ do, if that’s not forbidden knowledge?”

“Knowing what one does is not forbidden. Performing one at your current status level is. Therefore, all I will tell you is that as long as you and I are here, drivers will not notice the exit road and will pass by.”

“Hence, the name.”

“What?”

“Never mind.” Jake shook his head. For a liaison angel, Azrael didn’t seem to understand humans all that well, especially their senses of humor, but antagonizing him wasn’t smart. It might be time to shut up, and let the big guy speak his piece. And he would. As soon as he sorted out one or two more things.


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Hope you enjoyed this excerpt from Chapter 1 of The Emissary. Thanks so much for reading, and for helping me get the word out! You guys ROCK!

14 thoughts on “#Excerpt – #TheEmissary – #MegaSale – #AlertTheMedia

    • I tried to mix a lot of humor into this little series of novellas, Trish, and I’m glad you found some in this bit. I so enjoyed writing about the relationship between the world’s first emissary to the angels and Azrael. It’s almost tempting to continue the adventures, but I think I ended it all on a good point, and should probably move on. (Hence my plan for Cole, Cole, & Dupree.) Thanks so much for stopping by this morning. 😀 ❤

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    • Glad you enjoyed it, Craig. I wanted the Emissary novellas to have a lot of fun moments in them, in addition to some more dramatic ones, so this is just a little hint how the snarky truck driver and the pompous archangel play off each other. Thanks for checking it out! 😀

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    • Writing the two of them and their complicated relationship was just so much fun, Mae, and I’m delighted that you enjoyed them. Thanks so much for your kind words and for stopping by this morning! 😀 ❤

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    • Thanks so much, Jan! These three novellas were such fun to write, even with the addition of a few scenes designed to elicit a tear here and there. Or at least a few sniffles. Mostly, I just loved writing the dynamics between Azrael and Jake, and I hope you’ll enjoy reading about them when you get a chance.

      Thanks so much for stopping by today! 😀 ❤

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    • Can’t wait to see what you think, Teri. Each novella is right at 100 pages and is a pretty easy read. Hope you’ll enjoy them! And thanks for stopping by! 😀 ❤ BTW, I probably should have mentioned somewhere that this isn’t ALL of Chapter 1. Just a segment I liked. 😀

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    • Aw, thanks, Darlene. I think they might have been the most fun I’ve had since I started writing. Well, maybe they’re tied with Rabbit, who also puts a smile on my face while I work. I’m so glad you enjoyed this series, especially Jake and Azrael. I’m still hoping to get them out in print before too long, but we’ll see. I’m waaaaay behind on stuff.

      And thanks for stopping by today to let me know your thoughts on my Emissaries and their somewhat pompous boss. 😀 ❤

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