'A Touch of Darkness' by Yelena Casale & Tina Moss

A Touch of Darkness
Key Series
Book One

by Yelena Casale and Tina Moss

Genre: Urban Fantasy / Paranormal Romance
Publisher: City Owl Press
Date of Publication: 3/2/2015
ISBN: 978-0-9862516-0-3
ASIN: B00QJKUAUU
Number of pages: 295
Word Count: 75k
Cover Artist: Tina Moss

Book Description:

Cassie Durrett dreams of the darkness. And lives the nightmare. She's working for a tightwad boss at a pretentious NYC diner, dealing with paralyzing pain that doctors can’t diagnose, and trying to hide her hands that glow purple whenever she ...well, whenever.

So, when mystery man, Gabe, walks out of her dreams and into her life to spout some nonsense about her being a mythical creature, she chalks it up to one more crazy thing to add to her it’s-a-crappy-life list. Yet, when his predictions start to come true, she'll need his help to beat back the darkness-spawned creatures invading her reality.

Pretty soon Gabe has her running half way across the country in search of answers. As a bond grows between them, Cassie worries not about losing her mind to the paranormal madness, nor her life to hellish monsters. Rather her deepest fear is surrendering her heart to a powerful man fallen from grace.

FIRST PLACE in 2014 Readers' Crown Award for urban fantasy.

FIRST PLACE in Central Florida RWA's Touch of Magic contest for paranormal romance.

Read an excerpt:

Cassie moaned as the remnants of the attack wore off. She opened her eyes to stare into her dream man’s gaze. Oh, just great. I need to dream about him again? Her body already tingled with pleasure at the familiar vision. A trench coat molded to his tall frame. Across his chest, droplets of water clung to a black shirt, then dripped down to run over his dark jeans and heavy boots. Gabe. The name came to her. How do I know his name’s Gabe? Reality flooded back with a vengeance, the whole encounter snapping into focus as if the picture emerged from a snowy TV. What she didn’t recall was what happened after and why this man was now here, in her apartment.

Her gaze darted around the room, looking for something to use as a weapon. Bookcases lined the far wall with plenty of thick books inside, but she’d never make it past him to reach the shelves. A tiny statue of a marble angel stood on top of the old TV just a foot out of her reach. Next to the TV sat an opaque yellow vase with a couple of long-stemmed white calla lilies. Neither the statue nor the vase, she decided, would be adequate for the job. When she couldn’t find a satisfactory weapon, she opened her mouth to yell.

Before she could utter a sound, Gabe moved so fast she saw him in nothing more than a blur. His hand covered her mouth and he breathed into her ear. “You fainted. I had to get you home, off the street. Please don’t scream. I mean you no harm. I promise.” As if to punctuate his last words, he took his hand away.

Cassie suppressed the rising terror as she considered the situation and chose anger instead. She narrowed her eyes and curled her hands into fists.

“How did you find out where I live if I was unconscious?” she said, her body tensing in the fight or flight response.

“Your wallet. I went through it.”

“Oh...” Her hands remained fisted.

“You’re a strong woman, but you shouldn’t direct your anger at me.” He went to touch her shoulder, but she flinched away. “Look,” he said. “There’s something we need to talk about. But first tell me, how long have you had these headaches, this pain?”

“How do you know about them?” Her voice raised an octave higher.

“I just know. I also know what they mean. Do you?” He seemed eager to hear the answer.

“I’ve had these episodes forever,” Cassie said, unsure why she answered him. “They’ve been getting worse lately.” Her head titled to the side. “Are you a doctor or something?”

“And have you ever felt any other feelings or sensations during or after the headaches?” Gabe went on, ignoring her last question.

“Yes...Maybe...But how on earth would you know?”

“Tell me more,” Gabe insisted, his voice flowing smooth like water.

She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “Enough. I’m not telling you anymore until you tell me what the hell is going on, who you are and what you want from me.”

Cassie heard him whisper under his breath, “Easy...” It seemed more instructions to himself than to her. She ignored it and waited for his answer.

“Cassie, I know everything I’m going to say will sound crazy to you, but you’ve got to listen to me. Haven’t you ever wondered at all the weird things happening to you over the years, at the feeling you get with the headaches, the energy?” She was about to interrupt but he raised his hand to silence her and continued, “This is not going to be easy for you to understand but...there’s more to you than you think.”

And I thought I was crazy. Cassie started to tremble. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well...you’re not exactly...technically...you’re not...” He struggled with whatever he was trying to get out.

“Just say it.”

Gabe locked his gaze with hers. She didn’t look away. She couldn’t.

“You’re not completely human.” 

Available at 

City Owl Press * Amazon * 

BN * Kobo * iBooks

About the authors:

Yelena Casale is an award-winning author of urban fantasy and paranormal romance. Born in Kiev, Ukraine, she moved to New York at thirteen. Being very curious, she has been a devoted reader and writer since childhood. As a 2nd degree black belt and instructor in Shotokan karate, an avid traveler, and history and art enthusiast, she weaves universal themes with martial arts philosophies into her stories. She lives with her amazing, supportive husband and the best Siamese cats. In her spare time, she reads, paints, watches cool shows on TV and tries to get more sleep.

Website: www.yelenacasale.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Yelena_Casale
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yelena.casale.5
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5891772.Yelena_Casale

Tina Moss is an award-winning author of urban fantasy, paranormal romance, romantic suspense, and New Adult novels. She lives in NYC with a supportive husband and alpha corgi, though both males hog the bed and refuse to share the covers. When not writing, she enjoys reading, watching cheesy horror flicks, traveling, and karate. As a 5'1" Shotokan black belt, she firmly believes that fierce things come in small packages.

Website: www.tinamoss.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Tina_Moss
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tina-Moss/126390774082870
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5894584.Tina_Moss

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