The Sanctum, an all-powerful governing body founded by ten families, entrusted to maintain the peace amongst Magicals and ensure the ignorance of humans, has been corrupted by greed and savagery for generations, but is all Wyatt Clayworth has ever known.
Dev, the hybrid demon prophesied to bring an end to The Sanctum and destroy the world for Magicals and humans alike, is not what Wyatt expected to find when sent out on his latest mission. Believed to be hunting a killing machine, Wyatt finds little more than a broken girl with haunted eyes and a bit of a death wish. Drawn to one another for reasons they cannot begin to explain to themselves, much less anyone else, Wyatt is determined to protect Dev and help her realize her mission to avenge the deaths of her family at the hands of The Sanctum.
Set against the backdrop of New York City, THE GIRL is described as "outstanding, original, complex, deep and intoxicating", a "well written, unique...fast-paced read" that begins as one girl's simple quest for revenge and evolves into a complicated tale of trust, friendship, honor and love.
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Without
making a sound, Wyatt quickly found the exact place he was seeking. Ducking
under some low-hanging tree branches, he ventured into the dark,
partially-hidden lair only to be met with a less-than-welcoming blade at his
throat. Dev had moved slightly from the hiding place Wyatt left her and
although the lower half of her body remained immobile, her arms were
functioning just fine, as evidenced by the blade drawing a thin trickle of
blood from Wyatt’s neck. One wrong move and she would certainly kill him.
Wyatt
slowly brought his hands up to Dev’s, wrapped his fingers around hers and
painstakingly maneuvered the blade away from his neck. Only then did he dare
make eye contact with her.
“You
didn’t really think I was just going to leave you here, did you?” Wyatt asked
as he moved to retrieve his blade from Dev.
She
wasn’t quite ready to give it up and slashed at Wyatt’s outstretched hand,
managing to nick his wrist.
“Crap!”
Wyatt sat back on his heels, holding his wrist, and laughed, “fair enough. I deserved
that. I should have told you I was coming back, but I couldn’t risk Ryker
overhearing or suspecting anything. Trust me, if he thought I was coming back
for you he would have spent all night watching me like a hawk. So I left you
and walked away and it worked. Now get over it and give me back my blade.”
Despite
the laughter in his voice, Wyatt wasn’t playing. He wanted his blade. Her name was Odara and she had been handed down the
Clayworth line since the witnessing of The Code of Ten. She was sharper than
any Raven blade and fit his hand like a glove. Many had fought and died at his
hand thanks to Odara. She was his protector and he wanted her back where she
belonged, safely strapped to his hip.
"Kill me," Dev offered the blade at a price.
Wyatt stood up tall and glared down at Dev, clenching his jaw
in irritation.
"Kill me," Dev challenged him again, taunting him
with her smug stare and grim request.
With blinding speed, Wyatt landed on Dev, knocking her to the
ground. Before she even realized what was happening, he locked down her arms
and liberated his blade from her grasp. Wyatt hovered above Dev, inches from
her face, momentarily tempted to slice her throat and end all of this drama.
She couldn’t move a muscle.
"You are in no position to bargain with me," Wyatt
angrily whispered, never taking his eyes off of hers. "I am faster and
stronger than you. So don’t even think about toying with me like that again.”
Wyatt pushed himself off of her, replaced Odara at his hip
and grinned mischievously. “For the record, my blade isn’t worth your life. I
just want it back. And I asked nicely the first time.”
Dev remained in her prone position, staring up at Wyatt,
uncertain of her next move. She didn’t have the strength necessary to pull
herself into a seated position and she definitely was not going to ask for
help.
“What?” Wyatt stared down at Dev, knowing she needed help to
get up but determined to make her ask for it.
Even in the darkness, Dev could see Wyatt’s eyes sparkling
with amusement. He was thoroughly enjoying this little moment between the two
of them. His pleasure made her wish she had slit his throat when she had the
chance. Rather than requesting his assistance, Dev focused every ounce of her
energy on rolling over onto her stomach. If she could do that, she could easily
pull herself into a sitting position, Wyatt be damned.
She closed her
eyes and focused every fiber of her being on the task at hand but nothing
happened. Her body failed to react. It didn't even twitch. The body that had so
beautifully saved her from certain death at the hands of those Sanctum fools
just hours earlier now couldn't even roll over. She shook with frustration,
wanting to scream to the heavens in rage, knowing such action was futile and
beneath her. So she took a calming breath, opened her eyes and glared at Wyatt.
"Ahhhh, you're back. I was
starting to miss your charming scowl," Wyatt bent low and absentmindedly
pushed some of Dev’s hair out of her eyes, “was getting worried there for a
second."
Dev grabbed his hand in her
vice-like grip. She hated him and his snarky comments.
"I realize you don’t like
me," Wyatt pulled his hand out of her grasp and gently placed his arms
around Dev, helping her to sit, unable to look at her lying helplessly on the
ground for another second, "but I'm all you've got so by all means,
continue simmering in your hatred for me but do so with the understanding that
I'm on your side.
"All this stabbing and
cutting nonsense has got to end. If you want to hurt me, just imagine it, okay?
Pretend. Don't actually do it. I heal quickly but it still hurts like
hell."
"Now we've got to get out
of here fast," Wyatt checked his watch, alarmed at how much time had
passed since he jumped out of his window, "and you still can’t walk, which
means I’m going to have to pick you up again. Whether you’re okay with it or
not.”
He leaned back on his heels and
waited, for some reason hoping Dev would respond, all the while knowing she
would not. Dev listened with keen interest to every word coming out of Wyatt’s
mouth. She most certainly didn’t like him, but she had to respect his
determination. He fully intended to get her out of this park and to somewhere
safe and against her better judgment, a tiny part of her was relieved. It was
the same, small part of her that was fiercely drawn to him, like a sickness
almost. And it was the part of her she most wanted to destroy.
Dev hardened her resolve,
focused on her intense hatred for all things Sanctum and shut down.
For an instant, Wyatt thought he
saw a spark in Dev’s eyes and just as quickly, it was gone. At that moment, for
reasons unknown to himself, Wyatt resigned himself to a one-sided relationship
with her, one completely based upon his will to help her. He stood up and
reached for her, praying she didn’t have a blade hidden somewhere, knowing that
if she did, this time she would definitely kill him. To his surprise, Dev
wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed Wyatt to scoop her up and into his
arms, but he thought nothing more of it, knowing full well she was merely using
him to further her agenda.
And that was all right.
About the Author
She’s got a big kid, Miss Sydney, and a little kid, the one and only Dash. They're awesome and fierce and supremely cool and able to make her laugh at the strangest things. She would love to add a dog, some chickens, a goat and a burro to this crew. Everyone needs a burro.
Some of her favorites, in no particular order: ice cream, Kill Bill, four-inch heels, Matt Damon, tattoos, Laini Taylor, scotch on the rocks, The Sanctum trilogy, Martha's Vineyard, "The Girl" aka her Mini, Rihanna, Doc Martens, tulips, Coach and Tami, photo booths and dancing like a fool.
One day she plans to grow up. Right now, she’s enjoying the adventure.
You can find Madhuri here
Giveaway
e-book of “Book One: The Girl (The Sanctum)”
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