Seraphina’s
Awakening
The
Seraphina Series
Book One
Sheena
Hutchinson
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Sheena Hutchinson LLC
Date of Publication: 9/1/16
ISBN: 978-1535329439
ASIN: B01IC2V53I
Number of pages: 328
Word Count: Aprox 75,200
Cover Artist: Cover Me Darling
Book Description:
For as long as she can remember,
Seraphina Cross has experienced these visions that made her feel like there was
more to life. It wasn’t until one moment, one accident that her life changed
forever.
She awakens the next day a new person in
more ways than one. With no recollection of past night’s events, she’s forced
to adapt to certain sensations she is experiencing all while trying to piece
together what exactly happened to her that fateful night. Her strange, hectic
life doesn’t seem to make sense until she meets a handsome stranger. Only then
does the puzzle finally piece itself together.
What she doesn’t expect is the new powers
she has developed attracting all kinds of unwanted attention. Thrown into a world
she never truly believed existed she is forced to come to grips with who she is
becoming while staying out of trouble long enough to figure out what needs to
be done to fulfill her destiny.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/oj3W8jamP6s
Excerpt #1
Nathanael
Wind bristles through
the trees as the moon casts a ghostly glow over the silent woods. The sounds of
the Earth make their way to Nathanael while he’s sitting on the edge of the
windowsill with one knee bent. His skillful eyes survey the black trees
surrounding the little farmhouse. The peaceful street causes him to relax,
leaning slightly off his knee. His nose rises to meet the breeze. The air has
changed. The cold has actually turned into a scent: crisp and earthy. The edges
of the leaves have started to turn a shade of red. A grunt brings his attention
back inside the room. Placing a leg on the ground, he examines the tree line
one last time for good measure before climbing to his feet. If the Lord is
testing him, he sure doesn’t plan on failing. Sera begins to toss and turn on
her bed. The covers tangle between her legs. This happens every once and a
while. Sometimes he’ll catch her mumbling something, but tonight she just rolls
back onto her side. Gibberish escapes her lips. Nathanael takes a few steps
closer, propping himself onto the foot of her sleigh bed. He assumes his
crouched position, always ready to pounce. Things on Earth are so…
unpredictable. His eyes dart over her shadowed furniture.
With another groan, her
head flips to the other side. “Demons,” she gasps, loud enough for him to make
out. His wings extend in response to the word. The heat swirls inside the palm
of his hands readying himself. It only takes one swooping flap of his wings
before he is airborne, hovering above her.
She never awakens. Her
auburn hair flings from side to side as she thrashes about. He glances around
the cluttered room again trying to remember the protocol: Do not step in with
Earthly affairs, unless your subject is in danger.
His fists clench at his
sides. He struggles to contain himself. There’s this powerful urge inside of
him to take action.
Again, he surveys the
room preparing for everything, anything. Guarding the Throne has made him a
little… paranoid. Here on Earth has proven to be a little monotonous in
comparison. Regardless of what he was once responsible for, he will take pride
in whatever position he’s granted.
The order came from the
Lord Almighty, himself. He continues to remind himself, shaking his head.
Although, as the days go by he finds it feels less and less like a demotion.
After a few minutes, her
thrashing calms and her murmuring halts. His wings retract, causing him to land
on the edge of her bed. Her dreams have grown increasingly vivid over the past
few months. What could she possibly have been dreaming about that involved…
demons?
Excerpt #2
Seraphina
The night is so dark,
Sera can barely see her hand in front of her face. The streetlights are either
broken or nonexistent. She wanders deeper through the city streets looking for
the blue-eyed stranger. There’s a chill in the air causing goose bumps to
sprout up along her bare shoulders.
Tin slams to the ground
behind her causing her to burst into a run. She dashes down the street and
around the corner before ducking into an open cast-iron gate. Sera slips low
behind a bush to make sure no one is following her. The street is silent, not
even a car on the road. It’s strange for New York City, she thinks. The stores
across the street are vacant, the apartments above are all void of movement.
What is going on?
That’s when she feels
it. A breeze tickles her skin from behind. She jerks up onto her feet, heart
beating wildly inside her chest.
The church looms high
above, hiding her in its ghostly shadow. The moon hides far behind it, lighting
up only the tips of the gothic spindles. The arched doorframes mimic the thick
wooden doors underneath. On each corner sits a stone gargoyle with a small
round head and paws like lions, but what really shakes her are those paper-thin
wings, almost like a bat. The statues look down upon Sera. They seem aware
she’s intruding on their territory, their eyes intense and locked on her, while
their paws seem to lean over the edge.
A growl breaks through
the silent night. That definitely wasn’t in her head—these gargoyles just made
noise!
With one last glance
above her, she can see the wings along the backs of the gargoyles have spread
and their eyes are now glowing a luminous, ruby color. The stone of the church
crumbles as they break from their posts. Chunks of rock come tumbling down
around her. She whips around to the cast iron gate again. She closes it for
good measure before dashing across the vacant street. The gargoyles slink down
to the ground like shadows. Their ghostly figures thin to air, slipping between
the spindles of the gate. Slowly, their bodies form back to terrifying,
demon-like stone figures. Their paws move silently as they stalk toward Sera
across the street. The gargoyles have her right where they want her. Her eyes
scan the silent street for an escape. Something. Anything.
The deserted city offers
no escape. The closer they reach, the colder the air feels around her. The
hairs on her arm stand on end and a cloud of air puffs from her open mouth. It
only increases as she backs up into the dark alley across the street. Sera
can’t help but think this is it. This is how I’m going to die. My parents will
be so proud to find me shredded to pieces in a dark alley.
The alley soon fills
with the scent of old garbage. Her back finally hits the brick wall indicating
the end of the stone backstreet.
Pressing her lids
closed, “Please God, don’t let it end like this.” She offers up a quick prayer
before opening her eyes to the approaching shadows.
A thump comes from
somewhere behind the darkness. The ruby eyes growing larger and larger are all
that encompass the alley. Suddenly, a crack echoes the tight space and the red
eyes of one of the gargoyles grow bigger before it falls to the ground. The
stone creature is silent as it writhes there for a minute. Even its companion
pauses in shock until the shadow gargoyle vanishes.
A man comes into view
dressed all in black. With his long sword, he slices the head off the other
gargoyle in front of Sera. A scream echoes in the alley as it too, begins to
writhe in pain. The man glances up from the tip of his sword as the creature
vanishes. The blue eyes shine through the dark alley. I know those eyes—it’s my
dream guy.
“Where did you come
from?” Sera calls across the alley. Strangely, the enclosed space is beginning
to grow brighter by the second. “What’s your name?”
The stranger loops his
sword back into his belt. He doesn’t seem at all concerned with her questions.
His hair moves from side to side as he glances up and down the street.
Sera’s legs finally snap
out of their trance and walk toward him. “What were those things?” she tries
once more.
His eyes finally meet
hers again. They soften slightly at her ignorance and he offers her only one
word. “Demons.”
Excerpt #3
Nathanael
That night she went to
bed without any answers. The night is warm, at least that’s what the box called
a ‘Television’ announced this morning. A breeze brings with it a different
scent. One he’s not familiar with yet. Sera has been asleep for a while now.
The only thing to keep him company is the sound of the woods surrounding her
house. A cricket chirps, and the wind rustles between the leaves.
Nathanael turns away,
swinging his legs onto the floor. The room is quiet as he glides over to her
bedside. The gentle curve of her cheek is calm, relaxed even. Maybe this is all
in his head. Maybe this is normal for Earth.
Just then, her brows
furrow in her sleep—her head flinging to the side. Maybe not. Movement above
his head draws his attention. The
shadows from the tree branches are growing, stretching across the ceiling
closer and closer to the bed. His arms fling outward preparing for an attack.
The shadows elongate farther, creeping like fingers reaching for her.
Something is strange,
yet he can sense no evil around. What is going on? Sera whines in her sleep,
tossing and turning now. Not having anything else to do, Nathanael reaches out
for her. His hand touches her shoulder and Sera stops struggling; her face
peaceful again. A light outside the window causes the shadows to slowly
dissipate. The light grows brighter and brighter. Curiously, Nathanael
approaches the window.
Lampyridae, or
lightening bugs as Sera calls them, have begun to flock to her window. They
float in a growing swarm suspended in the warm winter air.
Suddenly, Sera jumps
halfway up in bed. The spell breaks, causing them to scatter. Her eyes dart
around the room. With a sigh, she rolls over clutching her blanket against her
chest.
The night returns to
normal. After a few minutes, Sera’s breathing evens out. Nathanael wanders over
to her bed again. She stopped at the touch of his hand. This keeps getting even
more curious. He attempts to touch her again.
Her skin is warm, too
warm, feverish for a human. She doesn’t look uncomfortable though; her sleep
even seems peaceful. These things only happen when she is asleep. This girl has
no idea she’s even doing this. The Lord has placed him here for a reason. He
finally understands his purpose, to dissipate the cloud of mystery surrounding
the fiery red headed dreamer.
About the
Author:
Sheena is a born and raised New Yorker,
even her writing can't seem to hide her hard sarcasm. She claims destiny has
lead her back to her true passion for writing.
She constantly strives to be a positive
role model and writes stories that empower and inspire. Sheena always roots for
the underdog, believes in love at first sight, and that everyone should have
their happily ever after.
While God is currently still writing her
love story, she continues to put all her effort into her writing as she is
constantly getting new inspiration.
For more info, updates, and fun facts
visit her website at www.SheenaHutchinson.com
Tour
giveaway
1 Print Copy of Seraphina’s Awakening (US
Shipping only)
2 E-copies of Seraphina’s Awakening (Open
International)
$5 Amazon Gift Card (International)
2 comments:
Thank you for sharing <3
An intriguing story and mysteries you need to solve for peace of mind.
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