Tour Stop: A Forced Bond by Ann D. Lang

Title: A Forced Bond

Series: Dark Pack Series Book 1

Author: Ann D. Lang

Release Date: May 15, 2026

Forced together. Fated forever.

She was supposed to find her fated mate under the full moon.

Instead, she is ordered to bond with a stranger.

The full moon after Rhia’s twentieth birthday was meant to be the happiest night of her life. Among wolf shifters, it is the first full moon after turning twenty when a wolf might finally recognize the mate chosen by the Moon Goddess.

Rhia has always hoped that mate would be Caleb, the boy she has loved for years.

But when an entire neighboring pack is brutally wiped out, everything changes.

Fearing they could be next, the Red Moon Pack forms a desperate alliance with the powerful Silver Lake Pack. And alliances between alpha families require one thing above all else: a mating bond.

As the only unmated alpha daughter of Red Moon, Rhia’s future is decided for her. Instead of discovering her fated mate under the coming full moon, she is ordered to form a bond with Jalen, the future alpha of Silver Lake.

Leaving her home, her family, and the life she thought she would have.

Jalen never wanted a forced bond any more than Rhia did. But protecting their packs comes before everything. What neither of them expected was the instant pull between them, a connection that feels far too real to be political.

But if the Moon Goddess had a plan for their bond all along, it may be because the Dark Pack is not finished yet—and their own may be the next target.

"Race you to the rocks?" Rhia points to the little collection of rocks well off the shoreline.

"They are further away than you think," I try to warn her from experience, but she has already taken off.

As I soon realize, she is not only an excellent fighter but also a very good swimmer. I love it. I am a decent swimmer myself, but it is not exactly my strongest form of movement. Plus, I am still a little slower than usual. At least that is what I am telling myself as I try hard to keep up with Rhia.

I am right behind her, but there is no hiding my labored breathing when we reach the rocks. On warm days, my friends and I love to climb onto the smooth stones and sunbathe. Unfortunately, it's not quite warm enough for that yet.

Unlike me, Rhia is not even a little winded, and I admire her strength. "You're an amazing athlete. I can't wait to see what you can do without the necklace," I grin at her.

'Oooh, well she's hot!' Hunter's voice comes through the mind link, and I let out a growl. Turning to the tree line behind me, I easily spot his wolf in the bushes.

'Leave now, or I will end you! This is your future luna!'

'Jealous, huh? Relax, man, I was just going for a quick hunt. I'll leave you two lovebirds to it.' His wolf actually gives me a wink before he turns around.

"Are you coming in?" As I turn back around, Rhia is already swimming away from the shore.

We head back at a slower pace, leisurely swimming next to each other.

"Do you think they would mind if we skipped the communal dinner tonight?" Rhia asks.

"Not in the mood for a crowd?"

"Not really. It's just all a little much," she shrugs, then adds quickly: "I'm sorry, I don't want you to get the wrong impression. I am looking forward to spending more time with your pack. Just not quite yet."

"You need some time to process everything, I get it."

She gives me a questioning look when I reach for her hand before I get up, pulling her with me. The contact sends tingles up my arm. "We need to head back and talk to our parents if we want to avoid dinner. They might whip us and throw us in the dungeon, and I don't think I could take that." I wink at her to make sure she knows I am joking about that last part.

She chuckles, gripping my hand a little tighter. We are silent on our way to the packhouse, and it feels good to be walking with her like this. Her smaller hand fits into mine just right.

When Ann D. Lang isn’t writing, she can be found with her family and her cats — who treat everyone in the house as their personal servants and are entirely unbothered by deadlines. A lifelong lover of paranormal romance in all its forms, from vampire courts and fae kingdoms to witch covens and wolf pack politics, she has spent years falling in love with other people’s worlds — and one day simply decided to open the doors to a world of her own.

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Tour Stop/Giveaway: Her Silence by S.T. Ashman

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. S.T. Ashman will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Nicole gets the call at 4 a.m. Her daughter Lacey was found in the woods beside her friend's dead husband. He was stabbed forty-four times. Lacey is barely alive. Covered in his blood. And completely mute.

She hasn't said a word since. Not to the police. Not to her husband. Not even to Nicole.

Nicole had Lacey at seventeen and swore her daughter would have a good life. Now Lacey is sitting in a cell, and Nicole's three grandchildren are left behind with a father who is losing it.

But Nicole knows her daughter. She isn't a cold-blooded murderer. Guilt didn't silence her. Fear did. Whatever happened in those woods scared Lacey more than prison.

So Nicole starts digging. But some secrets don't save people. They destroy them.

Read an Excerpt

"I heard a noise." Dylan's voice came from behind me.

I turned, still holding the bottle. He noticed it before I could hide it.

"What's the date on it?" he asked, unfazed.

It took me a second to catch up. "Oh. Umm. Let me see." I squinted at the label. "The stamp says the bottle is ten years old."

He nodded. "Then it's an old one."

I looked at Dylan in a mix of admiration and sadness.

Admiration for how mature he was. Standing there like that. Calm and composed.

Sadness because that bottle was a reminder of darker times. When Brian's parents died in their sleep from a carbon monoxide leak, it shattered the family. Brian fell into drinking, unable to cope with the loss.

It was Lacey, as always, who held everyone together and helped him through it.

"I'll throw it away," I said.

Dylan nodded again. "I better get back to Ethan and Lila."

He turned and headed back upstairs. I followed on his heels and tossed the bottle into the kitchen trash just as the phone rang.

Brian.

As if he knew we'd just been talking about him.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey, it's me. Did you talk to Lacey?"

"Yes, she called me when she was finishing up her shift to check in on the kids. Is everything all right up there?"

"Yeah … just … just wanted to see how you guys are doing."

His tone wasn't alarming or overly sweet. Just neutral.

"We're good. Let me get the kids on the phone—"

"No, no. I'll talk to them later. Amanda … she needs my help with something."

About the Author: S. T. Ashman is an American-German author who calls the beautiful U.S. Seacoast home. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she spent years working as a psychotherapist in the criminal justice system. The work gave her a rare window into the human mind, both the beautiful and the deeply shadowed. It's no wonder readers often say her characters feel real enough to step off the page.

When she's not crafting her next twisty tale, you'll find her chasing after her kids, nose-deep in a book, or curled up late at night with a horror movie and a husband who always falls asleep on the couch before the scary parts.

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashmanbooks
Instagrm: https://www.instagram.com/booksbyashman/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094353614873
Website: http://www.ashmanbooks.com
Link to ARC on Netgalley: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/830451
Goodreads giveaway: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/250496134-her-silence

Amazon preorder: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX371KS8
Apple Preorder: http://books.apple.com/us/book/id6762005159
Barnes and Noble Preorder: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/her-silence-s-t-ashman/1149881409

Blog Tour Stop/Giveaway: Whispers of the Elixer

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. C.P. Silver will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Guest Interview with C.P. Silver

What is your latest book about?

Whispers of the Elixir is about a princess living in a matriarchal empire where wielding elemental magic is punishable by public execution, and her own mother wouldn’t hesitate to give the order. It's an adult fantasy about making impossible choices, about what happens when the person who loves you becomes your greatest threat, and about the painful process of true transformation.

 

Taking the story from a concept to a published book is a long and involved process. How does that usually work for you?

For me, this starts with ideas that come through everyday life. My imagination roams wild as I explore nature, read fiction or history, or simply observe the world around me.

Once the ideas have formed, I note them, eventually mapping out details of the story world, and an outline of a story that takes place within it.

After that, I work in layers. I dictate my first draft, then in a second draft I flesh out each scene, making sure they hit all the points that make scenes satisfying. In further drafts, I work page by page, tweaking dialogue, characterization, and micro tension, before finally scrutinizing every line and word for meaning and rhythm and emotion. This final draft is then ready for my beta readers and my developmental editor, and, once the edits from their feedback are complete, I’ll send it on to my line and copy editor.

Publishing comes next and requires an entirely different skill set!

 

Do you have a favorite personal development or writing book you would recommend?

I have several great writing books on my shelf, but the ones I referred to most when writing Whispers of the Elixir are: Getting the Words Right by Theodore Cheney; Fight Write by Carla Hoch; The Emotional Craft of Fiction, and The Fire in Fiction, both by Donald Maass; and Steering the Craft by Ursula Le Guin.

 

Tell us something fun or interesting about you.

From about the age of 5 until the age of 20, I used to sing in church fairly regularly. I even performed at weddings—two for family, one for a stranger.

These days I still love to sing, although now I prefer the privacy of my home, usually when I’m alone.

 

What have you learned throughout your writing process?

One thing I’ve learned is that “show don’t tell” is incomplete advice. Sometimes you do need to state things directly. And many of the most satisfying passages I’ve read contained a carefully crafted combination of both.

 

What has inspired you to become a writer?

I think it was my love of writing. A question I asked myself many times throughout the years was, “What would it be like to just do what I love?” I’m so glad I took the plunge.

 

How do you keep your ideas fresh and avoid traveling over well-worn territory?

I believe that keeping ideas fresh comes from allowing yourself to be authentic. If I can build a world colored by my personal experience, views, and imagination, it can’t help but be fresh, because each of us is unique.

The same goes for the plot. As I’m writing my outline, I always ask myself, “If I were a reader discovering this book, what would I, personally, love to see happen next?” Working like this allows even well-worn territory to be viewed through a new lens.

 

What trope have you not written yet but want to?

I would love to write an antihero someday, one with a tragic end. It would be someone who ought to be despicable, and yet who you just can’t bring yourself to despise. Someone who, when they make bad choices, you beg to stop, for their own good. It would be someone you love, in spite of yourself—and them—right up to their sad but inevitable demise.

It’s not something I have the confidence to write yet, though. I think I’ll get a few more books under my belt before I try to pull this one off.

 

Do you have a specific writing process?

Apart from outlining, dictating, and drafting in layers, I also try to incorporate a daily practice. This involves reading a craft book and then practicing the skill I’m reading about. And I try to read poetry every day, an activity that both instructs and inspires.

 

Do you have a favorite author and/or favorite book?

This would have to be J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. It’s a book I’ve read countless times, and I seem to read on an ongoing loop. I never get enough of it. Each time I enter the story, all the same emotion and wonder returns. It’s more than a book; it’s a work of art.

 

What do you do when you’re not writing?

When I’m not taking care of the myriad of family or personal commitments that make up adult life, I read, with fantasy and the classics as my mainstay. Apart from Lord of the Rings, right now I’m rereading A Room with a View by E.M. Forster, as well as two new fantasies: The Mark of the Unseen God by Benjamin Patterson, and The Bad Apothecary by Keon Shore, both of which are great.

Whenever I have the time, I also try to catch an episode of whichever C-drama I’m into at the moment. I just started one entitled Pursuit of Jade, and I’m loving it!

A matriarchal empire. A princess with forbidden magic. A mother who would kill to protect her own legacy.

As heir to the Min empire, Tori has learned to wear her collar well — speaking her mind just enough to feel like herself, defying her empress mother just enough to survive the guilt of submission. But she's hiding a secret that would see her sawn in half: a forbidden elemental power tied to the world's mythic past. If discovered, her mother would execute her own daughter without hesitation. And Tori knows it.

When discovery becomes inevitable, she flees into Peach Blossom Grove — a mythic realm of ghost-flowers, sentient forests, and immortals who remember a world before empires. In this ancient realm where immortal masters train magic-wielders and sentient weapons choose their owners, magic is neither blessing nor curse but a reflection of who you truly are. Here, Tori finds what the palace never gave her: belonging. But the trials are brutal, designed to break her before they remake her. And as her mother's ambition threatens war, Tori must choose — suppress the power that could doom her, or embrace it and become the one thing her mother fears most.

Herself.

Whispers of the Elixir begins the Order of the Ember series — a slow-burn, character-driven epic fantasy of legacy, sacrifice, and the strength of a princess destined to rise from the shadows and claim her place in legend.

Here you will find the political intrigue of Andrea Stewart, the immersive worldbuilding of Patrick Rothfuss, and the emotional weight of M.L. Wang.

Read an Excerpt

Tori fought the feeling of being on a leash. She raised a hand halfway to the feathers fastened around her neck, hesitated, then let it fall.

“Is it itching, Princess?” Lady Elnora said, watching her.

“Like all insanity, but no point fiddling with it.”

Her gentlewoman adjusted the feathered ruff anyway, providing no relief whatsoever. It didn’t matter. Collared or not, today she would prove she was not her mother’s lapdog.

She struggled to see above the red filigree rail of the Imperial Observation Pavilion—where the royal family sat, far above the masses—the weight of her ceremonial robes resisting her every effort. Imperial decorum, it seemed, had not been designed with mobility in mind. It was times like these that she regretted her small stature; her mother, no doubt, could see perfectly.

Once she finally shifted forward, however, her three-story vantage point allowed her a perfect view of the float parade winding through the city of Silver Fox Springs in a ribbon of color and sound.

“I still don’t see them,” Tori said, craning her neck forward.

Elnora’s smooth brown finger pointed the way. Blending seamlessly with the sculptures of giant mythical creatures adorning the streets, Tori’s pantomimists balanced on their stilts, waist pouches packed so tight with skades that the little stones stretched the seams. Pantomimists had never been seen before at the Tailu Spring Festival—and would remain hidden, until her plan required it.

About the Author:

C.P. Silver writes fantasy set in a world where matriarchy is absolute, with immersive worldbuilding, evocative prose, and emotionally complex characters. A former lawyer who also briefly studied Chinese medicine, her experiences shape the nuance and depth of her debut novel, Whispers of the Elixir, a slow-burn epic centered on legacy, inheritance, and the dangerous cost of power.

Raised in the Cayman Islands, she now lives in Europe. When not writing, she’s usually reading in a quiet nook or walking somewhere green, listening for the next story.

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F9YVK3NG
All Other Retailers: https://books2read.com/Whispers-of-the-Elixir

Social Media:

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/cpsilver_author
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cpsilverauthor/
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/cpsilver-author.bsky.social
Goodreads profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/56899835.C_P_Silver
Author website: https://www.cpsilver.com/

Tour Stop/Giveaway: The Secret Cottage by Kate Ellington

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Kate Ellington will be awarding a $20 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Isabel Tate yearns for the simple pleasures she took for granted before scandal rocked her family two years ago. On May Day, she's determined to forget her troubles and enjoy herself at the Claremont family's annual festival. Meanwhile, Robert Claremont steels himself to begin courting the haughty heiress next door, but his bashfulness is only one obstacle to winning her hand. Despite a deep sense of family obligation, he dreams of choosing his own bride. Captivated by each other from the moment they meet, Robert and Isabel are kept apart by a misunderstanding until a chance encounter leads to friendship and more. With opposition on all sides, they must overcome inconceivable odds to claim happiness.

Read an Excerpt

Isabel turned her horse into the woods, directing him to a gurgling stream under a canopy of trees. The forest was quiet but for the splashing of the water, bird songs and the rustle of branches. They hadn’t been there long when Isabel heard a new sound. Hoofbeats and muffled voices. She urged her horse closer to the road, and easily heard the riders' conversation.

“What makes you think she came this way?” a man asked.

A deeper voice answered, “Merely a guess. It seemed as good a place as any to look, but I'm thwarted again.”

“Let's turn back, we can look for her tomorrow.”

“I'm sitting for the portrait tomorrow.”

Isabel's pulse quickened as she recognized the deeper voice. Robert Claremont. So he’d been looking for her. Why hadn't he come to the house? She started back toward the stream, but suddenly reason left her and she guided her horse through the trees, emerging just as Robert and his companion rounded the bend going in the opposite direction. They hadn't seen her.

Isabel paused for a moment, thinking what to do. Go back home and hope he came to the house soon? Or seek him out for herself? Her reckless side won. Spurring her horse to a gallop, she chased after them. Robert turned in his saddle and Isabel was delighted with the look of shock on his face as she sped past him and who she could now see was Mr. Kensington.

About the Author:
Kate Ellington grew up in a woodsy New England town where summer days at the lake seemed to last forever. She read her first historical romance at age eleven when a teacher challenged her to find a book in the library written by an author she’d never heard of. Thus began a life-long love of love stories.

After graduating from college with an art degree she settled in the Pacific Northwest, where she currently resides with her family.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/29720924.Kate_Ellington
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/kateellington.bsky.social
Website: https://www.kateellington.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kateellingtonauthor
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Cottage-Kate-Ellington/dp/1509253661

Tour Stop/Giveaway: The Chimera Snare by S&E Black

 

Witness the vile acts of a monstrous heart.

Feel the vicious clash of duality in conflict.

Know the light of protection through valiant courage. 

Guest Post:

What are common traps for aspiring writers?

Shannon: I think deadlines are one thing. Many writers feel pressured to crank out content because of demand. The fact to keep in mind is that creativity shouldn’t be rushed, it should be nurtured and allowed to grow. If you rush your writing, you run the risk of sabotaging your work with ideas that weren’t fully fleshed out, or writing yourself into a corner.

Edward: Agreed. It’s never a good idea to put obstacles in front of yourself, so tread carefully.

 

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

Shannon: I always write for myself and for the story at hand. I understand the appeal of fan-service, or writing for a particular hot genre, but that’s not the story we’re telling. That’s not the reason I write.

Edward: I’m in the same boat. Writing for trends or keeping certain tropes in mind was never something that occurred to me. I write what I feel I want to express that is within my own unique voice.

 

What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?

Shannon: I don’t have difficulty with swapping between genders, because I dislike gender roles. I focus on what makes a character who they are through their personalities. I do, however, think that one of the harder things is to maintain the same tone for a character when you’re writing for several of them.

Edward: I don’t have difficulty either. That’s essentially the fundamental thing about nurturing an imagination - you can place yourself within another personality and step into a character’s shoes. I think that perhaps being empathetic, attentive, and willing to listen and understand others, regardless of gender, can enable one to do just that.

Do you believe in writer’s block?

Shannon: 100%. It’s something I struggle with from time to time, and I really feel that it’s important to listen to when it happens, and give yourself some time to reset. I will switch gears and clear my headspace. I usually know when I can return to the project and make more progress instead of just staring blankly at my computer screen for half the day.

 

Edward: Oh yes, It’s definitely a thing. If I find myself in a block, then I’ll do one of two things: try writing something else, like a different part of a book I’m working on to try and step into a more inviting subject or mood, or I’ll step away and do something else entirely. Sometimes a good decompress can “clear the cache,” so to speak. With that, some different perspectives with new and better ideas can then find me.

 

The Chimera Snare: Reflections

The Chimera Snare Book 2

by S & E Black

Genre: Dark Epic Fantasy

-Winner: 2026 Literary Titan Gold Book Awards: Fiction
-2nd Place: 2026 BookFest Awards - Fiction- Dark Fantasy
-Book Nerdection "Must Read"
-Readers' Favorite: 5 Stars

 

Von is cast into the pages of Ananael, the Order's tome of secret knowledge. However, his venture into the past takes an unexpected turn as he awakens within a cosmic void in the presence of the eternal being, who grants him perspective through others woven through his existence. Yet before he may commence his time-altering quest, a trial of discovery, revelation, and horror surrounding his origin awaits him.

Benson's monstrous heart sews the seeds of a vile past brimming with betrayal and hate. Through unimaginable deceptions and buried secrets, familial bonds once forged from love, honor, and acceptance are upended and broken forever. The souls of integral births, sprouting from pillaged and neglected foundations, unfurl a path towards disarray.

Distorted memory fragments challenge Von's grip on reality, and the reveal of a horrid truth ignites a vicious fury of vengeance. Though his quest for answers falters along the way, he finds help from an unexpected ally. Meanwhile, a mysterious power awakens within Navaryn, putting her at odds with both her friends and herself. And as the motivations of Celestine's leader become questionable, her suspicions involving her role within the Halryn continue to grow.

As the disparate worlds of Celestine and Daeva teeter on the brink of war, Von and Navaryn are drawn together by unseen forces. Two destinies, once parallel, now collide. But where bloodshed beckons, a valiant act of courage challenges the course of their fates.

 

Clay Urn Publishing * Amazon * Apple * B&N * Bookbub * Goodreads

 

At last, an uneasy silence fell upon the sopping wet grounds, though the shambled arena creaked eerily. Von quickly Paralleled to the ground and proceeded to walk toward Navaryn’s limp body lying in a muddy crater several meters away. As he gradually brought his power down, his claws began to retract, and his horns receded into his skull. Clutching his side as he trotted along, he heard clamoring voices in the distance and a distinctive pair of boots running through the mud towards him.

“Von!” shouted a sober Claymar. “Wow, you’re alright.” He ran to his side and acted as a crutch to hold him upright. “That was, uh, really something back there. Care to explain what all that was?”

“Later,” said Von exhaustedly. “Where’s your uncle?”

“On his way, most likely. He nabbed Illiya and had her scout for other Celestines while you were off playing with the shimmery blue one. Why do you ask?”

“I need to know how much time I have,” Von replied.

“Time? For what?” he asked, peering ahead at Navaryn. His eyes widened as she slowly began to stir.

“Hold it, Clay,” ordered Von, pressing his hand against his chest to break his stride.

“What are you worried about? You got her!”

“It’s not that.”

Claymar scrunched his face and asked suspiciously, “Then what is it?”

“She’s strong,” said Von. “Immensely strong. She very well could have killed me.”

“Uh, but you’re the one still standing, are you not? Can’t be that strong,” he teased.

“Something happened, though. She lost control. Her power spiked with mine, but didn’t stay with her.”

“Ha! You almost sound like you feel sorry for her.”

Von ignored Claymar’s remarks and walked towards Navaryn, who was slowly rising to her knees with her back to him. Claymar followed behind, but Von turned to him with a furious eye.

Claymar folded his arms and asked, “W-what are you doing?”

The rain calmed, and the moon peeked through the parting clouds, casting a peaceful light onto the glistening, moist ground. Von drew closer, catching silver scintillations atop the bloodied and scorched wounds on her back.

Navaryn winced in pain as she struggled to rise to her feet, chattering her teeth as the cold, wet mud chilled her bruised skin. As squelching footsteps neared, she spun around. “W-who’s there?” she uttered, shielding the moonlight from her eyes with her forearm.

Navaryn’s inquisition made Von stop in his tracks. As her eyes adjusted to the razor-sharp rays of light over his silhouette, she quickly recognized the warm glow of his crimson eyes.

“Stop! Don’t hurt him!” Navaryn cried out.

Her strange and sudden outburst jolted Von. He looked around to find who she was pleading to, but saw no one.

“Wh-what happened to me?” Navaryn asked herself as she gazed down at her hands.

The confusion in her voice affirmed Von’s earlier assessment. “You’re fine now,” he assured. “You’re back.”

Navaryn’s eyes widened as she looked back up at Von. With the simplest of words, uttered with a palpable coldness, he gave her comfort and validation. In him, she found the first person able to convey an understanding of what she was going through when all others couldn’t begin to. An essence dwelt within her. One that seized control of her body once triggered into play, and left her only with the ability to spectate. A similar plight rang true for Von regarding his notorious beastly transformation. Yet, as his second encounter with Navaryn unfolded, his energy had learned to work in tandem with the essence that would otherwise overcome him. Von and Navaryn became locked in a stare just as before, only this time without the presence of aggression. They saw themselves in each other, in a reflection no longer distorted.

“Hey, Von!” Claymar called out. “Um, not sure what you’re doing over there, but you should know the cavalry is incoming.”

Sidwell approached with his entourage of soldiers and a vexed group of eastern Daeva in tow. As the last of his squadron funneled out of the arena, many of the ceremony attendees emerged from hiding within the surrounding brush and trees. Mixed in among the crowd were the rest of Daeva’s leaders, Killian, Morgan, Adair, and Godric, with Merisek alongside them. Weaving through the approaching crowd was Joro, whose surreptitious footsteps evaded the spotlight. Although the chattering among the crowd was indistinct, even for Von’s hearing, he could feel the tension steadily rising.

Sidwell stroked his gray, scraggly goatee, suspicious of the pair’s peculiar exchange. Marching with mighty strides, flaunting his prowess, Illiya approached him from the side.

“Have you done what I asked?”

“Yes, sir,” Illiya replied. “I’ve scouted thoroughly, and there’s no sign of any Celestine formations in the surrounding area. She seems to be the only one.”

“A spy. Just as I suspected. And a dumb one at that. She tipped a bartender with Celestine coin,” he replied with a chuckle as he dismissed his lieutenant.

Sidwell and his entourage moved in to surround Navaryn.

“Well, it took you long enough. But you managed to take down the Celestine without incident to life. That’s as much of a ‘thank you’ that you’ll get out of me,” Sidwell uttered to Von before addressing the chattering crowd. “People of Daeva! You’ve now witnessed our realm’s very threat with your own eyes…”

The Chimera Snare: Fragments

The Chimera Snare Book 1

Husband & Wife author duo Shannon Vierra & Edward Ayllon write under the pen name S & E Black. Together, they craft the award-winning series, The Chimera Snare. They share a deep appreciation for music and credit a great number of bands and artists for inspiring their writing journey. Currently, they live in the greater Chicago area amidst a rich and diverse culture with their clowder of rescue cats.

Shannon is an urban gardener and an avid seed collector. In the makeup community, she goes by the moniker zoomzoommacaron and hosts an international, zombie-themed makeup collab called the #zombabescollab. She also enjoys anime, horror movies, craft beer & kombucha, cooking (and eating), sunbathing, photography, and singing badly. Music fuels Shannon's many passions, especially writing and creating art. She credits music with saving her life on multiple occasions in her teenage and young adult years.

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Edward first discovered the joys of creative writing through his early high school studies, and has spent many years exploring and developing a deep appreciation for the arts. Since first collaborating with his wife, Shannon, he has sprouted a passion and true affinity for storytelling and crafting literature. In addition to refining his skill in creating written works, his other interests include playing bass guitar, listening to music, and dabbling in photography.

 

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