Excerpt & Giveaway | Shattering Halos by Sunniva Dee
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Shattering Halos
by Sunniva Dee
(Halos #1)
Publication date: February 24th 2014
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal
I traded my death for love. I wasn’t given a choice. His decision has caught up with us, so now I am a living, breathing catalyst to war between Heaven and Hell.The violations he committed saved my life. Since the collision, he’s appeared everywhere. In my hospital room, my school, even my house. He shows up in my paintings, my drawings, in all of my art projects. I can’t stop thinking about him.
He says his name is Gabriel, and he doesn’t understand what’s happening to him. He doesn’t know how I can see him or why he wants me in ways that should be impossible for a Celestial.
My obsession grows. I need him to hold me, kiss me—give all of himself. For every day he protects me, the consequences loom darker and taller. Soon, they’ll crash down on us.
The war is about to begin.
Excerpt
GAIA
I’d been in the ditch for a while. Ever since the night blurred into silvers and reds and the minutes froze. Since Mark’s eyes widened from behind the steering wheel.
Face down in the dirt, I couldn’t see the car wreck anymore. Footfalls slapped the ground, growing louder. Then the shouts reached me.
“Shush,” I whispered, dazed.
The flames back there didn’t faze me, but I wondered why I was outside of them when my friends weren’t. Me, I was cold and alone.
A slight movement revealed him sitting in the grass next to me, cross-legged. So serene, so beautiful, so still.
He owned the silence the way they should. I felt like laughing, but the sound didn’t come out so I stared instead.
He was barefoot, and his hair passed his shoulders in tumbles of gold. Well-worn jeans clutched his hips, and a white shirt flowed ghostlike to his waist. With head tilted and chin resting in his hands, he gazed at me curiously.
Does he have all the time in the world? I wondered.
The light he exuded was different from the shocking blue of the ambulances. Glimmering irises met mine, and the pain rushed in. Jolt after jolt of it sped up my spine. I broke away and pressed my eyes shut.
The screams from behind closed in on me, hammering against my inferno. By the time the frantic people grabbed me, I was writhing and moaning.
I barely noticed how they strapped me down. These men, they tried to help, but by now my mind was shutting down.
The stranger was there, watching me lose control, and I’d never forget the quiet smile spreading across his lips.
CASSIEL
No, no, no. This isn’t happening.
I crossed my arms and glared at my brother. At the moment, he was lounging peacefully in the ditch with a girl who should’ve been toast.
“Why’s she still alive? Take her out, man! You know you can’t get away with this.” Seriously. Way to go altering destinies.
Gabriel didn’t even flinch at my words, probably due to his madcap interest in drinking her in, lovesick-puppy style.
“Okay, you’re beaming at her. Will you snap out of it?”
And why was I assuming the role of my brother’s conscience again? I didn’t have one myself!
Frustrated, I slapped my forehead instead of breaking out the traditional groan-and-growl combo. Didn’t he realize the dark forces he was stirring the soil off of with his actions?
The female shivered, her hair a tangled mess around her face. By the time she twisted her head and their eyes met, I’d had my fill of premonitions.
Funny how I still stooped to new lows, though. “Hey, thanks for turning me into a goddamn commentator here. You caught that she’s seeing you, right?” I whined.
When he paid zero attention to me, I lost my patience.
“Alrighty, then.” I clapped my hands and rubbed them together. “Have fun with the cleanup! Oh, and by the way: you’re plunging us face first into some hilarious times. Thanks, bro.”
I shot the female a last glance; Gaia was it? Apparently, she’d acquired a new hobby—crumbling my perfect existence. My hatred for her already smoldered with the cozy warmth of a bonfire.
I’d been in the ditch for a while. Ever since the night blurred into silvers and reds and the minutes froze. Since Mark’s eyes widened from behind the steering wheel.
Face down in the dirt, I couldn’t see the car wreck anymore. Footfalls slapped the ground, growing louder. Then the shouts reached me.
“Shush,” I whispered, dazed.
The flames back there didn’t faze me, but I wondered why I was outside of them when my friends weren’t. Me, I was cold and alone.
A slight movement revealed him sitting in the grass next to me, cross-legged. So serene, so beautiful, so still.
He owned the silence the way they should. I felt like laughing, but the sound didn’t come out so I stared instead.
He was barefoot, and his hair passed his shoulders in tumbles of gold. Well-worn jeans clutched his hips, and a white shirt flowed ghostlike to his waist. With head tilted and chin resting in his hands, he gazed at me curiously.
Does he have all the time in the world? I wondered.
The light he exuded was different from the shocking blue of the ambulances. Glimmering irises met mine, and the pain rushed in. Jolt after jolt of it sped up my spine. I broke away and pressed my eyes shut.
The screams from behind closed in on me, hammering against my inferno. By the time the frantic people grabbed me, I was writhing and moaning.
I barely noticed how they strapped me down. These men, they tried to help, but by now my mind was shutting down.
The stranger was there, watching me lose control, and I’d never forget the quiet smile spreading across his lips.
CASSIEL
No, no, no. This isn’t happening.
I crossed my arms and glared at my brother. At the moment, he was lounging peacefully in the ditch with a girl who should’ve been toast.
“Why’s she still alive? Take her out, man! You know you can’t get away with this.” Seriously. Way to go altering destinies.
Gabriel didn’t even flinch at my words, probably due to his madcap interest in drinking her in, lovesick-puppy style.
“Okay, you’re beaming at her. Will you snap out of it?”
And why was I assuming the role of my brother’s conscience again? I didn’t have one myself!
Frustrated, I slapped my forehead instead of breaking out the traditional groan-and-growl combo. Didn’t he realize the dark forces he was stirring the soil off of with his actions?
The female shivered, her hair a tangled mess around her face. By the time she twisted her head and their eyes met, I’d had my fill of premonitions.
Funny how I still stooped to new lows, though. “Hey, thanks for turning me into a goddamn commentator here. You caught that she’s seeing you, right?” I whined.
When he paid zero attention to me, I lost my patience.
“Alrighty, then.” I clapped my hands and rubbed them together. “Have fun with the cleanup! Oh, and by the way: you’re plunging us face first into some hilarious times. Thanks, bro.”
I shot the female a last glance; Gaia was it? Apparently, she’d acquired a new hobby—crumbling my perfect existence. My hatred for her already smoldered with the cozy warmth of a bonfire.
About the author
I write New Adult fiction with a paranormal twist and don’t shy away from romance and heart-wrenching passion when necessary.I moved from Norway to the United States in 2001, and the first awesome five years I spent in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles. Then I read “The Book,” aka Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which spurred my husband and me to move cross country to beautiful Savannah, Georgia.
I’m currently on my seventh year in the Deep South, where I enjoy the heat and the humidity. Besides writing, I spend my time with our “petting zoo” as in an opinionated parrot, a herd of cats that are experts on keyboard shortcuts, and puppies that…uh, bark.
I hold a Master’s degree in languages, with concentrations within literature and linguistics. I taught at college level for a decade before settling in as a graduate adviser at the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Writing is my passion, my joy, and my addiction. When I’m not writing, I read.
Shattering Halos is my debut novel, and its standalone sequel, Stargazer, is due out later this year.
Giveaway
--Kindle Wifi (US) or 50$ Amazon Gift Card (INT)
--4x eBook copy of Shattering Halos
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