Chapter One
As I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I remind myself that you can’t always trust Google Maps—On a T-shirt worn by Jinx McGee, Demon Hunter
Something weird was in the air. Literally.
Unlike the last time, there were no exploding buildings or chaos, but the night was still young. There were strange glowing objects flashing to and fro above the downtown skyline before blinking out of existence.
Or to another plane of existence.
I scanned the sky looking for signs of imminent attack D, my demon boyfriend, ran toward HQ with my demon in tow.
Then I stopped to get a better look.
The objects weren’t flying demons, at least not any species with which I was familiar. The strange beings flitted between tall buildings, over the river and bridges, moving in sync with the music pouring from bars and honky-tonks. They glowed with an unearthly light, the creatures. Beneath the glow, there seemed to be an abundance of feathers.
And eyes. So many eyes.
Celestials. Celestials were on the loose. Biblically accurate angels were powerful, hideous, and terrifying.
And they were flying around downtown Nashville in plain sight of modern humans who’d been blissfully unaware of the presence of these interdimensional beings, at least for the past few millennia.
D spotted them, too, and hesitated, tense and ready for battle. He was a handsome devil. Over six feet tall with dark hair, long dark lashes, deep brown eyes that sparked with red demon light when he was angry or aroused, he had a body hardened by training and battle in the depths of hell. Under other circumstances, I’d be admiring that body and making all kinds of delightfully evil plans of what I would do with it later.
It was what I should have been doing and was doing before we were so rudely interrupted by a flock of celestials flying out in the open for everyone to see.
My demon and I had been on a date in downtown Nashville—our first bona fide official date—and about to enjoy some live music, but duty called. When you’re a demon hunter, you’re always on call, especially when you’re in charge of capturing seven deadly master demons and their celestial counterparts who had escaped their realms and come to earth to cause mischief, mayhem, and war.
Make that six.
We’d already dispatched the Master Demon of Sloth back to the hell realm and had her sister, who happened to be the Archangel of Diligence, in custody. We also had Archangel’s sidekick imprisoned at HQ. Both had tried to kill me, but Pinstripe came closer to bringing about my end with her massive tentacles. Contrary to popular culture, myth, and legend, Master Demons came in all shapes, sizes, and genders.
All of them were treacherous, viscous, and ruthless. The myths got that part right. And Archangels could give their demon counterparts a run for their money in maliciousness.
Now, we had the Master Demon of Gluttony to contend with, not to mention the rogue angel who’d pretended to be our ally so she could steal the Sigillum Dei, an artefact that could open portals to the hell realm and celestial realm. Couldn’t trust any of these creatures. Having just received a text from my boss and teammates about the stolen artefact, playtime was over. We needed the Sigillum Dei to send our enemies on a one-way trip away from earth and back to the dimension where they belonged. It was the only way to permanently banish them and stop the coming war that demons and angels planned to wage.
We had to get it back pronto.
More flashing from the idiot celestials above us, and the humans were starting to notice. That couldn’t be good. They were already rattled. War was brewing between the celestial and hell realms with earth as the battlefield. The combatants were currently confined to Music City, but the barrier wouldn’t last long.
And apparently, they’d abandoned the rules of secrecy that kept mundanes blissfully unaware of scary creatures from other dimensions.
The out-in-the-open flying circus of celestials couldn’t be a coincidence. The stench of ozone permeated the air, overwhelming the city smells of food, beer, stale urine, and sweaty humans. My ears popped. The people downtown were covering their ears, noses, and looking up in awe and the beginnings of terror.
When I found Cassiel, the celestial traitor who’d stolen the artefact, I was going to blast her ass into the far reaches of the known universe for pulling this little stunt and for ruining my date night.
I gave my date a look and we took off running.
© 2024 D.B. Sieders
Jinx McGee #3
There ain’t no rest for the wicked.
Jinx McGee and her team of demon hunters managed to neutralize the Master Demon of Sloth, relying more on luck than skill. But with six more powerful rogue demons on the loose, she’ll need to bring her A-game to the hunt for their next target. The Master of Gluttony and Excess is elusive, clever, and has a knack for anticipating the team’s every move. There’s likely a mole in their organization, and everyone’s a suspect.
As if that weren’t enough, her unreliable celestial ally has a lead on her missing deadbeat dad that Jinx can’t pass up. He holds the key to the whole demonic endgame, and Jinx has a score to settle.
Daddy issues and demon hunting? It will take cunning, strategy, skill, and a boatload of tequila to get Jinx out of this jam.
Fantasy | Paranormal Mystery [City Owl Press, On Sale: August 27, 2024, Paperback / e-Book, / eISBN: 9781648982842]
Award-winning author DB Sieders was born and raised in East Tennessee and spent her childhood hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains, wading barefoot in creeks, chasing salamanders, fish, and frogs. Her family loved to tell stories while sitting around the campfire.
Those days of frog chasing sparked her interest in biology. She is a working scientist by day, but she never lost her love of telling stories.
DB writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance. Her stories feature unlikely heroes and heroines who face a healthy dose of angst as they strive for redemption and a happily ever after, which everyone deserves. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with a husband, two children, a rotating number of cats, and her very active imagination.
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