Excerpt and Giveaway Descendant by Nichole Giles

Description:

Seventeen-year-old Abigail Johnson is Gifted.

Blessed—or cursed—with Sight and Healing, Abby lives an unsettled life, moving from place to place and staying one step ahead of the darkness that hunts her. When she arrives in Jackson, Wyoming, she is desperate to maintain the illusion of normalcy, but she is plagued with visions of past lives mixed with frightening glimpses of her future. Then she meets Kye, a mysterious boy who seems so achingly familiar that Abby is drawn to him like he’s a missing piece of her own soul.

Before Abby can discover the reason for her feelings toward Kye, the darkness catches up to her and she is forced to flee again. But this time she’s not just running. She is fighting back with Kye at her side, and it’s not just Abby’s life at stake.

EXCERPT:

In this scene, Abby and Kye are on a bus, heading on an overnight trip to Yellowstone. Because she is the last one on the bus, Abby is forced to sit next to Kye, who makes her all kinds of uncomfortable, because he feels just too familiar, even though they’ve never actually talked before today, and who tends to trigger bits and pieces of visions that feel…maybe inappropriate? For someone she’s only just met.

“Sorry, gang. Running late, as always.” Mr. Akers sets down an armload of stuff and strips off his oversized camouflage coat. Kye grasps my forearm and pulls me past him to sit next to the window. “Best seat in the place.” His voice sounds rough, different. “More room, more privacy.”

“Oh.” I gulp, and my heart races. Privacy? With Kye? I like the idea, as much as it terrifies me.

While we ride in silence, I focus on how the descending sun lights the sky on fire, when what I really want to do is stare at Kye. Something about him heats my blood, stirring feelings I’ve never experienced and wouldn’t know how to describe. Even though I’m not looking at him, I feel his every movement, hear the odd rhythm of his breathing that makes me wonder if his thoughts are as focused on me as mine are on him. Part of me wants to believe he’s been plunged into the same type of turmoil I’m currently experiencing.

When his knee bumps mine, a vision appears in a blinding flash

Fingers trailing over the bare skin of my arm, lips pressed against my throat, a hand caressing the small of my back.

Kye taps my shoulder, bringing me out of my daze. “Akers has a cooler up there. You want a drink?”

I realize my mouth is dry and nod.

The road is far from smooth, but he moves down the aisle easily, chatting and joking with Mr. Akers like they’re best buds, and helping himself to the contents of the cooler like it belongs to him. A few minutes later, Kye returns, handing me a can. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” I pop the top and sip, needing something to do with my hands, something to cool the flames I can still feel in my face.

“Will this be your first time?” He fidgets with the leather on his wrist.

I gasp, nearly choking on a mouthful. “Um, what?”

He purses his lips, doing battle with the urge to laugh. “I mean in Yellowstone.”

“Yes.” Relieved to realize he didn’t mean that, I twist a lock of hair around my finger, trying not to think about what that would be like. “Can’t wait to see what all the hype is about.”

“You’ll enjoy it.” Something in his eyes tells me he’s talking about more than geysers and mud pots, and twin feelings of anticipation and fear go to war in my stomach.

“I … I’m hoping to see a ….”

He tips his can up and knocks back the entire thing. My eyes follow the line of his throat as he swallows, and once again, my own mouth goes dry. Needing the distraction, I take a long swig too, chugging so hard that this time I do choke, doubling over while Kye pats my back.

“Breathe.” He chuckles. “You okay?”

I shake my head. “That went down wrong.” My back tingles where his hand touches a strip of exposed skin, and a line of heat circles my core.

Lips, warm and soft on mine, teeth scraping against my tongue.

“Abby?” He removes his hand, bringing me back to my senses but leaving me feeling feverish.

“I’m okay.” I scoot toward the window, needing to put distance between us.

His hand curls into a fist on top of the armrest, but it’s his only reaction. “You were about to tell me what you’re hoping to see.”

I fold my coat into a pillow and try to prop it against the seat behind my head, still holding my empty can. “A buffalo.”

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About the author:

Nichole Giles had early career plans that included becoming an actress or a rockstar, but she decided instead to have a family and then become a writer.

She was born in Nevada, the oldest of seven—a number which increased to eleven with the addition of four step brothers—and has lived in Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and South Texas. 

Her future aspirations include owning a home on a tropical island, even if it's just a vacation home. For now, she plans to travel to as many tropical locations as possible, scouting for her future paradise.

Currently, she lives with her husband, one of her two sons (the other is in college), two daughters, two golden retrievers, and one lucky bunny rabbit.

Writing is her passion, but she also loves to spend time with her family, travel to exotic destinations, drive in the rain with her convertible top down, and play music at full volume so she can sing along.

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Author's Giveaway

Once we pass 100 entries, Nichole will add another $20 gift card to the giveaway list, and after 50 more, another one, and so on for every 50 entries thereafter.

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