Welcome author JS Harker who's here with an excerpt of her new paranormal romance. Find out more about her latest Dreamspun Beyond title & second in the Tit for Tat series, His Fairy Prince, right here!
Excerpt:
Greg ran his finger along the words as he sounded them out carefully. “Droll ter-a-chik saaliss sserra-phnull.”
Then he tried the door. It was still locked, but the handle wiggled a little.
Greg bit the corner of his lip and checked over his shoulder. No one to judge him except whomever had control over the door, and he really wanted to see the Dullahan room. He could picture the corn field and full moon in the photo. He repeated the phrase quicker the second time.
“Drollter-a-chiksaaliss sserra-phnull.”
A moonlight-silver glow lit the door’s outline. A definitive click resounded loud enough that Greg felt it pop inside him. The door handle moved under his hand, and the door swung out without needing a push. He stepped through, but the orange lights stayed behind.
Fields of dried cornstalks formed the border of a wide dirt path. They rustled as if a wind blew through them, which was an incredible effect considering Greg couldn’t hear a fan. The same wind brushed around him, ruffling his hair, and it was chilly. Alaric and his team must have rigged up some kind of draft through the basement.
On the far wall—which looked like it was miles away—the full moon sat in the night sky. Thin smoky clouds drifted across. It had to be a trick of lighting and painting, but between the moon and the wind, Greg was convinced he was outside.
Only Halloween Escapes was surrounded by blacktop and buildings. The nearest field was outside of town, and the strip mall housing the business was close to dead center. Dragging in this much dirt seemed excessive. The room didn’t make sense.
The door slammed shut. Greg jumped and spun toward it.
There was no door.
Panic tightened Greg’s throat and threatened to a full takeover, but—hold on. The trick was an obvious one. Greg slapped his forehead. The door was painted to blend in with the wall so guests wouldn’t see it and take the easy way out. The staff needed some way to get back and forth. All he had to do was find the right place or switch, and it would pop open.
He put out his hand to touch the wall and feel for the crease.
Nothing. His hand moved through the space as if it was air because... it was air. He took a step forward, and another, but still nothing.
“What the hell?” he said. His voice sounded oddly quiet, like someone had turned the volume way down.
He must have turned around. Determined to find the wall, he went over the last few steps with his hands out. Counting his steps, he went six paces. Still nothing. He walked back the other way, making sure he went nine steps.
No door. No wall, even. He knew he’d kept his feet on the path, but he held one hand out into the cornstalks anyway. His fingers found nothing solid except cornstalks. Very real, very dry cornstalks. His heart thudded in his ears.
Wait, that sound was external, not internal. It wasn’t his heart but hoofbeats. Greg stopped and turned toward the sound. Out among the shadows of the cornstalks, farther down the path, a rider on an ebony horse rode at a decent trot. He had a sword in one hand and a prop head in the other.
“Oh, thank fuck,” Greg muttered. He raised his voice and waved at the man. “Hey! Could you let me out?”
The horseman pushed his mount into a canter and rolled his wrist to flash his sword.
Of course getting out of the room wouldn’t be as simple as walking in. The room was named after the folklore monster. The guy playing the part was dedicated to his job, and he wasn’t going to stop and open the door for someone he thought was a guest. That would defeat the whole purpose of an escape room.
Greg could play along. He cleared his throat and called out, “Good sir, I’m not supposed to be here. If you could give me the solution to this maze, I’d be grateful.”
The horseman let out a wild cackle, and his horse took off at a gallop. He showed no signs of slowing down. If Greg stayed on the path, he’d get run down. He wanted to call the rider’s bluff and make him back down, but the horse was charging, the guy was swinging his sword, and the cackling made Greg’s hair stand on end. At the last second, he dove for the field, landing flat on his stomach and well out of the rider’s way.
The horseman went on another twenty feet, slowed his horse, and turned around.
Blurb:
A trick of fairy magic becomes a romantic treat.
Halloween is fantasy-loving college senior Greg’s favorite holiday, and he’s thrilled to explore a spooky puzzle—even if his friends prefer slashers over witchcraft. Luckily the gorgeous and otherworldly Alaric wants to sneak time alone with him. Unluckily Greg’s sworn off hookups. Still reeling from an intoxicating kiss, Greg opens a secret door…
…and steps through a portal to the enchanted realm Alaric is destined to rule.
Stranded with the alluring Greg, Alaric sets off across his kingdom with the man who might be the consort he’s always wanted. It won’t be easy—Alaric’s ex, the Lord of Spiders, wants to reunite with Alaric—but if Greg and Alaric succeed, they’ll find what they’ve always wanted: a place to belong.
Author bio:
JS Harker loves stories. She was one of those kids who always had a book in her hands and spent many hours adventuring with her siblings. These days she wanders into her imaginary worlds and conjures up tales of magic, passion, and happily-ever-afters. She currently lives in the part of the Midwest that makes Tatooine look interesting by comparison (not that she’s ever obsessively thought about becoming a Jedi or anything).
Links:
Webpage: www.jsharker.com
FB page: https://www.facebook.com/JSHarkerBooks
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Prince-Dreamspun-Beyond-Book-ebook/dp/B07T1JRL5D/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=js+harker&qid=1568925944&s=gateway&sr=8-3
Dreamspinner: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/his-fairy-prince-by-js-harker-10808-b
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/his-fairy-prince-js-harker/1132064802?ean=9781641082266
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/his-fairy-prince
