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Releases 15th December
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In this scene from Spark Rising, Lena Gracey has been waiting for Agent Alex Reyes at a safe house. He got her into trouble (via her arrest), and after helping her escape custody by way of pushing her to her limits and causing an explosion, he’s determined to get her out of the city and…to safety. Of course, their ideas of safety may differ.
Excerpt from Spark Rising
Wincing
and favoring his left side, Reyes pulled the straps of a bag he’d been wearing
slung across his back over his head.
“Oh,
yeah,” Lena mumbled, mostly to herself. “Broken ribs.”
He
glanced over, shrugging his right shoulder in acknowledgment of his injury.
She’d
forgotten to offer to help him back at Ace’s. She hadn’t offered when he got
here, either. He had broken ribs because of her. He’d spent the last day and
night in serious pain.
“Come
here,” she said hoarsely, beckoning him over.
Reyes
made one startled sweep of her and the cot. His brows rose. “Enticing as you
are, Lena,” he drawled, “That’s really not what you need right now. I’m going
to have to pass.”
Her mouth
fell open. She snapped it shut. “I’m offering to fix your ribs, Reyes. Or do
you like being in pain and short of breath?”
“Fix my
ribs?” He stopped working at the knot securing a rectangular flap over the
bag’s opening. She had his full attention now. “You can do that?”
She
shrugged. Then, unable to help it, she smirked. “I’m multi-talented. I can
smash a room over you and break your ribs. And then I can fix them.”
His
guffaw almost sounded like a cough of pain. He settled the bag and crossed to
her.
Lena
gestured. “Take off your shirt.”
He hissed
out a breath as he pulled it over his head.
Her gaze
rose with it, flowing over the skin revealed by the rising shirt, then made a
slower return trip back down over his chest and abdomen. Yes, he was a finely
built man.
She
focused on the offending ribs. Livid bruises spread across his side and curved
around to his back. She made a spinning motion with her fingers.
He
dutifully turned. “This isn’t going to hurt, is it?”
She met
his suspicious gaze, struggling to hold back a laugh. “No, Reyes. It isn’t
going to hurt.”
“I’m fine
with pain,” he growled, “I just like a little warning.”
She
lifted her hands and placed them on his warm skin. She traced the contours of
his ribs around her hands. Where his skin curved over the muscle and bones of
his chest and abdomen, his olive tone paled. She focused in, past his skin, her
vision blurring as she called to the Dust living within him. They woke and
swarmed to the site of Reyes’s injured ribs. She told them how to pulse, and
they sent currents of energy into his bones and the bruised flesh surrounding
them to stimulate his cells. She could feel his skin warm under her hands and
instructed a slight adjustment. Just a little more and then—
“Stop.”
Reyes’s voice, tinged with alarm, intruded on her thoughts. “Lena! Stop!”
His rough
hands pulled her own away from his skin. He held her arms between them and gave
them a small shake to get her attention. His eyes were wide and alarmed.
She
blinked. She gave a final instruction and sighed, pulling away from the Dust.
“What?”
“You’re
glowing.” He swallowed. He didn’t release her arms, as if he thought he might
have to hold her up.
“Yeah?
Sparks do that. I’m overdue for grounding because of…because of what happened.”
“No.
Lena. You’re….” His words trailed off. He shook his head. “It’s not the Spark
latent bloom. Only we can see that. This is different. You’re actually….” He
shook his head and released her to hold one hand up between them and the wall.
The stark dark outline of his hand appeared on it, a shadow cast by her.
“You’re actually lighting the room. I’ve never seen anything like this. Are you
okay?”
“I’m
fine.” Except she couldn’t look away from the shadows she cast on the wall.
He
dropped his arm to get her attention. “How’s your head?”
Instead
of answering, she lifted her hand. She was glowing, the Dust beneath her skin
incandescent. It wasn’t subtle, either.
“My head
is fine.” There wasn’t even a twinge of over-stimulation migraine. Nothing. She
looked from her arm to his face.
Reyes
stared at her, fascination and a kind of fear at war on his face.
“What
about you?” she asked him.
He
frowned. “Me?”
“How are
your ribs?”
“Oh!” He moved gingerly, then a little more vigorously. He raised his
brows and tried an experimental twist to the side. He seemed to have close to
full range of motion. “It’s really good. So, you know, when you’re giving
lessons, that’ll be a good trick to know.” He nodded before he added, “Unless
I’ll start glowing.”
In lieu of preorders for Spark Rising, through
12/14/14, I’d be delighted to offer a free review copy e-ARC of Spark Rising to
those interested. Please contact me at katiecorcino@gmail.com with
your preferred format. Thank you!
(psst, I gave this book a five star rating AND a review quote because
it's THAT awesome! ~Pippa Jay)
Blurb for Spark Rising
All that’s required to ignite a revolution is a single spark rising.
Two hundred years after the cataclysm that annihilated fossil fuels, Sparks keep electricity flowing through their control of energy-giving Dust. The Council of Nine rebuilt civilization on the backs of Sparks, offering citizens a comfortable life in a relo-city in exchange for power, particularly over the children able to fuel the future. The strongest of the boys are taken as Wards and raised to become elite agents, the Council’s enforcers and spies. Strong girls—those who could advance the rapidly-evolving matrilineal power—don’t exist. Not according to the Council.
Lena Gracey died as a child, mourned publicly by parents desperate to keep her from the Council. She was raised in hiding until she fled the relo-city for solitary freedom in the desert. Lena lives off the grid, selling her power on the black market.
Agent Alex Reyes was honed into a calculating weapon at the Ward School to do the Council’s dirty work. But Alex lives a double life. He’s leading the next generation of agents in a secret revolution to destroy those in power from within.
The life Lena built to escape her past ends the day Alex arrives looking for a renegade Spark.
Two hundred years after the cataclysm that annihilated fossil fuels, Sparks keep electricity flowing through their control of energy-giving Dust. The Council of Nine rebuilt civilization on the backs of Sparks, offering citizens a comfortable life in a relo-city in exchange for power, particularly over the children able to fuel the future. The strongest of the boys are taken as Wards and raised to become elite agents, the Council’s enforcers and spies. Strong girls—those who could advance the rapidly-evolving matrilineal power—don’t exist. Not according to the Council.
Lena Gracey died as a child, mourned publicly by parents desperate to keep her from the Council. She was raised in hiding until she fled the relo-city for solitary freedom in the desert. Lena lives off the grid, selling her power on the black market.
Agent Alex Reyes was honed into a calculating weapon at the Ward School to do the Council’s dirty work. But Alex lives a double life. He’s leading the next generation of agents in a secret revolution to destroy those in power from within.
The life Lena built to escape her past ends the day Alex arrives looking for a renegade Spark.
Biography
Kate Corcino is a reformed shy girl who found her voice (and uses it...a
lot). She believes in magic, coffee, Starburst candies, genre fiction,
descriptive profanity, and cackling over wine with good friends. She’s been a
legal videographer, a teacher, and a law student, and believes in chasing
dreams. She also believes in the transformative power of screwing up and second
chances. Cheers to works-in-progress of the literary and lifelong variety!
She is currently gearing up for the dual releases of Ignition Point and Spark Rising, the first books in the Progenitor Saga, a near future post-apocalyptic dystopian adventure series with romantic elements, science, magic, and plenty of action.
She is currently gearing up for the dual releases of Ignition Point and Spark Rising, the first books in the Progenitor Saga, a near future post-apocalyptic dystopian adventure series with romantic elements, science, magic, and plenty of action.
She lives in her beloved desert in the southwestern United States with
her husband, several children, three dogs, two cats, and a fat, happy guinea
pig.
Contact Information
Website/Blog: http://www.KateCorcino.com
Social Media:
Twitter https://twitter.com/KateCorcino
Thank you, Pippa, for the opportunity to have Spark Rising be your "Tuesday Teaser"! You're awesome!
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome - loved this story!
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