Double Star by Cindy Saunders
(YA- Paranormal Fantasy- Available Now)
She fell into his world, unaware of the key she carried and the doors it opened; a world where darkness waited to be set free ... The wait is over
Do You Believe?
When Cepheus, a dark god, forces seventeen-year-old Ally Ashworth off an isolated overlook, she has no idea she's falling into his world, or that the necklace she’s wearing is actually a key - one with the power to ignite the next world war. But she’s carried beyond his reach and into the one place where he’s powerless ... the forest of Gilgamesh.
Ally’s never been Miss Popularity, but her outsider status takes on new meaning when she’s rescued by Liam Cheveyo and his peculiar friends. After seeing them shape-shift into their freaky humanimal counterparts, Ally smacks hard into a few truths: magic really does exist and, although getting here took no effort, finding her way back might be impossible. Feelings between her and Liam begin to grow along with the realization that, in this world, she’s stronger, better ... until she’s caught in a trap set by the creepy spider-boy Cepheus sends to retrieve her. But Ally’s not going down without a fight, not after learning the horrible truth about the passageways.
The survival of both worlds depends on it.
Excerpt from Double Star:
Where she was going didn’t
matter. Where she was, she didn’t know. In this run for her life, her focus was
to simply get someplace else. Above, the
limbs of the great pines held the stars hostage. The only light came from the
two moons in the sky. Despite her silent pleas they continued to fall, barely
visible through the thick cover of the forest. She knew the darkness concealed
many secrets and, from that fact, there was no escape.
Snap. The sound from behind stopped her heart.
She dared to turn around. Two glowing rubies, only feet away, rode up and down
as the creature advanced on four legs.
Beware
the red eyes.
The boy’s
whisper broke through. They are the eyes
of death for you and the ones you love. They will not rest until yours are
closed forever.
His image played in her head for only a millisecond, but it
filled her with courage. Her heart picked up pace and, with arms out at her
sides, hands moving in frantic rhythm, she managed to stay on her feet.
She sensed each passing
second could be her last when she heard the creature’s rhythmic breathing roll
up from her heels. Just then, the red moon revealed an abrupt end to the forest
a short distance ahead. In a few steps, her fate would be in the hands of
gravity. Trust! That was her
grappling hook as she threw herself over the edge and tumbled into the darkness
below.
The beast followed down the
steep embankment and stopped a few feet away. She got to her feet and allowed
the wolf-like creature another step. Its red eyes stared up at her. The head dropped
between its shoulders. Its weight shifted to its hindquarters. The muscles of
hunter and prey simultaneously tensed. The animal growled and exposed a set of
long, yellow teeth. Saliva fell in strings from razor-sharp incisors. Unable to
move, she watched as it lunged, jaws open wide. She put her hands in front of
her and took a step back. Her left foot fell upon air, and then ... she
plummeted into emptiness.
About Cindy Saunders:
CINDY SAUNDERS was born in Lowell, MA. She moved to RI almost twenty-five years ago and now considers the Ocean State her home. She graduated from Bryant College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance. When she’s not reading, writing, spending time with her two teenage children (how did that happen?) or working, Cindy tracks down one of her favorite local bands and enjoys a glass of wine. She completed her first novel, Double Star, a YA fantasy, in October 2012 and is currently working on the second book in the series.
Double Star is her first novel.
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