Invisible Prison, Book 1 of the Invisible Recruits series by Mary Buckham - HTML preview

CHAPTER TWO

I ignored Kelly’s breathing next to me, Mandy’s scowl across from me, and Jaylene tightening both her hands along her sword’s shaft. The late afternoon sunlight was streaming through high clearstory windows around the gym, the hiss of kerosene lamps I’d set up for back up lighting mingling with the quiet. Demon baiting in the dark was suicidal.

My voice was calm and deep as I raised my hands and began the summoning chant once more:

Here in this place and before the eyes of the unbelievers, come forth.

I call the creatures of the elements. The seekers of release who wish to walk amongst the humans.

I bid you to destroy the binds holding you in thrall.

Come. Prove yourselves.

A faint wind brushed against my skin. A hot, dry wind, not from damp Maryland in March, but someplace far away. Smelling of sulfur and brine.

I squeezed my eyes shut and kept chanting, stretching my arms higher, deepening my voice, ignoring the fissure of warning along my skin.

There is a reason for being. Journey here. Now.

May your masters honor and bow before you. Sending you on your way.

You who laugh at the mortals. Come close.

Echo-demon I summon thee!

The wind picked up and I swore I could feel grit and sand abrading my skin. Kelly caught her breath. I kept my eyes closed.

We welcome you demon of the deep. Come play with us. Show us your might.

Demons did love a dare.

The lights in the room flickered then went out. My eyelids flew open. Fortunately the few kerosene lanterns stayed lit even as they cast long wavering shadows dancing across the room and deepening the darkness in all four corners.

Mandy was no longer scowling but sending wary glances over her shoulders. Jaylene faced where the danger was greatest, head-on, towards the circle. After her childhood what was one lone demon.

Kelly’s breathing came short and shallow. I feared she’d hyper-ventilate before I finished the summoning. But I couldn’t stop now. The echo-demon was too close. I could feel it’s presence like sharp cat claws stepping paw by paw across my exposed arms. The tensing of my neck and shoulders. The knot tightening in my gut.

“Come on,” I whispered, “show your ugly face. Come forth and die.”

Now! Echo-demon. Close nearby as day dissolves into night. Show us your—

The explosion ripped through the room. Tossing me far enough backwards I landed with a curse on my tailbone. Ten feet in front of me Jaylene and Mandy held their positions. They were no longer waiting or wary. Legs braced, swords held high, muscles tensed. They were ready for bear.

Crap. Where was. . .Kelly had winked out. Only her sword shook in the flickering light. The late afternoon sky had clouded over, as if evil brought its own darkness.

And not one but three echo-demons swirled like a bad nightmare in the middle of the gym; twelve feet tall, brackish green in color, scales covering their bodies as they materialized into more corporeal shapes. First one, with three horns sprouting from his misshapen head, then the second, with a gaping mouth of shark-like teeth, and then the third, with a double-forked tail, each ending in a knobby spike.

Oh by the Goddesses, what had I done?

THE END

Questions? Comments?

Help make the next edition of this book even better. If you’ve found a pesky typo in this book, here’s your chance to let me know. Email suggestions to: Assistant@MaryBuckham.com

What readers are saying about the Invisible Recruits series

"Not since Kate Daniels and Mercy Thompson have I fallen in love with a female character like I have with Alex Noziak." ~Urban Girl Reader.

"This is a definite must read for anyone who enjoys a bit of a thrill, a good laugh, and great characters with attitude." ~  Parchment Place

"I . . . encourage those of you who like action, magic and sassy heroines to snatch up this series." ~  Romancing the Genres

Want to read more about the Invisible Recruit team? Check out:

INVISIBLE PRISON (novella)

On her first days with the Invisible Recruit Agency, Alex Noziak learns she’s not the only recruit with secrets to hide. But hers could get her kicked off the Team even before she begins. Or they could get her killed.

INVISIBLE MAGIC (full length novel)

On her first official mission for the Invisible Recruit Agency Alex Noziak discovers that to save the innocent she must call upon her untested abilities. But at what cost? She has nothing to lose, except her life.

INVISIBLE DUTY (novella)

The mission sounded easy for Alex Noziak, part witch/part shaman. And easy is what she needed. But in the heart of Africa, she finds something so deadly it will test her in ways she never expected.

INVISIBLE POWER (full-length novel)

When Alex has a chance to save her brother and expose the Weres who held him hostage, she must make a hard choice with lives at risk, including her own.

INVISIBLE FATE (full-length novel)

Forced to choose, will dark magic be the only path. Hidden from a world unaware of magic, a recently and only partially trained group of operatives known as the Invisible Recruits are the only ones willing to stand between mankind and those powerful preternatural factions seeking to change the balance of power and gain world domination.

The Kelly McAllister Books coming in 2014

INVISIBLE FEARS (full-length novel)

INVISIBLE SECRETS (novel - coming Fall 2014))

INVISIBLE EMBRACE (novel – coming Winter 2014)

Be the First to Find Out When the next books in the INVISIBLE RECRUITS series come out. Sign up for my newsletter on MaryBuckham.com or http://bit.ly/1aVMvtU

About the Author

A USA Today bestselling author I started my career writing romantic suspense novels. Nothing like bombs and gunfire making a relationship more complicated. Between publication dates I was also fortunate to become a writing craft instructor, offering live workshops around the US and Canada as well as online workshops to writers throughout the world. As fun as the travel, and getting to know so many writers of all genres was, my first love has always been fiction. Thus the Invisible Recruit series was born and took off running!

I love conflict. On the page. The conflict between dark magic and white. The conflict between beings created with different needs and wants. Witches. Mage warlocks. Shifters, Weres, and demons all trying to co-exist against their natures. Bring it on!

I'm a huge paranormal and fantasy lover. Especially Urban Fantasy and any paranormal fantasy series that allows me to throw myself into magic and mystery page after page, book after book

The paranormal world of the Invisible Recruits is built on women who must learn to embrace their preternatural talents to fight good and evil. Talents that they've hidden from the human population for fear of being different.

But because I love conflict I've dropped these women into a world where magic and fantasy exist side by side with humans intentionally kept in the dark about Shifters, Weres, warlocks, witches, and especially about magic.

Throw in a strong dose of romantic suspense, emotional relationships to add more conflict, and paranormal beings you've never heard of before, and you'll know why readers can't get enough of this fast-paced paranormal thriller series.

www.MaryBuckham.com

www.InvisibleRecruits.com