Igniting a fireball, I jerked my arm forward, casting it to the ground.
“No!” The man said with sudden realization.
The air beneath him ignited in a blaze of flames, catching his clothes on fire as he flailed around and screamed.
A single, intact rotor blade remaining on the nearest downed chopper caught my eye, and I reached up to grasp at it with my talent.
Gritting my teeth from the pain that shot through my brain, I jerked my arm down. The length of mangled rotor blade snapped off, arcing downward to sever the flaming man’s upper body in half.
His smoldering body fell to the flaming pavement in two pieces as I staggered away from him with my shield reformed.
The chopper exploded, and the concussive force slammed me to the pavement. My ears rang and buzzed as I vainly struggled to retain consciousness.
Agent Sanders appeared at my side and helped me up. Together, we staggered away from the burning carnage.
“Are you okay?” she demanded with a wide-eyed expression.
I only managed to nod, coughing while inhaling air back into my lungs.
A rapid series of gunshots came from the direction of the building where I’d seen the earlier smoke trail, and I turned in time to see a lone body falling from the roof to the pavement below as tactical team members rushed toward the building.
“We’re clear!” someone yelled. “Move in!”
The area was suddenly assailed by firemen, policemen, paramedics, and ambulance technicians as the wounded or worse, were attended to. A showering mist of water was blowing in multiple directions from numerous fire hoses as Sanders and I moved toward the center of the street and out of the way.
I couldn’t help but notice that a number of people were casting wary looks in my direction, some reverent and some not.
A non-descript black helicopter appeared overhead, practically hovering atop us, and I looked up at it to see a sniper in the open doorway shouldering a rifle.
Instinctively, I generated a fireball in each hand and moved away from Sanders.
“What?” she demanded.
I stared up at the helicopter, trying to determine its intentions as it hovered directly overhead.
“Logan, I think it’s one of ours!” Sanders yelled.
“I don’t care! Get it the hell outta’ here!” I shouted.
A nearby tactical team member spoke into a handheld radio and the chopper quickly veered away.
I maintained my fireballs in each fist while scanning the immediate area around us, including nearby rooftops. It appeared that friendly tactical team members had already taken up positions there.
Chuck Denton stopped not far away to stare at me, warily regarding me as if I were something dangerous and unpredictable.
I slowly turned in a circle in the middle of the street, seeking my next target; wondering who or what might be coming next.
“Logan! We’re okay now,” Sanders tried to reassure me.
I took a deep breath and allowed the two fireballs to dissipate from my hands. Wisps of flames fell harmlessly to the asphalt beside me.
“No,” I said. “We’re far from okay right now.”
I took in the disaster zone around me, watching black smoke billow into the air from multiple burning fires and seeing emergency responders vie for control of the situation. The cries of wounded and the shouts of barking orders from emergency personnel filled the air.
I felt partially shell-shocked as my mind fought to take it all in at once. It was sensory overload, not to mention my head was pounding like there was no tomorrow.
Then a stark realization dawned upon me.
I’m not the only one; I’m not unique. And even worse, I’m not even very accomplished at whatever I am.
My ass had very nearly been handed to me that day, and I wondered who else might be out there waiting to come looking for me.
Something dark and certain in my mind told me there had to be others.
But who the hell were these people?
More to the point, I wondered how on Earth I’d successfully manage to confront them.
* * *
About the Author
Jaz Primo is a history aficionado, “pun-master”, and all-around fan of vampires. He authors paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and young adult literature, and has enjoyed a fulfilling background and career in higher education, including teaching U.S. History classes during evenings. Jaz lives in the Great American Midwest with his wife and a long-lived cat.
You can find Jaz Primo online at the following locations:
Website:
http://jazprimo.com
Facebook:
Jaz Primo
Twitter:
@jazprimo
* * *
Sunrise at Sunset
Sunset Vampire Series
, Book 1
by Jaz Primo
When is a bloodthirsty predator the best protection against a psychotic killer? When the predator is both a vampire...and the woman you love.
“We vampires are focused and tend to shape our own realities.”
My name is Katrina Rawlings, and I am a vampire. I declare that with neither pride nor ego. I am simply nature’s most dangerous predator. On occasion, it’s a very valuable quality. It helped me protect Caleb Taylor one day when he was very young. But that single, traumatic day is behind him now; wiped from his memory, or so I hope.
Caleb has finally matured into a rather striking young man, and believe me, I like what I see. I’ll readily admit that there are issues for us to confront and overcome, though a sense of mutual commitment isn’t one of them. I’m feeling hopeful for our future together, in fact. But an adversary from my past has returned to haunt me, and she’s trying to get back at me through Caleb. That was her first...and last...mistake. I’ll protect my Caleb at all costs, and I’ll make her regret the day she was born.
So, I suppose that I’m not just a vampire. I’m about to become someone’s worst nightmare!
Now available in trade paperback and all major eBook formats!
Go to
http://jazprimo.com/books
for purchasing links!
Winner of the Paranormal Romance Guild’s Reviewer’s Choice Award
for Best Young Adult Novel of 2012 !
Gwen Reaper
A Young Adult Paranormal Romance
by Jaz Primo
Boy meets beautiful and mysterious, yet reclusive, girl who harbors a potentially-lethal secret.
"A thing of beauty is a joy forever: its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness." John Keats, English romantic poet.
I never thought that my first exposure to real beauty would be tinged with the threat of oblivion…
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When high school junior Scott Blackstone is forced to move from his childhood home in Springfield, Illinois to small-town Custer, South Dakota, he expects nothing less than to languish in complete disappointment. Instead, he discovers a beautiful and mysterious seventeen-year-old girl named Gwen, who captivates him from his initial, adrenaline-laced sight of her on the shores of Stockade Lake. Scott’s pursuit of the elusive Gwen sweeps him into the midst of a potentially lethal family heritage that was birthed in hope, only to be passed into a legacy of guilt and death.
Scott engages in a journey of discovery, tinged with both angst and danger. Like many dire legends throughout history, he is unprepared for the untimely revelation that both love and despair are often two sides of the same coin.
Now available in trade paperback and all major eBook formats!
Go to
http://jazprimo.com/books
for purchasing links!
A Bloody London Sunset
Sunset Vampire Series
, Book 2
by Jaz Primo
In
A Bloody London Sunset
, a timid spirit rises to assert himself, a forbidden love sparks, and a forgotten past threatens to topple the power of love.
Katrina Rawlings is a vampire who has finally rediscovered happiness for the first time in centuries. But unwanted complications erupt with a vengeance. Decisions of necessity combined with dark memories from a forgotten past threaten her relationship with the love of her life. When a sacrifice must be made, can she endure her decision?
Caleb Taylor's life is finally back on track. He has rebounded from a near mortal injury, both physically and emotionally. Yet, his reality is shaken by the suggestion of a betrayal of trust from the woman he loves. Can the power of love overcome the power of a lie?
Paige Turner is a century old vampire who fearlessly revels in a simple existence pursuing blood, dancing, and sex. Simple needs, and all met in the same manner: hot, fast, and without regrets. But a spontaneous visit leads to heartfelt sacrifice, and unexpected complications strike fear to the core of her soul. Will she survive the revelations?
In the exciting second novel in the Sunset Vampire Series, a trust is betrayed, bonds of friendship are strained, relationships may end, and a tenuous neutrality among the world's vampire population is threatened. With stakes so high, some will not survive
A Bloody London Sunset
!
Now available in trade paperback and all major eBook formats!
Go to
http://jazprimo.com/books
for purchasing links!
Summit at Sunset
Sunset Vampire Series
, Book 3
by Jaz Primo
Does the fate of one innocent human soul outweigh the needs of the entire vampire race?
The third, and most exciting, novel in the
Sunset Vampire Series
has finally arrived!
Powerful vampire Katrina Rawlings and her human mate, Caleb Taylor, are once more drawn into dangerous circumstances. Representatives of the most powerful and influential vampires from around the world converge upon a scenic mountain retreat located in Slovenia's Upper Bohinj Valley for a summit of historic proportion. Mystery leads to treachery, and events quickly spiral out of control. With the fates of both vampires and humans in jeopardy, Katrina desperately struggles to reconcile the balance of worldwide vampire power against honoring her commitment to the love of her life. Unwilling to be rendered helpless, Caleb initiates a desperate gamble that leads to a mortal decision. Meanwhile, the sexy and sassy vampire, Paige Turner, spearheads her own mission involving both surprising revelations of heart and grave circumstances for those around her.
In
Summit at Sunset
, unlikely alliances will be sought, eternal bonds of friendship will be tested, unrequited love will be unleashed, blood will be shed, and one pivotal person's fate will collide with destiny.
Now available in trade paperback and all major eBook formats!
Go to
http://jazprimo.com/books
for purchasing links!