Pax Demonica (25 page)
Finally feeling normal again—well, normal for her, anyway—she leaned her head against the desk, closed her eyes, and let the sounds of the empty library surround her. At first she heard only a cacophony. She squinted, urging her ears to filter the auditory mess into something she could get her mind around.
Then, slowly, something happened. Sounds emerged. Sounds she knew. The whirr of the ancient air conditioner, the patter of footsteps in the hallway, the irritating buzz of the clock over the door. The gentle rasp of breathing.
Breathing?
She stiffened. It was very low, not audible to normal ears, but there it was. Well, wasn’t that just great? Probably Principal Dorsey, come to approve this week’s library book orders.
“Ms. Smith?”
Zoe exhaled. Not Mr. Dorsey. A kid. Probably one of the sixth graders.
“Ms. Smith?” he repeated, but this time a head popped around the side of the desk, and big eyes behind Coke-bottle glasses peered at her. “Oh. There you are. Do you want to buy some PTA candy?” he asked, as if it were perfectly normal to find the school librarian hiding under her desk.
With as much dignity as she could gather, Zoe climbed out from her hiding place and brushed off her skirt. She gave the kid a stern look and tried to look authoritative. “Do you have a hall pass?”
“Uh, yeah.” He dug deep into the pocket of his oversize jeans, then pulled out a mangled piece of paper. “I’m using my study period to sell the candy.” Once again he waved a box of chocolate bars toward her. “Want one? They’re only a buck.”
Not
in a million years.
Aloud, she said, “No, thanks.”
“Oh. You’re sure? It’s for playground equipment.”
Then again . . . there was that whole acclimation thing. Maybe it was best just to jump in with both feet. She cocked her head as the kid stood in front of her, doing a good job of looking like Oliver holding out a porridge bowl. She sighed. “How many come in a box?”
For just a second, the kid looked confused. Then his salesman instincts kicked back in. “Uh, twenty-four. But I’ve already sold five.”
“I’ll take the rest of them.” She reached into her purse and started rummaging for her wallet. “A buck apiece, right?” At the kid’s nod, she pressed a twenty into his hand. “Keep the change.”
Alone with her nemesis, Zoe placed the carton of chocolate on her desk, turning it this way and that until she’d angled it just so. She didn’t intend to eat one. Not now. Not after the little fiasco just moments before. This chocolate thing was going to require some serious pondering and planning.
What was that saying? Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
At the moment, Zoe wasn’t sure whether the chocolate was friend or foe. But either way, she wasn’t letting it out of her sight.
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Pax Demonica
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I’ve written a lot of books, and most of them are available in digital format. Here’s a list of just a few (you can find more
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); I hope you check them out!
Kate Connor Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom Series
that Charlaine Harris,
New York Times
bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse / True Blood series, raved “shows you what would happen if Buffy got married and kept her past a secret. It’s a hoot.”
The Demon You Know
(short story)
Pax Demonica
Learn more at
DemonHuntingSoccerMom.com
The Protector (Superhero) Series
that
RT Book Review
magazine raves are true originals, “filled with humor, adventure and fun!”
The Cat’s Fancy
(prequel)
Dead Friends and Other Dating Dilemmas
Learn more at
WeProtectMortals.com
By J. Kenner as J.K. Beck:
Shadow Keepers Series (dark paranormal romance)
New York Times
&
USA Today
bestselling
Stark Trilogy
(erotic romance)
Release Me
(a
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestseller)
Claim Me
(a #2
New York Times
bestseller!)
Complete Me
(a #2
New York Times
bestseller!)
Take Me
(epilogue novella)
Tame Me
(A Stark International novella)
The Most Wanted
series
(erotic romance)
Ignited
(coming soon!)
Thanks again, and happy reading!
P.S. – keep reading for blurbs from other books in this series and an excerpt from book 1 of my series of superhero romances!
Author Photo by Kathy Whittaker
A
New York Times
,
USA Today
,
Publishers Weekly
, and
Wall Street Journal
bestselling author, Julie Kenner (aka J. Kenner) writes a range of stories including romance (erotic, sexy, funny & sweet), young adult novels, chick lit suspense and paranormal mommy lit. Her foray into the latter,
Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom
, was selected as a Booksense Summer Paperback Pick for 2005, was a Target Breakout Book, was a Barnes & Noble Number One SFF/Fantasy bestseller for seven weeks, and is in development as a feature film with 1492 Pictures.
As
J. Kenner
, she also writes erotic romance (including the bestselling Stark Trilogy) as well as dark and sexy paranormal romances, including the Shadow Keeper series previously published as J.K. Beck.
You can connect with Julie through her website,
www.juliekenner.com
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