This week’s teaser is an inside joke for everyone who’s read The Assassins of Light. 😂😂😂
from my upcoming book, The Reign of Darkness,
Book Four of the Creatures of Darkness Series. 💜
Teaser: Inside Joke
Blog
Happy Lesbian Visibility Day!
Happy Lesbian Visibility Day! 🏳️🌈
Sending love to all of my lesbian friends and readers today! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
And for encouragement, here’s a “pride” quote of our favorite lesbian, vampire, Viking warrior: Kara Unnarsdóttir:
“I know who I am. I always have. And I refuse to apologize for it.”
(From The Tomb of Blood, Creatures of Darkness: Book 2, ©️Britney Jackson)
—
Love you guys! ❤️
Teaser: Dangerous Ladies
Okay, so, the funny thing about this teaser is that last week, on Twitter, there was this trend, where everyone was posting, “How you know I wrote it,” followed by a list of things that are in their books. This was mine:
So, yeah…like I said, dangerous ladies… 😂
—
Excerpt:
Kara didn’t even attempt to resist, as Rose dragged her into the bedroom. She grinned, both brows raised. “I love it when you randomly make out with me.”
Rose closed the door behind them and then turned toward her, frowning. “What? That’s…not what I’m doing,” she stammered. “I just need to talk to you.”
Kara crossed her arms. “Well,” she complained, “that was misleading.”
Rose’s frown deepened. “How was it… You know what? Never mind.” She stepped closer. “You didn’t tell me your plan involved betrayal and murder.”
Kara shrugged lazily. “My plans always involve betrayal and murder.”
“I know, but Kara,” Rose sighed, “we’re supposed to be the good guys!”
Kara started laughing, as if that were the silliest thing she’d ever heard. “Oh, Rose,” she said, flashing a wicked smile, “I don’t think I ever agreed to that.”
Rose huffed out an exasperated sigh, as Kara turned to leave. “Fine. You can have your betrayal, but less murder, okay? Humans hate us enough already.”
Kara smiled and leaned against the door, pushing it open. “Anything for you, sexy,” she said playfully. Then, she winked and disappeared down the hall.
Rose rolled her eyes, suppressing a laugh.
—
from my upcoming book, The Reign of Darkness,
Book Four of the Creatures of Darkness Series.
©️ Britney Jackson
Coming Soon! ❤️🖤❤️
Character Flags
Last week was Pride Flag week for #LGBTQwrimo on Instagram and Twitter, so I made this fun little thing for The Reign of Darkness. 😊❤️
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Rose Foster, the protagonist of The Reign of Darkness (and the entire Creatures of Darkness Series), is bisexual, and her girlfriend, Kara Unnarsdóttir, is a lesbian. 🏳️🌈
Other queer characters include: Elise (bi), Owen (gay), Tom (gay), Talulah (lesbian), Aaron (bi), Zosime (lesbian), Ligeia (lesbian), and Alana (bi). ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
Teaser: Erik
A couple of weeks ago, I had a request for an Erik teaser, so…here you go! 😁💙💙
(Also featured: Ligeia being Too Serious™️ for Rose. 😅)
Teaser: Kallias
Ahhh, sorry! I was swamped with work this week and forgot to post our Thursday Teaser! ❤️ But here it is! I hope you like it! ❤️
Rose and Kallias have a very specific dynamic… 😂
—
When Kallias finished wiping the blood from his hands—or trying to, at least—he tossed the towel aside and sighed, “What are you doing here, Rose?”
Rose shoved her hands in her pockets and shrugged. “Same as usual?”
Kallias crossed his arms and flashed a bitter smile. “Pissing me off?”
“I was going to say saving your life,” Rose mumbled, “but yeah, that, too.”
Kallias shifted his gaze toward Kara, scowling at her blood-soaked battle-axe. “Rose, will you please tell your girlfriend to stop dripping blood on my floor?”
Rose glanced at Kara, who was standing right beside her—definitely within hearing range. “Umm, she has ears, actually?” she told him. “So, I don’t have to?”
Kara flashed a smug smirk at Kallias. “He’s just jealous of my battle-axe.”
“Yes, Kara,” Rose muttered, “I’m sure that’s exactly what he’s jealous of.”
—
from my upcoming book, The Reign of Darkness,
Book Four of the Creatures of Darkness Series.
©️ Britney Jackson
Coming Soon! ❤️
Happy (Belated) St. Patrick’s Day 💚
I meant to post this last week, but life got super-busy, and I forgot. As usual. 😅 But I hope you all had a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day! 💚💚💚💚
Because I’m a dork who likes holiday-themed stuff, here are a few lines from the pre-battle “good luck kiss” in The Tomb of Blood (Book 2 of the Creatures of Darkness Series). 💚💚💚💚
P.S. – Umm, also…you may have noticed my website went all wonky last week? 😂 (I think it was because it was my renewal date?) It took me a few days to fix it, but it’s fixed now. So…if you were one of the people who visited while it was wonky, sorry! I promise it’s not always like that. 😂
Weirdly Emotional Thank You ❤️
The Assassins of Light, Book Three of the Creatures of Darkness Series, is officially one-year-old, and I’m feeling all weirdly emotional about it. And I get even more awkward than usual when I’m emotional, so…you’ve been warned…
I was so terrified when The Assassins of Light came out. It’s such a personal book (especially with how it addresses Rose’s PTSD and depression). Not to mention, you know, if you’ve read it, that there are a lot of points-of-no-return in this book. I think it’s scary, as a writer, when you reach those points in your work because you’re always afraid that you’re going to turn around and find out no one followed. But I should’ve known that you guys were too amazing for that. ❤️ Because not only have you stayed with me throughout the series, but your support for The Assassins of Light (and Rose and Kara’s relationship, in general) was more than I could’ve ever hoped for. ❤️ (As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure Rose and Kara have more fans than I do. 😂❤️) Seriously, though, to have people share my love for these characters is just…a dream come true. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ (Sorry, I tried to avoid sappy clichés, but…like I said…emotional.) ❤️
The point is…I will never be able to thank you enough for being so supportive this past year. It’s meant the world to me. And I really hope you all enjoy The Reign of Darkness (Book Four of the Creatures of Darkness Series) just as much. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Teaser: Found Family
Rose and Erik are found family in all the snarkiest ways. 😅
Happy Teaser Day! (And Pi Day!) I hope you like it! 💚🖤💚
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Excerpt:
“I don’t know why you’d be worried,” Erik scoffed. “Kara and Alana tried to kill each other every day, and Kara stayed with her for fourteen hundred years.”
Rose frowned. “But that was only because Alana wouldn’t let her leave.”
“Not the point,” Erik said. He leaned against the table, crossing his arms. “What makes you think Kara would run away at the first sign of disagreement?”
Rose chewed on her lip nervously. “People…tend to run away from me.”
Erik snorted, “Well, can you blame them? You’re an annoying, sarcastic nerd, and…you’re kind of a mess.” He looked away. “And sometimes terrifying.”
Rose flashed her sassiest smile. “Wow. Thanks, Erik,” she said, her voice sharp with sarcasm. “This is exactly the kind of encouragement I was looking for.”
“But,” Erik continued, scowling at her interruption, “Kara’s into that.”
Rose gave him a skeptical look. “She’s into terrifying messes?”
“Well, she did date Alana,” Erik muttered under his breath.
“Umm,” Rose said, squinting bewilderedly, “so did you?”
“What I meant was,” Erik grumbled, his gaze shifting back toward Rose, “she’s into you.” He shrugged. “You might be a total failure at everything else you do in this world, but…you make Kara happy.” His brows furrowed. “Somehow.”
Despite the anxiety whirling around in her head, Rose couldn’t help but smile. “How do you manage to make me feel better and worse, at the same time?”
“It’s a gift,” Erik laughed. But when Rose turned to leave, his smile faded. “Rose?” he called out—before she could open the door. When Rose glanced back at him, she was surprised to find that, for once, there were no traces of humor in his expression. He scratched his head, messing up his wavy, blonde hair. “I don’t know what Kara’s lying about this time, but when she was here, I sensed…fear.”
Rose was quiet for a moment. Then, she nodded. “I sensed it, too.”
She’d never seen Erik so nervous.
“Kara is fearless, and she loves danger. What scares most people excites her. So, if this secret scares Kara,” Erik paused, regarding Rose with a worried look, “it must be more terrible than I can imagine.”
Rose sighed, “If you’re trying to scare me…”
“I’m not,” he interrupted. “I just want you to be careful.”
—
from my upcoming book, The Reign of Darkness,
Book Four of the Creatures of Darkness Series.
© Britney Jackson
Coming Soon! 💚🖤💚
Teaser: Intense Rose
Rose is just a big ball of awkwardness and sarcasm most of the time, but when she is intense, she’s…intense. 😂
Happy Teaser Day! I hope you like it! ❤️🖤❤️
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“The way she said it,” Rose said. “It was like she was talking about fate.”
Kara finished getting dressed, tugging her shirt down, over the bandages on her stomach. She looked at Rose. “Do you have any reason to not believe her?”
Rose tore her gaze from the bandages, her gaze shifting to meet Kara’s. “You mean…other than the fact that she’s a serial killer and a total psycho? No.”
Kara sat down in the floor—too exhausted to stand any longer. “Still…”
“Still, what?” Rose scoffed. “Who cares what Psycho-Queen said? I don’t know if I even believe in fate.” She studied Kara with a curious frown. “Do you?”
Kara leaned back, stretching her long, leather-clad legs in front of her. “I did, once,” she admitted. “My people did.” She didn’t look at Rose—probably afraid that Rose would notice the anxiety in her eyes, if she did. But Rose didn’t need to see Kara to know what she was feeling.
She always knew.
“We believed in the Norns,” Kara told Rose. “They determined the destiny of gods and humans.”
“And,” Rose asked, “did you believe that your fate was…unchangeable?”
“Yes,” Kara said. “Not even the gods could defy their fate. The only god who would’ve even had the audacity to try was Loki. Maybe not even him.”
Rose knelt in front of Kara—putting herself at eye-level with the seated vampire. “Didn’t you tell me that they used to call you the ‘Daughter of Loki?’”
An impressed smile curled at the edges of Kara’s lips. “I did tell you that.”
“And isn’t fate a kind of…rule?” Rose said. She leaned closer to Kara—separated only by the length of Kara’s legs. “Don’t you love to break the rules?”
Kara’s smile deepened. She shifted, folding her legs beneath her, so that Rose could move closer. “There’s very little I love more,” she agreed breathlessly.
“Then,” Rose said, moving closer, “we’ll defy fate, if that’s what it takes.”
Kara reached out, pushing a loose strand of red hair out of Rose’s face. She leaned in, her breath warm against Rose’s lips. “I thought you liked the rules.”
“I like you,” Rose whispered. “I love you. That’s all that matters, really.”
“How is it all that matters,” Kara said sadly, “if fate itself is against us?”
Rose leaned back on her heels, and in an instant, her eyes changed—red flames glowing within them. “Kara, I love you. And if I have to rip apart fate itself for you, I will,” she growled. “No one is going to tell me who I can and can’t love.”
—
from my upcoming book, The Reign of Darkness,
Book Four of the Creatures of Darkness Series.
©️ Britney Jackson
Coming Soon ❤️🖤❤️
Teaser: Come to Bed
If the world ends, blame Kara. 😂 Happy Teaser Day! ❤️ (And Happy Holidays!) ❤️💚❤️
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Kara slipped her arms around Rose’s waist. “Come to bed,” she said, pressing her lips against Rose’s neck. “It isn’t comfortable when you’re not in it.”
Rose smiled, shuddering a little, as Kara kissed her neck. She turned to face Kara, lifting her eyebrows. “I’m pretty sure the reason it’s not comfortable,” she teased, “is the sixteen million weapons you have, hidden under the mattress.”
Kara laughed. “Four, actually,” she said with an amused smile. “The rest are in my bag.” She pulled Rose closer, tilting her face, as if she were going to kiss Rose. “Come to bed,” she whispered again, her intense, blue eyes dark with desire.
Rose pushed a strand of blue hair out of Kara’s face and leaned forward, her lips brushing Kara’s—almost kissing her. But then, she leaned back on her heels, making a face, as she remembered, “I’m supposed to be saving the world.”
Kara leaned in again, her lips curving at the corners, as she whispered, “Save me first.”
Rose laughed. “From what?”
Kara closed the last bit of space between their lips. “From wanting you.”
Rose closed her eyes, moaning at the soft warmth of Kara’s lips. The kiss left Rose feeling even more overheated than before, hunger and desire flaring up inside of her, all at once. She leaned back, a spark of red glowing within her eyes. “Okay,” she sighed, feigning reluctance, “but if the world ends, I’m blaming you.”
Kara smiled. “Works for me.”
—
from my upcoming book, The Reign of Darkness,
Book Four of the Creatures of Darkness Series.
©️ Britney Jackson
Coming Soon(ish) ❤️❤️❤️
Teaser: Betray Me
Ahh, this scene nearly killed me when I was writing it. So much emotion! 💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙
Happy Teaser Day! 💙 I hope you like it! 💙
Kara dropped her battle-axe, as if to emphasize that she was not, in fact, going anywhere. Her blue gaze shifted toward Rose—glistening like ice, piercing Rose to the core. “You want me to betray you?” she said, her voice a low growl.
“Why not?” Rose said with a weary shrug. “You’d betray anyone else.”
“Because you’re not anyone else,” Kara said. Her shoulders relaxed, and everything about her seemed softer, all of the sudden, as if she’d cracked herself open, left herself vulnerable—for the first time in her life.
“Because I love you.”
from my upcoming book, The Reign of Darkness,
Book Four of the Creatures of Darkness Series.
©️ Britney Jackson
Coming Soon(ish) 💙🖤💙
Teaser: Kara’s Priorities
Kara’s Priorities:
1. Brag about new girlfriend.
2. Then…worry about the apocalypse. 😂
Happy Teaser Day! 💜🖤💜 I hope you like it! 💜
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Excerpt:
“Kara Unnarsdóttir? In a serious relationship?” She laughed, “The world itself would end, if that ever happened.”
Kara exchanged an amused look with Rose, when Rose reached her side. Then, she slipped her arm around Rose’s waist, casually pulling Rose against her.
Rose smiled nervously, when the woman’s gaze shifted toward her. “Hi.”
“Hi,” the vampire repeated, offering her a baffled smile. “Who are you?”
With a painfully awkward shrug, Rose mumbled, “Serious relationship?”
The vampire’s eyes widened. Her wide, brown eyes shifted toward Kara, who simply smiled. “Oh, no,” she said, blinking. “The world is ending, isn’t it?”
“Well, I mean, yeah,” Rose said dismissively, “but not until tomorrow.”
All of the color drained from the vampire’s face. “Wait. What?”
Kara leaned in and whispered in Rose’s ear, “I hadn’t gotten to that part yet.”
Rose frowned. She turned to face Kara, feeling a little colder when Kara’s hand slipped away from her hip. “You said you’d warn everyone while I packed.”
Kara frowned worriedly. “Ah! I forgot to ask you to grab my battle-axe.”
“I got your battle-axe, Kara,” Rose laughed. “It’s kind of hard to miss.”
Relief washed over Kara’s face. “You’re wonderful,” she said, and then, she leaned in, clearly planning to kiss Rose—only to be stopped by Rose’s finger.
“Focus!” Rose said with a laugh. “You were supposed to warn everyone.”
“I am warning them,” Kara assured her. “I just haven’t had enough time.”
Rose gave her a skeptical look. “You haven’t had time to warn them that they’re all going to die, but you’ve had time to tell them I’m your new girlfriend?”
Kara grinned, her light blue eyes sparkling. “I’m very proud of myself.”
Rose tilted her head, flashing a sassy smile at her. “Aren’t you always?”
“Uhh, hello?!” the vampire interrupted. “You said the world is ending?!”
—
from my upcoming book, The Reign of Darkness,
Book Four of the Creatures of Darkness Series.
©️ Britney Jackson
Coming Soon(ish) 💜🖤💜
Teaser: Dating a Viking
The downside to dating a Viking… 😂 (Especially when she’s as brutal as Kara. 😂)
Happy Teaser Day! ❤️❤️❤️ I hope you like it! ❤
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Excerpt:
“Look at you,” Kara said with a seductive smile, “commanding armies, as if you’ve done it your whole life.”
Rose’s blush deepened. She scrunched up her face in disbelief. “You may have forgotten, but I accidentally insulted an angry vampire in front of his peers.”
Kara lifted her wine-glass to her lips, sipping the dark liquid. “You and I have different understandings of the word accidentally, I believe,” she said playfully.
“It was an accident,” Rose said. “That doesn’t mean he didn’t deserve it.”
Kara laughed. “Don’t worry. He’ll be more…agreeable in the future.”
Rose’s eyes widened. “Kara,” she said hesitantly, “what did you do?”
Kara looked away, sipping her wine. “Zosime dances well, doesn’t she?”
Rose snatched the glass of wine out of Kara’s hand—which succeeded in getting her attention. Kara tried to hide her smile, but she was clearly amused. Rose reached out and grasped Kara’s hand—the one Kara had slyly hidden with the wine glass—and scowled. “Kara? Why are there blood-stains on your hand?”
Kara’s lips twitched. “Because there isn’t any running water down here?”
Rose frowned worriedly. “Please, tell me you didn’t dismember anyone.”
“I didn’t dismember anyone,” Kara recited, her light blue eyes sparkling.
Rose dropped her hand and rolled her eyes. “You’re lying. Aren’t you?”
Kara held her thumb and finger an inch apart and mouthed, “Just a little.”
“Kara!” Rose said, her eyes wide. “Why would you do that?”
“Because he attacked you. Obviously,” Kara said, rolling her eyes. She took the wine glass from Rose’s hand. “Relax. It was just a finger. It’ll grow back.”
“You cut off someone’s finger?!” Rose exclaimed. “Are you insane?!”
“A bit, yeah,” Kara said, taking another sip of her wine. She chuckled, as she lowered the glass. “Don’t worry. He assured me there’d be no hard feelings.”
“Yeah, I’m sure I’d say that, too, if you sliced off my finger,” Rose said.
—
from my upcoming book, The Reign of Darkness,
Book Four of the Creatures of Darkness Series.
©️ Britney Jackson
Coming Soon(ish) ❤️❤️❤️
Teaser: Rose and Kara’s Kissing Habits
And so, the Saga of Rose and Kara Accidentally Making Out in the Wrong Places continues… 😂
Happy Teaser Day! 💜💜💜
——
As soon as the door clicked shut, Kara doubled over, bursting into a fit of hysterical laughter. “I think we offended the princess’s precious sensibilities.”
“You offended her,” Rose muttered. “I just stood here, blushing like an idiot.” She fumbled with the buttons of her shirt. “A half-naked idiot, at that.”
Kara straightened and stepped closer, helping Rose button up her shirt—since the incident had apparently left Rose too clumsy to figure out her own shirt. “A very beautiful,” Kara said, desperately trying not to laugh, “half-naked idiot.”
“Thanks,” Rose said sarcastically. “That’s really helpful.”
——
from my upcoming book, The Reign of Darkness,
Book Four of the Creatures of Darkness Series.
©️ Britney Jackson
Coming Soon(ish) 💜💜💜
Teaser: Cute Moment
My homicidal babies are so cute sometimes! 😂
Happy Teaser Day, and I hope you’re all having a happy Thanksgiving! 💙💙💙
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Excerpt:
He spit out a mouthful of blood and snarled, “Your girlfriend’s insane!”
Rose stepped closer, as that glowing, red haze overtook her eyes. “If you think she’s crazy, you really don’t want to see what happens when I get angry.”
Kara stepped forward, curling her fingers around Rose’s arm. She pulled Rose away from the Assassin, turning to face the opposite direction. Kara leaned in close and whispered, “I thought you said you were going to be Good Cop.”
Rose crossed her arms and grumbled, “That was before he insulted you.”
Kara smiled, amusement sparkling in her light blue eyes. “I love you.”
“Hello?” yelled the Assassins of Light, suddenly. “Can I go home now?”
Kara shot a peeved glare at him—before returning her attention to Rose. “Please, let me cut off his hand. He can still answer questions without his hand.”
Rose sighed, “I think you’ve dismembered enough people for one day.”
—
from my upcoming book, The Reign of Darkness,
Book Four of the Creatures of Darkness Series.
©️ Britney Jackson
Coming Soon(ish) ❤️🖤
Meet Zosime
I just realized today that I still haven’t officially introduced you guys to my favorite new side-character. So, since it’s Teaser Day, I’m fixing this. 😊
Meet Zosime! 💜💜💜
There are a lot of new characters in The Reign of Darkness. (Well, new-ish. They’ve kind of been behind the scenes all along. 😉) But my favorite new side-character is the quirky, flower-loving, clairvoyant…Zosime! She works as a royal advisor by night and as a gardener by…well, also by night…because she’s a vampire. 😁 She, like Rose, is in love with a warrior. Her warrior’s just a little less…mischievous than Kara. (Who isn’t less mischievous than Kara? 😂)
This excerpt’s a bit longer than usual, but it’s a lot of fun. I hope you like it! 💜💜💜
—
Excerpt:
“What’s wrong?” Zosime said with a smile. “Don’t you trust your lover?”
Rose raised an eyebrow. “Have you met her? She lies. A lot. And well.”
Zosime strolled further into the garden. “Even to you?” she called back.
“Usually, no,” Rose admitted. “She must have a good reason this time.”
“If you believe that,” Zosime said, “then, why are you here, asking me?”
“For the same reason she’s lying to me,” Rose said. “She wants to protect me. So, I need to protect her from whatever she’s trying to protect me from.”
Zosime turned toward Rose, laughing, “Is this how you two always are?”
“Yeah, it’s kind of our thing,” Rose muttered. “So, will you help me or not?”
“She told me not to,” Zosime said, as she returned to tending her garden. She knelt next to a large, yellow rose bush. “Your lover is a bit scary, you know.”
“Kara’s not going to hurt you,” Rose laughed. “Surely, you know that.”
Zosime’s brown eyes shifted up toward Rose. “I’m not so sure,” she said. “As a matter of fact, I think she’d hurt anyone, if that’s what it took to save you.”
Rose noticed Zosime eyeing the clay pot of water on the table next to her, so she picked it up and carried it over to the vampire. “Contrary to popular belief, she is not evil,” she said, giving the pot to Zosime. “She’s not well-behaved, by any means, but she’s not evil. She’d never actually hurt you—not over this.”
Zosime laughed softly, “You don’t even know what this is.” She poured the water slowly, watching the flowers, as she watered them. “You have no idea.”
“Then, tell me,” Rose said. “What did you see? What’s going to happen?”
Zosime didn’t even look at her. She kept her attention on the roses. She was silent for so long, in fact, that Rose had already given up and turned to leave, when she finally spoke. “The future is a puzzling thing,” she said, suddenly. Rose turned toward her, watching her curiously. Zosime straightened, her lips quirking up into a smile that did NOT fit the situation. “Also, nonexistent, at the moment.”
“What?” Rose sputtered, her brows furrowing. “What does that mean?”
Zosime busied herself with the roses again. “You know what it means.”
“The end of the world?” Rose said. She waited for an answer, but Zosime ignored her. Apparently, she was more worried about her flowers than the end of the world itself. “Uhh, okay. If that’s true, we have to stop it. How can I stop it?”
“Some things can only be destroyed by the one who created them, and some things can only be saved by the one who destroyed them,” Zosime told her.
Rose rolled her eyes. “Why does everyone here talk in freaking riddles?”
Zosime straightened, sighing softly, “It’s not a riddle. It’s a prophecy.”
“Right. Thanks,” Rose said irritably, “but what I need…is an answer.”
Zosime stepped closer to Rose. “You’re asking me to speak plainly?”
Rose took a step back, watching the clairvoyant vampire warily. “Yes?”
“Your future is so terrible that even a glimpse of it could drive you mad,” Zosime told her. “That’s why I’m not allowed to tell you what I saw in my vision.”
“Whatever it is—I can handle it,” Rose said. “I’ve been through worse.”
“You think you have, but you haven’t,” Zosime said. “What will happen to you is worse than you can imagine—and unpreventable, I’m afraid. But as for the end of the world? That part can be changed. But only by you. It must be you.”
“Why does everyone keep saying that?” Rose said anxiously. “Why me?”
“Because it’s your fault that it’s happening,” Zosime said with a shrug.
“What?” Rose sputtered, her eyes widening. “How? What did I do?”
“Hold out your hands,” Zosime said. “I have something that will help.”
Rose frowned, wondering—not for the first time—if the flower-loving vampire were a little crazy. But she was out of options. So, she held out her hands.
Zosime opened her own hands and placed a yellow rose in Rose’s hands.
“Um, Zosime?” Rose said slowly, scowling at the rose. “This is a flower.”
Zosime gave Rose that playful, quirky smile that she wore so often. “It’s your answer,” she said, clearly proud of herself. “That’s how you save the world.”
Rose looked up at the vampire, both eyebrows raised. “With a flower?”
“With a rose,” Zosime said with a shrug. “That is your name, isn’t it?”
Rose blinked. “Oh. Great. Yeah, that’s…hilarious,” she said sarcastically.
Zosime just laughed and returned to her garden. “Get some rest, Rose.”
But Rose didn’t hear her—because she couldn’t stop staring at the flower in her hands, transfixed by its silky, black petals.
Black as shadows
Black as death.
She didn’t remember seeing any black roses in Zosime’s garden.
As a matter of fact, she was positive that the other roses had been yellow.
“Zosime?” Rose said, watching the flower. “Do you have black roses?”
“No. Only yellow and red,” Zosime said, as she tended to another plant.
“But the rose you just gave me is…black,” Rose said slowly, looking up.
Zosime turned toward her with a frown—and froze. Because the rose in Rose’s hands now—it looked different from the one she’d picked just a moment before. She stepped closer to Rose, staring in horror at those black petals. “This is how it started,” she said quietly, her voice practically a whisper, “in my vision.”
Rose could hear Zosime’s pulse racing. She could smell the adrenaline in her blood. It was the first time she’d seen the vampire afraid. “How what started?”
Zosime looked up at Rose, her brown eyes wide with fear. “The end.”
—
from my upcoming book, The Reign of Darkness,
Book Four of the Creatures of Darkness Series.
©️ Britney Jackson
Coming Soon(ish) 💜💜💜
Kara and Those Stares of Hers 😂
If Kara had a business card, it would say:
Warrior, Spymaster, and Queen of Sexy Stares. 😂
Happy Teaser Day! 🖤🖤🖤
—
The text, in case the graphic is too small:
Honest to God, Rose was trying to focus on Talulah’s instructions, but it was hard to focus on anything when she could feel the heat of Kara’s gaze on her. She glanced out into the crowd, meeting Kara’s gaze instantly, despite all of the people between them. That ice-blue hue of her eyes might as well have been fiery-ember with the amount of heat they held. Rose tugged at the collar of her hoodie, feeling a little overheated, all of the sudden. Kara must’ve noticed—because her lips curved a little at the corners. She lifted her glass to her lips, hiding her smile.
“Rose,” Talulah said, startling her. “Did you hear anything I just said?”
Rose looked at her, shrugging sheepishly. “Something about bombs?”
Talulah rolled her eyes. “I hate Kara.”
—
from my upcoming book, The Reign of Darkness,
Book Four of the Creatures of Darkness Series.
©️ Britney Jackson
Coming Soon(ish) 🖤
Scary Rose
Teaser Day! 💜🖤🧡
🎃 Last week was Scary Alana. This week…have some Scary Rose. 🎃
—
Excerpt:
“Uh, Rose? Did you really call a ten-thousand-year-old queen a ‘psychotic idiot?’”
“She’s psychotic. And an idiot,” Rose said. “What else would I call her?”
“If you don’t want us all to die,” Erik muttered, his eyes wide, “queen?”
Rose rolled her eyes. “She’s not my queen,” she said, stepping past him.
He turned, watching as she unlocked the door to her bedroom. “Listen,” he sighed, “I have a little experience with…you know…psychotic people, and…”
Rose turned toward him. “While I appreciate the unsolicited advice,” she interrupted, flashing a sassy smile, “I have an injured girlfriend who needs blood.”
“I’m just saying,” Erik told her, “sometimes, it’s best not to…provoke.”
Rose took a step toward him. “I don’t play nice with evil,” she told him, “and if I’m forced to share a space with evil, I’m not going to pretend to like it.”
He nodded. “Okay, yeah, but,” he paused, wincing, “she’s just so…scary.”
Rose smiled, raising an eyebrow. “I thought Vikings were supposed to be fearless.”
He scratched at his collar, laughing nervously. “Nah, that’s just Kara.”
“Yeah, well,” Rose said, her smile fading, “that queen hurt the woman I love. She’s lucky all I did was call her a psychotic idiot.”
That glowing, blood-red haze overtook Rose’s eyes, and the table began to rattle against the wall.
A glass vase fell into floor, shattering.
“Because…if she touches Kara again, I’ll kill her.”
Erik took a step back. “Eyes, Rose,” he whined. “Eyes.”
—
from my upcoming book, The Reign of Darkness,
Book Four of the Creatures of Darkness Series.
©️Britney Jackson
Coming Soon(ish) 💜🖤🧡
Excerpt: Trick or Treat 🧡🖤
Teaser Day! 🖤🧡
In the spirit of Halloween, here’s a scene (from The Reign of Darkness) with our favorite trickster, Kara, and her villainous ex-lover, Alana. 🎃🖤🧡
—
Excerpt:
The glass shattered in Alana’s hand, the scent of her blood filling the air.
Kara looked down, her eyes darkening with hunger, as she watched the blood flow from Alana’s hand, sliding down her wrist in a steady, crimson stream.
With a shriek of rage, Alana gripped the largest shard of glass and swung it at Kara.
Kara caught her wrist easily. “Careful, love,” she said, ripping the shard of glass from Alana’s hand. “You wouldn’t want to scar your pretty hands.”
Alana jerked her wrist from Kara’s grasp. “You lied to me!” she growled.
Kara took a step backward, a cocky smirk tilting at the edges of her lips. “It’s what I do,” she said, spreading out her arms. “Try not to act so surprised.”
She spun on her heels and headed toward the door, feeling quite proud of herself, to be honest. But as she placed her hand on the doorknob, she heard a sound that made her heart stop—Alana. Not the shrieking, rage-filled Alana she’d faced a moment before…
No, she sounded calm now.
Amused, even.
Manipulative.
“But it’s more fun when I act.”
Kara froze, a cold rush of dread pouring over her. She turned, watching as Alana cleaned the blood from her hand with a cloth. “What are you saying?”
Alana smiled. “It’s oddly satisfying to trick a trickster, don’t you think?”
“You knew,” Kara realized, her brows furrowing, “that I was using you.”
Alana giggled, “I’ve been with you for a thousand years.” She took a step closer to Kara. “You didn’t think I’d learned nothing in all of that time, did you?”
Kara sighed irritably. “If you knew, why did you tell me the truth?”
“Do you think this is the first time you’ve gotten this close to the truth?” Alana scoffed. When she noticed Kara’s worried frown, her smile widened. “Oh, you did,” she giggled. Her dark blue eyes sparkled. “That’s kind of sweet, actually.”
Kara wanted to run—to get out of reach before Alana came any closer to her—but a pulsing, painful fog had already begun to spread through her mind.
“When you talk to Aaron, you won’t remember any of this,” Alana said.
Kara pressed her hand against her face, as if she could push away the fog, as if she could stop the mind-control. Her hair fell around her face, and her head spun violently. She almost fell, but Alana caught her. “Please, stop,” Kara gasped.
Alana pushed Kara’s hair out of her face, so that Kara could see the smile on Alana’s face. “And hundreds of years from now, you’ll play right into his plan.”
Everything suddenly stopped spinning. Kara straightened—the dizziness and pain gone. She looked down at Alana, her brows furrowing. “Whose plan?”
“See?” Alana said with a laugh. “You’ve already forgotten.” When Kara’s frown deepened, Alana smiled. “It’s you who is being used this time, darling.”
Kara stared at the glass in the floor, trying to remember what happened.
“Come back to bed,” Alana called, as she headed back to the bedroom.
Kara glanced toward their bedroom, her eyebrows lifting, as she noticed Alana’s dress already in the floor. She knew she must’ve been going somewhere, but it suddenly didn’t feel so important. She stepped away from the door. “Okay.”
—
from my upcoming book, The Reign of Darkness,
Book Four of the Creatures of Darkness Series
©️Britney Jackson
🖤🧡 Coming Soon(ish) 🖤🧡
Oh, and this is a flashback scene, so “hundreds of years from now”…is now. 😉🖤
Meet Britney Jackson
I really enjoyed being interviewed by Arnold B. Spencer for his LGBTQ Author Spotlight interview series. 😊💙💙
He’s done some really cool interviews with some really awesome people. You should check them out. 💙💙💙
Teaser: The Way It Started
Super, super late on our Thursday Teaser (rough week), but here it is! 🖤🖤🖤
I can’t say much about this one because…SPOILERS…but I hope you like it! 🖤🖤🖤
from my upcoming book, The Reign of Darkness,
Book Four of the Creatures of Darkness Series.
© Britney Jackson
(Coming Soon! 🖤🖤🖤)
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