Today is the official release of
Vigilante of Shadows! The beginning of a new series from Miranda Stork, the
action begins fast and hard with a murder, an immortal murderer, and a bright
young police officer caught in the action. Oh, and shadowpeople and a demon.
Did I not mention those? Vigilante of Shadows sets the series off on a path
that will be humourous, horrifying, and just a little bit steamy. A path where
this time…the whole of humanity hangs in the balance.
Blurb:
Aodhan clutched uselessly at his head,
groaning. He knew it was useless, because the voice was not inside his head. It
followed him, skimming across buildings and land. It had followed him since he
was sixteen, and it still followed him today, like a memory too horrific to be
forgotten…
Aodhan
is a shadow-demon, hardened and cold after years of being alone, after his
love, his Entwined, was cruelly taken away from him. He has closed his heart to
the world, and now spends his life ridding the world of men like those who took
his beloved away, an immortal hit-man…
Arianwen
Harris is a young DCI, working for York City Police. When a known criminal is
found viciously killed, she finds herself trailing a hit-man who has seemed to
escape clutches again and again…but she begins to find herself drawn to his
dark charms and roguish good looks…
As
their two worlds collide, Aodhan and Arianwen find themselves coming together
to escape a far greater enemy, one that threatens to create a world far worse
than the one they live in. As they battle to hold back the oncoming forces,
fate has another plan; one to draw them together and heal their broken pasts
together…
Excerpt:
He
paced along speedily, hands shoved deep in the pockets of his jeans. The sounds
of the night surrounded him--distant cat song, the steady hum of far-off cars,
the soft sound of wind whistling underneath people’s windows. He loved being
out at night, not because it was a time when his ‘kind’ were more active, but
simply because it was so much quieter than the day. The sounds of people
rushing around disappeared, and left a peaceful calm with the soothing
darkness.
Of
course, there were the voices in his head, but that was another story.
He
shrugged his shoulders up, cutting off the wind whistling around his neck. He
wasn’t particularly cold, but the noise was annoying when your ears were so
sensitive that a pin dropping could sound like a two-ton weight.
Aodhan’s
mind went back to the girl from the bar. He hadn’t meant to be so brisk with
her, but it was really best that no-one got that close. He…didn’t do well with
people any more. They always brought back memories of simpler times, of her.
And besides that…he killed people. People who wouldn’t die if they hadn’t found
out about them…
Aodhan
was a demon.
A
rare demon, as well, a shadow demon. He had been born to a Scottish clan just
over eight-hundred years ago, to humans. Contrary to what he saw people
believed in the media and books, demons were actually born to humans. There was
no line of them, like vampires or werewolves. They were simply…random.
When
he had been born, there were no noticeable signs of what he was. He just looked
like any of the other babies born to them, strong and healthy, but definitely
human.
As
he grew older, he had shown great proficiency with all weapons, learning faster
than any of the other boys in the clan. Even some of the boys older than him
had a hard time keeping up. He was never big-headed about it though, simply
trying to fit in with everyone else. However, the clan talked about how the
strange-eyed boy was so much quicker and stronger than others twice his age,
and whispered about ancient gods coming back to the earth. His looks weren’t
too odd for his clan, everyone having black, brown, or auburn hair. But his
eyes were odd. All others in his clan had mostly blue eyes; some of them had
brown eyes. But he had startling clear green ones, more like a cat than a
human.
When
he was thirteen, he suddenly began developing strange growths near his temples.
After going to see the clan’s wise woman about it, she simply cackled, and
whispered, “Those who are given the gift of darkness, should not fear the
unknown.” He had shaken off the wise woman’s words, telling himself that she
had finally gone crazy.
The
growths had developed further, until they started to look like small dark
horns, about the length of his thumb. They curled close to the curve of his
head, smooth with small ridges forming at each stage of their growth. Luckily,
Aodhan’s hair grew wild and long, allowing him to cover them up as much as he
could.
By
the time his twentieth year was reached, he was a well-loved member of his
clan. He was kind and helpful to all, and helped to fight off their enemies
more times than he could count on both hands. But he was holding a dreadful
secret from his clan. Since his horns had grown, he had also noticed many other
things.
He
had begun to...see things. Shadows.
When
he was out hunting in the forest near to their home, he would think that he had
seen someone moving in the trees behind him. But when he swung around to face
them…nothing. Then he would hear a soft chuckle, his name being called on the
wind. At night, in his bed as he tried to sleep, he would see black figures
running around the walls.
He
had tried to tell the wise woman of the village again, thinking them to be
spirits sent to drive him mad, or something worse. She simply shook her head at
him, and chuckled, rocking herself to and fro. He had got used to the shadows
by now, drawing the blanket up over his head so that he couldn’t hear their
taunting murmurs....
Aodhan
suddenly stopped walking, snapping out of his daydream. He was sure he had seen
one of...them. Looking all around, he
scanned the buildings with his vivid eyes. The problem with them was that they could hide anywhere
they chose--walls, buildings, floors, anywhere--especially at night.
The
red brick buildings around him looked empty, the few alleyways just leading
alongside the backs of houses, a small number of bins scattered about. No-one
else was walking near him on the pavement, no sound anywhere.
Just
as he was about to turn around and carry on walking, pulling his jacket up
again, he heard something behind him. Something whispery and cold.
“Aodhan...”
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Bio:
I was born in
Guisborough, North Yorkshire in 1987 and have lived in various places around
Britain, including Newcastle and Glasgow.
My writing is
inspired by various writers, including the vivid characters of Charles Dickens,
the imagination of Stephen King, and the gothic imagery of Anne Rice.
My love of
horror began at an early age, when I was only three or four. I could read
proficiently at the age of three, and devoured fairy-stories, but I always had
a bent towards the darker stories, such as the Brother's Grimm's tales...Red
Riding Hood was always a firm favourite, although I always felt sorry for the
wolf, despite him having tried to eat everyone!
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