Chosen
an excerpt

Blurb
“Do you want to live?”

Lying under a heap of rubble, Leona Munro isn’t going to turn down that offer.
Yet accepting, spins her life out of control. She is the Chosen. What that meant no one will say. Least of all, Samuel Blake, the man who rescued her.

Thrown into the world of magic she secretly craves, Leona must find the strength to survive the trials set her. Too many people want to use her, use what she is to their own advantage in the war between technology and magic.

She can trust no one. Not even Blake. Especially, as he is the greatest mystery of all.

Except one. The Dragon Lord. But he’s just a myth. Isn’t he…?

Excerpt

“Do you want to live?”

What the hell…?

Leona focused on the blurred brown hand thrust at her. Words burst out, “Are you insane?” She choked. Pain shot over her skull.

“Make a choice.”

The implacable male voice just wasn’t going away. More sensation worked its way into her fogged brain. Flagstones scraped against her cheek, her jaw, grit and blood still thick in her mouth. She twitched her arm and agony lanced. The surrounding haze of light and shadow fell into a brief focus.

The hand had a ring, something white gold and ornate. She swallowed. Her throat hurt. “Choice?”

His hand disappeared from her view. There was a light brush of fingers over her hair in a slow, sure rhythm. Something about the touch seemed wrong, but the fading dull thud in her head made thinking hard. She closed her eyes and let her body breathe. The thin taste of smoke slid into her lungs. Slowly, she started to drift and the warm tug of sleep dulled the pain—

“Do you want my help?”

Leona winced. Was the deep voice stabbing into her head just a figment brought on by her obviously cracked skull? “No, I just want to lay here.” She spat out the taste of blood. “Maybe bleed a bit more. What d’you think?”

He cursed. Something ripe and not very complimentary.

“Leona Munro. Yes or no? Do you want to live?”

“I’ve told you, what sort of crazy—“ She made the mistake of moving her head from the flagstone pavement. Pain spiked and her stomach roiled. Nausea surged. “Yes.” The word gritted out from between clenched teeth. “I want to live.”

The hand still caught in her hair, pressed hard against her skull.

And that was the something wrong.

It didn’t hurt.

In fact…the searing edge of pain dulled, faded and a slow heat slid through her body. She sighed. “Thank you.”

“You may change your mind about that.”