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Author Insight
Strangers in the woods...
Paisley's been on the run for a day, two, or more. Something took over her to flee when the opportunity presented itself. Is the stranger in the woods just like her captors, or will he become her protector?
Book Excerpt
Petulant Shadows
The scent of petrichor coats the air as the sun rises. There was a late-night storm that passed through and left behind a faint shadow of death. Clouds have remained, but the sun peeks through randomly which doesn’t blot out the stench of decay.
“This ain’t your land,” Grayson warns, cocking his shotgun as he rides up on five unknown men trespassing on his property. He steadies his aim as they cautiously turn to face him.
Mason, Grayson’s German Shepherd, growls and readies for the command to attack.
The men are dressed differently than anything Grayson has seen in the area, even for travelers passing through the village. Aside from the darker color of their attire, there’s a foreboding energy around them that makes Grayson’s hair stand on edge.
“Our apologies,” one of the men states with an unfamiliar accent, raising his hands as he slowly steps back a few feet. “We had lost—”
“Far enough away from any place for anyone to have lost something,” Grayson counters as his gray eyes darken. “Don’t see how—”
“We mean nothing by our simple mistake,” the man replies with a slight bow. “We’ll be on our way.”
“That’d be best,” Grayson agrees gruffly. He remains on his horse, watching the strangers vacate his land in the same direction they entered.
Though he owns a large plot, and uses much of the hills that belong to no one, Grayson has tended to the land for many years. The men head toward the east which makes the most sense if they were unaware of the area in general. Where they are located, eastward is the closest edge of his territory and Biernhard.
The stench of rotted darkness lingers from the men who did not have a single, visible weapon on them. Everyone knows you travel with a weapon, even if to ward off a bear, other animals, or thieves.
Grayson waits patiently atop his horse until the five men are long out of sight.
A gentle whimper is heard, pulling Mason from his guarded stance and Grayson from his thoughts. Mason makes his way to a large tree stump that has been down for some time. Sniffing and circling to the opposite side, it doesn’t take long for him to find the final intruder.
“You can come out,” Grayson informs, taking off his hat and raking his fingers through his mahogany locks for a second. When the only sound is Mason’s footsteps, he looks back over his shoulder. “They’re gone. I promise.”
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