Title: The Broken Butterfly
Series: In the Shadows, book 2
Author: Caitlin Ricci
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release
Date: March 6
Heat
Level: 1 - No Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 14900
Genre: Romance, NineStar Press, LGBT, gay, romance, ghost,
demons, law enforcement, paranormal
Synopsis
Carter is closer than ever to solving his latest cold case, but his
disturbing dreams seem to be a warning to stay away from the truth. The victim,
Jacob, deserves justice, and Carter can’t let a few bad dreams get in the way
of that. When he goes to Malphas and Jamison for help, Carter learns that his
dreams are more than they seem. What he learns is enough to send Malphas
running, and as much as Carter wants to go with him and Jamison, he knows he
can’t abandon Jacob so easily. Malphas says Jacob is being held by a powerful
demon, and Carter knows he’s not in the business of doing favors for humans who
aren’t Jamison. But to free Jacob, Carter is willing to do just about anything
to convince Malphas to help him, even if it means making a deal with the devil.
Excerpt
The Broken Butterfly
Caitlin Ricci © 2017
All Rights Reserved
Some days Carter found it almost easy to
be around Malphas. There were afternoons where Malphas would get Jamison and
Carter drive-through cheeseburgers for lunch. He would sit quietly next to
Jamison as if he was attempting to be on his best behavior during their lunch
hour. During those afternoons, Carter could almost forget who Malphas was, what
he was, and pretend he might have simply been a man Jamison was interested in
and not the demon he actually was.
Then there were those times, like now,
when Malphas was stretched out on the couch by himself while the three of them
watched TV in the evenings. It had become routine since Carter had started
staying with them. They each had a few slices of pizza in front of them, but
unlike a normal person, Malphas had his pizza hovering in front of his face,
close enough that he hardly had to move to take a bite, and whenever he wanted
to turn the channel, he wiggled his fingers at the TV instead of using a
remote.
Carter would have said something about
how very nonhuman he was being, but it really didn’t matter. Malphas had gotten
better about trying not to act so strangely when he was out with them or when
he visited them at the precinct, and that was the important thing to remember
when dealing with a demon. He was trying. Sometimes he still made light bulbs
explode or people inexplicably changed their minds around him, especially when
it benefited him or Jamison, but for the most part, Malphas was pretending to be
just another normal human in the world. It was a relief not to have to feel
like he had to constantly supervise the demon and remind him when he was acting
out.
Two months ago, when Malphas had first
come barreling into their lives, Carter would have never thought Malphas was
anything other than a monster, and some days he hadn’t changed much at all, but
he was always trying to be better. If only to please Jamison and stay on his
good side.
Carter froze as he felt something warm
drape over his shoulder. It still unnerved him sometimes to have his shadow
around, especially since it was just a feeling and nothing nearly as corporeal
as Malphas was. That would have made it easier, he was sure, if he could see
whatever it was, whoever it was, that was following him around almost
constantly.
“Is he here?” Carter asked Malphas. He’d
started to give his shadow a gender. It made referring to him easier.
Malphas glanced over and then lifted his
black eyes to something just above Carter’s shoulder. “Yep.” After a second, he
added, “Well, it’s not my fault he can’t see you. Clearly you don’t belong in
this realm. You should really go away.”
“That’s rich coming from a demon,”
Carter replied, instantly coming to his shadow’s defense for no reason at all.
Jamison looked between them but said
nothing. He’d been getting between them less and less. They hadn’t needed him
to play referee when Malphas had shown no real interest in hurting Carter
lately. There was the occasional jibe about him being an idiot, but even that had
turned mostly playful.
Warmth spread down his shoulder to his
arm, and Carter lifted his palm as the comfortable feeling flowed to his hand.
He closed his eyes and imagined that whatever it was following him was holding
his hand. Carter felt the slightest bit of pressure, but it wasn’t much, and he
was half-certain he was actually imagining the whole thing.
“Hey,” he whispered. He could almost
believe that he, whatever it was, was pushing back against him too.
Jamison got up from where he’d been sitting,
and his movement distracted Carter enough that he lost the connection with his
shadow.
“I wish I knew his name,” Carter said as
he glanced behind him.
Mal snorted. “Why? He’s not actually
part of this plane. He’s like…déjà vu or something like that. You know he’s
here. I know he’s here. But he doesn’t actually exist here. It’s weird. He’s
not a ghost or something like that. He’s stuck.”
That got Carter’s attention in a hurry,
and Jamison paused on his way into the kitchen as well. “What do you mean he’s
stuck?” Jamison asked Mal.
“Just that he’s where he is because he’s
trapped there. It’s hard to explain to people who aren’t dead yet. When you
die, I’ll show you.” Mal shrugged.
Purchase
Links
NineStar Press: http://ninestarpress.com/product/the-broken-butterfly/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/704975
Meet the
Author
Caitlin was fortunate growing up to be surrounded by family and
teachers that encouraged her love of reading. She has always been a voracious
reader, and that love of the written word easily morphed into a passion for
writing. She comes from a military family, and the men and women of the armed
forces are close to her heart. She also enjoys gardening and horseback riding
in the Colorado Rockies where she calls home with her wonderful husband and
their two dogs. Her belief that there is no one true path to happily ever after
runs deeply through all of her stories.
Author
Links
Website: http://www.caitlinricci.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caitlin.ricci.7
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaitlinRicci
Email: authorcaitlinricci@gmail.com
Giveaway
One lucky winner will receive an ebook
of their choice from NineStar Press
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