Keir by Pippa Jay

Cover & Excerpt

Keir by Pippa Jay
Redemption Book One
Part of the Travellers Universe
A demon waiting to die...
An outcast reviled for his discolored skin and rumors of black magic, Keirlan de Corizi sees no hope for redemption. Imprisoned beneath the palace that was once his home, the legendary 'Blue Demon of Adalucian' waits for death to finally free him of his curse. But salvation comes in an unexpected guise.

A woman determined to save him.
Able to cross space and time with a wave of her hand, Tarquin Secker has spent eternity on a hopeless quest. Drawn by a compulsion she can't explain, she risks her apparent immortality to save Keir, and offers him sanctuary on her home-world, Lyagnius. But Quin has secrets of her own.

When Keir mistakenly unleashes the dormant alien powers within him and earns exile from Lyagnius, Quin chooses to stand by him. Can he master his newfound abilities in time to save Quin from the darkness that seeks to possess her?
Note: This was previous released in May 2012 by Lyrical Press. It is newly edited with bonus material and a new cover.

Genre: Sci Fi Romance
Content/Theme(s): Time Travel, Demons, Aliens, Futuristic, Medieval, Space opera, Psi powers, Telepathy, Telekinesis, Paranormal, Virgin hero, Beta male, Redemption, Beauty and the beast
Release Date: May 7, 2015
Publisher: Indie

Excerpt & More

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Excerpt:
“Well,” Quin said hesitantly, “goodnight, Keir. Sleep well.”

“And you.”

She gave him a fleeting smile then raised her hand, as if she intended to reach for him. He waited, forced himself to hold still, half hoping that she would. But then she turned and activated the door lock with her palm, glancing back at him once before disappearing inside. He waited a fraction longer, certain something had been left unsaid, expecting her to return. Her door remained closed. After staring at it for a while, he gave up and slowly entered his own lodgings.

Low lighting triggered as he came into the room, giving everything a soft yellow glow that was easy on tired eyes. He gave the room a cursory glance. Most of the objects were unfamiliar to him, although the large bed was self-explanatory. A stiff breeze blowing through the chamber stirred the filmy white curtains on the far side into a slow dance, like twining skeins of mist. Brilliant flashes of multicolored lights burst and bloomed in the sky, drawing him onto a small balcony outside.

He stood in the shadows and watched them in fascination, the night air cool on his skin and the wind ruffling his hair. His quarters overlooked the stone bowl of the plaza in which they had arrived, a deep crater in the craggy mouth of the mountain that cupped the shell-like palace. Even in the glow of the illuminated sky, he could see nothing below the crater’s rim or the landscape beyond, all of it hidden by night’s dark mantle. The stars were white pinpricks, dimmed to insignificance by the explosion of lights and veiled by a mixture of smoke and wispy clouds.

Amidst the noise and flashes, the sound of movement drew his gaze aside. Quin had stepped out onto the adjoining balcony to lean nonchalantly on the ledge and admire the show. The light display forgotten, Keir immersed himself deeper in the shadows and watched her instead. Like his first sight of her in the Adalucien prison cell, it struck him how small she was, and how different to anyone he had ever known. Quin had unbound her hair, which now formed a wild red halo around her face. Her formal robes had been exchanged for a short, black slip that ended mid-thigh, and a long-sleeved robe of black lace. The gentle curves of her slim figure showed through the fabric. His eyes strayed to the white skin of her legs, like fine marble shaped and smoothed. What would it feel like to touch? Cool like stone? Or warm like velvet, soft as silk?

Unease tightened his muscles, and he tried to drag his gaze away. A Salusian woman would never expose herself like that. Never show so much skin and be so uncaring about it.

But then, Quin is not Salusian. And she does not know I am here. I should not be looking.

Even as he thought it, even as he berated himself for it, his gaze drifted back. A smile arched her lips as she watched the skies, as enchanted as a child. A stronger gust of wind brushed the hair back from her face and folded the satin cloth of her outfit around her figure.

So beautiful…

Sudden elation overwhelmed him, combined with the heat T’rill had inspired. Desire wrapped tight arms around his body. The heady mix stole his breath. No. Shame burned his skin. Quin was his friend, the first he had ever had, and the only person to show him kindness in more years than he could count. Yet at that moment he wanted more. For the first time in remembrance, he wanted to touch and be touched in return. To hold her and have her return his embrace freely, with more than a friend’s affection. To feel her white skin under his fingertips. To brush the hair from her face as the breeze did now, and run his fingers through it.

His thoughts dishonored her gift of friendship to him. Disgusted by the yearning that plagued him now, he backed deeper into the alcove, unable to retreat inside without moving from his hiding place.

How would she react if she knew? How could he even think she might feel the same for him? Someone who was not even human, someone descended from the creature that had destroyed everything she had loved—her own words. Bitter disappointment and guilt swamped him at the depth of his desire. What he wanted was impossible and it was madness to think otherwise.

He should leave now. Go back to Lyagnius, or perhaps even farther, instead of tormenting himself by imagining what could never be. But he could not make his legs obey. So he stood in the shadows, and watched, and hated himself for it.

Then they both started as a vivid red star exploded close to their balconies. A second later, Quin laughed as it was followed by a rapid series of smaller percussions and star-bursts. She lifted her chin to gaze up into the sky, the scarlet flare highlighting her elfin face and auburn hair.

Troubled by the noise and his own conflicting reactions, Keir retreated into his room, folding his mixed emotions deep inside where she would not be able to sense them. He sat morosely on the bed before throwing himself backward and thumping his balled fists into the surface, but his childish aggression was wasted on the padded mattress. Closing his eyes as if that would banish the images and thoughts within, he covered his face with his hands before running them viciously through his hair. How could he face her with all this in his head? He should leave. Now.
~~~~~~
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Other titles by Pippa Jay:

Terms & Conditions Apply	Tales from the SFR Brigade	Gethyon

When Dark Falls	Tethered	No Angel	Restless In Peaceville

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Be on the lookout for Pippa Jay's future release(s): Zombie Girl: Dead Awakened coming in 2015, and Keir's Fall coming late 2015/early 2016. The following titles will be rereleased in May/June 2015: No Angel, Tethered, When Dark Falls, and Restless In Peaceville

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