Whispers in the Dark: Archaeology student Kylie
Hafford craves adventure when she heads to the remote Puebloan ruins of Lost
Valley, Colorado, to excavate. Romance isn’t in her plans, but she soon meets
two sexy men: Danesh looks like a warrior from the Pueblo’s ancient past, and
Sean is a charming, playful tourist. The summer heats up as Kylie uncovers
mysteries, secrets, and terrors in the dark. She’ll need all her
strength and wits to survive—and to save the man she’s come to
love.
Whispers in the Dark, romantic suspense set in the
Four Corners region of the Southwest, has a 4.2-star average. This novel will
appeal to fans of Mary Stewart, Barbara Michaels, and Victoria Holt. It stands
alone and is not part of a series.
Whispers in the Dark is on sale Nov. 19-24 – only 99 cents for
the Kindle! Get it now!
Excerpt:
I hit
something, bounced, scraped, and finally landed with a thud that rattled my
whole body.
I lay in the dark, blinded, my
head ringing, pain washing over me in great waves. My lungs screamed for air,
but it seemed like I’d forgotten how to breathe.
Finally I dragged in a breath. I
closed my eyes and focused on breathing, waiting for the world to settle into
place.
Rain misted my face, so I must
be lying on my back. My head felt heavier than my feet. I shifted and realized
I was lying on a slope with my head pointing down.
I tried to concentrate on those
little details. I couldn’t handle anything more. Panic fluttered around me, but
I refused to think about anything but the present moment. I flexed my fingers.
When that worked, I moved my hands over my body, up to my face. My head
throbbed, but when I felt around my skull, I didn’t find any serious damage.
I had to move. The thought
battered at the back of my mind, a panicky whisper that I tried to ignore. I
had to run. Hide. He was after me. I had to get away.
I clenched my teeth hard, as if
I could bite back the pain and fear. Memories crowded in, like panicked ghosts
wailing at the edges of my mind. Guns, strange men. Dangerous, threatening men.
Danesh trying to protect me, the gun going off. My own helpless, panicked
flight. Helpless. Worthless. Unable to fight, unable even to scream.
I tried to focus on this one
moment, the physical sensations of my aching body as I lay on the hard, damp
ground. The cold against my bare calves, the lump of rock pressing into my
shoulder. That focus helped keep me grounded in the present. Never mind that
this present wasn’t a place I wanted to be. I had to deal with reality. But I
didn’t have to also deal with nightmares. Not now.
The little whimpers in my throat
faded to short gasping breaths. I held on to this moment, this single slice of
reality. Now to move forward. I didn’t have to like it, but I had to do it. One
step at a time.
Kris Bock writes
novels of suspense and romance involving outdoor adventures and Southwestern
landscapes. In Counterfeits, stolen
Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico town. What We Found is a romantic mystery
about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods. The Mad Monk’s Treasure follows the hunt
for a long-lost treasure in the New Mexico desert. In The Dead Man’s Treasure, estranged relatives compete to reach a
buried treasure by following a series of complex clues. Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page.
Thanks, Kathleen!
ReplyDelete