Tuesday Tease

Teaser Tuesday!

Sorry for posting so late today. I had a hard time deciding what teaser to post, so I decided to start with the beginning. The second round of edits are crawling along much slower than I'd like - but they are moving along. I was hoping I'd have it ready by the end of January, but it looks like it'll be closer to early February. Still, after waiting a year, another week isn't going to kill me (I hope! lol)

On with the teaser!

Release - The Crow Series Book Three:

 

I lifted my hand to my forehead and squinted my eyes, trying to shade my face from the bright morning sun.
“You gonna play too, D?” Soda called, bouncing the small blue rubber ball on the concrete with the flat of his palm. Conner stood beside him in the handball court, his white t-shirt already damp with sweat. They both stared at me expectantly and I shook my head, watching them from the park bench on the other side of the chain-linked fence that separated the court from the rest of the park.
“It’s more fun just to watch you two jump around in there.” I said, shrugging as I leaned back into the wooden slatted seat.
Conner’s mouth twisted up into a wicked smirk and he winked suggestively at me before reaching out his hand to try and snatch the ball from Soda mid-bounce.
I rolled my eyes, laughing as they resumed their positions on either side of the court. Soda bounced the handball once - twice - then batted it hard with the palm of his hand, sending it flying towards the middle of the concrete wall. It connected with a loud pop before bouncing back. Conner quickly darted to the left, his hand smacking it hard, sending it spinning back towards the wall.
I watched them through squinted eyes from the bench, the sunlight almost blinding with its intensity. The winter chill had passed, leading without much notice into the sweet warmth of springtime. I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with the pleasant scent of freshly cut grass. The park trees were dappled with small bright green buds, preparing the sky for the impending explosion of lush leaves and flowers. I should have been happy for the change of season - the gray and white world of winter always left me feeling despondent and lonely, especially around the holidays. Now all it seemed to remind me of was how much time had passed and how little I had accomplished of late.
It had been just one delay after another. Waiting for the nettles to grow - waiting for Silas to return - waiting for Eva Applegru to figure out why the revealing solution she’d made for my mother’s journal wasn’t working anymore…
“D, check this out!” Soda’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I grinned as I watched him attempt to hit the ball from over his shoulder. It rolled off the tips of his fingers, careening in the opposite direction and hitting the chain-linked fence with a reverberating shake of metal. Julian squawked angrily down at the boys in the handball court, quickly taking to the air and then landing on the back of the bench beside me. His dark eyes glared at Soda and Conner in annoyance. I blinked hard, peering into the tree branches overhead for signs of my other two brothers. I had been so lost in my head, I hadn’t even noticed Julian watching us from the top of the fence.
All the waiting was driving me crazy. I felt fidgety and restless. I needed to do something - but other than gradually collecting the items for my brothers’ cure, I was at an impasse. Special, rare nettles were required for the last part of the antidote and Silas’ tree-cursed cousin Maeve had said it would take until spring to grow the quantity that I needed.
Just one more infuriating delay.
I took another deep breath of the crisp, fragrant air. It was finally time, but I needed Silas’ help to retrieve them from Maeve, and Silas hadn’t been seen in months. That thought alone sent a pain shooting straight through my chest.
Conner’s Irish accent caught my ear, “I don’t think she’s paying you any attention, buddy.” He laughed, bending down to fetch the wayward rubber ball as it rolled away.

This week's teaser was a long one - but it's the first few pages of Chapter One. I hope you enjoyed this little snippet and are as excited as I am to finally get the next part of the story!

I'll be posting more next week so stay tuned!