Black Diamond Heart, page 24
“Shit. Fuck. Shitty shitty, fuck fuck.” His expression went from stunned to curious to… furious. Oh, yes. He was definitely mad.
“I brought you sustenance,” she said, bending to slide the tray under the bottom of the barred door.
When she stood again, she found his eyebrows had made a new home way up in his hairline.
“Sustenance?” His voice was hard and loud. He would need to be quieter if he wanted to live. “I don’t even know what the fuck that word means, woman. Or are you even a woman? What the fuck kind of female just appears out of nowhere like a ghost, huh? Answer me.”
Ghost. This proved it. No originality to her nickname at all.
She sighed. “Sustenance is a word for food.”
“Oh, are you fancy then? You use fancy words out here in the middle of bum-fuck-desert?”
She wasn’t fancy at all. She lived in a cave underneath said desert. Nothing fancy about that. Where had this man come from? The south end of a rock?
“You’ll need to be quiet,” she started.
“No,” he interrupted. “You’ll need to let me go. Right now. Right fucking now, in fact.”
Ghost crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s not going to happen. You can either be quiet or die. Your choice.”
The man jerked his head back like she’d surprised him again. “Die?” His voice was once again loud, but then he lowered it. “You’d kill me?”
If not her, then someone else. He was a man after all.
He held his palms up. “Never mind, okay. Fuck. Are you at least going to tell me why I’m here in this cell? Or are you just going to ‘sustenance’ me?”
The way he used sustenance was all wrong. And not just because it did something odd to her inside. He made it sound… sexy.
He’s your mate. He will seem very appealing. You must be strong.
She turned to leave.
“Hey,” he called after her. “Where are you going?”
She ignored him, but he just got louder.
“Listen, lady. You can’t just knock people out and steal them away to your bat cave or whatever the hell this is. Tell me why I’m here!”
Ghost turned, glaring at him through her mask. If he wanted an explanation, she’d give him one.
“You’re here because you’re my mate.” Her voice snapped from her throat like a weapon. “And we never let mates live.”
This shut him up, his expression closing like the slam of a heavy book. She took advantage of the moment and hurried away.
Her mate wasn’t lucky at all. It would be a miracle if he walked out of the Hollows alive.
*******
Look for the next book in the explosive Firecats series, coming soon… ish!
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
Dear lovely readers,
I’m like Lucy. I have some ‘splaining to do.
First of all, thank you so much for reading Black Diamond Heart! I really hope you enjoyed Felix and Skye’s story. If you’d like to, leave a review or share it with friend to spread the word that it’s finally out! (I know it took entirely too long, and I thank you for your extreme, herculean patience. I mean that with my whole heart).
That brings me to my next point. Where have I been?? Here we go…
Back in June I started having serious vision problems. Some issues were discovered in my routine eye exam, and from there, things sort of snowballed until I needed emergency surgery on my eyes. Since then, I’ve been spending my days recovering and dealing with the very real fear that I’m losing my ability to see. All while trying, bit by bit (with Meester PJ’s help), to finish edits on this big puppy and keep everyone updated. It’s been hard (understatement, but heyyo 2020).
So, you might be asking, as I’ve been for the past few months: What does a writer do when they can’t see? How do they type and make stories and choose covers and teasers and all the pretty things? The answer is… I have no answers for you. But I’m not giving up. Even if it takes me longer to get it all done, my stories will still be told.
Right now, I’m learning to prioritize. Things like social media and messages have been exchanged for small burst of editing or writing, but that means I miss interacting with readers SO MUCH. I’m learning about vocal dictation instead of typing, to ease the strain on my eyes, and leaning on lots of help from my man (who reads every story I write and helps me when I need new ideas). Currently, ideas for Poison and Weaver and Fang are piling up. I’ll keep chipping away at these stories as much as I can, and hope like hell that my doctors (yes, plural, ack!) can figure out what’s causing these eye problems before things get too bad.
In the meantime, if you could just keep having patience with me, and don’t forget about these Alley Cat guys who still want their stories told, I sure would appreciate it. I’ve always been acutely aware that without reader support and encouragement, I couldn’t continue to do what I do. And in this challenging time in my life (and really everyone’s, right?) I’ve never been more grateful for YOU. And YOU, and YOU! Thank you, sweet souls.
Humbled and blessed,
PJ
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If you missed the prequel to the Firecats series, you can read Malcom’s story in All is Bright.
For more about the Alley Cat curse, you can read about Sorcera who spun it, and their clan of werecats in The Ouachita Mountain Shifters series, starting with A Mate’s Wish, and continuing on through the Ouachita Mountain Shifters.
For a humorous series loosely set in this world, full of dirty racing, beer, and loads of laughs try the Dirt Track Dogs and Dirt Track Dogs: The Second Lap.
About the Author
P. Jameson likes to spend her time daydreaming, and then rearranging those dreams into heartstring-pulling stories of trial and triumph. Paranormal is her jam, so you’re sure to find said stories full of hot alpha males of the supernatural variety. She lives next door to the great Rocky Mountains with her husband and kids, who provide her with plenty of writing fodder.
You can find PJ here:
Website: https://pjamesonbooks.com
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P. Jameson, Black Diamond Heart
