The Last Rising
by Rachel Firasek
Book Description: After paying two millennia’s penance to Osiris, world-weary Phoenix Ice has had enough. Saving souls without any hope for her own redemption isn’t how she imagined spending eternity. Fed up, she decides her next death will be her last. But when she sacrifices her own life for a sexy Texan in a catastrophic plane crash, she has no idea the consequences will be so great…or that she’ll end up back in his life for her next assignment.
Now that Turner Alcott has survived the worst, finding a wife and mother for his son matters more than ever before. When the mysterious Ice comes into his life, Turner knows she’s the one—but love is the last thing Ice wants. If he wants to win her heart, Turner must teach Ice how to forgive herself, and prove that love is the ultimate sacrifice.
Rachel is also giving away 3 copies of The Last Rising and a beautiful pendant. Please enter your information on this form. Be sure to tell them you are entering through Books and Needlepoint! There is also a live twitter party tonight - 6pm CST - #lastrising
About the author: Rachel Firasek grew up in the south and despite the gentle pace, she harassed life at full steam. Her curiosity about mythology, human nature, and the chemical imbalance we call love led her to writing. Her stories began with macabre war poems and shifted to enchanted fairytales, before she settled on a blending of the two.
Today you’ll find her tucked on a small parcel of land, surrounded by bleating sheep and barking dogs, with her husband and children. She entertains them all with her wacky sense of humor or animated reenactments of bad 80’s dance moves.
She’s intrigued by anything unexplained and seeks the answers to this crazy thing we call life. You can find her where the heart twists the soul and lights the shadows… or at www.rachefirasek.com .
Excerpt
She reached for his hand, her nails scraping along the sensitive flesh before settling into his grip.
Lesson Number One in controlling a man: find his weakness. Every man had one.
His nostrils flared, and his quick intake of breath confirmed he was at least mildly interested in her. She tipped her head to the side and grinned, hoping he’d read the “let’s slink down the aisle to the lavatory” in her eyes. “Ice.” Her smile widened. She bit her lower lip and dropped her lashes.
He leaned forward, his face inches from hers. “Now, that’s different. Why Ice?”
“Why not?” She moved closer, until their lips almost touched. His aftershave wrapped around her. The sandalwood and vanilla scent cramped her stomach with a need threatening her sanity.
The pesky flight attendant chose that moment to interrupt her ploy. “Excuse me, would you like a pillow and blanket?”
Imaginary daggers pierced the helpful attendant. “Yes, please,” Ice gritted through clenched teeth, fighting to maintain the false smile plastered across her face. The blanket might come in handy. Ice paid the woman and
gracefully snatched the parcel.
The unwanted distraction ruined the brief interlude. Turner settled in his seat, another hint of pink shadowing his face. “Do you fly often?”
She twisted in the small seat and rested her back against the glass. “Too
often. And you?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “Work demands it. I have a son, Brodie. I would cart him and his nanny with me, but his asthma usually acts up on the plane.”
When he said his son’s name, his eyes lit up, reflecting bits of gold amongst the green. Love. Such a sad sentiment these humans had. Love wouldn’t keep his son from dying one day. Love was a soft emotion that tore your heart in two. No thanks. She’d loved like that once and it had destroyed her. The monster inside
her would never know that kind of vulnerability again. Forget the child. A pinched smile escaped her, but he seemed determined to carry on a conversation regardless of her lack of enthusiasm. She’d like to be doing
something other than talking right now.
He stretched his legs forward and slumped deeper into the seat. “Do you have kids?”
He must have a damn sorcerer working for him. Was it Pick on Ice Day? Damn, nosy humans. She schooled her face into a practiced calm. “Not anymore.”
