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    Kick Ass Girls of Fire & Ice YA Books
    Kick Ass Girls of Fire & Ice YA Books
    Kick Ass Girls of Fire & Ice YA Books
    Ebook126 pages1 hour

    Kick Ass Girls of Fire & Ice YA Books

    By Alice J. Black, Emily S. Deibel, D. G. Driver and

    ()

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    About this ebook

    From fantasy and steampunk, to mystery and thriller, to contemporary social issue and romance, the authors in this book have all written novels that feature strong girls as protagonists.

    These girls solve their problems using their brains, skills, reason, courage, and resiliency. In other words, they are kick ass girls, sometimes without literally kicking ass. They are heroines.

    We wanted to find a way to celebrate these girls because they have the qualities that make women leaders in all aspects of life. And what better way for writers to do that than through writing!

    The following pages contain short stories starring the heroines—or other characters— from the worlds depicted in our novels. They are the Kick Ass Girls of Fire and Ice YA Books.

    Don’t be afraid to be a kick ass girl. Read on!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMelange Books, LLC
    Release dateApr 12, 2017
    ISBN9781370432479
    Kick Ass Girls of Fire & Ice YA Books
    Author

    Alice J. Black

    Alice lives and works in the North East of England where she lives with her partner and slightly ferocious cat. She writes all manner of fiction with a tendency to lean towards the dark side, but also likes to challenge herself and write out of her genre too. Dreams and sleep-talking are currently a big source of inspiration and her debut novel, The Doors, is a young adult novel which originally sprouted from a dream several years ago and grew from there.

    Read more from Alice J. Black

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      Book preview

      Kick Ass Girls of Fire & Ice YA Books - Alice J. Black

      Hucknall House

      by Alice J. Black

      As I stepped from the car into the night, the deep hush surrounded me, a blanket that muffled not only sound but senses. My eyes flicked to Vaughn. He felt it too.

      Another car door slammed and without looking I knew Delta and Luka had joined us, presenting as mere shadows in their black clothing.

      Ruby, you see anything? Luka asked. I first met him as a trainer at The Agency, now he was Hunting right along with me.

      I shook my head. I was the closest to Hucknall House, the hand that gripped the painted black bars of the gate white with pressure, and my head so close I could smell the rust. Nothing moved save for the wind that whipped the dry leaves of autumn across the overgrown driveway. Dead trees lined the ravaged tarmac path and beyond, a stone structure that used to be a fountain and beyond that, the house. It looked different to the picture I’d seen on my TAT, the devices used by The Agency to transmit information to its Hunters.

      Why did Sheila send us here? Vaughn was referring to our boss at The Agency, the woman who ran the show and delegated orders to us, the Hunters.

      Apparently, the family who own the house are an influential one. Delta's voice was a deep grumble as he moved to stand beside his son.

      Wealthy, you mean. Luka raised his brow.

      It doesn't look like anything has moved here for weeks, Vaughn continued, moving to stand beside me at the gate. I felt like an animal on the better side of the cage about to stumble into the worst place imaginable. Despite the fact that the house looked quiet, a deep unease had settled in me, my stomach a tight knot of apprehension.

      The information on the TAT said that the family came back from their month-long holiday—

      A month-long holiday! Luka interrupted. Must be nice.

      To find that the house was infected, Delta finished, unperturbed.

      If it's just cursed it shouldn't be a problem.

      I disagreed with that point. I’d faced places with nests of cursed, the shadow demons that preceded that larger ones, and together they were difficult.

      Let's make an assessment of the situation. Then we can deal with whatever we find. Delta was always keen to reserve judgement until he had proof.

      We each went to our respective vehicles. I'd travelled with Vaughn, and as his hand came to the small of my back, guiding me towards his truck, a tingle ran down my spine. He never failed to have that effect on me.

      Stay close tonight, he instructed as he opened the boot of the car. I knew it was out of protectiveness rather than possessiveness because he, like me, knew that beyond the doors of that house, we could be facing anything.

      My hunting kit was was held in a utility belt. I clipped it around my waist, adjusting until it was a snug fit. It contained my torch—alongside the head torch I strapped on—my salt, iron rods and a pistol loaded with rock salt. I hadn't used a gun since my training and each time I moved, I felt the barrel sticking into my backside.

      As Vaughn readied himself, I felt my eyes skim the length of his torso. His chest was as wide as his shoulders were broad, the leather jacket he wore bulging at the seams. If we weren't in company and about to head into a house full of horrors, I might have jumped his bones. As it was, Delta's movement signalled the end of my admiration and I reluctantly pulled my eyes away to focus on the task at hand. It was time to go into the house.

      Delta took the lead, pushing the gate inwards. It gave with a groan that resounded into a creak that screamed into the night. I winced. I had no idea whether demons were sensitive to the sounds of the physical world but that noise alone had my alerts on high.

      The four of us were silent as we stepped across the threshold onto the black path stretching out like a river of blood, shimmering in the crescent moon that filtered down through the bare branches of trees. I glanced back to make sure the gate remained open as the unease in my stomach spread into the rest of my body, travelling up to my chest and setting my heart pounding. My eyes slid between the trunks of the trees to our side, searching the darkness. Nothing moved.

      Delta's boots thudded the ground while beside me, Vaughn stepped silently. Only the creak of his jacket was perceptible above the wind that rushed past my ears.

      We made it to the fountain and around us, the trees broke away. Delta paused at the boundary, Luka halting beside him. Together they scanned the area, still and silent, and then stepped forward, this time with more caution. They parted at the stone structure in the centre of the driveway, moving around the fountain. It came into my field of vision and I gave it a once-over. It would have been beautiful in its day, but now the three stories of stone were crumbled and cracked after being exposed to the elements, moss clinging to the remaining stagnant water of last night's rainfall.

      As Vaughn and I reached the fountain, we split too. He followed his dad while I followed Luka. Then, as if driven together by magnetic force, we came back together in the centre of the path, ready to head up into the house.

      If you can afford to go on holidays for four weeks at a time, why would you want to come back here? Luka voiced the opinion that we were all thinking, his voice more subdued than normal.

      The house was a dump, to say the least. It was bordering on derelict. Hucknall House was an old wooden structure that looked like it had been maintained up until the last fifty years, when apparently, its owners had found other uses for their money. The roof was sagging and more than one of the windows had been broken and boarded up rather than repaired. The small porch was wilting over the steps that led up to the front door, paint peeling in the reminder of flayed skin. Window boxes on the ground floor were empty of beauty and instead were filled with grime from the leaking gutters and below them, the patches of grass had browned.

      Luka, you ever seen anything like this? Delta surveyed the scene. I heard confusion in his voice, which was something new for this man.

      No. Luka shook his head. Although I've heard of it.

      Heard of what? I asked without removing my eyes from the house.

      There's a phenomenon whereby if a place is infested with demons for a length of time, it can affect the building.

      This is all caused by demons?

      It's looking that way. Luka nodded.

      And can that happen in four weeks?

      It appears that way, Delta confirmed. We'll do a sweep of the ground floor together. Stay alert.

      I nodded and glanced at Vaughn. His eyes met mine and lingered there for a moment. He was nervous although he didn't want to say it. We all were. Stepping into an unknown location without really knowing what we were facing was terrifying to say the least, but we had each other and with these guys watching my back, I knew I'd be safe.

      As a unit, we moved forward. Delta unlocked the front door with the key provided by the family—before they left for another holiday to avoid the current situation—and pushed it open. The door swung into a lobby, the parquet flooring stretched out as far as I could see, shadows hiding in the corners of the room. As I stepped through into the house, a chill coursed down my spine. My hands immediately went to my sides, reaching for my torch, and I felt like a cowboy in a western.

      It’s dark in here, Vaughn muttered as he followed me closely.

      Lots of shadows, Luka agreed.

      Stay close, Delta instructed.

      He took a left and we followed suit. I found myself in a huge living room, the ceilings high. Three sofas were set up at various points around a room, all focused on the fireplace in the heart of the room. A coffee table was

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