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    Touch of Curiosity: Magic, New Mexico/Magical Shifters, #1
    Touch of Curiosity: Magic, New Mexico/Magical Shifters, #1
    Touch of Curiosity: Magic, New Mexico/Magical Shifters, #1
    Ebook122 pages2 hours

    Touch of Curiosity: Magic, New Mexico/Magical Shifters, #1

    By M.L. Guida

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    About this ebook

    Pandora  Athans' insatiable curiosity for artifacts changes her life forever when she discovers a bloodied pirate from the 17th century and a shiny silver box outside of town. She soon regrets her curiosity when she accidentally releases a mysterious cloud and residents of Magic, New Mexico are found dead — completely drained of blood.

    Cé Jackman is flung into the future by a time spider during a fiery battle. Waking in a strange magical place, Cé finds himself accused of killing the local residents. There is only one person who believes his claims of innocence – the pretty little witch who found him.

    Cé also finds himself in another unusual position – for the first time a lady needs his help. He also understands that if he is ever to return home, he will need Pandora's assistance. Together, Cé and Pandora must work together to destroy the mysterious, killing fog she has released and convince his accusers that he is innocent before more lives are lost. Can an ancient Vampire pirate and a modern witch save the town of Magic, New Mexico or will Pandora's touch of curiosity be the death of all of them?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherM.L. Guida
    Release dateJul 24, 2018
    ISBN9781386311515
    Touch of Curiosity: Magic, New Mexico/Magical Shifters, #1
    Author

    M.L. Guida

    Vampires, demons and witches! Oh my!  Yes, I love to write about dark paranormal romance and things that go bump in the night. I like to dream up worlds where vampires and demons rule the night. The supernatural fascinates me and even as a little girl, I'd watched the original Dark Shadows soap opera. So, you can say, I fell in love with vampires at a very young age.  I live in Colorful Colorado and love my mountains. I enjoy taking my cocker spaniel for walks behind my home. 

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      Book preview

      Touch of Curiosity - M.L. Guida

      1

      Asquare-rigger’s wind, bearing down like a vulture, pushed the pirate ship toward the demon’s island.Tackle clanged, and rigging lines rasped as cables slid and reset to adjust the sails. Canvas bloomed overhead, and the jibs shifted as the ship slewed in the wind, flinging up long plumes of spray in her wake.

      Dread rooted in Cé Jackman’s heart. The island was the last place he wanted to be, but no one ever asked his opinion.

      His captain Quinton Palmer looked through his spyglass, the wind rippling his red beard and his black trousers. He stuffed the spyglass into a deep pocket in his jacket that hid a host of knives and pistols. But even without the weapons, he could rip apart a man with his bare hands. He was taller and muscular than most men, but his temper was shorter.

      He faced his crew. Victory flickered in his right eye. Nothing ever flickered in his watering left eye except for his many sins, which streamed down his scarred face. Palmer’s cruelty knew no bounds, and Cé had suffered the lash more than once to satisfy Palmer’s twisted lust for punishment.

      Cé could make out the swaying palm trees and a monstrous, hairy tarantula lurking on the beach. Blood dripped from its fangs. He shivered, pitying the spider’s last victims. ’Twas one of Zuto the demon’s pets.

      Zuto was worse than Palmer. Ce’s best friend, Lief Black, and his woman, Isabella, were being held prisoners on the island. Leif had been Cé’s only friend on board Palmer’s floating hell hole. He had offered Cé hope for something better than being a vampire-sucking pirate for eternity. It had made the living nightmare bearable. Neither Leif nor Isabella deserved to be a feast for Zuto’s blasted spider.

      The black-hearted demon wanted to kill their unborn child. Horrible even for such a soulless bastard. Cé gripped his sword tight, vowing silently to protect his friend’s babe.

      For the eightieth time, he cursed himself for being a slave to the two arch-devils, but he’d no one to blame but himself. If he’d hadn’t tried to beat Palmer in a game of cards, he could have done honest work and opened up a carpenter shop in Tortuga rather than try to make a living the fast and easy way. Now, his gambling ways had earned him rank on Palmer’s miserable crew.

      Palmer put down the spyglass. Prepare to attack, men.

      His gruff voice sent his men to action. He was a cruel master, and if his command wasn’t followed immediately, he’d drag the poor soul down to the bowel of his ship where his screams would spur men to toil harder. Not one to be tortured, Cé followed his crewmates and drew on his vampire powers. Muscles shortened, and bones crunched, and hair shrunk as he changed into a bat. His teeth lengthened, and he rolled his tongue over his sharp fangs. He lunged into the sea air and soared into the blue sky. Wind whistled in his ears, and threatening rain clouds wet his furry body. Below, the rover ship grew smaller and smaller.

      He saw Leif and Isabella run toward the sea, but the tarantula cut off their escape. They turned to flee into the thick jungle, but the demon stepped out from the vines and leaves like a menacing dark shadow. Their only choice was to huddle against a rocky cliff.

      Taller than any man, the demon casually walked toward them, possessing no weapons and only wearing a beaded loin-cloth. Dread swelled in Cé’s heart. He could sense the demon’s carefully veiled power that was potent enough to bring down a fleet of pirate ships. The smug look on his face meant death to Leif and Isabella. Cé couldn’t take down the spider, but he might be able to buy Leif some time to escape. Heart pressing against his ribs, he stretched out his toes and opened his mouth, then attacked the demon Zuto.

      Bolts of power zipped up his feet and shook Cé’s body. Waves and waves of pain hit him, but he clung to the demon, wrapping his wings around Zuto’s face. Cé gagged on the stench of his burning fur. Zuto cursed and dug his fingernails into Cé’s flesh. Agony gripped Cé and crushed his lungs. He bit Zuto’s skull, and sizzling blood raced into his fangs, burning hotter than lava. He lifted his head and shrieked.

      Zuto stumbled into the jungle. Cé couldn’t endure the mind-tearing agony and loosened his grip—a deathly mistake. The demon hurled him onto the shore, spinning Cé around and around on the hard beach. Sand flew into Cé’s eyes blinding him. Grit scratched and ripped his flesh.

      He lost control of being a bat—muscles twisted and bones crunched—and he transformed back into a man. Every time he took a breath, pain pulsed through him, and he couldn’t move. He groaned. What the hell had he been thinking? He’d been a mosquito trying to bring down a pissed-off tiger that could squash him with a stomp of a paw.

      The ground trembled, and Cé froze. Shite, the spider!

      Cé! Look out!

      He recognized that melodic voice. ’Twas Isabella, the brave undine. She was a water nymph and a siren all molded into a slender flower.

      He slowly looked over his shoulder. The tarantula fixed its eight glossy eyes onto him. Spit rolled off its fangs and splattered onto the sand, leaving puddles.

      Move!

      The word echoed in Cé’s mind, trying to pierce the fear that turned his muscles to stone.

      Leaves stuck in his hair, the demon pointed. Seize him!

      Cé jumped to his feet, but the spider was magically fast. Sticky strands wrapped around Cé’s legs, slicing into his flesh then slamming him onto the ground, crushing the air out of his lungs.

      The beast dragged him across the beach. Terror rippled through Cé. He kicked and wiggled, but he couldn’t move. He pulled on the ropes, scraping his palms. He clawed his fingers into the sand, debris jamming up his nails. Sand pelted his face, blinding his eyes, and scratching his cheeks. The ground groaned, and a crack opened up on the beach. The spider slid inside, dragging Cé, screaming.

      Icy wind rushed over him, blocking out his voice. He drew on his vampire powers, but ’twas useless. Something prevented him from changing into a bat.

      Blackness filled the tunnel except for the beastie’s glowing red eyes. It pulled him closer.

      Sweat slicked down Cé body, and he raised his fists. Dona eat me, ye bloody beast!

      He bucked his body, but he could barely move.

      Suddenly, the monster spun around faster and faster, flinging Cé like a fishing hook. The slick ropes unraveled, slicing into his flesh like sharp blades

      Cé stretched out his fingers, trying to grab anything, but all he touched was air. No! Help me! His shriek echoed off the walls as he flailed his arms and legs helplessly.

      The darkness dimmed, replaced with sparkling lights. Stars! But just as suddenly as they appeared, they faded to a light blue sky. He whizzed through moist clouds and dropped toward the ground like a cannonball.

      Gone was the salty sea, but he inhaled the fragrant smell of lavender. He fell toward a desert with sage brush, lavender bushes, and cacti.

      He gritted his teeth and waited for the pain, always the pain. He smashed onto land, bones breaking, muscles tearing. Unable to move, he lay still, waiting for the agony to subside as his vampire powers healed him.

      But no such luck. Stabbing agony seized his head, then he remembered no more.

      2

      Pandora Athans couldn’t stifle her curiosity and was too determined to see where the Glacian starship had landed in the canyon. Her cousin Lacey warned her that her unquenchable thirst to know would be her undoing, but she couldn’t help it. When Lacey’s husband Frost had been forced to return to his home planet Glacier, Pandora had been away on an excavating trip to Greece, hunting for artifacts when aliens invaded Magic, New Mexico. She’d missed everything—the Learian lizard that had tried to kill Lacey, the fight with the evil scientists, the creation of the portal. While she was digging for the past, she’d missed the answer to the question of whether there was life on other planets.

      She kicked a rock, hating that she was the only person in all of Magic, New Mexico, who hadn’t participated in the intergalactic war. She sighed and inhaled the soothing smell of sagebrush. New Mexico had so many types of sage, but her favorite was the purple Russian

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