Just for fun!
Here is the first chapter of the sequel to the multiple award winning novel, A Rose For Jonathan.
Quiver continues the story in a new direction as it follows Jonathan through the development of a new and very powerful gift. Along the way, he must choose between forbidden love and the dangers around them both. His battles are not only on his knees, but also in his own heart as he tries to protect the one he loves. Find out what the Demons fear the most and how far the Angels will go as a supernatural battle unfolds to control the entire region.
Quiver
Release date November 11, 2016
Chapter 1: Final Days
Destin, Florida
The janitor’s cart rattled and then swerved as the right front wheel twirled in rebellion. Jonathan stopped and shook the cart to bring the wheels in sync. When he was satisfied, he moved forward again in a monotonous cadence as he peered through wisps of brown hair that swayed in front of his face. The tension escalated, constricting him as beads of sweat formed on his forehead; but he maintained his composure as he continued down the hall. His gray coveralls blended well with the drab blue walls of the hospital; and except for the sound of the cart, there was little evidence of his existence at all. He moved past three nurses who were too engrossed in their own gossip to notice him, as they compared fragmented reports of a scandalous affair between a doctor and another nurse.
Jonathan struggled to maintain his pace, fighting the impulse to run. He had waited for this moment and now the anticipation was fiercely annoying. As he forced himself to move casually along the wall, the rhythmic rattle of the wheels on the cart began to converge with his droning movements until they blended the perfect chords of anonymity. He kept his eyes downcast as an orderly rushed past for some unknown emergency. Finally, he neared the entrance to the young girls’ room and carefully pushed the cart into a utility closet and shut the door. He smoothed back the floppy strands of hair that hung over his eyes and wiped the sweat with his sleeve as he surveyed the empty hall in both directions; and then he ducked into the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.
A small light hung over Tia Marshall’s head casting a soft glow, while several machines faithfully reported her vital signs, which had been steadily declining, along with the hopes of her family and doctors. The tempo of the breathing machine created the backbeat for a macabre ballad of beeps and hums that expressed the final moments of a life bound to the power of electricity. Jonathan stood silently listening to this sad song and watching the young girl. Now that it was finally time, he was entranced by the moment.
Tia was connected to several tubes and a ventilator to help her breathe. The bed seemed to swallow her petite frame, which had only grown thinner as the end drew near. There were balloons still in one corner of the room from three days ago, when the staff had helped her mom celebrate Tia’s fifth birthday. Tia’s only response to the party that day was to open her eyes briefly and smile. Even though it wasn’t much of an interaction, the entire staff had cried. Young Tia had yet to open her eyes again and they had each counted the minutes until her death.
Cards and flowers with messages of hope and love filled the tables and shelves in the room. Beside her in the bed was a large stuffed dog with a pink collar. On the beside table was a picture of Tia from the year before at her birthday party. Jonathan saw the cross necklace around her mothers’ neck as she leaned in beside her daughter for the picture, hugging Tia as they celebrated both her age and her future for the last time. Her most recent birthday had been much less of a celebration and more of an accomplishment, since the doctors had felt sure she would already be gone.
In the corner of the room, a dark shadow stirred and slithered forward. Yellow eyes filled with hate watched Jonathan and waited. In an instant, Flint, a young but powerful angel, appeared and dared the beast to move again. The demon glared at Flint and backed away. Flint stepped forward and locked eyes with the demon, while spreading his wings to protect Jonathan and the girl. Sensing he was outmatched, the demon moved into the hall where he hoped to still be able to see what this angel so passionately guarded. Within an hour, a message ripped through the dark realm that this demon of Wrath may have found the one that they had been searching for now for over two years.
