The Fallen by Alicia Sparks
*****Blurb*****
Start the Soulbound Series with Book 1
When Genesis Martinez went into Lake Ponchartrain and died, her
nightmare was just beginning. Resurrected and soulless, she falls victim
to wandering souls seeking a body. Cassius Ramirez went into the Lake
sixty years ago and knows he died, but when he woke up in the morgue,
everything has changed. Something is killing people in New Orleans, and
Cass knows he’s responsible. But when he meets Gen, he knows he will
do anything to protect her. Cass isn’t the only man who feels a connection
to Gen, and when his brother Craven catches her scent, all bets are off.
Detective Brick Parker has seen a lot of things in his years with New
Orleans Police, but he's never seen anything quite like what's happening
now. Bodies torn to shreds, brains missing, creatures roaming the night,
victims with human teeth marks in their flesh. Worse of all, his partner,
Jules, has been throwing around a Z word usually reserved for late night
horror movies.
As creatures roam the streets of New Orleans, Gen's very existence is on
As creatures roam the streets of New Orleans, Gen's very existence is on
the line. She's unleashed a creature unlike any other and now she may
have to pay the ultimate price. There's a cure, but it may cost her even
more than her soul.
**Content Warning: May contain explicit content and scenes. Intended for
**Content Warning: May contain explicit content and scenes. Intended for
18+ Audience.
*****Excerpt*****
Gen tried not to flinch when he touched her but everything about this
situation was setting off alarms in her head. Not to mention what it was
doing to her stomach, creating little flip-flops that were making her
nauseated. As much as she wanted to pull away from him, his touch was
soothing, which in itself should have been enough to send her running. And
her tough girl attitude, the one that had saved her so many times and was
currently fueled by her Metallica t-shirt, could only take her so far.
She found herself mesmerized by the steady movements of his hands and
the gentle way he cleaned then wrapped her arm. His fingers were rough
but instead of chafing her skin, the calloused surfaces made her want to
purr with delight. Something was definitely wrong with her. Genesis
Martinez did not react like this to men, even ones who were built like
action heroes with silver eyes that looked entirely other-worldly. His pupils
seemed to appear and disappear as he touched her, as if the contact
was having an effect on him too. He wore his hair and beard close
cropped, neat, no frills, 100% man with definite Hispanic blood in his
veins. He was definitely built like a boxer, with wide shoulders, narrow
hips, and thighs that fit very nicely into his jeans. His dark t-shirt hugged
against his chest, outlining the proof of hours spent in the gym. He had
haunted the few dreams she’d managed to have between ten pm and
three am last night, his smile an intoxicating blend of sin and salvation.
The man in the flesh was both calming and powerful, a paradox of danger
and safety, the kind of man who could really get a girl into all the right
kinds of trouble. But Gen already had a working relationship with trouble,
and she didn’t need the kind that would come with smoldering eyes and
sensual lips. But the thing inside her wouldn’t let her trust him, didn’t want
him to be close. It was almost as if it knew him and was warning her
against him. Of course that made sense. The body was in his gym, and
the chances that he was the reason for that were pretty solid. Still, he
had so much to lose if he were a killer, which would probably explain why
the body was so well hidden.
His boxing career was on fire right now, and the odds of him winning his
match tonight were very high. The bets had been coming in for a couple
of weeks, but the past twenty four hours had seen an influx, enough to
pay her rent for a couple of months and have plenty left over. Her
business as an online bookie depended on guys like him, but she never
imagined she’d be sitting here letting him wrap up an old wound that had
popped open in last night’s scuffle.
There was something about him that was extremely familiar, and it
went beyond the fact that she could spout off all his stats for the past two
years. It was as if she knew him, and not the Cash Money side of him but
the man whose hands were making her stomach churn. He looked down
at her arm, concentrating on every movement, touching her so gently it
made her want to scream at him. When he finally looked up at her, his
pupils had disappeared and were just now coming back into view.
It was there, right on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to ask him a
question that defied logic, but instead she swallowed it. Do you believe in
life after death?
“There,” he announced. “I think that should hold.”
“Yeah.” She pulled her arm away as quickly as possible and slid her
sleeve back over it. “Thanks.”
“You look a million miles away. You okay?”
“Just focusing on the pain,” she lied.
“Hmmm.” He leaned back in his chair, his eyes focused on her, making
her feel very self-conscious. It felt as if he were looking straight into her,
seeing things she never showed anyone. “Sometimes it takes pain to get
you through, huh?” It wasn’t a question but a statement, as if he
understood exactly what she meant.
“Yeah. Whatever. Thanks.” She stood and tucked the first aid kit under
her arm.
“Wait.” She had almost made her escape when his deep timbre stopped
her. Turning slowly, she realized her hands had been gripping the first aid
kit to the point of causing numbness in her fingertips. “Yeah?” Her voice
was softer than she would’ve liked, and she cleared her throat and set
her jaw, steeling herself for whatever he said next.
“You never said what you were doing here.” His long legs made him seem
predatory as he walked across the room, his eyes never leaving her face.
He made her nervous but at the same time, the sensation was a welcome
one. It had been a long time since she’d been touched so gently by
someone who she knew could tear her apart if he wanted to.
“Guess I was wrong,” she shrugged. “No. I think you were looking for
something.”
For the third time in recent history, she found herself trapped between a
man and a wall. Only this time, she wasn’t afraid. She was practically
tingling with wanting, wishing he would reach out and touch her again. The
way his eyes flashed, she wondered if he could feel it, too. The predatory
look on his face should’ve frightened her, but there was something there
so familiar she couldn’t bring herself to be afraid.
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