A bit of silliness and a snippet from Guardian Demon

About two weeks ago I sent in my cover notes for Guardian Demon, so we’ll probably see the cover within a month or two. I’m not really sure what it will look like. I really love the heroine-covers from the last few books in the series, but this is the final book in the series, and I know a lot of readers have been asking for Michael’s book, so he might also be featured on the cover, or it will be a Michael/Taylor cover.

Or, it will just follow the new trend in romance covers, and focus on Michael’s magic sword.

Okay, maybe not. (Though I did add that to my cover notes. Sometimes I feel really bad for my editor.)

To make up for the bad jokes, here is a snippet from the first chapter! I’m putting it behind the cutoff, because there are some really big spoilers for the previous book in the series, which I really can’t get around. This is all unedited, Work In Progress, etc., so it might not be like this in the final version if I freak out and go back to rewrite the chapter.

SPOILERS SPOILERS FOR DEMON MARKED SPOILERS SPOILERS

SPOILERS SPOILERS FOR DEMON MARKED SPOILERS SPOILERS

SPOILERS SPOILERS FOR DEMON MARKED SPOILERS SPOILERS

SPOILERS SPOILERS FOR DEMON MARKED SPOILERS SPOILERS

(So, er, Taylor is walking around in Hell.)

Michael’s soul only needed to return to his body, and Taylor would be free. According to Khavi, an ancient Guardian who understood magic symbols and spells and how to stick someone’s soul back into his dead body, the process would be as easy as pie.

Khavi was also crazy and a liar.

Nothing about this was easy. Sure, his soul had been released from the frozen field — but he’d emerged in the form of an enormous, fire-spitting dragon.

A ravenous dragon. Michael had chomped his way through a legion of demons surrounding Lucifer’s tower. The Guardians hadn’t been able to catch up to him in Hell, but they’d seen the destruction he’d left behind. A city had been flattened, black marble reduced to rubble. Roasted demon corpses littered the red sands, some partially eaten. God knew how many he’d completely devoured.

Though the Guardians had searched, not one had seen the dragon. Those Guardians who could teleport attempted to use Michael’s psychic scent as an anchor and jump to his location, but they’d only teleported to Taylor’s side. Others had put themselves in danger, flying over demon armies and perilously close to Lucifer’s tower, hoping he’d come bust their asses for their stupidity. No dice.

Obviously Michael didn’t want to be found, so he’d have to come to them. And because his mind was still linked to hers, because she could still feel Michael’s dark psyche prowling through her brain like a hungry beast, Taylor was the bait.

Bait! Fifteen thousand years of combined experience between almost fifty Guardians, and the best plan they’d come up with was tossing Taylor into Hell like a worm on a hook.

END SNIPPET.

Meljean’s note: This really isn’t a good plan … for Taylor, anyway.