CLAIRE DAVON

Excerpt

The men had made a fatal mistake.

Nedi waited at the top of the rise as the five drunkards clambered toward her. The crude suggestions of what they would do to her once they caught her hung in the air. They assumed she who would have no defense against them.

Theirs would be a lesson in blood and tears.

Her father Perun had had nothing to do with her mortal mother since he impregnated her twenty-two years ago. He may not even realize he had a daughter, but his powers were hers nonetheless. The thunder and lightning that was part of her father’s gift flowed frequently in her presence. Those nearby told tales of a quirk in the landscape, though that had not existed before she did.

Nobody stopped her when she exited the pub, the men following close behind. Their shouts were in American English, a tongue not native to the area, though she understood it. One of the elders may have given her a knowing glance as she swept by, his gaze slanting back to the men. The village understood. They protected their own—but she did not need protecting.