Exclusive Peek: Eternity and a Day by Aline Hunter

From Aline Hunter:

Most people don’t know that when I started writing Eternity and a Day, it was in a first person narrative. Although I’d done the research for the project, I hadn’t decided to make it a romance novel until about three chapters in. As I was speaking through Runa, it hit me that I had to give Eric a voice. There was no way around it. Of course, I argued with myself and tried to ignore the devil on my shoulder as I’d envisioned The Otherworld as more of a fantasy series, and I knew that by making it romance it would change things. Ultimately, the decision paid off, as more characters came to mind and I was able to plot out several stories from the one. It’s strange how that sometimes occurs when you’re writing.

As a consequence, Eternity and a Day became my first ever third person narrative novel. It was tough. I gravitate toward a first person voice and had a difficult time making the change. I’d say that it took half of the length of the book to settle into it, but I truly believe it was one of the smartest decisions I’ve ever made. Being able to write in a first and third person narrative gives me more options when I have a story to tell and, since there are plenty of those, it never hurts to be able to choose which narrative is best suited for a project.

Thanks for allowing me to share!

Exclusive Excerpt:

Eric stood in front of the huge wardrobe, covered in the same scaled leather as the first time they met. His chest and waist were saddled with leather holsters occupied by an assortment of various weapons. She gawked at the armoire in disbelief, amazed at the sheer volume of armaments stored cleverly inside. When it was closed, it looked like a decorative antique piece of furniture, not the housing for a personal arsenal.

“Are you planning to kill someone downstairs?”

Eric met her eyes as he slid a dagger into a holster on his leg. “I hope not.” He stood straight and remained silent for longer than she liked, the heaviness of the quiet room making her uncomfortable and edgy.

“Is this about Yuvi and the hex?”

He sighed and shook his head. Stepping over, he wrapped his fingers under the curve of her arm and led her to the bed. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

She perched on the edge of the mattress. Her heart fluttered in alarm when Eric started to pace, and she instinctively knew it had to be bad news. He wasn’t being honest with her. Something was wrong, something dangerous, and somehow he was involved.

Anxious, she blurted, “I don’t want the hex if there’s a danger to you. It’s not worth it, Eric.”

He muttered something in Draigen and came to her, taking a knee and getting eye level. He took her hands in his, brushing his thumbs along the backs of her fingers. “It’s not about the hex, Runa. It’s Byron.”

A shroud of dread settled over her, distorting her senses and perception. Everything was clearer and sharper, but distant and impossible to interpret. An odd, high-pitched drone consumed her ears, the entire room quietly ringing, and when she tried to swallow, her mouth was dry and uncooperative. Byron had prepared her well enough over the years, warning her that with his work history he’d accumulated one hell of a long line of enemies.

“What’s happened to my brother?” Her voice sounded detached, seeming far away. She braced herself for Eric’s answer, anticipating the worst.

He released one of her hands, cupped her neck, and curved his fingers into the short hair at her nape. “The witch said he didn’t arrive to meet with her, and she went looking for him. She found the daemon he travels with, but he was badly injured and couldn’t tell her what happened.”

Her skin cooled, and her heart slowed -- a natural fae reaction to grief and sorrow. Lucian was the most formidable being she’d ever met, matched in her eyes only by Raudan.

If something could fell a nygromancer, it would have easily disposed of Byron. She heard Eric say her name, but it didn’t compute. Memories of Byron flashed in her mind, a collage of images appearing individually but instantaneously, and she struggled not to cry.

“You’re going to avenge him, then? Is that it?”

“Avenge him?” Eric frowned, hunter green eyes flickering back and forth between hers before his eyes went wide. “Christ, Runa. Byron’s not dead. At least the witch doesn’t think so. I’m going back with her to find him.”

She blinked, disbelieving. “What did you say?”

“Byron’s alive.”

The world spun, coming slowly into focus, and she lurched from the bed. “I’m going with you.”

“Nay,” he rebuked her, gripping her arms in tender but unwavering hands. “You’ll stay here, where it’s safe.”

“I will not stay here. Byron isn’t just my brother, Eric. He’s the only family I’ve ever known.”

“I will find him, and I will bring him home. Have faith in me, Runa. Trust me to do this for you.”

“You don’t understand. I have to go. I have to find him,” she whispered desolately. “He’s all I have.”

“You’re wrong,” he corrected in a throaty growl, his eyes shifting to a bright jewel green. “You have me."


Summary from Publisher's website:

Dreading the one night per tide he’s forced to travel between the realms, Draigen Eric Locke has only one desire on Samhain – to retrieve the fae transporting daemon relics through the realms and escort her to the Dark Court to face the sidhe king. When he mistakenly recovers the wrong fae, the dragon under his skin responds in a way he never could have predicted, and he discovers he’s found the woman destined to him by the Fates – his Chosen.

Runa Charon is an anomaly among her kind, the mortal offspring of a human and a fae. Unlike other sidhe, she longs to experience pleasure instead of pain, love instead of lust. Immortally strong but mortally fragile, she’s been sheltered all of her life. When the opportunity to meet a Draigen from the Otherworld arises, she can’t resist the temptation and travels to meet the man who will change her destiny.

Unlike other netherworld creatures, Draigen mate for life, choosing to follow the path of their beloved mate in this reality or the next. Knowing a future can only span one lifetime, will they settle for less than an eternity? Or will they be grateful for the gift of each day?

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Dubious consent, violence.

Available now from Loose Id (ebook).

Note: This title is included in the list of giveaways for the ongoing contest.