Title: Nitara
Author: Jessica Cage
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Cover Designer: Kiff Shaik
Editor: There For You Editing Services
Publisher: Caged Fantasies Publications
Publication Date: August 17th, 2018
Blurb:
He risked it all to save her from the clutches of evil.
She crushed his heart and walked away.
Nitara has spent her life waiting for Jinn to return to her, but when he finally does, it's far too late. Daegal, the evil warlock who cursed the pair and turned them to djinn, has been defeated, but the effects of his dirty work are far from gone.
Now she has to return to a place that holds her heart hostage. Things aren't what they seem. Her time away has weakened her position and now she is faced with a choice: fight or flee. However, fleeing just isn't an option.
Tyrellis is the unrightful ruler of Reverie, land of the vampires, and because of Daegal, he now possesses control over Nitara. As long as she is by his side, his rule will last unchallenged. While she is away his enemies act to stand against him.
Will Nitara save Tyrellis from the vampires who seek to dethrone him or will she let him fall in hopes of her gaining own freedom? Will Jinn forgive her for breaking his heart?
Find out what happens next in the second installment of the Djinn Rebellion Series from USA Today Bestselling Author, Jessica Cage!
Award winning and USA Today Bestselling author, Jessica Cage was born and raised in Chicago, IL. Writing has always been a passion for her. She dabbles in artistic creations of all sorts but at the end of the day, it's the pen that her hand itches to hold. Jessica had never considered following her dream to be a writer because she was told far too often "There is no money in writing." So she chose the path most often traveled. During pregnancy, she asked herself an important question. How would she be able to inspire her unborn son to follow his dreams and reach for the stars, if she never had the guts to do it herself? Jessica decided to take a risk and unleash the plethora of characters and their crazy adventurous worlds that had previously existed only in her mind, into the realm of readers. She did this with hopes to inspire not only her son but herself. Inviting the world to tag along on her journey to become the writer she has always wanted to be. She hopes to continue writing and bringing her signature Caged Fantasies to readers everywhere.
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The rowdy group fell through the doors. Each member was already overly intoxicated, but the group wanted more. This was what she’d come to expect from most of the vampires who frequented the bars. They were self-indulgent and had no sense of personal limits. Nitara remained cloaked in the shadows, as she watched them make complete fools of themselves. The bartender frowned as two of the drunken goofs fell onto the bar and knocked a bowl of cherries onto the floor. Without so much as an apology, they pounded on the bar and demanded service. The leader of their group—a tall, blond moron—laughed as he boasted about their latest roguish deeds.
“It’s only a matter of time, boys!” he yelled as the previous patrons began to leave. They wanted nothing to do with the chaos the group would undoubtedly cause. “Tyrellis is going down!”
“How many times have you said that shit, man? Cast, give it up! Tyrellis is the king and you’re here drinking and dreaming with the rest of us,” another smaller vampire with short, dark hair and eyes too big for his face joked.
Nitara chuckled from her shadowed position. Even she had heard the leader of the drunks give the same speech more times than she cared to count.
“Yeah, but the difference now is that his little genie bitch is gone! And I happen to know something that none of you do.” He lowered his voice and narrowed his gaze. “He can’t get her back!” Cast strutted across the bar to the empty table that sat in the center of the floor. Plopping his ass down into the worn chair, he leaned back and stretched out his arms and legs. “Our blessed little king has run out of that convenient little fountain of luck!”
“What makes you so sure about that?” the odd faced vamp questioned as he hopped up onto a stool.
“I have my ways, and my sources. My guy on the inside tells me that she is no longer his to command.” He kicked his feet up onto the table. “We all know Tyrellis ain’t shit without Nitara! Hell, he’s a fucking baby compared to most of us. How else do you explain him being on top?”
The others nodded and grumbled; it was a common complaint. The oldest were always in power. That was how it had been since the very first vampires were made. Even before the order of the fae, vampires lived in a system of nests—each one reporting upward to a stronger nest which was made of older vampires until the very top. Age determined rule. When it came time, those who were of power had the option of fighting for the chance to lead. Barbaric perhaps, but it was their way.
“Is that why you stole her bike?” Mick, a frail vampire who held his arm around a human girl’s shoulder, asked. In Reverie, the human population had become property. Each were tagged with their owner’s code by a tattoo on their neck. Besides being fed on, they lived good and healthy lives because they said it made the blood taste better if the humans were fit and happy. There were even a few farms which operated like resorts. The human population was well cared for. In fact, some even said that it was one of the best places for a human to be in the new world order. “I thought you grew some balls. Guess the truth is just that you’re no longer scared shitless of her because you know she isn’t coming back!”
“I have never been afraid of that puppet!” Cast hissed at Mick who simply laughed in response. “That’s all she is, a damn toy for him to play with! You can’t be afraid of someone who has no control over their own actions!”
“Is that right?” Nitara appeared, cool strands of her signature purple smoke dancing around her and emphasizing her presence. “Don’t I spark just the tiniest bit of fear in your heart, Castius?” She called him by his full name, same as every time before, and he stiffened, just like always.
“Oh shit,” the short vampire muttered, backing as far away from Cast as he could.
“Oh shit is right.” She winked at the short man before returning her attention to the one who’d so openly boasted about her inability to act as she pleased. “Castius, please, tell me one thing …” She looked through the window to the sleek Harley that sat waiting. She hadn’t seen it since Daegal had snatched her from her miserable existence for one that was far less appetizing. “Why do you have my bike?”
“Well, there was no point in letting it just sit there, wasting away until you returned.” He laughed nervously. “Thought you would appreciate it being cared for.”
“Oh, that I do. And now, you will return her to me.” She held out her hand. “Keys.”
Cast dug the keys out of his jeans pocket—still intact with the pink skeleton head—and handed them over to her. “See, no harm no foul. I even had it cleaned today. We can just call this even, right?”
“Even? I don’t know, Castius. I doubt I would call returning property stolen from me even. You did steal from me, isn’t that right?” Peering over his shoulder at the group watching them, she knew without a doubt that she would need to make an example of the vampire.
“Borrow, I borrowed from you!” He laughed nervously. “Borrowed, cleaned, and returned!”
“Semantics. Still, in all, I can’t just let you get away with that, free and clear. What message would that give to the others?” She circled him, boots tapping loudly against the floor. She snapped her finger and the music stopped. The only sound was that of the nervous breaths of her target. “I mean, how does that sound? ’Feel free to steal from Nitara, she will just pat your back and let you off, as long as you return her belongings intact.’ I don’t know.” Pausing in front of him, she rubbed her chin in thought. “No, I don’t think that sounds good, do you?”
“I think it sounds fair.” His lips spread around perfect white teeth. “Makes you sound easy going.”
“Well, we’re going to have to agree to disagree in this instance. Easy going isn’t exactly the look that I’m going for.” Nitara waved her finger and the chair beneath Cast dissolved into nothing; his legs straightened until he was upright, standing in front of her, against his own will. “So, let’s discuss this puppet theory of yours. Tell me, how does it feel?”
“Look, I—” Cast began to plea, but his lips snapped tightly together. No matter how hard he tried to speak, he couldn’t.
“Don’t bother with begging, I’m not in the mood for it.” She waved her hand and streams of purple smoke reached toward the terrified vampire as they turned into solid strands that wrapped around him and restrained his movements. “You know what I am in the mood for? A puppet show!” She snapped her fingers and Castius began to dance to the music that piped through the speakers. Laughing, she conjured another shot of whiskey, and then knocked it back. The others groaned as they watched their leader be humiliated. Once satisfied with his performance, she snapped her fingers again and he fell to the floor. Nitara turned and strolled toward the exit, dragging the bound vampire behind her.
“What are you doing?” Mick spoke up, giving voice to the fear they all shared.
“Oh, don’t worry about our dear friend, Castius. We’re going to go for a little ride, considering how much our buddy enjoys my bike! Would any of you care to join us?” She twirled her fingers and strands of purple smoke danced between them. Mick shook his head and moved out of her way as she exited the bar with her prisoner in toe.
Once outside, Nitara admired the artwork that was her bike. Accented in purple, the beast stood under the moonlight in all its glory. She tied her haul on to the back of the bike and waved at the small crowd that formed around them. Straddling her baby for the first time in far too long, she grinned as it roared to life. The sound of her hog had become her calling card in Reverie. The vamps knew it and got the hell out of dodge whenever it sounded off. As she pulled away from the bar, she grinned. What better way could she announce her return? What better way to reinstate the fear of the king’s “puppet”? She drove through the center of Reverie where she knew she’d be seen.
Castius hung from the bike, floating behind her like a flag. This punishment was good, but not enough. She had to drive the point home. She continued following the road until the town and all of the onlookers were behind them. Out in the center of the large field that separated Reverie from the surrounding towns, Nitara found a place to plant her flag. The light from the moon washed the scene in a calming glow that contradicted the panicked energy that bled from the vampire.
Nitara looked up to the sky; soon the sun would return and he would be without cover. “Don’t worry, you’ll only burn a bit before the ropes dissolve. I trust you’re full of blood and able to make it to hiding before it gets too bad.” She winked. “Oh, and, Castius, keep your hands off my bike!”
Cast choked on the dirt that was kicked up by the back tire of her bike as she drove away. Nitara didn’t want to be in vamp land, but hell, if she had to be there, she was going to have some fun!
DL Gallie is from Queensland, Australia, but she’s lived in many different places all over the world, including the UK and Canada. She currently resides in Central Queensland with her husband and two munchkins. She and her husband have been together since she was sixteen, and although they drive each other crazy at times, she couldn’t imagine her life without him.
