Keeper of the Gate

Paula Kennedy

Evernight Teen

Paranormal Teen Romance, 63k

 

 

Anna, the girl with flaming red hair and attitude to match, always felt like an outcast. In her final year of high school, when she can’t even connect with the right guy, she meets mysterious bible-loving Devin and feels strangely drawn to him.

There’s more to Devin than good looks and his weird obsession with scripture, and Anna finally understands the emptiness she’s felt her entire life. Join Anna as she searches for answers about her past with Devin, struggles to accept her true identity, and begins an adventure into the City of Fire to reseal the gates of Hell.

 

Buy Links:        Evernight Teen    Amazon     All Romance eBooks

 

 

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Character Interview: Devin (Keeper of the Gate)

Devin: Thanks so much for having me. I’m a little nervous as this my first interview.

What attracts you to Anna?

Without giving too much away, if you’ve read Keeper of the Gate you’ll be better able to relate to this, what I find most attractive about Anna is her stubbornness. I love a woman who knows what she wants and she definitely knows. Oh and the suit she wears certainly doesn’t hurt either. (Smiles and winks) But don’t tell her I said that.

What repels you about Anna?

(Gets more comfortable in seat and scratches at his temple.) I’m going to go right back to my last answer and say the same thing. Her stubbornness can be a real turn on, and I love her for it, but some times it’s also a huge turn off. (Looks around) She isn’t in the building is she? I know I’m going to get it later for saying this. (Clears throat). There are days when I want to tell her to chill out and let someone else take the reigns for a while. This rarely happens with her though and once she has her mind set on something, it’s pretty hard to change it.

What word best describes true love?

Perserverance. If you can stick it out with someone despite unsurmountable obstacles or odds, then you may just have found true love. More and more often I see couples give up without even trying to make it work. (Smiles and his eyes take on a far away look) Look at what Anna and I have been through – I don’t think a relationship can get any crazier than that!

What’s your ideal romantic evening?

A walk on the beach at night. It’s an opportunity to get close to nature and away from the distractions of everyday life. Anna and I have spent a lot of time exploring different beaches and we love to just sit in the dark and enjoy the sound of the surf. We have a strict no electronics policy, our attention is totally devoted to eachother. Actually, we’ve visited some pretty awesome beaches over the years. I’d love to share some of our beach stories another day if you’re up for it. (He winks) I’d have to run them by Anna first to make sure she’s okay with sharing.

What’s the perfect Valentine’s Day gift?

Flowers and chocolates have been way over done so scratch those off right away. I like the idea of a quiet dinner in a cozy café somewhere. Anna and I have done that for the last few years actually. I like the challenge of finding a café we haven’t been to and that meets all our valentine day criteria. I’d like to share what that criteria is but I’ve been sworn to secercy. (Grins). Jewlery is another one of my favorite gifts to give and really, how can you go wrong? Women love jewlery. (Smiles widely) Guess I’m getting in good with the ladies saying that – the men probably not!

What is an absolute deal breaker in a relationship?

Wow, intense question. (Takes a sip of water and places the glass back on the table beside his chair). Relationship apathy. If both partners are remorseful and focussed on the same end, a serious committed relationship can survive a lot of hurdles – even cheating. Apathy, on the other hand, is a deal breaker for me. If my partner no longer cares about me or fails to show any interest in our relationship then I think it’s pretty much over.

Who made the first move you or Anna and what was it?

(Laughs loudly and runs both hands through his hair) I guess if you’ve read Keeper of the Gate you’d know the answer to that question! For those of you that haven’t had a chance to take a look at it, I don’t want to give too much away. (pauses) I think it’s probably fair to say Anna made the first move and that fits in well with stubborn personality. She is a woman who knows what she wants and thankfully I was one of those wants! I can’t really talk about the what though because I don’t want to ruin it for those of your that haven’t read the book yet.

Thanks so much for having me here! I would love the chance to come back and talk more about the beaches Anna and I have explored.

 

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Excerpt

Backing away, I turned toward the wall. “Can’t you just leave me alone? All I’m asking for is time to say goodbye to my family. Why is that so hard?”

I could feel the heat of him directly behind me but didn’t turn. “You know the reason.” His tone was quiet and serious. “I am not going to repeat myself.”

“Go away, Devin.” Tears of frustration would not be held at bay any longer and my words were laced with hatred. “Just leave me alone!”

“No.”

Heat building in my chest suddenly exploded and I turned and shoved him as hard as I could. He staggered backwards a couple steps, but caught himself easily.

“That was pathetic,” he mumbled and moved back over to me.

“Stay back!” I demanded, fists held defensively forward.

He laughed at my threat and grabbed for both of my wrists. Arms flailing wildly, I avoided his hands but somehow he flipped me around to pin my body against the wall with his. He slipped his legs between mine and spread them wide.

“Get . . .off . . . me.” I huffed under his weight and struggled to pull away. He only dug his knees into the backs of my legs more forcefully. Laughing, he pressed his torso harder against my back before fumbling to grab my wrists.

“Make me leave, Anna,” he whispered breathlessly into my ear as he forced my hands over my head. His fingers dug into my wrists and this brought tears to my eyes.

“You’re hurting me!” I hissed through clenched teeth and leaned away from his face. “Get off me!”

He grunted with the effort and after a bit of a fight took both of my hands in one of his. With his free hand he took a fistful of my hair and yanked my head back.

“Ow!” I swore and blinked tears down my cheeks.

“You better hurry.” He hissed. “Make me leave before someone gets hurt.”

The heat of his breath in my face fueled the fire in my chest and I screamed in frustration, fear and anger. He laughed gratingly and this only ticked me off more.

“No one can hear you scream. It’s just us.” He pushed my knees painfully into the wall with his legs. “Maybe you like this. Huh?” he asked, pressing his torso harder against me. I cried out as the air was squeezed from my lungs. “I am in complete control, Anna. I could do whatever I pleased with you right now. What are you going to do about it?”

“Why are you doing this to me?” I sobbed and my anger fizzled. My words came out in a great shudder. “Get off. Please.”

“Come on!” Spittle sprayed my cheek when he yelled and I clamped my eyes shut. “You’re not Annalisa Harold.” He yanked my hair again and I whimpered.
“Stop crying,” he demanded and let up his grip a fraction.

“You’re a warrior. A Keeper of the Gate!” Air huffed from my lips as he pressed against me again. “Now. . .come . . .on! Make me leave!”

I wriggled and struggled to move away but it felt like he was made of iron. I sobbed breathlessly, my muscles spent. His suggestion I was some type of warrior was ridiculous.

Devin’s voice was laced with anger. “He will destroy your family. He will torture your friends. Is that what you want for them?”

I couldn’t breathe, could hardly think of anything but taking a lung full of air. My cheek pressed against the cold drywall and tears dripped like ice down my neck. I wanted to get away from him, wanted to breathe, but sorrow sapped my strength. Perhaps I should give in to him. Perhaps that was what I needed.

I cried then. Long, mournful sobs racked my trapped chest for what felt like hours. We stayed as we were for so long, in fact, the cold in the drywall started to eat itself into my brain. I pleaded, I begged, I screamed, but Devin refused to release me. His breath was like fire in my ear, his body a prison. He was never going to let me go.

Then the images started to come. I was desperate to save my mother, my father, my friends. Scene after scene of my life flashed like lightning in a summer storm and I knew I couldn’t sacrifice them. I didn’t care about myself, I wanted to die, but I couldn’t let my family suffer in my place. They were the innocent. They had loved me like their own.

Drawing what breath I could, I screamed from the pit of my stomach and pushed against the wall with all my might. This last effort created enough space to allow me to turn around. Anger flooded in then and I wanted to kill him. My heart raced, I couldn’t seem to draw enough air, and my body tingled with lightning.

Meeting his eyes, I didn’t miss the look of surprise that swept across his face. Glad I finally had the advantage, I drew a shaking breath before shoving him with as much strength as I could muster. As my fingertips touched his chest, the air came alive with pin pricks of electricity. Amazingly, Devin flew across the room, pulled by some invisible force, and I was left standing alone in shock. His body hit the opposite wall hard enough to knock my clock off the nail, but he
was right back on his feet and hardly fazed at all.

He adjusted his glasses and smoothed his hair. “That was good, but it wasn’t good enough.”

Recklessly, he charged at me again but this time I was ready. I lunged into a forward roll away from him, and got back on my feet, fast enough to send a roundhouse kick toward his head.

He blocked my foot skillfully, but I nearly missed a low kick from him toward my right shin and stopped it at the last second. In a flurry of movement, he threw a series of punches toward my head, all of which I blocked with my forearms. Unfortunately, as I was backing up I tripped over a book bag. He grabbed the front of my shirt as I collapsed backwards and my hair brushed the wall.

“Careful,” he said breathlessly, eyes wide with excitement.

“Thanks,” I grunted and wrenched my shirt free of his grip as I jumped back on my feet.

With every inhalation of air my body came more alive. I was electrified, invincible, and going to kick Devin’s ass.

 

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Author Bio

 

Born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie Ontario, Paula has a B.A. in psychology, a B. Ed. in the primary, junior, intermediate and senior divisions, and a vivid imagination. She spent her early years listening to the stories of her father, a well-loved high school teacher and creating tales of adventure for her two younger sisters. She is a wife and mother to four amazing children. “I am a mother, a wife, a teacher and a writer. Life does not get any better than this!”

 

 

Paula’s contacts:

Website: http://paulakennedybooks.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paula.kennedy.37

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PKennedyBooks

 

 

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