Synopsis:“Power is what he craves. He collects it so he can turn it into wicked glory, the glory of ruling everything and everyone.”
Vanessa and Zander Roth sit balanced on the edge of impending death and unthinkable power. The Eroi hunting them hide in the distance waiting for their chance to strike, but the Godlings who have taken over the Roths’ lives keep them at bay for now. Their protection is the one benefit to having them around.
Even though the Godling training that the arrogant and insufferable David provides Van and Zander is indeed improving their control, his methods are cruel and harsh. Van is barely able to restrain her anger when it comes to David. Zander, however, embraces the training because it is his only hope of redeeming himself after falling into Ivy’s trap and putting his family’s lives in danger.
In search of a distraction from everything Godling, Van focuses on the nagging feeling that something terrible is on the horizon. The intuition strengthens into frightening visions and leaves Van fearing the future. She is desperate to protect her brother, but with her sixteenth birthday looming and the eruption of the full strength of her hunger on its way, she has her own problems to deal with.
Redemption and protection both take a back seat when a shocking discovery puts everything they have worked for in jeopardy. The choice between safety and freedom has never been more important, and in the end…they may not have a choice at all.
Excerpt # 1 for Wicked Power by DelSheree Gladden:
Knowing I can’t kill Ivy without putting my family in danger really pisses me off.
I shift atop the uncomfortable limestone formation, the scratching of my shoe against the rough rock sending lose pebbles careening dozens of feet down toward the ground. There are times when I want to follow them. Then Ivy claws her way back into my mind, stoking my anger and the desire to return the pain she caused my family.
A quick glance at my phone a minute later reminds me of the time. Van will be waiting for me to pick her up from work soon, and her temper has been more volatile than usual lately. I shove my phone back in my pocket and stand. The three-foot square plateau I’m standing on is the perfect perch. It has become my favorite place to escape David’s training and the constant reminders of my failures. I can’t stay up here forever, though, no matter how much I would like to.
With only minimal caution, I lever myself over the edge of the limestone platform and dig the toes of my climbing shoes into the hidden crevices. I could descend the massive formation in a few minutes, but I’m in no hurry to rejoin civilization. I take my time coming down, and not because I’m climbing without a rope. The slow climb is a practice in patience. Something I desperately need.
David tells me not to think about Ivy, to forget her and focus on my training. It’s impossible. Her betrayal is not easy to forget, and can never be forgiven. The fact that she got away and I have no way of finding her again consumes me.
I don’t yet know what I will do when I find Ivy and the Eroi, but I will find them.
About the Author:
DelSheree Gladden lives in New Mexico with her husband and two children. The Southwest is a big influence in her writing because of its culture, beauty, and mythology. Local folk lore is strongly rooted in her writing, particularly ideas of prophecy, destiny, and talents born from natural abilities. When she is not writing, DelSheree is usually reading, painting, sewing, or working as a Dental Hygienist. Her works include Escaping Fate, Twin Souls Saga, The Destroyer Trilogy, and Invisible. The first book in the Someone Wicked This Way Comes series, Wicked Hunger, was released through Clean Teen Publishing on April 1, 2014.
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