Predator's Salvation (17 page)
Bashta:
An Inanna curse, equivalent to bullshit.
Cambion:
A hybrid male born of a human and Inanna or Sebitu.
Datma:
Inanna curse, equivalent to damn it.
Emsharra:
Province of the Inanna existing in the Universe of the Great Above.
Enlil:
Royal family of Emsharra.
Fah:
An Inanna curse, equivalent to fuck.
Gaiam:
Province of the Sebitu existing in the Universe of the Great Above.
Inanna:
Ancient superior race of beings that subsist on the energy and life-force of humans.
Enemy of the Sebitu before the Alliance and New Regime.
Inanna Tracking Practice:
System by which Inanna locate their kind.
Ishara:
Goddess of the Great Above, worshipped by the Sebitu.
Kundalini:
Inanna term for energy; life-force.
Lilith:
Goddess of the Great Above worshipped by the Inanna.
Mishva:
Inanna term of endearment meaning “my love.”
Nahemah:
The Highest and Quna of Emsharra.
Quna:
Female royalty. Inanna term for Queen. The Highest and Quna are one and the same.
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Predator’s Salvation
Sebitu:
Ancient superior race of beings that subsist on the energy and life-force of humans.
Enemy of the Inanna before the Alliance and New Regime.
Shasta:
An Inanna curse, equivalent to shit.
Shimsa:
Sebitu term of endearment meaning “sweetheart.”
Sister:
Female inhabitant of Emsharra.
Spirit-Boost:
A rare, regenerative component found in some human life-blood, or life-force.
Much sought-after by Inanna and Sebitu alike for its aphrodisiacal and intensely orgasmic qualities.
Spirit Signal:
A distinctive tracking beacon that each Inanna emits whenever they use psychic energy. Some psychic activities emit more of a signal than others (i.e., erecting a force-field, shapeshifting, telepathy and using one’s spirit light emits more of a signal than say feeding on and siphoning from a human.)
Spirit Light:
An Inanna’s primary power source used to attack, defend or feed (i.e., discharging a lightning bolt, erecting a force-field, siphoning human energy, or teleportation, among other activities.)
Supreme:
Leader of the council and ruler of Gaiam.
Tenebrion:
Supreme of Gaiam.
*The Great Above:
Includes everything between the surface of the Earth and the bottom of Heaven, a domain presided over by Enlil, Lord of Air. The Earth is the bottom layer and part of the Great Above.
*The Great Below:
Includes everything beneath the surface of the Earth. Besides the depths of the seas, it consists principally of two layers: the Abzu and the Netherworld.
The Highest:
Leader of the assembly and ruler of Emsharra.
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Gracie C. McKeever
*The Netherworld:
Referred to as “The Land of No Return.” It is located underground beneath the Abzu.
*The Seas:
Considered to be the water remains of the primordial mother goddess. Consists of saltwater and surrounds the land surface of the Earth, the seas is considered inherently hostile and dangerous to humans.
*From The Sumerian Universe, Ancient Sumeria “In the Days when Gods Walked Upon the Face of the Earth” by James W. Bell © 2002-3–http://www.jameswbell.com/m001universe.html
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AUTHOR’S BIO
Gracie McKeever is an author from the Bronx, and aside from several side trips along the way, has lived and worked her entire life in the New York City area. She has been writing since the ripe old age of seven when two younger brothers were among her earliest, captive audience for various short story readings and performances.
An eclectic and voracious reader whose audience has grown outside of the supportive family members, she's had the great fortune of being able to incorporate two of her favorite passions and talents—reading and writing—as a book reviewer for several online e-zines, both as a regular staff member and freelancer.
Her short stories, novellas and poetry have seen exposure in various lit and art magazines and other venues—online and in print. Of particular note, heard over the airwaves on KFJC’s morning show, Dancing In The Fast Lane With Ann Arbor (Unbedtime Stories) out of Los Altos Hills, CA (
New Life Incognita
was the story of the month for March 2000). She's also proud to be a member of the ("Worlds' Oldest Active Homeless Paper") Street News family and has seen numerous articles, poems and novel excerpts published within its pages as well as having had a poetry reading on Pseudo On-line Network (Street News Review).
In 2001, Gracie caught the erotica bug, sinking her teeth into her first erotic e-book for a review, and hasn't looked back since, an instant affinity for the genre spawning her first erotica title,
Beneath The Surface
, published in 2006 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
Visit Gracie’s website at
www.graciecmckeever.com
Other books by Gracie C. McKeever at
www.sirenpublishing.com/graciecmckeever.com
The Matchmaker
The Matchmaker, Book 1
Beneath the Surface : Terms of Surrender : Manifest Destiny
Angela Calminetti, mother of five, New Age practitioner and gifted psychic and telepath, is proud of her family ties and does everything she can to make sure that all of her younger siblings are as happy in love and marriage as she is…whether they want her to or not.
Note: Each book is written to stand alone.
Beneath the Surface
Former Madison Avenue ad exec EJ Vega just landed a seven-figure advance from Renegade Publishing. Older sister Evelyn convinces him he needs a fashion makeover before he goes on his first national book tour and has just the person in mind to turn his wardrobe inside out. EJ, too late, recognizes the handiwork of his oldest, matchmaking sister Angela, and by the time he realizes what he's gotten himself into, a very hot and uptight personal shopper has invaded more than just his wardrobe; she's invaded his soul.
From a broken home and driven by past demons, Tabitha Lyons is the proprietor of flourishing
Lyons Style, Inc.
and knows success when she sees it. In EJ she sees not just success, but sexy and sin with a capital "S." She doesn't want to turn his wardrobe inside out as much as she knows EJ will turn her world upside down...
Sensuality Rating:
Scorching
Genre:
Contemporary Paranormal/Psychic/Interracial
STORY EXCERPT
BENEATH THE SURFACE
The Matchmaker, Book 1
By Gracie C. McKeever
Copyright © 2006
“I have your two o’clock here, Tabitha. Mr. Vega?”
“Send him in.” Tabitha sat behind her desk and hit Escape on her keyboard.
Eric strolled in just as his dossier reappeared on her screen, and Tabitha swallowed at the sight of him, suddenly wishing she had stuck with her usual formality when they’d been on the phone and kept their relationship on a strictly last name basis. She didn’t want him to get the wrong idea, especially since her own treacherous hormones already had the wrong idea and had her pussy muscles clenching in response to his tall height and broad shoulders filling the doorway as he paused on the threshold.
Instant attraction. Not only was it not good, it was unprecedented.
Tabitha stood up behind her desk and proffered a hand across the glass top as he approached, thinking Evelyn had somehow bamboozled her and that her brother’s profile did not do him a bit of justice. There was nothing about the man that needed to be “made over.”
He was inhumanly gorgeous, the black hair he had mentioned in his profile was sleek and wavy, worn in a longish but masculine and neat style combed back off his forehead and glistening beneath the fluorescent lights of her office.
Tabitha slowly moved her gaze down, taking in the aquiline nose, angular jaw, and cleft chin—the cleft he had neglected to mention in his profile as he had mentioned his dimples—
immediately drawn back up to his indigo eyes, ridiculously long-lashed, so dark and intense they almost looked black.
She almost smiled when he grinned and she noticed the big dimples to which he had previously alluded, mentally taking his measurements and surprised he had been so accurate with his description. Most men—most people—boasted, overcompensated for some shortcoming or were too humble with their self-assessment. Rarely had she met anyone who’d been so accurate.
Accurate and modest.
God, the man can’t be this perfect!
Tabitha slid her gaze down further to take in his outfit and amended her last thought.
Today was not Friday, but he was definitely dressed down.
Okay, he
wasn’t
perfect. Thank God for small favors.
His sense of fashion seemed to come straight from a discount store. Actually, a discount store would have been a step up. She could easily see the man perusing the aisles of a neighborhood thrift shop. Not that there was anything wrong with that. She frequented some of the better thrift shops herself when she was on the hunt for that perfect item for a client and not that his clothes were ill fitting, quite the contrary.
He had the kind of body on which clothes hung well, any clothes, pulled off the casual ragged, torn-up look with sensual style rather than coming off as a slob.
Tabitha glanced at her clock as he caught her smaller hand in his big one and gently squeezed. The resultant energy tingled all the way up her arm until she thought he had one of those practical joke buzzers in his palm, but there was nothing touching her palm except his smooth, warm skin.
He noticed the direction of her glance and grinned, showcasing those dimples to their fullest effect. “Come on now, you have to admit I’m on time.”
Tabitha arched a brow. “Just,” she said coolly.
“Let me guess, you’re the type who turns up to all her appointments at least a half-an-hour early, am I right?”
“Why don’t you have a seat and we can get started,” she said, ignoring his quip. That he was so on target about her was totally beside the point.
He released her hand slowly, his body heat and intensity overwhelming and invading her comfort zone so much, it made her think twice about walking across the room to close the door before she finally did just that.
When she got back behind her desk and sat down, Eric was still standing and running a hand over the glass top admiringly, glanced up at her with a knowing look.
“I knew you’d be a glass and chrome type.”
Tabitha glanced at him with a start, entranced by his long fingertips stroking her desk, imagined him caressing her skin instead of the smooth cold glass, her body wantonly arched beneath his manipulations. “Excuse me?”
“I got a definite vibe from your voice on the phone the other day.” He glanced around her uncluttered office and nodded. “Cool, Spartan, functional.”
His matter of fact appraisal made her feel as if her character had just been attacked, that maybe she should defend herself, but he spoke up again before she had a chance.
