<data:blog.pageTitle/>

The Fairytale Nerd is the next stop on the Mortal Obligation Blog Tour! Comment on the post for a chance to win the grand prize and the second grand prize! One comment per tour stop per person.

Mortal Obligation is the first book in the Dark Betrayal Trilogy by Nichole Chase.

BUY

Mortal Obligation

by Nichole Chase

Ree will face the darkest form of betrayal before the year is out.Seventeen year old Ree McKenna has three goals: get through high school, convince her crush she is more than his best friend’s little sister, and save money for college. Fate, though, has other plans for her. After the untimely death of her older brother, Ree is haunted by dreadful nightmares and terrifying visions. To make matters worse, Ree has started to suspect that something dangerous is stalking her from the shadows. A night full of frightening surprises leaves Ree with unsettling news. Gifted by the gods with unusual powers, she must devote herself to a battle that could very well lead to not only her death, but the demise of everyone she knows and loves. After all, Ree is the only mortal standing between the Earth and utter darkness. Set in Savannah, Ga, Mortal Obligation is the first book of The Dark Betrayal Trilogy.

Excerpt:

Paden dropped his arm and hurried his steps. “We’re going to miss the cover band! Let's hurry up.”

Ree rolled her eyes. “Relax. They probably haven't even gotten on stage yet.” When he didn’t slow down she quickened her pace to match his long stride. Paden hesitated mid-step, and Ree saw the swirl of black out of the corner of her eye. Seemingly from nowhere a man in dark, dirty clothes stood between them and the steps of the Civic Center. Alarm bells rang in her head, screaming there was something very wrong. Goose bumps ran over the length of her body and she froze where she stood.

“Alastriana,” the man rasped. The cracked whisper sounded like breaking branches in the middle of the night. It sent chills down her spine, causing all of the hair on her head and arms to stand up. Silence made it feel as if they were standing under a bubble, somehow removed from the rest of life in the down town area. Her breath puffed out in a cloud of steam as she felt her heart beat erratically.

Paden grabbed her arm and stepped in front of her, effectively shielding her from view. “Can we help you?” His whole stance had shifted. Suddenly his six-foot, two-inch frame looked intimidating. His muscles were taut and ready for anything. Even his voice sounded deeper and more authoritative.

“Alastriana.” The dark man reached a hand out toward them, his fingers curved into claws. “Give me the Alastriana.”

The alarm bells in Ree's head grew louder, shriller. Something was building in her, making it hard for her to breathe. A hot feeling prickled under her skin, the energy moving and shifting in the pit of her stomach, choking her breath.
“Paden! Watch out!”

Before she had finished that short sentence Paden had wrapped her in his arms and thrown them both to the concrete ten feet away. She barely had time to register the impact of the cold ground before she felt something brush over their heads. The strange man barely missed them with his outstretched fingers as he seemed to fly past. Without thinking, she pulled out of Paden’s arms, rolling to her knees, and flung her hands in the direction of the man. If you could call it a man. A feeling akin to boiling water seemed to bubble out of her. With a shout, green energy flowed from her hands and collided with the thing, splintering its body. There was nothing left except for a fine dust floating to the ground.

Nichole Chase is a daydreamer. No, really, just ask any of the math teachers that had the misfortune of seeing her name appear on their class schedule. For years she has had story lines and characters begging for attention, but she resolutely pushed them aside to focus on more normal (read, boring) jobs. Well, no longer! She is currently heeding the voices in her head and frantically writing their stories. Nichole resides in South Georgia with her husband, energetic toddler, three dogs, and two cats. When not devouring novels by the dozens, you may find her writing, painting, crafting, or chasing her daughter around the house while making monster noises.