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Earthly Pleasure Excerpt

 Security lights dimmed by a low-level fog illuminated the courtyard of the business park. At this hour, the businesses were closed, the windows dark and the parking lots empty. Renee Tremaine tightened her grasp on the palm-sized locater unit and picked up her pace. Following the signal emitted by the warrior’s locater beacon, Renee’s heels beat a lone tattoo on the wet concrete.

 She’d answered distress calls before, but tonight she was flying solo. Mouth dry and her heart pounding, Renee hurried through the misty fog.

 Somewhere in this maze of two-story buildings, a wounded warrior waited, Earthbound and vulnerable. The greenish glow on the locater unit assured Renee she followed the correct path. She passed a service opening between two buildings and the unit flashed purple, then back to green.

 Renee stopped, spun to her left and took three steps. The screen changed to a bright purple. Retrieving a penlight from her jacket pocket, she flicked it on and entered the narrow alley. A foul odor assailed her nostrils seconds before the beam of light flashed over a row of dumpsters.

 Something to her left moved. The screen flashed, pulsing a deep purple, quick and steady.

 “Turn off the light.”

 She started and dropped the penlight. It rolled beneath a dumpster. Gulping the cool, night air, Renee displayed her locater unit in the direction of the deep, male voice.

 “I’m Prioress Renee, daughter of Zelda, House of Aasi. I offer sanctuary.”

 The warrior rose from his hiding place between two dumpsters and stepped toward her. Like the battle-fit celestial soldiers that had come before him, the warrior loomed over her. Renee craned her neck to look up at him.

 “I am Itan, son of Rane, House of Tanzer.”

 Warriors seeking sanctuary had spoken of the legendary Tanzers always with reverence and often with awe.

 “I am honored to serve the House of Tanzer.”

 He raised his locater and touched it briefly to hers. A flash of blue shot between the locaters and sent a shock through her hand and racing up her left arm. Wow, that hadn’t happened before.

 Identity established, Renee switched off her unit and dropped it into her coat pocket. She looked around. “Are you alone?”

 “Yes. We must leave before my blood scent draws the wraiths.”