And so just minutes after I lived the moment that
defined my life forever… I also lived the moment that would forever define my
death.
CHARMED
EXCERPT NUMBER THREE
Frankie
Sugar.
I needed more of it if I was going to make it through this day. The chocolate
croissant and caramel latte I had this morning wasn’t near enough to combat the
massive lines, the noise, and disgruntled people that filled the DMV. Whatever
in hell made me think that working at the Department of Motor Vehicles, here in
Alaska, was a good idea?
Maybe
it was the good pay. Maybe it was because I got weekends off.
Or
maybe it was because I had a moment of temporary insanity that unfortunately
coincided with me saying, “I accept,” when I got offered this job.
Besides
the fact that the lines were permanently out the door, the computer systems
were temperamental at best, and my boss was a complete broom rider, my stash of
chocolate and Sour Patch Kids was empty.
That
meant someone was going to die today.
I
glanced back up at the ninety-year-old woman whose head barely cleared the
insanely high counters we stood behind and tried to hold on to my patience.
“Mrs. Eldridge,” I said extremely loudly. “Like I told you last week, you have
to go and get new glasses before I can renew your driver’s license.”
“I
have new glasses,” she insisted.
Lord,
save me now.
“You
got those ten years ago. You need some from this year.” Or decade I finished silently.
She
shuffled out of the line like a turtle and I took her slowness as a chance to
really search beneath my station and chair for a long-lost piece of sugar.
Anything. Even a stray jellybean would likely find its way into my blood stream
at this point. Of course there was nothing. I briefly considered hiding beneath
my desk until five o’clock. My car. I
had an emergency stash in my car. I glanced at my watch. I had another hour
until I was able to take a fifteen-minute break.
A
pair of black pumps appeared before me and I inwardly groaned. Just what I
needed—a run-in with the witch. But instead of being greeted by her
condescending, screechy tone, an icy-cold red can appeared before me.
Hallelujah,
praise the Lord, it was caffeine and
sugar!
I
snatched the Coke out of her hand and popped the top, taking a large,
satisfying chug. The bubbles crowded down my throat, slightly burning, and I
took another swallow.
“I
love you,” I murmured to Lela, the girl who worked right beside me.
She
laughed. “I know that look when I see it.” Then she straightened and whispered.
“Witch alert.”
I
shot up, my head bumping into the counter on the way. I wanted to shout out in
pain, but I clamped my mouth shut, not wanting to draw the attention of my
boss, Satan’s assistant.
I
turned back to my line, my eyes colliding with a broad chest. I looked up, and
the can slid out of my hand, hitting the floor with a thud while fizzy liquid
poured over my favorite boots.
I
didn’t even notice.
“What
the hell are you doing here?” I growled as I looked around for something sharp
I could stab him with.
A
thick brow arched. “So is this where you spend your days? As if the DMV isn’t a
horrible enough place to visit without the poor people of Alaska having to
tolerate you.”
There
wasn’t enough sugar on this planet that would save him. I reached out and
picked up the black phone. If I couldn’t bludgeon him to death here at my place
of employment, then I could at least call the cops. I began dialing, but he
reached over and cut the connection.
I
slammed the phone down on his hand, which was still pressed on the hang-up
button. Breath hissed between his teeth and his green eyes shot to mine.
“Careful, George, you’re pissing off the wrong man.”
“My
name isn’t George.”
He
shrugged, pulling his hand away from the phone. “When you have a man’s name,
does it really matter?”
CHARMED
EXCERPT NUMBER FOUR
Frankie
Okay,
so maybe breaking into his house wasn’t the smartest thing I’ve ever done. But
I did accomplish something. Besides getting scared to death, annoyed, and
slightly turned on (just because he’s good-looking doesn’t mean I have to turn
into some obsessive groupie)…
I
learned what he was up to.
I
should have known it wasn’t going to be something as simple as wanting to set
up a legitimate residence.
He
had a new Target.
A
high-profile one.
My
hands curled around the steering wheel and squeezed until my joints ached. What
was it with this guy? How could he be so casual about killing—about robbing
someone of their life?
I
should have listened to Piper. I should have stayed away from him.
But I didn’t.
Now I knew.
I couldn’t just let him
kill her.
The Jeep slowed as I
pulled into the parking lot of a place I didn’t even realize I was driving to.
It was one of my most favorite places ever. The Iced Princess. The Iced
Princess was this completely posh, over-the-top bakery. They were famous here
in Alaska for their cupcakes and all pink decor. Everything inside was
pink—pink rugs, pink couches, and pink chairs sitting at pink tables.
They had a bakery
counter that would make anyone drool. The cupcakes were piled high with
homemade icing and usually with some sort of edible decoration. Not every
cupcake was pink, but they did always have their signature treat: Princess for
a Day. It was a white cupcake in a hot-pink wrapper, piped high with
pastel-pink icing and an edible sugar tiara balanced on top.
They also had a coffee
bar where even the paper cups were pink. The coffee was so good that not even
the most macho of men cared to be seen with a pink cup.
Charming probably
wouldn’t be caught dead drinking from a pink cup.
I pushed him out of my
mind. I was taking a brain break from the killer.
My sugar stores were
running low and I needed an emergency pick-me-up. The Iced Princess was
closed—they didn’t open until six a.m. for the coffee crowd, but I didn’t have
to resort to breaking and entering again that night just to get what I wanted.
I left the Jeep running
and went toward the giant pink machine topped with a glittery tiara sitting by
the front entrance. I checked out the electronic menu for my choices and couldn’t
decide. I swiped my card and hit a button. Seconds later, I lifted the door on
the front and withdrew a pink box. Inside was a chocolate cupcake. Then I
repeated the process twice more and collected another two cupcakes. This time
selecting the classic Princess for a Day and a Rock Me Raspberry flavors.
I mean seriously.
A vending machine
filled with the best cupcakes on the planet? If I could figure out a way to tow
this thing home, I would so do it.
I stacked the boxes and
climbed back into the Jeep, not bothering to wait until I got home. I needed
sugar now. I opened up the Choc-o-holic cupcake and dug in.
It was filled with
fudge sauce.
I groaned with joy.
“Thank you, Jesus,” I prayed.
After licking all the
chocolate off my fingers, I backed out of the lot and drove home, eyeing the
other two boxes the entire way. If that place was closer to my apartment, my
fine balance between curvy and fat might be in danger.
My brain break lasted
until I arrived in the safety of my home, where I ate another cupcake. But it
couldn’t last forever. I had a decision to make.
I could forget I ever
saw Charming today, forget I knew what he was planning.
Or…
I
could make it my life’s mission to stop him.
Who
was I kidding? There was no choice here. I wasn’t about the let him charm
someone to death.
It was about time his
charm ran out.
Aren’t
they fun!! I hope they make you want to read CHARMED!!
I
think my favorite one is the one with Frankie (the photo is of actress Charlize
Theron) on it. Lol.
Which one is your favorite?
Now here is the information you have been waiting on! Everything Charmed!!!!!
Life or Death? Not many people would choose death.
But what if death chooses you? What if death doesn’t mean the end of your life,
but the beginning?
For a Death Escort, death is life. Death is your paycheck. Death is your job.
And Charming is the best Escort the Grim Reaper has
ever had.
But when you piss off the Reaper, being the best
doesn’t matter. So Charming is assigned a Target who is practically impossible
to kill. He knows the Reaper hopes he fails—that he’s counting on it. So
Charming vows to prove him wrong. He vows to make the kill.
But someone else vows to get in his way. Someone
with a big mouth, a sugar habit, and blond hair. Someone who makes his heart
start beating again.
And so Charming is left holding more than one
person’s fate in the palm of his hand. He thought the choice would be easy,
that there really wasn’t a question at all.
He was wrong.
Life or Death?
The Awesome Cambria Hebert!
ABOUT CAMBRIA HEBERT
Cambria Hebert is the author of the young adult
paranormal Heven and Hell series, the
new adult Death Escorts series, and
the new adult Take it Off series. She
loves a caramel latte, hates math and is afraid of chickens (yes, chickens).
She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended
up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always
have good hair. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband and
children (both human and furry) where she is plotting her next book. You can
find out more about Cambria and her work by visiting http://www.cambriahebert.com
