Lightning
Strike
By Beverly
Ovalle
Publisher: Secret Cravings Publishing
For generations Levi’s family had
guarded a sacred glen in the mountains.
Still far from man this isolated area was a favorite spot of his
grandfather. Levi grew up listening to his
tales and fell in love without ever having stepped foot there.
Now Levi’s family, led by his grandmother, wanted to
sell the land. With only his grandfather
and Levi against it, Levi has to prove to the rest of the family why they
needed to continue their guardianship. Believing
in his grandfather’s tales despite himself, Levi went armed with his camera and
his well-known expertise behind the lens and headed out for proof.
Providing that proof and protecting the secrets of
the glen from the world, Gaia needs to convince Levi to continue that
protection. Daphnaie, the embodiment of
his every dream, is sent to show him why, stealing his heart in the process to
save her world.
Excerpt:
Levi’s photos always had a way
of showing truths the naked eye couldn’t see. That was one of the reasons both
of his grandparents had agreed to him coming here. He had started photography
when he was a medic in the Army, taking photos of the aftermath of Iraqi
Freedom. Unable to stomach more death and destruction, and desperately needing
a peace he couldn’t find, he finished his enlistment. He published the
photography that exposed so much of the war, earning almost instant fame. But
it didn’t bring him peace. He turned to photographing nature around the world,
his treks into the wilds of the world bringing him a measure of what he sought.
He couldn’t wait to see the
photo. Wanting to capture the aftermath of the strike, he looked through the
lens in preparation for another shot. He thought he saw movement. He
straightened up, no longer looking through the lens. Levi saw a figure fall, he
swore from the damaged bark of the tree itself. He hadn’t seen anyone in the
tree, but then again he hadn’t been paying attention to anything but the deadly
beauty of nature.
Moving swiftly to the base of
the tree, he found a crumpled heap in the shape of a person. Reaching for the
slight arm sticking out from the pile of decaying and burnt leaves, Levi knelt,
feeling for a pulse. A faint heartbeat reassured him that the person was alive.
Levi brushed away the fallen leaves that surrounded the figure. To his surprise
it was a young woman and she was naked. Stunned, Levi stared at her for a
moment. His heartbeat quickened. He had seen no evidence of anyone else around.
In any case, this was private property as far as the eye could see. From the
mountains to the prairie, his family called this land theirs even if none of
them lived there any longer.
Shaking sense back into his head, Levi took
out his cellphone to make an emergency call, wishing he had brought his
satellite phone. The connection was bad this far into the mountains. Getting a
recording, he tried giving his location, hoping his message got through and
help was on its way. Hanging up, he looked at her, wondering what she was doing
there. Levi thought the lightning had burned her clothes away, though there was really no evidence of clothing to begin with. She couldn't have just been out in the woods with nothing on. Climbing trees no less! Her skin looked as if it had been in contact with fire, yet she herself was not burned, just slightly pink, most of the damage to her hair, which looked as if it had burned around the edges.
The lightning strike had been different, but then so had the storm. Both had seemed almost alive, deliberate. Maybe his grandpa had been right after all.
Leaving her for a moment, Levi took his sleeping bag from his knapsack and laid it out beyond the fire damaged grass, making sure to unzip it to be able to put her in it. Checking her limbs, he didn’t feel any breaks. He tried not to notice how shapely those limbs were.
Links:
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00GDW08LK
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lightning-strike-beverly-ovalle/1117308055?ean=2940045413466
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/374674
Secret Cravings Publishing: http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=745
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