Lifethread (The Lifethread Trilogy) [Kindle Edition]

L. j. Charles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 18, 2011

McKenna
Fin is armed, dangerous, and in love for the first time. She'll do anything to
earn her humanity... except the one thing the Fate's require.

Stuck in her senior year of high school until she earns her humanity, McKenna Fin is responsible for cutting the lifethread of demons, and protecting teens from being possessed. To celebrate her fiftieth year of apprenticeship to the Fate Atropos, McKenna is given a new responsibility, and possibly a quick way to earn her humanity--severing the lifethread of deserving humans. Her first assignment: Nathan Quinn.

When Nathan becomes a primary demon target and gets sucked into Tartania, McKenna's duty as a Fated priestess demands she follow. McKenna can rescue him, no problem, but then she'd have to cut his lifethread. And he's the one and only guy she's been attracted to since forever.

The demons consider Nathan one of their own and fight to keep him. The time limit on Nathan's life is about to run out, and McKenna has to make the decision: sever his lifethread, or battle demons, defy the Fates, and keep him for her own.

Editorial Reviews

Review

McKenna is a likable heroine with a strong ethical code who is loyal and compassionate. It is also worth mentioning that this self-published book is particularly well-edited and polished. Overall, I found it to be a fun, engaging read that is filled with plenty of action.
Laurie 
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

From the Author

Lifethread is the first book in the Trilogy, and is McKenna's story. Shea's story is available in the second book, Creation. The final book in the Trilogy is Merritt's story and is titled Destiny. It will be available in 2012.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 365 KB
• Print Length: 261 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1461076552
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004SV2NDO
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,051 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

I have worked with energy both as a yoga instructor and as a body worker for many years. When I left that profession behind, I was driven to write about energy and the paranormal. Many of the situations my heroines experience are created from my own encounters with energy, it's power and possibilities.

As to the "writing," well, that started when I was eight and penned my first book on pink construction paper with a purple crayon. It was a romance that involved a princess, and although I remember very few details about the plot, I do remember that it was illustrated and there was music and dancing involved.

At about the same time I created my first story, I discovered Nancy Drew and my love for reading was born. It has only grown over the years, and I am rarely without a huge to-be-read stack, and a book within easy reach.

Now days I write women's fiction and young adult novels. All of my stories combine romance, mystery, and paranormal elements. The paranormal, because it's a huge part of my life, the adventure and romance because I haven't ever outgrown my early reading adventures with Nancy, Ned, Bess and George.

I live in the frozen north with my husband, whose TBR stack is taller than mine, and two felines who have been known to add entire pages to a manuscript without telling me.


AN EXCERPT OF LIFETHREAD:


"McKenna Fin." I snapped out the syllables of my name and a shimmer of energy coated the walls of the history classroom. The back of my neck prickled with unsettling intensity, and I couldn't stop my fingers from rifling the pages of my textbook. Four times the substitute teacher from hell had called me by some other name. Count them. Four. Too many, even for an evil imbecile of a substitute unit. Not only was she unable to cope with a simple seating chart, but...uh-oh, her eyes were taking on the vacant stare that telegraphed "demon" in blossoming shades of red.
Dammit all to Zeus, I'd have to kill her and it was only third period.

No way around it seeing as I'm the Moirai Priestess, connected to the Fate, Atropos. There are three of us roaming the Earth at any given time, each assigned to one of the Fates. My boss just happened to be responsible for cutting lifethreads. Ending human life. Or in my case, ending demon life.

I fingered the glowing blade tucked into a special pocket on my backpack--the kind of blade made of Ouranian magick that didn't set off metal detectors, or any other detector for that matter. Ripples of energy came alive under my fingertips as I stroked the glassy smooth surface, deftly avoiding the killer edge. I love my blade.

My fingers twitched with urgency. I had to kill it before its eyes turned completely red with demon strength. The thing is, Atropos gets all hinky when I draw attention to myself, and I seriously hate when she calls me in front of the Triad for behavior unbecoming a Moirai Priestess. Not good. It would probably mean another one hundred years being stuck in my senior year of high school. And seriously, the first fifty were more than enough. Immortality sucks. I mean, who can tolerate being seventeen years, eleven months, and twenty-five days old, for like forever. You'd think she could have created me with a birth date that came with voting privileges and didn't require emancipation papers.
My sigh must have been über loud because Nathan Quinn, the one and only guy at Brighton High worth my time, had his baby greens fixed in my direction. My nerves jumped to attention and a warm glow heated my cheeks, probably noticeable even though I was blessed with naturally dark skin. We'd been eyeing each other all year, but it was way complicated for a priestess to date.

"He's just fine." Merritt's honeyed voice plowed into my head; bless her golden eyes and sun-kissed brown hair. Mer belonged to Lachesis, the Fate who decided human destiny, and who twisted time to accommodate said destinies. My sister priestess was down the hall in biology class, but Moirai Priestesses have telepathic bonds that provides instant communication. Sometimes good, sometimes majorly inconvenient. Right now? A total pain in the butt.

"Not now, Merritt. Seriously bad timing." I scooted my chair back and jammed the history text in my backpack.
"Do not diss my timing, McK. Not when you need me to adjust time so you can kill that hell spawn pretending to teach history."

I shot a glance at the demon in question. Shiny orange scales had broken out along evil-pretend-to-be-a-teacher's arms. Noticeable. But only to me. Thank Zeus and Nyx the vastly inferior human eye couldn't see demons. Most everyone was nose-to-desk taking a nap, and the few attempting to pay attention had that glazed asleep-sitting-up look. They weren't processing a thing--thank the Fates--so, they didn't notice when the sub morphed into demon form. Looked like it had targeted that smallish kid in the front row. Not that it mattered. It was my job to rescue all human kids. An equal opportunity deal.

I balanced my blade, aimed for the base of demon teacher's throat, and sent the weapon in a smooth, precise arc across the room. One demon lifethread severed. The blade returned to my hand, leaving behind a crumpled, orange scaly body. "Done. Ready for clean up, Mer. At least this one was quick, no hand-to-hand, no battle to the death. You gotta appreciate how easy the young ones are."

"No prob, sis." She blinked out of my head to create a blip in time, and I used the pause to sheath my blade, and roll my gaze over that "fine boy." I mean, time was paused, so why not indulge in a little--

"Hey, you gotta bury that demon and get out of the room." Merritt again.

"Nah. No one will--"

"Time didn't pause for the hottie. Get. Out. Of. The. Room."

She'd called it right. Nathan Quinn wasn't suspended in time, nor was he ogling the suddenly empty space in the front of the room. He was staring at me, questions blazing in his beyond gorgeous eyes.