URIEL: The Price (The Airel Saga, Book 6) (Young Adult Paranormal Romance)

ACCLAIM FOR AARON PATTERSON

AIREL

“Move over,
Twilight!
Here comes Aaron Patterson!”

—
Joshua Graham, bestselling author of
Beyond Justice
and
Darkroom

“I was surprised by how much I really, really liked this book. I have not jumped on the whole ‘fallen angel’ bandwagon, just as I didn’t jump on all of the vampire stories that came out after Twilight. This is not your typical fallen angel story. It is one that has left me breathlessly waiting for the next one in the series. Hurry up, please!!!”

—
Sandra Stiles

“It takes rare talent for a man to write a novel from a male POV and have it published to great critical and commercial acclaim. But it takes a miracle for that same male, or in this case, males, to write a novel from the POV of a teenage girl and have it turn out as incredibly as did the new StoneHouse YA by Aaron Patterson and Chris White,
Airel
. From the first sentence, I felt compelled to dive into this young woman’s story, and just as importantly, I felt like I personally knew her, which means I laughed, stressed, and cried right along with her. A beautifully written and crafted fiction about teenage innocence, faith, loss, and love. A must read for teens and adults alike.”

—
Vincent Zandri, international bestselling author of
The Remains, The Innocent,
and
Concrete Pearl.

“An amazing story that will captivate audiences ranging from young adult to the young at heart!
Airel
crosses boundaries in a fascinating and unforgettable way to engage readers within a story that will not soon be forgotten!”

—
Amazon Reviewer

“I am happy to say that this novel is one of my favorites of its kind. I never thought I could read a novel like this and be so swept away. I am always willing to try new books, but I usually steer clear of this kind of novel. Not anymore. Not when I can be so engrossed into the character’s story, like I was with the beautiful Airel, that before I know, it’s over. I kept turning the pages, wanting, no, NEEDING, to know what was going to happen next.”

—
Molly Edwards
, Willow Spring, NC

“The word ‘enjoyed’ somehow doesn’t express, in a positive light, what this book,
The Airel Saga, Book 1,
gave me. I loved the book and can hardly wait for the sequel! Though the storyline is about Airel’s teenage experience, I, at 75, truly enjoyed the read and was able to identify with her. As it happened to Airel, I felt it was happening to me.”

—
Amazon Reviewer

ACCLAIM FOR CHRIS WHITE

THE MARSBURG DIARY

“Yikes. This is one well-written and very strange book which will pique your interest from beginning to end. The author does a masterful job of moving you between centuries as you read two different point-of -view stories about one very unusual book. The telling of the tale, as found in the father’s diary from the 1800s, is very well portrayed and the writer has you believing you are actually back in that time period. Stepping forward to today, you experience the son’s horror as he reads both his father’s diary and the unusual book, and discovers it is currently driving him into the same mindset it created in his father... near insanity. This is one roller coaster of a read and is sure to delight fans of the occult, supernatural occurrences, and mystery. A solid 4 1/2 star read.”

—
POIA, Top Amazon Reviewer

“A story that conjures mystery, suspense, and dark evils,
THE MARSBURG DIARY
is a page turner. White calls on the spirit of Steven King, Jules Verne, and Edgar Allen Poe to create a contemporary story that is as compelling as it is enduring. Marsburg learns of his father’s past through a diary, a past filled with horror and mystery. But history doesn’t stay in the past and visits Marsburg, sending him into his own thrilling adventures.
THE MARSBURG DIARY
is to
AIREL
what
Torchwood
is to
Doctor Who:
a grownup, stay-up-late, dark theme on a masterful series.”

—
Peter Leavell, Meridian, ID

“I really love Chris White’s writing. He’s extremely talented and he is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.”

—
Michelle Vasquez, Life in Review

K: [PHANTASMAGORIA]

“Chris White has the talent of long-ago writers interlaced with his own unique voice. Anything this man writes keeps me up. I literally have to schedule time to read his work because I know when I start I'll not eat, sleep, or bathe until I've finished it. K: [PHANTASMAGORIA] is nothing short of his signature work. In fact, this might be his best novel to date. K is a character that you can't even begin to summarize. His experiences are all too familiar on so many levels. His relationship with others and God is eerily too close to home for not only myself but so many I know. You simply have to read this book.”

—Bri Clark, Meridian, ID

Also by Aaron Patterson

Sweet Dreams (Book 1)

Dream On (Book 2)

In Your Dreams (Book 3)

Breaking Steele

Twisting Steele

Melting Steele

Airel (Book 1)

Airel (Book 2)

Michael (Book 3)

Michael (Book 4)

Uriel (Book 5)

Uriel (Book 6)

19 (Digital Short)

The Craigslist Killer (Digital Short)

Zombie High (Digital Short)

Elena’s Secret: A Vampire Diaries story

Also by Chris White

Airel (Book 1)

Airel (Book 2)

Michael (Book 3)

Michael (Book 4)

Uriel (Book 5)

Uriel (Book 6)

The Marsburg Diary (Book 1, an Airel Saga novella)

The Wagner Diary (Book 2, Airel Saga novellas)

The Falkenhayn Diary (Book 3, Airel Saga novellas)

The Great Jammy Adventure of the Flying Cowboy (a children’s book)

Strongbox (a digital short)

Amethyst (a digital short)

CHAPTER I

Boise, Idaho, Present Day

AIREL LAY STILL. DEATHLY still. Dirk Elliott bent to her chest and laid an ear over her heart, listening for the sounds of life as they faded.

Then it beat no more. Dirk picked Airel up and carried her body into the women’s restroom, depositing her on the toilet in the far stall. He left the door open wide. He felt like bragging about his latest conquest.

He stood at the door to the stall and stared at her. Airel was strong, much stronger than he ever imagined. He could feel her—he possessed every one of her thoughts, emotions, and fears now. She was a walking contradiction too, as much human as angel.

Leaving the bathroom, he went to the table where she had been reading. He sat and picked up his book, Tennyson, and picked up where he’d left off. Airel was no more . . . but that didn’t mean he had to stop reading right when it was beginning to get good.

A few minutes later, a scream came from the bathroom and a hysterical woman ran out, gasping, “She’s dead. She’s dead.” Dirk smirked and continued reading. After a few more minutes, the library was abuzz with activity.

Standing, he walked out the front doors, calm. Sirens in the distance made him chuckle. This would be on the news. Everyone would talk, but he wouldn’t stay to feed on the chaos. He had a few loose ends to tie up; he had a fee to collect and a pet to feed.

“Rest well, Airel,” he said. “Maybe in another life we could have been . . . something . . . but as it stands, we can only play the parts we were born to play.”

He would not miss her—not really. She was a part of him now, and in some cheesy, romantic way, they would be together forever, wouldn’t they? He laughed out loud. Well . . . it was a nice thought, anyway.

* * *

I COULD FEEL DIRK kissing me and for a moment, I kissed him back, pulling him into me hard, letting out all my pent-up emotions. Michael was the furthest thing from my mind and what I was doing didn’t matter—not anymore.

But then something died out of me and I was abandoned. The light couldn’t reach me. I was underwater.

My head spun. I opened my eyes, and then I saw my attacker beyond the Dirk-mask he wore. It was a child, a boy of about ten. His face was all malice, pure murder, and the way it looked frightened me more than I’d ever been. I pulled back and tried to break away, but my limbs wouldn’t work. I could hear him feeding on me; I could hear him sucking, gorging on my heart, my soul. He said, “Calm yourself, Airel. Give over to me, and you will have the rest you desire.”

She was screaming at me, but her voice made no sense. She was drowning in a sea of nothing far away.

My instincts kicked in and I called for the Sword.

Nothing happened.

I raged, kicked to launch into flight, swearing to rip his head from his slimy little body.

Nothing.

It was all inside my head—a dream. Nothing was possible.

Memories of my childhood bubbled up and came to the surface. My first puppy, Max. He was so cute and got into everything. My dad would find his shoes chewed up and yell at me. The huge swing at the park behind the SuperMart. Mom would push me so high. The higher I went, the more I would giggle. She was so kind to me, and now . . .

She kept screaming something. What was she yelling? I was only sleeping. Why was She all worked up? Why?

“Defend—protect your mind, Airel!”

Kim. The first time we met. She was so hyper, always the one making lame jokes and laughing at them no matter what anyone else thought. I missed her. Lazy Sundays watching old movies, building pillow forts, playing dress up and stealing Mom’s makeup.

“Defend!”

Why was I so tired? How can I be tired? I’m already sleeping.

Ice cream with Dad after our daddy/daughter dates. He would listen to me, hold the door open, and tell me I was his favorite daughter. I would laugh. “Dad, I’m your only daughter.” But then he would get this far-off look, a look I saw more and more these days. The one that seemed to say, “I shouldn’t be your father; you shouldn’t be here.” Why did he not want me? It was like I was something instead of someone.

“Fight back, Airel!”

Michael and his kiss, the way his arms felt around me, how he protected me from so much evil in the world. His kindness, how he made me feel . . . I was so happy when I was with him. But where was he? Why was I kissing Dirk?

“Airel!”

Dirk stood over me, taking from me all I treasured—my memories, my life. Reality crashed through my numbness and then I knew I couldn’t fight back, not physically. My body was as good as dead, and I knew too well how that felt.