Welcome Natalie-Nicole Bates and her book See Me to The Mystique!
Enter below for a chance to win:
TWO E-book pdf's of See Me &
TWO Limited Edition See Me Perfumes
TWO E-book pdf's of See Me &
TWO Limited Edition See Me Perfumes
SEE ME
by Natalie-Nicole Bates
Description:
Carly Anders is hearing
voices in her head. Another one of her kind is trying to contact her. She knows
of the malevolent freaks—others who are eternal like her and seek out the weak
to inflict pain upon. For years, Carly has held up huge protective walls to
keep herself and her secrets safe. Now, physically and mentally exhausted,
Carly needs protection and rest.
She accepts the invitation to visit an internet friend who needs help
appraising a collection of antique photographs.
The situation is not ideal, but Carly hopes a male presence in her life
will deter the determined suitor who haunts her thoughts and dreams.
Daniel Tremont is not what Carly is expecting.
The former funeral director has a secret of his own. Not only is he
eternal like Carly, he is her creation from all those years before—her
abomination she thought she killed.
Daniel has been searching for Carly for years. He knows she is the
piece of his life that he has been missing for so long. Now that he has found
her, he has no intentions of letting her go.
I’m
thrilled to send some time with Daniel Tremont, hero of my new paranormal
romance, SEE ME, available from Leap of Faith Publishing.
NNB:
Daniel, it’s rumoured that you have eternal life. Can you tell me how this
happened exactly?
DT: A
long time ago, 1896, I was the unfortunate victim of a lumber mill fire—I was
burned beyond recognition. I don’t really remember much except for waking up on
an embalming table with the most beautiful brown eyes staring down at me.
That’s only the beginning of it all, though.
NNB:
Did you recognize these beautiful brown eyes?
DT:
Of course, it was Charlotte Hopkins, daughter of the local undertaker. She was
more than just a beautiful pair of brown eyes, she was…magic. What she did for
me that day, was love.
NNB:
Is it true that you are a Funeral Director?
DT: I
have been, and I will be again. I’m much better with the dead than the living.
NNB:
So, you’ve been in love with Charlotte all of these years?
DT: I
always loved Charlotte—well, she’s Carly now—but it’s far more complicated than
you can ever imagine. That day of the fire, I don’t think Charlotte knew of her
power, and when she resurrected me, well, she was more than just a little bit
spooked. She ran away and I never saw her again for a very, very long time.
NNB:
How did you know you would never die?
DT: I
knew I was different after the fire, but to what extent I wasn’t sure. I knew I
was a healer, but I always tried to convince myself that I never really died in
the fire, that I was just very, very ill and imagined everything. When I was
forty, I thought I was just lucky. When I was fifty, I sort of knew. All of my
friends were aging and I looked the same.
NNB:
It must be very difficult to retain friendships when your friends are aging and
you’re not.
DT:
It’s definitely one of the worst aspects of being eternal. Through no real
fault of my own I have to walk away from friendships when people start asking too
many questions.
NNB:
In the past, have your friends asked one too many questions about your
uniqueness?
DT: I
live a much regimented life when it comes to dealing with people. There’s too
much of a chance of my getting tripped by questions about my past. I’ve learned
over the years to basically keep to myself.
NNB:
Have you ever resurrected anyone?
DT:
Almost…once. You need to understand that I have always loved Charlotte. But I
was extremely lonely as well. In the end, I didn’t do it, and I’d prefer not to
talk about it. That was a very dark time of my life.
NNB:
Understood. What can you tell me about Charlotte, who now goes by the name
Carly?
DT:
She is the love of my life. I will never be complete until I am with her
forever. And it will happen, sooner or later, one way or another.
NNB:
You sound very determined, very sure.
DT:
What I know, is what I know, that’s all. Until it happens, I’ll do what I must
to get by.
NNB:
Are there other eternals out there like you and Charlotte?
DT:
There’s an eternal named Xander Elliott. He also loves Charlotte, but he’ll
never have her. He’s cursed by his former lover, Embree. Embree, by the way, is
the eternal who resurrected my Charlotte. I’m sure there are others as well.
NNB:
There sounds like there could be more stories in the future involving Xander
and Embree.
Many
thanks, Daniel, for trusting me enough to share a tiny bit about yourself and
your outlook.
To
read more about Daniel and Carly, look for SEE ME, available at Leap of Faith
Publishing, or visit my blog at: www.natalienicolebates.com
He waved a hand in front of her face, but she didn’t blink. The lights
are on, but no one’s home.
“Carly, my angel,” he whispered and cupped her cheek into his palm. He
revealed in the silkiness and warmth of her skin. Still, she didn’t react. She
was almost…a zombie.
His own body jerked in reaction to the fear she was emanating. She was
clearly sleepwalking and in the throes of one hell of a nightmare, yet she
didn’t cry out any longer. It was all now playing out inside her mind.
“Charlotte, see me,” he implored.
Her lips twitched at the mention of her real name.
“See me,” he repeated.
Suddenly, her body gave way and she collapsed. Catching her, he lifted
her into his arms and carried her to the bed. As he laid her down, her
breathing became ragged. He placed a hand over her heart as it raced, and
passed healing calmness through his hand, feeling the energy pulsate against
her skin. Beneath his hand, he would feel her heartbeat slow to a normal
rhythm.
“Daniel?” Her voice was mere caress.
“I’m here, my angel. You’re having a nightmare. You’re frightened. It’s
okay now, I’m here, and I will never leave you,” he promised.
“Everyone leaves, Daniel. You can’t understand, you can’t…” Her body
started to tremble.
He climbed onto the bed and straddled her body. Leaning close to her
face, he said, “Carly, let go of your fear. I can take it. Let go and see me,”
he commanded.
Her breath came out in a whoosh, and a wall of fear and resistance hit
him like a blow from above. It wasn’t exactly painful, more startling than
anything else.
His vision flip-flopped, and he could see an image from inside her mind
of two souls forever entwined as the result of one act. It made perfect sense.
She was reliving the day their souls became one. The day of the fire.
He then saw black, suffocating water. She was reliving her own death, as
well.
As the visions left him, he was consumed with the mishmash of fear,
loneliness, and resistance within her.
He had to make her understand that it was over. “I will never leave you,
Carly. That is my promise to you,” he insisted.
A flicker of life ignited in her eyes. Her hands came up to his face,
and to Daniel’s surprise, tears bubbled from his own eyes. He was releasing the
pain and fear he had absorbed from his beloved.
“I’m so sorry, Daniel, so sorry,” she murmured.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for, my love. It’s over. It’s time to move
forward now.”
“You don’t understand what I am, Daniel.”
“I do understand, Carly. I am what you are. See me for what I am.”
In his mind, he could see the moving clockwork gears of her thoughts
once again as she tried to process what he was telling her to be true.
“Just accept it, and let’s move forward.”
She drew his face to hers and her lips parted beneath his. Time blurred
and he drank in the essence of his Carly. Her soft, barely covered curves
molded themselves against his the hard planes of his body. Her hands were under
his t-shirt, her fingers stroking him.
If he pressed on, he knew she wouldn’t refuse him. But in her vulnerable
state, he wouldn’t let anything progress further that night. Carly needed time
to process everything that happened. There was plenty of time to pursue a
physical relationship. They weren’t going any where…he hoped.
About the Author:
Natalie-Nicole Bates is a book reviewer and author.
Her passions in life include books and hockey along with Victorian
and Edwardian era photography and antique poison bottles. Natalie contributes
her uncharacteristic love of hockey to being born in Russia.
She currently resides in the UK where she is working on her next
book and adding to her collection of 19th century post-mortem photos.
Visit Natalie online at www.natalienicolebates.com
Twitter: BatesNatalie
2 comments:
Thank you so much for hosting SEE ME at your beautiful blog!
Thank you so much for being here. I wish you all wonderful luck with your book and tour!
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