Hail to the Queen ~ Excerpt
Blog Tour: Hail to the Queen
Genre: Romance/Science Fiction/Fantasy
Dates: 21st â 25th of May
Hosted by: Ultimate Fantasy Book Tours
With two coronations to attend, youâd think the universe would stop piling catastrophes on top of Louella Eschete, but youâd be dead wrong. As she prepares to ascend two thrones, one as Lady of the Cortez Vampire Court and the other as Matriarch of the Eschete Witches, she must face a new evil.
Just when Lou is ready to stab a seamstress with a hat pin, murder and strange occurrences begin to happen around her city. Stolen corpses in the cemetery, decapitated astronomers, and hearts taken from nursing homes is odd, even for Louisiana. There is no rhyme or reason to the carnage, but the sigil left behind at a scene points to something ancient.Â
Itâs a race against the clock for humanity. Thereâll be nothing to rule if everyoneâs dead.
 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079P5QQX2
Shyla Colt is the sassy international bestseller of the popular series Kings of Chaos and Dueling Devils M.C. These genre-hopping stories feature three of her favorite things: strong females, pop culture, and alternate routes to happy ever after. Listening to her Romani soul, she pens from the heart, allowing the dynamic characters, eccentric interests, and travels as a former flight attendant to take her down untraveled roads.Â
Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, this mid-west girl is proud of her roots. She used her hometown and the surrounding areas as a backdrop for a number of books. So, if youâre a Buckeye, keep an eye out for familiar places.Â
As a full-time writer, stay at home mother, and wife, there's never a dull moment in her household.
She weaves her tales in spare moments and the evenings with a cup of coffee or tea at her side and the characters in her head for company.
To find out more about Shyla Colt you can visit her at:
 Amazon Page: www.shylacolt.netÂ
 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorshyla.colt
 Website: www.shylacolt.netÂ
 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5034494.Shyla_Colt
 Twitter: https://twitter.com/shylacolt
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âIf itâs demon, you have one of two things ⊠a younger one, who came to do the dirty work himself, or one whoâs higher on the food chain, and didnât need to.â
âIâm hoping for option one.â I pause. âHow can you tell?â The question is out before my brain can filter it.
The joy leaves her face. âWhen you become attuned to the darkness, you see things you wouldnât normally. Itâs like the sixth sense all witches have turned on its ear. You become aware of the creeping darkness. The disturbed and unnatural. It binds you to death in a way our kind is never meant to be.â
I see a shadowy figure nearly hidden in the depths of her irises, longing to break free, and gain control. She blinks. Itâs gone, out of sight, but never forgotten. I dread the day I look into her eyes and see the person she used to be trapped and desperate to escape.
Iâve summoned entities before, but never demons. Theyâre a different story altogether. The summoning needs to be airtight, and the summoner must be more powerful than the being he seeks to command to hold them. If this creature is as high up as she believes, itâd be dangerous to try.
âI wouldnât suggest trying to summon this thing unless you really know what youâre doing. Demons are born tricksters. One misstep and they have their in.â She paused. âI can try to make contact through a sĂ©ance if youâre willing to enter into a circle of protection with me.â
âIâve never done one before.â
âItâs basically the same rules as a circle. You canât break the protection, and you have to mingle your powers to call out to the creature you wish to summon.â
I hesitate. Keeping my magic separate from black magic is more than a moral call. Itâs physically uncomfortable to mix incompatible magic types. Black magic feels terrible. Still, I owe my people their safety. Thereâs no way of knowing how many will lose or have already lost their lives to this creeping silently in the darkness.
âLetâs go get the items weâll need. I want to perform the ceremony outside. I have a table that will work, and the weatherâs nice. We can actually use the earth to keep us grounded if necessary. Thereâs no way Iâm inviting anything into my personal space.â
âMakes sense.â I nod my head in agreement. I let her take the lead as we move to her closet and she begins to gather her ingredients. Ten black pillar candles, and a velvet bag later, weâre seated around her mid-sized, black iron garden table.
âNo matter what happens, do not let go of my hand. Once Iâm in a trance, Iâm a conduit. The spirits want to get out. Theyâll do anything to create an opening thatâll allow them to escape into this realm, so be cautious and keep your mental shields up. We donât want anyone or anything hitching a ride out of here.â
âOkay.â She lights the candles with a thought and slips out an antique, silver-edged, circular mirror. The smoky glaze makes me gasp.
âA black mirror.â Used for scrying and contacting the other side, the item is known to amplify power and increase psychic energy. She places the mirror in the center of the circle of candles between us and draws the sigil on the center with her finger. Straightening, Hal holds out her hands for mine.
âHere we go.â We link hands, and her energy jumps up and latches on to mine. I wince. Her magic is like molasses, thick and cloying as it slides alongside my own, slithering like a snake on its belly. I grit my teeth, ignoring the sensation of tiny insect feet traveling along my skin. My magic balks. I force it to play nice and mix. Like oil and water, they float on top of each other, without real cohesion, but itâs enough. The connection between us is made. Hal hums as she slowly rocks in a circle. Iâm unable to take my eyes off her transition into a trance. Her expression goes slack, and her cerulean eyes glaze over. A frost covering turns them white.
She ceases all movement. âWe seek the being summoned with this sigil.â Her voice is sexless and louder than it should be as it echoes through the backyard. I can practically taste the power behind it as her call stretches out to the other side. My heartbeat kicks up a notch when the temperature drops. Weâre no longer alone. My palms grow clammy, and I tense.
âCome. Do not linger on the outskirts. We demand answers. Youâve come to a realm that is not yours and caused harm and chaos. Who gave you permission to do this?â The table begins to rattle. I feel a pressure beating against our circle. I grip her hand tighter and reinforce the circle as weâre rocked back and forth like a ship in rocky waters. My teeth chatter and the air from my mouth makes white clouds. Chill bumps cover my arms, and my hands begin to feel numb.
âSpeak,â Hal demands. She jerks in her seat. Her eyes bleed black. It takes every ounce of courage I have not to let go of her hands as the entity rushes into her body, bringing the feeling of pure evil with it. Not Hal cracks her neck and focuses its attention on me. The menace is rolling off her in waves, literally, cause bile to climb its way up my throat. I swallow, forcing it back down, and know I am staring into the eyes of something that was never human.
