Two for Tuesday #6

Next Thursday, Quests Curses, & Vengeance will be officially released.  We still have a couple of Two For Tuesday posts, and here are our paragraphs for this week:

This first one is the start of "Abducted" by Shawn Cook:

            David Ellis was positive he was in Hell. Perhaps during the drive into the mountains he’d suffered a heart-attack and careened headlong into a tree. Maybe, while he had been setting up his tent or preparing the campfire, an aneurysm had struck with godlike speed and shut his brain off like a light switch. Maybe.

            Maybe this was all real and he’d won the prize for being the unluckiest man in the world. Or, had he just been in the wrong place at the wrong time? It didn’t matter to David at that exact moment. His eyes were fixed upon the whirring machine that nestled above his captive body; his eyes remained fixed upon the glistening blades and tubes that pumped bright green fluid.

Secondly, we have the start of "Be Careful What You Wish For..." by Mel Obedoza:

            Seth Jones could only stare at the ethereal woman standing before the pond of crystalline waters. For long moments, her lavender eyes had him enthralled. She was tall and slim, her pale skin and simple white robes accentuated only by a mass of red curls that tumbled down past her waist. She possessed no jewelry, save for a long, crystal staff that she held in her right hand.

            “The Crystal Waters have made their presence known to you because you have a wish in your heart.” She moved then, breaking his trance. She laid the tip of the staff against the waters. “Your wish can be granted, if you but ask. Take heed, though. For every boon, an equal curse is delivered, for the tenuous balance of this Earth should never be disrupted. Will you still make your wish, knowing this?”

Come back next Tuesday for our final set of previews before the official release of this voluminous collection!