BLOG TOUR with FREE SHORT STORY, EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT, & GIVEAWAY -'Temper: A Ripples in the St
Today Kimmers' Erotic Book Banter blog welcomes R. Phoenix as she steps in to give you a fun little short story set in her Ripples in the Status Quo universe and to tell you a little bit about the newest release in the series, Temper.
So, I turn it over to R. Phoenix!
"Thanks for letting me hijack your blog for a little bit Kimmers. I am so happy you agreed to have me.
This post is Part II of a three-part short story set in the Ripples in the Status Quo universe about Elias Ivers, a sadistic witch who plays a large role in most of the series. This takes place pre-Takeover, when witches are still in hiding.
Part I was posted at Love Bytes Same Sex Book Reviews (http://lovebytesreviews.com/) on 7/5/16.
Part II is available here today.
And Part III will be available at The Kimi-Chan Experience (http://kimichanexperience.com/) on 7/7/16.
Thank you again to these blogs for agreeing to coordinate on this, and I hope you enjoy!"
-R. Phoenix
Retribution Part II
Today, he watched them, and he knew that he wasn't going to serve as a punching bag any longer. Not then. Not ever again. He felt a strange calm suffuse his limbs as he made his decision, and he whispered beneath his breath as he began to call his magic to him. It warmed him, and it comforted him as though it were an old friend. It wasn't, not truly; he hadn't even had it that long in the grand scheme of things.
Yet it felt right in a way that few other things did, and he felt... He felt powerful.
Elias took a deep breath, gathering his magic and nerve alike--and then he slipped from the building. The buses had long since gone; most of the teachers had departed, with only those who remained sequestered in their classrooms to work remaining. It was as deserted as...as a cemetery, and with any luck, there would need to be graves when he was finished with them.
All three of his tormentors perked up when they saw him, casually abandoning their conversation and setting aside bags and skateboards. If he were a better person than he was--if he'd had the slightest interest in becoming a good man--he might have warned them that the sheep was about to shed its wool to reveal the wolf within. But he wasn't a good person, and he wouldn't be a good man. It simply...wasn't his role in life. It wasn't his part to play in this farce.
Instead, he patiently waited for them to approach. Two of them grabbed his arms, preparing to hold him in place--but Pete, the oldest of them, immediately yanked his hand back as though he could feel the current of magic that ran through Elias.
"What the fuck!" he exclaimed, and the other two looked at him in surprise. They hesitated despite their certainty that Elias would be another victim as always at their leader’s reaction...
And while they tried to figure out what had just happened, he grabbed for them instead.
One, two, three--three breathless phrases, chanted and repeated, three touches, three displays of magical strength that left him winded and tired. And then there were three sleeping boys on the ground.
For a long moment, he simply regarded them, and he understood that he was making a choice that would determine so much more than this single moment. He could turn and walk away. He could go home and pretend this had never happened, and he could hope that the boys would be too wary to pick on him again. He knew better, but he could. Now that he’d made the decision to use his magic, he could send them into slumber each time they tried to hurt him. He didn't have to withstand any more physical violence, at least.
It was an option. It was the better option. It was the good option.
The first kick was the most satisfying.
He spent his frustration on the first of them, one of the two who hadn't sensed anything wrong. He kicked vulnerable spot after vulnerable spot, until the dark-haired young man was little more than a mass of bruises and broken bones. He didn't wake up, and Elias shuddered as he regarded the other two. He could do anything he wanted, anything at all...
He slowed down, then, wishing only that he had the physical prowess or the magical reserves to hold them in place while they were awake. He would, one day, and then he'd find these three and truly make them pay--assuming they survived this, and the idea that they might not filled him with a strange sort of excitement. His stomach fluttered in an odd way, and his lips parted slightly as he leaned forward.
He wished he had a knife, so that he could see blood spilled onto the concrete from his direct ministrations... But that would have been premeditated, and he wasn't willing to have anyone recognize just how long he'd been planning this. Instead, he broke bones, crushing and shattering them beyond repair. He demolished them even as they were rendered helpless by his magic, and with any luck, they simply wouldn't wake.
They wouldn’t hurt him ever again.
Breathless and spent, Elias stared at them, committing the sight of their broken bodies to memory--and then he gathered his belongings, turned, and walked away.
That night, he spilled into his hand for the first time since he'd begun imagining their pain...
END PART II
About the Series
“You say this is a harsh world, a cruel world; you say this is hell.
This is nothing less than what you deserve.
For centuries, for millennia, we abided by your rules. We created gods for you to worship to explain away what you could not comprehend. When you began to suspect, we convinced you that we were myths, legends, and superstitions. We captured your imaginations with beautiful nightmares; enraptured, you begged for more.
And all the while, we hid in the shadows, cringing away from the light as though we held no power even as we shaped your world. We allowed you to live untouched because the loudest amongst us were cowards and fools who believed you were so much more than what you are.
Weak. Ignorant. Oblivious.
Prey.
Already, you have lost your will to fight. Your comrades have fallen. Fewer and fewer dare to act against us, for you know you cannot win. The eternal truth is that history is written by the victors. In time, your kind will forget that you were ever anything more than beasts of burden, toys, breeding stock, food sources. You are what we wish you to be.
You question the status quo, the rules of our society. You will learn that there truly are fates worse than death, and you will experience them for as long as it amuses us.
You will know fear and pain, loss and devastation. Your eyes, so defiant now, will fill with tears and despair. You will beg for mercy, and your pleas will fall on ears that crave your agony. Your screams will echo throughout Tartarus and entertain the masses.
And we will revel in it.”
The Ripples in the Status Quo works are set within a world where supernatural beings seized control from humans and relegated them to the bottom of the food chain. Used for food, entertainment, and worse, nothing protects them from the hands of those who claim them as slaves. But not everyone adheres to the status quo the world at large has accepted…
Please note that the RISQ world has little place for humanity, and as a result, content in these works may be offensive and/or triggering to some readers.
The Ripples in the Status Quo Books are:
1. Bought. [Dark Erotica.*]
Collision. [Book 2-4 Compilation.]
2. Ravel. [Romance.]
3. Recoil. [Dark Erotic Romance.]
4. Owned. [Dark Erotica.*]
5. Temper. [Dark Erotica.*]
*(This dark erotica work caters to those who cheer on the villains as they pursue their goals…no matter what it takes to get there. This includes Very Bad Things as well as Very Sexy Things. Those with sensibilities will likely be offended and want to attack the author with flaming pitchforks. If this applies to you, save an author. Step away from the button.
Lightheartedness aside, this is dark erotica, and it does contain elements of depravity and cruelty that will be offensive to some readers. Please proceed with caution or skip this read.)
Title: Temper: A Ripples in Status Quo Story - Book 5
Series: Ripples in Status Quo
Author: R. Phoenix
Published: July 1, 2016
Publisher: Phoenix Publications/Self
Cover Artist: Brandyjo Newton
Genre: Erotic Romance; Dark Romance
Length: 141 Pages
Tags: Gay; M/M; Ripples in Status Quo Series; Paranormal; Shifter; CW: Non-Con.
BLURB:
Only one thing can keep Ashton safe from the supernatural predators who made the world into their depraved, twisted playground after the Takeover—but it’s the one thing that would steal the last remnants of his freedom. At every turn, society confronts Reese and Ashton with the way humans are treated as mere playthings to be used and discarded. When they realize their own desires and pride have no place in the status quo, Ashton and his werewolf lover understand they’ll have to engage in the deadly games played by those in charge if they want to make a difference.
But Reese isn’t a diplomat, and Ash is only human. Together, they must decide if they’re willing to work with the devil they know in what might change everything or rely on their consciences in a world that has no place for kindness or honor... and if they’re ready to sacrifice everything along the way.
EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT
When Reese hesitated, Ash’s expression flickered with something wounded.
“I only want you to be safe,” Reese repeated, his voice starting out soft. But the longer he spoke, the more his voice hardened. It became edged, rising in volume by subtle degrees until his hurt leeched out into the words. “What have I done to make you not trust me?” If his words were sharp, who could blame him? “Is it that I don’t go out and picket on the corner for human rights? Do you think I should go out there and tell the Enforcers to go fuck themselves? That they should shove the status quo up their asses and treat humans better? What do you think I could do from the grave?”
He tried to regain control, but when faced with the same old stubborn Ash in the same old argument, it seemed as futile of an endeavor as changing Ash’s mind. He couldn’t stay calm forever, and he couldn’t watch Ash leave each time knowing he might not come back, either.
The worst part was that Ash seemed to think his good luck was indicative of some shift in the world, but Reese knew better.
It wasn’t.
The world was as dark as ever—and there was no shortage of supes who would happily harm his unmarked lover.
Instantly, he felt a flash of guilt over his thoughts alone, but he could only take so much.
Reese met Ash’s stare, but Reese was the one to look away first.
R. Phoenix has an unhealthy fascination with contrasts: light and dark, heroes and villains, order and chaos. She believes that love can corrupt and power can redeem. Her muse is a sadomasochistic slave driver who thinks it's terribly amusing to give her the best ideas when she just got comfortable and warm in bed, and she passes on that torture to her readers.
If she had it her way, she would describe the books in her "Ripples in the Status Quo" world as: "Supernatural creatures take over the world and turn humans into pets and food. There's some sex between guys. And... um... effed up things happen." It's probably a good thing she has people around her to remind her that she actually wants people to read her books. (They should really be more diligent, especially when they know she's writing her author bio.)
She's an author, stay-at-home mother, housewife, second time college student, and duck herder extraordinaire. She's learning how to cook without burning the house down, her garden is somehow neither drowning nor drying up, and one day she might remember what that mythical thing called "free time" is. She's starting to wonder who thought it was a good idea to write bios in third person.
She also tries entirely too hard to be funny, and she mercilessly inflicts her terrible sense of humor upon anyone who speaks to her. Really, it's not you. It's her. All the same, she'd love it if you'd say hello, because it makes her day to hear that someone read something she wrote. If they enjoyed it, there's usually an awkward happy dance and embarrassing sounds of joy to accompany it (no, not that kind of sound, you perv). If all of that hasn't scared you away, please visit her website at http://rphoenix.theupsideis.com/.
