Character Interview with Ichtaca from Tethered

Where are you from?

I am the last Aztec priest from the Tenochtitlan city state. Centuries ago the last of my people hid from the Spanish invasion. We continued to sacrifice and pray to our Gods in secret. Until our King and my wife disappeared. I intend to find them and bring back our glorious civilization.

Who is your greatest enemy and why?

Evelyn Brooks is the woman who will pay for the harm she has caused.

In April 1906, San Francisco experienced a terrible earthquake thanks to the Earth Goddess Tlaltechutli. My people traveled to region to take advantage of the injured and weak. Their hearts sacrificed in the Goddess’s name would bring meaning to their lives.

Then out of the blue, Miss Evelyn Brooks showed up taking pictures of the destruction and the families who survived. She captured my wife, Tiegan, and King Tlalanec in the background. Their souls were captured into the photograph and their bodies weakened.

Our people lost faith and drifted away, disheartened by their loss. I won’t rest until I can restore them and bring our Gods back to this plane of existence.

Do you think you can ever reconcile with this enemy?

I will not rest until I rip her heart from her chest and listen to it sizzle in the fire.

Do you have a love interest?

I have a wife who served me. But my heart belongs to the Gods and Goddesses to whom I make blood sacrifices. They provide for the people, give power to King Tlalanec. I miss my wife’s cooking and look forward to her return.

What is your weapon of choice?

An obsidian knife, sharp enough to slice through flesh and strong enough to crack bone.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I would possess the ultimate power of a God. People would bow and pray to me. No one would escape from my control.

*****

Short Blurb

She’s a landscape photographer who disguises her true nature as a falcon shifter. He’s a hard-headed park ranger who deals only in reality. But when his daughter is kidnapped by a mythical being, they must forge a bridge of trust to save the girl… and their own hearts.

Short Excerpt

Chapter One

Evelyn Brooks raced across a purple-tinged sky. Behind her, lightning and thunder clashed within baleful clouds. Her wings dipped in a strong crosswind and plunged her toward the earth. Muscling through the gale, she climbed into a less turbulent current. She’d never make Raleigh before getting soaked, despite the speed her Peregrine form achieved.

A ferocious roar drowned out the whistle of the wind. The upward flap of her wings faltered, and her blood chilled. Turning into a different current, she glimpsed the silhouette of an enormous beast against the storm’s clouds.

Below her, the treetops of a deciduous forest with red-kissed leaves due to an early frost stood sentry. She took shelter within the branches of an oak tree.

The whoosh of wings induced Evelyn to shrink against the tree trunk and dig her talons into the bark as the limbs swayed. A strong crosswind contorted the tree further. Another roar challenged the incoming storm’s might and silenced the nighttime creatures.

Twisting her head, she glanced through the foliage into the cloud-filled sky. A dark shadow moved against the dark gray backdrop. Gigantic wings lifted a massive creature high into the sky.

Hunted until extinct, dragons had been stripped of their scales and blood, their magic forever lost to the supernatural communities. For eons they’d guarded and sheltered those seeking wisdom or healing until humans, who couldn’t control their desires, rampaged across the earth and destroyed all the sanctuaries.

Apparently, the purge hadn’t destroyed them all, and the approaching storm had disturbed this one’s slumber.

Moving to the East Coast was supposed to keep Evelyn safe. Free her of the disturbing sense that someone watched her. Maybe stimulate her creativity and spark a burst of artistry. Instead, she was denied the escape of flight and forced to hide.

Bio

Although Beth grew up in West Virginia, she currently resides in North Carolina with her husband, two sons and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who makes an excellent lap warmer. Blending the analytical and creative sides of her brain, she delights in creating fantasy worlds for others. Catch her online most days except when NCIS and Once Upon a Time air.

Book Details and Purchase Information

Book Title: Tethered

By: Beth Caudill

Published by: Moonlight Mountain Books

Series: Zodiac Shifters – #2 SubSeries: Willows Haven – Novella 1

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Length: Novella – 21,800 words

Heat Level: Spicy

Available for Sale at:

Amazon – http://www.amzn.com/B01NH9KZT9/

Barnes and Noble – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tethered-beth-caudill/1125729374?ean=2940157181444

iBooks – https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/tethered/id1204476545?mt=11