Anastasia V. Pergakis lives in Columbus, Georgia, with her husband and son. Anastasia started writing at a very young age with cute poems and funny stories. (You know, those little diddies about the apple tree in the front yard.) She did not start writing novels until the age of sixteen. At the time, romance and mystery were her favorite things and so she sat down to write an epic tale of love and crime. Oh, so she thought! Her first attempt has been shelved, collecting dust until the time is right to unveil the horror and fix the ugly work of “art”. Since then, novels have become almost an obsession. With almost sixteen novels in the works, she definitely has her hands full with an overactive muse.
Along with novels, Anastasia also writes dark or funny poetry, the occasional twisted or humorous short story, scripts, articles, and a few blogs.
As you can see, Anastasia has a great love for writing in all forms and shapes and sizes. Her other passions are reading, reviewing, web design, cover art design, and playing games with her son.
Synopsis
Complete the mission, no matter what…
Captain Derac Vidor protects everything he cherishes with a vow and his sword. After twenty years of service, Derac and his team are betrayed with deadly consequences. Evidence points to someone on the inside.
Treason is only the beginning…
No place is safe when a trifocal conspiracy is uncovered. The team must hold out long enough to discover the truth in a web of deceit, fear, and hatred. Time is running out and their allies can only help so much.
The past holds the key…
Clouded memories and forgotten truths hold the answer to saving the team. Can Derac face the gruesome nightmare in time?
A grudge can only wait for so long…
Excerpt
The blonde in blue floated her way to Rakan and
sat down in his lap with a giggle. Jardel got a bouncy brunette to land in his
lap. Derac was not paying attention and the other blonde in red planted herself
on his knees. His head snapped up to look at her.
"Long journey, Warrior?" she
purred.
Derac set his face in a grim line. He put his
hands on her waist, picked her up and put her on her feet. "I'm not interested,
but thank you for the offer."
She pouted and slowly walked away, swinging her
hips. Derac sighed and returned to looking at the ceiling.
"That was not very nice," Vivian pouted
from Tyn's lap. "You could have at least talked to her."
Derac growled. "Look, while I'm flattered
that she would choose me, I am not in the mood, all right?"
"How can you not be in the mood?"
Vivian said. She didn’t hide her offense at his words. "Making love is the
best thing in the world." She leaned her head back and laughed. Tyn
planted a kiss on her collar bone. She giggled and looked at Derac daring him
to prove her wrong.
Derac leaned his elbows on his knees and put on
his best charming smile. "Why would I pay a woman to be with me when I
could have a warrior elf with the perfect body?" He turned his head and
winked at Kie. She played along and winked back at him.
"Oh! How sinfully nice!" Vivian
laughed.
Aeli looked at Kie in shock. Derac put his hands
behind his head and reclined in the chair again, a smug look on his face. Tyn
laughed with Vivian but Jardel and Rakan were too distracted by the girls in
their laps to pay attention.
"Well, let me show you to your rooms
then," Vivian said with a giggle.
She stood and took Tyn's hand and led him through
the silk curtains hanging across the doorway. The group picked up their packs
and followed them down the hall lined with doors covered in silk to give the
appearance of having no doors at all.
Vivian opened the door to one room and Jardel and
his girl fell into it with a laugh. Derac growled under his breath. The room
across the hall became occupied by Rakan and his blonde.
At the next door, Vivian turned to Aeli. "I
can get a man for you if you like," she smiled.
Aeli smiled. "No thanks. I'm much too tired,
and I fear he would be disappointed."
As she closed the door to her room, Derac caught
her rolling her eyes. He held back a smirk as they continued down the hall. She
opened another door and waved her hand dramatically to both Kie and
Derac.
Kie opened her mouth to protest but Derac shoved
her into the room. He flashed a grin to Vivian and Tyn and kicked the door
shut.
"What are you doing?" Kie whispered in
a harsh tone.
He held up his hands to stop her. "I just
wanted to get away from that Vivian woman. If you had protested, it would have
taken longer that I would have had to deal with her."
Kie crossed her arms over her chest. "That's
not the point! The whole team will know we are in the same room - in a
brothel!"
"What is the problem with that? We've shared
rooms before." He grinned wickedly. "We've even snuggled on the floor
of a cave remember?"
Kie huffed and flopped down in the velvet covered
chair in the corner. Derac cast his gaze around the room and curled his nose.
Silk sheets on the four post bed. Silk on the wall. Shag red carpet and velvet
seat cushions.
A knock sounded and Derac swung the door open in
a wild fashion.
Tyn’s eyes winkled at the corners with his large
grin. "I told Vivian you two would need extra blankets. So you can make an
extra bed. There are gowns in the wardrobe if you want."
"Thank you," Derac took them and shut
the door again.
"At least Tyn is thinking rationally,"
Kie muttered. She went over to the wardrobe and swung open the doors.
"Gowns? Is he serious?" She pulled out a paper thin cotton shift with
no sleeves. The low cut collar and see through material made Kie gasp in
shock.
Derac smirked. "I bet it's
comfortable."
Kie rolled her eyes and put it back into the
wardrobe. She dug around and found a cotton gown not quite so
transparent.
"I guess this will have to do. I am sick of
sleeping in my uniform."
"Me too but I doubt there are sleeping clothes
in there for me."
"Then wear nothing. Maybe then that blonde
could have an easier time of getting you in the mood." She titled her head
back, the maniacal laugh bubbling from her throat.
“I told you, why pay a woman to be with me when I
can have an elf with the perfect body?”
“Oh? You think I’d just bend to your advances,
hmm?”
He smirked. “I know you would.”
Three long strides carried him across the room.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him.
“Centurio…”
“I’ve proved my point. Look at how your breath
hitches and your heart beats faster.”
“Th…that’s because you startled me.”
He chuckled deep in his chest.
“Let’s talk about you then,” she said. “How your
grip tightens on my waist when I try to pull away and your own heart is
thundering in your chest. Or how you can’t stop looking into my eyes whenever
we gaze at each other. Or how badly you want to kiss me right now.”
“Do you want me to kiss you?” he said, his voice
husky and deep.
She swallowed hard. “Yes,” she whispered.
Derac didn’t hesitate and captured her lips with
his. The voice in his head telling him he shouldn’t kiss her was silent. The
softness of her mouth drowned out all other thoughts in his head.
Her lips parted in invitation. His tongue traced
the lines of her lips before plunging into her mouth. Her vanilla scent filled
his nose, and he inhaled it deeply. She rose up on her toes, her body pressing
closer to his. His arms tightened around her. Derac’s hand roamed up her back
and then gripped the back of her neck.
His mind cleared, the only thoughts were how she
molded perfectly to him and the feel of her soft mouth.
Derac nipped at her bottom lip. “See? You can’t
resist me,” he murmured.
“Hmm, more like you can’t resist me. I’m the elf
with the perfect body, remember?"
“Honestly, I really can’t tell with your uniform
on.”
“Is that an order to remove my clothes,
Centurio?” she whispered.
A growl rumbled deep in his throat. “Would you
defy the order?”
She smiled. “I might.”
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