Soulstealer: Steven
Shane Boulware
(Soulstealer, #2)
Publication date: May 20th 2022
Genres: Adult, Supernatural
The Soulstealerโs greatest power is that no one believes it existsโฆ
โฆexcept Steven Carpenter. One of the last remaining members of the Ordo Solisโa thousand-year-old order sworn to kill the ancient demonโeven his faith has begun to wane. But when he witnesses the return of the Soulstealer with his own eyes, belief quickly turns to grim reality.
With the souls of the world at stake, Steven knows what he has to doโexpose the Soulstealer. Thereโs just one problem, it knows itโs been discovered โฆ and so do the nefarious cults sworn to the demonโs cause. In a race against time and evil, Steven will have to find help. But will it be enough? Or will they be too late?
Author Shane Boulware ramps up the action in his hair-raising second entry in the Soulstealer series. Burning the boundaries between urban fantasy and suspense thriller, this grim-dark stomach-churner will leave you as breathless as the characters trapped within its pages.
Goodreads / Amazon
โ
EXCERPT:
Though she didnโt believe him, Jeff promised Sara heโd read to Trista tonight, taking no more than two hours reviewing surveillance. He worked his schedule to spend the first hour watching the Gatekeeper in real-time as he arrived, and the second hour emailing and speeding through the dayโs feed.
The Gatekeeper came into view as Jeffโs doorbell rang. Jeff stepped out of his office and got to the door in time to see Sara peering through the peephole. She scowled at Jeff as she opened it, revealing Steven dressed in a Star Trek t-shirt, leather jacket, steel-toed boots, jeans, and a ridiculous purple bandanna around his neck.
Steven waved. โHi, Sara.โ
โSteven.โ She glared at Jeff. โTwo hours, Jeff, and not one minute more.โ
Steven grinned and made a whip-cracking motion with widening eyes as Sara returned to the living room.
โYeah,โ Jeff muttered, โIโm lucky Iโm still in the house. Come on in. Iโm watching the Gatekeeper.โ
โSweet!โ Steven followed Jeff back into the office, setting his backpack down and pulling up a stool while Jeff returned to his chair. They huddled around the television. โMan, we havenโt done this in a while.โ
Jeff cracked a smile. โYeah, itโs been months since weโve had a good ole fashioned sit-down. Arenโt you supposed to be out cruising the wild?โ
Steven shrugged while glancing about the office; empty wrappers and gadgets strewn about. โI was in the neighborhood. Iโm still on my vacation time though, so Iโll be headed back out for parts unknown.โ
Jeff nudged him. โYou were feeling guilty.โ
Steven tilted his head. โYeah, maybe a little. But I was serious when I said that I needed some time away from all this s***. The open road is the open road, and I got an urge I need to satisfy.โ Steven pumped his fists and rocked his hips.
Jeff laughed while tucking away some unpaid bills on his desk.
โI decided to go south to the Carolinas,โ Steven continued. โThrough Tennessee and Missouri, then Ohio and back here. Tomorrow Iโll head out north, possibly all the way to Canuck-land. Who knows? Iโll figure it out when I get there.โ
โMeanwhileโฆโ Jeff began.
โMeanwhile, youโre fightinโ the good fight,โ Steven added in a southern accent while eyeing the television. The Gatekeeper lounged in a brown leather chair, watching the fire as he did every day. A small table stood to his immediate right and another leather chair on the other side. His black leather fedora rested on the middle table.
Forty minutes into the video, a young man approached the Gatekeeper. Jeff leaned forward, snatched a notepad and mini pen from his back pocket, and scribbled notes on the paper.
Steven scrutinized the unfolding scene. โEasy, killer, just watch.โ
The young man tried to sit before jerking still. He stood back up.
โI wish we had audio,โ Jeff muttered.
โShhh, just watch.โ Steven strained to read their lips. The camera angles shot out both ways from the fireplace, giving them the perfect view. The Gatekeeper and his new friend began a conversation. Then the young man grabbed hold of the fedora and set it on his head, tapping the edge.
โHoly s***,โ Jeff said. โThatโs the Gatekeeperโs hat. He either knows exactly what heโs doing, or he has a death wish.โ
โMmmhm, weโll see.โ
They knew what would happen after the Gatekeeper verified the Soulstealerโs identity. They had learned about the procedure back when a much stronger Solis America infiltrated the Raptorโs former headquarters in Boston. Still, they could only guess at what words the two exchanged. The Raptors guarded the secret with a foolproof method: memorization.
The young man sat in the chair, back erect, and continued their dialogue. He took the Gatekeeperโs hat off and returned it to the table, tapping it again. The newcomer said something else, prompting the Gatekeeper to snatch his fedora, stand, and stride toward the VIP section.
The young man made no motion to follow, which they knew wasnโt part of the procedure unless the exchange failed. When the Gatekeeper left the room, the young man exited the bar the way he came.
Steven frowned. โThatโs different.โ
โWhat just happened?โ Jeff asked.
โLooks like a failed attempt.โ
โYeah, but the guy knew what to do.โ
โOr he was just a dumb drunk. Itโs probably the Raptors messing with us again.โ
โHow could they know weโre still watching them?โ
Steven gave Jeff a long look. โJeff, theyโve probably been in your house a dozen times this year alone. Iโm pretty sure they know.โ
Jeff drew back, his voice trembling. โThatโs not funny, Steven. I have a little girl in this house.โ His eyes darted around the room as paranoia enveloped him.
โCโmon Jeff, theyโre the Raptors. They have dossiers on every one of us, down to what kind of ice cream we like. Weโve been playing Spy vs. Spy since we figured out they supported the Soulstealer.โ
โIs that your new name for it, the Soulstealer?โ
โCatchy, isnโt it? I came up with it on the ride back. Sounds a lot better than โStealer of Souls,โ or โDracula.โ And Satan.โ
Author Bio:
Shane Boulware is an unconventional idealist from Orlando, Florida. Naturally, he commissioned as a Contracting Officer in the United States Air Force in 2012, where he promptly got tased, was hit with pepper spray, participated in a mock riot, jumped out of an airplane, and lived in a combat zone. These experiences tempered his creative instinct and led him to publish two music albums, found an innovation company, break a Guinness World Record, and learn over sixteen dance styles.
Having grown up a huge fan of Dune, Star Wars, Stargate SG-1, Warhammer 40K, Harry Potter, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and The Lord of the Rings, Shane always wanted to create and share a world of his own. His imagination set him on a path to write the supernatural thriller, Soulstealer, and its sequel, The Ordo Solis.
When heโs not negotiating contracts or salsa dancing the night away, you can find Shane taking his creative passion out on an unsuspecting keyboard. If you want to know when his next book will be available, visit his website at ShaneBoulware.com, where you can sign up to receive release updates and join a community of savants, swashbucklers, and nerds.
Website / Goodreads / Twitter
GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
Hosted by:

Like this:
Like Loading...