Want to know more about The Stolen Child? Here’s a little taste of what’s to come...

Justin tackled her out of nowhere, strong hands gripping her arms as he slammed her into a wall.

“The hell?” she gasped, barely able to squeeze the words out, she was so short of breath.

“Hold still,” he said in a voice like a whip-crack. There was a metallic clicking sound as the knife appeared in his hand, the blade gleaming in the dim light.

She froze, pressing herself back into the wall as he held the knife up. Breathing shallow and fast, she looked at his face, watching his eyes for some sign of his intention. Everything about him was focused and sharp. The knife hovered at the very lowest edge of her field of vision. She saw him press the point of the blade to his own thumb, blood welling up around the tip as it sank into the skin. She couldn't help but shrink back as he moved his bleeding thumb towards her face, and with a snarl of frustration he grabbed her by the chin.

“Hold still,” he repeated, his voice a low hiss.

She felt his thumb press against her forehead, moving slowly and deliberately across the skin, tracing some kind of pattern. Moving his hands away at last, he closed the blade and tucked it back into his pocket. She let out the breath she had been holding.

She could feel the anger flaring inside of her as the shock subsided. She was about to push him away when she heard the sound of footsteps from the street up ahead. Justin shifted forward, forcing her back into the shadows. They were pressed up close to the wall of a building, in the darkness between two street-lamps. His body was tight against hers, their faces touching as she watched the far end of the street out of the corner of her eye.