Short installment today, as we’re crunching Magic Rises edits. Also the flood fans are going and it’s hard to concentrate. Maybe more on Monday. Enjoy!
Chapter Nine
The magic tugged on me. Something skimmed the boundary of the inn’s grounds. The pulse lingered, stopped, then flared and lingered again. Someone was knocking.
I glanced at the stairway. Sean had gone to the bathroom to wash the blood off because “it smelled loud and made him easy to track.” Lord Soren still lay on the table. I had sealed him in an oxygen tank that pumped in the optimal atmosphere. The tank was transparent and now he resembled a warped version of Snow White resting in her glass coffin.
The knock persisted. It didn’t feel like a vampire come to rescue one of his own. This was insistent and rude with a kind of mindless efficiency.
I pulled the hood of my robe over my head, took my broom, and stepped out.
The night exhaled in my face, bringing with it varied scents: the damp grass, a hint of distant smoke, and something else. Something foreign. A kind of dry bitter scent. My mind analyzed the scent and my body balked like a rearing horse. This stink was bad. It was an evil, harsh stench, woven with pheromones and magic, and meeting its source was a terrible idea.
I stopped in the shadow of the oak and concentrated.
The magic swirled around me. It came from above.
I looked up.
It sat above me, on top of the street lamp pole, anchored to it by large clawed feet. Blue and green pixelated armor protected its vaguely humanoid body and a helmet of interlocking plates shielded its head, leaving two triangular ears free. It had two legs and two arms and one head, but that’s where the resemblance to Homo sapiens ended. Its spine was bent, not quite hunched over, but curved enough to permit it to easily drop down on all fours. Even with the curve, it was easily seven and a half feet tall. Its neck was thick, its shoulders massive, and its hips protruded at an odd angle. Despite its muscular bulk, it looked limber, like a monkey. It seemed wrong somehow, so alien that the mind stalled, trying desperately to come up with some sort of association for it.
The creature stared at me with two glowing purple eyes. There was no pupil, just the electric violet iris. Looking into its eyes froze me in my tracks. Instantly I knew it was vicious, cruel, and it thought I was prey. My thoughts and my feelings mattered to it not at all. Given a chance, it would hunt me and eat me.
“Target,” I said.
The inn clanged, swinging the massive guns within itself to lock onto the creature.
It scuttled down the lamp post, slid down, and leapt onto the sidewalk just outside the inn boundary. A deep sound, half subdued roar, half a snort issued from its mouth. The hair on the back of my neck rose. My body threatened to lock into a terrified freeze.
I glared at it. I would not be intimidated in my own house.
A small metal plate on its left cheek ignited with deep purple. “Give me the vampire, meat,” the dahaka said.
“No.”
“Then you die.”
I had to stand my ground. “Come closer and we’ll see who dies.”
The dahaka raised his head, turning it like a dog listening to some odd noise.
I pulled the magic to me. My knees were shaking under my robe. The air between us vibrated with tension.
The dahaka spun about and dashed across the street and down the road.
Behind me a door banged open. I turned and saw Sean on the porch. He was in his human shape. He stared after the dahaka with a single minded determination.
Thunder crashed across a clear night sky. A star sparked above us, plunged down, and exploded thirty feet above the sidewalk, turning into a glowing orb shot through with twisted red lightning.
Sean cleared the distance between us in half a second.
The orb pulsed with red and spat out a man, who landed on one knee on the sidewalk. He wore pure white armor shot through with carmine. His long hair, a golden ash blond, spilled over his wide shoulders onto his breastplate. He held a long spear with the blood-colored banner of House Krahr.
A Marshal. My goodness. He was the military head of his House. Typically Gertrude Hunt wouldn’t even be on his radar.
“They like to make an entrance, don’t they?” Sean murmured. “Hey you! You think you managed to wake everyone yet? Maybe you should bang on all the doors or yell fire.”
The knight raised his head and straightened.
I stared. If you had to cast Lucifer before he fell, he would look just like that. About thirty, he wasn’t just handsome, he was beautiful, but it was beauty with a touch of wicked edge. He had the kind of face that would stop traffic and when the cars finally finished piling up, he would quietly chuckle to himself about it.
“My lady,” the vampire said in a deep, resonant voice. “I’ve come for my uncle. May I have your permission to enter?”
Ooh… Is it a rival?
What kind of dog is that in your icon? Oh, my bad. What kind of mini bear is that in your icon?
Chow, I think.
I’ve only now seen the question.
It is indeed a 100% Chow Chow.
I was wondering if there was going to be one. There usually is. *counts up couples*
Yep, there usually is.
Yes! Yes! More! More! Thank you! Thank you!
*dies* I love this story! Long or short bits, I don’t mind I’m just so happy and grateful you guys are doing this! Thank you! (and so so sorry about the kitchen damage! We don’t have Home Depot in Sweden but if we did, I would so boycott them due to the way they’ve treated you! )
I agree! If Manila has Home Depot, I would sooooo veto them. Thanks for bringing sunshine into a gloomy day.
It tickles me that the marshal is so swoon-worthy. How cool is that? I’m usually too pragmatic to go for that type, but goodness–I wasn’t expecting this PNR entry into the UF short. Taken by surprise my husband really shouldn’t have rolled his eyes at me just now.
Oh my Oh my wow 2 hot men .
Ilona you wonderful woman you , have made my day yipeee
O. Wow. Sean’s facing competition! Love it! Can’t wait for more!
“…it smelled loud…” perfect! I love it – thank you
That was awesome!
I love this series, I wait impatiently for the next installment. This kind of reminds me of the old serials you would see at the movies, you had to come back for the next installment. LOL. But seriously, Thank You for writing this it is so funny and a good read while we wait for the next book about Kate and Curran. INKEEPERS KICK ASS!!!!!!!
It makes me think of THE GREEN MILE. I read it as the serial before it came out as the book. I have to go back and reread the earlier chapters of CLEAN SWEEP at least once a month. I was in serious withdrawal last night and got my copy of MAGIC BITES out and started rereading it. Thank you Ilona; I am so enjoying this serial.
Despite the deafening din of the flood fans another bit of yummy goodness to enjoy!! Thanks so much!
Sorry, but for those of us benighted enough to live in desert climates, could you explain flood fans?
I’m having a crappy day, but this made it a little bit better. Thank you so much!
Absolute awesome sauce.
Ok, this is getting more and more interesting… You’re doing amazing job. Thank you!
Plot thickens! Love the description using Lucifer. I always enjoy a sympathetic devil reference.
Oh my, a “beauty with a touch of wicked edge” & a deep voice. *grins* Plus the Purple Eyed People Eater, things are getting more & more interesting at the inn.
You don’t have to do this but it puts a smile on my face every time there is an update. So thank you so very much.
If he is the cavalry, then where is his horse?
Stay tuned.
Is this like the blog post where you “Hint at new and exciting things to come”? Because it made me grin.
Hey, he arrived in a globe of red lightening. Who needs horses, when you can do THAT?
And I hate people who are team Guy 1 or team Guy 2. I really do, they drive me nuts. I’m just saying that to provide context for the following statement:
Dammit, I like Sean, but I’m in serious danger of becoming Team Vampire Knight! Beautiful, and with a wicked edge, and a knight! We are doomed.
I hate love triangles. That said, I love anything you do, and I am firmly on the side of ‘fanged and furry’.
You’re right about not needing a horse because of the flashing globe thing, but I have a feeling that the globe thing is not something he himself can do, as it seems to be something his ship uses to get him to the surface of the planet, sort of like an energy based drop-ship or something.
Besides, the globe thing seems to be better for long distance travel, but doesn’t seem to be that good for use in battle, whereas a horse or some such thing would be much better in that sort of situation.
He’s a VAMPIRE.
I don’t think Sean has to worry much.
This is related to what I said how?
Vampire human hybrid. I’m just saying.
awesome as always
Wow.–stunning. Glad you managed to overcome the fans, at least a little. Thanks!
Love it!! That was so good. Thank you thank you. You guys rock
You have made my life so much better. Thank You for writing this.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Made my day! Hope you have a great weekend!
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you…
yeah …you can never have to many hot guys!
Oh Boy!! Ready for Monday’s installment already!!
Yes. Yes you do have permission to enter…
LOL!
Tesha — thinking the exact same thing. Poor Sean has some competition going on
seans got some compitition in the form of a smexy vampire ^_~
Why yes, welcome to my vagina…I mean HOME!
LOL!
O.K., you can enter, but only because you’re hot… and it will probably make Sean froth at the mouth.
haha yea i picture Sean being absolutely entertaining with his reactions to this guy. This thing just keep getting better and better!!!!
Ui can imagine sean foaming at the mouth the image is helerious(sorry im a horible speller)
I loved it!!! Sexy and wicked yum!!!
Thank you! It was awesome!!
Thank you thank you for taking the time to post this with all that is going on in your lives at the moment. So greatly appreciated the time & effort you put forth for your fans. If you ever decide to publish this will buy in an instant
. My other happy for the day found Magic Rises ready for preorder on my NOOK – happy dance day.
These cannot come fast enough. I love it. love love love love it!
Thank you!!
It makes my day every time you post.
I completely agree!!
These are so much fun to read! Thank you so much for posting!
Absolutely brilliant. A knight in shining armor type, hm? With a wicked side? I’m down with that.
i diffenitly agree with that ∩_∩
Ooh baby yeah!
“Ooh baby yeah!”? Why not “Ooh yeah baby!”?
Awesome as usual. Thank you!
….. My inner fan girl just swooned
Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
I agree SQeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!! Now waiting impatiently for monday’s potential installment. thanks for a great story
Yeah, ditto.
Oh you wonderful woman, thank you so much I’m stuck at the Killeen DMV with my husband goi g on three hours now and that just lifted my spirits so much thank you!
Yay! So excited. I love this series and look forward to the weekly post! Makes my day a little brighter.
Oooooh… I can see Sean’s hackles rising in all sorts of directions. Thank you!
Thank you
Thanks, this made my day, now I’m ready for the weekend.
Wonderful! Thank you!
Just awesome this ninth chapter !! Thank you thank you thank youuuu !!
( I’m pretty sure that I’ll love this vampire >< )
Thank you thank you thanks you! Hope the fans do their job and leave soon!!
Thanks a googleplex, particularly with everything going on in your kitchen. Hope payment for the damage is not only resolved soon but in your favor.
Again, this has made me deliriously happy.
JOY!
I don’t have a way with words like you do, so I’ll just say WOW!
oh my another guy sounds yummy my type is how Sean is described but the way you describe the new guy a girl could change her mind for some. thank you for this and first time posting.
Thanks! I am really loving the Innkeeper. Everything is so fun and interesting.
Love it Love it Love it, the only thing that pulled me from the warmth of my blankets was seeing that you had put this up.
thanks.. As always I will beg you to make this a full series.
I totally agree! This is an awesome story and I see lots of potential …..
Wonderful. Thank you for taking the time to do this when I know your kitchen is a mess. Just, thank you.
Ooh! He had me at “my lady”
Same here … And I heard his smexy chuckle re car crash/pileup.
omg you guys rock. I have had a really sucky week and you just made my day and my weekend. SO EXCITED for monday. I think i will re-read from chapter 1 just because i can. THANK YOU!!! Good luck with the fans!
What Tasha said. Minus the part about the bad week.
OK…eek! I’m so excited. I know i would stay up all night reading this if I could!
I love your stories. Thank you both!
Thank you!
I just wanted to say thank you. I know you’re having a bad time of things with the flood, so making the time to make my day better by posting this is something I, and I’m sure all the other instalment addicts happy is really appreciated!
Thank you, thank you!! Twice over, cause of all the hardships you’re dealing with – the leaking and the flooring and the noisy fans. Perfect start to the weekend! If the Marshal’s a Lucifer, what’s Sean?
I love the way you keep your vampires original. Still recognizable but I don’t think I have ever heard of extraterrestrial vampires… Another domineering man to clash with our strong female lead; time to break out the popcorn!
Just came home from Urgent Care. This is better than the steroid shot!
Umm…I meant that this makes me feel better than the shot. And the shot really improved how I’m feeling! : )
…Just found this and had to read it all! I was supposed to be working
Just keep writing LOVE IT!
wuahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! where is curran when you need
i can t wair for more … seee:)
Bonus points if someone has to battle the dahaka in the local Home Depot at some point. I’d love it if they had to rip up their floor to deal with the blood that seeped under. Reading about the ancient aftermath of the corporate HQ destruction was great but for some reason I want to actually enjoy the destruction in present tense after seeing your kitchen floor all torn up.
Can’t wait to learn more about the Marshal.
Love your idea!
Please, please, please publish this when it is all finished. Definitely a keeper. Thank you so mush.
Sorry trying to type on my nook. That should be thank you so much.
If you ask me, using mush instead of much, even if it was accidental, makes your statement stronger somehow.
I had to read it really slow to make it last – the suspense is getting me!
OOOH! More delicious hunkatude! May the snarky comments ensue! Yipeee!!
OOOOooo I’m liking where this is going! Totally excited for more! Thank you so much for all the writings you give us, each little bit makes my days that much brighter! Keep doing what you do BEST!
“Hey you! You think you managed to wake everyone yet? Maybe you should bang on all the doors or yell fire.”
I love Sean! This is great and so much fun!
Much thanks!
Thank you so much. Made my post surgery recovery much happier.
This just keeps getting better and better. The end of that left me with a silly grin and wanting more. Thank you for sharing.
Squeeeee!
Thank-you!!!
Oh, I LOVED it!!! I love Sean, but the Marshall sounds very interesting. You are too kind to all of us!!
Sorry…. marshal….. dang!
Ok, after reading that I’m officially looking forward to a Monday which very rarely happens. Can’t wait to get more! Thank you!!!
Thanks, Yet Another Great Installment ! Have a great weekend.
I had minor procedure at hospital yesterday and was left feeling like someone had pummelled by stomach. Then this morning I crushed my toe and ended back in A & E….. But the best distraction from the pain was reading this.
Please let the sexy vampire in
.
Thanks for the great installment! You are so nice to feed our addiction to your writing
Have a super weekend.
I really appreciate the fact you take the time to produce this for us
Thank you.
You are the best! Thinking about what will happen next is going to keep me on my toes! I wait anxiously for the next installment.
And here comes the competition (poor Sean).
Oh, my! That’s great. Sorry to hear you still have to have the fans running.
LOVE Clean Sweep!
Wow Lucifer in white armour how enticing. I assume there’s lot of power there too. What a fun Fri gift. Thank you so much
OK, I know that there is some major suckage in your life right now, but you totally made my day. I wish I could box up and send the totally awesome non-suck to you. Does it count if my life rocks because of you?
You are Batman, Cat Woman, Iron Man, Thor, and WonderWoman (including the boobs!). In other words, you totally rock. Also, Home Depot is on my sh** list… except for paint, which is the best. (Sorry.
)
You must really like Super Heroes. I don’t think I have ever seen that particular group of heroes mentioned in the same place before.
I’m not trying to be critical or anything, this is just the way my brain works.
He sounds so dashing!!!
LOVE. RIVAL!
AWESome! I do so love what you guys do — this is vastly entertaining and makes me just want to keep reading. so …..keep writing?
Thank you. This is great.
Yeah, I’ve got to agree with Viktoriya on both counts…
go Team Vampire Knight!
Love it! I am really enjoying reading these
.
this is so dern cute! I almost can’t stand it! ALMOST
Not
Thank you
Hmmm, so are we to picture Alexander Skarsgård or Chris Hemsworth? Or maybe Neil Jackson.
Torn up kitchen floors, drying fans roaring, last minute edits, and you two still write this well??? Totally, totally not fair! But so welcome and greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Love it!! Thank you so much!
Mmm, a deep voice with a touch of wicked, – lovely.
Please don’t stop , can’t wait for more and can’t wait to read this in book form and have it to read over and over again. thanks again
As usual, great…just leaves me wanting MORE!
Wow, loved the tension with the dahaka! Dina is my new heroine!
I think I’m going to enjoy seeing you guys do the now typical ‘sexy vampire’ in your unique style. And the added bonus of a possible romantic rival for Sean is just the icing on the cake!
Thank you so much for this! The Marshal seems like an interesting addition to the fun
OMG a potential rival. I love this world, and how you’ve integrated bits and pieces of the ideas that you’ve done before, melded them into a pot and made it into something totally new and awesome.
Also, I love the image of the knight. It makes me want to buy it and play chess. I don’t even know how to play chess.
Thanks for the update!
“The night exhaled in my face …” Your writing is so delicious. I read slowly in order to savor every morsel. Thank you for sharing your talents with me.
omgomg!! *fangirl moment*
In reference to your picture thingy, Calvin is having a fangirl moment? That is totally ironic, yet, sadly, it fits the Calvin and Hobbs comics perfectly.
Thank you! Made my day
Read this installment three times already. Thank you. Thank you very much. Unfallen Lucifer, accompanied by the glorious White Knight wielding a morning star.
loud smells, meat, making entrances.
What concentrated enjoyment.
Thank you.
Love these installments! You’re such wonderful writers. Thank you so much for doing this for us. Sorry to hear about your kitchen. I hope you find a way to fix It!
Love it, sorry about the kitchen but please write faster. I can’t decide though if I want you to finish Magic Rises or give me more instalments of Clean Sweep. Perhaps you should stop sleeping or something. Oh well. I love all your work
Yippee, thank you muchly.
Ohhhh my, swoon……..
Hmmm…a guy with a sense of humor & furry personality….or a pretty vampire who must make an awesome entrance…..gonna stick with the furface so far but lets see how Mr Pretty marshal deals…Darn it! I can’t believe I am wishing Monday would hurry up and get here!…..
~
oh my! the possibilities! *fans myself*
Good guys that are a bit bad, makes one want to swoon just a little. Dispute common sence.
Reading innkeeper with your morning coffee on a Sat morning. There is nothing better. Thanks Ilona and I hope things get better with the kitchen!
I am really enjoying this story. I hope the dishwasher episode from hell is over soon. I have just had to have the refrigerator, oven, and stove fixed all within one month. I am positively not thinking about the furnace, heater, and air conditioner. Nope, not thinking about them at all.
Yowza!! It just gets better!
Just saying…you know you could work in a scene with a flooded Home Depot somewhere. Or a tornado of blades. That broom is pretty versatile. If nothing else, you could have Sean pee on the stacks of drywall
You made me laugh like a hysterical loon. You, Sir, Win at Internets today. ^_^
I like werewolves but … vampires are hotter …. *swoons*
It just keeps getting better.
So do you know this story’s arc or are you letting it take you where it will? All in all you don’t get to go back and change an earlier detail to match where the story is going? I wonder is this freeing or constricting?
*cheers!* Ty ty ty. I was needing an Innkeeper fix.
Love, Love, Love this…..smexy vampire is right…sign me up to meet him….Thanks for the addition and good luck on the edits
I have now read this part 10! Times and all I can say is …… You can enter me …oops…my inn anytime Sir Knight!
You like us, you really like us!! Genius even in the midst of waterworld hell.
That…was…A-W-E-S-O-M-E! Although, I will be the first to admit that I am biased where your writing is concerned, but if you decided to write an historically accurate account of the fall of the Greek’s I would still read it (and love it)…I promise.
Permission to enter? Um, that’s into the inn or into… *Whew* I like this new guy even though there is little to be said about him.
I’m so happy to have found this snippet today! This is an exciting development… the knight in shining armour? I can’t wait to read more.
Ilona you are so great tor write this in spite of all your sorrows at the moment. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for posting this wonderful story.
You guys are awesome! Thank you very much!
I cannot be the only one who wants to see a seven-book deal for the Innkeeper Chronicles. Thank you so much for taking the time to write and post this!
Oh no! Not a wickedly beautiful vamp, poor Sean. I was hoping for an embarrassing voice (David Beckham style), but no, so now Im holding out for a complete absence of humour – it seems to be a common vampire failing. Even smelly feet would do, come on give Sean a chance!!
A marshal with a sexy voice, and a wisecracking Lycan, Whew, I think I’m going to have to get a room at the old inn!! Sean gets the best lines. I love that character. This series is so much fun, I look for it every week. Thank You both so much!
I have lived through the weeks of fans and heaters. A year ago last spring our built in sump pump failed. Two to three inches of water in the whole basement, including the half that was just refinished. Carpet, walls, and furniture, all wet. Cats were going crazy, especially when the litter boxes floated to the bottom of the basement stairs. It is nerve wracking to say the least. Good Luck from someone who has been there.
I love all your work. So it comes as no surprise that Clean Sweep is wonderful too. Great world, great story, great characters.
Thank you for posting despite your troubles.
I like it!!!!
Thank you, I needed this today! My cat (9 months old) started on a walk with us (and the dog), then just stopped. He wouldn’t let me catch him, and when we went back by where he stopped, another cat was there. I have been calling and calling and he hasn’t come home yet (and he always comes when I call). This was a lovely distraction.
Wow! As I lay here sick with the flu this has made my day so much better. Just what the doctor ordered.
Sexy vampire and a hot werewolf*sigh* say no more
Agreed
Oh. Dear. Gods. My heart went all pitty-pat at the “beauty with a touch of wicked edge,” *siiiiiigh* *swoon* That Marshall would be welcome in my home any day!! ^_^ Oh the fireworks with this lot. I can’t wait until the next set!
OMG!!! my heart almost stopped… I LOVE you guys and this story is keeping me on pens and needles. I could almost see him, when he made that statement, and when he said “my uncle” my heart stopped…
THANK YOU…. THANK YOU!!!!
Thank you I loved it, as always.
Love love love! Love Sean and wow,,,,,,new guy! More interaction with Beast and Sean,,,,,the tree scen was funny.
Yes it was.
Sean *thinking to self*: Stupid dog. You can’t possibly cut the tree down with your mout–
CRACK!
Oh shit, maybe you can cut it down after all.
Marshal vamp on one side, alpha wolf on the other….squish goes the dahaka. Can’t wait to see what Caldenia thinks.
Sadly, the very first thing that “squish goes the dahaka” made me think of was “pop goes the weasel.”
Thank you for this!! Doing as much of a happy dance as my pregnancy bump will let me
and making my waking up in the middle of the night okay when I have something thus great to read while I try to get back too sleep!
YAY you made my day
Good, Sean’s being a jerk. A rival is needed to get his butt in gear.
It just keeps getting better! Thank you so much for the instalment. It’s such a treat, especially in view of the Home Depot fiasco you’re going through. I would boycott them in support but we don’t have them here! Thanks again
Love it!! Thank you!!
**SWOON**…*SQUEEEEE* and AWESOMESAUCE all rolled together!!!
thank you thank you
and in solidarity I am now boycotting Home Dept during my basement renovation….suck it Depot!! I am going to LOWE’s…..
I think we should all go to home depot & tell the staff about this wonderful serial &how HD is trashing the author’s house. It’s important to spread joy. I’m sure they’ll like it.
Can’t wait for the next installment. I love your stories.
Love the twists and turns!
Thinking of your dishwasher woes as I mopped up my third leaky mess from our own dishwasher yesterday. What a mess! My husband took our dishwasher apart …. now we’ll see if he can put it back together again, lol! Hope your cleanup is going well – hang in there!
ohhh. thank thank thank you. it’s a delicious read.
Thank you.Yummy,yummy What’s better than a super fudgy brownie? Two.Love those bad boys,if this is what you can do in the midst of household chaos……you’ve been holding back !
Someone beat me to it but I will repeat: It’s a Flying Purple Eyed People Eater! Oh my!
One horn,one eye flying purple people eater *^_^*
YUM!
Thank you so much!
Love it,thank you!!!
Thank you! Checking by your site and seeing a new installment always lifts my spirits.
Hope the fans do their job quickly !
Inn Keeper installments make my day.
always so good,
the blood “smelled loud”
love it !
Thank you with all the other things u are dealing with very much appreciate this. Great way to end my wkend, Seattle for a girls wkend and come home getting ready for a busy work wk and rhis lovely surprise ws waiting for me!!!!
Wow, this just keeps getting better and better. Wonder what happens to a witch when she gives permission for a vampire to enter her house. I mean we know what happens to humans when they allow vampires to enter their home, they become dinner. Oh well maybe she’s safe with a werewolf in the house. Wait, what am I saying they aren’t safe either. Man I can’t wait to see what happens next.
This is so good – thank you. I am back haunting the site again. It is Monday and I am at work. I keep sneaking on here, hoping for another bit (if you have the time and inclination) pretty please.
I will be back soon, but I have to go and work now.
Super fun! I don’t think Sean is going to like this guy at all
Wonderful! Home Depot should bow before you (after paying to fix everything and apologizing profusely)!!! Can’t wait for the next part!
@Sharon in the UK – me too…been on here about 4 times already today, not mention a sneak or two yesterday too! Can’t stand the waiting – I’m the type that usually reads a book in one or two marathon – all night sessions so this serial stuff is really tough!
It is a special kind of magic that keeps me checking here weekly and in some cases, daily…to see if another chapter has been put up.
This is such unique world building. Which I should expect no less from the duo who brought me magical Atlanta and The Edge.
I hope..really really hope, someday you’ll so this serialization thing with Jack. George, and Lark, but I’m loving Dina and Sean and I’m suddenly very interested in how Sean is going to handle someone catching Dina’s eye like that.
i have now read this installment 25 times
please do a new installment ,i going mad waiting for it !!!!!!!!
““Target,” I said.
The inn clanged, swinging the massive guns within itself to lock onto the creature.” I want a house just like this when I grow up! Thanks for this installation…. I can’t wait for the hilarities to ensue between Sean and Soren’s nephew!
waaahhh….. it’s great!! I want more, pplease ;D
))
please, please please! sexy vampire, maybe a triangle? ;PPPP
but seriously… it’s getting real good now
(don’t spoil it… I have faith in you guys
nice close! cant wait for the next installment. thank you!
Thanks
this is pretty awesome
OOOOOH I Love it!!!!!! Sneak attacks & saving a bad guy/potential ally. Nice entrance for the new hottie! Hope he sticks around. Can’t wait for the next installment! By the way there are not enough hot blonds in publishing, it’s pretty much you and Charlaine, for that I doubly thank you!
Thank you for another great installment, and I really loved the “Stay tuned!”
INNKEEPER is lifting the spirits of all your readers, taking us into a fun and exciting new world. I hope writing it gives you at least a little break from all the hassles in the kitchen and elsewhere.
It is 11:40 PM Central (Chicago) time on February 5. Your site says it is 5:36 am, February 6, 2013. If it was recording the time as Eastern time, it would still only be 12:40 am, February 6. Well, now it is 11:43/12:43
Time warp?
Maybe it is that red globe….
The posting time-stamp has always been a little funny for me too. It always has the date right, but the time has always been off. I distinctly remember one occasion where I know it was roughly 10:30 in the morning here on the east coast of the US when I posted, but the time stamp on said post was 7:30 at night. I would have mentioned it earlier, but I thought it might be my computer acting weird, not your site.
Oh, and time warps are always fun! Except when they happen to you.
bad day turned great!
I love you guys. Thank you so much. And man! I want a pic of the Marshall.
Pardon me for being slightly off topic, but I wonder how many possible permutations of those shape-based face icons there are in the guest icon generator? I haven’t really been keeping track, but I don’t think I have ever seen one of them used for more than once, with the obvious exception of other posts from the same person.
I can’t wait to see what happens next. I kind of like sean, at first he annoyed me but now is kinda growing on, is there a budding romance in there somewhere? I hope so!
OMG.. hot.. do not stop… can not wait. Love all the charachters.. i would buy this book in full if i could.. so nice of you to put it out here for free..
you guys…really…its so so good, so sexy, so funny. Can’t get enough! Ditto to other comments on the line “smelled loud”. Just perfection. Can’t wait for next week!
Just wanted to let you know how much I like you’re stories. Thank you for sharing them!
It’s so hard to be patient…even though it’s free and you have so much else going on in your life and I feel totally greedy but you’re just such good writers that you have me itching for more!!
Yup! Feeling that same ich
.
Yes, I keep checking and rechecking thinking, where is it?! Guess I need to chill out.
‘Whimpers’ refresh…refresh…refresh. Lol. No pressure or anything!! I also got my mother reading these and she has txtd me twice “do you see it? I don’t yet.” I really hope this story arc will be available for purchase.
Refresh, hope, sigh… Refresh, hope, sigh…. So on and so forth!
….I find myself doing the same – -”
thats why bought book is wonderful – u get to gorge urself on it ;]
here we have to wait…. ahhh patience.. if I could purchase a bit of it^^
I found an add-on for Google Chrome called Feeder, which is an RSS feed reader, that will monitor the site for you and will tell you when someone posts on here. It will find the RSS feeds for you, you just need to give it a website to find them on. You still need to pay attention to which feeds you tell it to follow, as sometimes websites have more than one feed, like Ilona’s website has four of them: One for her posts on the blog, one for her posts on the Innkeeper Chronicles, and two more for people’s comments on said posts. If all you want to know about is Ilona’s posts, then only follow the first two. If you want to follow the comments, then follow the other two.
I absolutely love this series and had to share that this is the only place I read ALL of the fan comments and smile while doing so. So excited about this new morsel to chew over while experiencing ultimate literary suspense.
I can’t wait to see what Sean has to say about Fangs McGee but I know he will be unimpressed. Wonder if Dina will be… >:-D
You two are awesome. I just found this weekly series this evening and so enjoyed reading to the latest chapter. I love it! Being a huge, huge fan of Kate et al, I look for anything by the two of you and I wasn’t disappointed. Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful stories – they give much pleasure.
Just a note, I’ve read the Kate stories probably 4-5 times at this point. I REALLY like them.
refresh …………….Noooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!^o^ please upload the new installment soon , i beg you!!!!!!!⊙_⊙
Is it too late to grow up to be an innkeeper? Seriously, sign me up!
Don’t know how I missed this but discovered it after I dl Gunmetal for my Kindle. I read it straight through 90 minutes of cardio on my recumbent bike! Looking forward to more. I have to say that Beast totally stole my heart.
have to admit i swooned a little – and im not even slightly embarrassed by it. lol.
Thanks for this.