Bottle Banished
Book One
C.L. Riley
Genre: Dark Fantasy/Romance
Date of Publication: February 11, 2015
ISBN: ISBN-13: 978-1506170640
ISBN-10: 1506170641
ASIN: B00S1LBSC4
Number of pages: 301
Word Count: 80,500
Cover Artist: Steph’s Cover Design
Genie thought learning how to “do” The Hustle was the worst thing about 1977, right along with strobe lights and disco balls, but she discovers something far worse the day she is bottle banished by an unsanctioned hunter obsessed with her destruction.
Thirty-seven years later, she is awakened from her spellbound slumber by a homeless alcoholic who wants whiskey not a wish. Overwhelmed with shame and keeping secrets from even himself, Reid Romans is the worst master ever.
He stinks. He’s dirty. He’s rude, but even more maddening; he’s sinfully sexy under all the filth and attitude.
When his green-eyed gaze captures Genie for the first time, she’s hooked, and being hooked on a human is not acceptable or allowed according to the genie rule book.
While Reid’s unsavory past bites hard at his heels, and he’s accused of a murder he didn’t commit, a powerful jinn is stalking Genie, intent on adding her to his harem. She has rejected him too many times to count, but he won’t stop until he claims her—body and soul.
Genie and Reid have way more than one love-sick jinn to deal with. A ruthless FBI agent; a cold-blooded cartel; and a hateful hunter, who wants genie back in her bottle, banished forever; keep them fighting for freedom and against the desire flaring between them.
Dark secrets, forbidden love, and simmering suspense take Genie and Reid on an unforgettable journey where the past and future collide and wishes run out.
Please be advised: Bottle Banished is a multiple POV (Point of View) dark fantasy that portrays graphic drug use, violence, language, and sexual situations some may find offensive, including dubious consent, light BDSM, and a Ménage à Trios. There is a Happily Ever After (HEA) for now, but several doors remain open for future installments.
Readers will uncover numerous references to current and past pop culture sprinkled throughout the story. Watch author’s website for contests connected to these references!
Available at Amazon
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Genie
POV
“No!
Please!” Genie pleaded, her panic rising.
She’d
been so careful, cautious to the point of paranoia. “Don’t do
this. I will serve you well. I will grant you a wish, any wish.”
She struggled to find her tormentor’s one hidden desire. A desire
she alone could fulfill.
Until
this moment, where others had failed, she had managed to avoid bottle
banishment.
Genie
prided herself on her ability to stay at least one step, preferably
more, ahead of the hunters. She’d survived to 1977 without losing
her freedom. It seemed after centuries, her luck had at last run out.
How
could I have been so blind?
Trapped
inside the dreaded ring of chalk-drawn runes and magical sigils, she
was defenseless. Her own magic rendered useless by an ancient spell,
cast with assurance, by the smirking hunter gripping her future glass
prison in his hand. This hunter, she guessed, was not government
sanctioned. His methods appeared less refined, though just as
effective. She hated to imagine what he had in store before
imprisoning her.
“I
sense your fear,” he chuckled, sounding crazed. “See this bottle?
You, my beauty, are going inside, where you will stay. I hope you
have a strong stomach. I’ve heard ocean waves…”
“Just
do it! You offend me!” Her voice wavered despite the brave words.
As
a creature of fire, she despised water. To be water bound for
eternity was a genie’s worst nightmare. The hunter wanted her to
suffer.
His
jaw tensed and his eyes narrowed. “I’m tempted to tear that
ridiculous harem outfit off and ruin you like your kind ruined my
family.”
Genie
gasped, stunned by his revelation. She forgot her precarious position
long enough to ponder his words. One of her brethren had clearly
harmed this hunter’s family, driving his desire for revenge. Never
had she hurt a human or used her powers for evil.
Why
must I be punished for another’s crime?
“Don’t
like that idea, do you? Be glad I’m not into whores, even pretty
ones.” Extending the bottle, his gaze hardened. With conviction, he
chanted the words every genie feared and hoped to never hear,
confirming what she suspected.
Nothing she could offer would stop him.
A
sudden explosion knocked her back. She hit hard against the circle’s
border, the impact ripping the air from her lungs; still, the
hunter’s wards held strong. The resulting flash stole her vision
just before another blast created a whirlwind, erasing her human body
and turning her to smoke. Sucked into the glass prison, she landed
with a thud, her rump hitting the bottle’s floor, firing a spike of
pain up her spine. She had morphed into a three inch version of
herself.
Forcing
her eyes open, she was met with a harsh reality. Unlike a certain
popular television show, featuring a genie and astronaut, her bottle
wasn’t furnished with plush sofas and colorful cushions. It was
barren, boring, and lacked any comforts. The sole thing keeping Genie
from complete panic was the awareness that once sleep found her, she
wouldn’t awaken again unless the bottle was uncorked.
That
might be a long time coming, if ever.
“Ouch!”
she cried, hating how squeaky her voice sounded as she bounced from
one side to the other, slamming against the glass. Her captor
intended to make her final journey an unpleasant one.
When
at last her purple prison splashed into the water, she was too banged
up to worry about his wave-warning. She scanned her surroundings a
final time, noticing the gleam of gold lettering etched around the
bottle’s exterior. Unable to make sense of the writing, she hung
her head, giving into despair.
To
her relief, the rocking motion soon lulled her closer to sleep rather
than causing the promised sea sickness.
Closing
her eyes for the last time, she accepted her fate.
About the Author:
C.L. Riley is addicted to books, coffee, and playing around on the Internet where she cyber stalks things she enjoys. She has a passion for reading dark fantasy, biker romance, paranormal romance, erotic thrillers, and everything “genie.” She has four books to her credit under a different name, thus the missing author photo. For now, she is keeping her other identity top secret.
A native of Portland, Oregon, C.L. Riley has a son in college and a teenage daughter that keeps her on her toes at home. Her house is filled with books; something her kids, to her dismay, call clutter. She is working on book two in the Bottle Banished series and the Scorched Souls serial, a four-part, biker romance serial series.
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