Exclusive Excerpt from Mastering the Flames

by S.J. Himes

Angel paused, looking out over the crowd. Simeon bent down and spoke in his ear, the music drowning out their quiet words. Isaac put his hands in his jacket pockets and tried to look perfectly normal. A hint of alcohol hit his nose as a server walked by with a tray of drinks, and his stomach clenched. He breathed out, letting his eyes blur, and he kept his breathing slow and steady until his stomach settled. He blinked after a minute or so, and scowled at Angel, who was glaring at him with arms crossed while Eroch was pretending to be interested in the recessed lighting overhead.

“I’m fine,”he blurted out, regretting how defensive he sounded, but it was too late. He sounded anything but fine, even to his own ears, but he refused to be sent home like a child or an invalid.

“You look like you’re gonna puke,”Angel declared, doubting just how fine he was, and Isaac huffed out a breath in annoyance. His brother was a second away from dragging him out of the club. The potential embarrassment from that possibility just aggravated him and made the defensiveness increase.

“I will if you keep harping on me about this,”Isaac snapped back, and went to stride past Angel. A hand grabbed his elbow, and he jerked to a halt, swearing. “Dammit, Angie.”

Angel narrowed his eyes and Isaac got hot under his collar but held himself back from saying anything. Simeon made himself scarce, and Eroch gave a quiet chirp. Angel was biting back something angry, but all he said was “Don’t leave without telling me, and don’t go anywhere alone. We’re looking for signs of magic being cast inside the club. A vampire can’t get taken without magic or being overpowered, so look for signs of a struggle or spells used to incapacitate.”

“I got it the first time you explained this in the limo,”Isaac said, and jerked himself out of Angel’s grip. “I can handle this, so let me.”

He didn’t wait for a reply and walked away from his brother.

About Mastering the Flames

Guilt-ridden after the massacre of his family, Isaac Salvatore turned to binge drinking to escape the pain. Now twenty-four years old, Isaac is a recovering alcoholic woefully out of practice in the magical arts, leaving his fire affinity hanging on the edge of disaster. After a month of rehab, he returns to Beacon Hill and his family, determined to remain sober, learn to control his magic, and figure out a plan for his life that doesn’t involve drinking.

Constantine Batiste is the oldest, most powerful vampire in the city. Born in ancient Gaul, the bastard son of a Celtic king, his long life has been shrouded in tragedy and horrors. Recent mistakes have left him wary and determined to guard his clan from all foes. When two of his clan members fall victim to an ancient evil, he summons the Necromancer of Boston for aid. Accompanying his older brother to the Tower is the handsome young fire mage once wounded by Constantine’s arrogance, and their encounter reignites an attraction that burns within both Constantine and Isaac.

The answer to who is targeting the vampires of Boston is buried in the dark, early days of Constantine’s transition to an immortal life. Isaac finds himself saddled with a painful insight into the evil cutting a swath through the supernatural population of Boston. While his brother, Angel, takes over the hunt to find and stop the threat to the city, Isaac struggles to find a balance between helping his brother and finding his own purpose and place in the world, free from his brother’s shadow.

Falling in love wasn’t part of his plan, but mastering the flames that burn between him and Constantine soon becomes the most important thing in his life, even as an ancient evil seeks to destroy them.

Mastering the Flames is the fourth book in The Beacon Hill Sorcerer series and is not a standalone. The series should be read in order for maximum enjoyment and understanding of the plot and characters.

Don’t forget to check out Nikyta’s review of Mastering the Flames to see what she thought of it!

Available at: Amazon

About S.J. Himes

My name is Sheena, and I have more pen names than I probably should. I write as SJ Himes, Revella Hawthorne, and Sheena Himes. I reside in the mountains of Maine (closer to Canada than I am to fresh lobster) on a 300-year-old farm beside a river in the woods.

My companions are my furbabies: Micah, my large dog who hates birds; and Wolf and Silfur, two cats who love me but hate each other. I write romances with an emphasis on plot and character development, and almost all my characters are LGBTQ+ and that’s on purpose.

To keep current on what I’m working on and where to find me on social media, go to my website: http://www.sjhimes.com