This series has a special place in my heart, as I lived with Ava & Fin in my mind for over ten years before writing Blood & Holy Water. I’m so happy to share their story with you, along with the other stories that grew out of their world.
Each story stands alone, but if I HAD to pick a reading order for the ENTIRE series, it’d be:
- Blood & Holy Water, Book 1
- Fangs & Fairy Dust, Optional Book 1.5
- Bitten, Optional Book 1.75
- Fur & Feathers, Book 2
- Flame & Fortune, Optional book 2.5
- Souls & Shadows, Book 3
- The Unfortunate’s Story, Book 4 (Maybe I’ll write this…)
Optional standalones that can be read at any point in the series:
Scroll all the way to the bottom for a sneak peek of chapter 1 of Blood & Holy Water.
NOTE: If you’d like the entire Angels of Sojourn series, it’s available in these two boxed sets which include all of the above stories at a 30% or more discount.
MAIN SERIES: Boxed set available HERE.
Blood & Holy Water (Fin & Ava’s Story) — Angels of Sojourn, Book One.
Ava is sick of mundane angel duties, and she wants a promotion to finally earn her wings. A promotion takes more than hard work; it takes a miracle—literally. Unfortunately, her miracle’s impossible, because it involves a vampire.
Fin has no time for frivolous gestures. He’s too busy avoiding his own kind to care what a naïve angel wants. But when the other vampires uncover his deepest secret, threatening what he cherishes most, nothing can help him…except a miracle. Too bad he chased the angel away.
Fur & Feathers (Simon & Katrina’s Story) – Angels of Sojourn, Book Two
Katrina Hartley is determined to protect her five-year-old werewolf son, but when the boy’s accused of a gruesome attack during the recent full moon, Katrina must clear her son’s name…only she’s not sure where the child was during the full moon. When one clue after another points towards her son, she never expected the help of a fallen angel.
After recently falling, angel Simon Parker searches for his long-lost family and his place in the human world, all the while trying to forget about the woman he loved for nearly 100 years. When a desperate mother crosses his path, he can’t help but wanting to feel useful again…even if she doesn’t want his help.
Souls & Shadows (Lily & Aron’s Story) – Angels of Sojourn, Book Three.
She’s far from normal…
But being raised by a vampire will do that to a girl.
He’s just like us…
Only he claims souls and escorts them to the Underground.
Lily lives a perfectly normal life: working as a second grade teacher with a handful of failed dating attempts, and a father who’s recently remarried. Oh, and she has an in-depth knowledge of the supernatural world. That’ll happen when your dad’s a vampire and step-mother’s an angel.
When Evergreen Park calls her in a way that’s far from normal—supernatural even—she fights it, trying to keep her human roots, but its call is driving her nuts.
Armed with willpower of steel, she can’t stay away…even when she finds a dead body next to the swing set.
Aron, the Angel of Death, has been watching Lily from afar. There’s something about her that brings warmth to his heart, but their worlds are too different for anything more than his admiration of this human. When he goes to Evergreen Park to claim a murder victim’s soul, and finds Lily leaning over the dead body, he struggles to keep his distance.
But when Lily looks up at him with her sweet, teary eyes, he can’t help but step into her world and officially introduce himself.
Only Lily knew the soul he came to claim and there is a clear connection between her and the victim…a connection that puts Lily’s life at risk. Even being the Angel of Death, Aron can’t allow this beautiful woman’s perfectly normal life to end.
SUPPLEMENTARY STORIES IN THE SERIES (BOXED SET AVAILABLE HERE):
Fangs & Fairy Dust (Ryker & Aliza’s Story) — A spin-off novella
Eleven murders, all connected by severe loss of blood. Each of the victims is male…and dead, except for a stunning young woman named Aliza.
Is she a victim or the perpetrator?
Ryker’s trip to Dubuque should be quick and painless—swiftly laying down vampire law before the humans get suspicious. When Aliza reminds him of what it’s like to be human and the love he lost right here in this city eighty years ago, feelings he had locked tightly away begin to emerge. Feelings of betrayal, guilt, and love that haunted him for nearly a century.
But can he overcome his past to see the present?
How is Aliza connected to the crimes he came to prevent?
This is a stand-alone spin-off to the Angels of Sojourn Series. It can be read alone or as book 1.25 in the series.
One Possible Future – Angels of Sojourn, Short Story – Available for FREE here to Newsletter Subscribers – This is a complete stand alone story and can be read in any order with the series. This story is also available in the Angels of Sojourn Boxed Set HERE.
Jocelyn has learned not to ignore a vision. Eight years ago, her disregard of a premonition cost her fiancé’s life.
Now, her visions bring her to a fallen angel who is in desperate need of help after losing his wings. The problem: he doesn’t want assistance.
Unwilling to carry any more guilt, Jocelyn insists on helping him, even if it puts her own life in jeopardy.
Bitten (Katrina’s story) Available free to newsletter subscribers HERE or available in the Angels of Sojourn Novella Box Set HERE.
How far will a mother go to protect her son after he’s bitten by a werewolf? This story is a prequel to Fur & Feathers and can be read alone or as book 1.75 in the series.
Also in this collection are two additional stories:
- The Fairy Flu
- The Enchanted Apothecary
Broken & Burnt – Angels of Sojourn Novella – This is a complete stand-alone story and can be read in any order with the series.
Fallen Angel, Bree, is far from perfect. Most recently, she stole from work and broke a few Angelic Rules. On top of this, when a Highest Order Angel comes down to remove her wings, she accidentally stabs him. Any hope she had of forgiveness is far out of her reach.
Highest Order Angel, Jaxon, has a perfect record, and he’s proud of it. He loves his job upholding justice, but when a fallen angel with beautiful eyes distracts him, causing his first slip-up in over fifty years, he won’t go home until he finishes what he started. What’s even worse, the fallen angel he was sent to punish is also the compassionate one who risks everything to save his life.
Flame & Fortune – Angels of Sojourn Novella – This story stands-alone, but can be enjoyed as book 2.67 in the series.
Lena Romano is in hell. She’s been there for over twenty years and isn’t good at her job there. In fact, she was never good at much in the human world, either. When an opportunity to do a deed for the Unfortunate One arises, giving her a chance to return to Earth and earn an Eternal Flame to make her existence tolerable, she takes it–never expecting to find love.
Kieran Plugh is on a fast track to CEO status with a weakness for red-headed women. When Lena stumbles into his life, he can’t help but chase her, not knowing she’s on a mission right from the devil.
Do you love this series? Please join my street team HERE:
Sneak Peek of Chapter 1 of Blood & Holy Water
Chapter 1
FIN
Fin glided through the hospital’s emergency room hallway with a syringe of blood cupped in his hand, trying to lose his invisible stalker. He hadn’t fed in days, and now wasn’t the time to aggravate him.
Damn angel. It’s been a month now.
Enough.
His own unsatisfying blood pooled in his mouth as his teeth dug into his bottom lip. The syringe he hid was nearly pulsating in his palm, beckoning to him. His body wanted to suck it down, but there were a few humans around, and he couldn’t draw attention to himself. All his focus was on putting one foot in front of the other.
One of the nurses approached him. “Good evening, Dr. O’Brian.”
“Evening.” Careful to hide his fangs, he forced a close-lipped smile and continued forward. Despite holding his breath, the angel’s odor of sage and cinnamon still filled his senses, bringing memories he wished to forget. Why wouldn’t the angel leave him alone? All he wanted was to live a normal life—well, at least as normal as possible for someone like him.
He disappeared into the physician’s lounge.
Shit.
Dr. Norfleet sat at the table. The angel was too distracting; Fin should have sensed the human before opening the door.
They exchanged simple nods while Fin assessed the other doctor. He was packing up his meal and would leave soon.
Fin made his way to his locker and turned the dial. Thirty-two, fifteen, twenty-four. It clicked open, but his attention was split between the syringe of blood he hid, the human in the room, and the lack of the angel’s distinct aroma. Slipping his meal under the folded scrubs on the top shelf, his mouth salivated profusely. Too much time had passed between feedings. How much longer would he need to wait?
Dr. Norfleet’s voice rumbled from behind him. “Having a good night, Dr. O’Brian?”
He shut his locker. “Yeah. Nothing big tonight.”
The sound of a pager vibrating, then Dr. Norfleet’s sigh filled the silence. “I gotta run.”
Fin waited, holding his breath until the heavy wooden door clicked shut. Alone at last. He turned back to his locker. Thirty-two, fifteen…
The angel’s spicy scent filled the air.
A moan escaped while he spun around and complained into the empty room. “What the hell do you want from me?” His eyes darted between the charcoal tables and the counter filled with computers, but he saw no signs of the angel.
Screw it.
He turned back to his locker, holding his breath. The distracting aroma of blood and angel immersed his mind. He turned the dial to the right, stopping at thirty-two again. His hands dropped when a flashback rushed through his mind. Closing his eyes, he tried to push it away, but the last moments of his human life flooded in. Blood, there had been so much blood…and that scent he’d never forget while he struggled with the Angel of Death. Then the heightened emotions from his new condition: pain, loss, desire.
Control, Fin, control.
He spun around and snapped, “Show yourself!” His tingling fangs exposed themselves over his bottom lip. There was no reason to hide them from an angel. He was sick of hiding.
He’d ignored the angel too long, hoping it would go away. Hoping the angel wasn’t there for him, but there was no mistaking it anymore. He was being followed. Hunted, perhaps.
“Come out of goddamn hiding!” he snarled. Another breath, but he didn’t feel calm—only that hidden syringe of blood would do that. He turned back to the locker and shook his head.
Focus.
Was this the end? His time to die for good? No matter how many times he told himself he was ready, he wasn’t, despite knowing he had already fulfilled his duty in life. Were the angels coming after him for his sins from twenty-two years ago?
He cleared the lock again, but couldn’t stop the words from flowing out. “How long do I have left?” He leaned his forehead against the cool metal. Should he just rip it open? Would that blow his cover at the hospital?
Still, there was no response. What defenses did he have against an angel? Speed, strength, fangs, none of that would work. Wits. He’d need to behave. Outsmart the being, if that was even possible, especially without feeding.
His heart rate picked up again, and he willed it to slow. He closed his eyes and carefully inhaled the scents surrounding him, trying to become immune. He spun around, using his senses to pinpoint the angel’s location. “Let’s talk like the civilized beings we are.” Fin listened to the softly ticking clock.
The angel glittered into view. Miniscule beams of sunshine flickered as if thrown by a disco ball.
Wow.
She wasn’t what he expected. Not at all. First, he hadn’t even expected a she, especially one who appeared barely eighteen years old. Cute, with child-like purity. She looked innocent, perfect, and should definitely not be hanging around with him. He assessed her body, searching for wings, but found none. Careful. As innocent as she seemed, her kind still ripped souls from the humans he tried so desperately to save.
Her voice flowed like a babbling brook. “You can see me?” An eyebrow arched as she waited for a reply.
“Get the hell out of here. Leave me alone!”
“I…I don’t know how this is possible.” The angel shook her head. Her light honey-colored curls shimmered in the light. “I shouldn’t be talking to you…but you need to know that I’m not here to collect your soul, and I don’t know how much time you have left.” She seemed almost urgent to put his worry aside.
Fin’s voice was gruff. “Then why are you here, angel? I’m tired of this game.”
She twirled the fabric of her gown in her fingers while biting a cream-colored lip. Her skin was pale with a golden smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and vibrant green eyes.
Fin shifted his weight from foot to foot in the silence. “Never mind. I don’t care.” He turned back to his locker. He cleared the lock and began to open it once again. “Just leave me alone. I need to feed.”
Reflections of light appeared on the lockers in front of him. He glanced over his shoulder, confirming she had left, but almost instantaneously, she reappeared in a dance of light.
Of course, she didn’t go anywhere. Fin turned back to his locker.
Her luring voice stopped him. “I need a miracle to earn my wings. A miracle so I can stay on Earth.”
A laugh rolled out from deep in Fin’s chest, and he spun around to face the angel. “You’ve got the wrong guy.”
“Not true.” She took a step forward and held out the syringe of blood he had been trying to get. “You’re the one.”
“I’m no miracle.” Fin curled a lip back to show his fangs and darted directly in front of the angel, only an inch between them. Careful not to touch her, he snatched the syringe from her hand. Her scent was irritating. He growled and kept his eyes glued to hers.
She didn’t flinch, confirming he was no threat to her. He brought the syringe to his lips and drank down the contents, despite his company. Instant relief. His tingling fangs retracted, heart silenced, and mind cleared. It was what he remembered being human was like. Now, he could focus on something besides feeding.
Fin headed towards the entrance. Night shift in the emergency room was too busy for this nonsense. There were patients that needed him. “If you insist on hanging around here, why don’t you make yourself useful? You’re an angel, right? There’s a woman I just admitted to the hospice unit. She’s only thirty-five, but she’s dying and will leave behind two young children. She could use a miracle.”
Her voice was soft and filled with regret. “I can’t help with that.”
“Then what use are you? There are real people here that need help. I’ve got work to do and you’re only distracting me from what matters. You need to leave.” Fin left and shut the door, leaving her alone in the lounge.
AVA
Ava had been working on her miracle for over a hundred years, and it was official; she was the worst angel that ever existed. Thirteen unsuccessful miracle attempts, but who was counting? She wouldn’t let this one slip away, but perhaps trailing the vampire at work wasn’t the best strategy. Leaving him alone to finish his shift, she found that young dying woman on the hospice unit. Ava stayed invisible and paced around the hospital bed, deep in thought.
How had that vampire known she was watching him? She had done her research when she first discovered Dr. O’Brian—Fin—was a vampire. She read every book in Sojourn and every book in the human world too. She was certain she was safe.
Vampires and angels weren’t supposed to exist together. They could function in the same world, but only interacted through humans. Then, Fin didn’t exactly fit with what she’d read about vampires. Not only didn’t she expect his skill when caring for patients at the hospital, but his kindness and empathy shocked her. There was no way he was one of those monsters she’d read about. Vampires had no regard for human life, drinking until they were full and sometimes unable to stop.
Ava stopped when the sleeping woman moaned and clenched her jaw. She had to do something, not only to prove herself to Fin, but because she was now aware of the situation. As a Fourth Order Angel, her powers were limited.
Contrary to human belief, angels couldn’t cure a fatal disease. They could only intervene in preventable deaths. They could make a tumor stand out more on x-rays, guide someone down a different path, or give them the willpower to stop smoking. Nothing more. They couldn’t predict the future, well, most of them couldn’t. She had heard about a few humans with premonitions that became angels with strong psychic abilities. Being pulled in a thousand directions to change fate drove all of them mad. She was glad her special power was simple—the ability to detect lies.
Without a doubt, this woman was dying, and she was close. Ava felt the pull of her essence, like a magnet, meant to call the Angel of Death. The woman’s sweat-soaked brown hair contrasted with the crisp white pillow.
Ava squatted down to read the name on the large syringe in the IV pump—Gwen. Unable to turn the syringe in her spirit form, she moved around the pump to read the medication—morphine. Despite this painkiller, the woman’s breaths were fast, and she still groaned in pain.
That, Ava could do something about, but she’d need to step out of Sojourn and into the human world. If she was a higher order angel, she wouldn’t need to be so physical. Rule number two of being an angel played in her mind: don’t show yourself to humans. Gwen was sedated, so she should be fine.
Ava checked the hall and ensured nobody was coming. She then disappeared into Gwen’s bathroom and stepped into the human world, knowing the bright lights she threw might disturb the sleeping woman. Softly, she tiptoed across the room.
Laying a steady hand on the woman’s cheek, she watched for a flutter of her eyes, a twitch of her lip, and any signs she was waking up. The woman didn’t stir. For a moment, a memory threatened to escape—a sweaty, pain-filled memory of her sister after she contracted the bubonic plague.
Ava tucked the memory away and closed her eyes, seeking out the tendrils of Gwen’s pain with her mind. There were so many, like red strings of differing sizes, all with a mind of their own. They twisted themselves through Gwen’s body, holding tight. Ava grasped one with her will, and then another, pulling them into herself.
Despite her dampened sense of touch, her body was on fire. She gritted her teeth to prevent from crying out. Her free hand clenched the railing on the bed until her fingers hurt from their own pain. More and more pain flowed into her and her knees buckled. She focused on pulling the strings tight and dispersing them evenly throughout her body to lessen the intensity.
Every nerve ending tingled and felt as if they would cut through her skin with tiny knives. Finally, they became overloaded and stopped transmitting pain.
Ava pried her eyes open to a smile on Gwen’s face. She dropped her hand, but before she could enjoy her work, the door creaked. Ava’s heart jumped—she couldn’t get caught visible in the human world. She turned back towards Gwen, whose eyes slowly opened.
Oh, dang.
In a shimmering flash, Ava stepped back into her world, struggling for breath and intently watching for signs she had been seen. The nurse brought Gwen a new glass of water and wiped some sweat from her forehead. Ava listened closely and ensured there was no talk of angels before transporting herself back to her home in Sojourn.
Completely spent, she collapsed on her bed, shook out the last bit of numbness from her limbs, and fell asleep smiling.
FIN
A day had passed since Fin confronted that angel and there had been no sign of her tonight. Despite not getting any blood, he was calling the evening a win. He stabilized a gunshot wound—being around all that blood and keeping control was a win in itself, diagnosed kidney stones, and admitted two different patients with pneumonia. Without his invisible stalker, he felt free. He should have confronted her the first night he sensed her—hindsight.
Fin’s shift ended and he retreated to the physicians’ lounge, obtaining his bag from his locker. The room’s door squeaked open.
“Dr. O’Brian?”
“Yes.” Fin ran his tongue across his teeth, making sure they appeared human, and then turned around. “Do you need something?”
In one hand, Jane held a plate of dessert, in the other, she fumbled with the stethoscope around her neck. “I didn’t see you get any of the cookies I baked. They were on the break room table all night. I thought I’d bring some down here for you.” She set the plate down, then leaned against the table, directly in front of Fin.
A whiff of human blood overloaded him. Her veins lit up in front of his eyes. He stopped breathing and stumbled away from her, attempting to sedate his beast. He felt his fangs tingle. “That was thoughtful of you. I’ll take them home.”
She stood up and took a few steps towards Fin. The open locker pressed tightly to his back as he pulled away from her. Her heart rate had sped up, her mouth was salivating, and Fin could smell a release of pheromones. They bombarded him, arousing his beast. His eyes wouldn’t leave the pulsating artery of her neck. Oh, the sweetness if he’d just take a little bite. A taste. A little sip. Her warm skin on his lips. The comforting liquid massaging his dry throat—comforting it. Images of biting her throat flashed before his eyes.
Shit. He shoved his beast away. “I need to get home.”
She didn’t back down. “Fin… Do you mind if I call you that? We’ve known each other for a year now. Um… I’ve been trying to get your attention, but you’re always so focused. I thought I’d just come out and ask you.” Her heart was hammering, and now Fin sensed sweat on her palms. She cleared her throat. “I was wondering if you’d get a drink with me after work one day.”
A drink? “I…I can’t.” Fin turned and slammed his locker, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
“Oh… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to intrude. I just thought… Um… I thought you looked at me that way…you know…with interest.”
That way? No, it wasn’t interest. It was thirst.
“If you have a girlfriend already, I apologize. You just keep everything so secretive, I didn’t know.”
“No, it’s not that. I just… It just wouldn’t work.”
She stepped back, straightening her hair and rubbing the back of her neck. He sensed her disappointment.
“You okay?” Fin asked.
She shrugged. “I had to try. You seem so lonely.”
Lonely was an understatement. “I appreciate the attempt. I’m…flattered. You are a great nurse and quite…attractive…but…” Fin forced a tight-lipped smile, hiding his fangs. “I do need to run. I don’t date anyone I work with. I’m sorry.” Fin headed for the door, smelling her pheromones turn from lust to determination.
“Dr. O’Brian…wait.” Jane handed him the plate of cookies. “I hope you enjoy them. They’re coconut.” An eye-bat. He had been picking up on those for months now. It always took the new nurses a while to realize he was off-limits—even then, sometimes, it didn’t work.
“Thank you.” Fin rushed out and into the waiting room. He focused on the humans, listening for a moment. There. A rumbling stomach. It was a man with tattered clothes. Fin glided over to him and squatted down. “Do you like coconut cookies?” he asked.
The man nodded. A bag of things sat beside him. Definitely homeless. Probably staying inside the ER to keep out of the rain.
Suddenly, every muscle in Fin’s body tensed and felt like they were on fire. The hair on his arms raised and his guts, even empty, churned. He twisted towards the department’s entrance. In walked a too-beautiful female. A vampire. Fin knew it without a doubt.
Fin pushed the cookies into the man’s hands. “Enjoy.” His fangs tingled and grew. He didn’t wait for a thank you, just rushed back into the department towards the employee exit. Why had a vampire come to his work? That had never happened before. There was no reason for vampires to be in the hospital—other than to find Fin.
The only thing different in his life was that angel.
Coincidence?
Fin clenched his fists and couldn’t will his heart to slow.
What had that angel done?
* * * * *
I really want to read your Angels of Sojourn books, but I really, seriouslyk loathe my kindle app for iPhone. Is there any chance they’ll be available in iBooks anytime soon?
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Sarah, send me your email address through my contact me page and I can gift you copies of the stories you’d like through indtafreebie. (Or email you an ePub.)
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Will you be writing anymore about Fin and Ava???? 😍
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Have you read Fur & Feathers yet? Fin & Ava make an appearance there. They will also be in Book 3, where Lily is the main character.
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Please where can I find a copy of your Unleashed box set as Amazon says it was limited and wont sell any paperbacks or kindle additions thank you so much.
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Unleashed just went out of print. If you email me at joynells@gmail.com, id be happy to send you my story in that anthology for free. thanks for reaching out!
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