Immense grief causes demigod Calli to do the unthinkable and use her powers to erase herself from the memories of her beloved Henrik. Calli rebuilds herself and her crew, only to be reunited with Henrick by order of the crown to stop Perseus and his accomplices before it’s too late. As remnants of their passion haunt their voyage, will their wounded hearts find their way back to each other, or will past choices stand in their way? Readers who love pirate adventures and Greek mythology with forced proximity and second-chance romances will want to devour Dana Claire’s new Young Adult Novel, War of the Mind.
Blurb
His sacrifice could save humanity. Her revenge could turn it to stone.
When immense grief turns demigod Calli Bordeaux’s heart to vengeance, she does the unthinkable. Using her powers, she erases herself from the memories of her beloved, Henrik, so that he cannot join her hunt for the notorious pirate Captain Fredrick, Henrik’s savage father. Shattered, Calli rebuilds herself and the crew of her parent’s ship to vanquish her enemy, only to discover a piece of Henrik came with her after all.
Unaware that he lost the greatest love of his life, former pirate turned royal guard, Henrik, sets out with Cava’s navy to find a woman the gods forsook and the humans fear. Medusa. Her latest rampage of stony destruction is not mindless slaughter but self-preservation from pirate assassins. The demi-god Perseus has put a bounty on her severed head, seeking the power it possesses to slowly slaughter mankind.
United by order of the crown, Calli and Henrik must stop Perseus and his pirate accomplices before it’s too late. Echoes of their past passion haunt their voyage, tipping them into turmoil when humanity needs them most. Can their wounded hearts find their way back to each other in time? Or will the barriers constructed by past choices stand in the way as the world around them turns to stone?
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Excerpt
Copyright 2024 Dana Claire
My head snapped up. Hope fisted my heart. “My parents? You spoke to them? What did they—”
“I thought The Freedom was pursuing Captain Fredrick and The Black Hollow,” Henrik interrupted. He took the book from my grasp and thrust it into Savina’s beckoning fingers.
“No. I haven’t spoken to them.” Savina addressed me before returning her gaze to Henrik. “And yes. They were following your father—or they are.” Savina gripped the sides of the ledger, her knuckles whitening. “We don’t know any more than that. Captain Fredrick’s ship and Medusa were seen in Sottom at the same time. We think there is a connection. We thought The Freedom was trailing them, but we lost contact. I don’t know where either ship or Medusa is now. That’s why I’m waiting for Conleth to return with news.”
My arms trembled. Where in the underworld had my parents gone?
Savina pointed to the wingback chairs next to a pair of end tables. “Sit.”
Henrik guided me across the room. His calluses scratched the threads of my blouse as he coaxed me down with gentle pressure on my shoulders. My knees wobbled, and I flopped into the seat.
“Is that why Captain Niles took interest?” Henrik asked. “He has stacks of Jacarian maps marked up with circles around mountain sides and x’s laid in front of cave entrances.” He arched an eyebrow. “What is he looking for?”
Savina looked down at the leather-bound book, then back up to Henrik. “Is that where these came from?” Her voice built like a thunderclap, lifting her half out of her seat. “Did you two board The Serpent’s Snare by yourselves and steal this?”
Before Henrik or I could confirm or deny, the king’s voice boomed behind us. “Savina, are you in there?”
The door swung open. I twisted, and the look of raw devastation marring Conleth’s face spurred me to my feet. His black hair stood on end as if he’d been pulling it. Creases of worry marred his lips. Behind him, my great-uncle Hermes scoured the room like a man who’d wandered away from a shipwreck, brown eyes red-rimmed. I’d never seen either man cry. Not much could break them, but I knew the sort of bereavement that painted the windows to their soul’s crimson would sever my heart as well.
“Oh, my gods. What happened?” Savina rounded the desk, stopping before her husband. “Tell me, Conleth. Who’s dead?”
The second she asked, I knew. Their missing ship, my uncles’ dried tears, the silence. I dropped to my knees, a sob wracking my chest.
“No, no, no.” Impossible. My father was a demi-god born from Apollo and Calliope with the power to heal and bring men to their knees with his song; my mother, Lou, the fierce captain of the first all-female-crewed pirate ship, The Freedom. Together, they’d navigated the seas with the greatest warriors and battled amidst the waves like gods. Poseidon’s kingdom was their domain. No enemy could thwart them there.
“Cal?” Henrik called out, but Conleth quickly moved in front of him, blocking his path to me.
Hermes ignored everyone else. With an ease only my great-uncle possessed, he walked over and knelt to cradle my head in his hands.
I fought his embrace as my chest threatened to collapse and crush my heart. I refused to believe they were gone.
“Let me go!” Henrik shouted at Conleth, but I didn’t dare look at him.
“I’m so sorry,” my uncle whispered.
“My parents are dead. Are you sure?”
Hermes’s nod tore a sob from Savina. He rubbed his thumbs under my eyes, catching the droplets on his skin. Uncontrollable tears gushed like a river that escaped its bed.
I swallowed the giant knot that had twisted in my throat. “I don’t believe you. It can’t be.” My father grew up with sirens. He swam with them. His peers called him the Emperor of the Sea for a reason. How could he possibly die on the water? And my mother. She embodied the tides, the very salt-water air she breathed. How could she just be gone?
“It’s true.” My uncle reached for me.
I shook my head. None of this made sense. “My brother?” Adelphi had been on The Freedom as well. My parents would never let someone steal his soul away to the underworld. Not if they could help it.
“Also gone.” Hermes dropped his arms.
A burning fury surged through me, scorching my grief down to hot embers. “Who killed my family?”
My uncle looked away for the first time, his almond-shaped eyes darting over my head. Without meeting my gaze, he breathed, “Captain Fredrick of The Black Hollow.”
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About Dana Claire
Dana Claire is an award-winning author whose stories explore identity, fate, and destiny at the crossroads of romance and adventure. Her love of romantic tension, the supernatural, and non- stop action has elicited positive feedback from many readers, as their online reviews reveal her flair for spine-tingling action and unforgettable characters. Dana is now sharing her stories through speaking events and book signings, introducing more readers to the worlds she created. She lives in Los Angeles, CA with her adoring husband living her dreams: writing books, telling stories, and changing the world, one reader at a time.
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