Influencers are the voices that whisper in our ears. Tiny Angels and Devils sitting on our shoulders and guiding our choices. They are sworn to thwart the other. It is their duty.

Or so they thought…

Nothing is as it seems and questions are piling up. Do Kale and Ariel have the strength to face the truth? Will Tony and Landon be forced to choose a side? Can Soleil break through to Kemuel? Three tales, three choices: Light. Dark. Or the shades of gray between.

Which one will win?

Influenced is a sweet romance fantasy short story collection about the angels and devils who sit on our shoulders and whisper in our ears.

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Coming August 2020

EXCERPT

Influence of Love
James Arnold didn’t blink an eye when the minuscule woman appeared out of thin air with a loud pop. He ignored her as she hovered in the air a moment, smoothing her white dress and wings. She combed her slender fingers through her golden hair. She perched on his shoulder and whispered in his ear. He ignored it as if he didn’t even know she was there.

But that was the truth. He didn’t know she existed. She was nothing more than a tiny, invisible, angelic figure perched on his left shoulder, offering guidance that would lead him to the Light. And if he knew she was there, would he mind?

“I would.”

The voice came from James’ other shoulder, a rich tenor—the opposite of her soprano voice. She wrinkled her button nose as her opposite flitted in front of James’ face, purposely smacking the mortal on the nose in the process before landing next to her. James gave no sign he felt the blow, but she felt a bolt of irritation.

“Kale, we are not to disturb the mortal.”

Kale grinned impishly. His brown eyes sparkled under a mess of reddish-brown hair. Sticking out of the mop were two small, red horns. “Oh, come on, Ariel. It’s not like he notices. We could do the waltz in front of his face and he wouldn’t see.” He grabbed her by the waist and spun her in front of James’ face.

The world swam around Ariel and she struggled to free herself. Acidic thoughts not befitting an angel churned in her head. She leveled an icy glare at Kale but didn’t speak. Instead, she reined her emotions in and returned to her spot on James’ shoulder. Kale followed, still grinning.

“You’re impossible.” She sighed.

“Impossible?” He feigned hurt. “I think interesting is a more fitting term.”

Ariel snorted and focused on James who had started to rise from his chair but had stopped, as if unsure what to do next. She laid a hand on James’ ear and leaned in to whisper guidance. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kale take note. Before she could think to delay him, he bolted to his side. Feeling James’ decision waver, she spoke quickly, hoping and praying the mortal would heed her words and not whatever mischief Kale sought to lure James towards darkness with.

Balance of Love
Tony dubbed herself the black sheep of Light Influencers. She prided herself on going against the grain. While her brothers and sisters were blond-haired and blue-eyed, she opted for short black hair and brown eyes. They wore white robes. She chose black pants and shirts. She lined her eyes in black and painted her nails black. They displayed their wings proudly. She kept hers tucked under her shirt with only the tips showing. When they gathered, she stood out like a sore thumb.

But no one batted an eye at her. Even the angels never commented on Tony’s appearance. Couldn’t they be a little upset? Show some outrage when she tried to ditch her golden halo? The damn thing refused to leave the space over her head unlike some of her other siblings who were able to make the halo come and go at will.

What your language, Tony, she would be chided before her siblings returned to ignoring her. They were waiting for the angels to send them to the mortal world so they could do their part in the war between the angels and the demons. It was the only thing that mattered to them.

Their devotion rubbed Tony raw. Whispering into a mortal’s ear had yet to win any battles. The mortals weren’t even aware of the war. It was hidden from them. And even if they could see, would they believe it? Tony doubted it. If anything, they’d think it was faked. Even God’s true believers were skeptics.

Pointless bullshit.

“Antonia.”

Tony grimaced. Crap, she swore out loud.

White light wrapped around her and her siblings vanished. It glowed so brightly that her eyes watered. She squinted, looking for the angel who would scold her for her potty mouth.

A masculine voice sighed. “As vexing as it is that you will not watch your tongue, that is not why I have called you.”

Tony opened one eye.

The light was gone. An angel sat under a lone tree in a field of grass. Like the Influencers, he wore white and had golden blond hair. A scowl marred his flawless face.

Tony looped her thumbs in her belt loops. “Oh. What do you want then?”

“It’s your time. You must go to battle.”

A scoff rose up Tony’s throat and burst free.

The scowl deepened. “You undermine your importance. Each one of us has a part to play if we are to win the battle.”

“Yeah, sure. Me whispering in a mortal’s ear is going to do sooooo much.” Tony rolled her eyes. She folded her arms. “This is so Goddamn—””
“Silence!”

Thunder split the air. Electricity jolted through Tony and threw her to the ground. She curled up, protecting her head with her arms. The angel towered over her.

“You will do your duty so we can win this war and banish darkness from the world.”

The light swallowed her surroundings again and Tony plummeted down. Her arms flailed as she fell. The wind roared in her ears. After a few, moments, her decent slowed until she was floating as gently as a feather.

She appeared in a bedroom with a sharp pop. Clothing was scattered on the floor, and books were piled on a shelf. A laptop sat on a desk in the corner. The screen showed two animated people in fighting stances.

On the unkempt bed, a mortal boy sat. He looked no more than seventeen. A guitar was cradled in his lap. His long fingers danced over the strings. Headphones covered his ears, but the music was so loud Tony understood the words.

The mortal, Jimmy—Tony knew his name instinctively, along with every detail about his life—looked too old to just now be getting an Influencer. Usually, Influencers were assigned to a mortal when they were around ten years of age. The Influencer spent as long as it took to sway the mortal toward Light. Sometimes, it took only a few years. Other times, decades.

Tony groaned at the idea of spending years on this mortal’s shoulder.

Seriously, what did it accomplish?

“Excuse me.”

Tony’s head whipped toward Jimmy. But the teenager was looking at his phone now, unaware of the small being perched on his shoulder.
“Excuse me.” The voice, Tony realized, came from Jimmy’s other shoulder.

Tony blinked. What could her opposite want with her? They were rivals. Their sole purpose was to thwart each other and ensure their side secured the mortal’s soul in this stupid war. This Dark Influencer couldn’t possibly have anything to discuss with Tony.

Curiosity prompted Tony to float to Jimmy’s other shoulder. As the Dark Influencer came into view, Tony ground to a halt. Her breath caught.
Platinum blonde hair was spiked up and the red horns were barely visible. His skin was pale, rivaling Tony’s fair complexion. Eyes bluer than any angel Tony had ever seen watched her. A polite smile tipped full lips.

“Hello, I’m Landon.” The Dark Influencer held out his hand.

Tony hesitated a moment then shook Landon’s hand. “Tony.” She took her hand back quickly. “What do you want?”

Landon chuckled briefly. “To say hello.” His gaze raked up and down Tony. One eyebrow rose. “I have to admit, you’re not what I was expecting.”
Tony shoved her hands into her pockets. She threw a glower at the Dark Influencer. “Sorry to disappoint.”

“I’m not disappointed.”

Tony’s heart fluttered and her knees trembled. She kept her voice indifferent. “Wish I could say the same about you.”

What was she saying? Landon was nothing like the angels said the Dark Influencers were. They were dark and brooding. Kind of like Tony. But unlike her, they sported red horns and tails. She peeked at Landon.

A devil’s tails swished back and forth behind him.

“My eyes are up here.”

Tony snapped her gaze away. She stuck out her lower lip and folded her arms. “Whatever.” She shot a glare at Landon who grinned back. Might as well play along. He was only talking to her to throw her off, trying to distract her from what he probably believed was an important duty. “You won’t win. Darkness will never win.”

“Is that so, Tony?” The name rolled off Landon’s tongue and made Tony’s knees shake. He stepped closer to Tony. Again, he raked Tony with his eyes. Heat flushed up Tony’s neck. “May the best Influencer win.”

Revelation of Love
​ Kemuel rushed through the ornate white and gold doors. An open field littered with small, white flowers spread out before him. In the center, figures were gathered under a large tree with bright green leaves. Each person was dressed in white. Their hair was blond and they had fair skin. Their voiced drifted on the breeze like music. When they noticed Kemuel, silence fell over the field like a blanket.

A woman broke from the group. Worry creased her forehead and shimmered in her blue eyes. “Please tell me you have good news, Kem.”

The weight of the situation sat heavily on Kemuel. He sighed. “I’m afraid not, Maria. Another Influencer has vanished.”

The other angels murmured nervously.

Kemuel understood their anxiety. For eons, the war between angels and demons had waged. Most battles ended in a stalemate with both sides retreating. Dissent spread among the angels. Some dared to ask if the fighting was needed.

Just let the demons live in the Dark.

Ignore them.

Irritation glowed through Kemuel. He clenched his fists. Did they forget the dangers Darkness presented? Souls were at stake. The angels needed to win.

But how?

No one had any suggestions or ideas. Finally, they consulted the Creator.

How do we win?

The answer was brief: Look to the mortals’ souls.

After much debate about what the Creator meant, the angels decided to send others down. But no one wanted to go into the mortal world. Their power waned there and they became weaker. Kemuel couldn’t remember who suggested it, but they took a shard of their souls and crafted a new being. They sent the angel down to guide the mortal and win the soul for Light.

Maria chewed on her lip. “And what of the mortal’s soul? Has Dark claimed it?”

Kemuel’s muscles loosened a fraction. “No.”

After the angels had sent the newly created Influencers to the mortal world, the demons did the same. Now, the battle waged on two planes. Each side collected souls with the hope that the right one will be the key to winning.

“But,” Kemuel continued. “We do not have the soul either.” He pursed his lips to the side. “It’s as if it is stuck. I can not draw it to the Light.”
“What do we do? How will we drive back the Dark? We must win the war if we hope to save the mortals!” the angels clamored.

“Silence, my brothers and sisters.” Maria drew a breath and stood tall. “Despair will only work to the Dark’s advantage. We must remain strong.”
“But we can’t sit around and do nothing,” Kemuel pointed out.

Maria tilted her head, her blue eyes boring into him. “And what do you suggest we do?”

Kemuel looked at his siblings. Unease twisted through him like a vice. The plan he had meant giving up all he knew. But he could think of no other option and he was willing to take that burden. He cleared his throat. “I will go to the mortal world, find out what is happening to our Influencers and stop the Dark from claiming souls.”

His siblings gasped, clasping their hands to their mouths.

Maria’s pale skin turned white as her garment. She gulped. “Kem,” she said softly, “do you understand what you are asking? It may take decades for you to solve this mystery. Each day you spend in the mortal world, your power will wane until you are as weak as an Influencer.”

Unease gripped Kemuel, but he refused to let it show. He puffed out his chest. “I have been battling the Dark for eons and I am willing to do whatever it takes to beat them.”

Tears pooled in Maria’s eyes. She nodded. Her voice shook. “Then it will be done.” She motioned to the other angels.

They moved aside so he could approach the tree. The leaves rustled in the breeze. Faces were etched on each leaf. Kemuel examined them. A smiling face drew his attention. The woman on the leaf was laughing, the skin around the corners of her eyes crinkling.

A voice whispered in Kemuel’s head, Go. Find the truth hidden between Light and Dark.

“I will. I will take this Influencer’s place and reveal the path.” Kemul looked at the gathered angels. “I will find the answer to win the war.” He plucked the leaf free. “I will take this Influencer’s place and find the truth.”

Light glowed around Kemuel and washed his siblings out. The ground vanished from beneath his feet. He fell through the light, the wind whistling in his ears. Soon, his descent slowed. He landed on a soft surface and his world came into focus with an audible pop. Kemuel glanced around.

He stood on the mortal’s shoulder in a living room. The mortal’s focus was on the large TV. A bowl of popcorn sat on her blanket-covered lap. Tears slipped down her cheeks. This was her favorite movie. It always moved her no matter how many times she watched it. The information filled Kemuel’s mind along with other details of the mortal’s life.

Name: Penny
Age: Forty-five
Occupation: Receptionist at Taquahmenon Cancer Clinic
Favorite color: Lilac
Favorite food: Chicken carbonara
Preferred pet: Cat but she discovered she was allergic.
She had known her best friend, Danie, since they were four.
As of right now, her love life was in the dumps and she wasn’t sure if she could save it.

Kemuel processed the information. He would use it when searching for the truth about why mortal souls were vanishing from the angels’ sights. If it was a ploy by the Dark, then he--

“Cammy! Check it out. What do you think of pink?”

A woman flitted around the back of Penny’s head. She was petite with short hair the color of cotton candy. She wore a pair of black leggings with designs cut up the sides. Her tight-fitting shirt was the same color as her hair. Red horns poked out from the brightly-colored locks. A tail wrapped around her waist like a belt. She ground to a halt when she saw Kemuel.

“Where is Cammy?” She glanced around.

Kemuel drew himself up and glared at the Dark Influencer. “And why do you wish to know where Cameron is, Demon?”

The Dark Influencer recoiled. “I-we-I-uh...” Her mouth flapped open and closed. She screwed up her face, her button-like nose crinkling. “Cammy kept teasing me about how emo I looked. I was hoping to surprise him.”

Kemuel narrowed his eyes. “Emo? What is that, Demon?”

Red filled the Dark Influencer’s cheeks. “I have a name! Soleil.”

Now, Kemuel’s mouth dropped open. “Soleil?” he repeated. That was French for sun. Why would a Dark Influencer be named after something light?
Soleil folded her arms. One hip jutted out. “You gotta a problem with that, Little Angel?” A smirk lifted her red lips.

Kemuel’s disbelief was swept away by a surge of anger. He bristled. Power expanded from him.

Soleil’s smile vanished.

Kemuel didn’t hold his power back. He let it swell through him. Electricity crackled like lightning. It lifted him until he hovered above the Dark Influencer. His voice echoed. “Mark my words, Demon. You will be defeated. Dark will never prevail over Light.”
​
He released a burst of energy. It threw Soleil against the side of Penny’s head. Her face contorted with pain and she wheezed. Kemuel drew more power and cocked his arm back. Soleil’s eyes widened. She scrambled to her feet and raced away. Kemuel smiled grimly. The shoulder he stood on shook as Penny shivered.