Lightning Strikes Twice: Book One of the Benevolen (Volume 1)

When a sword-swinging ghost tries to kill Jason and Rayn, they realize their efforts to help good people have come to the attention of some serious evil. The main characters troubleshoot for the benevolen, good people of all self-aware species. They've become increasingly effective, so the forces of evil hire an assassin to stop them. They use their wits, swords, and elemental magic to fight, and their love gives them strength until the killer uses it against them. When the killer and his hired squads target their friends and families, everyone must stand together to try to end the killer, permanently. Thrilling battles, samurai duels, and electrifying magic lead to a tragic sacrifice. Set in modern Asheville, NC where most magic occurs just out of sight, this full-length urban fantasy novel sets the record straight about what really happened to Jason, Rayn, and their friends.

"The lightning bolt blasted towards the assassin, who ducked behind the rocks. But he'd fired off his own magic, a chunk of raw darkness that glistened like obsidian."

 "[Jason] blushed, and hesitated. Suzie had personally seen him step up to meet things that terrified her, but she'd never seen him hesitate. After a moment, he slowly got out, one phrase at a time, 'For Rayn. Betrothal. Something with a protection spell.'"

 "Finally, on the third day, Rayn changed the beacon to her own voice, promising to stay in the river until she drowned or lost strength and was swept over the falls and was crushed. Or the sprite could just listen to her for five minutes, and if the hermit honestly decided not to help, Rayn would leave. By land."