Well, the people over at Cuddlebuggery pulled a hat out of the rabbit when they got author Leigh Bardugo to treat us with two teasers from the upcoming ‘Shadow and Bone’ sequel, ‘Siege and Storm!’  Not only that, but they have another treat for the fans as well, which you can find after the jump. 

Siege and Storm, the sequel to Shadow and Bone, will be released on June 4, 2013. To tide you over, I present two teasers: one for Mal fans and another for the Darkling’s darlings.

Teaser 1

As we pushed off from the fountain, one of the washerwomen leaned forward.

“If you ever get tired of skin and bones,” she called to Mal, “I’ve got something to tempt you.”

I stiffened. Mal glanced over his shoulder. Slowly, he looked her up and down. “No,” he said flatly. “You don’t.”

The girl’s face flushed an ugly red as the others jeered and cackled, splashing her with water. I tried for a haughtily arched brow, but it was hard to restrain the goofy grin pulling at the corners of my mouth.

“Thanks,” I mumbled as we crossed the square, heading toward our boardinghouse.

“For what?”

I rolled my eyes. “For defending my honor, you dullard.”

He yanked me beneath a shadowed awning. I had a moment’s panic when I thought he’d spotted trouble, but then his arms were around me and his lips were pressed to mine.

When he finally drew back, my cheeks were warm and my legs had gone wobbly.

“Just to be clear,” he said, “I’m not really interested in defending your honor.”

“Understood,” I managed, hoping I didn’t sound too ridiculously breathless.

Teaser 2

Ivan bowed and darted from the room, closing the door behind him.
“He can’t wait to get away from you,” I said, hovering by the door. “He’s afraid of what you’ve become. They all are.”

“Do you fear me, Alina?”

“That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

The Darkling shrugged. “Fear is a powerful ally,” he said. “And loyal.”

He was watching me in that cold, assessing way that made me feel as if he were reading me like words on a page, his fingers moving over the text, gleaning some secret knowledge that I could only guess at. I tried not to fidget, but the irons at my wrists chafed.

“I’d like to free you,” he said quietly.

“Free me, flay me. So many options.” I could still feel the press of his knife at my cheek.

He sighed. “It was a threat, Alina. It accomplished what it needed to.”

“So you wouldn’t have cut me?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Wow, I’m counting the days when I get my hands on this book.  I definitely will have to keep myself busy so I don’t drive myself insane with anxiety.  Plus, here’s the other thing that Cuddlebuggery is doing:

Aaaand, I’m giving away a big ol’ prize pack that includes swag and a signed ARC of Siege and Storm.

Head on over to Cuddlebuggery Book Blog to enter!