by Jacey Ward
A look of surprise flashed over Shay’s face and she laughed.
“I completely forgot,” she chuckled. “No, that’s perfect. I’m actually starving.”
Coy wrapped her in his strong arms and pulled her close.
“You’ve been running yourself ragged with this investigation,” he sighed. “Maybe following the money isn’t panning out the way we’d hoped.”
“It’s only been three months, babe,” Shay insisted. “This faction has been at it for at least forty years. No one can cover their tracks financially for that long. Trust me. It always resurfaces somewhere. And I’m going to find it.”
“I don’t know if I love that you’re so on board with this plan,” Coy murmured in her ear. “I feel like there’s still time to keep you out of this completely.”
Shay jerked her head back, her dark eyes flashing with indignation.
“Oculus has been pulling every string of my life since the day I was born. I deserve answers, Coy. And I deserve to confront them.”
She knew that she wasn’t alone in her quest to overcome the shroud of Oculus. Coy had given up his illegal hacking enterprises to focus on gathering the information that would be essential for their plan. Between him and his cousins, they had created quite the dossier on those who stood to gain by Oculus’ work.
Of course, some of Coy’s clients hadn’t been happy about being brushed off and some nights, her lover’s phone didn’t stop ringing off the hook—someone named Cosmo Halstead was like a petulant toddler who couldn’t have his toy.
“It’s going to get very messy,” Coy warned her but it wasn’t the first time she’d heard the words.
“That’s why we need to go at them with every piece of evidence we have. We need to know as much as we can before we blow the lid off this thing and force them out of the shadows—force them all out of the shadows.”
“I admire your courage, babe,” Coy sighed, kissing the top of her head. “We’re in for the wildest ride yet.”
Shay stared at him for a long moment, a knowing smile forming on her lips.
“Maybe even wilder than you might expect,” she said enigmatically and he returned her gaze pensively.
“How do you mean?”
“This probably isn’t the best time to bring it up,” she chuckled. “But you’re going to find out sooner or later.”
She saw a fission of alarm spark in his eyes.
“What happened? Did your father say something else? What’s going on?” he demanded, his protectiveness almost palpable, but Shay only laughed.
“This is a good thing,” she promised him. “For once.”
He arched an eyebrow, his face relaxing slightly.
“In that case, I’m all ears,” he replied. “Tell me.”
She gathered his hands and led him into the kitchen, sitting him at the counter before saying another word.
“We’ve both been distracted lately,” she said, meeting his eyes warmly. “So I don’t blame you for not noticing.”
He blinked in confusion.
“Noticing what?” he demanded.
“Well, that I’m – pregnant,” she replied quickly.
She had looked away as she dropped the bombshell, but at the sound of his quickly indrawn breath, she couldn’t stop herself from glancing back to his face. Shay watched the flux of emotions cross over his face as he tried to make sense of what she’d just said. But number one amongst them was worry for her. Relief flooded her.
Seeing that, Shay knew that everything was going to be okay for them.
“Y-you’re going to have a baby?” he choked and Shay pressed her hands to his face.
“It’s going to be fine,” she promised him quietly. “Our children are going to be safe from this madness by the time they’re born.”
Determination hardened Coy’s jaw and he grabbed her hand, kissing it firmly.
“You’re damned right he is,” he growled. “He’s going to grow up without the dark cloud of Oculus hanging over his head.”
“Or her head,” Shay teased, trying to keep her voice light.
“Jesus Christ, Shay, you need to drop everything you’re doing now,” he sighed. “We need to bring you somewhere safe until the baby’s born.”
She shook her head.
“Absolutely not,” she retorted. “I’m just as involved in this as the rest of the family. We all have our part to play and I’m close to uncovering the financial trail to Oculus. There’s no way I’m giving up on it now.”
“But what if—”
“But nothing. Your mother and your aunts all had children under the same circumstances. And they knew even less than we do now.”
Coy swallowed the protests rising in his throat and instead placed a soft kiss on Shay’s lips, as if to dispel all the arguments he wanted to raise.
When they parted, she met his eyes evenly and grinned.
“Are you still taking us out for that dinner you promised? I don’t know about you, but the three of us are absolutely famished,” she told him, watching his reaction out of the corner of her eye. Coy’s mouth gaped in shock.
“Three?” he echoed. “You’re…”
“Having twins, yes.”
“Jesus,” he muttered again, as if he couldn’t wrap his mind around everything he was hearing. Suddenly, a huge beam broke out over his face and he scooped Shay up in his arms, raining kisses all over her face and neck.
“It’s going to be hard, Coy,” she hesitated, suddenly looking very unsure of herself. Immediately, Coy knew what was going on in her head.
“You are going to be a wonderful mother, love. Do not doubt yourself. You are the most caring, nurturing person I know. Our children are going to be so blessed.”
He kissed her thoroughly then, pouring every ounce of love of confidence he had in her into the connection. He could feel their bond strengthening, the mystical ties that bound them together securing them forever.
“Holy, fuck, Shay…I’m going to be a dad!” he shouted so loudly she cringed, but laughter escaped her lips.
“There’s the response I was looking for,” she told him gently, and he lowered her back to the chair gently, moving a stray wisp of hair from her face.
“Yeah,” he conceded. “That’s the response you deserved. And I swear to you right here, Shay, that I’m not going to let Oculus ruin this event.”
“That’s the spirit,” she chuckled. “After all, you’re the one who said we can’t let them dictate how we live our lives.”
“And we won’t have to,” Coy replied. “Because if you think that I wanted them taken down before, now I want the bastards burned into the ground.
“And something is coming, Shay. Something big. I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but I do know that the family will have to stick together to defeat it. Every one of us. From Grandfather, to my father and his brothers, and most of all, my generation, with Audrey, and Roan, and me. We’re still discovering new powers, new abilities all the time. Maybe when we finally start working together, we’ll be even more powerful than we ever realized before.
“Holy shit, maybe we could perform that mind-fusion thing ourselves, and control it ourselves. Maybe we were meant to work together…” he trailed off as the possibilities flowed through him, excitement lighting up his features as he started to process all the things his family needed to start working on.
A feeling of warmth and security flowed through Shay’s body and she melted into Coy’s strong arms.
We’re coming for you, Oculus. This has gone on long enough.
Don’t miss the long-awaited series finale, coming June 2019!
The entire family, all three generations of power-holders, come together to go up against Oculus - once and for all.
The Family
The 1st Generation
Drake
The 2nd Generation
Ryder & Paige (Hard Instincts)
Xavier & Danica (Hard Time)
Xander & Ashtyn (Hard Wired
)
Aiden & Sage (Hard Limit)
The 3rd Generation
Audrey & Jameson (Harder Than Stone)
Roan & Kimberly (Harder Than Steel)
Coy & Shay (Harder Than Diamond)
CHLOE FISCHER & JACEY WARD
Check out the first two books in the HARDER Series by Jacey Ward and Chloe Fischer!
Book 1 HARDER THAN STONE
Book 2 HARDER THAN STEEL
You’ll also want to read the first generation ‘HARD’ series by these two award-winning authors.
A soldier, an assassin, a thief, and…an accountant.
Four brothers, separated at birth, threatened by the organization that gave them their superpowers.
They grew up not knowing about each other, or how to handle their secret abilities.
Each brother finds a woman that can complete them, and even make them stronger. Now they have to fight to keep these women at their sides.
Ryder (the soldier), Xavier (the thief), Xander (the assassin), and Aiden…the holder of the baddest superpower of all.
Will the brothers be able to put their distrust behind them, hold onto their women, and defeat Oculus too?
The Revenge Collection, by Chloe Fischer
Three ruthless billionaires turned rebels
Is there anything better than revenge?
Luke, Remy, and Damien.
Three merciless, rich men,
who are willing to sacrifice everything to get what they want –
Whether that’s a woman…or revenge,
…or both.
BY JACEY WARD
In the Immortal Deviants world, mythical and mysterious beings co-exist with humans – and the humans never even know it…hopefully.
But never forget Rule #1: Humans and Deviants never mix.
Although ‘never’ is a strong word…
And rules are made to be broken…
Ruthless demon lord vs. a talented sorceress thief…
Possessive dark demon vs. a mysterious Valkyrie supermodel…
Scorching hot vampire vs. the most powerful creature of all…
PREVIEW OF DEMON TAKES ALL
Prologue -Three Years Ago
“I believe that drink is mine.”
Arya turned her head toward the voice, baring her brilliant white teeth menacingly. And just like that, she was prepared for battle. It wouldn’t be the first tussle she had encountered in the past four hours and it most likely would not be the last. The Strip was not a place for the weak; which is why the mortals stayed far away.
Another fight that night meant nothing to her. And her friend Circe was always in the mood to kick some immortal ass. Valkyries were definitely more bloodthirsty than sorceresses, but Arya never backed down from a fight. People often under-estimated her because of her lithe build. But she knew that having the skill was more important than braun any day of the week.
But the expression froze on her lips as she found herself lost in a set of prism-like eyes of violet, green and blue, blending together in mirage swirl. They continued to move as she watched him and it suddenly seemed the pulsating vibes of the club melted around her, leaving only her and the stranger who was still gripping her wrist.
“No, it isn’t,” Arya replied slowly, her words seeming to lose their bite as she spoke them, her unusually slow heartrate picking up as they stared at one another. “It’s mine.”
She refrained from adding her usual scathing comment to the assertion, as if something was holding her back.
Maybe my libido? she thought with an internal eyeroll.
But it wasn’t just the ethereal eyes. In her world, supernatural features were a dime a dozen, after all. That was precisely why she and Circe had chosen to hang out on the Strip that night; to be around their own. That meant dazzling eyes, unrealistically beautiful features, and mystic auras were commonplace.
Almost all “genetically challenged”, or should we say “ugly” immortals, had the ability to change their appearance. Those who were ugly but didn’t possess the camouflaging skill usually lived belowground.
Her and Circe were naturally beautiful, and damn thankful for it. But immortals could usually see through another’s glamour – or at least detect that there was a ‘false front’ on the shop window, so to speak. Arya was immediately hit with this guy’s real self. And it was breathtaking.
It wasn’t simply the eldritch manner about him, nor the way he appeared almost fully human with a naturally tousled mass of chestnut waves framing his regal cheekbones. It wasn’t only his strong jawline and full mouth which seemed to monopolize her gaze. It wasn’t just that he was towering over her, his broad shoulders blocking the view of all behind him.
There was something else, something elusive and commanding, something that Arya wanted to possess – or be possessed by.
She felt combative suddenly, maybe because her body’s attraction to the guy pissed her off. She never allowed her hormones to make decisions for her, but at that moment, they were pulling out all the stops and performing cartwheels to invite the stranger right on in! So she pulled the drink toward her and took a defiant gulp.
His tight smile seemed to broaden slightly, his eyes boring into hers beneath the flashing lights of the seedy club, as if amused that she had challenged him.
Careful, Circe called to her silently, her tone fraught with alarm. He’s a demon.
Of course, Arya had already known that. She wasn’t a fool, nor was she new to the scene. A demon presence would not bode well for any of them if she managed to piss him off – and the witch on her shoulder thought that she might actually try to do that.
Never a good idea, and she needed to get her attitude under control, like now. Even with Circe close by, a demon could overpower her with a mere look if he wanted. But for some inexplicable reason, Arya simply did not care. His magnetism had taken a hold of her, one which she had never experienced before.
He raised a hand, and for an unsettling moment, she thought he was going to shatter her dreamlike illusion by striking out at her with his power, and thereby leading to a magical mess of chaos. She readied herself, conjuring the darkness inside her on standby. Even though he was undoubtedly stronger, she would not go down without a fight.
She was Arya Ambrose. She bowed down to no one.
But instead of attacking her, he reached across the bar and grabbed another glass, a drink which had been sitting in the spot between her and Circe, untouched.
Her drink.
An unfamiliar emotion shocked Arya’s body as she realized her gaffe, and she gaped at the demon with sheepish eyes.
If he strikes me down right now, I would totally deserve it, she thought, but she wondered what else he could do. Never had she been so interested in demon powers until that moment. It wasn’t as if they ran in the same circles after all.
“My mistake,” he told her, a bemused smirk covering his perfect face, taking a swig of her concoction. Instantly, his face twisted into a scowl of disapproval.
“I don’t remember ordering such a…sweet tasting drink,” he continued, obviously determined to keep up with tormenting her. “This tastes – “
“Girly?” Arya offered and he chuckled.
You’re playing with fire, Arya. Literally, Circe hissed silently, but Arya waved her away as if she was an annoying pixie.
“You should listen to your friend,” the demon told her, leaning in to whisper in her ear and Arya bristled, realizing that he had heard the Valkyrie speak into her mind.
“I can take care of myself,” she replied, turning her head slightly to cast Circe a warning look, green eyes narrowing dangerously.
The goddess returned her gaze, saffron eyes shimmering with intelligence, but she did not speak again.
“Dantalion,” he offered, extending a manicured hand toward her. “My friends call me Dante.”
Arya slipped her hand into his, her small palm seeming to disappear inside his, their gazes locking.
“Arya
Ambrose. My friends don’t call. They text.”
He chuckled at her little joke and Arya was embarrassed at her lame attempt to flirt. It had been a long time since anyone had grabbed her attention, and it had been never since anyone had a hold on her like this.
“This doesn’t seem like your scene,” Dante commented, reluctant to release her hand and Arya didn’t pull it back. The attraction had only intensified on contact and the heady feeling swimming through her body had nothing to do with the Lycan-made drink she had sucked back moments before.
She was captivated by this guy, his movements, the line of his face.
A spark of panic formed in her heart, a glimpse of the future teasing at the edges of her consciousness. But she pushed it away, stopping it from manifesting completely. She was enjoying this encounter with this powerful demon. Nothing else had caught her awareness like this in years. She didn’t want a pall cast on the moment, and a premonition almost always did exactly that. She just wanted to enjoy the moment genuinely and without mythic influences.
“No?” she replied. “So this more your scene then?”
He laughed and it was the most sensual sound Arya had ever heard in all her hundreds of years on the planet. Deep and rumbling like the rain she adored so much, the storms which kept her living in Seattle, despite her ability to go anywhere in the world.
“I don’t think the Sapphire Strip is anyone’s scene,” he countered and Arya grinned, her lips parting to reveal an array of even, ivory teeth. “But what choice do we really have if we want to escape the mortals, am I right?”
“I can think of a place.”
She was shocked that the words had left her mouth. Circe’s eyes bulged at the invitation, her friend shocked by Arya’s behavior. Arya was usually the responsible one, the one who thought about consequences before jumping into the fire, or in this case, jumping into bed with the fire.