Shadow Forest- The Complete Series
Page 48
Elisabeth smiles.
Her mouth stretches in a small yawn.
And she whispers. “You are exactly what was missing, witchfinder. I hope you enjoy my Neverwhere.”
I loved you once, though I would have killed you eventually. I think, as the pain and floral smell overwhelm me.
“I know,” she murmurs sleepily.
Women who were not witches that I killed? 229.
The one woman who was truly witch?
Sleeps beneath my grave.
New series alert!
(COMING 2020)
WOLF MARKED
MOON HUNTED, BOOK ONE
About the book
My parents refused to move me into college. For them, Trinity held only bad memories. I felt the same way. I was only here to find out what happened to my sister. But then I met Wes.
For the first time since Phoebe vanished, I felt normal again. I knew from the beginning that Wes was hiding something from me, but I didn’t care. There was no secret that could change my feelings for him. Or so I thought.
Losing my sister turned my world upside-down, but Wes' secret will shatter my beliefs about reality.
Witches.
They don’t exist.
Werewolves.
They don’t exist either. I was smart enough to get a full scholarship, but what I’m facing now has nothing to do with calculus…and everything to do with these things that don’t exist.
What I wanted was the truth. What I got was two supernatural creatures fighting over me. And, honestly? I don't know if they want to steal my heart or eat it.
###
Wolf Marked is the first book in the Moon Hunted Trilogy. Strikingly mysterious and romantic, Moon Hunted is a story of desire, danger, and desperation to find answers. A paranormal love story with a thrilling edge.
Wolf Marked
Wolf Bitten
Wolf Dawn
Preorder now!
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Also by Eliza Grace
If you enjoyed the Shadow Forest Trilogy, consider reading—
T H E
B I R T H R I G H T
**An urban fantasy suspense with a dash of paranormal sensuality**
Continuing reading for an excerpt!
THE
BIRTHRIGHT
~
E L I Z A G R A C E
My mouth opened before my brain thought better of it. “You were in my dream.”
“Dreaming about me? That’s very flattering.” Mikolas rose from the stairs and ascended the last few steps to stand nearly waist deep in the water. The hem of his thick white shirt wetted, becoming slightly transparent. Every time I’d seen the man, he’d been fully clothed, his body covered from neck to ankle. And everything he wore was loose-fitting. I’d searched for the jewels again and again. And… he’d looked different in my dreams.
I bit my lip, debating whether to say more or not. “No. You were in my dream.”
“In your dream? Sounds rather strange, doesn’t it?” Mikolas moved well in the water, his body able to travel more easily. I almost snorted, thinking about my Grandma Forst at water aerobics. I swallowed the laughter, but couldn’t suppress a small smile.
“I guess it does sound odd, but… You were there with two others. And my mom had almost the same dream. And you said something about the eunuchs being able to soul-walk, right?”
He was closer to me now, his body further submerged, the white of his shirt floating away from his body. I turned fully, backing up against the fountain.
“Now, how could I be in your dreams, Katarina? Do you believe in magic then?” His voice was back to the so-irritating amused tone.
“I… I…” My mind and mouth wouldn’t cooperate as I stammered unintelligibly. Then I got mad. “No! Don’t mock me! You talked about soul-walking and communicating over distance. Tell me the truth!”
Mikolas sank into the water, falling below the surface. He floated beneath the wetness for a moment; then he began to push upward. The water beaded off his body as he reemerged. His hands moved through his hair pushing the soaked, black strands down in a slick wet curtain against his scalp and neck.
His body was so close to mine now, the water rippled toward me as he came nearer. I held my breath, lost in the moment. I was both terrified and fascinated- brain warring with body.
I’d been looking at his face, but now that he was so close to me, I averted my eyes, looking down instead. His shirt was thoroughly soaked now, completely see-through. I gasped.
My hands flew to the collar of his shirt, undoing the first button there. I was surprised he didn’t fight me as I worked my way down, creating a wide separation in the curtain of wetness.
Sunlight shone against his now exposed chest, against the glittering coral gemstones embedded in his skin. The swirling tattoos surrounding each stone intricately extended away from and returned to each orange-red jewel—creating a never-ending, cyclical pattern of beautiful art.
Just like in my dream. I felt vindicated. My fingers flexed above the largest stone, located in the epicenter of his chest. Continuing to hover, my hand traveled- air-tracing the pattern lower.
I yanked my hand away, realizing how low the design traveled (also like the dream). Pushing my back harder against the fountain, I tried to put a little more distance between our bodies. My face was burning with a blush. My whole body was hot. Easily embarrassed much? Yep.
Mikolas’ voice floated across the narrow separation. “Yes, I was in your dreams, sweet Katarina.”
“How?”
“You are an intelligent woman. How do you think I soul-walk? How I travel into dreams- outside of body and time?”
I moved sideways, escaping the space in between the fountain and Mikolas. I walked to the rear of the shallow pool- where the glass-tile murals glittered.
I jumped, as the mural-filled wall began to lift, revealing a glorious view of ship deck and sea.
The ocean breeze kissed my damp body and goose bumps appeared, dotting my skin. I crossed my arms against my chest and rubbed them gently, trying to combat the chill.
Mikolas was beside me now, his own arms folded on the edge of the newly-revealed infinity pool. I noticed that his movements seemed progressively less inhibited, like he was gradually regaining a little strength.
“Are you feeling stronger?”
“My measurement of strength does not depend on my physical body.”
“Is soul-walking the same when you walk in dreams? Does it… um… make your body weak?”
“I am not a dream-walker; Although, I have known dream-walkers and their skill is not unlike my own, but I am a liberated soul, able to depart my body in waking hours as well as dreaming. It has taken years of training to travel beyond and control my physical body at once.”
We weren’t looking at each other, just staring out into the blue of sky and water.
“Does the… traveling always make you… um… your body so weak?”
“Traveling has not always been so taxing.”
“What’s changed?”
At this question, Mikolas’ tone changed, became less conversational and more academic.
“Do you know the story of Saint Isidore?” He didn’t wait for my answer. “Of course you do. Calista made sure of that, didn’t she? With that telltale box beneath your bed…”
I kept my mouth shut, worried that any words I spoke might further harm Calista. I was glad to now know the name of the person who’d tried to help us.
“When Isidore was martyred on the Island of Chios, his blood drenched the ground, blessing the soil and trees with Christian sacrifice. The trees became infused with the pure magic that was Isidore’s faithful soul and they cried, mourning his death. Those tears crystalized and became mastic and, just like the mother trees, the spice, the Tears of Chios, was also infused with magic.” He paused. I waited a while for him to begin speaking again. Several minutes passed.
“So, the mastic is magical? Is that ho
w you travel outside your body?”
“Yes, but the centuries since the Saint’s death have taken their toll on the groves. The magic is waning and our powers with them. It takes more energy now to perform even the smallest illusion, travel across even a small distance.”
My brain was moving a mile a minute, leaping backward and forward connecting events. My thoughts landed and stayed on the beautiful crimson-haired woman in the woods… the woman that was apparently dead, but looked alive- alive and crying crystalline, mastic tears.
“Did you kill Harmony Phelps?”
“Harmony Phelps?” Mikolas sounded genuinely confused.
“Red hair. Pale, peach-hued skin. Basically as gorgeous as you can possibly imagine.”
“Ah. The woman you met in the forest. Yes. She was quite a disappointment, actually. It seems even a corpse can resist the weakening power of the mastic.” Mikolas’ voice became soft now, as if he spoke only to himself. “That surprised me… I put the infusion straight into her bloodstream… behind each ear…” Mikolas trailed off in thought. Then he looked up at me, his eyes sparkling. His voice was strong. “On the human body, there are power points. Behind each ear is a connection between brain, body and spirit. Harmony, as you call her, eventually fulfilled her purpose.”
“Fulfilled her purpose.” I said weakly.
“Yes. You are here with me, are you not?” Mikolas smiled.
He was a murderer. A handsome, magical psycho-killer. And I was still attracted to him, because I was a silly, pheromone-driven teenager. Just dandy.
“Why me?
“You know the answer to that, Katarina.”
He was right. I did know why he wanted me, particularly, out of all the people in the world. My blood, as diluted as it was removed from the original source, was still the ancestral blood of Saint Isidore. His death had given life to the magic that Mikolas relied on… and that magic was dying and they were looking for a way to revive it. I remembered the long-ago daydream of my death and the blue-robed man running the gleaming knife across my throat. And he was that man. Mikolas would kill me.
I moved away from the edge of the pool, the top of my bathing suit was nearly dry now. I collapsed into the water, letting it wash over me. My eyes were shut when I reemerged.
When I opened them, Mikolas was inches away. He closed the gap, wrapping his right arm around my waist and pulling me into him. The raised gemstones embedded in his skin were like braille against my body.
I struggled to push away from him, but his strength seemed completely returned. I pursed my lips tightly, but they opened of their own accord as Mikolas’ face came closer. The chiseled, jeweled expanse of his torso rubbed against me, body against body. When his mouth met mine, I shuddered. The scent of his breath was intoxicating- citrus and cedar. Mastic again. Mastic everywhere. My mind became an endless fog.
The kiss was deep and wet and unlike anything I’d ever experienced. His tongue danced against mine. Then everything changed. The kiss turned bitter and acidic. I felt like I was choking on the now overwhelming scent of mixed spices.
Mikolas continued kissing me, his hands exploring my curves, ignoring how I struggled. I couldn’t breathe. My legs gave way beneath me and Mikolas’ lips broke from mine. His arms supported me loosely, allowing my lower body to float limply in the water. His small smile taunted me and was my last vision before I lost consciousness.
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E L I Z A G R A C E
Eliza Grace is a pen name of Eli Constant / Eli Constant Books. Eliza is all about Teen and New Adult fiction—magical realism, paranormal romance, and fantastical plots with heart-pounding fights against evil.
Living in the United States, Eliza spends her days homeschooling, playing with her daughters and Mr. Miles (a precocious Whoodle puppy that’s all bark and no bite), and generally being a terrible housekeeper. She’s lucky to have a laundry fairy though. Cough-cough. That would be an amazing Mother-in-Law who’s constantly folding clothes, because Eliza can’t seem to remember to do it. Ever.
Happy reading!
Website: www.authoreliconstant.com
Available Books by Eli Constant:
The Victoria Cage Necromancer Series,
The Dead Trees Series,
The Water is Sweeter,
To Scream Within a Dream,
and more…
Available Books by Eliza Grace:
The Shadow Forest Series,
The Birthright,
Moon Hunted (Book 1 coming 2020)
A Shade of Hades (Book 1 coming 2020)
and more coming…
Available Co-authored Books:
Scatter My Ashes,
Darwin’s Fall (re-releasing soon),
Red Eye: The Armageddon Series,
and more coming…
*
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