Sound of Madness: A Dark Royal Romance

by Maria Luis

  I rolled her name over my tongue silently; imagined whispering it against her neck as I plunged into her body; recited it two more times with the fantasy of her on her knees, her lips closing around my cock.

  She was a shit liar.

  To anyone else, her defiantly raised chin and the challenge in her eyes would have left them feeling as though she’d uttered the truth. But I read liars for a living—hell, I was a liar, and I recognized the twitches in her façade for what they were.

  I settled back, observing the way she pressed her feminine fingers to the base of her neck and swallowed. “You from N’Orleans?” I asked, wondering if she’d lie about that too.

  She met my gaze head-on. “Born and raised.”

  “Same here.”

  She didn’t roll her eyes but I had the feeling that she wanted to. “I figured.”

  “Yeah?”

  With a short nod, Avery flipped the tarot cards over on the table. “You may meet a lot of different people, Sergeant, but so do I. Everything about you screams this city, starting with the jaded twinkle in your eye.”

  I laughed hard at that, the sound entirely foreign and rusty to my ears. I never smiled. I never laughed. But, damn it if she didn’t make me want to start practicing. “A jaded twinkle?”

  Shifting in her chair, Avery muttered something beneath her breath. Then, louder, “It’s the color blue of your eyes.”

  Heat spiked south of my belt at her admission. When I spoke, there was no mistaking the husk in my voice. “Did you spend last night thinking about the color of my eyes, Avery?”

  “What? Absolutely not.”

  I stretched out one arm, making no effort to conceal the way I set my hand next to hers. Tan to pale, large against small. She was tiny compared to me, and even that was enticing. My thumb crossed over her pinky, and I stifled a satisfied purr when she flexed her hand . . . and kept her hand right next to mine. “I’d be all too happy—”

  “Avery.” Jerking toward the sound of the unknown voice, I noticed that the tarot reader one table over had stood up and crossed over to stand beside Avery. The stranger’s eyes zeroed in on me, unwavering. “I’m going to pack everything up for the night and I suggest that you do the same.”

  Her hand slipped away.

  “You’re right,” Avery said, her tone more tepid than I’d heard from her yet. She spared me a quick glance. “It’s late, Sergeant Asher, and it’s obvious that you haven’t come back tonight to learn about your future.”

  Apparently, she’d sussed me out just as I’d done to her.

  I rose from my chair and folded it. “It’s obvious,” I drawled, using her words, “that you don’t care for the bullshit.”

  “I don’t.”

  Succinct as her tone was, I spotted a blush crest her cheeks. “Then, no bullshit.” When she set her backpack on the table to unzip, I closed in, stepping up close so that she was forced to look up at me. Only when we locked eyes did I speak in a tone low enough that the words were clearly intended only for her and not for her friend. “I spent last night wondering about that smart mouth of yours—how you’ll taste or what noises you might make when I drive you to come on my tongue.”

  I waited, not moving, for her to reply.

  She didn’t disappoint.

  Her tongue swiped out along her plush lower lip. “I don’t date.”

  “No one said anything about dating.”

  White teeth bit her lip, and those hazel eyes of hers flashed fire and unmistakable want. “I don’t fuck.”

  That word coming off her lips was like a calling card to my dick. She might not fuck now but she would, dirty and raw and so damn good that she’d carve her territory into my back with her nails. “If you don’t,” I drawled, “that just means you haven’t done it right.”

  Her jaw snapped shut, molars cracking together. Her cheeks burned red. “I wouldn’t . . .” She swallowed, then ducked her head to continue packing up. “You couldn’t handle someone like me, Sergeant—”

  “Lincoln.”

  “What?”

  “Call me Lincoln,” I repeated, fully aware of the fact that I wanted Avery Washington like nothing I’d ever wanted in my life—outside of one thing. “Lincoln,” I said again, “not sergeant.”

  “As I was saying, Asher”—the challenge in her eyes lit my own to see her flat on her back with that same damn fire goading me on—“you couldn’t handle me. You think you could, but you can’t. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have places to be.” She shrugged into her backpack and then bundled up the chairs under one arm. The table, she glared at, and then stepped away. “Don’t follow me tonight or I’ll call the cops on you.”

  Her threat stole more rusty laughter from me. “I’m sure my guys will enjoy the chance to cuff me.”

  “Someone has to,” she said, “and it will never be me.”

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  Dear Fabulous Reader

  Hi there! I so hope you enjoyed Sound of Madness, and if you are new to my books, welcome to the family!

  In the back of all my books, I love to include a Dear Fabulous Reader section that talks about which locations from the book can be visited in real life or what sparked my inspiration for a particular plot point. (I like to think of it as the Extras on DVD’s, LOL).

  As always, we’ll hit it up bullet-point style—enjoy!

  There are so many aspects of Sound of Madness captured from reality that it seems easier to start with something that is entirely fictional—Damien’s poisoning! Alas, Baron Hastings does not exist and CL-152 can’t be found in the world. Then again, this might be a good thing, LOL. Since I’ve always been fascinated with the sci-fi genre creating whole subplots around medicine impacting the life or death of a character (like in the Matrix!), I couldn’t resist dipping my toes into the water, especially because . . .

  Rowena’s experience with transient post-traumatic cortical blindness is very much based on a true case study—in fact, I used it in the book during that first scene with Dr. Matthews! Like Rowena, the patient’s blindness occurred quite suddenly, after falling six stories. Also like Rowena, her vision returned entirely on its own days later. Unlike Rowena, however, the patient remained in critical care during her recovery so that she could be watched by doctors. For the sake of the plot, I sent Rowena out into the world. You can read the case study here, if you’re interested.

  Did Damien’s Old Norse tattoo catch your interest? I’ve always been a little obsessed with mythology, and when I saw the cover model’s tattoos, I allowed my fantasies to spin to a very nerdy bent. While I used the English translation for Damien’s ink about Odin’s ravens, Huginn and Muninn, the Anonymous Verse in the Third Grammatical Treatise (Tarrin Wills) features the original version and discusses how the origin of the poem is unknown—though it began to appear around 1,000 A.D..

  Many of the locations that I referenced in Sound of Madness can be visited. In no specific order, here are some of the lesser known places:

  Holly Village, North London: Holly Village just may be my new favorite addition to the Broken Crown landscape. Completed in 1865, this Gothic-inspired estate actually boasts multiple properties for the Baroness Angela Burdett-Coutts, who was one of the richest women in England—second only to Queen Victoria! She was also good friends with Charles Dickens. While I took many liberties (the undercroft/chapel, medical room, and greenhouse), it seemed only fitting that Rowena make her home in a place that is both stately and regal. Today, these properties are leased to various tenants but you can still drive by Swain’s Lane to catch a peek through the sycamore trees! P.S., there is no Palladian temple on site but hello creative liberties!

  The Jewel Tower, London: Have I mentioned that I’m a total nerd? I loved the idea of Edward Carrigan being holed up in this building that looks like a fortress but was always just used for storage—jewelry, documents, the whole shebang. Architecturally, it
’s pretty fabulous. The iron door from the 17th century is real, as are the original vaulted ceilings. Plus, with its close proximity to Westminster, we know that the prime minister would be able to store his most valuable documents here without breaking too much of a sweat.

  Broadmoor Hospital, Crowthorne, England: When I first mentioned (in Road To Fire) that Robert Guthram had been stuck in an insane asylum for ten years, I never picked a location. And if I’m being completely honest, I chose Broadmoor—at first—because I used to live in New Orleans’ Broadmoor neighborhood and it seemed like an ironic twist of fate. With that said, there’s no better fit. Opened in 1863, Broadmoor Hospital has a storied past. It was used as a POW camp during World War I, has housed some of the country’s most infamous serial killers over the years, and for many decades was particularly known for running a two-tone alarm system (inspired by the sirens during air raids) every Monday morning at 10 a.m. It was all too easy to allow my imagination to run wild while Damien & Rowena tried to save themselves.

  The Bascule Chambers, London: When sketching out this section of Damien & Rowena’s journey, I really wanted to place the scene in a location that was as close to the “Underworld” as you might find in London. The air needed to be so damp that it felt oppressive while the darkness became a thick blanket that you had no hope of escaping. The Bascule Chambers are a functioning part of Tower Bridge—to me, it felt like the perfect spot for chaos to ensue. I highly recommend a tour on your next trip to London—you might even catch a concert there!

  Honorable Mentions: Dunrobin Castle, 3 Ryder Street, London (you can visit some beautiful galleries next door), Palace of Westminster, and the White Cliffs of Dover.

  We’ll Miss You Mentions: Buckingham Palace, The Bell & Hand (aka The Bell In Hand, located in Boston, Mass), and Ightham Mote. Man, we had some major architectural casualties in this book! R.I.P.

  As always, there are many more behind-the-scenes inspiration tidbits, but here is just a sampling! If you’re thinking . . . that seems rather fascinating and I want to know more, you are always so welcome to reach out! Pretty much, nothing makes me happier =)

  Much love,

  Maria

  Also By Maria Luis

  NOLA Heart

  Say You’ll Be Mine

  Take A Chance On Me

  Dare You To Love Me

  Tempt Me With Forever

  Blades Hockey

  Power Play

  Sin Bin

  Hat Trick

  Body Check

  Blood Duet

  Sworn

  Defied

  Put A Ring On It

  Hold Me Today

  Kiss Me Tonight

  Love Me Tomorrow

  Broken Crown

  Road To Fire

  Sound of Madness

  A New King (Coming Spring 2021)

  Freebies (available at www.marialuis.org)

  Breathless (a Love Serial, #1)

  Undeniable (a Love Serial, #2)

  The First Fix

  Join Book Boyfriends Anonymous, Maria’s Facebook reader group.

  About the Author

  Maria Luis is the author of sexy contemporary romances.

  Historian by day and romance novelist by night, Maria lives in New Orleans, and loves bringing the city's cultural flair into her books. When Maria isn't frantically typing with coffee in hand, she can be found binging on reality TV, going on adventures with her other half and two pups, or plotting her next flirty romance.

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