The Castle of Fire and Fable

by Steffanie Holmes

  He counted on my humanity being my weakness, and he was right.

  The force of her betrayal hit me like a punch, forcing the air from my lungs. I sucked in a breath, and managed to choke out a response. “But… why?”

  “Because I’m not fighting for that,” Liah spat the word as she jabbed her good hand at the looming mobile tower. The blackness encircled her hips. I stared at the void that devoured her. It was not a rope that bound her, but the deep, terrifying nothingness of a collapsing star, of a place so devoid of life and light not even gravity escaped. Whispers echoed from the tips of the tendrils. Whispers… and screams.

  I grabbed Liah’s arm around her good wrist, ignoring the searing burn where my skin touched the sigil. I frantically searched my memory for some spell or promise that would keep her from betraying me like this. “What about me? Why would you do this to me? I thought we were friends. I saved your life. If it wasn’t for me, you’d be dead right now. You owe me, and I’m calling in my favor.”

  “You already took your favor from me,” Liah snapped, holding up the stump that had once been her hand. I winced. “I’ll never again draw a bow, or braid my hair, or play the lyre. You took me from my Seelie, forced me to abandon my own people, and stuck me in a dead world filled with the lamentations of once-proud trees, all for your own selfish reasons. I owe you nothing. At least when Daigh takes over this world, he will scour it free of all your wretched kind. At least I’d die as a warrior in her service, instead of fading away in a world that’s broken beyond repair.”

  My fingers tightened around her arm. “There has to be a way.”

  But there wasn’t. Thick fingers of inky darkness closed around Liah’s torso, wrapping over her shoulders, enclosing her body in the hollowness of the universe. I tried to yank her toward me but she held firm, raising her hands to the heavens as the black tendrils consumed her.

  “If you want to save your precious witches, Blake Beckett, I’d get to that church right now,” Liah’s voice rose from the black cloud, sounding hollow and far-away. “But it won’t make a difference either way. This world is already lost to you. The age of the fae has already begun.”

  The black cloud consumed her. And she was gone.

  I stared into the inky tendrils as they swallowed the only friend I’d ever had among the fae, gasping back the horror of what she’d just done, at my stupidity for bringing her here in the first place and giving Daigh an agent so close to our coven.

  When I had control of myself again, I turned and raced back toward the castle. My lungs screamed as I hit the hill, but I pumped my arms harder, willing myself to run faster. My head reeled with the knowledge Liah had given me, my black heart all twisted up in knots.

  Warn the others. Get to Maeve. Before it’s too late.

  TO BE CONTINUED

  Need to know what happens next? Grab book 3, The Castle of Water and Woe.

  Can’t get enough of Maeve and her boys? Read The Summer Court – a free Briarwood prequel novella – when you sign up for the Steffanie Holmes VIP list.

  Dying to know what happens next?

  Preorder THE CASTLE OF WATER AND WOE today

  Severed hands, moving paintings and an erotic encounter in a priest hole – just another typical day for Maeve Crawford at Briarwood Castle.

  With Maeve’s sister Kelly on her way from America and the fae threat looming ever closer, things at Briarwood are more desperate than ever. When the coven discover an old portrait of Maeve’s mother might hold a valuable clue to help them defeat the fae host, they travel to London to uncover its secrets.

  Under the bright city lights. Maeve discovers more about the mysterious origins of her powers, and one by one her guys open up about the dark parts of themselves they’ve kept hidden. In this most desperate of times, every member of the Briarwood coven must confront their own demons in order to unleash the full potential of their magic.

  The Castle of Water and Woe is the third in a brand new steamy reverse harem romance series by USA Today bestselling author Steffanie Holmes. This full-length book glitters with love, heartache, hope, grief, dark magic, fairy trickery, steamy scenes, British slang, meat pies, second chances, and the healing powers of a good cup of tea. Read on only if you believe one just isn’t enough.

  Note: This book contains characters who struggle with issues that may be sensitive to some readers, including self-harm, suicide, sexual assault, and unsafe drug use.

  Order book 3, The Castle of Water and Woe.

  Other Books By Steffanie Holmes

  This list is in recommended reading order, although each couple’s story can be enjoyed as a standalone.

  Briarwood Reverse Harem series

  The Castle of Earth and Embers – READ NOW

  The Castle of Fire and Fable – READ NOW

  The Castle of Water and Woe – PRE-ORDER NOW

  The Castle of Wind and Whispers (coming July 2018)

  The Castle of Spirit and Sorrow (coming August 2018)

  Crookshollow Gothic Romance series

  Art of Cunning (Alex & Ryan) - READ NOW FOR FREE

  Art of the Hunt (Alex & Ryan) - READ NOW

  Art of Temptation (Alex & Ryan) - READ NOW

  The Man in Black (Elinor & Eric) - READ NOW

  Watcher (Belinda & Cole) - READ NOW

  Reaper (Belinda & Cole) - READ NOW

  Wolves of Crookshollow series

  Digging the Wolf (Anna & Luke) - READ NOW

  Writing the Wolf (Rosa & Caleb) - READ NOW

  Inking the Wolf (Bianca & Robbie) - READ NOW

  Wedding the Wolf (Willow & Irvine) - READ NOW

  Fallen Sorcery Fae (shared world)

  Hollow - READ NOW

  Witches of the Woods

  Witch Hunter - READ NOW

  Coven - READ NOW

  The Curse (coming in 2018)

  Want to be informed when the next Steffanie Holmes paranormal romance story goes live? Sign up for the VIP Readers Club to get the scoop, and score a free bonus prequel to enjoy!

  Also from the world of Crookshollow …

  Love so fierce it transcends even death.

  When Elinor Baxter arrives at the dilapidated Marshell House to settle the estate of her law firm's oldest client, she can't help but feel a little spooked. The creaking gothic mansion is a far cry from her life as an adventurous party girl back in London.

  Then she meets Eric Marshell, a man dressed entirely in black with a wicked smile and the ability to float through walls. Eric was the violinist in popular rock band Ghost Symphony until a hit-and-run accident claimed his life. Now he's trapped inside his mother's house for all eternity, and the only one who can see or hear him is Elinor.

  Eric and Elinor fight their attraction for each other as they dig into the mystery of Eric's death. But when they uncover a dark and sinister plot that threatens Elinor's life, their bond draws them into a world neither of them understands. Can their love transcend the boundary between life and death?

  The Man in Black is a steamy gothic romance by USA Today bestselling author Steffanie Holmes, Set in the English village of Crookshollow, it's a standalone novel of love, redemption, and second chances. If you love clever BBW heroines, crumbling gothic mansions, and brooding rockstars who know what they want, then this book will have you shivering all over.

  READ NOW: The Man in Black

  The Man in Black

  An excerpt

  Elinor moved her hand, so her palm lay flat against mine. It was so odd to see her fingers nestled right inside my body, and even odder to feel them there, not as fingers usually feel, but as a hot ball of energy, emanating heat to a steady rhythm.

  It took me a few moments to realise the rhythm was Elinor's heartbeat.

  I stepped forward, my hand shifting against hers, her fingers dancing inside mine. I pressed my other hand against her back, my palm sinking into her flesh. If I were alive at this moment, I would push Elinor against my body, and relish the warmth of her, the shape of her,
against me. But I couldn't do that, so instead I folded myself in closer to her. The front of my jacket brushed against her chest, sending waves of pulsing heat through my whole torso.

  "This is amazing," Elinor breathed, her bow-shaped lips parting slightly. I didn't trust myself to reply, so I smiled back at her. I started to sway, pushing my right hip forward, moving the warmth through her leg. Elinor sensed the movement through her skin, and she moved backward, turning her body with me. I stepped again, and again we slid across the floor, our bodies sweeping and dipping with the music.

  With my next step, I pushed myself closer, bowing my head slightly, so that my face hovered inches above hers. My eyes locked on those bow lips, ripe and delicious like the first berries of spring. I could feel my spectral cock straining against my boxers, ready for action. God, I want this woman—

  "I like the music," Elinor said. Her voice wavered. She sounded nervous. I wondered if she was speaking because she sensed what I wanted to do, and she was trying to fill the space between us, to stop me from doing something I couldn't take back.

  "Mmmm …" I shifted my fingers in her hand. The heat flickered, thrumming through my body with a quickened pace. She was nervous. Interesting.

  "I love the … distortion. The way it crackles right through my whole body," Elinor breathed. "It's almost as if the music is mirroring the sensation when we touch."

  "This piece is originally written by the composer Niccolò Paganini, a Greek violinist in the early nineteenth century," I murmured. If she wanted to talk, I could at least impress her. "He was known for making liberal use of the diabolus in musica, the devil's tritone, which creates that haunting dissonance you hear in the piece. Of course, Paganini's composition has been sped up and updated, and accompanied by the electric guitar, bass guitar, double bass, and drums, it's quite the feat of modern gothic rock."

  "Who is playing the violin in this piece?" Elinor asked, her lips barely moving, struggling to form the words.

  "I am, on Isolde. Ghost Symphony is my band."

  "Eric …" Elinor's face turned up to me.

  I leaned closer, I could practically taste the sweetness of those berry-red lips, feel the warmth of her mouth against mine. The air between us crackled with electricity. Elinor shifted her weight against mine, falling into me as she leaned forward, her lips pursed, waiting.

  I brushed my lips against hers. It was like no other kiss I'd ever experienced before. The heat leapt through my body, twisting from my mouth right through my core. I felt as though I'd swallowed a hot coal, and though it burned me deeply, it was the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted. I leaned forward, my weightless body pressed against hers, my lips parting to devour her heat as our bodies hummed with pulsing energy.

  READ NOW: The Man in Black

  Want more stories from the world of Crookshollow

  Haven’t read the Wolves of Crookshollow series yet?

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  Anna

  It’s been five months since my boyfriend was tragically killed in a climbing accident. I didn’t think I was over him … until Luke walked on to the archaeological site.

  Tall, dark, sexy, tattooed, funny, dangerous. Everything I want in a man.

  But he’s hiding something. He acts strangely in the moonlight. He won’t tell me anything about his life. And I caught him trying to destroy an important find.

  My body aches for him, but my heart tells me I’m not ready to make myself vulnerable again, especially not for a guy who isn’t being straight with me.

  If only ...

  Luke

  Anna Sinclair – archaeologist, geek girl, totally and utterly delectable.

  I knew from the moment her intoxicating scent wafted across my wolf senses, she's meant to be mine.

  And that knowledge is terrifying.

  The last thing I expected was to find my fated mate on an archaeological site. Whenever I’m near her, all I want to do is claim her.

  But she’s broken. The last thing she needs in her life is a werewolf out for revenge. I’m here to destroy the site, to keep my family’s past buried forever.

  If Anna finds out the truth, she’d never speak to me again.

  But I can’t deny the bond between us. I’ll do anything to make her mine.

  Digging the Wolf is a standalone paranormal romance by USA Today bestselling author Steffanie Holmes. Read if you love archaeological mysteries, badass wolves, a broken heroine, and a hero so hot he’ll have you howling for more.

  START READING NOW

  About the Author

  Steffanie Holmes is the author of steamy historical and paranormal romance. Her books feature clever, witty heroines, wild shifters, cunning witches and alpha males who always get what they want.

  Before becoming a writer, Steffanie worked as an archaeologist and museum curator. She loves to explore historical settings and ancient conceptions of love and possession. From Dark Age Europe to crumbling gothic estates, Steffanie is fascinated with how love can blossom between the most unlikely characters. She also writes dark fantasy / science fiction under S. C. Green.

  Steffanie lives in New Zealand with her husband and a horde of cantankerous cats.

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