She looked down. “When do you need to go?”
He drew his hand away. “Soon. Trick won’t leave it alone. He has started ramping the pain up in the mark.”
She closed her eyes.
I love you.
But she couldn’t bind him to her with those words.
“We can still see each other,” he said.
“Why won’t you go back to Heaven, to tell them about your condition? I am sure they would break the contract with Trick.”
“I need to give the other Darts time to find the next two pieces of the Heart. We want to approach Heaven with all three, so they can’t say that I returned one piece, and them two.”
She nodded. It made sense—especially if you didn’t entirely trust those making the rules.
“Plus, I don’t want to go back to Heaven.”
Her eyes flew to his.
“I love you, and if I return, I will never see you again. They won’t allow our relationship.”
Peony shook her head. Surely he hadn’t just said he loved her? That he was giving up Heaven to be with her?
“Don’t be crazy. You’re an angel. You belong in Heaven.”
He gently pulled her to her feet. “When an angel’s feathers become highlighted with color, it’s their destiny. No angel has green-tinted feathers. None ever has. And no angel’s wings have ever become poisonous, either.”
She grimaced.
Look what her touch had done to him.
She had ruined him.
He stroked a hand down her neck. “You saved my life. You inspire me, and I want to be worthy of you. If I go to Trick, then I can still see you. He won’t be able to prevent it without starting a diplomatic incident.”
Peony threw her arms around his neck, pressing her cheek against his heart, needing to feel him. “You must not give up your future for me.”
He kissed the top of her head, shaking his head. “Don’t you see? You are my future.”
Epilogue
Z smoothed his hands over Peony’s back, reveling in the feel of her, the sense that she was his, and he was hers.
“I love you,” she whispered.
He kissed her, tasting tears on her lips.
I will buy my freedom from Trick in record time.
The door banged open and Z raised his head, glowering at Godric.
“She insisted,” the demon growled, and slammed the door shut behind him.
Seraphina stood in his place.
“I have a solution,” she announced, striding forward. She wore loose black pants and a T-shirt that was strapped down with weapons. He had never seen her dressed so informally.
“To what?” Peony asked, turning her head so her cheek was pressed against his chest.
“The blood slave issue.”
“There is no solution,” Z said. “I will go there, and I will earn my freedom.”
Seraphina tossed her head, sending hundreds of tiny braids flying. “You have just found your mate, and in your...condition, we don’t think it is wise that you be placed in the hands of the guild.”
He couldn’t argue with those points, but he had no option. “There is no way out of the deal.”
“A life for a life,” Peony said quietly.
Z tightened his arms around Peony, feeling her love and support wash through him.
“Exactly,” Seraphina said. “He wants another angel. He can have one.”
She met their stares defiantly. “He can have me.”
The End
***
Dear Reader,
Firstly, thank you for reading Benevolent Passion! I hope you enjoyed Peony and Z’s story—they were such sincere and, well, nice characters to spend time with. And Peony sure learned how to kick butt by the end!
But I bet you’re wondering what is going to happen to Seraphina?
Well, you don’t have to wait to find out – book three, Winged Passion, is already out! It tells the story of Seraphina and Trick, adding even more drama and sexiness to the series.
But don’t worry, this isn’t the end of Peony and Z. You’ll still see more of them throughout the series!
I hope you enjoy the rest of the Heaven’s Heart series and thanks for your support.
Also, if you join my VIP Readers Newsletter, you’ll get an exclusive free short story, which is set in my Graced series world!
All the best,
Amanda Pillar
P.S. If you enjoy my work, please consider leaving a review. Even a few words is enough. It helps a lot.
Acknowledgements
This book has been a bit of a whirlwind event, courtesy of the birth of my daughter, Maeve. Arriving early, she’s kept me on my toes! Firstly, I’d like to thank my husband Tom, who gave me the time to write this book, while we had a newborn baby demanding many snuggles. I also want to thank my wonderful beta readers Joanne Danton and Kel Carpenter, and my eagle-eyed editor Pete Kempshall. As always, you are invaluable in the creation of my work.
More by Amanda Pillar
Heaven’s Heart
Book 1: Deadly Passion
Can two assassins outwit each other to claim the ultimate prize?
Dru is a blood-bound assassin, tied to Hell and her master for eternity — okay, not ‘eternity’, but it sure as Hell feels like it. She’s got a slight attitude problem, a strict no-touching rule and she has claws and knows how to use them. She’s also willing to earn her freedom at any cost, even if that means stealing from an angel.
Azrael was once a member of an elite unit in Heaven’s army, but after a priceless artifact was stolen on his watch, he was thrown out of Heaven. Now the fallen angel is on a mission: find Heaven’s Heart, save his missing comrades, and get even with the angel who took his wings.
The first time Azrael and Dru meet, she leaves him for dead. The second time, they’re tasked with the same mission — retrieve Odin’s Orb. Will their sparking passion derail their best-laid plans? Or will they play for keeps?
Book 3: Winged Passion
Once an angel, now a blood slave.
Seraphina would do anything to protect her fellow Darts—even become a blood slave. But can an angel survive living in the depths of Hell, surrounded by demonic killers?
Trick’s entire life is a lie, which is exactly how he likes it. Ruler of the Halcyon Guild, he is one of the most powerful demons in Hell. But for the first time in centuries, he’s been outwitted—and by a damned angel.
His bad luck doesn’t end there. Hades has a mission for the guild: one only Trick and Seraphina can complete. The catch: they have to complete it within a week or their lives will be forfeit.
Can Seraphina and Trick set aside centuries of prejudice and work together, or will their pride see them both destroyed?
The Graced Series
Graced
Vampires suck.
Well, that's the nicest thing city guard Elle Brown can say about them. Her opinions of shifters aren't much better, either. And her second full time job—keeping her special little sister safe from either race—has just gotten harder, now that the vampire Dante Kipling, has taken an interest in Elle’s life.
Dante is a scientist fascinated by human anatomy. Despite his last two experiments failing, he is convinced that the answers to his questions lie within Elle Brown. Though he’s been told to stop his experiments, he’s convinced that humans with special eye colors are different, and he’s determined to find the proof—even if it means risking his and Elle’s lives.
Captive
Civilization has ended.
Vampires, werewolves, and the Graced are at war with their human creators, and humanity is losing. But Laney might hold the key to salvation. Held captive with her fellow humans by alpha Wolfgang and his pack of weres, Laney secretly inches ever closer to breaking were and vampire blood dependency forever.
But Laney doesn't have long. Their numbers decimated by plague, humans are being kidnapped a
nd reduced to livestock. And when Laney and her sister are abducted by a neighboring vampire clan, their only hope lies in Wolf—who doesn't know the shocking secret Laney has gone to great lengths to conceal.
Survivor
Too stubborn to die.
Billie Young is a human city guard with a troubled past—she was kidnapped, tortured and almost killed by vampires. Though she survived, it’s left her scarred and damaged. Now, she trusts no one, and is focused on finding her attackers.
Vere Radcliffe is a vampire spy who answers directly to the king. Recently returned home from a year abroad, he’s at loose ends, waiting for his next mission. But trouble is brewing in the city, and Vere is asked to investigate the abduction of a city guard and the murder of several other humans. But as the hunt closes in, the killer takes someone close to Vere’s heart.
Bitten
Being the coroner has suddenly become the toughest job in town.
Doctor Alice Reive has more bodies and fewer answers than normal, so she’s determined to find the murderer responsible before another vampire ends up dead. With the help of the vampire Dante Kipling and city guard Elle Brown, she races to track down the killer.
Hannah Romanov has spent hundreds of years living on an isolated mountain. One of the only Graced vampires in existence, her quiet life is thrown into chaos after she discovers a baby left in the wilds to die. Hannah will do anything to ensure the infant’s survival, even if it means travelling to a city plagued by murderers and filled with vampires who’d want her dead.
Ashes
Aria Ash shouldn’t exist...
Born to a were mother and vampire father, Aria Ash is the perfect blend of two races, and in their world, that’s a death sentence. Hunted for as long as she can remember, she now hides in plain sight in the city of Skarva, and will do anything to keep her secret safe.
Sebastian Talien is an alpha were with a troubled past. Ever since his pack went rogue and tried to kill three innocent pups, he’s been dedicated to rescuing children in need. Now an invitation has him heading to Skarva, to help a child he thought he’d failed...
About Amanda
Amanda Pillar is an USA TODAY Bestselling Author and award-winning editor who lives in Victoria, Australia, with her husband, daughter, and two cats.
Amanda has had numerous short stories published and has co-edited the fiction anthologies Voices (2008), Grants Pass (2009), The Phantom Queen Awakes (2010), Scenes from the Second Storey (2010), Ishtar (2011) and Damnation and Dames (2012). Her first solo anthology, Bloodstones, was published by Ticonderoga Publications in 2012. The award-winning sequel, Bloodlines, was published in October 2015.
Amanda's first novel, Graced, was published by Momentum in 2015. The stories Captive and Survivor were also released in 2016, followed by Bitten and Ashes in 2017. She has also just launched the Heaven’s Heart series.
In her day job, she works as an archaeologist.
You can go here to sign up to Amanda’s mailing list for future news and free reads, or visit www.amandapillar.com for regular writing updates.
Cover Design: Yocla Book Cover Designs © 2018
Internal Layout: Amanda Pillar © 2018
Edited by: Pete Kempshall
First Published November 2018
The moral rights of the author has been asserted.
All characters in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any forms by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recoding or any information retrieval system, without prior permission, in writing, from the publisher.
The book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
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