by Zaide Bishop
Everyone had gathered around Whiskey’s tent, so there was no need to raise her voice to summon them.
“The Elikai have ended the truce,” she said. Every pair of eyes found her, even Whiskey’s, who was propped up on one elbow. “Another kidnapping will result in war. To avoid any casualties, I am forbidding all contact with the Elikai. They must not be approached. If you see them, you must move away. No exceptions.”
She sought out India, meeting her gaze directly. “India. No exceptions.”
“But—” she started, but Charlie cut her off.
“If you meet with that Elikai, you are our sister no longer.”
India looked down at Whiskey, eyes narrowed and burning with raw hatred. “I hope you got what you want, Whiskey. Because now we’re all deep in snake shit.”
* * * * *
The story continues in SECOND HEART, available July 2017 from Carina Press
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I’d like to thank my editor, Alissa Davis, for her godly patience, extraordinary skill as an editor and impeccable professionalism in the face of my unique brand of chaos. Did I say godly patience? You are a saint.
Second: buckets of thanks to Annie and Meg, who went above and beyond many times to make this series happen. When I write, it is always for the two of you. Everyone else is background noise.
I’d also like to thank Vision Writers, who are the best sort of background noise. The skills and friendship I have developed with you over the past three years have changed my writing, and my life. I love all of you. Unless someone sits in my chair, then you are dead to me.
Also available from Zaide Bishop
and Carina Press
Eliza’s Awakening
Coming soon from Zaide Bishop
and Carina Press
Bones of Eden series
Second Heart (July 2017)
Third Wave (August 2017)
Also by Zaide Bishop
Theo
Secret Confessions Backstage: The Complete Collection
About the Author
Born in 1985, Zaide is an Australian writer who spends an unhealthy amount of time reading and watching horror movies. She also loves cats and aquariums, and lives in a house dominated by both.
When she isn’t writing, Zaide is studying psychology, with a particular interest in the sociological effects of the internet on interpersonal communications, learning and information processing. Zaide’s other interests include cooking, rock climbing, lithops, web design, photography and video gaming.
You can visit her website at www.zaidebishop.com.
Introducing the Carina Press Romance Promise!
The Carina Press team all have one thing in common: we are romance readers with a longtime love of the genre. And we know what readers are looking for in a romance: a guarantee of a happily-ever-after (HEA) or happy-for-now (HFN). With that in mind, we’re initiating the Carina Press Romance Promise. When you see a book tagged with these words in our cover copy/book description, we’re making you, the reader, a very important promise:
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If you enjoyed Zaide Bishop, you have to give these Urban Fantasy titles a read!
Mark of the Moon series by Beth Dranoff
In this wildly addictive new series, a battle begins and one kick-ass female bartender-turned-demon-fighter is ready for war!
MARK OF THE MOON (Mark of the Moon, book one)
BETRAYED BY BLOOD (Mark of the Moon, book two)
A Monster Haven Story series by R.L. Naquin
When Zoey Donovan found out monsters are real, her life changed—mostly for the better. Follow her adventures in this fun and quirky urban fantasy series.
MONSTER IN MY CLOSET (A Monster Haven Story, book one)
POOKA IN MY PANTRY (A Monster Haven Story, book two)
FAIRIES IN MY FIREPLACE (A Monster Haven Story, book three)
GOLEM IN MY GLOVEBOX (A Monster Haven Story, book four)
DEMONS IN MY DRIVEWAY (A Monster Haven Story, book five)
PHOENIX IN MY FORTUNE (A Monster Haven Story, book six)
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In the first book in a beguiling spin-off from the A Monster Haven Story series, an undercover djinn gets caught in a hot mess of lost souls, fast food and otherworldly murder.
TO CATCH A STOLEN SOUL (Djinn Haven, book one)
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ISBN-13: 9781488032806
First Fall
Copyright © 2017 by Zaide Bishop
The publisher acknowledges the copyright holder of the individual works as follows:
The Canoe Thief
Copyright © 2017 by Zaide Bishop
The Stealing Game
Copyright © 2017 by Zaide Bishop
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.
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de Bishop, First Fall: The Canoe Thief