by J. M. Adele
“Wait.” Shiloh exited the cottage wearing clean clothes and joined them. “He has something of mine. I want it back.”
Could he tap into the ability his grandfather possessed now that his power had been freed? Airmid had said ‘return her soul’. He’d damn sure try. “It’d be my pleasure to get it from him.” He tossed his chin at Rory. “Flip him over, brother.”
Rory obliged, stomping his foot on Jax’s stomach and holding the sword at his neck.
Crouching down, Devlin rubbed his palms together. Drawing on the heat until his hands glowed, he placed them on his father’s chest.
His eyelids dropped. He’d never done this before, but something told him this was what he was meant to do. This was the tool he’d been given in order to fulfill his destiny as the savior of the human race. All those sons of bitches stealing souls—they were fucked now.
He focused on Shiloh’s unique vibration, calling it out of his father. He pulled. And he pulled. He yanked the missing piece of her soul right out of Jax’s chest. His father howled in pain. Holding the ball of light in his hand, Devlin walked to his mate.
Pressing the orb over her heart, he watched it disappear.
A soft sigh escaped, her eyes sparking with fireworks. Shiloh swayed towards him. “Thank you.” She pressed a kiss to his lips.
Backing away, she blew out a breath before inky black eclipsed the whites of her eyes. Her jaw jutted out and set in stone, eyebrows slamming down. She leaned forward, facing Jax.
He writhed, dislodged Rory’s boot, and sprang to his feet.
Shiloh thrust out her arm, her palm facing the demon. He froze, unable to move.
Devlin’s mouth fell open as he watched Shiloh’s skin dissolve, her body taking liquid form. Blood. She was pure blood. Like a tsunami hitting the shore, she rushed towards Jax, swirling around his body before pouring her entire being down his throat.
Shiloh! Jesus.
What the hell? Had Devlin lost her again?
He stumbled a few steps, not knowing whether to cut the bastard open and get her back, or just trust that she knew what she was doing.
Jax seized, choking like his airways had been obstructed, cutting off his oxygen. Hands grabbing at his neck and chest, he fell to his knees before abruptly catapulting into the air. His arms flung wide, legs stiffening. His eyelids peeled back as his eyeballs rolled. The skin and flesh ripped from his body, exploding in a bloody downpour. Black vapor plumed from the carnage, collecting in a cloud, and barreled off over the hills.
Where Jax had been, Shiloh took form once more.
Holy fucking shit. What just happened?
Devlin swayed on his feet. Covered in the splattered remains of his father, his stomach threatened to do the bolt.
“He’s dead. It’s done. But I couldn’t destroy the demon.” Shiloh set her feet back on solid ground. Her body was drenched in Jax’s blood.
Asmodeus. He escaped. Goddamnit.
“Oh, man. The stench.” Margo wiped the hem of her shirt across her face.
Lock’s eyes glazed. “That shit is gonna give me nightmares for fucking eons.”
“Where’s the bleach?” Ren pinched her shirt, pulling it away from her body.
Rory headed towards the house. “Use the mudroom entrance. I’ll not have that filth in my house. And don’t forget you’ve got a prisoner in the panic room.”
What?
“Myles.” Ren answered his unspoken question. “We can’t trust him now.”
“Where are Magaidh and Airmid? And Devlin’s mother?” Shiloh asked, her hands twisting together as she searched the terrain.
“The sisters took the witch back. Don’t worry, we thanked them for you. You can catch ’em up later.” Margo winked. She trailed behind the team as they set off after his brother, Rory saying something about a hose down.
Shiloh didn’t follow, her gaze finding the abandoned car instead. Folding her arms, she returned to the horror scene in the boot. Zain’s body lay only a foot away.
Devlin followed his mate, the sight of her dead parents still a kick in the gut.
He carefully lifted them out and placed the bodies on the grass.
Pulling one of Shiloh’s hands into his, he squeezed it. “We’ll do right by them.”
“I didn’t want this life for my parents. They wouldn’t have survived in this world.”
“It ain’t for everyone.”
If he had to choose between this life, or living without her, he’d choose her. Every time.
“Do you think Lanie will be okay?”
“Babe, Lanie is tougher than titanium. Do you think she gives a shit if she was bitten a little early? Fuck, no. She’ll do what she damn well wants. The virus don’t stand a chance.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I got a feelin’ she’s gonna do big things.”
Devlin eyed his brother’s sword, lying on the ground. He’d better do right by her. Pfft. Who was Devlin kidding? In the short time he’d known him, Rory had shown more honor than anyone Devlin had met. Lanie was damn lucky. But Rory? The poor bastard was in for a world of pain.
She is gonna kick your ass, brother.
To be continued . . .
Read on for a sneak peek at Bone and Blood . . .
Prologue
Rory squatted atop a rocky outcrop, looking at the ground below. The quarry just north of Los Angeles was a mecca for vampires needing to bury their freshly drained victims. The scent of their kind soaked the air. He’d been perched on the hill for two days and he’d witnessed five newborns crawling from their graves. Not his mate, though. Not yet.
He took a swig from his bottle and sniffed, trying to pick out her fragrance. The December sky presented a crisp blue canvas. He wasn’t yet accustomed to the sunshine in this part of the world. His skin had turned a darker shade of brown, making his tattoo a little less obvious. He did not miss the snow. I could get used to this.
His nose twitched. Was that . . .? He pulled to his feet, his gaze fixed on her grave. Had it changed shape? Was there any hint of a fingernail or nose reaching for the light?
His head jerked back as the grave blew open, his mate leaping onto her feet.
Whoa. She’s incredible.
Not a bit of her was free of dust. Her hair resembled a nest atop her head, but Rory didn’t care about any of that. He cared about the determined way she scrambled up to the ridge where he waited, and the intelligent light in her eye as she sized him up.
“Who—” She coughed out puffs of quarry dust. “Ugh, fuck.” Spitting on the ground, she aimed her stare at him once more. “Who the fuck are you?”
He bowed. “Rory Vice. I’m your mate.”
Pulling her head back, her eyebrows creased, eyes popping wide.
“I thought you might need some assistance.”
“You got the wrong girl, buddy.” She turned in a circle, looking out over the landscape before stomping off to the east.
“Might I make a suggestion?”
“Nope.” She kept walking, occasionally stumbling on her newborn legs.
He grinned. She was entertaining, at the very least.
Pulling off his shirt, he tucked it into the waistband of his jeans, and shoved his drink bottle in his back pocket. His wings stretched out, capturing her in their shadow. Lifting off, he flew above her, landing in her path.
“What the frick?” She fell on her side, sliding down the ridge. “Ow, ow, ow.” She hissed, shaking off grazed palms, and rubbing her thigh.
He kept his distance, not wanting to scare her any more than he already had. “I’m sorry. I was only trying to prevent wasted effort on your part.”
“W-what are you?” Her irises had turned red.
“It’ll take some explaining to answer that. May I offer you a ride?”
“A ride? Where’s your passenger seat?” Her eyes flicked to his chest. Likely, his tattoo had captured her attention.
He spread his arms. “These are the only option.�
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He watched her throat bob. She must be thirsty.
“You don’t know where I’m going.”
“On the contrary. I can take you directly to where you need to go. Or, more importantly, to whom you need to see.”
“And who’s that?” Her eyes narrowed.
“Your sire, little vampire. You need your first feed.”
_____
Coming Home Series
Shattered Home
Remembering Home
Finding Home
Leaving Home (TBA)
Coming Home (TBA)
Sensing Series
Sensing You
Convincing You (2019)
Indulging You (TBA)
Bloodlust Series
Ashes and Dust
Ember and Flame
Bone and Blood (TBA)
I would sincerely like to thank all my readers who patiently waited for me to get my shit together so I could write this book. As most of you know, life is a juggling act. Parenthood, day job, business, writing, friends, family, self-care - do you see what I did there? Self-care came last. Yeah, that’s how I lived my life. And it came back to bite me on the arse. I’m learning to fill my cup first before I play bartender to everyone else. Don’t get me wrong, writing is my jam. But when everything else is pressing in, the jam oozes from the sandwich, and drips on the floor. Ugh. The crap that pours out when I haven’t been kind to me isn’t worth a damn. So, be kind to you.
I have to give a special mention to my betas and ARC readers. This book is dedicated to you because you waited so long and were so very important in making this book way better than what I could do on my own. Thank you so much!
To my beautiful Gems—my reader group—you are the fruit to my jam; so sweet, I just want to squish you! Enough said. ;P
To Anna and Lauren—damn, you ladies are good editors. I’m so lucky to have found you. And incredibly fortunate that you continue to put up with me. Many thanks.
Fiona! You squeezed my unorganized self in at the last minute, again! Thank you so much for being awesome! Romancing the Coast rocked, by the way. I think I might’ve mentioned it a couple of times. ;)
To Katja—I think I’m at 1000 IOU’s. I so appreciate you. You deserve all the happiness in the world, my friend. I will never walk into a creepy forest at night thanks to you. O.o
To Jane—you’re just as weird as me, and I love it. Thank you for adopting me and answering my S.O.S.
My beautiful Shell, you are the best of the best, always unfailing in your encouragement and support. You’re a huge blessing in my life—never doubt that.
Robyn C.—I don’t know how you do it, but I cannot thank you enough for your Facebook awesomeness. I’m in awe.
To Vicky—thanks for signing up for my craziness. I hope you don’t regret it!
There are so many more . . .
To all the beautiful people whom I’ve met somewhere along this journey, you’ve changed me in ways you can’t imagine. Thank you. For the love and for the lessons. It’s all part of the plan. I get it now. I just hope you know who you are. I couldn’t have done this without your support. Bear hugs to you all.
I left the most precious people until last. My boys. You are the best. When you ignore me, you are still the best. When you make me late for work, you’re still the best. When you don’t put your dirty washing in the basket, you’re still the best. I will love you for eternity: it doesn’t matter what you do, or don’t do. I’m here for you always. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
THAAANNNNK YOOOOOOUUU!
Author of smart, sexy heroes, and heroines with brains and backbone; J.M. Adele loves to flit between the dark and light sides of romance.
She lives in Queensland with her three children and an almost constant procession of imaginary characters. Somewhere along the way they moved in and she went with it.
Her greatest joys are her boys, and her books.
Her biggest challenges are balancing wanderlust with the tendency to be a homebody, and battling an addiction to reading.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
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