Basil, Sheriff of Ipswitch, is battle-hardened, fiercely loyal—and torn apart. He’s falling in love with the Saxon beauty, and he longs to show her she is worthy of love despite her physical limitation.
But the very corruption she is helping him root out may implicate his own half brother. How can he turn his back on family—for an Anglo-Saxon woman?
Enjoy the following excerpt for Out of the Dark:
“The sheriff might be a part of this.”
“I can’t believe that,” Geoff said, his voice getting louder as he made his point. “I’ve known Basil for at least five years. He’s honorable.”
Lynett turned towards Geoff. He was leaning against a tapestried wall near the fireplace. Even the vague outline of his lithe, powerful body seemed ready to spring into action.
“He came along immediately afterward,” she said. “He sounded angry that he’d missed those men.”
“I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation.”
“You must ask Basil for protection.” Matilda waved her arms while making her point. “Those men are trying to kill you.”
“I don’t know for sure today was connected to yesterday in the cellars. The men today were ruffians. They may have wanted ransom.”
“It’s more likely the two are connected,” Geoff said.
“At least you believe me. My parents think I’m hearing things. Since I lost my sight, strange things sometimes happen.”
Lynett touched her crystal where it nestled under her blue woolen bodice.
Matilda gave Lynett a hug before plopping down in a chair opposite the fireplace.
“Of course, we believe you.”
Geoff moved away from the wall and approached Lynett.
“If there’s the slightest chance of trouble brewing, the sheriff needs to know. The crown must be protected.”
“That’s right,” Matilda said.
“Basil has the king’s trust,” Geoff added.
“You should give him yours,” Matilda insisted.
Lynett’s head was a whirl. Bewildered, she started sputtering.
“But…but…his voice…”
“Many guests from northern shires stay at the king’s residences during winter court,” Matilda cautioned her, “including Basil’s father. They could easily sound alike.”
Lynett felt immediately relieved.
Basil’s appearance in the cellar could have been pure coincidence.
“Do you think the earl could be the conspirator?” Lynett asked.
Geoff shook his head in a shadowy movement.
“The earl would never turn against his king. But there are others from Chester who would.”
The heaviness surrounding Lynett’s heart since yesterday lifted. The bond she’d immediately felt with Basil hadn’t been misplaced. Her heart had known him innocent even while her mind thought him guilty.
“You must tell Basil. If the king is in danger, there must be no delay.” Geoff was adamant. His certainty was like the tide. It could not be fought.
“I’ll talk with the sheriff.”
“You must tell your parents, also.”
Lynett turned in the direction of Matilda.
“Must I?”
Her stomach knotted at the thought of it.
“It’ll be worse if you don’t.”
“But they told me not to get involved in politics.”
“They have no choice. The king must be protected.”
“You’re right, of course.” Lynett was resigned.
“We’ll go with you.”
“From now on,” Geoff said, “don’t go anywhere by yourself. It’s too dangerous.”
Lynett agreed. Her world was definitely no longer safe.
Basil bent over the large oak table in an anteroom of the Treasury on the storeroom level of the Tower, going over the figures the scribe had written down and double-checking the tally. A pen and ink map of the cellars cross-referenced to lists of supplies in each storeroom was spread out on the table. The scribe and the retainers who had helped take the inventory were seated nearby.
When the Treasury door crashed open, Basil turned towards it, exasperated at an interruption. Only minutes before, according to a two-hour rotation schedule, the guards assigned to the vault changed with much stamping of feet and shouting of orders. Basil had just refocused on the inventory figures when here was another interruption. He turned towards the intruder, frowning. His frown changed to a smile when he saw who it was.
“Lord Geoffrey, good to see you.” He shoved his wooden chair backward, scraping it across the stone floor, and rose to greet his friend with a bear hug and much slapping of backs.
“And I, you. It’s been awhile.”
Basil offered him a chair, but Geoff chose to stand.
“What brings you to the bowels of the Tower?”
“Lady Lynett of Osfrith.”
Basil’s stomach turned queasy.
“What does she want?”
“It’s a confidential matter of some urgency. I’ll take you to her.”
“You rich people don’t care what important work you interrupt, do you?”
Geoff chuckled.
“We like to keep you poor bastards downtrodden.”
Basil shook his head wearily, resigned to not completing the verification of the inventory. At the same time, his heart beat faster as he wondered how the Saxon beauty would treat him today.
Basil waved a hand towards the cluttered table.
“Give me a moment to finish up here.”
He addressed the scribe and the retainers. “Lock the map and lists in the trunk. Give the guard the key. Meet me here tomorrow at dawn so we can finish the tally.”
He stuck his short sword into its sheath on his belt and turned back to Geoff.
“Lead on, Baron,” Basil said. “Let’s find out why the lady raised this hue and cry.”
Basil sympathized with Lynett as she stumbled over her tongue while relating the events of yesterday and this morning. Her she-devil mother butted in, criticizing and belittling.
He was also incensed.
She should have told me this yesterday. I need to report this to the king immediately.
They were assembled in her parents’ chamber. It was one of the more elegantly furnished chambers in the Tower with heavy velvet bed draperies, brightly colored tapestries and leather chairs. The large fireplace was well-stocked with logs against the chill of a bleak November day.
Lord Geoffrey and he leaned against the wall beneath the shuttered window. Lady Matilda and Lady Lynett sat on chairs. Lady Durwyn sat primly on the edge of the bed, her feet on a stepping stool. The position put her higher than the other women. Her husband had pulled a cushioned stool towards the bed and sat like a whipped cur at his wife’s feet.
Lady Lynett had just finished relating this morning’s abduction when her mother broke in.
“You must forgive my daughter, Sheriff. She’s given to flights of fancy.”
Lady Durwyn rose and faced him. She took a deep breath and pulled herself up to her full height.
“It’s difficult for me to divulge this, but for the longest time our daughter told us she could see the ghost of my deceased mother-in-law.”
“But, Mother,” Lynett said, wringing her hands, a deep frown creasing her forehead. “Lord Geoffrey found the rug they wrapped me in.”
“I don’t deny you were kidnapped, Daughter,” her mother said in a tone that clearly said ‘do not interrupt’. “The bruising on your face is serious, not to speak of unsightly.”
Lynett visibly winced.
“I just say you were taken for ransom, not conspiracy. After all, the wool trade made my lands prosperous. I’m quite wealthy. Any fool knows those ruffians were after our money.”
Lynett blushed, looking embarrassed. Basil was about to come to her defense when her father spoke up.
“My dear, we need to keep an open mind.”
Lord Wilfgive’s high-pitched, tenor vo
ice seemed excessively conciliatory. In size, Lynett’s father was only a couple of inches taller than his daughter. His wife towered over both. Despite his well-known reputation as a scholar, on the short-legged stool he seemed insignificant. The exception was the quality of his clothing. That was designed to impress.
“We should hear what the sheriff has to say,” Lord Geoffrey said.
Everyone’s attention focused on Basil. When Lady Lynett turned towards where he stood, his heart speeded up despite his intention to be disinterested. He cleared his throat.
“I’m investigating a series of robberies from the Tower.”
His bass voice reverberated against the stone walls, making him self-conscious. This was the aspect of his occupation he liked the least. A man of action, words were a second choice.
“It’s possible this abduction had nothing to do with yesterday. Perhaps the thieves saw your daughter as an easy prey for kidnapping and a ransom.”
Geoff pushed himself abruptly away from the wall, seeming to startle Lynett. He ran his fingers through his hair as if agitated.
“But she heard someone speak of chaos in the kingdom. We can’t take lightly anything that touches on the king.”
Before Basil could assure Geoff that action would be taken, her father spoke up.
“You haven’t known us long, Baron. Our daughter hears voices that no others hear. It started after illness caused her blindness.”
Basil watched Lynett’s face flush beet-red.
“Father, I’m blind, not deaf. My hearing is better than yours. Most times, what I hear can be explained.”
“But there are other times, Daughter. This may be one of them.”
Basil’s stomach gave a twist as if he was the one under attack. Lynett was being made to look foolish in front of her friends and him. He cleared his throat.
“I’ll look into both your daughter’s kidnapping and the conspiracy,” he assured them.
Geoff leaned back against the wall as if satisfied.
Lady Durwyn started pacing, something a noble woman never did in company. The train of her purple woolen kirtle dragged against the flagstones. It demonstrated the intensity of her distress as she spoke.
“I don’t want to be embroiled in lengthy investigations.”
“I’ll do my best to shield you during my inquiries.”
The husband calmed his wife, his voice soothing.
“See, my dear, the sheriff will handle everything. We don’t have to be involved.”
Not involved? Your own daughter’s life is at stake.
No magic for two weeks? What’s a fairy to do? Go to Vegas, of course!
Survival of the Fairest
© 2008 Jody Wallace
Princess Talista of the fairy clan Serendipity has been sent, like all young fairies, to a remote forest in humanspace for mandatory survival training. But headstrong Tali’s got different ideas about where to spend two weeks without magic. What better place than Las Vegas to learn to live like humans, a true test of survival?
Tali might not blend, but she’d like to be shaken and stirred with stage magician Jake Story. Their attraction is instant and electric…and Tali senses there’s more to Jake’s show than flashy tricks.
Jake always knew he was different, even before he developed an unusual flair for hypnotism. He has no trouble mesmerizing the luscious Tali during act three, but the lights that appear around them when they kiss weren’t part of the program.
When the authorities from Tali’s homeland track the missing princess to Vegas, Jake and Tali end up on the run. In between magic experiments, evil gnomes and astonishing sex, Tali learns what it really means to be human—by falling in lust, followed closely by love.
But Tali’s not human. And Jake doesn’t believe in fairies. The truth will either bind them together—or tear the fairy realm apart.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Survival of the Fairest:
“The hotel with the red and blue spires.” Tali bounced in her seat, forgetting that she was belted to it, and the heavy strap bit into her shoulders. “Oof!”
“What?” Jake snapped his cellular teley-phone closed.
Tali had listened avidly as he’d called his sibling, that copper fellow, and cancelled their appointment for the evening. The cellular teley-phone seemed almost as efficient as communication spells. She squirmed until she was more comfortable in the restraints. “The hotel that looks like a palace. Take us there.”
“The Excalibur?” Jake deftly maneuvered his automobile into the stream of traffic on the main road. The black car had darkened windows and room for five people. The soft seats were upholstered in leather, a rare material in the Realm now that civilized fairies were vegetarian hippies. A pleasant herbal odor emanated from a gaudy cloth bag that hung around the mirror on the front window, and the motor purred like a giant cat. Vast buildings towered behind the flashing lights and signs, inns Jake said were often full to capacity. People in showy outfits thronged the sides of the street.
There was no sign of Elder Embor and his menacing team anywhere among them. How in the world had they found her? Probably her obnoxious survival teammates back in the Bitterroot, though that didn’t answer how the Elder had known to transport to Las Vegas. Maybe a tracer spell of some sort. She wouldn’t put it past the Court to have bugged her or something.
Dang. Well, they couldn’t track her now that she wasn’t using magic.
A flume of brilliantly lit water caught Tali’s eye. “Look!” She pointed at a lake in front of the huge beige hotel glowing with yellow lights. “Waterspouts!”
“That’s the Bellagio.” Jake made a decent guide, if she ignored the sidelong glances he kept shooting her. He’d better not be thinking of kissing her again. She was having enough trouble putting it out of her head. “It’s one of the most expensive hotels ever built. There are about twelve hundred fountains in the lake.”
His tight black shirt outlined a taut abdomen and broad shoulders. When he shifted the right way, she could even see his nipples. Maybe she should quit trying to forget their embrace. What was wrong with a little kiss, anyway? So he sort of convinced her she wanted it with that hypnosis business. She’d kissed men before, lots of them.
No harm done. The spectators hadn’t found it odd or suspicious, which meant it was a normal human activity. Pleased with her deduction, she settled back, ready to relax and enjoy the scenery.
Tali rapped on the thin glass window. “Do I hear music?”
Jake clicked a button on the shelf between the seats, and the window sank into the door with a whir. Strains of instrumental music accompanied by a man’s rich vibrato drifted through the opening. The fountains soared higher into the air, mirroring the music, and crested above the lake. The humans standing on the sidewalk applauded.
The air breezing in smelled of metal and smoke and grease. She inhaled, exhaled. The music sounded like the symphony at home, but larger. Not many fairies were musically talented, but the ones who were received much acclaim. “That’s a fine tune. I can see why they like it.”
She leaned her chin on her hands and stared at the water arcing over the heads of the crowd. Perfectly lovely! She wished she could admire it more closely, but dawdling wasn’t a good idea at the present time.
She knew her punishment would be intense, but she had no intention of returning until her time was up. Her jig was jagged, so she might as well enjoy it. This would be her only chance to explore humanspace and advance her knowledge of blending firsthand. The game of cat-and-mouse with the Elder might even make things more exciting.
Speaking of exciting, she peeked at Jake under her lashes and thought about the kiss. The electric exchange of tongues and heat. The silken feel of his hair under her fingers. She was here to learn new things, right? To blend? A conversation with her sister about the sexual prowess of human males echoed in her mind.
It wasn’t as if Tali never planned to have sex, but it was difficult to relax when one’s partners all had
political ambitions. Wedding a twosie guaranteed a higher position in Realm society. Even wooing a twin could boost status. Desire for advancement drove her suitors, not desire for her. Ani enjoyed the attention, enjoyed working through The Thousand Kisses, a series of mating rituals designed to enhance one’s chances of bonding, but the posturing, and the lack of actual affection, bored Tali to tears.
Fairies never knew whom they’d bond with, or if they’d bond with anyone. It was so...arbitrary. What if she ended up with a fellow she didn’t even like? Casual sex that could result in permanent bonding wasn’t something Tali had been inclined to try.
Jake, on the other hand, didn’t care about the status involved in courting a twosie. Didn’t hope they’d join forever and ever. Had no idea she was anything besides a tourist and a woman.
She was fairly certain he was aware of her as a woman.
“How much further is it, Jake?” Maybe she’d ask him to stay in her hotel room tonight.
Jake glanced at her. His hair gleamed in the low lights of the car’s interior. Their car idled behind others in front of the waterworks. His dark clothes blended with the seat that cupped him, and the half-smile at the corner of his mouth fascinated her. No men she knew had that twinkle in their eyes or those perfect laugh lines. Drakhmore clan members were dark like him, a little scary, but Jake Story didn’t scare her. Exactly.
“A couple miles, but this traffic’s pretty bad. So what are your plans? What else do you want to do while you’re here?” he asked.
She hid a smirk and wriggled deeper into her cushioned seat. “I want to attend a water park, look through a humble teley-scope, surf on the Internet, visit the White House, shop at a supermall and see baseball.” She wanted to do the things normal humans were lucky enough to do every single day. She wanted to know how human technology had replaced magic and what it would be like to live here permanently. She wanted to know more about Jake Story and why he made her tingle.
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