Dark of Night
Page 185
Mira winked at him. “And here I thought the tingle was from being with you.”
“I am Scion, ti amo.”
She punched his arm and his purely macho smirk crumpled into a grin. Kagan drew Mira close and kissed her deeply. This time, something joined the rush of heat flooding Mira’s system. Something beyond lust, beyond love. Home. She’d found her home.
• • •
Divinity withdrew as the couple grew more amorous, satisfied to leave them in privacy. She wandered out to the front porch and discovered Xander sprawled on the steps. The chaos of the evening had lifted with Mira’s resurrection, but the air still held a slight chill. She grabbed a sweater off a peg by the door before exiting.
Xander glanced up when she approached and fumbled in his coat, pulling out the twin amulets. “I believe you’ll want to secure these in the vault.”
Divinity slipped them into the pocket of her cardigan.
“What happened?” Xander reclined on his elbows while she leaned against the railing.
“They chose the binding ritual.”
Xander frowned. “Are you sure that’s wise?”
“Are you questioning me, Scion?” Divinity quirked a brow in his direction, her gaze narrowed.
“No. Only surprised a forever match could have formed so fast.”
“When two souls are destined, time is not a factor. You of all people should understand.”
He stood and brushed off his jeans. “I thought I did. Now, I’m not so sure.”
Divinity smiled at his pragmatic tone. “Xander, you have no idea what the future holds.”
• • •
The next day, Zoe peered into the opulent marble guest room and stifled a gasp. It looked like a friggin’ GQ photo shoot. The Scion milled about, waiting for the ceremony to begin. She’d never seen them looking better — or, in Chago’s case, more uncomfortable. A giggle escaped before she could halt it.
Chago tugged continuously on his black bowtie, muttering something about a hangman’s noose. Barron and Sloane, the two newest Scion — and polar opposites — took turns in front of the full-length mirrors. Barron’s loud comments regarding the color of the tuxedo accentuating his tan and gleaming white teeth were rivaled only by Sloane bemoaning the lack of custom tailoring and shoddy stitching along with the mismatched cufflinks and studs. Luther, the Scions’ middle child and expert profiler, had given up on the fiasco and rested in the corner with his ever-present fedora pulled low over his eyes. Wyck and Xander sat against the far wall, ignoring the cacophony of bitching.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was in the women’s dressing room,” Wyck said, his thumbs tapping away on his smartphone. Xander snorted in agreement.
Zoe confirmed the time on her watch. Noon. She pushed the door all the way open and announced they were ready. She fingered the frothy skirt of her gown, the pale lilac silk sliding through her fingers like water. Mira had helped her with the design, and Divinity had whipped the creation into being. Yeah, their new friends were way cool.
The warriors filed past her and out into the marble foyer, now decorated with dozens of white lilies and roses for the occasion. A few mutters of “about damn time” could be heard as they passed, and Zoe lowered her head to stifle another giggle.
A clearing throat brought her eyes up. Xander’s quicksilver gaze froze her heart, mid-beat. He placed a hand on the door beside her and leaned in. “Ladies first.”
“Thank you.” Her words clumped together and tumbled out in a less-than-attractive mumble. Zoe smiled past the heat burning her cheeks and hustled into the foyer, staying clear of Xander’s warmth behind her.
• • •
Kagan shuffled at the end of the aisle in front of Michael, the archangel who’d first discovered Mira alive and whom the couple had chosen to lead the rites. Dai! He hadn’t been this nervous when facing down Constantine’s hordes.
Michael gazed at Kagan’s fidgeting with cool disdain. “Settle down, Scion. This is serious business.”
“Si, you’re right.” He drew in a deep breath and straightened his tuxedo jacket for the umpteenth time before peering down the long hallway toward a set of double doors. “I’m ready.”
Xander took his place beside Kagan as best man and clapped him on the shoulder. “Congratulations, my friend.”
Harps began to play. Zoe started the procession. She was lovely in her pastel purple gown, her dark hair pinned up and her eyes sparkling. He slid a glance at Xander and chuckled at his commander’s star-struck expression. “Uh, Xan. You might want to wipe the drool off your chin before she gets here.”
• • •
The assembled heavenly host rose to face her as she walked down the aisle. Mira’s long veil covered everything in a halo of white. She neared the altar and smiled when the jolt of Kagan’s nearness tingled through her tummy. From the way he fidgeted, she suspected he was dying to burn off his nervous energy. She climbed the few stairs to reach her groom, and Zoe helped her lift the veil.
Mira turned to face Kagan with a smile. A year ago — hell, a month ago — she’d never have dreamed she would have been standing here today, marrying the man she loved. He took her hand in his, and his eyes glowed with warmth. She perused his tuxedo-clad form, admiring how the expensive material clung to his muscled frame and the dark hue contrasted with his midnight-blue gaze. The smoldering stare he shot her made her toes curl in her white satin pumps.
The ceremony blurred by. Between remembering what she was supposed to say and do and fighting the urge to jump her husband, Mira had her hands more than full. When Michael spoke the famous final words, “You may now kiss the bride,” Mira couldn’t believe the proceedings were over so fast.
Caution tossed to the wind, Mira grinned at Kagan and was delighted to see the tension surrounding him dissolve. He linked his fingers with hers and they faced Michael together. Tears of joy welled in Mira’s eyes. The scent of flowers filled the air, and Kagan’s warmth permeated her being. At last, she was safe. Together, they would find sanctuary.
Epilogue
Chicago — One month later
Music blared through the large speakers surrounding the open dance floor. Mira smiled at her husband from behind the bar, deep in conversation with Luther about the proper mixing of a Brain Hemorrhage. Luther had been coerced into bartending for their belated reception. After buying and refurbishing The G Spot, she and Kagan had been busy getting the place ready to reopen as a karaoke bar. Turns out the Scion loved karaoke. According to Kagan, all the Otherworlders did. He’d been right. Business was booming.
She demonstrated, holding up bottles of peach schnapps and Irish cream and pouring them into the glass together to achieve the exact brain tissue effect. Luther wrinkled his nose. She added a final splash of grenadine for bloody gruesomeness and held up her creation. “See? It’s spectacular. Our best seller.”
“Disgusting is more like it. People actually order these?” Luther’s dazzling, tiger-gold eyes filled with horror as Mira tossed the drink back in one swallow.
“Yummy!” She grinned, plunking the empty glass down on the bar. “Now where’s that damn husband of mine? I want to boogie!”
• • •
Zoe giggled as Mira stumbled past her table and gave her a thumbs up. She watched the couples twirl in time to the music. Chago got conned into dancing with one of the light bearers. The woman kept insisting he looked exactly like the guy in those hot underwear ads. To shut her up, he agreed to a dance.
Wyck and Xander were picking their way through the buffet table opposite her. If she concentrated, she could catch Wyck’s stray thoughts about the latest round of hacker attacks sweeping the Internet. Xander glanced up and caught her eye; his gaze held a certain twinkle, like he knew what she was doing. Zoe looked away and frowned, tuning out the internal dial
ogue around her by downing the rest of her wine. She lowered her glass in time to see Divinity join the warriors at the food table.
• • •
“At least the First Seal is safe,” Xander’s attention remained focused on Zoe as he spoke.
“For now. There are six more to guard,” Wyck said, digging into his third shrimp cocktail, a dollop of sauce running down his chin.
Divinity smiled. “Having a good time, boys?”
Wyck mumbled something incoherent around a mouthful of food and Xander smacked him across the back of the head. Divinity turned with her small plate of goodies and spotted Chago’s awkward slow-dance moves. She grimaced. “Too bad I don’t have a plant to cure that.”
Xander tossed his trash and grabbed a drink off a passing tray. “What’s next on the agenda?”
Divinity shrugged and nibbled her meal. “Wyck’s right. Six more Seals have been activated.” She gestured to the party around them. “If this case is any indication, a few of those Seals might become permanent members of the family.”
Xander followed the path of her gaze to Chago and sighed. Chago shot him a look filled with pure panic. He shook his head and finished his champagne then glanced over at Zoe again and caught her stare before she turned away. Now or not at all. “Excuse me.”
He placed his empty glass on the buffet table and strode across the room, halting in front of Zoe. “C’mon, let’s dance.”
• • •
The next song signaled the wedding couple’s first dance, and everyone gathered around to watch as the couple symbolically began their life together as man and wife. Kagan led a tipsy Mira to the floor and cuddled her into his arms. Merda! Eternity would never be long enough with her. He trailed kisses over her flushed face and snuggled closer.
They swayed to the music while the smooth crooner sang about how lovely his lady looked tonight. Kagan nuzzled the side of her neck. His lovely wife purred and he grinned. “Happy, piccola?”
Mira smiled. “Beyond happy, love.”
About The Author
A Midwestern native, Traci Douglass is the author of paranormal and contemporary romances with a sly, urban edge — including her Seven Seals Series. Her stories feature gorgeous alpha-male heroes rife with dark humor, quick wits and major attitudes; smart, independent heroines who always give as good as they get; and scrumptiously evil villains bent — more often than not — on world destruction. She enjoys weaving ancient curses and mythology, modern science and old religion, and great dialogue together to build red-hot, sizzling chemistry between her main characters.
A storyteller since childhood, she began putting her tales on paper in 2011 and made the decision to pursue a full-time writing career in January 2012. Her life has now become a rollercoaster crash course in achieving your dreams. She is an unrepentant lover of chocolate, quotes, and animals, and is known to her friends as a more than occasional smartass.
For more information and her latest projects, please check out her website:
www.tracidouglass.net
And join her on social media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TraciDouglassAuthor
Twitter: @Traci_Douglass
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/8112113-traci-douglass
A Sneak Peek from Crimson Romance
Of Eternal Life by Micah Persell
Secrets of the Fog
Jaye Shields
Avon, Massachusetts
This edition published by
Crimson Romance
an imprint of F+W Media, Inc.
10151 Carver Road, Suite 200
Blue Ash, Ohio 45242
www.crimsonromance.com
Copyright © 2012 by Jaye Shields
ISBN 10: 1-4405-5827-2
ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-5827-6
eISBN 10: 1-4405-5828-0
eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-5828-3
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, corporations, institutions, organizations, events, or locales in this novel are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, used fictitiously. The resemblance of any character to actual persons (living or dead) is entirely coincidental.
Cover art © 123rf.com
Dedication
Family is the most precious gift one can have, and I am very blessed to be surrounded by unconditional love and support. I am the luckiest girl in the world.
To my mom, who taught me how beautiful a strong, independent woman can be, and also that a mother’s love can truly make a girl fly. You always find a way to make me smile, whether it’s texting me a pic of a hot half-naked mullet man on a book cover or talking smack about the people that passed on me. You’ve been my champion.
To my grandma, who reminds me a great deal of Artemis — in a slightly less deadly, reads lots of books kind of way. You may be tiny, but you’re a force to be reckoned with. Thank you for teaching me to be brave. Even if I never developed the spine to read true crime and ended up a romance novelist instead.
To my aunts, I have the coolest, most awe-worthy collection of them. I love you.
You too, Dad. I love ya.
Acknowledgments
Secrets of the Fog has been through a lot since I wrote it a year ago. I need to thank my critique partners for not only reading the entire thing, but numerous prologue and chapter one rewrites. To Angie Derek and Virginia Serpico, my fabulous crit partners, and Chris Ross, the first man to let me know what he thought of the Knights of the Fog.
And of course, Lisa Posillico-Filipe, my unpaid agent and the crit partner who read this book a bazillion times, including many of the scenes that didn’t make it into the final draft. I love you, Lisa. I don’t know what I’d do without you.
I bow down to Jennifer Lawler and Crimson Romance for taking a chance on Secrets of the Fog and its friends, Secrets of the Sky and Secrets of the Jaguar, the first books I ever wrote. And to my fabulous editor, Julie Sturgeon, for whipping it into shape.
Dreams do come true.
Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Epilogue
About the Author
More From This Author
Chapter One
“Tera!” A voice echoed through the crowded coffee shop. “We’re running out of flour and the delivery guy hasn’t arrived yet.” Sparrow Reed shouted her name again, an edge of panic laced in the complaint. “Tera! We’re almost out of scones, for cryin’ out loud.”
Agrotera — Tera to her friends — gracefully navigated between the new coffee grinder and the break table, making her way from her office to the petite barista’s side. She beamed with pride as she glanced around her busy café on Park Street in the charming island town of Alameda, California.
At nearly six feet, Tera towered over the frazzled barista. “You know what they say, darling Sparrow,
here today, scone tomorrow!”
Sparrow laughed. “I’m pretty sure that is not what they say, and scone is nowhere near a close enough pun for that to work.”
Tera tightened her ponytail of long, auburn hair. “So are you singing tonight or what?”
“Yeah, I’m going to sing a swan song for our disappearing scone supply.”
Tera winked at Sparrow. “Swan song. Is that supposed to be a bird pun or something?”
“No, Tera,” her barista said impatiently.
“C’mon, I know it is!” Tera giggled like a twenty-seven-year-old trapped in a teen’s body. Make that a 270-year-old — after all, she was nearly three centuries old. “I love shape shifter puns.”
“How many times do I have to tell you? It’s called mystically gifted.” Sparrow reached out to swat Tera on the bum since she couldn’t reach anywhere else on the tall body. Tera filled with warmth as she evaded her best friend. Sparrow had been the one to encourage her to make this coffee shop happen. After all, the friends knew each other’s secrets. For she was really Agrotera, a Dryad of the Muir Woods. And Sparrow was a mortal-born Wiccan.
Sparrow was an angelic-looking girl with long, lightning-blond hair and fair skin. She also had a wicked knack for baking scones. Although she looked like the girl next door, most of the twenty-seven-year-old’s back was artfully inked with a variety of birds. When she was born, her coven of Wiccan-born aunts gifted her with an enchantment, the first of her tattoos. The magic left the marking of a sparrow inscribed into her skin, a marking that now glowed on the occasions that she desired to fly.
With help from an enchanted birthday lotto ticket from “Anonymous,” — a.k.a. Sparrow’s aunts — Tera had found the down payment necessary to secure her spot on Park Street for the coffee shop venture. She still taught at the martial arts studio, but offered her hour of Goddess Style martial arts for free. After all, that was how Artemis would have wanted it.