by Eva Brandt
“Of course, sweetie,” my mom replied. “We’ll bake them personally. Santa will love them.”
Watching the happy scene, I felt like I was drowning all over again. If I could’ve had any gift now, I would’ve liked one more day—one more hour to tell my parents I loved them. But I couldn’t, so I picked the next best option. “What can I do?”
“You can become their guardian angel,” the Grim Reaper replied bluntly.
“Guardian angel?” I repeated. “You can’t be serious…”
“Of course we are,” Morrigan answered. “You see, Delilah, angels were created by The Supreme Being and their nature transcends that of mortality. The Celestial Realm is one of spirit, not flesh. A lot of angels never test out their physical bodies, although they have the ability to summon one at will, if they need it.
“But there’s a different category of angels, an exception, if you will. On occasion, humans can be given the chance to become divine beings. We are offering you this opportunity. You can still save your family, Delilah. You can earn your wings. You can be a guardian angel.”
My head was spinning as I processed the full weight of what she was saying. On one hand, I wanted to jump at the chance. It was an alternative to dying and I could be with my family again. And yet, I couldn’t help but find the whole thing very sketchy.
“Why? Why would you make me this offer?” There had to be a catch. People didn’t just come back from the dead. This felt an awful lot like a deal with the devil—which, considering what had brought me here in the first place, was a very sobering thought to have.
“It’s quite simple, Delilah,” Morrigan offered. “Lucifer and his family are the guardians of The Infernal Realm. The Heavenly Host watches over The Celestial Realm. The Mortal Realm needs a champion too, and that person has to be you.”
My heart fell at the serious expression on her face. “Lucifer… He’ll just keep killing, won’t he?”
“We don’t know what will happen. He might. He might not. But regardless, there always has to be a balance. We’re in charge of protecting that. Right now, Lucifer’s new queen has heavily tipped the scales in favor of The Infernal Realm. In the long run, that might be disastrous. Heaven and Hell have struck an uneasy peace throughout the past couple of centuries, but that can easily change.”
Dark fury rose up inside me at her words. I didn’t know if I could be a protector or a champion. I’d been unable to protect my family or myself. I was just a regular girl, with a regular life.
But I wanted revenge, and the deities of death were giving me the perfect way to get it. Heaven? Hell? I didn’t care about that. I wanted Lucifer to pay for what he’d done.
And first and foremost, I wanted to save my parents.
“All right. I’ll do it. Where do we start?”
The Grim Reaper and Morrigan shared a long look. Their silence gave me a bad feeling. If they were reluctant to tell me something, after everything they’d already shown me, it had to be bad.
“Well, that’s the thing,” the Grim Reaper said at last. “Before you can become an angel, you have to go to Watcher Academy. It’s a school created for fallen angels, for Lucifer’s closest friends, former soldiers and companions.”
In the image still hovering between us, the view of my happy family vanished. Lucifer reappeared, this time surrounded by a host of fallen angels.
What the fuck?
TO BE CONTINUED IN A MERCILESS YEAR ONE
COMING JANUARY 2020
Coming Soon
The Grand Tartarus Tournament is over, but Selene’s journey at Chimera Academy has just begun. With Charybdis out of commission, tensions at the school escalate, threatening the tenuous balance between the star fleets. When Selene becomes the target of an alien with a secret agenda, the new contender to her affections might prove too much for her Chimera Warriors to handle.
Pre-order book 2: Tears of Tungsten.
Selene’s adventures continue. As the secrets hidden by The Grand Judiciary continue to unveil, a past tragedy comes back to haunt them. Forced to face their worst nightmares, Selene and her loved ones have to make a choice. Their hopes, dreams, and duties come crashing down like a castle of cards. What destiny awaits them?
Pre-order book 3. Destinies of Diamond
Also By Eva Brandt
Six men, one woman, a curse threatening to tear them all apart.
In the world of the Accursed, having a means facing off against shape-shifting assassins, insane vampires and immortal princes who claim they can’t feel. Finding love is a crime punishable by death, and being human can lead to watching the people you most love wither away. One woman will challenge those rules and dark secrets. Join Lucienne in her quest to break the enchantment on the Accursed and save her soulmates.
Book 1. Awakening Angel
Book 2. Beloved Rebel
Book 3. Captive Wildfire
Book 4. Enchanted Damnation
Soulmates of Seasons Books 1-2: Winter’s Dragons arc
One exasperated snow queen who simply can’t find reliable help. Three dragons who really just want to claim their female. What could possibly go wrong?
Join Cassia in her quest to find love, solve a mystery, and hopefully, make sure her minions don’t ruin the rest of her furniture while she’s away. It’s all in a day’s work for the queen of The Realm of Eternal Ice.
Book 1. Melting Ice
Book 2. Frozen Flames
Soulmates of Seasons 3-4: Spring’s Vampires arc
One youthful queen of eternal spring who is far more than she seems. Three vampires who run the risk of forgetting all about their important mission, just because of her smile. Things are about to get steamy in The Land of Eternal Youth.
It’s tough to be the avatar of spring when you’re surrounded by overprotective unicorns, tree demons, and hyperactive, plant-like lambs. It’s even tougher to find time for romance. For Eranthe, Lady of Spring, the arrival of three handsome vampires might just change that—along with everything else in her life.
Book 3. Withered Rose
Book 4. Blooms of Blood
About the Author
Eva Brandt is a romance aficionado who likes to spice up her stories with an extra bit of something special. Dragons? Perfect. Vampires? You got it. Any other type of mythological creature you might not have heard of? Absolutely. Sexy, snarky heroines and heroes with a penchant for falling head over heels in love with them? Yes and double yes.
She also believes in a very simple motto. Be passionate about passion. Embrace temptation. Life is too short to deny yourselves the most beautiful things about it.
When she’s not weaving her latest sexy tale, she enjoys relaxing in bed with a nice mug of tea and her ebook reader. Because nothing is better than writing a book, excepting reading one.
Visit Eva at her website or Facebook page, join her Facebook Den of Temptation and sign up for her newsletter.