by D. G. Swank
Abel pointed his sword at his father and growled, “If you ever touch her, I will kill you myself.”
Before Okeus could react, Abel grabbed my arm and hauled me to his chest. “I will follow you, Kewasa.”
Then his lips covered mine and we were gone.
Chapter 31
I had expected to find myself in an ancient world. The place where Abel had grown up. A place in Europe where he’d fallen in love for the first time.
But when I opened my eyes, I found myself on the balcony of his mountain home.
Perhaps he found peace here. The view was beautiful, but I was still surprised.
His arm was still around my back, holding me close to his naked chest.
“You saved me,” I said.
He cupped my face and tilted my head back to look up at him. “No, you saved me.”
The fire in his eyes suggested he meant more than my role in whisking him here.
“Why here?” I asked.
He shook his head and let me go. “We have made a powerful enemy. We will now have to hide.”
“Are you sorry?” I asked.
He turned to his side and stared at me with such heat my body became flushed. “No. But we have a new problem now.”
“Other than Okeus?” I asked in disbelief.
He closed the distance between us and grabbed my left hand, splaying out my fingers to reveal the mark on my palm. “Sometime in the near future, a crescent moon will appear on your hand, and you will be compelled to kill me.”
I didn’t need the reminder. “I thought that was what you wanted.”
“I do,” he said. Then his voice softened. “I did. But if you kill me, not only will you face my father’s wrath for evading him, but he will torture you for destroying his only heir. I won’t be able to protect you from him.”
My eyes widened. “Maybe I don’t need protecting.”
His expression suggested he didn’t buy that for a moment.
“So our immediate concern is preventing the mark from appearing on my hand?” I asked.
“Yes.”
There were a lot of questions yet, and I had no idea how to find the answers to them. But I knew one thing for sure. We had to find a way to ensure that crescent moon did not appear on my palm, and I knew of only one person to go to.
“I think I know someone who can help.”
“Who?” he asked. Then his eyes narrowed. “You can’t be serious.”
“Totally.”
Abel and I were paying Deidre and her daughter a visit.
Of Blood and Monsters
Piper Lancaster Series #3
October 2, 2018
***
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Also by D.G. Swank
CURSE KEEPERS WORLD
(Urban fantasy)
Curse Keepers Trilogy
The Curse Keepers
The Curse Breakers
The Curse Defiers
Curse Keepers Collection (box set)
Of Ash and Spirit Trilogy
Of Ash and Spirit
Of Fire and Storm
Of Blood and Monsters
The Chosen Series
(Adult urban fantasy)
CHOSEN
HUNTED
SACRIFICE
REDEMPTION
On the Otherside Series
(Young adult sci fi romance)
HERE
THERE
Also by Denise Grover Swank
Rose And Neely Kate reading order:
Family Jewels
Trailer Trash
For the Birds
Hell in a Handbasket
In High Cotton
Up Shute Creek
Rose Gardner Investigations
Family Jewels
For the Birds
Hell in a Handbasket
Up Shute Creek
Neely Kate Mystery
Trailer Trash
In High Cotton
Magnolia Steele Mystery
Center Stage
Act Two
Call Back
Curtain Call
Darling Investigations
(Humorous mystery romance)
Deadly Summer
Blazing Summer
Rose Gardner Mysteries
Novellas are bonus material
TWENTY-EIGHT AND A HALF WISHES
TWENTY-NINE AND A HALF REASONS
THIRTY AND A HALF EXCUSES
FALLING TO PIECES (novella)
THIRTY-ONE AND A HALF REGRETS
THIRTY-TWO AND A HALF COMPLICATIONS
PICKING UP THE PIECES (novella)
THIRTY-THREE AND A HALF SHENANIGANS
ROSE AND HELENA SAVE CHRISTMAS (novella)
RIPPLE OF SECRETS (novella)
THIRTY-FOUR AND A HALF PREDICAMENTS
THIRTY-FIVE AND A HALF CONSPIRACIES
THIRTY-SIX AND A HALF MOTIVES
SINS OF THE FATHER (novella)
The Wedding Pact
(Humorous contemporary romance)
THE SUBSTITUTE
THE PLAYER
THE GAMBLER
THE VALENTINE (short story)
Bachelor Brotherhood
Spinoff of The Wedding Pact series
ONLY YOU
UNTIL YOU
ALWAYS YOU
Young adult contemporary romance
ONE PARIS SUMMER
Off the Subject Series
(New adult contemporary romance)
AFTER MATH
REDESIGNED
BUSINESS AS USUAL
About the Author
Denise Grover Swank was born in Kansas City, Missouri and lived in the area until she was nineteen. Then she became a nomadic gypsy, living in five cities, four states and ten houses over the course of ten years before she moved back to her roots. She speaks English and smattering of Spanish and Chinese which she learned through an intensive Nick Jr. immersion period. Her hobbies include witty Facebook comments (in own her mind) and dancing in her kitchen with her children. (Quite badly if you believe her offspring.) Hidden talents include the gift of justification and the ability to drink massive amounts of caffeine and still fall asleep within two minutes. Her lack of the sense of smell allows her to perform many unspeakable tasks. She has six children and hasn’t lost her sanity. Or so she leads you to believe.
For urban fantasy: dgswank.com
For mystery and romance: denisegroverswank.com