by Helen Jones
‘Will you dance with me, Alma?’
Laughing, Alma moved into his embrace and Deryck began to twirl her across the lawn; he was an excellent dancer and made it easy for Alma to keep up with him. The stars above seemed to be wheeling in the sky and she had never been so happy, never felt like this before. All her concern about Ellery, her fears about the Prophecy, were swept away with the force of her feelings for Deryck and, as they danced on the velvety grass, Alma felt she had never seen anywhere, been anywhere, this beautiful. As the music ended they stopped, engrossed in each other, and kissed where they stood in the light spilling out of the long windows onto the green grass below. Alma could not imagine a more perfect moment. She did not see the green-clad figure standing at one of the windows, watching her with an anguished expression. A taller figure in blue stood next to him.
‘Do not despair, Caleb, she is not yet lost.’
Caleb turned sorrowful eyes to Thorion, replying in a voice broken with pain. ‘But she is now – she is lost to me.’
At this the High King could only nod, laying a sympathetic hand on Caleb’s shoulder as they watched the entwined couple, each thinking their own troubled thoughts.
***
Standing in a corner of the crowded ballroom, Lord Denoris slid a warm hand along the curve of Gwenene’s back. She smiled. ‘It seems your son has done his job.’ Her blue eyes, the same colour as her gown, gleamed in the lantern light as she turned to look at Denoris.
‘He has,’ said the Dark Lord, one corner of his mouth lifting. His emerald gaze followed Deryck and Alma as they crossed the dance floor towards the long windows. ‘I expected nothing less.’
Gwenene slid her hands over his chest, twining her arms around his neck. ‘So shall we celebrate?’
At this Denoris smiled, his arms coming around Gwenene to pull her close against him. ‘We shall,’ he said, bending his head to hers. ‘And I’ll let him have his fun for a while. For it won’t be long until she is mine.’
***
Here ends Volume One of The Ambeth Chronicles
Volume Two, No Quarter, coming soon.
www.journeytoambeth.com
No Quarter
Volume Two of The Ambeth Chronicles
Things couldn’t be better for Alma. She’s returned the lost Sword to Ambeth and is finally with Deryck, Prince of the Dark. But what’s really going on? Deryck is struggling with his father, who wants to control Alma, while Alma is struggling with her best friend Caleb, who doesn’t trust Deryck one inch. Plus it’s getting harder and harder to keep up with her life in the human world. Falling in love shouldn’t be this difficult. But things are about to get much worse…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Helen Jones loves to write. That’s all there is to it. Growing up in Coventry, she then lived in Canada and Australia before returning to the UK some years ago. She now lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and daughter and spends her days writing, thinking, cleaning and counting cats on the way to school.
http://www.journeytoambeth.com