“For whom?” Nikolas asked.
“Vampires,” I said. “The inspector wants the names of everyone who got bitten. It doesn’t sound like there’s much distinction between those who fully turned and those who didn’t.”
“Prick,” said Rachel. “Let’s bring them here.”
“The vampires already said no,” I said. “Madame White will hand them over to the celestials to avoid anyone else getting infected. The others don’t want the celestials to target them next.”
“Nor do I,” Nikolas said. “We’re one step away from a war with hell, and our allies are as likely to kill us as anyone else.”
“No kidding,” I muttered, skimming through my messages. I’d also got one from Clover.
Where have you been? I messaged her.
Avoiding the celestials. Your name’s on their list, Devi.
“Great,” I said. “I’m on their watch list, too. I reckon Rachel’s onto something. Fiona’s already here. And there might be a cure. You said yourself—if we don’t help them, the celestials will label them as a threat and slaughter them.”
“We’ll discuss the matter with Javos,” said Nikolas.
Rachel grinned at me. “I’ll get the music ready.”
As she sidled out of the room, the two of us looked at one another. We’d hardly had the chance to talk since the aftermath, since we’d been so busy, and he’d seemed to be avoiding my eyes most of the time.
“Of course he won’t say yes,” I said. “But we’ll do it anyway.”
“I knew you’d give us a run for our money,” Nikolas said, not making a move in my direction. My demon mark hadn’t twinged since the fight, but merely the idea of being closer to him made it spark to life. I didn’t know if there was any more of his magic left inside it. Now I had an explanation as to why his lure had affected me so strongly, but using it against him would have no effect. I’d been out of my mind with lust, but the need I’d seen in his eyes had been real.
“You bet,” I said. “So… are you up for it?”
“Rescuing vampires?” He raised an eyebrow. “I suppose I don’t need to tell you the risks. And anyone involved with the illegal bloodstones—or demon eggs—might be plotting to re-establish the link with Pandemonium. We can’t ignore your role in this any longer.” The words sounded like they pained him to say aloud. “You’ll have to come with me to Babylon. It’s easier that way.’
“You sure?” My voice rose in surprise.
“I’m more than sure.” He took a step closer to me. “If you want to give this a go, there are certain things you’ll need to know about me.”
“Incriminating things?” My breath caught as he leaned forward, lips brushing against the curve of my ear.
“Sinful, certainly.” His lips found mine, hot and intense, and warmth tingled up from my demon mark. Drawn to him… drawn to the shadow, wanting to take his magic. Hey. Don’t do that.
Okay, maybe we had an issue or two to work through. Or my demon mark did. But now I knew how it worked, you’d better believe I had every intention of using it. Whether the arch-demons liked it or not.
“Sinful is more than fine with me,” I said. “I’m ready to learn how to be a warlock.”
Thank you for reading!
The story continues in Book 3, Celestial Ashes, available soon.
Find out more at: smarturl.it/CelestialMarked
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I hope you enjoyed Celestial Fire. If you have a minute to spare, then I’d really appreciate a short review. For independent authors, reviews help more readers discover our books. I’d love to know what you thought!
Other books by Emma L. Adams
If you like kickass urban fantasy, you might like Faerie Blood, the first book in the Changeling Chronicles series.
When faerie-killer Ivy is hired to find a missing child, replaced with a changeling, she's forced to team up with the seductively dangerous Mage Lord, at the risk of exposing her own dark history with the faeries – and this time, running won't save her.
Find out more!
If you’re looking for more action-packed urban fantasy, you might like Mortal Heir, Book 1 in the Thief’s Talisman series.
Raine Warren, half-faerie changeling and master thief, has one mission: keep her family safe from the faeries who abandoned her in the human realm as a child. But when Faerie comes knocking, claiming she's descended from Sidhe nobility and set to inherit an unexpected legacy, she must learn to survive in a realm of treacherous immortals.
Find out more!
About the Author
Emma is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of the Changeling Chronicles urban fantasy series.
Emma spent her childhood creating imaginary worlds to compensate for a disappointingly average reality, so it was probably inevitable that she ended up writing fantasy novels. When she's not immersed in her own fictional universes, Emma can be found with her head in a book or wandering around the world in search of adventure.
Find out more about Emma’s books at www.emmaladams.com.
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