by Helen Harper
‘Layoch,’ I whispered. I smiled. ‘That’s my true name.’ Byron’s mouth dropped open slightly. ‘I told you I would trust you.’
His eyes gleamed. ‘I’m Buaidh. It translates as victory.’ He watched me carefully; a shiver ran down my body. ‘I’ve not been victorious yet though.’ He swallowed. Then I realised his hands were shaking.
Alarmed, I stared at him. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘I’ve heard about this place down near England. I thought maybe we should go and pay it a visit.’
‘Why? Are there problems there? Has there been fighting of some kind?’ I gnawed on my bottom lip. ‘I know there are going to be difficulties but I thought we’d have at least a bit of breathing space first. Surely none of us have got that far down the country yet.’ Something else suddenly occurred to me. ‘It’s not the English, is it? That’s all we need.’
‘It’s not that. And it’s not a problem. It’s just that there’s an old blacksmith’s there which used to be very famous. I remember reading old stories about it in my school history books. Of course, it fell out of use after the Fissure.’
‘A blacksmith?’ I was thoroughly confused. ‘Are you getting some horses?’
‘Uh, no. Bob reminded me about it. It’s called Gretna Green. I know it might not seem like the right time but…’ He scratched his neck. ‘This is harder than I thought it would be. Maybe you think we ought to spend more time together first. But when you know, you know.’
Know what? I was thoroughly confused now. I’d seen Byron in a lot of different situations and I didn’t think I’d ever seen him look so scared.
From out of nowhere, Bob reappeared. ‘What are you doing?’ he screeched. ‘I’ve already softened her up for you. Just say the words!’
Byron ignored him. Still holding my hands, he got down on one knee and gazed up at me.
My mouth dropped. Hang on a minute…
Thank you so much for reading Last Wish and sticking by Integrity to the end!
I truly hope you enjoyed it. Once you turn the page, Amazon will offer you the opportunity to leave a review. It would mean a huge amount if you could review – any and all feedback is so very, very welcome and hugely important for independent authors like myself.
The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Magic is my fun new series starting in Spring 2017. Ivy might be a couch potato but she’s also incredibly magically adept. She’s going to end up to her elbows in it when she’s mistaken for her workaholic neighbour though! To make sure you don’t miss out on it – or any other new releases, including the thrilling conclusion to the Dreamweaver series which is coming soon – then sign up for my newsletter here.
Acknowledgments
There are so many people without whom this book, and indeed series, wouldn’t have been possible and who I can’t possibly thank enough. Any omissions here are entirely my own fault.
First and foremost, to Karen Holmes for her superlative editing – not to mention her ability to keep me buoyed up when I’m sure what I’ve written isn’t worth the paper. To Clarissa Yeo and her always wonderful cover art. To Saskia Maarleveld for her wonderful audio narration, as well as all the fabulous folks over at Tantor. To the Women of Urban Fantasy for keeping me sane. To Barbara Hall, Yvanca Wensing and Luma Zetani for their invaluable beta reading.
To Marlowe, Scout, Lara and Mavis for giving me (mostly) peace to write when I’ve needed it.
To the Taylors Education Group for their unwitting inspiration for Integrity.
To Adrianna, the most perfect PA I could ever wish for.
To my family for their continued and unstinting support.
Finally, to Malaysia. It’s been seven and a half years and, as I write this, I’m surrounded by boxes and crates and suitcases as I prepare to return to the UK. The tropical weather, the amazing food and, above all, the warm, kind people have made this such an inspiring adventure. Terima Kasih from the bottom of my heart.
Helen xxx
About the Author
After teaching English literature in the UK, Japan and Malaysia, Helen Harper left behind the world of education following the worldwide success of her Blood Destiny series of books. She is a professional member of the Alliance of Independent Authors and writes full time although she still fits in creative writing workshops with schools along with volunteering to teach reading to a group of young Myanmar refugees. That’s not to mention the procession of stray cats which seem to find their way to her door!
Helen has always been a book lover, devouring science fiction and fantasy tales when she was a child growing up in Scotland.
Helen currently lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with far too many cats – not to mention the dragons, fairies, demons, wizards and vampires that seem to keep appearing from nowhere.
Other titles by Helen Harper
The complete Blood Destiny series
Bloodfire
Bloodmagic
Bloodrage
Blood Politics
Bloodlust
Blood Destiny Box Set (The complete series: Books 1 – 5)
Also
- Corrigan Fire
- Corrigan Magic
- Corrigan Rage
Corrigan Politics
Corrigan Lust
The complete Olympiana series
Eros
Lyre
The complete Bo Blackman series
Dire Straits
New Order
High Stakes
Red Angel
Vigilante Vampire
Dark Tomorrow
The Dreamweaver series
Night Shade
Night Terrors
Night Lights (coming soon)