“Help me. Set this right.”
“Right!” he scoffed. “What is right? She is your intended mate. Is it right to let her die when you have the power within you to save her? Is that right, Randell?”
“This isn’t about her.” Turning my still-fisted hand over I raised it up, slowly. “And it isn’t about me. This is about you.” Unbidden, tears leaked from my eyes and ran down my cheeks. “Everything you taught me, everything you gave me…it was all about you.”
“Choose,” he said, his snow-white hair blowing about his shoulders. He stepped inside the shield, his silken slippers crunching the glass beneath his feet.
“Show me you are worthy and we will become one. Together, we will save her.” Basta stared down at Alex, unconscious on the floor, lying in a pool of blood. “Then, together we will have her.” A smile of triumph spread across his face, delight shined in his eyes. He looked victorious.
An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. A life for a life.
That’s all that was left to do to save her; all the spell needed. A death. No, a kill.
I looked about the room. Both Chris and Chase were now in stasis. I couldn’t take any more from Luna without causing irreparable harm. My father was barely conscious. The only others standing were Lily and my mother.
“Choose!” Basta roared.
They made no attempt to hide, no attempt to cower. They stood tall, hand in hand, their skin marred by dozens of tiny scratches. My mother’s hands still covered in Alex’s blood.
The biggest danger of magic is that you begin to believe you can do anything. And with enough power, with enough skill, with enough compromise, you can. I had the power and skill, I always had. It was the compromise that I wasn’t good at. Because when it came down to it, in the final tally, I was my father’s son.
“Stop being weak!” Basta growled. “Do what needs to be done. This is your fate. Fulfill your destiny!”
And I did. Basta had always been a good teacher. To think, he’d been human once. Beneath the power, beneath the magic, I knew he was human still, even if he’d forgotten.
I unfisted my hand and the smell of burning flesh, hot and acrid filled my nostrils. I swallowed down the bile that had risen in my throat along with my childhood faith.
“Ana Simtim Alaku,” I whispered, lifting my hand up, in front on my mouth. Go to your fate. The bullet spun, rising into the air. “You know nothing of my destiny,” I told him. Then I dropped all control. My power unfurled, propelling the bullet forward towards its mark.
The look of astonishment on his face as the bullet penetrated his heart clearly telegraphed his surprise. He stumbled back, falling against the wall, hands clutched to his chest.
“No!” he gasped. “Randell…”
“It didn’t have to be this way.” I told him, then I finished it. “Ditallu.”
Epilogue
The explosion was blinding and the strength of the blast not only propelled me backwards, it also blew out the side of the house and half of the staircase. Daylight streamed in, flooding the scene in a stark light. A water pipe in the broken wall had burst and water was pouring down, washing away the ash, mixing with the blood.
I’d managed somehow to climb to my feet while I surveyed the landscape of destruction. The beautiful home that I’d grown up in, the home that had been a safe haven all my life was in ruins. I shook my head, trying to clear it. Alex…I had to get to Alex.
“Son?” I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder.
It was my father. Before I could respond, before I could say anything, he pulled me into an embrace.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my throat so tight that I could barely utter the words. “I should have told you.”
“Sometimes,” Dad said, shaking his head, “a man needs to find his own way, fight his own demons, make his own choices.”
“Dell?”
It was Alex. She’d pulled herself into a sitting position and ripped open her bloodied blouse. Water was raining down on her. She was soaked through, her stomach cleansed, its flesh unspoiled, unmarred. There was no sign of injury.
“Good Lord, Dell,” muttered my mother as she ran her hands over Alex’s perfectly pristine torso. “I think you healed her.”
“Dell?” Alex was trying to stand, wanting to come to me, but Mother was discouraging her.
“Slow down, Alex,” she cautioned. “You’ve been through a lot…”
Alex was only across the room, but it felt like we were separated by a gap as great as eternity itself. As I stumbled towards her, my knees weak, my legs feeling like rubber, I realized both how true that was and how easily the chasm could be breached. All is took was moving forward, both of us, one step at a time.
We met at the edge of the crimson pool. The press of her body against mine, the taste of her lips, the scent of her blood, I couldn’t speak, couldn’t think. There was nothing, anything to do but feel as I covered her mouth with mine and savored that which I’d almost lost. The kiss was long and slow and deep, like all our kisses would be from here on out.
“Are you all right?” she asked when it finally ended.
“Right as rain.” I said even as my teeth began to chatter. The cold water was still raining down on us and exhaustion was quickly taking hold.
“Liar,” she teased. Slipping her arm around my waist she let me lean on her. She seemed strong, steady, certain. “We’ve got to get you out of these wet clothes. Got to get you warm.”
I took one step, then another. On the third I went down. I would have landed hard, too, but she was there…to catch me, to wrap me in her arms, to bath me in her warmth, to let me soak up her humanity. I felt myself slipping away…
“Dell?”
“Tired,” I managed to get out just as my eyes closed.
Alex leaned down, her lips brushing against the shell of my ear.
“You’ll come back to me?” she asked, her voice filled with emotion. “Promise me you’ll come back to me?”
“I will always come back to you,” I told her. Then I pillowed my head against the finest pair of tits I’d ever seen and drifted off knowing that…they were mine. She was mine. And I? I was hers. So what if it wasn’t official yet. It would be, someday, when we were both ready. Meanwhile…we had this. One another. Love.
I’d won the girl.
I am my father’s son.
Coming Soon…
Forbidden: The Temptation
Read more about these fabulous characters!
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Forbidden: The Awakening
Sometimes, giving into temptation can be a good thing. Just ask Byron Renfield. The vamp who will stop at nothing to save the woman he loves. Who needs immortality when you have Violet Deeds in your bed?
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Forbidden: The Claim
Experience the passion of forbidden love. Be there when Byron meets Violet in the first of the Forbidden series.
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As You Wish
Curious about Jennifer and Stanley Houghton? Want to meet the delicious Will Carlton? Then read Sam’s first novel, the one that started it all!
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In the Still of the Night
Satisfy your need for more of the enigmatic Dr. Wesley Atherton. Learn how he and Kate found love in each other's arms while fighting a hellish creature straight out of your worst nightmare.
About the Author:
Samantha Sommersby was first published in 2005 and has now left what she used to call her real life day job to pursue writing and working in the publishing industry full-time. Sam’s background in the psychiatric field is apparent in her work and allows her to bring a unique perspective to her characters and stories. She loves to spend the day in her office creating, spinning rich tales and weaving together interesting plots. Her aim is to create a hero that will literally sweep a reader off her feet.
She currently lives in Southern California with her husband of eighteen years, her fourteen year old son, and her cocker spaniel, Buck.
Her husband is a social worker who works with abused children. He’s an avid sailor who loves to surf, and you’ll find bits of him in every hero that Sam has ever written. Her son is wonderfully sensitive, with a sarcastic sense of humor. He plays the piano, composes his own music, is a competitive fencer, and worships video games.
On the rare occasion when Sam manages to set aside some play time for herself, you’ll most likely find her reading a book, at the movies, or out wine tasting (she collects California Cabernets).
Also by Samantha Sommersby:
Forbidden: The Claim
Byron Renfield has spent years climbing the social ladder, and is now successful, handsome, independently wealthy...and a vampire. For over two centuries, he’s held the honored position of Treasurer of his Clan’s most sacred Trust. He’s also been responsible for the financial security of the most elite of the Immortals, the Dominie.
In order to ensure his redemption, Byron isolated himself on a small private island, away from all temptation. It was a good plan…until the day Violet Deeds was stranded there.
Violet is beautiful, sexy, outspoken, and a human, which makes her completely off limits. His society’s canon may forbid relationships between vampires and humans, but will that be enough to help Byron and Violet conquer the intensity of their attraction to one another? Or will Byron succumb and take a little nibble?
This is a fresh new twist on the classic vampire tale of seduction. Extremely erotic, Forbidden: The Claim has a hero that you’ll want to spend eternity with and a heroine you’ll envy. It’s the first in what is surely going to be a fabulously successful series for Samantha Sommersby.
Forbidden: The Awakening
The past two months have been the longest of Byron Renfield’s three hundred and seventy-nine years. After almost four centuries of dedicated service to his clan, four centuries spent in the pursuit of redemption, the powerful vampire did the inexplainable and unforgivable. In an impulsive act of passion he claimed the beautiful Violet Deeds, a human, as his mate.
When Violet found herself stranded on a remote island occupied by the charismatic Byron she never imagined that she would be saving him, but the fiery red-headed psychiatrist did just that—bringing the Immortal to life and introducing him to love.
Now, afraid of retribution from his clan and concerned for Violet’s safety, Byron takes steps to protect them both. But will it be enough? Irrevocably bound together, as the tie between Byron and Violet strengthens they step into one another’s worlds, awakening long buried desires and threatening the balance of society and nature.
A kidnapping, an underground world of rebel vampires, an elaborate network of elite clansman led by an ageless prophet, and a rescue mission that will keep you on the edge of your seat all come together perfectly in this thrilling sequel to Samantha Sommersby’s Forbidden: The Claim. An erotic romance you won’t be able to put down, Forbidden: The Awakening will have you begging for more!
Blazing Sun, Burning Hearts
It’s 1917 and Lieutenant Jackson Crawford is in Arabia on an important mission. A seasoned soldier sent to ensure a victory that will secure British interests in the Suez Canal, Crawford was prepared for resistance from the prince; he was prepared for the crude weapons, the hellish sun, and the never-ending sand. What he wasn’t prepared for was Harvard bred archeologist turned spy Lillian Barton Drake.
Weeks after Lilly’s arrival in the desert she found herself in the center of a bloody massacre. Rescued by the prince, she travels as part of his entourage, doing her utmost to gain his trust while avoiding becoming a part of his harem. Then into the camp rides an exhausted Jackson.
In a twist of fate Jack fights for Lilly’s honor risking life and limb to claim her as his own. Casting aside common sense the couple begin a passionate affair that sets the desert on fire and is guaranteed to melt your heart. Will their love be strong enough to survive the ravages of war, the duty they’ve sworn to their country, and the secrets of Jackson’s past?
Trilogy No. 101: Turning Up the Heat
You just never know where you’re going to find love….
Blackout: Ashley and Curt get trapped together in an elevator. As the temperature rises they begin to reveal themselves in more ways then one!
Touch the Fire: Firefighter Garrett Flint rescues the beautiful Nicole from a burning building and then breaks all the rules by taking her into his home and into his heart.
June in August: June Monroe grew up next door to Wiley Patton. When he left for Vietnam she was just fifteen and hopelessly in love. Now three years later he’s returned from war and little June is all grown up.
In the Still of the Night
It begins with a chance meeting on a train. Psychiatrist Wesley Atherton meets the woman of his dreams, but when the train derails, a series of events are set in motion that has Wes racing against Death itself in order to save his new love, Katherine. Confronted by the unimaginable, Wes struggles to hold onto his own sanity as the couple fight against the dark force that endangers them and all those they hold dear.
Wes and Katherine quickly realize that it's a fine line between madness and mysticism, and between what's normal and what we don't understand. And it's a line they must cross to win.
Samantha Sommersby weaves an intricate tale of love threatened by ultimate evil. In the Still of the Night delivers a knock-out punch that will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you begging for more.
As You Wish
Mystery, danger, true love, and the best-damned birthday present ever! As You Wish has it all.
The instant attraction Liz and William feel for one another produces enough heat to rival the Sahara. But William has secrets from his former life, and Liz's ability to trust in love again is tied to someone from her past. Before they can find happiness together, Liz and Will must put aside past tragedies and embrace a new definition of family.
Add in one psychic sister, a deranged stalker, and a group of tried and true friends (not to mention a sailing fantasy that is too hot to handle and a welcome home dinner so sexy it will make your mouth water) and As You Wish delivers whole-heartedly. It’s a fast-paced story with exotic locales and characters that will warm your heart (whew - especially that William Carlton!). As You Wish is a story you will want to read over and over.
Shelter from the Storm
Jennifer Jones likes being in control. A violent incident from her past makes it an essential part of her life. After a surprising turn of events Jennifer finds herself searching for a new roommate. Enter Maclain Moore, sexy social worker, sensitive listener, and Jennifer’s new boarder. Mac is no stranger to heartache. He’s surrounded by it at work and has his own set of skeletons rattling around in the closet.
Unsuspecting Jennifer has no idea how far out of control her life is about to spin. Her attraction for Mac is undeniable and tempting. Soon after he moves in Jennifer is confronted with the news of the death of her estranged mother. Suddenly she’s faced with the task of taking in her much younger sister, making her life even more crowded, messy and very, very scary.
This is a compelling story about two vulnerable people previously burned by love and thrown together by circumstance. Samantha Sommersby delivers whole-heartedly with this one. The growth of the relationship between the characters is wonderfully portrayed. We see the loss and the gain, the sadness and the joy, and most of all the passion. Shelter from the Storm reminds us that not everyone has to go looking for love. For a lucky few…love finds them.
This is a publication of
Linden Bay Romance
WWW.LINDENBAYROMANCE.COM
Recommended Read:
My Immortal by J.K. Coi
Evil lurks in the darkest of shadows, but a band of warriors stands ready to defend humanity against hell’s own monsters—Immortal men hand-picked by destiny and taken out of time hold the fate of the world in their hands.
One of the oldest of his kind, Immortal warrior Rhys Morgan spends his nights on the stree
ts of Chandler protecting the city’s innocents from the demons that hunt them. Unyielding in purpose and uncompromising in battle, Rhys thought he’d never meet his match, until he met Amy Bennett
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