“As I retained the power of Sarian’s mother after her death—”
“Do not attempt to cloud my knowledge of what really happened, dear witch.” He stopped pacing and faced her. Her throat tightened under his gaze. “You slaughtered Aditya. She was one of my most trusted allies, and you ended her.”
A fierce fire rose in Contessa’s chest. “I did not simply end her. I consumed her,” she snarled, clenching her fist in front of her, possessing her words. “I drove a blade through her chest, pierced her heart, and then ate it.”
His eyes narrowed, and he stepped toward her, each foot pushing lava and fire from the ground. Her chest jumped when he grabbed her arms. Her bones ached under his tight grip. “You are a force of the gods.”
Her lips curled into a grin. “Are you flattering me, Your Majesty?”
He jerked her forward and hovered his lips above hers. “Perhaps.” His gaze flickered to her mouth.
“You do not need a general any longer,” Contessa whispered. “You do not need a prince, nor your guards, nor any other pathetic creature under your command.” She cautiously rested her hands over his armor. Her skin burned on the heated steel. “What you are in desperate need of, Your Majesty, is a queen.”
***Sneak Peek***
Find out what happens next in:
Anarchy
Book Four of the Stone Legacy Series
Chapter One
The glittering lights of aurora wrapped around Zanya’s body, spinning in a cyclone of ghostly blue, emerald green, and purple. The light in her chest beamed with life as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Jayden still hadn’t figured out what exactly happened. The lights were meant to bond souls, both in this world and in the afterlife. If they were touching Zanya, it could only mean one thing.
The crowds near the base of the temples gathered around fires with offerings of jade and maize. They cheered and chanted, beating on drums and dancing like the aboriginal Mayans, who had carried out the tradition for thousands of years.
Jayden backed away from Zanya, nearly stumbling on protruding rocks buried in the grassy hill. Everyone in their group waited with wide eyes, their chests puffed out as if they were holding their breath.
Jayden fisted his hands, watching the woman he would die for, wrapped in the arms of the guy she was never supposed to be with.
It should have been him holding her close.
It should have been him kissing her.
He swallowed against a dry throat. It didn’t make any sense. Arwan was half underworlder. Bonding with Riyata was forbidden. Hell, it was impossible. The two bloodlines just weren’t compatible.
Zanya’s mother, Eleuia, shook with fury. “I mean it,” she said in a demanding tone, her sharp eyes trained on Zanya. “Choose him,” she jabbed her finger at Arwan, “or us. Because I won’t allow that thing back in my house.”
“For the gods’ sake, Ellie,” Renato pleaded.
“No!” She spun and glared at her brother. “You’ve done enough damage as it is. She is my daughter.”
Jayden’s gaze stayed trained on Zanya. She was so damn beautiful in that dress. He clenched his fists tighter.
“You can’t be serious,” Zanya said, shaking her head. “How can you ask me to do that?” Her chest rose and fell with every quickened breath, her fingers still interlocked with Arwan’s.
She held him so close, as if letting him go would ruin her. For the first time, Jay believed it actually would. Any chance Jayden had with Zanya was lost.
A collection of cheers shook the air. Jayden’s head jerked up. He’d almost forgotten where he was.
With the lights retreated into the sky, the winter solstice celebrations had begun. Newly bonded couples were hugged and congratulated, though their group was far out of the crowd’s reach.
“How can you guys just stand there and let her do this?” Zanya’s desperate tone brought his focus back to her. It took him locking eyes with her to realize she was speaking directly to him.
He parted his lips to talk, but couldn’t speak. He couldn’t—couldn’t stand up for them. Not when everything he wanted was torn away. Not when he still loved her.
Zanya’s gaze shifted to Tara, who walked toward the newly bonded pair. “Yeah, this is messed up.” Tara reached Zanya’s side and faced the rest of the group, then crossed her arms over her chest. “They don’t have any control over this stuff,” she said, gesturing toward the lights in the sky. “There’s got to be something more going on here that you guys missed.”
“Missed?” Eleuia’s tone had turned deadly. She stepped toward Zanya, who shifted in front of Arwan as if she were protecting him. “I didn’t spend all this time hidden and running, just to return to a piece of underworld garbage like him,” she spat, glaring at Arwan. “He’ll ruin our kind’s only hope at a future. He is the reason I missed you growing up, Zanya. Why your dad isn’t here anymore.”
Zanya flinch and dropped her head. Waves of hair drifted in a warm breeze, a soft sheen in her eyes. “No, Mom.” She pushed out her chin and pursed her lips. “My father died because you fell in love with someone you weren’t supposed to.” She looked at Arwan and took both of his hands.
Jayden’s throat tightened and he swallowed hard. His breath increased in speed, and the dread building in his gut only worsened while he tried desperately to collect his thoughts.
He raked his fingers through his hair. Shit. He had to get the hell out of there before he lost it.
Jayden caught a glimpse of Hawa studying him. She held his gaze for a split second before he looked away.
He couldn’t stay if he had to watch Zanya be with someone else, and he’d be damned if he spent another second as anyone’s doormat.
Jayden analyzed his surroundings. The city of Tikal was crowded with parked cars of every type for the celebrations. The taxi drivers had abandoned their cabs to participate in the solstice.
He slipped away from the group and peered in car windows, one at a time. If he left on foot it would take twice as long. He needed a ride.
He paused when he spotted a pair of keys dangling from the ignition of a taxi. Bingo. He slipped into the driver’s seat and turned the key. The engine roared to life. He took a moment to draw in a deep breath. Leaving was the only answer. He had to look out for himself now. No one else would. He wrung the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white.
When he glanced in the rearview mirror, he was able to see the others, still crowded in a tight group, none of them realizing he was gone. Zanya backed away from her mother, drawing even closer to Arwan.
Jayden ground his teeth. To hell with this.
Just as he shifted the car into drive, the passenger door flew open and Hawa sat, then slammed the door behind her. “Where do you think you’re off to?”
He exhaled sharply. “Get out.”
“Uh, not happening. I saw how you looked back there. There’s no way I’m letting you just take off alone.”
He scoffed. “What do you care?”
“Who said I do?”
“Then get out,” he barked.
Hawa bit the inside of her cheek, examining him. “Look. I know how bad it sucks to watch the person you care about be with someone else.”
Jayden relaxed his grip on the steering wheel. He’d almost forgotten that she and Peter used to be together, and Hawa was forced to watch while he fell for Tara.
Hawa shrugged. “Plus, it’ll be nice to get the hell out of the jungle for a while.” She gestured to the carved path of crushed grass. “Well? Are we going or what?”
He hesitated, glanced once more in the rearview, and then slammed his foot on the gas. Grass and dirt spit out from the back tires.
He didn’t look back.
A blur of green streaked past their windows as he sped out of the jungle. Anger bubbled inside of him, paired with a deep, unsetting humiliation. How could he be so stupid? He never would have gotten Zanya back. It was just his luck. Always the underdog. Alwa
ys the loser.
The tension in his muscles wound tighter until he couldn’t stand it anymore. Searing range exploded through him. He balled his fist and punched the center of the steering wheel as hard as he could. “That wasn’t supposed to fucking happen!”
The car swerved and Hawa grabbed the wheel, preventing them from flying into the trees. “Whoa! Either pull over or calm the hell down before you get both of us killed!”
Jayden punched the steering wheel one more time, and then relieved some pressure from the gas pedal. The car slowed to a reasonable speed.
“You good?” Hawa slowly let go of the wheel.
He nodded and took back control of the car. Both of them were silent the rest of the drive out of the jungle. He needed the time to think, and thankfully Hawa wasn’t one of those girls who couldn’t shut up if her life depended on it.
He slowed when they reached a paved road, making the rest of the ride smoother.
“You do realize when we get in town, the cops will probably be looking for this taxi, right?” Hawa slouched in the passenger seat and kicked her heavy leather boots on the dashboard, bobbing her foot left to right. “Unless the owner of the cab is too wasted to realize it’s been taken, at least until tomorrow morning. That’ll buy us a couple of hours.”
That was the best-case scenario. It would give him enough time to figure out what he was going to do next, because at the moment, all he knew for sure was that he wouldn’t go back to Renato’s house.
“So, where to, el capitán?”
The muscles in his shoulders tensed again. “I don’t really know.”
“Sweet.” Hawa flipped on the FM radio and fiddled with the stations until Latin music thumped from the speakers. She leaned back again, mouthing the lyrics.
He glanced at her. “That’s it? You don’t care that I have no idea where the hell we’re going?”
She shrugged. “Not really. I’m always in for a good adventure.”
“I’m not going back to Renato’s house.”
She yawned and laid her head back on the seat. “Let’s roll down the windows.” Hawa used the hand crank to let the night air pour into the cab.
Since when did she want to be around him? Hawa gave off a screw you vibe every second of the day. Suddenly, she was up for a road trip? Maybe she’d decide to split when they arrived at the next town…or maybe not. He glanced at her again. Slouching in her seat, her eyes were closed and black hair whipped wildly around her.
He swallowed, his stomach twisting and bubbling. Why was he so freaked out about her being around?
Who cared?
Jayden blinked and shook his head as if trying to clear the thoughts out of his mind.
He did, apparently.
He had to keep his shit together. He stole a quick look at the gas gauge. Full tank. Good. He’d just drive through the night until they reached civilization. At least he didn’t have to worry about getting tired anymore. His muscles relaxed. This whole kinda-dead thing had its advantages.
Acknowledgments
A mother's support is always present and never ending. Thank you, Mom, for being the support I needed to finish this book.
To my husband: Thank you for stepping over way too many dirty socks while I sat in my office, typing this book. You saw my drive and passion, and realized some things had to be compromised. So you gave me a smile and said, "come on kids. Let's help mommy and clean the house." It was a short, seemingly ordinary moment to most. But for me, it meant so much.
About the Author
A long-time enthusiast of things that go bump in the night, Theresa began her writing career as a journalism intern—possibly the least creative writing field out there. After her first semester at a local newspaper, she washed her hands of press releases and features articles to delve into the whimsical world of young adult paranormal romance.
Since then, Theresa has gotten married, had three terrific kids, moved to central Ohio, and was repeatedly guilt tripped into adopting a menagerie of animals that are now members of the family. But don’t be fooled by her domesticated appearance. Her greatest love is travel. Having stepped foot on over a dozen countries, and traveled to sixteen U.S. states—including an extended seven-year stay in Kodiak, Alaska—she is anything but settled down.
Wherever life brings her, she will continue to weave tales of adventure and love with the hope her stories will bring joy and inspiration to her readers.
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Lights of Aurora (The Stone Legacy Series Book 3) Page 23