Life Shocks Romances Collection 4
Page 43
Cixi flinched and looked away, but he caught her chin and turned her face back toward him. “I love what’s inside you. The sweetness, the charm, and then when the mood strikes you, the sass and snap. I always thought you were pretty. I fell in love with you before you looked like a million bucks.”
“And I fell in love with you before I knew you were rich.”
Rio smiled through the slight furrow in his brow. “Could it be that in spite of all the lies and facades, we fell in love for all the right reasons?”
Cixi released her breath in a sigh. “Maybe.”
Rio walked into the living room, somehow absurdly glad to see Danyael seated on the couch. Somehow, it felt a little safer to be around Zara if Danyael were present. The doctor looked pale and exhausted, but relaxed. Rio suspected it had everything to do with the little blond-haired toddler who napped in his arms. Danyael looked up and smiled. “You look great.”
“I feel great,” Rio said. “Whatever you did, thank you. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this good in a long time, or ever.”
“Wonderful.” Danyael’s smile broadened, despite the shadows beneath his eyes.
“So, this is your daughter?”
“Laura Itani.”
Nope, not going there. Rio wasn’t even going to ask why Laura had Zara’s last name instead of Danyael’s. Names, he realized, didn’t matter. In fact, faces rarely did too; he had finally figured that out.
The sharp crack of boots against wood drew his attention to the doorway as Zara strode into the room. “It’s in Vietnam.”
“What’s in Vietnam?” Rio asked.
“The blood.”
“You found it?”
Zara nodded. “Some of it. Several vials were shipped to north Vietnam.”
Danyael frowned. “Where exactly?”
“The middle of nowhere.”
His frown deepened. “So…China?”
She nodded again. “That’s my bet. The borders between northern Vietnam and China are so porous you could smuggle an aircraft carrier and not get noticed. And once it’s in China, it could be anywhere.”
Cixi darted Rio a sideways glance before looking back at Zara. “Are you—?”
“You’re done,” Zara said with a narrow-eyed glare at Danyael. Her grudging tone implied that she and Danyael had argued about it, and Danyael had won. “You’re out. As Danyael says, you’ve sacrificed enough for a cause that isn’t even your own. Go live your dead-end life with him by the beach—”
“Zara.” Danyael’s quiet tone didn’t even carry a hint of a reprimand. He reached out, his fingers brushing against Zara’s.
Zara huffed and rolled her eyes. The tension flowed out of her shoulders. “Fine. Be happy.” Her reluctant smile eased into warmth. “You deserve it, Cixi. Thank you; you’ve done so much for me.”
Rio concealed his frown, and didn’t bring up his concerns until after he and Cixi had left Zara’s townhouse. “That was weird.”
“What?”
“Zara. She’s a mercenary—an assassin who takes out an entire triad without blinking. Danyael’s so diffident; if he could blend into the background, he would. It seems apparent she’s clearly the alpha. But back there, I had the oddest feeling that the dynamics and the balance of power in their relationship aren’t obvious.”
Cixi shrugged. “Nothing about Zara and Danyael is obvious, but they make each other better people, even if they’ll never admit it to themselves or each other.”
Rio stopped on the brick steps and plucked a white rosebud off a thorny bush growing in front of Zara’s window. “So, you’re a free agent now.”
“Yes,” she murmured, squinting against the glow of the rising sun.
Rio held the flower out to her. “The first time we met, you gave me a white rose. It’s long past time for me to return the favor. This is the first of many other things I want to give you—not because you want them, but because I want to give them to you. I’m not asking for forever, just for one day at a time. Let’s start with today, and if you’re willing, tomorrow.”
Cixi accepted the flower and raised it to her lips. Her eyes glistened; her smile was radiant as she breathed out her reply on the whisper of a kiss. “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow.”
Forever.
THE END
Have you read all the Life Shocks Romances?
Life Shocks Romances 1
Life Shocks Romances 2
Life Shocks Romances 3
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Looking for other romances? Check out this excerpt from ILLUSIONS!
Illusions
Sometimes, the truth begins with a lie…
Desperate to break the suffocating grip of eternal winter, the fae prince Varian summons the most powerful witches and fae to shatter the icy shroud around La Condamine, but no one wants to die for the prince’s cause. When he conscripts by force, they flock to Nithya, begging her to wrap her flawless illusions around their magic bracelets.
Nithya undermines Varian’s tyranny until she realizes there is more to him than the façade of a merciless dictator. Even so, she’s not the biggest traitor in the realm. The conspiracy that murdered Varian’s father now turns its malice and hatred against him. Nithya finds herself entangled in treachery, betrayal, and illusions far more entrapping than anything she can conjure.
The prize is the soul of a nation, and the price is everything she cherishes—including Varian’s love.
CHAPTER ONE
“Do you like what you see?” Nithya smiled over the rim of the silver mirror.
Lady Marguerite Laurent’s crimson-painted lips parted in a breathy sigh then curved into a sleek, satisfied smile. “You are perfect, Nithya. Once more, you have outdone yourself.” She stroked the cascade of emerald teardrops around her throat and angled her face until light glinted off the gold filigree necklace. Her reflection, subtly sheened with glamour, preened back at her. “I’ll be the talk of La Condamine.” Without taking her gaze off the mirror, the fae noblewoman extended her hand to Nithya, her atern bracelet pulsing with luminous brilliance.
Nithya ran her fingertip over the bracelet, her skin tingling as magic transferred from fae to witch. The account settled, Nithya walked her loyal customer to the door. A dimple danced in her cheek. “Come back soon, won’t you?”
“Oh, you’re the devil.” Marguerite laughed. The musical sound carried through the cold air, drawing the attention of passersby to Illusions. The jewelry store, the most exclusive in La Condamine, fueled delusions of grandeur in a city that thrived on glamour and pretensions of wealth.
Still smiling, Nithya closed the door and turned her attention to the flickering glow emanating from the cast-iron stove that warmed her store. She maneuvered around the dancing flames. Eyes narrowed, Nithya hefted a small piece of wood like a weapon, her slender fingers twitching against the coarse bark. Three. Two. One.
She closed her eyes and flung the wood into the stove.
Flames leaped, pulling the wood from her hands. Sparks sprayed red and gold over her polished oak floor.
Nithya yelped. She hastily stamped out the sparks and used a poker to close the door of the stove. The flames glowered at her from behind the glass, but she was safe. Hah!
The doorbell chimed as two customers entered her store. The shorter of the two pushed back the furred hood of her cloak. Ariel Grimaldi, Nithya’s closest friend and her best customer, laughed softly. “Really, Nithya, it’s just fire. One day, you will actually hurt yourself with your crazy antics. If you’re that afraid of fire, levitate the wood into the stove.”
“And spend my lavish stores of magic?” Nithya shook back her sleeve. Her atern bracelet, studded with precious stones, was dull gray. She turned her attention to Ariel’s companion as he hacked out a wet-sounding cough. “I’m so sorry, Tristan; that wretched stove belches smoke like its life depends on it.” She smiled at the fae nobleman. “Are you here to buy a trinket for Ariel?”
He thumped his chest to clear his c
ough and grinned at her. “Not today, although I could be prevailed upon to purchase something for you.”
Nithya arched her eyebrows as she swept her hand over her merchandise. “At these markups?”
Tristan Merodes laughed. “I’m sure you see something that catches your eye.” His smile took on a flirtatious edge. “Would you fancy a ride through the countryside this weekend? Chateau Merodes is less than an hour from the city. It’s especially charming now that the restoration of the chapel is complete.”
“I’m sorry, but my assistants don’t work on weekends. I have to keep the store open. Perhaps another time?”
“Certainly.” Tristan did not sound deterred nor any less cheerful even though they had exchanged several variants of that conversation over the past two years. “I must beg your leave; I’ve been summoned to a council meeting at the palace. Ladies…” He inclined his head to Ariel and then to Nithya, before striding out the door.
Ariel flashed Nithya a sly half-smile. “He was visiting with my father and insisted on escorting me here when I said I would be calling on you. All he’s waiting for is a crook of your finger.”
Tristan? Not by the blood of the thirteen witches. Nithya resisted the compulsion to roll her eyes. He was too…golden. What was it with the fae and their current obsession with blond hair? Ariel, too—sensible, practical Ariel—wore hers in a gleaming sheen past her waist. Thank heavens the witches resisted such frivolous vanity. As far as Nithya was concerned, the blond trend could not go out of style quickly enough. She shrugged. “Tristan’s too pretty for my taste.”
Ariel waved away the excuse. “It’s just glamour. It’s easy enough to fix if you don’t want a husband prettier than you. No female ego could abide it anyway.”
“What about that law against witches marrying fae?”
“Tristan is especially close to Prince Varian. Exceptions are always extended to the ruling houses.”
A gust of chill wind entered with another customer. The fae nobleman, Byron Dadiani, darted a wary glance at Ariel. “I have an appointment with Nithya about a custom design.”
Ariel made a shooing gesture with her hand. “Go on and talk design. I love playing shopkeeper.” With a delighted smile, Ariel—the heir of the noble house of Grimaldi—darted behind the glass shelves.
“Stick to the listed prices,” Nithya warned Ariel as she led Byron toward the narrow staircase.
Her friend looked aghast. “But what about my outrageous commission?”
Laughing, Nithya walked down the spiral staircase and opened the oak door at the end of a narrow corridor. “Please, have a seat.” She gestured to a cushioned chair before circling around her desk to sit across from Byron.
The fae sat, his back stiff and his lips pressed into a straight line. “I…” He expelled his breath in a rush. “I’m not really here for a custom design.” He extended his right arm across the table. His atern bracelet peeked out from beneath his frilly lace cuff. “I need help. Do you know Lady Joanna Chiffres?”
“Yes, I do. She’s a lovely fae.” And blond, Nithya added silently.
“She has her eye on me, I’m certain of it, but her father won’t entertain me as a suitor. I’m not good enough for his precious daughter.” He tugged back his cuff. The glow of his bracelet was dim, although brighter than Nithya’s. “I heard that you can help me brighten it.”
“Yes, I can weave an illusion around it. You realize, of course, it’s not real. Your magic level isn’t any higher; it will however, appear so to others who look at your bracelet.”
“That’s all I need—a chance. My Joanna doesn’t care, but others do. It’s an absurd game we play,” he added, “as if our magic levels are tied to our worth as people.”
“Of course it isn’t,” Nithya offered the polite response, but they both knew better. In a world starved of fresh infusions of magic, the worth of a person condensed into the glow of an atern bracelet. “Are you ready?”
Byron chewed on his lower lip. “Will it hurt?”
She laughed. “Illusions don’t hurt. Do you agree to the price?”
“A tenth of the illusion. Yes, of course I do.”
Their fingers entwined, and with her free hand, she wove intricate gestures over his atern bracelet. It brightened until it glowed. Byron’s expression was as radiant as his bracelet. “It’s amazing. It’s absolutely perfect.”
“Well, then; we’re almost done.” Nithya braced herself for the rush of power—the price of the illusion. Her fingertips tingled, and her atern bracelet flared for an instant before fading into its usual dull hue. “Congratulations and good luck with Joanna.”
Byron bounced up the steps ahead of her and out the door after a cheerful goodbye to Ariel.
Ariel watched his departure with arched brows. “Well, there goes a happy fae. He must have really liked your design.”
“Yes, he did.” Nithya suppressed the guilty twinge. She did not have any secrets from Ariel, except this one. Somehow, she suspected that Ariel would feel duty-bound to report her to the authorities or at least attempt to talk her out of her highly lucrative side venture. The noble types were all rather tiresome in their unshakeable, if obscure, sense of duty.
The door opened again, and a male witch walked in. He gave Ariel a suspicious look before he turned to Nithya. “I’ve come to ask about a custom design.”
“Of course.” Nithya smiled. “This way.” She shook her head as she walked down the stairs to her private office. The witches weren’t any more accomplished liars than the fae; how could acting normally be so far beyond their capabilities? Her only saving grace, really, was that their sense of suspicion wasn’t particularly attuned either. She took her seat at her desk across from the witch. “How may I help you?”
He growled under his breath. “I was challenged to a duel—a damned ass of a fae. He thinks his privilege can save him, but he’s wrong, and he’s going to get what’s coming to him. You see…”
Nithya listened to the witch’s rambling story with an expression of intent concentration. Her mind, however, wandered. Perhaps I should charge extra for enduring all these confessions. When the witch finally wrapped up his tale of woe, Nithya adopted a look of concern. “So, you want an illusion cast on your bracelet to appear less powerful than you are.”
“Exactly. He’s already overconfident. That cocky bastard won’t see what’s coming at him.”
“A brilliant plan.” Nithya reached for the witch’s hand. “The price is ten percent of the perceived atern change.”
“I heard that you’re willing to barter—food, wood…”
“I barter for jewelry. The atern illusions can only be paid with magic.”
“But ten percent?” The man frowned. “That’s more than I can afford.”
“Can you afford to lose the duel?”
“No, absolutely not,” the witch answered. He grimaced. “Whatever it costs, do it. I’ll pay anything for the perfect illusion.”
Continue reading Illusions!
Life Shocks Romances Collection 1
Aroused ~*~ Betrayed ~*~ Crushed ~*~ Desired
LIFE SHOCKS ROMANCES
Collection 1
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AROUSED
Recently divorced, Dr. Vera Rios is too busy navigating the potholes of single parenthood to look for Mr. Right, but along comes a man who cherishes her, adores her daughter, and helps her find her sexy groove. The only problem: Mr. Perfect is an escort.
Rowan Forrester conceals many other secrets, one of which threatens the happiness he finds with Vera. Can love find a way or will Vera have to choose between her beloved daughter and the man of her dreams?
BETRAYED
Marguerite Ferrara wows audiences on the haute couture catwalks of Milan, Paris, and New York, but whenever she’s face-to-face with Drew Jackson, she feels like a gawky thirteen-year-old, in love with a superstar who will never see her as more than his younger brother’s ex-girlfriend.
Drew’s superstar days a
re long over. A car accident shattered his knee, destroyed his football career, and crushed his hopes of winning Maggie’s love. How can he, a desk-bound financial advisor, compete against the celebrities Maggie whirls through one-night stands or Tyler Lamarck, the social media maverick who sweeps the woman Drew loves off her feet?
CRUSHED
Cody Hart, the daredevil black sheep of the esteemed Hartwell clan, should never have made it to his twenty-fifth birthday. What he hadn’t counted on, though, was his best friend dying instead of him.
Emotionally devastated and financially ruined by the death of her brother, Felicity Rivers is down to her last hundred dollars when Cody offers his help, at a price. She’s out of options, but nothing on earth could possibly entice her into the arms of the man who killed her brother.
DESIRED
At seventeen, Gabriel Cruz and Valeria Trevino exchanged promise rings and agreed on the grand plan for their life, including marriage, children, and a happily-ever-after. Twenty years later, “The Plan” is on track, and a key milestone—Gabriel’s partnership in a law firm—is within grasp, but Valeria derails their shared lives by demanding a divorce.
Valeria can’t explain her decision, but she is compelled by a desperate need for something more than they had agreed upon. What can they do when the foundation of their grand plan crumbles beneath them?
Life Shocks Romances Collection 2
Ensnared ~*~ Flawed ~*~ Graced ~*~ Haunted
LIFE SHOCKS ROMANCES
Collection 2
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