by Anya Bast
“What makes you think Gideon won’t kill me the moment I set foot past those gates, Kieran?”
He shook his head. “He can’t. You’re human, a U.S. citizen. You’ve broken no laws. He can’t lay a hand on you with the world watching. But if the Phaendir break into Piefferburg, if there’s war within these walls and we can’t break the warding, he’ll come after you and kill you. You know he will.”
She covered his hands with hers. “I’m not leaving you. I’m never leaving you again, Kieran. Do you hear me? Our souls are twined now. Where you go, I go. Where you stay, I stay. Weren’t you listening to the vows we just said?”
He closed his eyes. “Danu, woman, what am I going to do with you?”
She smiled. “Love me? Kiss me? Make love to me tonight?”
He set his forehead to hers and sighed. “Aeric was right.”
“About what?”
“Love isn’t all puppies and sunshine. It makes you scared as hell.”
She went up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. “Yes, isn’t it wonderful?”
He kissed her deep, his tongue dipping in to twine with hers, as his hand went to the small of her back and pressed her body up against his. “Yeah, it is,” he whispered against her lips. “Thank you for showing me all of its sides, even the jagged ones.”
Then they linked hands and walked down the corridor to a future they’d face together.
Dear readers, Curious where Piefferburg is located?
Visit my website for an interactive map:
www.anyabast.com
GLOSSARY
Abastor The mystic black stallion that leads the Wild Hunt.
Alahambri The language the goblins speak.
Black Tower A large building on one end of Piefferburg Square that is constructed of black quartz. This houses the Unseelie Court.
Book of Bindings Book created when the Phaendir and the fae were allied. The most complete book of spells known. Contains the spell that can break the warding around Piefferburg.
bosca fadbh Puzzle box consisting of three interlocking pieces. Once was an object owned by both the Phaendir and the fae, back when they weren’t enemies. When all three pieces are united, they form a key to unlock part of the Book of Bindings.
Boundary Lands The area where the wilding fae live.
ceantar dubh Dark district. This is the neighborhood directly abutting the Black Tower.
ceantar láir Middle district. Fae “suburbia,” it also borders a mostly commercial area of downtown Piefferburg where the troop live and work.
charmed iron Iron spelled to take away a fae’s magick when it touches the skin. Used in prisons as handcuffs and by the Imperial and Shadow Guards, it’s illegal for the general fae population to possess it. Charmed iron weapons were a major reason the fae lost in the war against the Milesians and Phaendir in ancient Ireland.
Danu The primary goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann, both Seelie and Unseelie. Also followed by some other fae races. Danu is accompanied by a small pantheon of lesser gods.
Furious Host Those who follow the Lord of the Wild Hunt every night to collect the souls of the fae who have died and help to ferry them to the Netherworld.
Goblin Town The area of Piefferburg where the goblins live. The goblins are a fae race with customs that differ greatly from the other types of fae.
Great Sweep When the Phaendir, allied with the human race, hunted down, trapped, and imprisoned all known fae and contained them in Piefferburg.
Humans for the Freedom of the Fae (HFF) An organization of humans working for equal fae rights and the destruction of Piefferburg.
Humans for the Continued Incarceration of the Fae (HCIF) An organization of humans working with the Phaendir to ensure the fae are never given freedom.
iron sickness The illness, eventually fatal, that occurs when charmed iron is pressed against the flesh of a fae for an extended period of time.
Joining Vows Ancient, magick-laced vows that twine two souls together. Not often used in modern fae society because of the commitment involved.
Jules Piefferburg Original human architect of Piefferburg. The statue honoring him in Piefferburg Square is made of charmed iron and can’t be taken down, so the fae constantly dishonor it in other ways, like dressing it up disrespectfully or throwing food at it.
Labrai The god the Phaendir follow.
Netherworld Where the fae go after they die.
Old Maejian The original tongue of the fae. It’s a dead language to all except those who are serious about practicing magick.
Orna The primary goddess of the goblins. Accompanied by many lesser gods.
Phaendir (“Fane-dear”) A race of druids whose origins remain murky. The common belief of the fae is that their own genetic line sprang from them. The Phaendir believe they’ve always been a separate—superior—race. Once allied with the fae, they’re now mortal enemies.
Piefferburg (“Fife-er-berg”) Square Large cobblestone square with a statue of Jules Piefferburg in the center and the Rose and Black towers on either end.
Rose Tower Made of rose quartz, this building sits at one end of Piefferburg Square and houses the Seelie Court.
Seelie (“Seal-ee”) Highly selective fae ruling class, they only allow the Tuatha Dé Danann into their ranks. Members must have a direct bloodline to the original ruling Seelie of ancient Ireland and their magick must be light and pretty.
Shadow Amulet The one who wears the amulet holds the Shadow Throne, though the amulet might reject someone without the proper bloodline. It sinks into the wearer’s body, imbuing him or her with power and immortality, leaving only a tattoo on the skin to mark its physical presence.
Shadow Royal Holder of the Unseelie Throne.
Sídhe (“Shee”) Another name for the Tuatha Dé Danann (Irish) fae, both Seelie and Unseelie.
Summer Ring Like the Shadow Amulet of the Unseelie Royal, this piece of jewelry imbues the wearer with great power and immortality. It also sinks into the skin, leaving only a tattoo, and may reject the wearer at will. This ring determines who holds the Seelie Throne.
Summer Royal Holder of the Seelie Throne.
trooping fae Those fae who are not a part of either court and are not wilding or water fae.
Tuatha Dé Danann (“Thoo-a-haw Day Dah-nawn”) The most ancient of all races on earth, the fae. They were evolved and sophisticated when humans still lived in caves. Came to Ireland in the ancient times and overthrew the native people. The Seelie Tuatha Dé ruled the other fae races. When the Milesians (a tribe of humans in ancient Ireland) allied with the Phaendir and defeated the fae, the fae had to agree to go underground. They disappeared from all human knowledge, becoming myth.
Twyleth Teg (“Till-eg Tay”) Welsh faeries. They’re rare and live across the social spectrum.
Unseelie (“Un-seal-ee”) A fae ruling class, they’ll take anyone who comes to them with dark magick, but the true definition of an Unseelie fae is one whose magick can draw blood or kill.
water fae Those fae who live in the large water areas of Piefferburg. They stay out of the city of Piefferburg and out of court politics and life.
Watt syndrome Illness that befell all the fae races during the height of the race wars. The sickness decimated the fae population, outed them to the humans, and ultimately caused their downfall, weakening them to the point that the Phaendir could gather and trap them in Piefferburg. Some think the syndrome was biological warfare perpetrated by the Phaendir.
Wild Hunt Comprising mystic horses and hounds and a small group of fae known as the Furious Host, led by the Lord of the Wild Hunt, the hunt gathers the souls of all the fae who have died every night and ferries them to the Netherworld.
wilding fae Nature fae. Like the water fae, they stay away from Piefferburg proper, choosing to live in the Boundary Lands.
Worshipful Observers Steadfast human supporters of the work the Phaendir does to keep the fae races separate from the rest of the world.
Turn the p
age for a preview of the next paranormal romance from Anya Bast
MIDNIGHT ENCHANTMENT
Coming January 2012 from Berkley Sensation!
BLIND, pissed off, and holding a rope embedded with cold iron. Yeah. This night couldn’t get any worse. Niall’s ear twitched and the hair on his nape rose as something scraped along the boulder to his left. He went still, his eyes searching the endless black for some sign of his quarry.
Find her. Trap her. Do whatever he had to in order to locate the two stolen pieces of the bosca fadbh and get the fuck home. Those were his objectives.
Too bad Elizabeth Cely Saintjohn’s objectives directly opposed his.
Footsteps sounded on the path behind him. He turned, cursing the lack of moonlight and Elizabeth’s habit for traveling only at night. To his right, movement caught his attention and he stilled, growling in frustration. Light, ringing laughter echoed around him.
Rage clenched his gut. She was playing with him. Again.
“Must be nice to be able to see in the dark and move like the wind, huh?” he snarled into the empty air. Not to mention dissolve into water and move anywhere she wanted within the bounds of Piefferburg. Neat trick.
His hand tightened on the rope, especially designed to trap a fae like her. He wore thick black leather gloves to prevent the charmed iron from touching his skin and leaching his magick. It was meant to bind Elizabeth, an asrai, before she escaped him. Unfortunately, roping this woman was harder than catching a weasel in vat of olive oil. He’d never so much as caught a glimpse of her yet since it was always dark.
Usually, it went this way—she toyed with him for a while, making him think he might have her . . . then she escaped. He was usually the one doing the toying where women were concerned. Having the tables turned sucked.
“Come on, Elizabeth. Don’t play hard to get. Just give me the pieces and I’ll stop hunting you.”
“I kind of like it when you hunt me,” came her lilting voice from somewhere farther up the path he walked. She had a sexy voice, whiskey-rough and sweet.
He ground his teeth together and readied a spell in his head that would give him a little light. It wouldn’t last long, so he needed to draw her closer to him before he released it. He was a mage, capable of versatile magick not unlike that of the Phaendir. Except his magick wasn’t born of the creepy hive mind that the Phaendir used—his was all inside him. Independent. Powerful.
And that’s why he’d been sent after the asrai. He was the most qualified for it. Best at thieving—or thieving back, in this case. Best at mind-fuck magick. Best at tracking, capture, and torture. Best for this job. Or, at least, that’s what everyone thought. That had been days ago. The Shadow Queen had sent him out the moment the Black Tower had learned the Summer Queen had passed off her pieces to Elizabeth. He was no closer to trapping her now than he had been on the first day.
“Why are you doing this?” he called. “Why keep your people from freedom? The Phaendir are at our gates right now. We don’t have time to lose.” His voice grew a degree lower and a lot more hostile. “Why work for the Summer Queen, a nice nature fae like you?”
“Who said I was nice?” The words breezed past his ear and were gone.
He lunged toward the direction of her fading voice with his rope and got nothing but air, a cool breeze and the light floral fragrance of the soap she used. Staggering and swearing a blue streak, he barely caught himself before falling on his face. Straightening, he laughed mirthlessly. “Come on now, don’t go away so fast, baby. At least give me a kiss before you fuck me.”
And then she was there, the warmth of her presence at his elbow, taunting him with her proximity. The brush of her silky hair against his skin. That soapy, light flowery scent of hers teasing his nose.
Ah, good. He’d been gambling her arrogance might be her end.
“Arendriac,” he murmured. The charm burst from him with a little pop, lighting their immediate area with a golden glow. He reached out to pull her close in the same moment, rope in one hand ready to trap.
His fingers brushed her waist as she backed away. For a moment she stood motionless. Her lush lips were parted, ruby red hair lofting around a pale, beautiful, heart-shaped face, and green eyes flecked with gold and wide with surprise.
He stared back at her, sharing an equal measure of astonishment. She was the most stunning woman he’d ever seen. He hadn’t been expecting that.
Niall took a step forward, rope in hand. She dissolved as soon as he moved. A vision of beauty one moment, gone the next. He looked down at his feet and saw the puddle of water she’d become. Then even the water disappeared, soaking into the earth, traveling through it to find a river, a stream, whatever flow would take her away.
Swearing under his breath, he knelt and touched the barely damp soil where she’d been standing only a moment ago.
Gone yet again.
“Damn it,” he cursed under his breath. The pretty lady with the pieces was out of his reach for another night. He wasn’t sure which he mourned more—the loss of the pieces or the woman. The witch enticed him and had even before he’d caught a glimpse of her. Why couldn’t she be some unalluring hag without the clever wit she displayed in the woods every time he chased her, without that constantly teasing scent? It was fucking distracting.
Especially since he sort of liked the woman.
Too bad he was probably going to have to kill her.
Turn the page for a sneak peak of
DRAGON BOUND
a breathtaking new paranormal romance by Thea Harrison
Coming May 2011 from Berkley Sensation!
PIA was blackmailed into committing a crime more suicidal than she could have possibly imagined, and she had no one to blame but herself.
Knowing that didn’t make it easier. She couldn’t believe she had been so lacking in good judgment, taste, and sensibility.
Honestly, what had she done? She had taken one look at a pretty face and forgotten everything her mom had taught her about survival. It sucked so bad she might as well put a gun to her head and pull the trigger. Except she didn’t own a gun because she didn’t like them. Besides, pulling the trigger on a gun was pretty final. She had issues with commitment and she was so freaking dead anyway, why bother?
A taxi horn blared. In New York, the sound was so common everyone ignored it, but this time it made her jump. She threw a glance over one hunched shoulder.
Her life was in ruins. She would be on the run for the rest of her life, all fifteen minutes or so of it, thanks to her own foolish behavior and her shithead ex who had screwed her, then screwed her over so royally she couldn’t get over the knifelike sensation in the pit of her stomach.
She stumbled into a narrow, trash-strewn street by a Korean restaurant. She uncapped a liter-sized water bottle and chugged half of it down, one hand splayed on the cement wall while she watched the sidewalk traffic. Steam from the restaurant kitchen enveloped her in the rich red-pepper-and-soy scents of gochujang and ganjang sauces, overlaying the garbage rot of a nearby Dumpster and the acrid exhaust from the traffic.
The people in the street looked much as they always did, driven by internal forces as they charged along the sidewalk and shouted into cell phones. A few mumbled to themselves as they dug through trash cans and looked at the world with lost, wary eyes. Everything looked normal. So far so good?
After a long, nightmarish week, she had just committed the crime. She had stolen from one of the most dangerous creatures on Earth, a creature so frightening that just imagining him was more scariness than she ever wanted to meet in real life. Now she was almost done. A couple more stops to make, one more meeting with the shithead, and then she could scream for, oh, say, a couple of days or so while she figured out where she would run to hide.
Holding on to that thought, she strode down the street until she came to the Magic District. Located east of the Garment District and north of Koreatown, the New York Magic District was sometimes called the Cauldron. It was comp
rised of several city blocks that seethed with light and dark energies.
The Cauldron flaunted caveat emptor like a prizefighter’s satin cloak. The area was stacked several stories high with kiosks and shops offering Tarot readings, psychic consultations, fetishes and spells, retail and wholesale sellers, imports, those who dealt with fake merchandise, and those who sold magic items that were deadly real. Even from the distance of a city block, the area assaulted her senses.
She came to a shop located at the border of the district. The storefront was painted sage green on the outside, with the molding at the plate-glass windows and door painted pale yellow. She took a step backward to look up. The name DIVINUS was spelled in plain, brushed-metal lettering over the front window. Years ago, her mother had on occasion bought spells from the witch who owned this shop. Her boss, Quentin, had also mentioned the witch had one of the strongest magical talents he had ever met in a human.
She looked in the storefront. Her blurred reflection looked back at her, a tired young woman built rather long and coltish, with tense features and a pale tangled ponytail. She looked past herself into the shadowed interior.
In contrast to the noisy, none-too-clean surroundings of the city street, the inside of the shop appeared cool and serene. The building seemed to glow with warmth. She recognized protection spells in place. In a display case near the door, harmonic energies sparked from an alluring arrangement of crystals, amethyst, peridot, rose quartz, blue topaz, and celestite. The crystals took the slanting sunshine and threw brilliant rainbow shards of light onto the ceiling. Her gaze found the single occupant inside, a tall queenlike woman, perhaps Hispanic, with a gaze that connected to hers with a snap of Power.