“And?” I demanded, grasping his arm, desperate for any information he could give me.
He gave Corvus a wary look before carrying on. “And his name was Inigo, and a scarier bastard I've never met, and believe me I know some corkers.” Corvus got another meaningful glance, before Dragon cleared his throat, sounding increasingly nervous. “I've no idea how to contact him or where he is now, though, so don't ask me.”
“He's there. My son is there, I know it,” I said, feeling emotion clogging my throat.
“Jéhenne ...” Corvus began , too much sympathy in his tone to be agreeing to help me.
“No!” I shook my head in defiance. I had accomplished so much in the past months, and I had a lot more confidence both in myself and my ability to survive. The more I thought of my boy, the more the feeling took a hold of me. My son was there, on that icy mountain top, and he needed me. I looked up at Corvus, and he sighed, seeing the desperation in my eyes and knowing me far too well to believe I could be dissuaded.
His jaw tightened, and I could feel all the frustration and concern that was overwhelming him. He wanted to help, but he wanted me to be safe.
“Jéhenne, there is something you need to consider. Even if ...” He gave me a fierce look, his blue eyes electric with determination. “If I was to go ahead and aid you in this ill-advised scheme, there is one rather large problem. I am a vampire. No vampire has ever set foot in the Fae Lands. Ever. And I will return to Tartarus before I let you go without me.”
I was quiet while I considered his words. It was extremely noticeable to me that he hadn't mentioned Corin. Not once. Hadn't even referred to him.
“But,” I began, choosing my words with care. “If I could gain the necessary permissions to allow you to enter, the provision of a guide and everything we'd need to make the journey as easy and safe as possible … If I could do that ... you'd come with me?”
He gave me a questioning look. “How on earth do you propose to achieve such a thing? Do you have contacts in the Fae Lands?”
My heart gave a heavy thud in my chest. He didn't remember. He didn't remember anything that had happened between me and Corin. I wasn't sure right now if that was a blessing or a curse.
I nodded, avoiding his eyes and praying he wouldn't question me further. “Do you agree?”
His answer came with a resigned smile. “I promised you. I am not about to break that promise, Jéhenne, but I won't be sorry when you discover how unlikely they are to let me set foot in their realm.” He must have seen the hurt in my eyes as he pulled me to him. “Understand, my heart. I would give you your son back and whatever peace of mind that brings you, gladly. But you have suffered so much of late, don't you think you deserve a little time before you throw yourself back into the fire? Don't we both?”
I nodded. “Perhaps,” I said. “But I couldn’t carry on while you suffered in Tartarus, and I can’t do it without my son.You must see that?”
He nodded. “I do. And you would not be the woman I love if you didn't feel so. Go ahead and see what you can do. If you get your permissions, I'll be beside you, I swear it.”
“So will I.”
We looked around in surprise to find Kai looking at us with a determined glint in his eyes. Corvus shook his head. “If we manage this, we will likely be heading into a war zone, and I would not take you into that.”
Kai's face fell, but I knew what that glitter in his eyes meant and smiled as his shoulders stiffened, and he took a step closer, standing up to Corvus. “I am Fae. I want to know something of my home, of my people.”
“This is your home,” Corvus said with more force than I expected. I smiled at the flush in Kai's cheeks.
“It is, Kai. You're family now,” I said, meaning it with all my heart.
First Corvus and then I were hugged fiercely as he sniffed and wiped delicately at his eyes to avoid smudging the mascara. “I am proud and so happy to be part of this family,” he said, his voice thick. “And please not think I want to go anywhere else but ...” He hesitated and then looked up at Corvus, his apple green eyes pleading for understanding. “Is hard, not knowing who you are, where you belong. I would ... I would like to know a little of myself. Perhaps I have blood family living?” he ventured, and I knew from the look in his eyes that Corvus had been won over. He of all people knew what it was to feel adrift, with no history.
“It would be dangerous, Kai.”
“Kai knows what danger looks like,” I said and he flashed a grateful smile at me, blushing scarlet. “He's as courageous as a lion, and I think we would be lucky to have him.”
In truth I didn't want him to come either. I wanted everyone I cared for safe at home, but he had as much right as I did to search for his kin. I wouldn't stop him if he was determined.
The party carried on through the night. Close to dawn, I headed back to my room. I showered and prettied myself up again, choosing stockings and some silky black underwear I knew Corvus would approve of. I pulled out the flimsy bit of lace that passed as a matching pair of knickers and felt my heart skip as a delicate flutter of blue silk drifted to the floor. Pulling on the scanty undies, I stared at the scrap of material with growing unease.
It was Corin's. My heart kicked harder in my chest before settling for an anxious thud that sat heavily in my throat. I reached down and picked up the pretty scrap of blue and wondered if his hold on me was still intact. His spell over my memories had broken but had his hold over me? Closing my eyes, I held the silk handkerchief tight, searching for some sign within me, some magical tie to him. The response was instant and terrifyingly powerful. I had a fleeting glimpse of golden eyes before I dropped the silk with alarm. “Shit!” I swore, breathing hard. “Shit. Shit. Shit.”
In the past I had unwittingly accepted three gifts from Corin. In short this meant I was under his power, and he could control me if he wished to - could make me do anything he wished. So far he'd done nothing but help me, at considerable risk to his own life, and I had no reason not to trust him. I did trust him. And I knew when I asked him, he would give me all the help I needed to find my son. But I remembered. I remembered everything that had happened between us, now that the spell he had cast over my memories had broken, and if Corvus asked me now, I would no longer be able to lie to him.
What were the chances that we would encounter Corin once we were in the Fae Lands? Perhaps if things were as bad as Dragon said, he would be far too occupied to be concerned with us. But what if he wasn't? What if he sought us out or our paths crossed accidentally? What if Corvus remembered?
I knew that if I told Corvus now, there would be no getting him to set foot in the Fae Lands, not unless it was on a mission to murder the prince.
Whatever happened, war or no, this journey was going to be perilous in more ways than one. I tucked the little scrap of silk back into the drawer just as Corvus opened the door, and I got to my feet, blushing a little and hoping he'd think it was the underwear that was the cause of it.
A slow smile spread over his handsome face, and I pushed my concerns away. Not now. There was time enough for worry tomorrow. There always had been. Tonight I had him back with me, and I wasn't going to waste a moment of that.
I walked slowly towards him, enjoying the weight of his gaze on my bare skin, the heat in his eyes warming me from the inside out. I reached up, sliding my hands behind his neck and drawing his head down.
“I love you,” I whispered against his lips. “Forever.”
His arms closed around me, pulling me hard against him, his hold tight and strong, and I felt truly safe for the first time in too many lifetimes. “And I you,” he replied, his voice fervent and heavy with desire. “My heart.”
To be continued in … The Son of Darkness
Please continue for available works by Emma V. Leech ...
Available now...
Other works by Emma V Leech
Les Corbeaux: The French Vampire Legend
The Key to Erebus
The Hear
t of Arima
The Fires of Tartarus
The Son of Darkness (TBA)
Les Fées: The French Fae Legend
The Dark Prince
The Dark Heart
The Dark Deceit (Coming 2017)
The Darkest Night (TBA)
To avoid spoilers this is the chronological reading order for the series:
The Key to Erebus
The Heart of Arima
The Dark Prince
The Dark Heart
The Fires of Tartarus
The Dark Deceit
The Darkest Night
The Dark Prince
The man of your dreams is coming ... or is it your nightmares he visits? Laen is Prince of the Dark fae, with a temper and reputation to match his black eyes, and a heart that despises the human race. When he is sent back through the forbidden gates between realms to retrieve an ancient fae artifact, he returns home with far more than he bargained for.
Océane DeBeauvoir is an artist and bookbinder who has always relied on her lively imagination to get her through an unhappy and uneventful life. A jewelled dagger put on display at a nearby museum hits the headlines with speculation of another race, the fae.
But the discovery also inspires Océane to create an extraordinary piece of art. Océane's lonely and romantic heart has created the story of The Dark Prince, but it soon becomes apparent that her story cannot be confined to the pages of a book. And it seems that her hero is far from the troubled, romantic figure she had painted, but something far more sinister
.
The Dark Heart
The Prince Corin ... Decadent, seductive, master of the love affair.
Corin is crown prince of Alfheim, the Elven lands. Considered the handsomest man in the land, he is well used to the females in his life indulging his every desire. But after losing the first woman who ever touched his heart to his best friend, he swears he'll never let anyone get that close again.
Under pressure from his royal family to marry and produce an heir, he decides the only solution is to take a woman from the human realm, someone who poses no threat ... Someone he could never love.
Running from a fate that promises power and pain in equal measure, all he needs is for her to accept three gifts and she will be totally under his control. But sometimes hearts are not so easily managed.
The Dark Deceit
Appearances can be deceptive.
Behind an innocent exterior secrets can lurk, a maggot writhing at the core.
Sickness born of the human realm looms over the Fae as the tainted mortal world continues to poison both them and their land. Queen Audrianne however has a plan. Rumours surface that a Light Fae man, long since dead, fathered a child in the mortal realm. Regarded as a saint for his incredible healing powers, if his gift has been passed on - to his great, great granddaughter, Anaïs - the queen wants it, and the Duke of Dannon is just the man to get it for her.
Secrets, lies and scandal have always been the coin of the Fae Court and few have a reputation more scandalous that Dannon’s. Boredom has drawn him to turn his elegant hand to the dirty work of being the queen's chief spy and ... lover. Feared and admired, his dark reputation does little to keep the women from trying to snare him, a fate that he refuses to contemplate - until Anaïs makes him remember what his honour once stood for.
Still fighting to keep the power of the land from driving him to madness, Prince Corin needs to take Alfheim from the queen’s grasp but is drawn deeper into a power struggle with the Light Fae’s King over Anaïs and her talents. But as the creatures of Dark Wood begin to stir an old god awakens and Corin cannot run forever.
Corin, Laen and Dannon will soon be drawn towards a bloody battle for power...
... will it be Anaïs who tips them over the edge
About the Author
Emma V Leech is currently the author of two series, Les Corbeaux: The French Vampire Legend and Les Fées: The French Fae Legend with much more to come.
As an accomplished paranormal romance author, Emma won the world’s largest online writing competition ‘The Wattys’ two years running, first with The Darkest Night, and then with her short story, A Dark Imperfection, A Les Fées Novella. Her third published novel, The Dark Prince has been touted as one of The Top 50 Self Published Books Worth Reading in 2015 and is #2 on the list of the Top 50 Indie Books in 2015 as well as being hailed as "An enchanting fantasy with a likable heroine, romantic intrigue, and clever narrative flourishes." by Kirkus Reviews.
Emma's novels have garnered attention worldwide, and fans who continue to clamour for more through email, Facebook, and Twitter.
When she's not writing she strives to live as far from the real world as possible. but otherwise she can be found in Darkest Dordogne, South West France with her husband, three children, assorted cats and a wild imagination.
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Acknowledgements
Thanks as always to my wonderful editor for being patient and loving my characters as much as I do. Gemma you're the best!
To my BFF, PA, personal cheerleader and bringer of chocolate, Varsi Appel, for moral support, confidence boosting and for reading my work more times than I have. I love you loads!
To the betas! Varsi, Eloise ‘Hellvis’ Wayne-Gacey, Lindsey Clarke, Veronique Glotin Phillips, Alys Arden & Melissa Belle.
To all of the Dark Addicts and wicked Angels. Thank you all for your continued support and excitement over my work. You guys are such an inspiration and your enthusiasm keeps me excited to write for you. I’m always so happy to hear from you so do email or message me :)
To my husband Pat and my family ... For always being proud of me.
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