Authors: Shawna Thomas
Altered Destiny (32 page)
She glanced out over the meadow to the tree line, not bothering to hide the smile. “Well, I’m short of muscle. Without Oren…”
“I believe the word humans use in this situation is ‘bullshit.’ You’re more than capable of defending your tavern.”
She smiled. “Okay, I need another barkeep. I can’t do it alone.”
“The villagers?”
“Will get used to you.”
He stepped closer and the heat of his body washed over her skin. “And you?”
“I’ve gotten used to you too.” Her heart felt as though it would burst. “The Svistra?”
“Will respect you,” he answered.
“So it’s a deal?”
He smiled. “Done.”
“Good.”
“One thing?” He reached to trace a finger down her jaw.
“Yes?”
Bending slightly, he whispered in her ear. “Do I sleep in the barn?”
She reached out, grabbed his tunic and pulled him closer. “Oh, not a chance.”
Since she could remember, one of Shawna Thomas’s favorite places has been the library. She always has one book to read and another for backup. Some of her earliest adventures took place in Narnia and Middle Earth. The fact that she started scripting plays for her sister’s Barbies and rewriting the ends to some of her beloved stories that didn’t have a happily-ever-after confirms she was destined to be a writer.
In 2005, she turned the hobby into a profession and started seriously working on the craft of writing. Since then, she’s published four books under a supersecret pen name, and makes her living writing nonfiction articles.
When she’s not writing or editing, you’ll find her playing in the garden, weeding the flower and vegetable garden or picking fruit from her eight fruit trees. She also spends a good deal of time in the kitchen where she loves to develop new dishes, especially desserts, to feed her husband and their six children.
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ISBN: 978-1-4268-9226-4
Copyright © 2011 by Shawna Thomas
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All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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