Fire Kissed (34 page)
She frowned, eyes shifting back again. “I
will
burn you.”
will
burn you.”
“—is going to act without the Council’s consent.”
Jack gritted his teeth, but that didn’t stop his heart from pounding. This was witchcraft.
Reborn out of ashes.
Reborn out of ashes.
I’ll be damned,
Laurence observed.
Everything new.
Laurence observed.
Everything new.
“The real concern,” she continued, “should, of course, be the fae. When I was in Twilight recently, most seemed benign. With the exception of Khan, of course, though he’s no longer fae, is he?” She shrugged. “Regardless, the darker the world gets, the more access the fae will have to it.”
Jack felt himself breaking. She was seducing him, again, but this time by making sense. And she was enjoying herself.
“How does next Tuesday work for you? Say we meet back here? Let’s all agree not to kill each other until then.” She glanced at his sword. Her mouth stretched in appreciation. “Impressive.”
“Kaye?” It couldn’t be she. He shook his head while his blood rushed and he choked for air.
“Yes, Bastian?” That lazy drawl again.
Ten years ago he’d carried her wraith-ravaged body from the site of her burning house, and now she stood before him, the High Seat of magekind. A thousand years’ worth of tours watching Shadow’s ebb and flow, and he was shocked by the magic before him. An age of Shadow, like Kaye, would be dangerous, frightening, rapturous with pleasures. But he, like the earth, needed it—
her
—badly.
her
—badly.
“The world darkens, Mage Brand,” he said. “Will you light the way?”
Epilogue
Jack leaned in the bedroom doorway and took a big, morning bite out of an apple. Kaye was up, her hands working to whip and twist her hair into a loopy ponytail. He wanted to snag it right out again, and would later, but was overcome by a feeling of contentment. His girl was wearing a paint-splattered sweatshirt and jeans. She shoved her feet into work boots, sexy as hell. And he’d discovered, to his delight, that she was never more dangerous than when wielding a hammer.
Their inflatable mattress was sagging for air again, a continual struggle during the night, but they’d been too eager for a night in the house to wait for a proper bed. The main construction was complete—structure, plumbing, electrical—the angels off to other employment. Jack was assigned here, would stay here anyway “to pursue peace.” He and Kaye still had a long way to go, but they had a warded roof over their heads, albeit one creeping with dark things in the shadows.
Kaye buckled on a work belt, slung low on her hips. “This place is going to take years.”
Jack took another bite. “One room at a time. Bedroom first.”
She didn’t seem at all worried that Houses were aligning to remove her (violently, if necessary) from the Council for her very close association with an angel. She had too much support, from too many unexpected directions, to be cast out. And already whispered among the Fire-enchanted and disaffected alike was a new idea, dangerous and fraught with conflict: an Order of Shadow.
She sauntered over, hammer in hand, and hooked the claw end to a loop of his jeans. She pulled him to her, and he went willingly, lowering his head for a deep kiss, Light and Shadow coming together much more peaceably, though still buzzing with passion.
When she drew back, she licked his chin, apple juice and all, and looked up into his eyes.
What she saw there made her shake her head. “No,” she said. “I hate that bed. I hate it more than anything in this world.”
He felt a smile start way down deep inside. “Don’t worry. You won’t even touch the ground.”
Did you miss SHADOWMAN?
Ghosts
They haunt the halls of the Segue Institute,
terrifying the living, refusing to cross over.
But one soul is driven by a very different force.
terrifying the living, refusing to cross over.
But one soul is driven by a very different force.
Love
It survives even death. And Kathleen O’Brien swore she
would return to those she was forced to leave too soon.
would return to those she was forced to leave too soon.
Shadowman
He broke every rule to have her in life;
now he will defy the angels to find her in death.
now he will defy the angels to find her in death.
The Gate
Forging it is his single hope of being reunited
with his beloved, but through it an abomination enters
the world. Leaving a trail of blood and violence, the devil
hunts her too. Pursued through realms of bright fantasy
and dark reality, Kathleen is about to be taken ...
with his beloved, but through it an abomination enters
the world. Leaving a trail of blood and violence, the devil
hunts her too. Pursued through realms of bright fantasy
and dark reality, Kathleen is about to be taken ...
Available now from Zebra Books!
ZEBRA BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
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New York, NY 10018
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2012 by Clarissa Ellison
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
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ISBN: 978-1-4201-2845-1
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