Mortal Enchantment (25 page)

Authors: Stacey O'Neale

BOOK: Mortal Enchantment

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I leaned against the frame of my father's door for several minutes watching him sleep. Eventually, I crept inside and knelt at his bedside. The silver bowl still sat on the nightstand with bloodied water and cloths inside. The dried blood and dirt on his face and neck were gone, but dark bruises remained. I intertwined my fingers with his, resting my head on top of our joint hands.

With my eyes closed, my mind raced. Knowing I had Dad back gave me some relief, but it wasn’t over. With Liana’s death, Rowan was the last member of the House of Djin—the only fire elemental with a true claim to the throne. Valac would not rest until he was dead.

Dad sighed and I jerked. With his free hand, he rubbed the side of my cheek. “Oh my sweet girl, this is far from the vision I had of our first meeting. I am so sorry you were faced with such danger.”

“Why didn’t you tell me the truth? Were you afraid I wouldn't come?”

He winced as he tried to lean onto his elbow. I helped him adjust into a sitting position. I perched on the corner of the bed. Once comfortable, he said, “I thought I was protecting you.” He hung his head. “Obviously, that was the wrong choice.”

After everything we’d be through, I couldn’t be angry with him. I thought about the nights when we walked together in my dreams. Back then, he made everything okay. I yearned for that security. He slipped his arm around me and I let my head sink into his chest. My eyes closed as he ran his fingers through my hair. Concentrating on the warmth of his hands, the rest of my worries melted away.

I sat up. “Dad, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

There was one thing that was gnawing in the back of my mind. With all the craziness, I really couldn’t consider it until now. “Dad, do you believe I’m the next akasha?”

He jolted as if I had shocked him. “I’m not sure I can answer your question. There are tests we can perform, but nothing is one hundred percent accurate—”

“Prisma tried to have me killed. Why would she have risked a war between our courts if she didn’t have some kind of proof?” There was an awkward silence for at least a minute. I squeezed his hand to get his attention. “Please Dad, tell me truth. Do you think I’m the next akasha?”

“Yes I do, Kalin.”

Acknowledgments

There have been so many people who have helped me throughout my journey. The first in a long line are my parents, Russell and Brenda Howell. They turned into a publicity team after
The Shadow Prince
was released. If my dad wasn’t asking random strangers to download my novella, Mom was handing out print copies. They are the best parents in the world. Seriously, I don’t deserve them. I want to send out a special thank you to my husband, Christopher. You have been so patient throughout this process. Thank you for making sure my life didn’t fall apart while I was writing and editing. You are full of awesome! Big hugs and kisses to my daughter, Madison. She really liked having her name in the acknowledgments of the novella. I’m sorry I couldn’t put your name on the cover of this book as you requested. It just wouldn’t fit, babe. A big thank you to Courtney Koschel for all your editing magic. I always enjoy reading your comments, especially the ones where you seem to be speaking directly to my characters. LOL! I can’t go without mentioning my family and friends who have been pimping this series. I want you to know I really appreciate your support. Here are the unofficial members of my street team: Michael Howell, Megan DeMarco, Cathy Schoen, John Ballengee, Barb Ballengee, Chuck Ballengee, Bob Latimer, Pam White, Jen Scicchitano, and Jessica Reigle. Thank you to all the bloggers who have read the novella and helped spread the word over social media. I love you ladies so much!
Last, but not least, I want to thank you—the reader. Thank you for giving me a chance. This series has been a labor of love and I truly appreciate your support. Big, awkward virtual hug coming your way. ;-)

About the Author

Stacey O'Neale lives in Annapolis, Maryland. When she's not writing, she spends her time fangirling over books, blogging, watching fantasy television shows, cheering for the Baltimore Ravens, and hanging out with her husband and daughter.

Her career in publishing started as a blogger-turned-publicist for two successful small publishers. Stacey writes young adult paranormal romance and adult science fiction romance. Her books always include swoon-worthy heroes, snarky heroines, and lots of kissing.

Stacey loves hearing from readers. Follow her on Twitter
@StaceyONeale
, look for her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Goodreads. You can also visit her blog at
http://staceyoneale.com/
.

ISBN-13: 9780991451920

MORTAL ENCHANTMENT

All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of the e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission from the publisher, Phoenix Reign Publishing P.O. Box 857, Arnold, MD 21012.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Summary

In Kalin Matthew's world, elementals control the forces of nature. They are divided into four courts: air, woodland, fire, and water. At sixteen she will leave the life she's built with her mortal mother. Kalin will move to Avalon to rule with her father—the elemental king of the air court. Along the way, she's attacked by a fire court assassin and saved by Rowan, a swoon-worthy elemental with a questionable past.

Worst of all, she learns her father is missing.

To rescue him, Kalin will have to work with a judgmental council and a system of courts too busy accusing each other of deceit to actually be able to help her. But, they aren’t her biggest challenge. With the Midwinter’s Ball only five days away, Kalin must take over her father’s duties, which includes shifting control of the elements—power Kalin has yet to realize.

As Rowan attempts to train her, a war looms between the four courts. If Kalin fails, her father will die and the courts will fall, but the betrayal she’s about to uncover may cost her even more…

Cover Designer: Najla Qamber Designs

Editor: Courtney Koschel

Copy Editor: Brenda Howell

Interior formatting and design: The Eyes for Editing

Table of Contents