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Authors: Melanie Jackson

The Master

BOOK: The Master
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CRITICS RAVE FOR MELANIE JACKSON!

THE WILDSIDE SERIES

“Innovative and erotic!”

—New York Times
bestselling author Christine Feehan

“An alternative universe that can match Laurell K. Hamilton's.”

—Everything Romantic

“An excellent combination of fantasy and romance!”

—Romantic Times

“Sizzling romance and ghoulish thrills at a breathtaking clip!”

—Publishers Weekly

DIVINE FIRE

“Jackson pens a sumptuous modern gothic. . . . Fans of solid love stories . . . will enjoy Jackson's tale, which readers will devour in one sitting, then wait hungrily for the next installment.”

—Booklist

“Once again, Jackson uses her truly awe-inspiring imagination to tell a story that's fascinating from beginning to end.”

—Romantic Times

STILL LIFE

“The latest walk on the ‘Wildside' is a wonderful romantic fantasy that adds new elements that brilliantly fit and enhance the existing Jackson mythos. . . . Action-packed.”

—The Midwest Book Review

THE COURIER

“The author's imagination and untouchable world-building continue to shine. . . . [An] outstanding and involved novel.”

—Romantic Times

MORE PRAISE FOR MELANIE JACKSON!

OUTSIDERS

“Melanie Jackson is a talent to watch. She deftly combines romance with fantasy and paranormal elements to create a spellbinding adventure.”

—WritersWrite.com

TRAVELER

“Jackson often pushes the boundaries of paranormal romance, and this, the first of her Wildside series, is no exception.”

—Booklist

THE
SELKIE

“Part fantasy, part dream and wholly bewitching,
The
Selkie
. . . [blends] whimsy and folklore into a sensual tale of love and magic.”

—Romantic Times

DOMINION

“An unusual romance for those with a yen for something different.”

—Romantic Times

NIGHT
VISITOR

“I recommend this as a very strong romance, with time travel, history and magic.”

—All About Romance

AMARANTHA

“Intriguing . . . Ms. Jackson's descriptions of the Cornish countryside were downright seductive.”

—The Romance Reader

MANON

“Melanie Jackson paints a well-defined picture of 18thcentury England. . . . Manon is an intriguing and pleasant tale.”

—Romantic Times

 

 

THE MASTER & THE PROMISE

 

“I don't know why he's doing this, or how he can even
be,
” Zee said. “I don't understand it at all. Hobgoblins are like a myth to us, something to terrify naughty children. The legend says that they were created by the first great goblin king of France—they were then lutins' servants and the king's bodyguards before they trained trolls. But the king had to kill them all because they were too violent and they tried to overthrow him. I thought they were all dead. That's what they taught us—that King Gofimbel and the Dark Faerie Queen executed them all.”

She swallowed, then continued. “But this one isn't dead. And he hates goblins. Humans, too. The rage in him was so terrible that I fainted in the parking lot. The children had to drag me away from the mall—away from his aura. It was like I had breathed in his poison, his hate—and he saw me. Nick, he looked inside and knew who and what I am. He knew about the children, too, and wanted them.”

Nick reached for Zee's hands, folded them in his own and brought them up to his mouth, where he breathed over their chilled flesh. He rubbed her skin lightly, part of him marveling at its texture.

“Don't worry.” He looked into her eyes. They were different—beautiful, but not human—he could see that now. And it didn't matter. “We'll find your Jack Frost and we'll stop this monster. Then I will take you and the children far away to someplace safe where no one bad will ever find you.”

 

 

 

 

Other books by Melanie Jackson:

 

DIVINE FIRE
STILL LIFE
THE COURIER
OUTSIDERS
TRAVELER
THE SELKIE
DOMINION
BELLE
AMARANTHA
NIGHT VISITOR
MANON
IONA

 

 

MELANIE
JACKSON
THE MASTER

 

 

 

 

In loving memory of my cousin, Linda Southwick.

 

 

 

DORCHESTER PUBLISHING

Published by

Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.
200 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016

Copyright © 2005 by Melanie Jackson

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's rights is appreciated.

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

Trade ISBN: 978-1-4285-1698-4
E-book ISBN: 978-1-4285-1697-7

First Dorchester Publishing, Co., Inc. edition: September 2005

The “DP” logo is the property of Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.

Printed in the United States of America.

Visit us online at
www.dorchesterpub.com
.

IMPORTANT DATES IN FEY HISTORY

 

37 BC—Mabigon becomes Queen of the Unseelie Court after killing her mother.

39 BC—King Finvarra assumes throne of the Seelie Court after his father is assassinated.

10 BC—Abrial is born.

14 AD—Abrial becomes executioner for the Unseelie Court.

212 AD—The Fey retreat underground begins.

1367 AD—Gomfibel, Dragon Slayer, becomes the first goblin king of all European hives.

1692 AD—Qasim is created.

1710 AD—Qasim finds Wren.

1713 AD—Wren is murdered by Gofimbel.

1778-1792 AD—At the death of Gofimbel, the Goblin Wars resume.

1793 AD—The human Expulsion of goblins from Europe begins.

1805 AD—Qasim, the hobgoblin leader and master, is imprisoned by Mabigon. Nyssa is born.

1806 AD—The other hobgoblins are imprisoned or executed and replaced by trolls.

1973 AD—Humans Under Ground is formed.

1991 AD—The Great Drought kills off all pure-blooded fey, including Queen Mabigon and King Finvarra.

2001 AD—Jack and Io cripple Detroit hive and reopen fey stronghold of Cadalach.

2002 AD—Thomas and Cyra destroy the Sin City hive, along with all of Las Vegas.

2003 AD—Roman and Lyris kill the goblin and master-vampire, King Quede of New Orleans.

2004 AD—Lilith and Fornix are destroyed by Abrial and Nyssa, but Qasim escapes.

2005 AD—Nicholas Anthony and Zee Finvarra join the fey resistance.

2006 AD—Kris Kringle is found.

 

 

 

WHO'S WHO IN THE WILDSIDE

From
Traveler
:

Io Cyphre—half-siren

Jack Frost—death fey, and leader of the faerie folk of Cadalach

Mathias—Jack and Io's two-year-old son

Zayn—a healer, former member of Humans Under Ground

Chloe—sister to the leader of the Detroit chapter of H.U.G., mother of a half-troll child

Clarissa—Chloe's half-troll daughter

Horroban—late goblin king of Detroit Hille Bingels—current leader of the Detroit hive

From
Outsiders:

Cyra Delphin—half selkie, half kloka (a powerful elf conjurer)

Thomas Marrowbone—part jinn, part wizard, part peri, part dragon, all computer hacker

Meriel—Thomas and Cyra's infant daughter

Lilith—former hive master of Sin City

From The
Courier:

Roman Hautecoeur—pooka and survivor of attack by vampire-goblin King Quede

Lyris Damsel—half-sylph

Innis—Lyris and Roman's infant son

King Quede—late hive master of New Orleans, and master vampire

Father Lobineau—current hive master of New Orleans

From
Still Life
:

Abrial—nightdemon, executioner for the Unseelie Court

Nyssa Laszlo—dreamwalker, ghost-talker; daughter of hobgoblin leader, Qasim

Qasim—Nyssa's hobgoblin father; imprisoned leader of the hobgoblins

Bysshe—Nyssa's mother

Farrar—Pied Piper of Hamelin, Abrial's uncle

Ahriman and Az—Abrial's father and aunt

King Carbon—L.A. hive master

Humana Vox—Carbon's second in command

The Master:

Wren—Qasim's murdered child-bride

Nicholas Anthony—ER doctor, half-pixie

Zee Finvarra—Nick's lover; a goblin/human/fey mix

Hansel and Gretel—Zee's half-brother and sister

Nicholas's ghost—the Ghost of Christmas Future

Sienna—daughter born to Nyssa and Abrial

Other People and Places:

Gofimbel—ancient king of goblins

Mabigon—late queen of the Unseelie Court

Cadalach—home of the fey

Goblins—known as lutins; six-armed, greedy and odoriferous

Trolls—goblin thugs, stupid, slow, and vicious

Hobgoblins—super-goblins, meaner, faster, bigger, and smellier

 

 

 

THE MASTER
Contents

I: How Monsters Are Made

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

II: A Haunted Man

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

III: The Last Stand

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Epilogue

AUTHOR'S NOTE

 

 

 

I
HOW MONSTERS ARE MADE
Chapter One

Nice, France, 1713

 

Wren loved Nice. It wasn't home, but it was not a bad place to hibernate while she waited for her real life to begin. She had at first been frightened to be sent so far away from her family and her lover. But she had grown to like it here, especially in the spring and summer. And because she was living among humans, no one thought it odd that she had only one set of arms. She was accepted.

Every day Wren walked with the other kept women along the beautiful crescent that lined the shore called La Belle Promenade, and with those of the nobility who were brave enough to stroll along with them. She loved watching the courtiers and the would-be courtiers as they conducted their flirtations and arranged their
affaires.

BOOK: The Master
13.28Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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