by Aaron Crash
Steven turned to the encrypted pages. He’d though they’d unlock more secrets while visiting the Americos Chambers, especially the one in Texas. Were they portals? When the pools were full, they seemed to become portals, and the “eyes” were open. When the pools were empty, the “eyes” were closed. The logic seemed to follow, but he wasn’t sure. And why were they only in North America?
In the end, the Odessa cavern had only been an elaborate ruse, a trap, designed by this Spider Finger. Meddling with their divination magic, especially Sabina’s, would’ve taken an amazing amount of mystical power. Could Spider Finger be a lost Alpheros? Steven didn’t think so, but he didn’t know for sure.
He tried to remember the hands of the men that had been at Morty Flint’s Chicago Conclave. But he’d been so focused on his speech, then trying to get out alive, that he hadn’t really been paying attention. Besides, if this Dragonsoul was using FleshForge, he could probably hide such a thing easily.
Steven touched the circles of ink on the mysterious pages of the grimoire. His father had told him it wasn’t time yet, and Liam was right. They had to trust in his father’s wisdom. He remembered the words he’d heard on the wasteland highway. This is our future. This is our escape. This is our battlefield.
The future of the Dragonsouls wasn’t on Earth. It was on other worlds, a whole universe of possible places. But was the battlefield, the escape, and the future on the same wasteland version of Colorado Steven had seen?
Tessa came barreling out of the room she was sharing with Aria.
The barista fell onto the floor front of the fireplace. She ripped the book out of his hands. She had the topaz pen. She must’ve grabbed it from his room.
“Magica Divinatio!” she hissed. Her eyes glowed like pink jewels. She touched the pen to the first encrypted page. The sapphire feathers on the quill glinted with a blue light.
Ink swirled around the tip of the pen. An image started to form.
A big grandfather clock rang out, counting down the hour. With each bell strike, the picture became clearer as ink raced around the page, sketching something.
It was another map of the North American continent. But this one had an X drawn on the coastline, in Oregon maybe, but definitely somewhere along the Pacific coast of the U.S. There were the Borromean rings nearby, marking Americos Chambers, but this X wasn’t connected to them.
The pen worked itself out of Tessa’s hands. It was drawing a sketch on the other page, moving on its own while Tessa covered her mouth with her hands. A picture of an ocean crashing onto a beach where reeds clung to the sand. And there, a woman in a white dress stood, and not just any woman, Tessa.
In her hand was a torch.
Tears ran down her face. But was she crying out of joy or sorrow?
“I dreamed this,” Tessa said. “This is our future. This is my future. And my past.”
The last stroke of midnight sounded. The pen fell to the side.
Tessa climbed into Steven’s lap. “I’m so scared.”
“Of what?” he asked.
“Of who I really am. What if it’s not good, Steven? What if I don’t want to know?”
Steven drew her face back so they could gaze into each other’s faces. “I know who you are. You’re Tessa Ross. You worked at the Coffee Clutch, and I crushed hard on you. We’re special. And we’re together.”
“I’m glad we’re a we,” she murmured, echoing Zoey.
He kissed Tessa, and it was as hot as the first time, months ago in the coffee shop. No, in fact, it was hotter. Tessa smelled wonderful, tasted better, and she sighed.
“Merry Christmas,” she said.
“And a very merry Christmas to you.”
She smiled at him. “Where are you sleeping tonight?” she asked.
With seven wonderful women currently in the Grand Lake Aerie, he pondered that question for a long, long time.
Books, Mailing List, and Reviews
If you enjoyed reading about Steven and his crew of badass ladies and want to stay in the loop about the latest book releases, awesome promotional deals, and upcoming book giveaways be sure to subscribe to my Mailing List Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.You can also connect with me on my Facebook Fan Page: Aaron Crash on Facebook
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If you love my books and need more Action-Adventure Harem action right this minute, then you might want to pick up War God’s Mantle: Ascension (Book 1)
The gods walk again …
When Marine Corps pilot Jacob Merely crashes during a routine mission off the coast of Cyprus, he was sure it was game over.
After surviving the crash and pulling himself onto the sandy shores of a long-abandoned island, however, Jacob unwittingly stumbles headfirst into the ancient ruins of a dead city. Unfortunately, he also stumbles into an age-old battle between good and evil—and he is now its newest recruit.
The island once belonged to the Amazons, daughters of Ares, the God of War, and stood as the final bastion between the human world and the monstrosities of the Great Below. But Jacob’s arrival has awakened the old gods and disturbed the seal holding the ravaging darkness at bay.
Now, with the help of a sacred gem containing Ares’ power, Jacob must recreate the Amazonian defenders of humanity and fortify the island stronghold. And if he fails, Hades will unleash his army of the damned and the world of men will fall, giving rise to an age of walking nightmares.
Other Works by Aaron Crash
LitRPG/Harem
War God’s Mantle: Ascension (Book 1)
War God’s Mantle: Descent (Book 2)
***
Space Opera Adventure
Damnation Robot: Galactic Demon Hunters (Book 1)
Neutron Dragon Attack: Galactic Demon Hunters (Book 2)
Black Hole Werewolves: Galactic Demon Hunters (Book 3)
Books from Shadow Alley Press
James A. Hunter
Strange Magic (Yancy Lazarus Episode One)
Cold Hearted (Yancy Lazarus Episode Two)
Flashback: Siren Song (Yancy Lazarus Episode 2.5)
Wendigo Rising (Yancy Lazarus Episode Three)
Flashback: The Morrigan (Yancy Lazarus Episode 3.5)
Savage Prophet (Yancy Lazarus Episode Four)
Brimstone Blues: A Yancy Lazarus Novel
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MudMan (A Lazarus World Novel)
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Two-Faced: Legend of the Treesinger
Soul Game: Legend of the Treesinger
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Viridian Gate Online: Cataclysm (Book 1)
Viridian Gate Online: Crimson Alliance (Book 2)
Viridian Gate Online: The Jade Lord (Book 3)
Viridian Gate Online: Imperial Legion (Book 4)
Viridian Gate Online: The Lich Priest (Book 5)
The Artificer DLC 1.1: A Viridian Gate Online Novel
***
Rogue Dungeon: The Rogue Dungeon Series (Book 1)
eden Hudson
Revenge of the Bloodslinger: A Jubal Van Zandt Novel (Book 1)
Beautiful Corpse: A Jubal Van Zandt Novel (Book 2)
Soul Jar: A Jubal Van Zandt Novel (Book 3)
Garden of Time: A Jubal Van Zandt Novel (Book 4)
***
Halo Bound (Redneck Apocalypse Book 1)
Lion’s Den (Redneck Apocalypse Book 1.5)
Hell Bent (Redneck Apocalypse Book 2)
God Killer (Redneck Apocalypse Book 3)
About the Author
Aaron Crash writes adrenaline-fueled odysseys into the extreme regions of speculative fiction. If you're looking for cyborg vampires or jellyfish centaurs, you've come to the right place. He is the
co-author of the War God’s Mantle series (Shadow Alley Press) and other over-the-top sci-fi/fantasy novels. He’s been an Amazon All-Star and his books have broken into Amazon’s Top 100. When he’s not wrestling the word dragons, he mountain bikes, kills pixels dead, and has been known to watch a movie or three. He lives in Colorado where he does devilish things.
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Copyright
Texas Showdown: An Urban Fantasy Harem Adventure (American Dragons Book 4) is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are 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.
Copyright © 2018 by Aaron Crash and Shadow Alley Press, Inc.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email the publisher, subject line “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the email address below.
[email protected]
