Excerpt: The Winter Court (The Paranormal University Files: Teresa)
At first, the world was void. Black. Dark. Whistling wind and ferocious current, the occasional howl of something he could only presume was as damned as him. He slept on and off, stirring to a nothingness without form, each living moment accompanied with unyielding pain.
Days, weeks, or maybe years passed—how long, he did not know, only that the suffering appeared to be without end. Sharp stabs with a phantom blade set his blood aflame as the rising of a silver star cast light over the dismal landscape. Slowly, Cole pushed up from the hard ground and tried to get his bearings.
The last thing he recalled with any clarity was darkness. Before that, only pain and fury, broken pieces of memory slipping from his grasp whenever he tried to focus on them. Now there was cold wasteland all around him, stretching out as far as he could see. Skeletal winter trees stretched upward toward a dusky indigo sky but there was something strange about them. It took him only a moment to realize the trees were growing from rock and were, in fact, stone themselves.
A memory flashed—a woman with wings and a man with a bright sword. Hatred filled him at the sight of their faces, bringing further clarity.
They had done this. They had taken everything from him and killed the only one he held dear in his heart.
Slamming his fist against the ground, he screamed, raging at the empty world around him. Lightning flashed overhead and the ground rumbled, rock splitting in a long seam. He didn’t stop, releasing all his anger and energy until the ground cracked open and widened into a deep chasm. From it arose a rock structure. Jagged spikes and polished planes gradually took the shape of a palace.
Cole stared, silent.
He had done that. Somehow, he had channeled magic he’d never possessed before. He could feel it now, pulsing through him, dimming the pain and lending him strength. He looked down at his hands and startled at the discovery of ink-black markings tattooed into his flesh. They covered all of him, swirling runes of power he recognized from his grandmother’s research.
He laughed, the near-crazed sound echoing across the barren land.
Even in death, Annalise had saved him. They may have failed to accomplish one goal, but she’d provided something greater and more profound than taking down the barrier to Tir na Nog.
Now the darkness had a home all its own, and they would hide no more.
We will return. Coming 2021.
Afterword
I honestly can’t believe it is over. PNRU was a dream come true to write. I loved every moment of it and had a blast penning this alongside my friend, Alisha.
Every time we returned to Skylar’s world, I dreaded the end. Even now, as I write this, I think back to years ago when I first shared the idea with her of a magical school with four distinct races, sometimes against each other.
One comment I saw from time to time was that the bad guys weren’t entirely in the wrong. They weren’t! Some will say the ends don’t justify the means. Some will say, whatever is necessary to make change! Regardless of which side you fall on, the world of PNRU is forever changed by these events.
Excluding Birds of a Feather, Skylar’s story was told strictly from her point of view. As such, the story is somewhat biased. She thinks highly of her people—at least, she did until certain chapters of this tale as she came to notice her folk aren’t always as perfect as she thought they were.
I can’t wait to return to this world in Theresa’s duet as she navigates grad school.
I hope you loved this ride as much as we did.
Other Books by Vivienne
If you loved the hell out of this and want to read another romance with fantasy elements, check Domino’s series, Daughter of Fortune.
For fantasy romance with mermaids and the like, read Kingdom in the Sea.
Sci-Fi Romance
Super Sexy Aliens, Cyborgs, Psychics.
Reverse Harem Romance
Three Greek gods, one reincarnated modern goddess
Divine Ambrosia
Divine Rival
Paranormal University
College has never been this exciting. Or hot.
The Hidden Court
The Scary Godmother
Birds of a Feather
Dragons
Loved by the Dragon
Smitten: Dawn of the Dragons #2
Crush on a Dragon: Dawn of the Dragons #3
God of Mischief: Dawn of the Dragons #4
Military Shifters
Hot and Wild military alphas
The Right to Bear Arms (Book #1)
Let Us Prey (Book #2)
The Purr-fect Soldier (Book #3)
Old Dog New Tricks (Book #4)
Texas Pride (Book #5)
A Man of Many Talons
Impractical Magic
Impractical Magic
Better Than Hex (Impractical Magic #2)
Blood Heiress
Blood Kissed
Werewolves of San Antonio
Training the Alpha
Mythological Creatures
Making Waves
Epic Fantasy by Dominique Kristine
Shadows for a Princess
A princess who would rather die than wed. A warrior priest who would rather kill than see her harmed. A kingdom of shadows and treachery that threatens them both...
* * *
At the age of twenty-eight, Princess Ysolde Westbrook is a spinster duchess, the adopted daughter of Hindera's eccentric monarch. Commoners love their benevolent leader, but the kingdom's gentry take offense to the outsider among them. Amid noble plots and demands for her to marry a local aristocrat, an assassination attempt places her life in peril--if she will not have one of them for a husband, they would sooner see her dead.
Finding allies in strangers with powerful gifts and even darker secrets, Ysolde must learn what it means to lead and find her own inner strengths. Whether or not she survives the tangled web of treason will determine the fate of her duchy, the royal family, and the kingdom she loves.
About the Author
Vivienne Savage is the pen name of two best friends who write together. One works as a nurse in a rural healthcare home in Texas and the other is a U.S. Navy veteran. Both are mothers to two darling boys and two amazing girls.
All of their work varies in steam level, so pop by the VS website for details on which series is right for you!
For more information
www.viviennesavage.com
[email protected]
The Puppet Master: The Paranormal University Files: Skylar, Year 4 Page 27
