“Now,” says Myla. “Do you have any questions?”
The girl with a kitty tail raises her hand. Myla points to her. “What’s your name?”
“Donna.”
“Well, Donna. What’s your question?”
“Are the new-old ghosts here?” asks little Donna.
“Always,” replies Myla. “Millions of ghosts come to Purgatory each month. It’s our job to sort them into their best afterlife. Then I move them to Heaven or Hell, assuming I agree with the choice.”
“No, I mean the new-old ghosts. My dad says these ones are really, really, really, really old.”
“I think you’re father means the ones from the Tithe?” Donna nods. “Yes, they’re all here and safe. I’ll move them very soon.”
“Why not now?” asks Donna.
Myla worries her lower lip with her teeth. She’s had trouble with her powers lately. Turns out, the ghouls have hidden a magical item in Purgatory called Lucifer’s Orb and it can block Myla’s abilities. The ghouls hope that if everything goes haywire, the quasis will invite them back to rule. Not going to happen. That said, I don’t think it’s time to worry about the orb just yet. The backlog of souls isn’t too dangerous.
“Lady Adair came to our school last week,” adds Donna. “She said the soul towers will burst and kill everyone, since you don’t know what you’re doing.”
Myla smacks her lips. “Lady Adair is a very sad person, even if she now serves as the official thrax diplomat to Purgatory.”
I shake my head. Unfortunately, Adair really is a diplomat now, and she’s used her position to do annoying things like trail Myla around and scare school children. Thank Heaven I never signed that betrothal contract. Speaking of which, Aldred has officially dropped all talk of marriage or war. Instead, he’s vigorously promoting his daughter’s diplomatic career. Clearly, he’s scheming something new. We’ll find out what he’s up to eventually. If nothing else, it’s taken the pressure off Lucas. Aldred’s dropped whatever he was holding over Gianna. The girl is safe once more.
“Does anyone else have questions?” asks Myla. “Perhaps someone in back?” Her tail arches over her shoulder and points directly at me. Myla hasn’t noticed me yet, so I take the hint and raise my hand. My girl catches the movement, spies me, and pales. “Is that … you?” she asks.
“Yes,” I reply. “And I was wondering. How much longer are you supposed to be here?”
“Oh.” Myla beams. “I was just finishing up.”
“In that case, do you want to leave here and get into trouble with me?”
Half the room gasps. Almost everyone turns to stare in my direction. Whispers echo nearby.
“That’s the thrax prince.”
“He’s Myla’s boyfriend.”
“Snack time!” That’s the teacher. All the kids rise up and rush toward the lunch room. I make a note of the instructor’s name. I’ll be sure to send him a thank you gift later. Quasis seem to enjoy mix tapes from the 1980’s earth era. Ghoul technology has them stuck in that time period and everyone loves a good mix tape.
As the kids and parents retreat, I step closer, my gaze locked on Myla. “Well? What do you think?”
Myla stands. “I’d love to.”
We share a smile, and that’s everything I need in this world.
Stepping forward, I link my hand with Myla’s and we walk off into a rainy Purgatory afternoon. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned since I first met Myla, it’s that even the Heavens could threaten to fall.
Yet as long as Myla and I have each other, we’ll still be happy.
Perhaps definitions of duty can change, after all.
The End
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Myla’s story is told in ANGELBOUND, Book 1 in the Angelbound Origins series, and then SCALA, Book 3 in the Angelbound Origins Series
Christina Bauer’s SCALA
Myla’s point of view continues with SCALA, Book 3 in the Angelbound Origins Series.
Click on the cover to find out more!
Christina Bauer’s MAGICORUM
Don’t miss these modern fairy tales with sass, action, and romance that USA Today calls a ‘must-read!’
Click on the cover to find out more!
Christina Bauer’s DIMENSION DRIFT
DIVERGENT meets OCEAN’S EIGHT in this dystopian adventure with science, snark, and hot aliens!
Click on the cover to find out more!
* * *
Christina Bauer’s BEHOLDER
Like GAME OF THRONES? You’ll love the BEHOLDER series! It all begins with CURSED, a story of witchcraft, adventure, and love.
Click on the cover to find out more!
If You Enjoyed This Book…
…Please consider leaving a review, even if it’s just a line or two. Every bit truly helps, especially for those of us who don’t write by the numbers, if you know what I mean. Plus I have it on good authority that every time you review an indie author, somewhere an angel gets a mocha latte. For reals.
And angels need their caffeine, too.
Acknowledgments
If you’re reading my freaking acknowledgements, chances are, I should thank you for something. So, for the record: you are awesome, dear reader. In the unlikely event that I forgot to thank you, it’s only because my manuscript was due to conversion two hours ago and I’m a wee bit frantic. My bad.
That said, huge and heartfelt thanks must go out to my husband and son for their rock-solid support. Writing this book meant a lot of early mornings, late nights, long weekends, and never-ending patience from you both. You two are the best guys in the universe, period.
Plus, a major shout-out to the amazing teams at IPG and INscribe Digital. You are the bestest-estest ever!
After that, I must thank the extensive network of readers and reviewers who helped me build my writing chops in general.
Finally, deep affection goes out to my late, much loved, and dearly missed Aunt Sandy and Uncle Henry. You saw the writer in me, always. Thank you, first and last.
Collected Works
Angelbound Origins
About a quasi (part demon and part human) girl who loves kicking butt in Purgatory's Arena
1. Angelbound
2. Lincoln – Prince Lincoln tells the story of Angelbound, along with a bonus novella, Duty Bound
3. Scala
4. Acca
5. Thrax
6. The Dark Lands
7. The Brutal Time (forthcoming)
8. Armageddon (already here, long story!)
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Angelbound Offspring
The next generation takes on Heaven, Hell, and everything in between
1. Maxon
2. Portia
3. Zinnia (forthcoming)
4. Kaps (forthcoming)
5. Huntress (forthcoming)
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Angelbound Worlds
Inside stories about your fav characters
1. Xavier (forthcoming)
2. Cissy (forthcoming)
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Beholder
Where a medieval farm girl discovers necromancy and true love
1. Cursed
2. Concealed
3. Cherished
4. Crowned
5. Cradled
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Fairy Tales of the Magicorum
Modern fairy tales with sass, action, and romance
1. Wolves and Roses
1.5 Moonlight and Midtown
2. Shifters and Glyphs
3. Slippers and Thieves (forthcoming)
4. Bandits and Ballgowns (forthcoming)
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Dimension Drift
Dystopian adventures with science, snark, and hot aliens
Prequels
1. Scythe
2. Umbra
Novels
1. Alien Minds (forthcoming)
2. ECHO Academy (forthcoming)
3. Drift Warrior (forthcoming)
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>
Publisher's Note: Christina Bauer is a non-linear thinker who came up with ARMAGEDDON (Book 8) and then went back and wrote some earlier books. This is why you'll see ARMAGEDDON and the Offspring series available before LINCOLN (Book 2) and THE BRUTAL TIME (Book 7). We've told her to stop this practice, but she keeps giving us lewd hand gestures in response. Apologies in advance for any inconvenience.
About Author Christina Bauer
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Christina Bauer thinks that fantasy books are like bacon: they just make life better. All of which is why she writes romance novels that feature demons, dragons, wizards, witches, elves, elementals, and a bunch of random stuff that she brainstorms while riding the Boston T. Oh, and she includes lots of humor and kick-ass chicks, too. Christina lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.
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Stalk Christina on Social Media – She Loves It!
Blog: http://monsterhousebooks.com/blog/category/christina
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorBauer/
Twitter: @CB_Bauer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christina_cb_bauer/
Web site: www.bauersbooks.com
Subscribe
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https://tinyurl.com/bauersbooks
* * *
***Not available in stores***
Author Note
Dear Reader,
If you’ve gotten this far and are still with me, I thought you might want some additional background on LINCOLN. While writing ANGELBOUND, I penned a few future chapters so I’d know where the overall story arc was going. Originally, I wanted Lincoln to marry Adair. I know, eew. Even worse, Lincoln would only do so after he and Myla shared one night of passion. Maxon would be the result.
Sometimes my characters talk to me.
In this case, Lincoln said: Absolutely not—I shall always watch over Myla! In what universe would I not know of her pregnancy? Or avoid caring for my own son? Are you insane, woman?
And he was right. At the core of Lincoln, there’s only duty and honor. He may act like an anti-demonic douchebag, but it’s only because he thinks it’s the right thing to do. So, even as I finished ANGELBOUND, I knew there would be a whole side to the story that explained Lincoln’s action. The specifics about the Tithe and mega Myla came later, but when they appeared, I knew this had to be a full novel.
So, if you were hoping to hear Lincoln wax poetic about how demons suck, apologies! That’s not our Lincoln.
So you know, I had a lot of fun (and also self-torture) going through events in ANGELBOUND and re-examining from Lincoln’s point of view. Turns out, in some ways Myla and Lincoln are similar. Both are happily surprised to find that there is someone else in the world like them. They share the same values when it comes to battle. Sometimes they describe things in a similar way. Both count down the time to cherished activities.
When they meet, both instantly become obsessed with the other. It’s an expression of how similar the two of them really are. Myla expresses an overt passion for life; Lincoln holds the same intensity, only his is hidden. In my opinion, this is what ‘love at first sight’ is all about. I do think it happens, but it’s when two unique people recognize their other puzzle piece. That’s what happened with Lincoln and Myla. Where that gets tricky is if you have one person equation who is acting controlling or faking it. Lincoln isn’t giving Myla expensive gifts and solely fawning all aspects of his girl that she has no control over, like her physical appearance. The big thing that grabs Lincoln is Myla’s passion for life, which he sees from the moment she appears from the lake.
In other ways, the pair are radically different. Stuff that impresses Myla—such as the thrax way of life—are things Lincoln sees as ho-hum. This is his world, after all. There’s no way he’ll spend three pages describing how the House of Horus rides chariots. Plus, if he’s experiencing anything Adair-related, like her awakening ceremony, the details just don’t grab his interest. For example, Lincoln spends much of Adair’s awakening ceremony doing the equivalent of planning his grocery shopping list.
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Easter Eggs
Okay, so I built in a ton of stuff that you may or may not have caught. In case you’re interested, here’s what I hid. ***Warning: spoilers ahead***
- The Arbiter (a character from ACCA) is actually an effigy that survives the Tithe dying. She’s one of the early ones that the Tithe created, before he decided to only create soldiers
- The Furor dragon, Epsilon, shows up again in PORTIA, Angelbound Offspring Book 2. I built out a whole storyline for him where he falls in love and adopts a child. It’s out there; I’ll get to it one day!
- Myla’s tail and Lincoln have always had a special relationship. In this book, we find out why.
- Ethan is mentioned as the person who will take in Acca when they leave Antrum. His character returns in THRAX and yes, the guy is a dick.
- Walker’s mission for a water elemental is actually for Lianna from the book MAXON
- Lincoln mentions a change in Adair’s scent. That’s a teaser to some changes in Adair which we discover in SCALA
- In ACCA, Octavia mentions how a young Lincoln used to chase his cat with a sword. In this book, that feline is given some more personality as well as a name. Perkins.
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This next thing is just a general note since I couldn’t fit it into the book in an organic way. Lincoln is named Lincoln because his parents (okay, mostly his father) wanted him to unite the houses of Rixa and Acca. Connor knew the American president kept the United States together, and hoped the thrax prince would do the same for the two houses one day. The bloody civil war part was somewhat ignored.
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So that’s it! I hope you enjoyed LINCOLN. It was fun getting to know the prince in a new way. The story continues in SCALA!
Lincoln Page 40
