I suppressed an almost purring tone when I responded, “Yes, it is.” with a smile and a wink.
If our fellow passengers knew what we referenced, they didn’t make a show of it. This town held good memories as well as hard ones.
“So, Salis,” I said, speaking louder and clearer to keep any possible questions about the importance of the motel at bay. “I’m curious, what was your thought process behind which houses you placed us in?” I realized my query could be seen as questioning her decision rather than seeking a deeper understanding of her strategy, so I clarified. “Your flock is quite strategic in all things, and I’m wondering which strategy is at play here.”
Salis peered at me through the rearview mirror for a breath, her light eyes studying mine, then returned her gaze to the road. “I have already explained why I placed the succubi galere in the foothills of the mountain.”
“True,” I responded. “But why put us in the historical district? And where did you place the foreign Wilds?”
“The shé, nagin, and echidna are on their way to a residential home in a newer community,” Salis answered. “Not one owned by any of us, but rather an empty rental a business associate has agreed to allow us to access for the time being.”
“And the one we’re staying in isn’t owned by you either?” I asked, judging how easily the Hunters may or may not be able to find us.
“It is indirectly owned by us,” she responded. “Passed to us through our flock’s paternal grandparents, but left in their family name.”
She knew of her parental lineage? And had been given property through the father’s line? Her statement brought up a slew of questions I promised myself to ask her later. Unlike my sisters and I, the harpy flock—Eonza, Salis, and Lapis—all had the same mother. Now, I wondered if they had the same father too. They did bear a shocking resemblance to one another, which wasn’t something you often found among Wild Women sisters. Did their father know he had mated with a harpy? She’d said the house was from her parental grandparents, so I wasn’t sure if that meant from her mother’s grandfather or her grandfather.
After a few more turns she slowed the speed of the car. Mature trees lined the quant street, standing between the sidewalks and the well-kept traditionally built homes. Salis pulled into the driveway of a house unseen from the road, with evergreen bushes acting as thick natural privacy fences. She parked in front of a brown detached garage trimmed with beige and merlot.
“Your coterie,” she finally continued after turning off the ignition and twisting her tall, lean body in her seat to face me, “were chosen to stay in this home because its historical aspects could be of use to you.”
“What does it have?” Olivia joked, “a secret room hidden behind a bookshelf?”
Shawna snickered.
“No,” Salis said, unlatching her seatbelt and opening her driver’s side door. “For a long while North Carolina was a dry state. And my paternal ancestors were bootleggers.”
Shawna quieted.
“We chose this house for you,” Salis went on, dead serious, “because it contains a secret underground connected to cursed passageways.”
Don’t stop now. Keep reading with your copy of ISHTAR’S LEGACY available now.
Don’t miss Wild Women with book 3, ISHTAR’S LEGACY and discover more from Rachel Sullivan at www.rachelsullivan.net
Only two Hunter complexes remain in the way of Faline Frey and freedom for all American Wild Women. That is, until harpy Eonza makes a grave mistake in her quest to become pregnant and risks outing her people to the world.
When leaders from Wild Women groups in other countries get wind of the potential exposure, they send their ambassadors to assess the situation. What they find is defected Hunters—the men who have been oppressing Wild Women for decades—helping Wilds.
When Faline aligned with an ex-Hunter, her coterie took it badly. But these foreign Wilds make that look like a walk in the forest. They are ready to declare war on their American sisters for turning against their own kind and helping Hunters. But Faline has an even bigger foe on her tail.
Locked up and staring into the eyes of her worst enemy—the man who took her mother—she realizes just how much she has to lose and the truth behind the years shrouded in mystery.
She has one shot to take freedom for herself and every other Wild Woman. But can she succeed with her hands literally tied behind her back?
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Acknowledgments
As I birth another book into the world, I have to first thank my book doula, my agent, Jacquie Flynn. Without you, Jacquie, the Wild Women would still be hiding in the trees and seas. And to my book’s midwife, my editor, Heather McCorkle, your excitement and support for Faline and me fills me with absolute thankfulness.
To my coterie—Geno, Christany, and Isabel: your support and cheerleading mean the world to me. To my original coterie, my mom, Cathy Sullivan, and my sisters, Wendy Perry, Michaele Trujillo, and Dani Woodruff: you fill my heart with love and acceptance, gifts I do not take lightly.
Thank you to my Wild friends who advise me and champion my work: Amanda Lynn, Rayna Stiner, Rachel Spillane, Sara Wilkerson, Alli Roerden, Lynn Moddejonge, Samantha Heuwagen, Cass Morris, Jody Holford, and Sarah Glenn Marsh.
And to my readers, because of you I can write this acknowledgement page. I am overfilled with appreciation at your willingness to spend time in my Wild world and your eagerness to make it your own. Your messages to me of your favorite Wild group, characters, and scenes make me smile. I hope this book helps you to dive deeper into the minds and hearts of the Wild Women, the Hunters, and the new characters you’ll meet. And above all, I hope you’re entertained and empowered.
About the Author
RACHEL SULLIVAN is a dog-hugger and tree-lover. Growing up with three sisters sparked her passion for both women's history and women's advocacy, which led to her career as a birth doula and childbirth educator. These days she channels those passions into researching and writing fiction, concentrating on birthing books rather than babies.
When she's not writing, Rachel works in reference and circulation services at a public library. She enjoys exploring nature, learning, wine tasting, attempting to grow her own food, and reading. She lives near Seattle, Washington.
www.rachelsullivan.net
About the Publisher
City Owl Press is a cutting edge indie publishing company, bringing the world of romance and speculative fiction to discerning readers.
www.cityowlpress.com
Additional Titles
FREYJA’S DAUGHTER
By: Rachel Sullivan
Well behaved women seldom make history, but they still end up as the monsters of folklore.
LILITH’S CHILDREN
By: Rachel Sullivan
The battle raging between the Wild Women of Seattle and the Hunters has sparked a war. But will either side survive the new threat that lurks in the shadows?
ISHTAR’S LEGACY
By: Rachel Sullivan
She has one shot to take freedom for herself and every other Wild Woman. But can she succeed with her hands literally tied behind her back?
A TOUCH OF DARKNESS
By: Yelena Casale & Tina Moss
USA Today Bestselling Authors
Cassie Durrett dreams of the darkness. And lives the nightmare.
Award Winning Urban Fantasy
EMBRACING DARKNESS
By: Yelena Casale & Tina Moss,
USA Today Bestselling Authors
After a hellish ordeal suffered at the hands of evil, demons haunt Zoey’s every step.
FREE Short Story Sequel to A TOUCH OF DARKNESS.
BLACKBIRD SUMMER
By: Em Shotwell
When the world fears you, being Gifted is a curse.
BLACKBIRD FALLING
By: Em Shotwell
Hell hath no fury like Delia Caibre—Gifted single mom with the power to make people love her, and a chip on her shoulder the size of the Mississippi.
FORGET ME NOT
By: Em Shotwell
Maybe dating the good guy isn’t so bad.
BLOOD AND MAGIC
By: Melissa Sercia
Gray is a Dhampir—a woman alive, but also dead. With supernatural powers and an insatiable need for blood, her existence is cursed.
FLESH AND BONE
By: Melissa Sercia
Gray’s dark magic has grown stronger and threatens to consume her. But when her partner Aldric mysteriously disappears, she must rely on her powers to find him.
GODS AND DEMONS
By: Melissa Sercia
Will Gray send the demons back to the Underworld or watch her world burn to the ground?
BOHERMORE
By: Jennifer Rose McMahon
USA Today Bestselling Author
When your dreams become reality, being cursed can be a real nightmare.
INISH CLARE
By: Jennifer Rose McMahon
USA Today Bestselling Author
When your dreams become reality, hidden secrets come to light.
BALLYCROY
By: Jennifer Rose McMahon
USA Today Bestselling Author
When your dreams become reality, the legends become truth.
CODE BLACK
By: Tina Moss
USA Today Bestselling Author
Gossip mag reporter Sera Benenati knows a thing or two about unearthing secrets...and burying them.
FROSTBITE
By: Joshua Bader
Getting hired to be a personal wizard for a billionaire may just become a death sentence.
TWO WIZARD ROULETTE
By: Joshua Bader
While working as a personal wizard for a billionaire, the stakes have never been higher.
FACELESS
By: Joshua Bader
The Race is on to Save Colin and Bring Him Back from the Beyond.
HEART OF MALICE
By: Lisa Edmonds
The first time Moses Murphy’s granddaughter killed on his orders, she was six years old.
HEART OF FIRE
By: Lisa Edmonds
When tragedy strikes home and a friend’s life hangs in the balance, Alice must face a powerful adversary.
HEART OF ICE
By: Lisa Edmonds
When tragedy strikes home and a friend’s life hangs in the balance, Alice must face a powerful adversary.
MAD GOD WALKING
By: Connor Drexler
A stranger on earth and a refugee from a twisted Sideways world, can Damon save his friends before he turns into the Mad God the Inquisition believes him to be?
PURGATORY’S ANGEL
By: B. Hughes-Millman
We all have a dark side where inner demons roam. When devils of our nightmares murder in their sleep, only she can stop them.
RESURRECTION’S ANGEL
By: B. Hughes-Millman
Resurrecting your soul from hell isn’t for the weak of heart.
SOUL OF THE UNBORN
By: Natalia Brothers
Can you call yourself human if supernatural forces control your every breath, every emotion, every desire?
TRUTHSIGHT
By: Miriam Greystone
Rowan and Amy must join forces with the creatures who were once her patients and fight to uncover the one secret that may be powerful enough to save them all.
WINTER’S MAGE
By: Miriam Greystone
A strange new danger is stirring in the forest . . .
WAKING THE DEAD
By: D. B. Sieders
The road to hell begins when the reaper darkens her door.
RAISING THE DEAD
By: D. B. Sieders
Afterlife management is a tricky business, especially for a living soul broker.
Lilith's Children Page 26
