After a few minutes of silence, she turned in his arms and met his eyes. They still captivated her now as much as they had the first time she got lost in their pale depths. There was more pain in them now. A list of lost companions added to the still poignant sorrow of his mother’s death. There was also love in those eyes, love he was willing to admit and fight for despite everything he had lost. He was a strong man, stronger than she had realized. She ran her fingers through his hair. Teaching in Lyra and acting as ambassador for the Kudaness were great honors and she could see herself coming to appreciate both roles as well as the ability to be where should could use her power to help and protect him, but this was what she wanted most.
“I believe we will work things out.” Rising on the balls of her feet, she kissed him.
He pulled her closer, deepening the kiss, igniting desires only he could ignite. She wrapped them in a warm blanket of power that sheltered them from the wind. As their passion took hold of her, the ship moved faster still, pulling ahead of the other, driving toward home.
THE END
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The people who have been most supportive in this journey don’t change much, but there are sometimes those who come and go. As always, there are many people in my life who aren’t mentioned here for brevity sake. All of you are still very important to me.
I want to offer specific thanks to the following people.
To my mom Linda for your loving support and for helping me brainstorm and refine my ideas.
To Michael for years of partnership and supporting my dreams.
To Rick and Ann for always being willing to read and give feedback on my books and for being the best of friends.
To my uncle Greg for being an avid fan of the series and a great editor on this book.
To Kai for sticking by me and helping keep me sane through an incredibly difficult time.
To my good friend and fellow author Eldritch Black for sharing long rides to the coffee shop full of cathartic rants and commiseration and for being an amazing writing companion. Also to the rest of that writing group, for making so many Thursdays productive and fun.
To Aradia for knowing I would succeed from the first time we met and being an inspiration in your dedication to your own art.
To my cover artist, Raquel, and my interior designer, Brian, thank you both for your fantastic work and for your patience with me as I continue to learn this process.
I must also offer thanks to my sixth grade teacher, Mr. Johnson, for being so pleased and excited when I told you I was going to be an author and to my eighth grade algebra teacher, Mr. Siebenlist, for almost letting me flunk because you were so delighted that I was writing books in class rather than notes..
AUTHOR BIO
Nikki started writing her first novel at the age of 12, which she still has tucked in a briefcase in her home office. She now lives in the magnificent Pacific Northwest tending to her sweet horse, two manipulative cats, and a crazy dog. She feeds her imagination by sitting on the ocean in her kayak gazing out across the never-ending water or hanging from a rope in a cave, embraced by darkness and the sound of dripping water. She finds peace through practicing iaido or shooting her longbow.
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Thank you for taking time to read this novel. Please leave a review if you enjoyed it.
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For more about me and my work visit me at
http://nikkimccormack.com
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Other Books by Nikki McCormack
Forbidden Things – An Epic Fantasy Series
Book One: Dissident
Book Two: Exile
CLOCKWORK ENTERPRISES – A Young Adult Steampunk Series
Book One: The Girl and the Clockwork Cat
Book Two: The Girl and the Clockwork Conspiracy
Short stories by Nikki McCormack
In Silence Waiting
Making Monsters
This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Copyright © 2016 Nikki McCormack
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.
Published by
Elysium Books
Seattle, WA
Written by Nikki McCormack (https://nikkimccormack.com/)
Cover Design by Raquel Neira (http://kellieart.deviantart.com/)
Interior Design and ebook formatting by Brian C. Short
First Edition 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9963196-7-6
Apostate: Forbidden Things Page 28
