by Kiki Howell
Kheelan leaned forward, taking her hands into his, “Have you thought out a plan as to how you’re going to get him let his guard down long enough to get you close enough to finish your mission?”
Morrigana nodded with a cruel smile, “While I was reading through the paperwork I noticed that he seems to like young college girls. Hence the get-up. I figured I would show up on his doorstep with a dead cell phone and ask to use his so I could call for help. What human male doesn’t like a defenseless woman stranded on the side of the road?”
He smiled as he stood, pulling her up with him, “Now that sounds like a plan that will work. Are you ready to go?”
Morrigana winked, “I sure am. Let’s go to your hotel room and get that lantern. Then let’s go see if we can get ourselves a soul.”
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Chapter Nineteen
THEY PULLED INTO Christopher Perrie’s driveway and the first thing Morrigana noticed was that it could be called a mini-mansion.
She turned the ignition off and looked at Kheelan, “I think you should stay here until I give you a signal. It might be easier for me to get inside if I’m ringing his doorbell alone. As you mentioned at the house, he doesn’t know that I’m a Reaper, and since I didn’t know myself until last night I believe that can work in our favor. Once I’m inside, I’ll turn that light off. That’s your cue to come inside.”
She pointed to the front window to the right of the front door.
He nodded, not liking the thought of letting her go in alone, “If things go south, give me a shout. I want to make sure you aren’t harmed before I return you to your people.”
Morrigana promised him she would, gave him a quick kiss and stepped out of the car. She headed up the walk, paying close attention to her surroundings. After ringing the doorbell, she leaned back casually on the pillar closest to the door, her chest pushed out more than it needed to be. After about five minutes, the door was opened. Christopher Perrie was peering at her from a crack in the door.
Morrigana smiled sweetly, doing her best to look as innocent and frazzled as possible, “Excuse me, sir? I seem to be lost. Can I come in and use your phone to call my friend and get directions to her house?”
She was glad she had chosen the tight jeans and UCLA t-shirt with sneakers when he opened the door a little wider and stuck his head out, looking around his front yard.
He didn’t even glance her way until he was satisfied that she was alone, “Don’t you have a cell phone? Seems to me that everybody’s got a cell phone now-a-days.”
Morrigana had been prepared for that question, having taken the battery out of her phone, so she showed it to him, “Yes, sir, I do. However, the battery is dead.”
She gave him a crooked, uncertain smile and he took a reluctant step back, inviting her into his home. Morrigana was doing a happy dance inside as she stepped through the front door, handing Perrie her cell phone when he held his hand out.
She stopped short in the foyer, “Wow! You’ve got a nice place here. Wish I could afford something like this, but I’m barely scraping by on my waitress salary.”
Morrigana was trying to make small talk except her target didn’t seem to be in the mood to comply. Perrie just nodded and led her down a long hallway into the first room off the right.
She followed him into the room, keeping her surroundings in focus; I may have to slip into plan B, if I can’t get him to warm up to me soon.
Perrie pointed to a desk in the corner of the huge room, “The phones right there. Please make it quick. I do have places I need to be.”
As he turned to go, Morrigana reached over to the lamp she was standing next to and clicked it off.
Before he could move away she grabbed his arm while he was stuttered, “What do you think you’re doing, little girl? Do you have any idea who I am?”
Her laugh was cruel, even to Morrigana’s own ears, “I know exactly who you are, Christopher Perrie, and I’m sorry to inform you that you’re not going anywhere. Your expiration date has finally arrived and I’m here to collect your soul.”
Her voice took on an octave she’d never heard before and she could feel the trembling of the man she held. She tightened her grip when he started struggling, trying to loosen her hold.
Perrie started swearing, “No! I won’t be taken by a fucking Reaper who’s wet behind the ears! Just how many corrupted souls have you collected, child?”
His voice held a venomous tone she had never heard in a human before. She chose not to answer, deciding the less information he had on her, the better.
Morrigana was wondering where Kheelan was, when Christopher’s voice brought her back to the situation on hand, “I’ve had this dance with many a Reaper, and you shall not beat me!”
Perrie continued to struggle as Morrigana moved closer to him, holding her left hand to his face.
She wasn’t sure how she knew to do it; she only knew that it felt right, “You have no choice, Perrie. It’s your time. In fact, it’s twenty years past your time. You’ve ducked this moment long enough.”
As Morrigana was talking, her left hand was filling with a ball of white energy that seemed to be reaching for the man struggling in her hold, “You will let your soul go now. Let go of your barriers and allow me to do my job. I don’t want to get any more physical than I have, though I will if I have to.”
The fight seemed to flee Perrie as she moved the closer the ball of energy got to him. The entire time, it sucked slowly at his soul.
When the ball of energy started to glow a bright blue, Morrigana took a deep breath. As she was marveling at the power she had just manifested, Kheelan burst through the door to the room she was standing in
He rushed toward her with the lantern in hand, “Are you okay?”
Morrigana shook her head, still shocked at everything that had transpired, “I’m fine, just a bit worn out. Where the fuck were you?”
Kheelan moved towards her, and then saw the glowing blue energy ball and he stopped short.
He looked between her and the pulsing ball of energy, “You did it! I knew you could.”
Kheelan shook his head, “I would have been here sooner except the damn door wouldn’t open.”
She nodded, “That actually makes a little bit of sense. Wasn’t there something else we are supposed to be doing now that the soul has been collected?”
He laughed, “There is the matter of the missing Fae. However, we must hurry. Now that you have Perrie’s soul, time is of the essence. Follow me. I saw a cellar of some sort out back.”
Morrigana followed him out the front door and around the house, spotting the cellar moments before he reached it. They cautiously went down the stairs into the deep darkness below. The place was almost as big as the house and there were cages lining both sides. So many of the cages were full of strange creatures. Only two or three of those cages seemed to be empty however Morrigana wasn’t willing to make any bets on that so she opened the doors to those as well.
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Chapter Twenty
AFTER FREEING THE Fae trapped in the cellar, Morrigana and Kheelan emerged from the dark, dank space into the fresh air of the night. He reached out for the lantern she was holding but she moved it close to her body.
Kheelan gave her an exasperated look, “I knew you could do it, however we must hurry. We need to get the lantern back to the Valsten clan before the soul withers and dies. The corrupted souls are how your people replenish your powers and since Perrie’s soul is the most powerful any Reaper has ever collected it should help revive your entire clan.”
Morrigana eyed him with curiosity, “Tell me where they are and I’ll deliver it myself.”
He sighed and turned around, moving towards the woods surrounding the house, “Very well. Come with me.”
Kheelan looked over his shoulder, making sure that Morrigana was following. There was no other way into Faerie than taking a portal and to conjure that he needed an open space around nature. He could see her skepticism written on
her face as she followed him through the woods.
She caught up to him in a clearing where a whirlpool of colors seemed to open up the middle of the ground, “Where are we going? Uh, what the fuck is that?”
Kheelan looked over his shoulder at the Reaper who had achieved her goal of proving herself and her powers to the Dréggors and Valsten Clans, letting all of Faerie know that she was the long-lost Reaper who had grown up among humans for twenty years.
He could see the fear in her eyes when he took her hand, “We’re returning to the mound, Morrigana, to Faerie. There is one more thing we need to do except that part is solely on me. However, I do have need of you and your powers to achieve it. I apologize for not telling you of this part of the mission but I needed to make sure you were the girl we were searching for.”
Kheelan returned his attention to the swirling colors and concentrated his power in the center of the woods, making the portal open further, “It’s time to go. Your family will meet us on the other side of the portal. I promise. You need to trust me!”
Morrigana looked from the handsome man standing before her back to the portal that was opening further in front of them, “Are you sure?”
He gave her an impatient look and held his hand out to her, “Of course I’m sure! Why would I lie to you? After everything we have shared I thought you would trust me by now. Now let’s go, we must hurry! Even though Perrie’s soul is a strong one it will burn out if we stand here and argue the schematics of it all. I will explain everything in further detail once we return to Faerie.”
She took his hand, taking a leap of faith in the man she had shared two days with in preparation of completing her own mission. Morrigana supposed it was the least she could do with all of the help he had provided her and the fact that he was returning her to her family, “Okay, let’s go!”
The two of them entered the portal and Kheelan turned to Morrigana, taking her into his arms and whispering in her ear, “After we take Perrie’s soul to your family we have to return to my clan. I have to overthrow my father as ruler of the Dréggors Clan and you’re going to be the ace in my hole. I apologize for waiting until last minute to inform you except I felt you needed to know before we got to Faerie.”
Morrigana looked at Kheelan in shock, “You want me to help you take over the rule of your people? How am I supposed to take that news?”
Kheelan smiled in sympathy, “Well I suppose the way you are. However, we can have this discussion once we get you home. Because I will be enlisting the help of the Valsten Clan to make sure it is done right and not much of a fight.”
The two kissed passionately as the portal closed behind them.
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About the Author
LIKE MOST AUTHORS, International Bestselling Author Elvira Bathory always loved to read. When she was younger, she had always been creative and dreamed of being the next big thing in music, but found she didn’t make the cut for that creative outlet. So, she turned to other means of creativity. She started spinning worlds and fell in love with the idea of being a writer. When she turned 28 years old she decided it was time for her to settle down and married the man who had been pursuing her for years. Shortly after the two got married they started a family and Elvira decided it was time to dust off those old notebooks that contained her creative words so she would be able to stay home with her children. Five children later and Elvira took a chance, submitting some of her worlds wherever she could. Despite the fact that she hasn’t been published for very long she hasn’t slowed down in creating her worlds. She writes in the erotic genre, with a paranormal flair. She prefers to write about shifters, using animals that have never been used before, or haven’t been used that often, and she loves delving into the research to make her characters come to life. She’s been known to write a contemporary romance or two but just has more fun adding the paranormal aspect to all of her work.
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Burning Midnight
The Witching Hour Series
Book One
By Erzabet Bishop
Dedication:
To my husband who never fails to make sure life is interesting. You keep me tethered in the now.
For my fur babies who give me cuddles day and night.
Kathleen King Mayer, you were a light and always made me laugh when hard days were at hand. You’ve earned your wings in life and now in death. Fly high, you amazing woman. Fly high.
Acknowledgements:
This book would have never been written if it hadn’t been for the stalwart support of Gina Kincade and the team at NNP.
Burning Midnight
The Witching Hour Series
Book One
By Erzabet Bishop
Kissed by the moon...
Diana Robichard runs Moon Called, an antique shop specializing in cursed objects. A new antiquity falls into her possession and promptly disappears, her tidy world is upended. When faced with a threat to those she loves the most, witchcraft alone may not be enough to save them from the demon fire unleashed across the city. Blood vows and shadowy magic may hold the key, but the ultimate power might just be in the darkest recesses of her heart.
A wolf unleashed...
Alpha wolf Aristide Benoit is a wolf on a mission. When multiple pack members and finally his daughter go missing, he is ready to do whatever is necessary to find them. A pending war with the vampires looms in the distance but a blacker danger lies closer to home. Will the sexy witch destined to be his fated mate be his downfall or his salvation?
A triumvirate of blood and fire...
Vampire Regent, Rand Sinclair has a problem. Awakened from sleep to find his Coven decimated and the current Regent suspect, he finds his vault is missing an amulet never meant to see the light of day. The treaty with the wolves in tatters, he must act quickly before the woman who haunted his dreams is swept into an ancient curse that will destroy them all. Can he make room in his heart and embrace a forbidden love that can set them all free or let the rage inside of him overtake them all?
Prologue
TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO...
Cold November rain pelted mercilessly against the windows. Just for a moment Jonathan sat, trying to forget the pain in his legs as he watched the silvery droplets slide down the glass. Memories of chilly afternoons and old sodden sneakers stirred and he had a sudden urge to run through the puddles that gathered in the parking lot below. In the old days he could jump in with both feet. He took great joy in it, in fact. Jonathan moved his head and the wrinkled face of a life well lived came into view.
Old fool.
Youth, it seemed, had escaped him. Too quickly.
Jonathan snorted and stared at the too perfect form of his wife and daughter sitting in the chair across from him, the amulets hanging from both their necks. Their eyes glittered in the dim light, alive and glowing. It was abnormal
how still his wife, in particular sat, not quite breathing. Heather’s skin was luminous, almost paper white and he reflected yet again how uncanny it was how much she'd changed in the last few years. Almost as if time had reversed itself and had given her bonus points with every last ounce of energy he possessed. And now he sat here, a man too old for his time.
His daughter Johanna, too, was an unnatural child, the mountain of spell books in her room mirrored that of her mother and he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been duped this entire time. Was he even her father? He had wondered but dared never voice the question aloud. But the question did have merit. He had aged while she had only gotten younger.
Where they went at night didn’t bear asking. He followed them once, into the dark recesses of the woods only to find them hidden amongst a gathering of hooded figures. Flashes of pale skin and bodies undulating before a large, flickering green flame, his daughter watching. Johanna’s gaze had found his, mocking and entirely too aware for a child of her young age.
Jonathan had run home, heart pounding in his chest, as he stumbled through the brambles, the weight of all those malevolent eyes on him. It was what brought him here today. He knew that now. And no matter how hard he tried, resistance their intentions were becoming increasingly futile.
He’d begun to research what he’d seen. The symbols. The amulets and what he found chilled him to the marrow of his old and decrepit bones. There were things that never should come into the light of day and somehow his Heather had drawn them into being with a cursed web of black magic and witchery so foul it made him vomit to think what horrors went on in the woods beyond his home.
Orgies were one thing. Sex and blood magic like he’d seen were something else entirely.
