Tate's Tale

by Lilith Darville

  A flash of bright light rockets by me. “Begone, spirit.” Francis’s voice rings strong and true. Electric fire ants swarm my bloodstream as he yanks me safely away from the figure writhing in the beam of light he created. One moment, my Bob stood before me, the next, a writhing demonic-looking thing twists on the ground, clutching the hugest penis I’ve ever seen—circus carnival huge. Francis stands tall, shimmering as he keeps the beam of light trained on the spirit.

  Caleb and Nameless rush into the room.

  “What the fuck?”

  “Bind him,” Francis says, his voice weakening. Nameless swings his guitar into place and starts playing. Silver threads of ether rise from him and wind their way like rope. As soon as the creature is restrained, Francis drops the light and bows his head. “Take him.”

  Caleb hustles the creature from the room while Nameless follows, playing.

  Francis slides down the wall, his body barely visible in the dim light. I sink down beside him, throwing my arms around his neck, pulling his pain into my body. I grab his ether and hold on tight until the force of pain throws me back against the wall. Francis’s form continues to fade. He’s no longer in my arms but seems several feet away, though that’s impossible.

  “No, you’re not leaving.” I scrabble on all fours to reach him.

  A hole of flickering shadow opens behind him. “Gianna, I’ll love you for all eternity, never doubt that.” He’s even farther away now. The wan smile on his pale face is the last thing I see before he fades into obscurity. Pain sears through the brand on my wrist while the black tendrils try to tease me away. My need to save Francis blots out everything.

  “Oh no you don’t. You’re not going anywhere until I figure this out. Francis!” As I scream his name, a needle of silver light stabs through the dark and into my wrist, snagging a dying bud on my brand. Searing electrical pain shoots through me as the light circles my wrist and yanks me after him into the shadows.

  — To be continued in TATE’S TASK —

  “Francis!” Tate’s voice rings sharp and insistent through the murky darkness. I turn toward the sound as my preternatural vision adjusts to the nothingness. How the hell did the wee shite get through the portal? Mo chridhe.

  “Oh, there you are. Is this purgatory?” Tate’s voice plants itself in my head.

  “No, it’s the Fade, which is more like a corridor between Bardo and the Nyx, a place of absolute oblivion.” The light-thread linking our unity brands flickers as wisps of black smoke weave around it. “You have got to get out of here before they find you.” I’m fading fast into the eternal coma, the Nyx. “You’ve got to get out of here now. You’re in danger here!” My thoughts join strength in my urgency, giving me a slight foothold in the Fade.

  “I’m not leaving without you.”

  Excited to find out what happens to Tate and the guys next? Pre-order your copy of TATE’S TASK coming January 21, 2020

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  Books by Lilith Darville

  Contemporary Romance

  The Masquerade Series

  CARNAL BEGINNINGS

  No strings . . . Only pleasure and possibilities . . .

  CARNAL CONFLICT

  A submissive emerges and submits to her hidden desires!

  CARNAL CONTROL

  Connor McClane here to escort you on another adventure of love, lust, and intrigue.

  TICKET TO TEMPTATION

  She’s unfulfilled. His urges don’t play by the book

  Can a mysterious manor help them break free from the ties that bind?

  Dark Romance

  RAGE

  A thirst for vengeance that desire cannot quench . . .

  I took an oath to save lives, but now there’s one I’m hell bent on shattering.

  I’m on a quest for revenge. I’ve traded in my surgeon’s scalpel for a switchblade.

  When they took her,

  Raped her,

  Murdered her,

  They destroyed me.

  And now my rage is real, raw, and relentless.

  . . . But when I find Rayne, another captive, my protective instincts and desire catapult into overdrive.

  Now, it’s more than revenge. I want more. I won't stop until I have it. Can’t stop until I have her.

  RISK

  The line between want and need is razor thin...and dangerous as hell.

  Jaden Stone. Hard as granite, inside and out. He snatched me from the jaws of certain death. He calls me his little dragon. In reality, I’m fifty shades of messed up.

  For three months I’ve been at his mercy as he frees my body and captures my soul, bit by painful bit. He’s had me whenever the mood struck. I want one hell of a lot more. I want to show him his little dragon is ready to join the fight to stop human traffickers that chew up and spit out innocent children.

  Except he’s disappeared into the wilderness, chased by the demons of his past. Demons locked down behind barriers too solid for my empathic senses to reach.

  I don’t need my ability to know what’s buried inside him. The thirst for revenge that makes me feel protected. But there’s something he doesn’t understand. It’s not up to him to lay a corpse at my feet.

  That dark and relentless task is mine, and mine alone.

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