by W. J. May
The Chronicles of Kerrigan
Rae of Light
Book XII
By
W.J. May
Copyright 2016 by W.J. May
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual person, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
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Copyright 2016 by W.J. May
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The Chronicles of Kerrigan
Book I - Rae of Hope is FREE!
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B1NNFR0
Book Trailer:
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Book II - Dark Nebula
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Book Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca24STi_bFM
Book III - House of Cards
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Book IV - Royal Tea
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Book V - Under Fire
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Book VI - End in Sight
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Book VII – Hidden Darkness
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Book VIII – Twisted Together
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Book IX – Mark of Fate
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Book X – Strength & Power
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Book XI – Last One Standing
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Book XII – Rae of Light
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The Chronicles of Kerrigan PREQUEL –
Christmas Before the Magic
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0195ZSB3I
Question the Darkness
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Chronicles of Kerrigan Prequel
A Novella of the Chronicles of Kerrigan.
A prequel on how Simon Kerrigan met Beth!!
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Contents
The Chronicles of Kerrigan
Chronicles of Kerrigan Prequel
Find W.J. May
Description:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Epilogue
Prequel #1 Blurb:
Prequel #2 Blurb:
Note from Author
The Chronicles of Kerrigan
CoK Prequel!
More books by W.J. May
TUDOR COMPARISON:
Description:
Rae of Light is the 12th Book of W.J. May's bestselling series, The Chronicles of Kerrigan.
It’s time to face the music—except there is no music, just a low warning of a war that is to come. There are no other options but to confront Cromfield. No more running, no more hiding. Rae Kerrigan will be forced into an eternal life sentence if they do not stop him.
Except, how do you stop a madman that cannot die? How do you risk the lives of everyone you love, your family, friends and the lives of innocent people? Rae is running out of time and possibilities.
Will the sins of the father be the sins of the daughter?
It’s up to Rae to find a way to undo the dark evil in her family’s past to have a ray of hope for everyone’s future.
Series Order:
Rae of Hope
Dark Nebula
House of Cards
Royal Tea
Under Fire
End in Sight
Hidden Darkness
Twisted Together
Mark of Fate
Strength & Power
Last One Standing
Rae of Light
Chronicles of Kerrigan Prequel:
Christmas Before the Magic
Question the Darkness
Let your heart guide you. It whispers, so listen closely.
Chapter 1
‘Let your heart guide you. It whispers, so listen closely.’
Not mine. Mine was screaming so loudly, I was surprised we couldn’t hear it echoing off the cliffs.
“Um…Rae?” After three whole minutes of silence, Devon shifted nervously on the grass. A little trace of panic had begun flickering in his eyes, warring there with the glorious sunset. “Would you like me to step away and give you a second to—”
“Marry you?”
The words came out in a jumble. As if there was no way such a simple question could possibly make any sense.
Devon froze, halfway to his feet. “Yes…marry me.”
Rae blinked, as it felt like the ocean thundering past her ears. “Marry you?”
His eyes flickered over the cliffs like for a second; he was thinking about just jumping off right then and there. “Unless you had someone else in mind.”
Rae shook her head in a sharp, jerking motion as if trying to clear it by force of will. “You mean…us,” she clarified, staring at him with enormous, searching eyes. “You want us to get married? Like…married? With a wedding and a…a marriage?”
Devon slowly pushed the rest of the way to his feet, watching her so carefully it was like, at any moment, he was worried she might just vanish into thin air.
Despite all the impossible life or death situations they ha
d been through: torture, kidnapping, disownment, deadly serums, Guilder finals…she’d never seen him look like this.
He was legitimately scared.
“Yeah, uh,” he raked his fingers back through his hair, taking quick shallow breaths, “clearly I must not be saying it very well.”
Rae just stared at him, at a complete loss.
He wants to…marry me?
Her eyes welled up with uncertain tears and her jaw fell open in delayed shock. As she swayed slightly in the gentle breeze, one hand drifted automatically out for him to steady her. He grabbed it at once, relieved beyond measure that she was at least touching him, while confused beyond measure as to what could possibly be going on inside her head.
If only I had a tatù for this. Something to help me slow things down.
“Do you want to maybe…” He gestured to the grass, but her eyes stayed locked on his face, a kind of surreal bewilderment making them ten times wider than they’d ever been before.
Then, as if he hadn’t just suggested it, she blurted, “I think maybe I should sit down.” Her voice had taken on the same kind of high-pitched edge it did when she was either staring down the barrel of a gun, or talking with Molly about the next episode of whatever television show they were currently obsessed with.
“Of course, let me just—” But she sank down before Devon could even offer his other hand. He stopped short, watching her with that same kind of ‘Maybe-I’ll-just-kill-myself’ pallor, before sinking carefully to the ground beside her. “—help you.”
At first, it seemed to be working. Then a second later, she was back on her feet.
Her head shook back and forth like it had a mind of its own, a fact she seemed completely unaware of herself. “No—no, we should definitely be standing. This is definitely a standing…moment.”
By now, Devon’s look of fear had been mixed with breathless anticipation and a restrained kind of amusement as he watched to see what she would do next. “…Okay.”
“What?” Her head snapped up like she’d just seen him there for the first time. “I’m sorry, did you say something?”
He spoke slowly, carefully. Like a man trying to approach a wild creature—hands raised innocently in the air. “I said, you’re right. This is a…moment one of us should do standing.”
“Right,” she nodded quickly, “good. It’s just that—”
“Rae?”
She paused, biting her lower lip as she slowly hyperventilated. It was tingling. Like it had never been used before.
“Why don’t we just…stay quiet for a minute,” Devon suggested lightly.
When she said nothing to protest this, he slipped his hand into hers and angled her so they were both looking out towards the magnificent sunset. Neither one of them spoke for a long time. The only sound was the waves crashing to icy foam beneath them and the soft rustle of grass as the sky above them darkened from pink to violet.
Finally, when she felt like she could catch her breath, Rae turned to face him.
“Okay,” she began nervously, “I think I was in shock.”
His eyes twinkled as he restrained a smile. “Yeah, I figured that. What with the whole, ‘let’s stand up, let’s sit down—’”
“Yes.”
It was no louder than a whisper. But it still rang out loud and clear.
What little color was left in Devon’s face drained right out as he stared down at her in silence. Too scared to move. Too hopeful to speak. “You mean—”
“I mean…yes.” The second she said it, it felt like her heart was going to explode in happiness. What was left of the dazzling sunset sparkled in her eyes, and a radiant smile stretched from ear to ear as she beamed back at him. “Devon Wardell…I would love to marry you.”
There was a pause, and then—
“YES!” With a bark of happiness, Devon scooped her up and spun her round and round, seemingly unaware that they were standing on the edge of a cliff. He buried his face in her long, flowing hair, crushing her tenderly against his chest. “Yes,” he whispered again, softer this time.
When they finally pulled apart, there were tears in his eyes. One hand came up to stroke her hair back out of her face as the other slipped the exquisite diamond onto her finger.
For a moment they both just stared at it, looking down with identical smiles.
Then he tilted her face up to his. “You have no idea,” he breathed, “no idea what this—”
“I have every idea,” she cut him off, unable to stop smiling. She traced a finger along his lips, watching as they parted with a silent breath. “I have never, never wanted anything more.”
“Than what?” he teased, grinning like a four-year-old.
She threw back her head and laughed. “You want me to say it?”
“I want you to say it.”
“Okay.” She cleared her throat ostentatiously and stretched up on her toes to give him the softest kiss. “I have never wanted anything more…than to be your wife.”
The word wife hit them both hard, and the next second Devon lifted her off her feet once more, kissing her so hard it was almost painful. Her arms laced up behind his neck and her legs hitched around his waist as he held her for what felt like an eternity.
The sun gave off a final burst of light and slipped beneath the waves as they stood there, tangled in each other’s arms, silhouetted on the cliffs.
Lost in what had to be the world’s most perfect kiss.
It wasn’t until the stars peeked out from behind the light of the moon that Devon finally pulled away, setting her gently in the grass. His eyes flicked back to the car for a split second, parked half a mile away across the bluff, before he turned back to her with a mischievous smile.
“Rae…how would you feel about maybe conjuring us a blanket?”
Rae glanced between him and the car in confusion, before his meaning suddenly clicked. “You want to stay the night here?”
He shrugged innocently, pulling her in closer by the hips. “No one’s expecting us back…”
“No one except my mother.” She grinned, before casting a wary look at the tall grass as a dozen childhood nature documentaries echoed through her mind. “Besides, aren’t there…snakes?”
He threw back his head with a clear, sparkling laugh that echoed off the cliffs. “You have more superpowers than all the Marvel superheroes combined, and you’re worried about snakes?”
“Snakes and my mother.”
“I promise,” he kissed her, “to smooth things over,” another kiss, “with your mother,” another kiss, “when we get back tomorrow morning.”
She pulled away, a little light-headed. “And the snakes?”
The next second, she was on her back. She let out a shriek, but he caught her head lightly in his hand as he rolled on top of her, kissing her as gently as could be.
“I’m sure I can think of something to distract you…”
* * *
The next morning, Rae woke up at the crack of dawn. There was a brisk chill in the air and the sun was just beginning to peek up over the rolling hills to the east.
As Devon slept soundly beside her, she stretched up her hand into the air and examined the giant diamond sparkling on her finger. A part of her thought it wouldn’t be there when she opened her eyes. Another part still couldn’t believe the whole thing was true.
It was perfect.
There was no better word for it. It was the kind of ring she would have picked out herself. A ring that would have made her pause as she flipped through magazines with Molly. A ring that would have gotten a wistful look, before she reluctantly moved on.
It was shaped somewhere between an oval and a diamond. While the sides were sharply faceted, so as to catch and scatter every possible ray of light, there was a smoothness about it, too. A gentle delicacy to the way it curved and clung to the band of smaller diamonds supporting it.
Where did he even get this? We’re in a village in Scotland—what options did he really have?
When did he decide to do this? What made him want to? Did I say something or do something specific? He and I have never had a serious talk about marriage before, and before we do—he freaking proposes?
And who did he tell?! Did he keep it a complete secret? Ask permission from my mom? Who else back at the safe house knows what happened last—
“Good morning.”
She looked down to see Devon staring up at her, a sleepy, euphoric smile lingering on his lips as the morning sun scattered across his face. His fingers wrapped around her wrist, and before she realized what he was doing, he brought her ring up to his lips and kissed it.
It was a breathtaking image. One that was sure to stay in her heart for as long as she could remember.
Fortunately, she had a lot of practice with ‘breathtaking Devon’ by now. And she was not to be deterred. There were some questions she needed answered. Their fairytale night had come to an end, and she had to brace for re-entry.
“Morning,” she smiled sweetly before rolling onto his chest, pinning him down with the same innocent smile. “We…need to talk.”
She felt him chuckle beneath her as he hoisted himself higher up on the blanket. “I figured as much. You can’t exactly propose to the most over-analytical girl on the planet without there being a mild interrogation the morning after.”
She ignored him completely and started in with her questions. “Did you tell anyone you were going to do this?”
With the skill of a covert agent, his face became a sudden mask of innocence. “Actually, just one. Kraigan. He and I have always had a close bond. After making friendship bracelets and staying up late braiding each other’s hair, I decided to ask for his blessing in my little scheme—”
“Okay, that’s enough.” Rae held up her hand with a grin, the mental image alone enough to turn her stomach. “So you didn’t tell anyone?”
He shook his head, eyes staring intently into hers. “Only you. And I didn’t tell you, so much as ask…”
