“See if you can find a mention of their concert.” I took a bite of the ham sandwich, enjoyed the extra kick of sharp cheddar. “Maybe someone who went to the last concert blogged or something.”
An hour later, all we had was the location of the last show in Alabama and that came from a small news piece on cops being called out to break up a concert they couldn’t find.
Blythe sighed and stretched her neck back and forth. “I’ll stay on this and read comments on the video page. There were hundreds.” She picked up a potato chip and crunched it.
“Have fun with that. Comment sections on any website never fail to sap at my belief in the general goodness of human beings.” Grimacing, I reached for the mini-coffin I’d built. “I’m too tired to deal with that little creature in the bathroom tonight. Have Elsa or Castor… Wait.” I turned to Dooby, who’d gone back to the book. “You have power over the dead, right, Dooby?”
He looked up. “Yeah, but vampires aren’t technically all-the-way dead.”
“Do you think you could figure out how to feed him so he doesn’t starve before we can get to the spell?”
He shrugged. “Sure. Give me the little coffin.”
I didn’t trust that ornery expression but I walked over and gave the box to him, then walked to the door. “Hey Blythe, don’t stay up too late. We have a long trip tomorrow.”
“In the car?” Blythe avoided my gaze.
Suspicion gave me sudden goose bumps. “I think taking a vampire sprite on an airplane would be a bad idea, don’t you? Why?”
“Nothing. I just don’t like long car rides. But before you go to bed, I want to try something.”
I waited for her to go on. Tapped my foot when she didn’t.
“I think I know how you can see Nikolos again. I have some yerba santa. If we pour boiling water over it and pour it over your ankhs, I think he might come to you in your dreams.”
Even the thought had my heart pounding hard. “Let’s do it then.”
It only took a few minutes to boil the water and strain the concoction over my necklaces. It took me forever to fall asleep because I couldn’t help wondering if it would work. I wiggled so much the sheets tangled about my legs.
When I finally slept, I realized that once again, Blythe had gotten a spell wrong. Instead of Nikolos coming to me…I went to him.
There’s nothing more deceptive than the truth…
Playing Against Type
© 2014 Heather Long
Soulgirls, Book 4
Pepper Kirk lives for the moment. Diagnosed with an incurable disease, she set out to see the world and found a place—and remission—at the Arcana Royale. For once, life is perfect. Until a federal agent appears, determined to catch the casino in corruption.
Owing her very existence to the magic that sustains her—Pepper reluctantly agrees to seduce the handsome agent and sabotage his surveillance, though she’s not sure how a woman without a dishonest bone in her body will make it work.
Finn Mickelson’s investigation into a crime family is only a smokescreen to keep his real targets off balance. Nothing will keep this witchborn from digging into the secrets of the Royale—not even a Southern belle with honeyed tones and a sweet smile.
He quickly sees through her ruse, yet he finds himself falling under the spell of her porcelain doll beauty, even wanting to help her. But for love to take hold, they’ll have to play the house in a game that’s stacked against them…or lose their lives.
Warning: Contains lies, deceptions, twists, turns, behind-the-scenes plotting, a man with a revengenda, a southern belle who just wants to live her life—and a game they didn’t know they were playing.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Playing Against Type:
Heidi glanced up from the paperwork spread across her desk, a frisson of awareness skating up her spine. Eyes narrowing, she stared at the door. It was the middle of the day and all of the dancers slept in their frozen states, silent and secure. No one moved in the theatre, not even Stan. Minion slept along the back of her shoulders, tufted ears folded close to her head and the imp’s fuzzy kitten-like face buried in Heidi’s hair. Flipping the folder closed, she waited.
The handle turned silently and the door swung inwards. A tall man with black hair leaned against the doorframe. The flirty smile on his lips didn’t quite touch his devastating blue eyes. “Miss Heidi.”
“Connor.” The shadow man’s arrival didn’t bode well. He rarely ventured into the Midnight Mystery Lounge unless something was wrong. Sadly, she’d already had to deal with him twice in as many months over issues with two of her dancers. As far as she knew, however, no one else should have earned this kind of personal attention.
“You don’t look very happy to see me. I’m wounded.” He grinned and strolled into her office. His gaze swept over the contents of the room, from the books lining the walls to the stack of puzzle boxes decorating a shelf. Despite his apparent interest in the surroundings, she knew it was a ruse. He would detect even the faintest trace of weakness in her.
Fortunately, she’d overcome her weakness for him years before.
She closed the folder. “I’m busy, Connor. What do you need?” She added the folder to another stack and dragged a new one toward her. She didn’t bother to read the words, looking at the information inside was enough to piss him off.
He dropped into a chair opposite her desk and swung his booted feet up to rest against the polished wood, one ankle over the other. “Some days I think you forget who is in charge.”
“Some days I think you forget who kicked your ass.” She lifted an absent hand up to brush against Minion’s downy soft head and kept the little one asleep.
Warm masculine laughter spilled from his throat, an invitation for sex that would have drowned an unprotected woman in a sea of lust. “I never forget why I like you.”
“Well that makes one of us. What do you want, Connor?” It was the second time she’d asked. If he forced a third, she would have to remind him that despite his position, she ruled this theatre.
The Midnight Mystery Lounge belonged to her, and it didn’t matter that it sat nestled in the heart of the Arcana Royale. She owned it through her blood, sweat and tears. Everything and everyone in it was under her protection. She fought for those contracts, held them tight in her fists, and wouldn’t allow the Overseers any more influence than they were due. Yes, they had some lease on the girls’ souls, but she had everything else. She hoarded that control and the ability to negotiate their freedom when the right circumstances presented themselves.
“Fine. Business it is, then.” Disappointment flickered across his face, too quick for her to grasp what had upset him. She ignored the tug of curiosity. Better to avoid traveling that path again. “We have an issue that needs your delicate touch.”
My delicate touch? Circumstances must be dire indeed if he issued his invitation in such flattering terms. “I’m listening.”
Connor pulled his legs back and leaned forward. His intense gaze locked on hers and urged her cooperation. The compulsion eddied over the surface of her skin, but couldn’t quite penetrate her shields. It wasn’t on purpose, his power came from deep within and he wore it like others would a finely cut suit—natural and effortless.
“An FBI agent checked into the Royale this morning. His name is Finn Mikelson.” He paused, as though waiting for her to acknowledge the name.
The name meant nothing to her, however. “And I care because…?”
“Because he is here to gather evidence about the casino’s secrets and to build a case against the owners.” The declaration actually surprised her.
Frowning, Heidi continued to pet Minion’s head, gentle, soothing strokes. It helped her stay calm as much as it kept the imp asleep. “He’s human?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you worried?” She saw the agitation under the words, in his bearing, and hanging around his neck like a noose threatening to string him up.
Connor tried t
o force a more relaxed posture. It didn’t work. “He is a very stubborn human. He makes his living doing surveillance and is extremely talented.”
Heidi waved a hand. “He’s still human. There’s more to it. Spill.”
“He’s a null.” He pushed the words out through gritted teeth.
A null—well, that explains Connor’s presence. “So the natural enchantments don’t work on him.”
“No.” As one of four remaining Overseers, Connor wielded considerable power. That only he approached her suggested his fellow Overseers remained divided on how to handle the issue. Or perhaps he acted alone without their knowledge or approval.
She imagined it was some combination of the two. The Overseers lost one of their number just a couple of months before and had, to her knowledge, not replaced their fifth. That meant the four who remained had to drain their considerable personal resources to maintain the protections over the casino.
Exerting some energy, she wound a spell around the Minion and activated the little one’s teleportation ability. The imp vanished with a poof to Heidi’s private suite where she could sleep safe and undisturbed.
Inching forward on her seat, she flattened her palms against the desk. “If he is a null, then my only option is to put him in a puzzle box. I could remove the issue, but that would generate far more interest if he disappeared while here on assignment.” They rarely needed to deal with the human authorities, but it wasn’t unheard of. Actions demanded consequence, but did they dare risk attracting more agents to search for one downed man? She doubted it.
“No. That needs to be an absolute last resort. I want to use one of your girls. Let her seduce him, distract him, change the data if necessary—”
“My girls are not prostitutes.” Nor would she sell them out to the highest bidder.
“No, but one of them owes us a favor. We’re calling that favor in now.”
And there was the rub.
“She is far too innocent to do what you’re asking.” Innocent wasn’t the correct word, but the woman’s innate sunshine and honesty powdered her every action like sweet sugar on glazed donuts.
“It’s what makes her perfect. She need not truly deceive, just distract, enchant, seduce. I have seen your dancers. They are all capable of it.” Connor didn’t threaten, but she didn’t mistake the steel in his tone for a request.
“I will ask her. If she agrees, fine. If not—”
“If not, she doesn’t need to stay here any longer. We can revoke our agreement.” The FBI agent’s arrival clearly had him rattled. The thought intrigued her, but she refused to let it distract her.
“You cannot take away her sanctuary.”
“Why not? If the man is successful, we will find more threats coming at us than some unhappy gamblers. If the humans discover this haven, it will have to be destroyed—along with everything it holds—to ensure no trace exists to lead them to any of our kind. We survive and thrive because we remain out of sight. Human authorities know we are here, but if they have no proof, they don’t act. Strip away the curtain and everyone loses.” Dramatic—yet effective.
“Fine. I will talk to her. Now get out of my theatre.” She didn’t envy Peppermint this task. The woman’s gentle soul was a fragile, beautiful thing. She wasn’t given easily to deceit.
Connor leaned over and placed his hand along the back of hers. The warmth of his palm flattened over her skin and electricity zinged through her. Her shields flared. Heidi didn’t pull her hand away, but she shut down her response to the physical contact.
The Overseer’s teeth flashed in a tight, feral grin. Power shimmered in the air between them—buzzing with menace. “You may run your theatre, but we both know that your throne is also your prison.”
“You’re boring me, Connor.” She spared him a minute smile and resisted any pleasure at the fury flashing across his eyes before he could shutter the emotion. “Go away and bother someone else.”
He didn’t move so much as disappear. The surge cost her and she sagged back against the chair. Banishing him from the theatre was the only influence she could exert over the creature she’d once loved.
Closing her eyes, she brought her rebellious heart under control and concentrated on draining the uneasy emotions his presence stirred. Peppermint would wake in a few hours and Heidi would give her the task. And if she fails—shutting down the business would free Connor.
She quashed the thought and forced her mind back to the folder on her desk. Opening it again, she stared at the pages, but couldn’t focus on the words. Destroying the Arcana Royale would answer so many problems—
But could she really sacrifice so many for the good of herself?
Shadows Of Fate
Angela Dennis
Redemption lies beyond the veil between truth and lies.
Shadow Born, Book 1
After witnessing her husband’s brutal murder, Brenna Baudouin lost control of her Shadow Bearer powers and wreaked havoc on her home world. Her penance: one hundred years policing hordes of supernatural misfits that spilled onto the Earthly plane after a cataclysmic war.
She’s on a routine exorcism run when she learns she’s been assigned a new partner. But there’s something about this Shadow Bearer that sparks her suspicions. Particularly when people closest to her start turning up as piles of ash.
Gray Warlow holds tight to the glamour that allows him to get close to the woman on whom he plans to wreak vengeance for betraying his people. Yet as he skillfully manipulates his way past her distrust, he begins to see her not as the heartless monster he was led to believe, but a strong, vulnerable woman.
As they work to put together the pieces of a killer’s macabre puzzle, an attraction deeper than blood and bone flares between them. And they must reveal their deepest secrets to avoid becoming the final targets.
Warning: A thrill ride of supernatural proportions. Contains violent battle scenes, nail-biting suspense, crazy hot sexual tension, and enough twists and turns to make your head spin.
eBooks are not transferable.
They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B
Cincinnati OH 45249
Shadows of Fate
Copyright © 2014 by Angela Dennis
ISBN: 978-1-61921-927-4
Edited by Noah Chinn
Cover by Kanaxa
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: April 2014
www.samhainpublishing.com
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
About the Author
Also Available from Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Back Cover Copy
Copyright Page
Shadows of Fate (Shadow Born) Page 25
