“You have proven yourself—your powers and your courage.” She paused to catch her breath. “This is your fate, Jolie. You were meant to unite the Underworld creatures. And I will serve as your advisor.”
I shook my head and closed my eyes, feeling a headache developing. My life was no longer my own. Queen of the Underworld. It was a hefty title and one I didn’t want.
“I don’t want to be Queen,” I started, glancing at Rand.
He said nothing and I couldn’t read his face.
Mercedes shook her head. “It is your fate.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn’t fight against my fate…there was no way to sidestep it, to deny it. I studied Mercedes again, searching for any loophole, some way out of this.
She merely shook her head and kept her lips tight.
It looked like the throne was calling and I’d have to answer.
Queen.
Son of a…
Note from the Author:
Thank you for reading Toil and Trouble and I hope you enjoyed it! A note about the food in the Victorian sections of the book—menus and descriptions of the majority of food items was taken from the BBC series, “The Supersizers Go.”
Author Bio:
H.P. Mallory lives in California with her husband and son, although she’s also lived abroad in the U.K.
She enjoys traveling, snorkeling, antiquing and being a mom.
If you are interested in receiving emails when she releases new books, please sign up for her distro list by visiting her website and clicking the “contact” tab: www.hpmallory.com
Discover other titles from H.P. Mallory:
Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble
To Kill A Warlock
Find H.P. Mallory Online:
www.hpmallory.com
Blog: www.urbanfantasyauthor.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/hpmallory
http://www.facebook.com/people/Hp-Mallory/10000124964376
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Toil And Trouble Page 33
