Praise for Kimberly Frost’s
Southern Witch series
“Delivers a delicious buffet of supernatural creatures, served up Texas-style—hot, spicy, and with a bite!”
—Kerrelyn Sparks, New York Times bestselling author
“An utter delight. Wickedly entertaining with a surprise on every page. Keeps you guessing until the end. Kimberly Frost is a talent to watch.”
—Annette Blair, national bestselling author
“One heck of a debut from Kimberly Frost…This is definitely an excellent read, and, for a debut, it’s nothing less than fantastic.”
—ParaNormal Romance
“Kimberly Frost’s Southern Witch series is destined for great things. Full of action, suspense, romance, and humor, [Barely Bewitched] had me hooked from the first page until the last.”
—Huntress Book Reviews
“Frost’s latest Southern Witch novel has all the fun, fast, entertaining action readers have come to expect from her…Populated with fairies, goblins, vampires, wizards, rampant plants, and a few nasty-tempered humans thrown in for good measure, there’s no end to the things that can and do go hilariously wrong.”
—Monsters and Critics
“What an amazing author! Kimberly Frost’s Southern Witch series is fated for great things. Barely Bewitched was full of romance [and] magical havoc, and goes from one wild scenario to another. I was definitely hooked…and couldn’t put it down.”
—Romance Junkies
“Halfway Hexed more than deserves a Perfect 10 rating with its thrill-ride of a story and heartwarming romantic moments…Having not read the previous novels, being able to jump into the third book and love it so much is a true testament to how well Kimberly Frost can construct a story.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“One hundred percent entertaining and satisfying…Sassy, sexy, and seriously fun.”
—RT Book Reviews
“A laugh-out-loud magical ride that I didn’t want to stop. There’s humor, romance, and action all rolled into a fun, entertaining read with great characters and an intriguing plot. I was hooked.”
—TwoLips Reviews (Recommended Read)
Berkley titles by Kimberly Frost
Southern Witch Series
WOULD-BE WITCH
BARELY BEWITCHED
HALFWAY HEXED
Novels of the Etherlin
ALL THAT BLEEDS
ALL THAT FALLS
All That
Falls
Kimberly Frost
BERKLEY SENSATION, NEW YORK
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
ALL THAT FALLS
A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author
PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley Sensation mass-market edition / June 2012
Copyright © 2012 by Kimberly Chambers.
Excerpt from Revelation by Erica Hayes copyright © 2012 by Erica Hayes.
Cover illustration by Melanie Delon.
Cover design by Rita Frangie.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ISBN: 978-1-101-56882-8
BERKLEY SENSATION®
Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
BERKLEY SENSATION® is a regsitered trademark of PenguinGroup (USA) Inc.
The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
ALWAYS LEARNING
PEARSON
For Kay T—
avid reader of paranormal fiction and
expert white-knuckled driver on English roundabouts.
This one’s for you, amiga.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank my critique partner, David, for his thoughtful comments. For their hard work on behalf of my writing efforts, many thanks to my agent, Liz, my editor, Leis, and the team at Berkley. For their unflagging support, many thanks to my friends and family, the writing organizations of which I am a part, and the wonderful booksellers I’ve come to think of as friends.
This year I spent some time doing research for future books I plan to write. For showing me Seattle and for joining me on a trip to Ireland and England, thanks to Robert, Kay, and Sara.
Rick, Lorin, and David, who kept me company in coffee shops, by phone, and at large throughout 2011, I’m lucky to have you in my life. Thank you.
As always, many thanks to my paranormal readers everywhere, especially to those who have reached out electronically to connect with me or who have visited my book signings. I think of you often when I’m writing. It’s been terrific to know that you think of me, too.
Table of Contents
Prologue
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
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Revelation: A Novel of the Seven Signs
Prologue
The
road to hell is paved with good intentions, Cerise thought, running a hand through her black cherry waves to smooth them into place. The famous “good intentions” quote seemed especially true in the Etherlin, the claustrophobic utopia where the most powerful descendants of the ancient muses had lived for three generations.
Tonight the muses were in a newly opened retreat center that was supposed to be a place of refuge and reflection, a place for the muses to come together. Instead the retreat had been tainted by crime, and the muses stood divided.
“Why the hell are all the lights on?” Cerise mumbled, looking around the lounge where the four Etherlin muses had been gathered along with a pair of ES—Etherlin Security—officers and Ileana Rella’s brother, Troy. Only Cerise and Ileana were left in the room.
Ileana’s coarse black hair stood on end, having overcome the restraint of the gel and hair spray that had been used to tame it for the day’s photo shoots. Her rose-print pajamas strained as she propped herself up. Ileana was in her late thirties, but looked younger without makeup.
“And where is everyone?” she asked, her thick sculpted brows bobbing. Ileana scowled when she looked at the empty recliner where her brother had been sleeping. “Troy left without saying anything?”
“He probably didn’t want to wake us,” Cerise said, pulling her black tank top down over her velour track pants. She slid her feet into velvet ballet flats that doubled as slippers. “Hopefully he’s with Dorie,” she said, her gaze stopping momentarily at the covers heaped on the temporary mattress where her younger sister had been lying when Cerise had fallen asleep. She wondered if Dorie had gone looking for trouble…or to cause it.
“I’ll be back,” Cerise said, crossing the room and walking out of the lounge.
Striding down the retreat center’s deserted hallway, she caught glimpses of the shimmering snow outside. The retreat was on a mountaintop with stunning panoramic views. It was remote and even more isolated than the rest of the Etherlin, which was famous for its impassable walls. Unfortunately, tonight the walls had apparently been breached.
Alissa, arguably the most celebrated of the modern muses, had brought a private bodyguard into the retreat center, and Etherlin Security suspected the man of being a ventala—a human-vampire half-breed—in disguise. The bodyguard, who was thought to be concealing his identity using a magical glamour, wasn’t just any ventala; he was presumed to be the most infamous ventala in the world, Merrick, a deadly syndicate enforcer.
Part of the reason the bodyguard had come under suspicion was that Cerise’s sixteen-year-old sister Dorie had accused the man of attacking her. Alissa swore that Dorie was lying. As much as Cerise wanted to believe that her sister would never lie about something so serious, Dorie’s story didn’t quite ring true. Cerise hoped for Alissa’s sake that the bodyguard didn’t turn out to be a ventala, because if he was, ES would surely kill him.
A thumping sound drew Cerise to the door of an interrogation room. Was Alissa’s father, Richard North, trapped inside? An ES officer wouldn’t have let him bang on the door, which made Cerise wonder if he’d been left alone. She scowled. The man wasn’t well. He shouldn’t have been locked in a room on his own.
She felt a pang of sympathy for Alissa, who’d had to carry the burden of her dad’s mental illness alone. As Cerise tried to pry the door open, she made a silent vow to be a closer friend to Alissa in the future, especially if the bodyguard, whom Alissa seemed attached to, turned out to be Merrick.
How could Alissa have gotten involved with a ventala? She was usually so smart and careful in her decisions. It just didn’t make sense for her to get entangled with a member of the fallen, who were known to be violent and unpredictable. All the muses had been taught from childhood to be wary of the ventala.
Of course, five years earlier, Merrick had slain a demon in the Etherlin. When Alissa had met him that night, Cerise supposed Merrick must have looked like a conquering hero. He’d undoubtedly been gorgeous and charming. Trouble often came in attractive packages.
That’s the way life was. Some things started off too wonderful to resist then morphed into something else. Like the Etherlin. Like Cerise’s muse–aspirant relationship with Griffin Lane.
Cerise’s throat tightened.
Don’t go there. Don’t think about Griffin.
The banging on the door quieted. Was Richard getting tired? Cerise jabbed the keypad’s buttons in frustration. Why wasn’t ES answering?
“Hello,” a man’s voice behind Cerise said, making her jump.
She scowled. “Damn, you scared—”
As she turned her head toward him, the words died on her tongue. She had to look up to see his face, which almost never happened. Dark blond hair spilled over broad shoulders. His bare chest was scarred, but wicked beautiful. Incredibly, inexplicably, the light seemed to fracture around him, as though he were made of crystal instead of flesh.
“Who are you?” she demanded.
“I’m not available for conversation. I’m looking for my friend.”
She cocked a brow.
A slow smile curved his lips. “You smell like oranges.” He took a step back, pushing the hair away from his heartbreaking face, then he frowned and shook his head. “Which is actually an unwanted distraction.” For a moment, he lapsed into a language so ancient, she couldn’t translate fast enough to follow what he said. Returning to English, he managed, “My friend Merrick might be with a muse named Alissa.”
Of course, he’s beautiful. He’s one of them, she thought furiously. She didn’t even have a weapon to defend herself. “So you’re Merrick’s friend, huh? It’s illegal for ventala to be in the Etherlin. It carries a death sentence. Did you know?”
He shook his head. “Laws made by men are—”
She lunged and grabbed the knife sheathed at his hip. He caught her wrist and launched himself forward, slamming her against the wall and pinning her body with his.
“Get off me,” she said, shoving his shoulder with her free hand.
“You’re strong and soft,” he murmured, staring at her mouth. “An unusual combination—which I don’t have time to contemplate.” He grabbed her left wrist and forced it up against the wall so both her arms were pinned over her head.
“Let go,” she snapped, trying to knock him off balance. When her forehead banged against his chin, he jerked his head back and then spun her body so she faced the wall and was crushed between it and him.
His cool breath blew against her ear, matching her own ragged breathing.
“You smell too good to be part demon, so you’re not my sworn enemy. Calm yourself,” he said.
She was still for a moment, waiting for her chance to throw him off, but his muscles never relaxed. She exhaled hard, frustration thrumming through her.
“You attacked me without cause,” he said. “You should ask my forgiveness.”
“You can kiss my ass.”
His knee rose to nudge her butt. “Be careful what you demand. Someone may accommodate your request.”
“You son-of-a-bitch!” she snapped, whipping her head back to slam it against his face.
A moment later she was free, and she spun to face him. He was several feet away, rubbing the swollen corner of his mouth.
“I don’t have time to teach you a lesson, but your ferocity deserves one.”
“You’re trespassing.”
He smiled, and she hated that it had a devastating impact on the part of her that noticed beautiful things.
“You don’t own the world,” he said. “I trespass where I please.” He turned. “Now I need to find my friend before he gets himself killed.” He sprinted down the hall in a blur of speed that left her breathless.
Who the hell was that?
Cerise shook her head, trying to decide whether she should warn Etherlin Security that a friend of Merrick’s was also inside. Poor Alissa. It looked like her bodyguard would turn out to be a ventala in disguise.
The thumping on the wall resumed, and
Cerise jerked her head toward the door. “Okay, Richard. I’m coming.”
She hurried around the corner and heard alarms ringing. She sprinted down the corridor toward ES’s central control area. Her pace slowed at the sight of a bound guard on the floor. The main holding cell’s door was thrown wide open, its handle broken. She glanced into the room. Debris peppered the floor. Merrick had broken out.
Cerise’s muscles tightened. Where was Alissa? Had he taken her? And where was Dorie? Merrick might want revenge.
Cerise dragged the gag off the officer’s mouth.
“He’s out! Alissa North helped him escape,” the guard said.
Oh, Alissa, no. What the hell are you doing?
“Can you get the keys and uncuff me, Miss Xenakis? I need to warn Director Easton and the rest of the officers that he’s loose.”
Cerise rushed into the control room and found a ring of keys. When she returned to the guard, she asked, “Where are Troy Rella and my sister?”
“I don’t know.”
Cerise bent over him, unlocked the cuffs, and took them off his wrists. “Richard North’s locked in an interrogation room,” Cerise said. “He’s banging on the wall. I want you to open the door and let him out. I’ll take responsibility for him.”
“Richard North’s not in an interrogation room. Director Easton took him out of there a while ago.”
“Took him where?” Cerise asked.
“To the crime scene I think.”
“Why?” Cerise demanded.
“I don’t know! I’m sure he had a good reason!”
Cerise cocked a brow at the guy’s defensive tone. “Easy,” she said, trying to make her voice soothing.
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