by Nana Malone
“Yes,” Tatiana nodded. She turned back to Mr. Vallentyn, giving him a little smile. “I’ve even already decided what I’m going to name her, my seventh child. She’ll be Morgan, after my great ancestor, Morgan le Fey.”
Mr. Vallentyn’s face had lost all of its color. Tatiana watched with growing worry as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down in his throat as he struggled to speak. Finally, he came out with it.
“I’m so sorry, Tatiana.” He shook his head, his eyes becoming sad. “I cannot marry you. I cannot be the father of your Morgan.” His words were little more than a whisper, but they echoed in Tatiana’s ears as if he’d shouted them.
“But she has chosen you!” her mother protested. “And even more importantly, I have chosen you.”
He looked over at her, still shaking his head. “I must beg your indulgence, my lady, but I cannot.”
“Christopher, don’t be an idiot!” his father growled.
“No. I’m not, I’m…” he started.
“May I have word?” Tatiana interrupted him. He wasn’t going to do this to her. He was not going to turn his back on her just because of who she was. Why did this hurt even more than when Lord Durrington’s words had cut into her earlier?
She walked to the other side of the copse of trees, hoping Mr. Vallentyn was following her. She was relieved when she turned and found him right next to her.
“I’m sorry, Tatiana. If I had known…”
“If you had known, would you have spent so much time with me?” she asked, looking up at him, willing her eyes to stay dry.
“No,” he whispered. “Yes!” he said, quickly changing his answer.
Tatiana shook her head, confused.
Mr. Vallentyn seemed to be equally confused. He dropped his head down into his hands. “I don’t know.”
She waited for him to figure it out. To explain himself to her.
Finally, he looked up. “I do not regret a moment I’ve spent with you. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed talking with you, being with you, and I truly thought I could easily spend the rest of my life with you. But I cannot marry the High Priestess. I can’t be the father of the Seventh.”
“I don’t understand. Why not? Is it the responsibility? As I said to my mother…”
“No, it’s not the responsibility. It’s… it’s that I’m not worthy.”
“You are more than worthy! You stopped me, Mr. Vallentyn! You stopped me from using my magic. You’re extremely powerful. But even more than that…” she paused wondering if she could be so bold and forthright. But then she remembered that he valued plain speaking.
She took a deep breath, looking deeply into his eyes so that he could feel her honesty and not just hear it. “You are the joy in my life. You are my happiness. Without you my life would be nothing but duty and responsibility. I need you.” She swallowed again. “I love you, Christopher.”
The wrinkles on his brow smoothed, as if the storm clouds in his mind had rolled away. A small smile lit up one side of his mouth. “Kit.”
“What?”
“My father calls me Christopher when he’s angry, but I prefer to be called Kit.”
Tatiana laughed. She couldn’t help it. She was fretting that her entire life would be spent thinking about what might have been because she hadn’t told him the truth earlier—and his response was that wanted her to call him by his nick-name!
“I love you, Tatiana,” he said, and to ensure that she knew he truly meant it, he said it not just with his words and his voice, but with his eyes and his heart as well.
“I love you, Kit,” she answered, as the warmth of his love seeped into her very being, warming her even in the chill evening air.
“And we’ll create this Morgan of yours?” he asked, a twinkle of laughter in his eyes.
Tatiana could feel her face heat at the thought of having a child with him. “Six more before her, though,” she agreed.
Kit’s laughter moved from his eyes and was replaced by something that made Tatiana feel even warmer.
“Well then, we are going to busy, aren’t we? Perhaps it would be best if we married quickly.”
~ ~ ~ THE END~ ~ ~
A note from Meredith:
Thank you for reading Tatiana’s story. I hope you enjoyed it. If you would like other readers to find Storm on the Horizon, please consider leaving a review. Independent authors need our readers to help in spreading the word to other readers. A couple of sentences will do to increase the story’s visibility in online stores.
And if you would like to meet Tatiana and Kit’s child, Morgan, read on for a sneak preview into Magic In The Storm.
Magic in the Storm
By Meredith Bond
Morgan is trapped and powerless.
The seventh child of the seventh child has always been a girl. Until Morgan Vallentyn was born. Because he’s male he can’t access the magical powers that should have been his . In order to attain his destiny, he’s first got to escape his home and find the source of his power – in the most unexpected of places.
Adriana would give up everything for her freedom.
Born to paint the natural world with unprecedented passion and vision, Adriana Hayden is bound by the laws of 19th century English society to her scheming guardian. But after meeting the handsome and mysterious Morgan, her world begins to open to enchanted possibilities she could never have imagined.
The only way to fulfill their destinies is for each to unlock the powers of the other – through the magic in the storm.
Excerpt:
June 21, 1794
The wind whipped through Tatiana’s hair, prying it free from her forehead where it had been plastered with sweat. Heat swirled around them threatening to burst into flames. Kit jumped as a bolt of lightning shot into the ground just feet from where he stood coddling that infant in his arms.
“Tatiana, stop this! Stop it right now. You cannot kill our son.”
“Our son?” she repeated, fury burning through her. “And what of my daughter?” she shouted over the gale of hot wind that wove around them. “What of the prophecy? What...” her voice faltered.
She was tired. Too tired. Although the birth had been easier than many of the others, she was getting old. Only her fury at this injustice kept her awake now.
How could this have happened? Her child, her beloved, her daughter. Seventh child of the seventh child in the seventh generation—a boy!
Tatiana shoved down the pain that threatened to overwhelm her and instead burst forth with another bolt of anger, coming even closer to Kit this time.
“I don’t know, Tatiana. Truly, I don’t know. But you cannot kill him!” Her husband stood his ground and pleaded with her even as the sweat poured down his forehead.
In a very brief moment of weakness, Tatiana almost felt for him. But then she caught sight of the abomination in his arms and the hot wind picked up once more.
“I can and I will,” she shouted. “He was not meant to be. I was to have a girl. She was to be the most powerful Vallen in generations. As powerful as Morgan Le Fey.” Tatiana could barely keep the tears from her voice. “My Morgan. She was to be...”
“I know, Tatiana,” Kit’s voice filled with soothing magic. “But he is still our seventh child. Perhaps he will be powerful. Perhaps the prophecy will still hold...”
“Perhaps? Perhaps nothing! Perhaps he will burn in hell!” The temperature around them rose even hotter.
“Perhaps we all will, but you cannot kill him. Swear to me that you will not.” Kit’s pale blue eyes looked deeply into her own and she could feel herself crack and cool. How could he do this to her? He was not nearly so powerful as she, and yet... “I swear.” The words burned through her. They scorched the air and hung there dripping sweat and then were blown away on his cooling breeze.
The child peered at her from within the protective cocoon of his father’s arms, his large dark eyes framed with black lashes so like her own. He reached out a small fisted hand toward her, but Tat
iana turned away. She hated him as she had never hated before.
~ Magic in the Storm ~
Romance/Historical/Paranormal
Available now at most eBook retailers
Also - take advantage of this great 50% offer to introduce you to Meredith Bond's 'Merry Men' Historical Regency Series:
Also available at Amazon.com for $3.99
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About Meredith Bond
Meredith Bond is an award-winning author of a series of traditionally published Regency romances and indie-published paranormal romances. Known for her characters “who slip readily into one’s heart,” Meredith’s heart belongs to her husband and two children.
Her paranormal romances include Magic In The Storm, Storm on the Horizon, and the short story “In A Beginning”. Her traditional Regencies include The Merry Men Quartet of which An Exotic Heir and A Dandy In Disguise have recently been republished. Meredith also teaches writing. If you want a taste of her class in book form, Chapter One is available at your favorite e-retailer.
Want to know more? Come visit Meredith at her website, www.meredithbond.com or chat with her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/meredithbondfan) or Twitter (@merrybond). If you’d like to be one of the first to know of Meredith’s new releases, join her no-spamming email list here http://meredithbond.com/blog/mailing-list/.
Find out more about the Vallen by following this link–available only to those who have a copy of this book! http://magicinthestorm.meredithbond.com
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Other Books by Meredith Bond
Chapter One: A Fast, Fun Way to Write Fiction
Zebra Regency Romance
Miss Seton's Sonata
Wooing Miss Whately
Love of My Life
Dame Fortune
Tales From the Mist
Vallen Series (Paranormal Regency Romance):
Storm On The Horizon
Magic In The Storm
The Merry Men Quartet (Traditional Regency Romance):
An Exotic Heir
(originally published as Love of My Life)
A Dandy in Disguise
(originally published as Dame Fortune)
In A Beginning: A Short Story about Lilith
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Vampires at the MacKenzie Household
C.C. MacKenzie
Big Trouble in China
When my son was nine and it was Halloween he’d been invited to hang out and eat at a friend’s house and he was due home around six-thirty in the evening. I’d been shopping in the supermarket and spotted a really cool Morticia Addams long black wig with a white streak at the front. So I used a white concealer stick on my face, painted black liner around my eyes with red lids and hooker red lipstick on my mouth and put on the wig. Even if I say so myself, it looked hot. I wore black slacks and a black polo neck sweater – cashmere (this is me we’re talking about). I also found a huge cross with red stones attached to a long beaded necklace. Everything was ready, the box of candy and other teeth rotting goodies just at the front door.
The doorbell rang and I opened the door with a deep, ‘Welcome, young man. Please enter.’
My son howled with laughter – it takes a lot to scare my son - and thought I looked pretty cool. By this time my daughters were home and we’d given out a few treats to the ghosts and ghouls who’d come to the door. And as I’d given one or two a bit of a shock I was feeling pretty damn good.
Anyway, I was just about to relax when the doorbell went. By this time I’d bumped up the make-up to look even more scary so I opened the door and screeched like a banshee from hell at an unsuspecting mother and her two young children.
I’ll never forget it.
Her three-year-old daughter almost passed out on the spot and ran screaming for her life up the drive and into the arms of her father. Her mother and older sister were stood before me clutching their hearts.
‘What on earth do you think you are doing? You terrified my baby,’ the poor woman said.
‘It’s…er…Halloween,’ I sort of mumbled trying to smile but if anything their eyes went even bigger. The screams of the three year old could be heard for miles and neighbors popped their heads out of the door wondering what the hell was going on.
There are times when I’m incredibly stupid and this was one of them. I started running up the drive to try and calm the child but she went absolutely crazy and her father yelled for me to ‘Get the hell out of here.’ I felt awful absolutely certain I’d given her PTSD. So anyway the mother and daughter were given tons of tooth rotting goodies and I waved them farewell.
I closed the door to find my son and daughter laying on the carpet, drumming their heels on the floor and crying with laughter. Once they managed to speak they said it was the best thing they’d ever seen in their lives and I was the coolest mother in the world. There you go. Terrorize an infant and your kids think you're amazing. I’ve gone wrong somewhere. Seriously.
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Big Trouble in China - Back Cover Description
Anais Walker has one passion – law.
And one goal – a glittering career with Gillespie, Pattullo & Hindmarch.
Success is so close she can taste it.
Until a lamentable slip of concentration jeopardises a billion dollar deal with the Chinese.
Is Anais about to lose it all?
Famously ruthless corporate lawyer Marcus Gillespie has two secrets.
He’s a Vampyre Prince.
And after two hundred and thirty years he’s found the woman for him.
She’s beautiful, smart and with a body to die for. After six months of mentoring Anais, the time has come to move her from the boardroom to the bedroom. And when Anais makes a costly mistake, Marcus has the gorgeous lawyer just where he wants her…
But although passions run red hot in the bedroom, Anais refuses to give her heart or commit to a future not of her choosing. When an ancient enemy arrives in Shanghai, Marcus finds himself in a race against time not only to win her heart, but also to save her life…
(Navigation Stars)
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Big Trouble in China
Copyright © C C MacKenzie 2012 - All Rights Reserved
Published by More Press via a temporary license for the purposes of this boxed set via Addictive Reads
eISBN: 9781909331020
The right of C C MacKenzie to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her under the Copyright Amendment (Morals Rights) Act 2000. This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part maybe reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission of the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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This erotic romance is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY (18+). It contains sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which may be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.
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Dedication
For H
Who’s given me plenty of support over the years.
Love you.
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Acknowledgements
As ever I’m deeply indebted to the following for their help and support:
My son, S. Who loves bloodsuckers as much as I do.
My husband, H – for tolerating the crazy woman and for cooking, shopping, being a domestic God and stepping up to the plate (no pun intended) with the technical stuff.
To my beta readers, Lynne, Sue and Mags.
And to all the readers of Reckless Nights In Rome and A Stormy Spring and those who contacted me and told me they loved the stories – t
hese are for you!
Thank you.
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Note: all spellings in Big Trouble in China are the British equivalents.
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Prologue
To the human eye the three men relaxing on the penthouse balcony overlooking the metropolis of New York might have appeared successful businessmen, which indeed they were. The human eye might also have assumed they were in their late fifties, which they were not.
Dressed in bespoke suits of varying shades of grey, handmade in Savile Row - nothing but the best for these boys - all three were enormous in stature. According to one of their sons, ‘Built like fucking tanks.’ But then all Vampyre Princes were massive and ancient.
In fact, one had been there when the clan Gillespie disappeared in 1228 in Badenoch in Scotland. Duncan Gillespie was an Immaculate Vampyre Prince. Since he’d been created by The Maker himself, his blood and the blood of his children were among the purest in the Vampyre Nation.
Even after all this time Duncan’s conscience troubled him since he held himself responsible for the destruction of three hundred and nineteen souls of his clan. Why he’d been spared he knew not. He’d decided long ago it was probably the hand of fate. But yet again he wondered if the war that had split their nation since that night might have been avoided.
