Guild of Secrets

by Shannon Lynn Cook

  Yep, that’s a long time.

  The door swings open behind him, and in barges Rafe.

  “Hello, Rafe,” Curtis says, welcoming him like we’re getting ready to sit down to tea. “I was just getting ready to explain to Madeline why she’s so unique.”

  Rafe strides into the room, his eyes hard. If he could murder someone with a look alone, Curtis would be dead. “You could have killed her,” he snarls. “And you went behind my back to do it.”

  “I had to know,” Curtis answers, acting like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “If you weren’t being so difficult, I wouldn’t have had to enlist Trent’s help. And if she’d died, then we would have continued our search.”

  “Have you told her who she is?” Rafe demands.

  “I was just getting to it.” He smiles in an oddly benevolent way. “And to answer your next question, I haven’t told her who you are either.”

  My eyes move to Rafe. “What’s going on?”

  “Who else knows?” Rafe demands, looking at Curtis. “Who knows that you’ve found her?”

  “No one but you.” The man’s eyes become unfocused. “But we will take her to Capella, and soon everyone will bow before her. And I will be known as the man who found her.”

  Never mind. The man is definitely insane.

  “Tell her, Rafe,” Curtis urges as a seriously loony smile spreads across his face. “Tell her who she is.”

  “Are you with him?” I turn to Rafe, feeling betrayed. This man is with the Entitled—he’s the one who hired Trent. He tried to kill me.

  “I am with you,” the knight swears, stepping forward. “No one else.”

  “You’re scaring me a little,” I whisper. “Can we stop being creepy?”

  A tiny flicker of amusement crosses the Fox’s face as he strides across the room. He takes my hands and then kneels at my feet, bowing his head. My magic swells as it meets his, the sheer power of it making me lightheaded.

  “You are the destined queen we have been hoping to find for generations,” Curtis says, impatient to get on with it. “The only Obsidian Urocyon born in a thousand years, the only one powerful enough to open the thresholds and let us return home.”

  I blink at him, my mouth falling open.

  “You can command darkness with your persuasion,” he continues, “make it do your bidding. You are more powerful than you can ever imagine. You will rule over this world and the one we’ve been separated from.”

  I stare at him, letting his words soak in, and then I begin to laugh, slightly hysterical. “Are you saying I’m destined to be the future evil queen of Aparia?”

  Except it’s not funny.

  “You are the Obsidian Queen of Aparia,” Curtis corrects, grinning like he’s as mad as a bat. “And I found you.”

  “And why is Rafe kneeling at my feet?”

  “Madeline.” Rafe looks up, and his dark blue eyes lock on mine, making it impossible to look away.

  It seems he doesn’t know where to start, so Curtis answers for him, “He is your knight, born to protect you, born to do your bidding. He carries the same Obsidian magic, a complement to yours. By your side, he will make you stronger.”

  “Mmmhmm.” I yank away from Rafe, backing up slowly.

  Rafe stares at me, his face solemn, his gaze unwavering.

  “This is insane,” I hiss. “I’m not the evil queen—Obsidian Queen—whatever the hell this man thinks I am. And even if I were, I refuse.”

  Rafe stands. “Whatever path you choose, Madeline, I will stand by you.”

  “There is only one path!” Curtis growls, stepping forward. “She can’t say no. That’s not—”

  Curtis’s eyes go wide as Rafe turns abruptly and slides a dagger into the older man’s belly. His jaw drops open, and a dark stain blooms across his vest. Curtis stumbles back as soon as Rafe yanks the short blade from his gut, and then he crumples to the ground, his eyes open but unseeing.

  I gape at the dead man, a scream lodged in my throat.

  “You killed him,” I finally manage to whisper.

  Rafe turns his back on the lifeless man bleeding on the thirty-some-year-old carpet, taking a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping the blade clean.

  “He put you in danger.” The knight’s eyes meet mine, his expression unrepentant. “And I am now the only man alive who knows who you truly are. Your life is yours. Do with it as you will and know that anyone who threatens you—anyone who tries to force their will on you, will answer to me.”

  He slides the newly cleaned blade into a sheath hidden under his jacket and steps forward until only a few inches separate us. “My allegiance is yours.”

  I stare at him, at a complete and total loss for words. Too much has happened, and I can’t process it all. Not yet.

  There’s only one question that I need answered, and I’ll deal with the rest later.

  “Where’s Gray? Is he…” I can’t finish the thought.

  Rafe straightens, his expression losing some of its fire. “Eric is with him. He’s at a human hospital right now. As soon as we can, we’re going to find him a healer.”

  “Is he going to be all right?”

  “Nothing can kill Gray,” Rafe says, a tiny bit of disgust lacing his tone. “Trust me—he’s tried several times. He has a complete lack of common sense. Danger means nothing to him.”

  A cool ocean breeze blows in through the open door, and I shiver. Suddenly, I’m so, so cold.

  Rafe frowns as I hug myself in an attempt to stay warm, and he steps forward, pulling off his jacket. “You’re trembling.”

  Grateful, I let him help me into the jacket, still warm from his heat.

  “Can we go?” I ask, keeping my eyes carefully averted from the dead man on the ground.

  Rafe glances at Curtis, and then he pulls me out of the house, toward a shiny, gun-metal gray Audi coupe.

  He opens my door and deposits me inside. As soon as he’s on the driver’s side, he starts the engine and cranks up the heat. The clock says it’s after midnight, well after the time Trent kidnapped me yesterday. It’s been a long twenty-four hours.

  Feeling safe for the first time in a long while, I kick off my ballet flats, pull my legs to my chest, and angle in the seat, facing Rafe. He pulls away from the house by the ocean and turns onto a winding road that eventually leads us into a small, historic coastal town that looks like it belongs in New England instead of California.

  Rafe doesn’t turn on the radio—doesn’t try to dispel the silence. I keep thinking of what Curtis said, of who they think I am, of who Rafe is to me.

  It’s surreal. They surely have the wrong girl.

  I must fall asleep because I wake when Rafe scoops me into his arms, pulling me from the seat and carrying me into a house hidden in thick pine trees. “What time is it?” I mumble, leaning into him.

  “About four in the morning.”

  “Where are we?”

  “Back at my house in Tahoe. You’ll be safe here.”

  I lift my head so I can see him better, and I blink several times, trying to clear my blurry vision. Then I whisper, “You killed a man. To keep me safe.”

  He meets my gaze, his steps slowing. “I’ve waited a very long time for you. All of my life has revolved around you, with only a brief few years when I thought I could turn my back on the magic.”

  “Nicole,” I whisper.

  He nods and doesn’t say anything else as he unlocks the front door and flips on the lights of a house that’s…gorgeous. Morris the Criminal Fox must pay well.

  Instead of setting me on my feet, Rafe sits on the couch, keeping me in his arms. “Gray blames himself for her death, but I should have walked away. She was never for me.”

  And though I can tell he means the words, his face is lined with heavy memories. They plague him, just like they plague Gray.

  I set my hand on the back of his neck, my fingers tentative as they stroke his skin. “I’m sorry you lost her.”

  He t
urns his haunted gaze on me, and something shifts. Our magic attempts to connect again, but this time I don’t fight it.

  “I’m not,” he says quietly and then explains when my brow creases, “I still mourn her loss, wish I could go back and give her and Gray my blessing, but I’m not sorry we parted.”

  “Why?” I murmur.

  “Because there’s no room in my life for her, not now that I’ve found you.”

  “I don’t understand any of this,” I say, but I don’t attempt to move away. “Is there a prophesy I should be aware of?”

  I’ve never heard of such a thing.

  A crooked smile tips his lips. “No.”

  “Then why did Curtis speak as if you and I have a destiny?”

  He shifts me so I’m straddling his lap—closer than I should be comfortable with—and sets his hands on my hips as if they belong there. “The Entitled would very much like to use you, but your life is your own, your destiny is yours to make. You were simply born with the magic they’ve been waiting for.”

  “And how do you fit into it?”

  “I’m born of a different Fox bloodline than you. Historically, we were the personal protectors of the royal family—knights sworn to the royal line. Because I was born an Obsidian, my magic speaks to yours. I never quite believed it, not until I felt it at the blackjack table when Morris was parading about with you on his arm. Even then, I didn’t understand. Not until Curtis started blathering about finding the Obsidian Queen in Denver did I start to suspect. It wasn’t much of a surprise when he sent me your photograph.”

  Curtis took photos of me? The thought makes my skin crawl, but I dismiss it for a more pressing subject.

  “Does that mean we’re supposed to be...together?”

  “No.” The knight’s thumb moves at my waist. “That’s forbidden. If we were involved, it’s believed I could influence your decisions. Use you for my own personal gain. I am your servant. Nothing more.”

  Then why has he pulled me onto his lap? Why does our magic feel as if it’s tugging us together?

  My hands find Rafe’s shoulders. “It sounds like I’m a burden.”

  His cobalt eyes meet mine, and he nudges me closer, his hands hot on my sides as he eliminates the space between us. “Not as much as you might think.”

  A text sounds on Rafe’s phone. Reluctantly, he nudges me back and pulls the cell from his back pocket. He scans it, furrowing his brow.

  “What is it?” I ask, fear shooting through my veins.

  “Gray is stable.” He looks up. “Eric is with him. Jonathan just got to the rendezvous point where Curtis left Trent.”

  “What’s the problem?”

  “Jonathan was supposed to collect the body, but when he got there, he didn’t find the pixie.”

  His words are foreboding, and new fear trickles down my spine. “What did he find?” I whisper.

  “A dead human.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Curtis didn’t kill Trent—he killed someone the pixie sent in his place.”

  “That means he’s still out there.” Hunting me.

  I try to slide off Rafe’s lap, but he holds me, and his eyes meet mine once again. “Yes.”

  My breathing becomes labored as I remember the way Trent taunted me. The next time he finds me, he’ll follow through on his promises.

  “You don’t need to fear him.” Rafe’s jaw tightens, and his eyes narrow. “I swear—I give you my solemn vow—I will protect you.”

  “What about when you’re not around?”

  An amused, almost wicked look crosses his face, washing away the anger, making him more handsome if possible. “I’ll pretty much always be around.”

  I study him, the dark blue of his eyes, the shape of his mouth. His top lip is arched, and the bottom is full. I begin to grow warm as I imagine what it would be like if he closed the distance between us, pressed his lips to mine.

  And then I think of Jonathan’s warning.

  For some reason, that makes me want it all that much more.

  “Can I ask you something?” I murmur, my gaze still on his mouth.

  He makes a noise of affirmation, perhaps distracted by where my attention has wandered.

  “Are you with the Entitled?”

  The knight lifts his gaze, and he waits for me to meet his eyes. “I was born into it. For generations, my family has feigned an alliance with the Royal Guild though our ties are to the original royal family—your family. I was able to secure a position in the guild in hopes that I might eventually find you. But I am not with the Entitled, and my allegiance is not with the Royal Guild either. I am yours alone.”

  The words send goosebumps along my skin.

  “Even if I’m not inclined to open the thresholds?”

  “Even then.”

  “But if I was?” I question softly, needing to know. “If I embraced the darkness?”

  The knight stands, carefully pulling me from his lap and placing me on the couch. He leans down, filling my vision, pinning me against the upholstered back. “Forever and always, Madeline, until I take my last breath, no matter what path you choose, I am yours to command. Do with me as you will.”

  To be continued…

  Coming October 1, 2018

  Click Here to View the Book on Amazon

  Madeline Bennet has a quartet of knight marshals at her beck and call, and they’re all driving her mad. It’s only been a week since she was kidnapped, and Rafe’s already coddling her, Gray’s turned into a surly taskmaster, Eric’s trying to steal her cat, and Jonathan is entirely too charming for anyone’s good. Only one of them knows her secret—a secret she plans to take to the grave.

  Unfortunately, that plan falls through the moment a creature of shadows shows up on her doorstep.

  It’s cute. It’s fluffy. It’s evil.

  And Madeline is its master.

  More are coming, but there’s nothing the future Obsidian Queen can do to stop them, not while she’s posing as Jonathan’s wife at a luxurious haunted mansion in the heart of Colorado.

  Leaves are falling, pumpkins and scarecrows line doorsteps, and romance and death are in the air. Before she can find a way to keep the darkness at bay, Madeline must find a killer, drink cider, and not fall for the team’s most promiscuous knight.

  A task that’s proving to be harder than expected…

  Click Here to Pre-order

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  About the Author

  Shannon Lynn Cook is a pen name for an Amazon Bestselling author who woke up one day and decided life would be more interesting with magic and lots of love interests. (For her characters, not herself.)

  She drinks too much sweet tea, prefers pie to cake, and hopes to someday own a hairless cat of her very own. She lives in Colorado with her beloved (romance-hating) husband, two creative kids, and several extremely demanding fur babies.

  Visit Shannon’s Website: https://shannonlynncook.com

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