In that moment, the misery Dorothea had been stroking like a lover finally just evaporated. She couldn’t have it and have Daniel, and she would much rather have Daniel. She’d accused him of clinging to his fears, but hadn’t she done the same?
“Wait just a sec, sis. Don’t you dare say yes to this man.” Holly strode to her side and faced Daniel with all her customary sass on display. “Not until he promises a few things.”
Tenderness welled inside her. “Right,” she said, doing her best to appear stern. “You want me, Daniel Porter, you’re going to have to negotiate with me.”
Hope gave way to undiluted joy, dancing in his eye and lighting his entire face. For several seconds, he clearly tried his best to tame his expression, but he failed. “You’re right. We need to negotiate. So here are my terms. You’ll hand some of the inn’s responsibilities to me. Let’s face it, love, I’ve got better people skills and—”
“What! You do not have better skills!”
He snickered at her. “Thing is, I like the work. I feel like I’ve finally found my place. And I’ve already spoken with Jude and Brock about taking a behind-the-scenes role at LPH. I can work from the inn and take care of customer service for both of us. As for you, love. You will compliment me at least once a day. A woman isn’t the only one who needs praise, you know. And I insist, I absolutely insist you take my last name when we get married. I don’t care how much you protest, there will be no hyphens for you.”
“I never—”
“Also, we’ll take equal responsibility for Adonis and Echo. They’re part of our family.”
The first of their children, she thought, that well of tenderness expanding.
He looked to Brock and Jude. “Am I forgetting anything?”
His friends stepped from the crowd. They’d been here all along? Her skills of observation amazed her. But in her defense, she’d been pretty wrapped up in Daniel.
“Yes,” Brock said. “You’re forgetting about the sex.”
“Sex. Right.” Daniel nodded. “Three times a day is the bare minimum for us. And the lights will be on.”
“Sweet fancy Moses.” Her mother fanned her face.
Lyndie and Ryanne gave her a thumbs-up.
Holly sighed. “He’s offering you a gold-star mediocre deal you probably shouldn’t pass up.”
Excitement shivered through Dorothea as she focused on the man she loved. “I’ve heard your terms, Daniel, but before I can even consider giving us a chance,” she couldn’t help but tease him, “you’ll hear mine. You’ll finish the theme room. In fact, you’ll finish all the theme rooms. On top of guest satisfaction at the inn, you’ll be responsible for helping me clean the rooms until we’re flush enough to hire someone else…and you’ll do it shirtless. In fact, go ahead and throw out all your shirts. Oh, and you’ll cheer me on as I finish school online and continue to grow my website.”
“Yes, absolutely yes,” Daniel rushed to say. “I agree to everything.”
Whoa. Hold up. “You’re not going to try to change my terms?”
His expression turned deadly serious as he said, “This is too important. If you want it, you get it—as long as I get you.”
Her insides turned molten, and she just about died of happiness right then and there.
“The inn is my home,” he added, “and I’m willing to beg for the privilege of working there. Plus, you’ll be paying me in kisses, so I’ll be the richest man in town.”
Every time he spoke, she melted a little more. “Daniel—”
“I will fight for you, Thea. Always.”
He was fighting for her, she realized. He was willing to give up anything and everything to be with her.
Her resistance had never stood a chance.
With a sob, she threw herself in his arms. He stumbled back, but if the contact pained him, he didn’t show it, holding on to her tightly.
“I love you,” she told him. “I love you so much.”
He pulled back to frame her face in his hands. Tears were welled in his eyes. “You love me?”
“I do. I really do.”
A radiant smile glowed down at her. “I would spin you around, but I’m pretty sure I’ve already torn open most of my stitches.”
“Daniel! We need to get you back to the hospital.”
“No,” he said. “I’m right where I want to be.”
“A wedding,” Carol called. “There’s going to be a wedding! A big one!”
Dorothea pressed her forehead against Daniel’s chest and moaned. “Momma—”
“She’s right,” Daniel said. “I want to marry you, and I want a big wedding. The whole town will witness my pledge to love you forever. We’ll even invite Jazz. I want him to realize you’re mine, and I’m never letting you go.”
Embarrassment gave way to pleasure. “All right. Yes. I’ll marry you.”
“I’ll plan everything.” Carol clapped her hands. “It will be absolutely perfect!”
“That’s right. It will be perfect,” Holly piped up, “because I’ll spend my time stopping Mom.”
Dorothea and Daniel shared a smile. He might consider her the prize, but she felt like the one who’d won.
“One last thing.” Brock pressed something cold and metal in her palm. “Daniel wanted you to see this, but he dropped it in his haste to get to you.”
She glanced down and saw the locket. It was open, the picture of Daniel’s mother staring at her from one side, a picture of Dorothea’s face staring at her from the other.
Her gaze zipped to Daniel. “When did you have this done?”
“This morning. The main reason I was late.”
“You knew I was leaving?” she asked.
“Holly called me.”
Well. Now the delay was starting to make sense. Her family and friends had her back. The girl who’d once felt alone now had a strong support system. Could life get any better?
“Guess I can fix your car now,” Ryanne said, holding up a… Dorothea had no idea. The thingamabob, maybe.
“I’m going to make you happy, Thea. I’m determined.” Daniel gazed at her with adoration and awe, as if he couldn’t believe how blessed he was.
Yes, life could get better.
She would be spending every day of hers with the man she loved—the man who loved her right back. The man who hadn’t just said the words but had proved it with action. “I’m going to make you happy, too.”
“I hope we’re included in that happiness,” Brock said. “Because we are a package deal.”
“I figured as much,” she said with another laugh.
“Just don’t go getting any matchmaking ideas,” Jude groused.
“Too late. You’re a project. You both are.” She reached out and patted both their shoulders. “But that’s okay. Daniel and I have decided you’re worth the effort.”
“Oh, you and Daniel decided?” Brock arched a brow at her. “When was this?”
“Just now.” She fluffed her hair. “I don’t know if you heard, but what makes me happy makes him happy.”
“It’s true.” Daniel kissed her lips gently, tenderly. “Always and forever, it’s true.”
Always and forever. Dorothea melted against him.
“I’m going to make sure your nails are only ever painted yellow, pink, gold or white,” he said. “Mostly white.”
She laughed. “We’re going to have a good life together, aren’t we?”
“The very best,” he vowed.
* * * * *
New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter begins a dark, sexy new series—Rise of the Warlords—with a fan-favorite character from her beloved Lords of the Underworld series, Taliyah Skyhawk.
The ice maiden faces off with her greatest enemy, a villai
n brutal beyond imagining…
Read on for a sneak peek of
The Warlord
****
PROLOGUE
“Um, guys? GUYS! You might want to pay attention to me and gear-up, because some really bad stuff is about to go down. Like, the-asteroid-is-gonna-hit bad. Oh, never mind. This is going to be fun to watch!”
—Neeka the Unwanted, the real star of the show
They are ancient warriors, evil to the core and loyal only to one another. Known as the Astra Planeta, the Warlords of the Skies, Wandering Stars—the beginning of the end—they travel from world to world, wiping out their enemies. Drawn to war, they finish even the smallest skirmishes with pain and bloodshed.
To see one is to know you’ll soon greet your death.
With no moral compass, the Astra Planeta kill without mercy, steal without qualm, and destroy without guilt, all to receive a mystical blessing—five hundred years of victories, without a single loss.
If they fail to obtain this blessing, they automatically receive a curse. Five hundred years of utter defeat.
The time has come for the next bestowing, each Astra Planeta forced to complete a different task. To start, their leader, Alaroc Phaethon, Emperor of the Expanse, Rock of the Ages, Giant of the Deep, the Blazing One—and too many other titles to list—must wed an immortal female. A tiresome chore, to be sure, but not the full extent of his obligation. Thirty days after the vows are spoken, he must sacrifice his bride on an altar of his own making. If she dies a virgin, even better. He and his brothers-by-circumstance will receive a second blessing.
Roc has performed this sacred ritual twenty times before, and he has never wavered in his duty. Murder an innocent female? Shrug. Because, if one Astra Planeta fails to complete his task, all fail.
Roc will cross any line to succeed.
There has never been a woman alluring enough to tempt him from his path. No warrioress powerful enough to overcome his incredible strength. No enchantress desirable enough to make him burn beyond reason.
Until now.
CHAPTER ONE
Harpina, realm of the harpies
2248 AG (After General)
3,729 years before collision
On her ninth birthday, Taliyah Skyhawk knelt in the royal gardens. Frigid cold wafted up from the ground while a firepit blazed at her side, multicolored flames crackling there, every ember like a floating precious gem, blazing bright before vanishing forever. Her mother, Tabitha the Vicious, her aunt, Tamera the Widow Maker, and her fifteen-year-old cousin Blythe the Cold-Blooded—Taliyah’s idol—lined up before her, standing shoulder to shoulder, creating a wall of safety and strength. Each female held a weapon.
Her mother’s sword was made of fireiron, used to battle the fae and any other elemental species. Tamera wielded a dagger made of demonglass, the best defense against angels and Sent Ones. Blythe clutched a stake carved from cursedwood, a substance able to maximize the damage done to demons, witches, vampires and even harpies like Taliyah and her family.
Night had fallen, three blue moons set high in the sky, painting the surrounding thicket with an eerie, cerulean glow, turning it into something out of a fairy tale. The scent of skullflowers and smoke hung heavy in the air, saturating her every inhalation. In the distance, locusts buzzed and birds chirped, the harmonious melody mocking the riotous hammering of her heart.
To prepare for tonight, Taliyah had set up camp bright and early. Now, she wondered what would happen next. The bequeathing of her own moniker, perhaps? She had made her first kills recently.
Excitement sprouted, the smallest bud blooming. All she’d been told? It would change the course of her life.
“The time has come,” her mother announced. Her eyes glittered in the darkness. “Just like every harpy warrior before you, you are soon to leave your family to start the next stage of your combat training. It will be better if you are as you are meant to be, not as you are.”
As she was meant to be? How am I meant to be?
“I ask you, daughter. What do you want most in life?”
She peered at the woman who’d given birth to her, confused. They’d had this conversation before. Many times. “You know the answer already.”
“Tell me anyway,” Tabitha snapped, every bit as vicious as her moniker warned. With her long, black hair, amber eyes and bronzed skin, however, she looked as delicate as an elf and as innocent as a Sent One. Even dressed in full battle regalia—pleated skirt and leather top with metal mesh cutouts for armor—she appeared incapable of committing a single act of violence, much less the array she’d actually committed in her lifetime. The white-haired, pale-skinned, blue-eyed Taliyah shared her mother’s delicate bone structure, but nothing else. “Your life will always move in the direction of your thoughts. Some of those thoughts will try to lure you to the left, some to the right. Tell me the direction you walk.”
With no hesitation, Taliyah proclaimed, “I want to—I will—become harpy General.” The equivalent of a queen.
Her mother nodded with satisfaction.
Tamera lifted her chin, just as cold, beautiful and deadly as her younger sister. “What will you do to achieve this goal?”
“Anything.” Any harpy who desired a chance, only a chance, to become General had to complete the same ten tasks.
“What will you do?” her aunt insisted. “Tell us.”
Taliyah listed the tasks. “I will serve in our army for at least a century. At least once, I will win the Harpy Games.” A series of contests meant to test strength, speed and agility. “I will convince the reigning General to do something she doesn’t want to do and also present her with the head of her greatest opponent. I will plan a victorious military campaign, negotiate a major truce, steal a king’s most prized possession, win a battle with my wits alone, and sacrifice something I dearly love.”
Her mother offered another satisfied nod. “And when the time comes, will you challenge the reigning General to battle, no matter who she is or what she means to you?”
The last task. “I will.” As mandated, she would do it all while remaining a virgin, her body given to her people. “Nothing and no one can stop me.”
“Why will you do these things?” her mother insisted. “Say it.”
The small, gossamer wings on her back fluttered. As a conduit for her immortal strength, the wings had to remain free at all times. When one or both appendages got pinned down, she was practically mortal. Taliyah shuddered.
“I fight for my birthright,” she said. Words her mother had drilled into her head since birth.
“Why?” Tabitha demanded.
“Because I’m Taliyah Skyhawk.” As soon as she’d learned to walk, she’d begun to prepare for the privilege of attempting to become General. Something many harpies did, but few survived. From the very beginning, Taliyah had proven more determined than most. While others looked for ways over, under, or around a problem, she beat her way through it with frightening focus.
“You aren’t just Taliyah Skyhawk.” Her mother offered the barest grin. “You are Taliyah Skyhawk, Terror of All Land.”
Terror of All Land. Tal. A grin of her own spread. This was the bequeathing of her moniker. “I am Taliyah Skyhawk, the Terror of All Land.”
Her mother lifted her chin. “You are stronger, faster, and far more powerful than any of us. I made sure of that, carefully selecting the male I wished to father my first child.”
Procreating by design rather than desire had become a common practice among harpies. As cousins to demons, who were cousins to vampires, harpies had gotten a bad reputation. They were known as a “beautiful, hideous evil” and were often hunted for sport. Little wonder they preferred to breed with powerful males who produced powerful children well able to protect themselves.
“You speak of the snakeshifter,” Taliyah said. Her mother had only ever shared the man’s species. She’d wondered about him often, though. What was he like? Was he well respected by his people? Did she re
semble him?
Tabitha gave a curt shake of her head. “He isn’t a snakeshifter. Not entirely. He is the creator of snakeshifters…and he is only one of your fathers.”
“What?” Um… “What? How many fathers do I have?”
“Only two.”
Only two?
“They are brothers,” her mother continued, “one able to possess the other. But you must never, ever mention the second one, even to your half-sister.” She pressed a free hand to her slightly rounded belly. “Do you understand? We must take this secret to our graves. If anyone discovers the truth about what you are, we must kill them.”
“I don’t know what I am!” Reeling. What was her mother trying to tell her?
Her aunt said, “Every five years, the two brothers would appear in Harpina. One would terrorize our villages, and there was nothing we could do to stop him. Afterward, the other one would mend the survivors. They were like two sides of a coin. One good, one evil. You share traits with both.”
“They sound…great?”
“Sixteen years ago, they appeared to me in secret and offered to spare us all… if I spent a single night with them.” Tamera’s tone tightened. “At the time, I was preparing to issue a challenge to our General. But I agreed to their bargain—and killed them both the next morning. Nine months later, I gave birth to a healthy baby girl.”
Blythe had two fathers, too? Blythe was…her half-sister?
“Five years later,” her mother said, her tone just as tight, “they reappeared, alive and well. They came to me and offered the same bargain. I agreed. Nine months later, I gave birth to you.”
Taliyah gulped. So much to digest. Too much at once. She centered on the most difficult to accept. There was only one set of brothers who’d done as her family had described, stories of their exploits filling Harpinian history books. Warlords so powerful, they evinced terror in everyone they faced.
“I am a daughter of… Asclepius Serpentes and Erebus Phantom, the sons of Chaos?”
She’d studied her history books like a good little harpy. Asclepius was a god of medicine and the creator of gorgons and snakeshifters—all immortals came from one god or another. He was known as a bringer of life and believed to have raised certain immortals from the dead. Erebus was known as the Dark One. The Bringer of Death. He was a god of darkness, and the creator of… Taliyah gulped. Phantoms. Mindless soldiers both alive and dead, able to be in spirit or body form, who consumed souls.
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