The Darkest Gateway
Page 29
“Probably sooner than you think,” I sighed.
“Probably not,” he said to my clavicle. “You see, a human traveling to the Netherworld. It changed you. You will likely live an unusually long life.”
I suddenly pushed him back and stared. “What do you mean? How long?”
“Oh, I should think one or two…” He drew me back in and kissed my opened lips “…hundred years. Or so.”
“What?”
He sighed and though I had pulled back, he wouldn’t let me go. His fingers still moved along my hips. “You are changed. You will age slowly. Very slowly.”
“Wow. I had no idea. That might be a little…wow.” I looked around the shop. “We had better make a damned good go of this, then. We’ll need the money.”
He drew me in and nuzzled my forehead. “Does that bother you? That you will age more slowly than your friends?”
“I don’t know. I guess…maybe I don’t quite believe it.”
We kissed languidly, like we had all the time in the world. It sounded like we did. But I couldn’t help asking, pulling my mouth only inches away enough to talk. “Erasmus, I’ve been wondering. What about that piece of soul you retained?”
“Gone,” he said, still placing pecking kisses to my lips. “As a demon, I don’t have a soul.”
“Are you sure?”
“Don’t worry. I am all demon.” He ground against me.
I gave up and slid completely into his arms. I reached up and dug my fingers into his hair and tugged, lowering his head so he could kiss me properly, growling deep in his chest. I became suddenly aware that he had transported us to my bedroom.
I smiled and he kissed me, teeth and all. “Are you trying to tell me something?”
It was his turn to smile, rather wickedly I thought. “You once promised me we would break this bed with lovemaking.”
I held him tighter. I couldn’t relinquish my grin. “I do like to keep my promises.”
He might have used a little magic or it was just a good sturdy bed, because for the whole night and part of the next day, we tried our damnedest.
Author’s Afterword
THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading this series! It’s been a while since I’ve had so much fun writing characters and their wacky plot. I appreciate all of you for going along for the ride. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have. Did you know that they will all be audiobooks? Go look for those! But before you go, I hope you sign up for my Booke of the Hidden newsletter so you will have the latest news concerning more paranormal series, including some spin-offs from this series.
If you liked this book, please review it. Head on over to BOOKEoftheHIDDEN.com for all sorts of info on any upcoming series, excerpts, my appearances in the real world as well as the virtual.
Remember to keep it spooky. Happy reading!
Acknowledgments
I’d like to take the opportunity to thank those who made this series possible. To my agents Joshua Bilmes and Lisa Rodgers, thanks for your patience and for taking the series in hand, gently guiding it forward. Thanks also to Patrick Disselhorst of JABberwocky for doing the heavy lifting of dealing with my whining about the formatting and cover design. And thanks to my stalwart editor Lydia Youngman for being the biggest fangirl ever! Thanks also to the readers who showed up and stuck with it. And very special thanks, as always, goes to my long-suffering husband Craig, who believes in everything I do.
About the Author
Jeri Westerson is the author of the Crispin Guest Medieval Mystery and the Booke of the Hidden series. Her books were finalists for several major mystery awards, including the Agatha, the Shamus, and the Macavity. She lives in Menifee, California.
ALSO BY JERI WESTERSON
BOOKE OF THE HIDDEN
Booke of the Hidden
Deadly Rising
Shadows in the Mist*
The Darkest Gateway*
CRISPIN GUEST MEDIEVAL MYSTERIES
Veil of Lies*
Serpent in the Thorns*
The Demon’s Parchment*
Troubled Bones*
Blood Lance*
Shadow of the Alchemist*
The Silence of Stones
A Maiden Weeping
Season of Blood
The Deepest Grave
Traitor’s Codex
Cup of Blood, a prequel to Veil of Lies
*available as a JABberwocky edition
THANK YOU FOR READING
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