by Rosalie Redd
His features darkened. “You don’t have a choice.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a wisp of something dark hovering over the beast’s chest. She knelt next to the creature’s remains and studied the wound just above the heart. A dark essence, with Gwawl’s distinct carbon signature, surrounded the damaged flesh. Beneath the aura, a separate, deeper wound appeared.
Her heart trip-hammered. She glanced at Pwyll’s dagger, which lay on the ground, a few inches from the beast. Blood coated the blade. The urge to throw something, to lash out at Gwawl surged inside, but she held her breath. Rash behavior never seemed to work to her benefit, and she needed all her wits right now.
She squared her shoulders and met Cernunnos’s gaze. “Gwawl cheated. Pwyll killed the beast. Gwawl covered the evidence with magic and took the credit.”
Cernunnos raised an eyebrow. “That’s a big accusation—”
A few feet away, a whirlwind burst to life. Beautiful greens, golds, reds, and blues mixed together in the churn. A moment later, the small twister ceased, and a woman stood in its place.
Dressed in an elaborate gown that hugged every curve, her material shimmered and shifted between the colors of the rainbow. Ebony locks of hair, with the slightest bit of gray at the temple, cascaded around her shoulders, emphasizing her smooth, porcelain skin. Blue eyes, the color of the sea, blazed with an intensity that rivaled an iceberg on a frigid winter day.
She narrowed her gaze at Cernunnos, accentuating her stiff upper lip. “You said this wouldn’t take long.”
“Diandre, please. We’re almost done.” Cernunnos’s shoulders sagged, and he raised his hands.
Diandre glanced from Gwawl to Pwyll before fixating on Rhiannon. “What’s going on here?”
“Nothing much. Just a little disagreement.” Cernunnos clasped his hands in front of him.
Rhiannon’s mouth opened. To see the god cower in front of his mate was a sight to see.
“Hmmm.” Diandre crossed her arms and focused on Rhiannon. “When I arrived, I thought I heard you say something about someone cheating. Is that right?”
Rhiannon swallowed then pointed at Gwawl. “He used magic to kill this beast. His essence permeates the wound. I have the gift to see carbon signatures, and I can see what Gwawl’s done.”
Gwawl smacked his fist into his palm. “You lie!”
“No she doesn’t. I see it, too.” Diandre pierced Cernunnos with a glare. “What were you up to here?”
He raised his hands once again and took a step backward. “Nothing, dear. Just a little challenge for the right to wed this female.”
Rhiannon’s anger bubbled over, and she couldn’t contain herself any longer. “That is such an old, antiquated ritual. Women should be able to decide who they want to marry.”
“I agree.” Diandre strode up to Cernunnos and pointed her finger at him. “Abolish that rule. Right now. And take off that silly cowl.”
Diandre reached for the hood, but Cernunnos clasped her hand and stopped her from revealing his features. “I will abolish the rule, but I will not remove my cloak. My face is for your eyes only, my love.”
She relaxed, a slow purr escaping her lips. “Ooh, feisty. We must return home. Now.”
“I couldn’t agree more. I love it when you’re so demanding.” He slid his hand around her waist and tugged her to him.
Gwawl stepped forward, shoulder’s squared. “Wait. I won the contest and deserve Rhiannon’s hand. The rules over marriage have been around for eons—”
“Which is far too long. Cernunnos?” Diandre poked him in the ribs.
Cernunnos sighed. “As you wish, my dear. If it pleases you, I remove the requirement around arranged marriages. Women will have the right to choose who they want to marry. Besides, you cheated, Gwawl. I wouldn’t have let you have her anyway. Don’t even think about harming her family or anyone in that village.”
“He already killed my mother.” Rhiannon blinked back the tears that threatened to fall.
Diandre’s eyebrows rose. “He did what?”
“He killed her in the village square to pressure me to accept his tribute for marriage.” A stray tear slid onto her cheek, and she wiped it away with the back of her hand.
Diandre caressed Rhiannon’s face. “I’m sorry for your loss, my dear.”
Rhiannon sniffed back a sob and nodded. “Thank you.”
“Now, as for you, Gwawl.” Diandre turned her attention to him.
He raised his chin. “I followed the rules of warfare. We weren’t betrothed at the time—”
“Be that as it may, what you did was despicable.” Diandre strode toward him, her blue eyes flecked with gold. “I have a mind to—”
You better leave while you still can.” Cernunnos shrugged.
Gwawl’s lip twisted, and his features tightened. He pointed at Rhiannon. “This isn’t over between us. Not anywhere close.”
A moment later, he disappeared in a swirl of dirt and small pebbles.
Tension drained from Rhiannon’s shoulders, and she glanced at Diandre. “So, I’m free?”
“Yes. Now, we should go, Cerny, I want you alone.” Diandre clasped her husband’s hand.
Rhiannon peered at Pwyll, and the lance that speared her heart split it open once again. She rushed to his side. “Oh, Pwyll…”
“He’s human.” Diandre’s soft voice held a hint of compassion. “Is he your lover? Do you want to marry him?”
Rhiannon couldn’t speak through her tight throat, so she nodded.
“Fix him.” Diandre nudged Cernunnos.
Hope, fragile and thin, sprouted in Rhiannon’s chest, and beat along with her heart.
Cernunnos met her gaze, his red eyes piercing into her soul. “Once you’re wed to him, you must remain in the human realm and will lose all your godly powers. Are you willing to accept those conditions?”
“Yes.” The word slipped from her lips before she’d had time to think, but her heart understood, without question, that she’d give up everything, including eternal life to be with the man she loved.
“As you wish. Now, we’re leaving.” Cernunnos swept his hand toward Pwyll. A shot of energy sparked from his finger, traveled through the air at lightning speed, and fused into Pwyll.
Pwyll inhaled a ragged breath and sat up.
Rhiannon’s chest expanded so hard, she thought it might burst. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, never wanting to let go. He held her tight in return.
She glanced to Diandre, eager to thank her, but the god of the Otherworld and his wife were gone.
CHAPTER 8
TWO WEEKS LATER…
The trill of a small bird caught Rhiannon’s attention, and her gaze flicked to the balcony. A blue jay hopped along the rail. Rhiannon laughed and leaned forward in the chair, a weightlessness raising her spirit.
“I can’t wait to marry you.” Pwyll reached across the table and grasped her hand. “There are so many places I want to take you, so many adventures we need to share.”
“As a married couple.” Rhiannon squeezed his hand. “And I’m guessing there’ll be plenty of showers along the way.”
A sly smile pulled at the corner of Pwyll’s lip, accentuating his gorgeous features. “Of that, there is no doubt. But first, we have some wedding plans to finish.”
Indeed, after their adventure under the mountain Rhiannon had moved in with Pwyll and started planning for their new life together. Once she’d had a few long conversations with her father, he’d reluctantly accepted her decision to forego her existence as a goddess in exchange for a lifetime with Pwyll.
She’d stood up for women everywhere, and her father was proud of the strength she’d shown. She was sure her mother would’ve approved wholeheartedly of her choice as well and would’ve wanted her happiness more than anything. At least her father could come visit whenever he wanted, well, within reason. Rhiannon and Pwyll wanted some alone time.
Pwyll rose from his seat and tugged her into h
is arms. He trailed kisses along the underside of her jaw to her ear. “Did you decide on the type of flowers for your head circlet?”
She smiled and caressed his cheek, knowing full well red roses were the only acceptable choice she’d wear at her wedding. “Hmm, let me think. Poppies?”
A low growl eased from him, and he nipped her earlobe. “Try again.”
“Lilies, then.” She squirmed under his onslaught and pressed her palms against his chest. The rock-hard planes tightened beneath her touch.
“I’ll give you one more chance,” he breathed into her ear.
A shiver tracked all the way down to her bottom, tickling her. “What will happen if you don’t like my answer?”
“I’ll have to ravage you with kisses until you remember.” He drew her tight and brushed a delicate kiss over the vein at her throat.
“Well, then, how about daffodils?”
“Oh, Rhi, that’s the wrong flower, but the right answer.”
Pwyll kissed her with a passion that ignited a fire deep inside. She brushed her fingers over his broad shoulders and into his hair, enjoying how the soft, silky strands teased her fingertips. He’d risked his life for her, defeated a monster, and accepted her, faults and all. Love for this man swelled in her chest. She couldn’t imagine a more perfect mate.
Pwyll broke the kiss, cupped her cheeks, and stared into her eyes. “You will always be my rose, precious one, and I will be by your side for many, many moons until our grandchildren run us ragged.”
A happiness Rhiannon had never experienced before took her breath away. This man had slipped into her life and stolen her heart. No way would she want her old life back, not if it meant losing Pwyll. Tears brimmed in her eyes, blurring her vision of him. She blinked them away and traced her finger along the curve of his jaw. “You are my light, my guiding star, and I will love you for eternity and a day.”
As he drew her close once again and held her tight, Rhiannon settled against the one and only man she’d ever love, a sense of completeness and happiness settling into her soul. She was the luckiest woman this side of the Otherworld.
Not all happily ever afters last forever. Sometimes they start a war…
To exact revenge against Rhiannon, Gwawl commits a horrific murder before Rhiannon’s wedding and sends them into an epic war that encompasses both the Otherworld and human realms. Set in the present day in the streets of Chicago, keep reading for a sneak peek of Heart Bandit, book 1 in the Gargoyle Night Guardians series…
* * *
Never steal from a gargoyle…or challenge him to seduce you.
Beaumont prides himself on his stellar fae kill record.
After all, he’s a Gargoyle Night Guardian out to rescue the world.
When a feisty, human female challenges him to seduce her and steals his spirit-embedded stone, his life is upended in more ways than one.
He finds himself on a quest to save his soul…
Yet this woman makes him harder than a rock.
For a guy who spends his days encased in granite, that’s saying something.
Crafty and swift, Sadie learned to pickpocket from the best mentor ever—need.
When she runs across a tall, sexy gargoyle, she steals his most valuable possession.
Maybe not the smartest move…
Now, she’s up against more than can she handle.
As he hunts her down to retrieve his precious stone, he stirs a passion she didn’t know existed…and can’t resist.
Heart Bandit is the first book in the Gargoyle Night Guardian series.
No cliffhangers. No cheating.
Each book contains a happily ever after between a hardened warrior and his forever mate.
To purchase Heart Bandit, click www.rosalieredd.com/heart-bandit.html.
ABOUT ROSALIE
After finishing a rewarding career in finance and accounting, it was time for award-winning author Rosalie Redd to put away the spreadsheets and take out the word processor. She pens paranormal, science fiction, and fantasy romance in her office cave located in Oregon, where rain is just another excuse to keep writing.
