Queen of the Underworld
Page 26
Holding her husband close, Cora rubbed her face against his. And if her cheek came away wet, there was no way to tell who cried the tears.
“You’re so beautiful,” Marcus whispered. His thumb rubbed circles on her flawless skin. “How is it you’re also so wise?”
“Are you implying beautiful women don’t have brains?” Cora raised a brow. Marcus shook his head. “I’m kidding. I know you’re in awe of me.”
“Of you. And the fact you’re with a guy like me. Why is that anyway?”
“Hmmm,” Cora twined her arms around his neck. “I thought I had a few reasons but I don’t know. You better kiss me before I forget.”
“I’ll do more than kiss you,” Marcus bent her back in his arms, claiming her mouth as she laughed, moving his lips down her throat until she gasped.
“We’re missing the party,” she murmured as he tugged her zipper down.
“Fuck the party.”
“Marcus.” She laughed and gave in. With any luck, no one would come investigate her disappearance. If they did, the happy sounds emanating from the alcove would give her away. “Marcus,” she panted.
After a moment he raised his head. “Yes, my love?”
“I love you.”
“And I love you,” he said.
“Say it again.”
“I love you. Per sempre. Forever.” He whispered it over and over, imprinting his kisses on her cheeks, her eyelids, her fingers and fluttering pulse. He had forever to make her feel his love for her.
Forever started now.
Tales of Olympus will continue with Daphne’s story in The Beauty & the Rose.
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A Note From the Authors
A note from Lee:
Whew! What a ride! Stasia and I are so glad you made it to the end of Marcus & Cora’s story. Without our readers and fans, none of this would be possible. Big fat thanks to our author friends who cheer us on and provide moral support through the writing doldrums.
When I first started writing Marcus & Cora’s story in college, I had no idea what their books would become. New Olympus is a whole world Stasia and I can play in. If you have requests for which character’s story we tell (*cough* Sharo *cough*) please let us know. :)
A note from Stasia:
I agree, writing this trilogy has been one insane, exciting ride!!! Thanks for coming along with us! We lived with these characters, cried with these characters, celebrated with them, almost killed some of them before days later, deciding, nooooooooo! We can’t kill them!
So yay, most of them have survived and yes, we will be writing another trilogy, in the world telling Daphne’s story (mixing mythology with a little bit of our favorite fairytale, Beauty & the Beast), and zomg, already the ideas are stirring and soon we’ll begin outlining and starting all over again!!!
The Pantheon: Who’s Who
A note from Lee: I’ve always loved Greek and Roman mythology. ‘Innocence’ is a retelling of the myth of Persephone and Hades. ‘Awakening’ goes further, using the story of Orpheus and Euridice as a subplot, and introducing more of the re-imagined Pantheon. I held nothing sacred and pulled from Ovid, Hesiod, Shakespeare, Homer, and even the Bible (‘cause why not?). Some of the references are super oblique, but if you’re a nerd about this stuff like me, you’ll appreciate this cheat sheet (if you don’t give a whoop about allegories, ignore this):
The Underworld:
Cora Vestian: Persephone, Proserpina. First name comes from Kore. Last name inspired by the Vestal Virgins.
Marcus Ubeli: Hades. Last name inspired by the chthonic god Eubuleus.
Demi Titan: Demeter. Last name taken from the Titans, the old gods who were the enemies of the Zeus-led pantheon.
Sharo: Charon. Nicknamed The Undertaker.
The Shades: Marcus’s criminal army.
The Styx: a crime ridden area of New Olympus
Brutus: Cerberus.
The Chariot: Marcus’s private club where he conducts most of his business. Contains the office where he and Cora met.
The Orphan: Orpheus.
Iris: Eurydice.
The rest of the Pantheon:
AJ: Ajax the Lesser.
Anna: Aphrodite. Her stage name is Venus.
Armand: Hermes. He has wing tattoos and owns a business called Metamorphoses, a reference to Ovid.
Elysium: the popular club and music venue, owned by Marcus. The place to see and be seen in New Olympus.
Hype and Thane: Hypnos and Thanatos. God of Sleep and Death, respectively. They run club Elysium.
Maeve: Hectate, goddess of the Crossroads. She advises Cora.
Max Mars: Mars. God of war = volatile action movie star.
Oliva: Athena. Her company is Aurum, the Latin word for gold. Inspired by Steve Jobs. Aurum plus Apple = golden apple.
Philip Waters: Poseidon. Controls the shipping corridors into New Olympus.
Zeke Sturm: Zeus. The esteemed mayor of New Olympus. Last name (Storm) inspired by the lightning bolts Zeus used.
Also by Stasia Black
Dark Contemporary Romances
Cut So Deep
Break So Soft
Hurt So Good
The Virgin and the Beast: a Beauty and the Beast Tale
Hunter: a Snow White Romance
The Virgin Next Door: a Ménage Romance
Daddy’s Sweet Girl (freebie)
Complete Marriage Raffle Series
Theirs to Protect
Theirs to Pleasure
Their Bride
Theirs to Defy
Theirs to Ransom
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Lee's books on Amazon
Contemporary romance:
Beauty and the Lumberjacks: a dark reverse harem romance
Her Marine Daddy
Her Dueling Daddies
Royally Fucked - get free at www.leesavino.com
Paranormal & Sci fi romance:
The Alpha Series
The Draekon Series
The Berserker Series
About Stasia Black
STASIA BLACK grew up in Texas, recently spent a freezing five-year stint in Minnesota, and now is happily planted in sunny California, which she will never, ever leave.
She loves writing, reading, listening to podcasts, and has recently taken up biking after a twenty-year sabbatical (and has the bumps and bruises to prove it). She lives with her own personal cheerleader, aka, her handsome husband, and their teenage son. Wow. Typing that makes her feel old. And writing about herself in the third person makes her feel a little like a nutjob, but ahem! Where were we?
Stasia’s drawn to romantic stories that don’t take the easy way out. She wants to see beneath people’s veneer and poke into their dark places, their twisted motives, and their deepest desires. Basically, she wants to create characters that make readers alternately laugh, cry ugly tears, want to toss their kindles across the room, and then declare they have a new FBB (forever book boyfriend).
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About Lee Savino
Lee Savino has grandiose goals but most days can’t find her wallet or her keys so she just stays at home and writes. While she was studying creative writing at Hollins University, her first manuscript won the Hollins Fiction Prize.
She lives in the USA with her awesome family. You can find her on Facebook in the Goddess Group (which you totally should join).