Ashael entered, wearing deep blue silk pajamas, of all things. He even had on matching blue slippers. No question what he’d been doing when Ian’s toast reached him. “Sorry to have woken you,” I said to Ashael. To Ian, I said, “We’re in more trouble than you realize.”
Ian snorted. “I’ve been in trouble since the day my father set me up for my brother’s murder so I’d be the one imprisoned instead of his legitimate heir. Being a fugitive might be new to you, luv, but not to me. Don’t fret.” He gave me a quick, sly grin. “I know all the best places to evade the law. Be like a vacation for you. You’ll love it.”
“Being a fugitive is suddenly the least of my concerns,” I said, marveling at the irony.
I’d taken such care to avoid being discovered for what I was. Now, the vampire council, Enforcers, and Law Guardians’ wrath seemed trivial things to worry about.
Ian’s brows rose. “You mean Dagon’s potential allies at the highest levels of vampire law? Assuming I haven’t lost my teleporting abilities for good, I’ll pop in and verify if what I felt was truly a mark of Dagon’s power on any of them or not.”
“Not that either,” I replied.
Now I had his full attention. “Then what?”
I turned to my brother. “You’re twice my age, and you know a lot more about our father than I do, so . . . did you hear anything about me being betrothed prebirth to a gold-winged, possibly ancient Greek deity named Phanes?”
“The fuck you say?” Ian burst out.
“My thoughts exactly,” I said without a touch of irony this time. “Well?” I prodded Ashael, who had paled.
“How did he find you?” Ashael asked in a stricken voice. “Our father cloaked you so that none of the other deities or demigods could feel you!”
“Another piece of news I’ve never heard before, but not the most relevant at the moment,” I said through gritted teeth. “It’s true? This Phanes, whatever he is, thinks I’m promised to be his bride?”
“Over my dead body,” Ian snapped.
“That’s exactly the terms Phanes will demand, once he hears that Veritas married you,” Ashael replied darkly.
Oh hell no. “That’s not going to happen because no one gets to decree who I marry, let alone do it before I even existed!”
Ashael gave me a look of calculated alarm. “Independence may be prized in this world, but it isn’t in the celestial realms. That is why our father sought to protect us from them.”
I couldn’t claim you, my father told me long ago. I’d assumed it was because impregnating a mortal was a no-no for his kind, so he was protecting himself by staying away from me. Or that he lacked the emotional depths to care enough to claim me. If Ashael was right, there was a more compelling reason.
I took Ian’s hand. Once again, everything I thought I knew had turned out to be wrong or very, very incomplete. Still, I’d survived Dagon, finally gotten justice for everyone he and Ereshki had harmed, and now had the man I loved at my side. That was infinitely more than I could’ve said a month ago.
In fact, it had taken me my entire life to get to this point, so somehow, I’d find a way to survive these new challenges, be they a demon-acolyte council member, being hunted by both the vampire and demon world, or some gold-fogged lesser deity who thought I was his mandated fiancée.
Wasn’t I the optimistic one all of a sudden? Love did strange, wonderful things to people indeed.
I tightened my grip on Ian’s hand. He squeezed back, a silent promise that we’d face this together. Then, I let out a sigh.
“You need to tell me everything I don’t know about our father’s world, Ashael, and you need to do it now. I don’t know how long we have before Phanes finds me again, but whenever he does, we have to make sure we’re ready.”
Acknowledgments
If it seems like my Acknowledgments page keeps thanking the same people over and over, it’s because the same group helps haul me over the finish line with every book. How could I NOT keep thanking them for that? And don’t expect me to change who I thank first, either. Abraham Lincoln once said, “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.” When I’ve had nowhere else to go, and even when I’ve been too angry or arrogant to show up, You still haven’t left me, Lord. “Thank you” is so inadequate by comparison.
As usual, enormous thanks also go to my fabulous editor, Erika Tsang; my wonderful agent, Nancy Yost; the amazing Pamela Jaffee, Caroline Perny, Kayleigh Webb, Nicole Fischer, and the rest of the hard-working team at Avon Books. Thanks also to dear friends Ilona Andrews and Melissa Marr, who offered encouragement and invaluable early critiques. Endless thanks and love to my husband, Matthew, my sisters Jinger and Jeanne, my father Bill, my many nieces and nephews, my great-Aunt Dottie, and every other family member who’s had to hear “I can’t because I’m on a deadline!” too many times to count.
Last, but definitely not least, thank you, readers! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: without you, I’m just telling stories to myself. With you, those stories, characters, and worlds become so much more. They truly take on a life of their own with every reader who opens the pages. Author Charlaine Harris once said, “Here’s to books, the cheapest vacation you can buy.” I couldn’t agree more. That’s why I’m so honored to share my books with you, readers. I hope you enjoy the mini “vacation” you take with them.
Announcement
Ian and Veritas will return in
Wicked All Night,
the next Night Rebel novel!
About the Author
JEANIENE FROST is the New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author of the Night Huntress and Night Prince series, as well as the Night Huntress World novels. To date, foreign rights for her novels have sold to twenty different countries. Jeaniene lives in Florida with her husband, Matthew, rarely cooks, and always sleeps in on the weekends. Aside from writing, Jeaniene enjoys reading, poetry, watching movies with her husband, exploring old cemeteries, spelunking, and traveling—by car. Airplanes, children, and cookbooks frighten her.
To know more about Jeaniene, please visit her website at jeanienefrost.com.
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Praise for Jeaniene Frost
“Frost’s dazzling blend of urban fantasy action and passionate relationships makes her a true phenomenon.”
—RT Book Reviews
“A stay-up-until-sunrise read . . . There are many Draculas out there, but only one Vlad, and you owe it to yourself to meet him.”
—Ilona Andrews on Once Burned
“Passionate and tantalizing . . . filled with dark sensuality and fast-paced action.”
—Kresley Cole on First Drop of Crimson
“Sexy-hot and a thrill-ride on every page. I’m officially addicted to the series.”
—Gena Showalter on At Grave’s End
By Jeaniene Frost
Wicked Bite
Shades of Wicked
Into the Fire
Bound by Flames
Up From the Grave
Twice Tempted
Once Burned
One Grave at a Time
This Side of the Grave
Eternal Kiss of Darkness
First Drop of Crimson
Destined for an Early Grave
At Grave’s End
One Foot in the Grave
Halfway to the Grave
Coming Soon
Wicked All Night
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
wicked bite. Copyright © 2020 by Jeaniene Frost. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been
granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers. For information, address HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.
Digital Edition FEBBRUARY 2020 ISBN: 978-0-06-269564-2
Print Edition ISBN: 978-0-06-269563-5
Cover design by Amy Halperin
Cover art by Cliff Nielsen
Avon, Avon & logo, and Avon Books & logo are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers in the United States of America and other countries.
HarperCollins is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Publishers in the United States of America and other countries.
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