Of course, with Roman’s techno music blaring at top volume, conversation wouldn’t have been possible. He seemed in fine good spirits now. Now that he figured he’d won. He’d made her change three times, clearly enjoying putting her through her paces, like he was training a dog—sit, stay, roll over...
~Big Book of Fairyland, “Falcon’s War” His obligation to me satisfied, Rogue called a war council meeting. Normally this should have pleased General Falcon and his commanders, who had demonstrated they loved nothing better. This time, however, not o...
Christy sat at her tiny desk and pulled her cell phone out of the drawer. There was simply no point in taking it below the top level, since she had to turn it off anyway so it wouldn’t drain the battery searching for a network connection. Bad news. Work emergency and have to cancel tonight. She h...
Clad in her purple unicorn pajamas, she checked the time: 7 a.m., so she’d been asleep for four hours. She shoved Star’s raggedy self out of sight under the covers and blearily made her way to the door. That demanding knock undoubtedly belonged to her father. When she’d awakened him with her phon...
Of course, she wasn’t at all sure what she had envisioned, except that her mother was supposed to have handled this, as it was her plan and she was the former queen. She was supposed to have mastered the skill of envisioning a result so that it would manifest as she chose. Oria hadn’t indulged he...
It occurred to me that it would be different every time, each coming together a magical intertwinement. And this moment was so infused with Rayfe, this man buried between my thighs, that I couldn’t imagine it any other way. He levered himself up and brushed the hair out of my face. Then he snagge...
When I awoke in the morning—because Marin finally shook me, telling me everyone was ready to leave and I could sleep the day away after we reached Windroven—he’d gone hunting to supplement the provisions we’d leave in the cabin for him. Or so Graves said. Instead I pictured him hiking up the long...
An executive editor who’s too busy to write the Dear Reader letter, but has time for reading. I find both the beach and the plane are excellent places to read, and thanks to plenty of time spent on both this summer (I went to Australia! And New Zealand!) I’m able to tell you with conf...
Thankfully all of them had been appreciative of the consideration and none had argued. She’d been uncertain how they’d receive the courtesy, as they were hardly well groomed at the best of times. Apparently being covered in the ashes of human bodies crossed the line, even for them. Or they were t...
This time, I followed a third road, broader and busier than the goat track to Annfwn or the trade route to Windroven. Teeming with carts laden with the precious fruits of late harvests and watched over by soldiers wearing the uniforms of Mohraya and Ordnung, with former Vervaldr mixed in with eac...
She’d texted that she had an after-work thing—a book launch party which looked to go late—and Amber was invited to be her date. At the time, she’d refused, already at drinks with her own work crew. In her turmoil, she’d forgotten about it until she got home and changed into a casual sundress, and...
She shifted, the glide of warm velvet under her cheek, the brush of a soft fur blanket covering her. So peaceful and cozy. Her lashes looked like black lace against the warm light. Sighing, she snuggled in, drowsy and peaceful. What the hell? With a bolt of panic, she sat up, the throw falling aw...
Harlan cupped my elbow still, urging me to stand, his deep voice grim. “You need tending.” “Wait.” I stopped him. Madeline’s first assistant stood riveted by the doors to the kitchens, staring at the headless body, white-faced and shaking. “Lise!” I spoke sharply to cut through her shock. Out of ...
Christy complained. “Everyone at the opera said it would be crawling with tourists on a Saturday. How can I possibly find myself with ten thousand brats crawling up my ass, screaming that they want candy?” Hally threw her an amused look, then turned her attention back to the highway. “This is how...
A town house blazing with light rose above them. Two torches, wired for electricity, glowed on either side. Prejean pulled out a key and excitement thrilled through her, like she was a little girl again, with a chance to see a secret garden for herself. He unlocked the dead bolt, then considered ...
Starling sighed. “It’s easy to think of sacrifices in theory.” My voice sounded a bit too sharp. I took a deep breath. Let it go. “In practice you might find yourself…regretting the price you paid.” She nodded gravely. Her gaze rested on my arm, whe...
Still, it did the job of covering her stomach, which was the important part. Roman spent most of his time on the phone or frowning at his laptop, while she lolled—frankly bored—under a blue umbrella, sipping iced tea. Finally she asked Roman for her phone, saying she needed to call her dad and ch...
Between the dean’s call offering her the coaching job, the utter release of that mind-blowing session, Ryan’s heady charm—not to mention a hit of sugar and caffeine—and the knowledge that she had a million dollars in her bank account, however ill-gotten, she practically danced back through the lo...
Interesting. ~Big Book of Fairyland, “Rules of Magic” Darling met me at the door of our rooms when we returned, prancing with excitement. Athena lurked behind him looking, of all things, a little guilty. “He’s settled on a new name,” she informed me...