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Finally, my feet were again to the ground.
Though they were to the ground about a foot away from where a dead man lay.
“Close the door,” True ordered Cassius, who had arrived next.
I saw Elena peer around Cassius and pale.
“Close the bloody door!” True bellowed, having trouble containing a now hysterical Farah.
Mars arrived in time to look in as Cassius stepped in what seemed cautiously, holding Elena back with a strong arm, and closed the door.
“I swear to the bloody goddess, Cassius—” she began, her voice trembling with fury.
“We’ll talk later,” Cassius grunted.
“We fucking will,” Elena threatened.
But I was watching Mars.
His head was bowed, his eyes closed.
My heart sunk.
He looked…
Grieved.
Elpis had made it to them, and she had her hands on Farah, trying to help True soothe her, but her attention was on her son.
“Mars?” she asked tremulously as Basil came jogging down the hall.
Mars looked right to him.
“Get a bloody snake charmer,” he bit out.
Basil halted, his head jerking in shock, then he walked backward four steps before turning and jogging again, this time the other way.
“A bloody dozen of them!” Mars shouted at his back.
Snakes?
Farah collapsed to the floor.
Elpis went down with her, pulling her in her arms, tears falling down her cheeks, shushing noises coming from her lips.
I pulled at Luther’s arms.
“Countess,” he murmured.
I looked up at him.
“Farah,” I whispered.
He made the correct decision at the expression on my face, took my arm and guided me to her.
I got down on my knees and did my best to pull both her and Elpis into my arms, for they’d collapsed into each other, sobbing.
But I glanced up when Cassius murmured, “Aramus,” as Aramus opened the door to Sofia’s chamber.
A black snake with emerald eyes slithered toward freedom only to be caught on the tip of Aramus’s sickle, picked up but an inch only to fall in two parts from the honed blade.
Where it separated, there was a weak spark of yellow light.
He did the same with another one.
And got the spark.
And another.
With spark.
Magic.
I looked beyond his bulky body.
Only to see the bed covered in slithering, glistening black bodies, unblinking emerald eyes, and Sofia all but buried under them, staring unseeing at the ceiling.
I closed my eyes tight.
“Cassius, don’t you go in—” Elena started.
I opened my eyes only to see the door close on Cassius with Elena on this side.
I saw movement and turned my gaze toward it.
Mars was crouching by a body in black, pulling the tight-fitting hood off, lifting the head by its dark hair and staring at the face.
Still holding it, his eyes came to me.
And they were what I thought was a trick of the light earlier.
But it was no trick.
They were twin flames burning into me.
I had never been afraid of him.
Not really.
I knew that then.
Because in that moment, he terrified me.
“You will now, my little monkey,” he started, his voice a physical thing, slithering at me threateningly like one of those emerald-eyed snakes, “learn what it truly means to be a Firenz.”
I held the women sobbing against me, but now I did it trembling.
It was then, I swayed powerfully back, Farah and Elpis swaying with me, Ha-Lah, who was moving toward us, throwing her arms out to catch her balance.
The floor moved more, more, shaking us, the walls, the chandeliers in the ceilings.
The door to Sofia’s room burst open and Cassius and Aramus surged out, Aramus slamming it behind him, Cassius’s long arms snatching Elena to him as Aramus raced to Ha-Lah.
This while True crouched over Farah, Elpis and me.
But Mars moved to me with long, sure strides, plucking me up, turning me into him, bending and lifting my legs as his knees buckled.
He fell to his rear, curling over me with his body and holding me tight just as plaster disengaged from the ceiling and started raining down on us.
I heard cries, people scurrying, a chandelier down the hall crashing to the floor.
And then it came, low at first, but it grew, built, filling the air around us so full, you were breathing it in.
It was like thunder rumbling up from below, shaking the dirt, the palace, the very planet as we were enveloped in low to louder and then to a final deafening, enraged roar that was so earsplitting, so terrifying, I forced my hands through the small amount of space between Mars and me and covered my ears.
It did not stop suddenly.
It ran down, decreasing in volume as the quaking around us settled.
Until both at the same time were gone.
That was the worst.
The worst quake by far.
And we’d never, not once, heard that roar.
Mars curled up, still holding me close to his chest.
I looked to him.
He was looking at True.
I turned to True, only to catch Farah’s wide eyes on me.
They flashed topaz.
“The Beast is almost here,” Queen Ophelia whispered.
Oh.
Gods.
The End of Part One
To be continued…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KRISTEN ASHLEY IS the New York Times bestselling author of over sixty romance novels including the Rock Chick, Colorado Mountain, Dream Man, Chaos, Unfinished Heroes, The ’Burg, Magdalene, Fantasyland, The Three, Ghost and Reincarnation, Moonlight and Motor Oil and Honey series along with several standalone novels. She’s a hybrid author, publishing titles both independently and traditionally, her books have been translated in fourteen languages and she’s sold over three million books.
Kristen’s novel, Law Man, won the RT Book Reviews Reviewer’s Choice Award for best Romantic Suspense. Her independently published title Hold On was nominated for RT Book Reviews best Independent Contemporary Romance and her traditionally published title Breathe was nominated for best Contemporary Romance. Kristen’s titles Motorcycle Man, The Will, Ride Steady (which won the Reader’s Choice award from Romance Reviews) and The Hookup all made the final rounds for Goodreads Choice Awards in the Romance category.
Kristen, born in Gary and raised in Brownsburg, Indiana, was a fourth-generation graduate of Purdue University. Since, she has lived in Denver, the West Country of England, and now she resides in Phoenix. She worked as a charity executive for eighteen years prior to beginning her independent publishing career. She currently writes full-time.
Although romance is her genre, the prevailing themes running through all of Kristen’s novels are friendship, family and a strong sisterhood. To this end, and as a way to thank her readers for their support, Kristen has created the Rock Chick Nation, a series of programs that are designed to give back to her readers and promote a strong female community.
The mission of the Rock Chick Nation is to live your best life, be true to your true self, recognize your beauty and take your sister’s back whether they’re friends and family or if they’re thousands of miles away and you don’t know who they are. The programs of the RC Nation include: Rock Chick Rendezvous, weekends Kristen organizes full of parties and get-togethers to bring the sisterhood together; Rock Chick Recharges, evenings Kristen arranges for women who have been nominated to receive a special night; and Rock Chick Rewards, an ongoing program that raises funds for nonprofit women’s organizations Kristen’s readers nominate. Kristen’s Rock Chick Rewards have donated nearly $130,000 to charity and this number continues
to rise.
You can read more about Kristen, her titles and the Rock Chick Nation at www.KristenAshley.net.
BOOKS BY
KRISTEN ASHLEY
Rock Chick Series:
Rock Chick
Rock Chick Rescue
Rock Chick Redemption
Rock Chick Renegade
Rock Chick Revenge
Rock Chick Reckoning
Rock Chick Regret
Rock Chick Revolution
Rock Chick Reawakening
Rock Chick Reborn
ALSO AVAILABLE ON AUDIO
Rock Chick
Rock Chick Rescue
Rock Chick Redemption
Rock Chick Renegade
Rock Chick Revenge
Rock Chick Reckoning
Rock Chick Regret
Rock Chick Revolution
Rock Chick Reawakening
Rock Chick Reborn
The ‘Burg Series:
For You
At Peace
Golden Trail
Games of the Heart
The Promise
Hold On
ALSO AVAILABLE ON AUDIO
For You
At Peace
Golden Trail
Games of the Heart
The Promise
Hold On
The Chaos Series:
Own the Wind
Fire Inside
Ride Steady
Walk Through Fire
A Christmas to Remember
Rough Ride
Wild Like the Wind
Free
ALSO AVAILABLE ON AUDIO
Own the Wind
Fire Inside
Ride Steady
Walk Through Fire
Wild Like the Wind
Free
The Colorado Mountain Series:
The Gamble
Sweet Dreams
Lady Luck
Breathe
Jagged
Kaleidoscope
Bounty
ALSO AVAILABLE ON AUDIO
The Gamble
Sweet Dreams
Lady Luck
Breathe
Jagged
Kaleidoscope
Bounty
Dream Man Series:
Mystery Man
Wild Man
Law Man
Motorcycle Man
Quiet Man
ALSO AVAILABLE ON AUDIO
Mystery Man
Wild Man
Law Man
Motorcycle Man
The Honey Series:
The Deep End
The Farthest Edge
The Greatest Risk
ALSO AVAILABLE ON AUDIO
The Deep End
The Farthest Edge
The Greatest Risk
The Magdalene Series:
The Will
Soaring
The Time in Between
ALSO AVAILABLE ON AUDIO
The Will
Soaring
The Time in Between
Moonlight and Motor Oil Series:
The Hookup
The Slow Burn
ALSO AVAILABLE ON AUDIO
The Hookup
The Slow Burn
The Three Series:
Until the Sun Falls from the Sky
With Everything I Am
Wild and Free
ALSO AVAILABLE ON AUDIO
Until the Sun Falls from the Sky
With Everything I Am
Wild and Free
The Unfinished Hero Series:
Knight
Creed
Raid
Deacon
Sebring
ALSO AVAILABLE ON AUDIO
Knight
Creed
Raid
Deacon
Sebring
Ghosts and Reincarnation Series:
Sommersgate House
Lacybourne Manor
Penmort Castle
Fairytale Come Alive
Lucky Stars
ALSO AVAILABLE ON AUDIO
Sommersgate House
Lacybourne Manor
Penmort Castle
Fairytale Come Alive
Lucky Stars
The Rising Series:
The Beginning of Everything
The Plan Commences
The Dawn of the End
The Rising
ALSO AVAILABLE ON AUDIO
The Beginning of Everything
The Plan Commences
The Dawn of the End
The Rising
Mathilda, SuperWitch:
Mathilda’s Book of Shadows
Mathilda The Rise of the Dark Lord
Other Titles by Kristen Ashley:
Heaven and Hell
Play It Safe
Three Wishes
Complicated
Loose Ends
Fast Lane
ALSO AVAILABLE ON AUDIO
Heaven and Hell
Play It Safe
Three Wishes
Complicated
Loose Ends
Fast Lane
CONNECT WITH
KRISTEN ASHLEY
Official Website:
www.kristenashley.net
Kristen’s Facebook Page:
www.facebook.com/kristenashleybooks
Follow Kristen on Twitter:
@KristenAshley68
Discover Kristen’s Pins on Pinterest:
www.pinterest.com/kashley0155
Follow Kristen on Instagram:
KristenAshleyBooks