Eternal Flame
By Valerie Twombly
ISBN: 978-1-600735-700-1
Book Length:
Full novel (84,000 words)
Publisher: Resplendence
DESCRIPTION
A woman he cannot have, a man who is only a
dream…
When guardian Marcus Dagotto, discovers the
Gods have gifted him with a mate, he is pissed. He has no room for love and
even less for a human who has no idea he exists.
Cassandra Jensen, has a shattered heart and
has given up on men. Only one man can set her body on fire, but he is a fantasy
that haunts her sleep.
Two worlds, one desire.
When the two collide, fate will rip them
apart and test their resolve. Will darkness and evil prevail? Or, will love
conquer all?
Excerpt
Prologue
October 1712
Tears stung
Marcus’s cheeks when he raised his sword. “I am so sorry, love. I have failed
you. It should be I who dies this day.”
Eliza’s cocoa eyes
looked at him but didn’t see him. Dead inside, her soul was lost. She would
never again be the woman he loved.
He sucked in a
breath and flexed his arms, the sword swung, slicing across her neck. The blade
tore through sinew and bone and sent her head rolling across the stone floor.
Reality nearly sent him to his knees, but there wasn’t time to mourn the death
of his mate. The fighting outside echoed in his ears, the demons were strong
and put up one hell of a fight.
Marcus advanced
down the corridor of the abandoned castle. The scene played out the same in
every direction. Blood bathed the floors, and his brethren’s heartsick screams
echoed off the walls as they killed their mates.
A demon jumped out
from behind a door. Its claws tearing the flesh on his arm. He wielded his
sword and sent another head flying across the room. Out of the corner of his
eye, he caught a Draki dispatching another demon. The shifter, a friend who
also searched for his mate. Not even the dragons were immune to Drayos and his
fucking misery.
The dragon turned
his head. “Be careful, my friend. My brethren will soon be setting this place
on fire.” Caleb’s cerulean body shimmered as he shifted back to human form.
“Have you found
your mate yet?” Marcus asked as he searched the adjoining room. Empty.
“Not yet, you?”
He stepped beside
his friend. “I killed her.”
Caleb laid a hand
on his shoulder. “I am sorry, my friend. Drayos will die this day for what he
has done.”
Marcus nodded and
moved forward in his search for the demon Drayos. He opened up the psychic path
leading to his prince. Aidyn.
Marcus, did you find my sister?
He closed his eyes,
so many hearts broken today. She is dead, I am
sorry, my lord.
I will kill Drayos with my bare hands.
Aidyn had already
lost his brother and father in this battle. His pain ripped through Marcus. No
doubt the other guardians felt it. It was a blessing and a curse to be
connected to each other.
He tried to
pinpoint the prince’s position, but something blocked him. Aidyn,
where are you? Do not engage Drayos. The
prince would die as well if he tried to kill the Demon Overlord. Aidyn was far
too young; his two hundred years were no match against a thousand-year-old
demon.
He took our women, used them to carry his spawn. He has killed
everyone I love.
Tired muscles
carried Marcus up a flight of stairs. He stormed from room to room, kicking in
locked doors only to find them empty. I know my lord, and he will pay, but it is not wise for
you to confront him. He
knew Aidyn wouldn’t listen. Perhaps the gods would help.
“Zarek!” Marcus
summoned the god, nothing. No surprise. After all, the gods could have stepped
in and saved the women, but they had all been left to fate. Fuck fate, he was
sick to death of it.
The sound of
clashing swords filtered in from the hallway. He flashed into the room, not
caring what he stumbled across. His vision filled with Aidyn and Drayos, they
were face to face.
Drayos had morphed
into a full demon and stood at least three feet taller than Aidyn. Blood seeped
from the wounds that covered the demons blackened skin.
Marcus tried to run
toward them but found himself behind an invisible barrier. “What the fuck?”
He balled his hands
and banged on the wall. “Aidyn!” The prince ignored him. He was stuck, helpless
as he watched the events unfold in front of him. Thoughts of telling Daria, his
queen, she had lost her entire family in this battle sat like arsenic in his
stomach. He pressed his palms against his prison. Aidyn,
my friend, I can’t bear another loss today.
The air behind him
shifted, a cool breeze lifted his hair. He moved his gaze over his shoulder and
found Zarek towering over him in a Scottish kilt rather than his beloved
Egyptian shendyt. His raven hair held a beaded braid on one side. So this
is why he ignores us? He is busy playing dress-up with the goddess Quadira.
“Get me out of
here!” he demanded.
“You will not
interfere, my son.”
Marcus growled; his
fangs elongated; he wanted blood. Yes, he would take the blood of his god if it
ended the pain and suffering of his brethren. “You would let the prince die?”
He tried to lunge toward Zarek but found his feet pinned to the floor. You are
our creator, we your warriors. Why would you do this to us?
Zarek gave him a
leveled gaze. “What makes you think the prince will die this day?”
He looked back
toward the fight. Aidyn had lost his sword; a small dagger was clutched in his
hand. Both the demon and the vampire bore bloody wounds.
He turned back to
Zarek. “The prince is too young to fight one as strong as Drayos.” Marcus
dropped to his knees, he would beg the god if he had to.
“Send me in his
place…please.” He was three hundred years older than Aidyn and could defeat the
demon. “We have lost so much today.” Death haunted him like a fucking plague.
He was a healer, but today, he healed no one. The anguished cries of his
brethren still echoed in his ears. They had slain their mates then turned on
each other to end their misery. Marcus would like to end his suffering as well,
but he would continue on; his skills were needed.
Zarek laid a hand
on his shoulder. “I am sorry, my son, for all the pain you will encounter this
day. However, today must shape the future.” With those words, he vanished.
The future? Aidyn
was their future, the line that tied them all together. They all hoped the
prince would persuade the gods to find a cure for the curse Drayos had placed
upon them.
The curse would
devour them, creating an imbalance that would darken their souls. When Zarek
created his vampires, he used light and dark, good and evil. The light fueled
the guardian of humanity, the darkness the warrior. A perfect balance, but once
Drayos’s curse took full effect, the light would fade, the darkness turning
them into pure evil, destined to destroy everything in their path. Not even the
humans they guarded would be safe.
He jumped to his
feet but found the shield still erected around him. Aidyn’s body lie still on
the floor, and Drayos stood over him, sword poised for the fatal blow.
He beat on the
invisible wall. “Aidyn!” He sucked in a breath, his heart trapped in a vice
that squeezed the life out of him. He could do nothing but watch his prince
die. A tear slid down his cheek for the death of his mate, his brethren and now
his prince, his best friend. I am no guardian. I am a failure. I have failed them
all.
Drayos swung his
sword. Everything moved in slow motion as Marcus waited for the blade to
connect with Aidyn’s neck.
Lightning sizzled
from the sky and sent debris flying in different directions. The room crumbled
around them as the earth shook. Drayos’s head rolled across the floor. Marcus
sensed the shield that encased him drop, and he rushed forward to where Aidyn
stood.
“What the hell just
happened? Are you alright?” Marcus asked.
“I am not exactly
sure. I think I caused the lightning.”
“You?” He looked
over the prince, his pants torn and his shirt missing. Dust from the debris
covered his bleeding wounds. There was something different about the prince. He
seemed stronger. Marcus noticed the dark marking on Aidyn’s chest and reached
out to wipe away the gray dirt so he could get a better look. “Sweet deity!” He
jumped back.
“What?” Aidyn
looked at his chest. His jaw dropped. “I never felt it.”
Like many of the
other guardians, Aidyn had been given his mark. An indication of his position
and abilities. Marcus bore the Ankh, a pair of angel wings spread out over the
top. The ancient symbol meant life or living. A healer, able to repair the sick
or injured with his energy.
The naked skin over
Aidyn’s left breast bore the mark chosen by the gods. The eye of Ra, the symbol
of protection and power, sat atop a pyramid encased by a blazing sun. This
could only mean…
Marcus.
His thoughts
interrupted by the almost unrecognizable voice. Father?
Come to me, son.
Aidyn touched his
shoulder. “I am fine, let us go help your father.”
Together they
flashed to the position his father communicated. When Marcus arrived, his
father was on his knees holding the bloody, headless body of his wife, Marcus’s
mother. His sword lay beside him covered in blood. He knew what had happened.
His mother’s belly heavy with child. Drayos’s demon spawn had been growing
inside her, and like the other women, her soul had been darkened. There was no
cure, Marcus had tried to heal Eliza, but it had proved fruitless. Like him,
his father had taken the head of the woman he loved.
“Father.” He knelt
next to the frail man and placed his arm around his shoulder, pulling him tight
to his side. “I am so very sorry.” Tears welled in his eyes, he refused them
escape. He would remain strong for the man beside him.
His father looked
at him, his eyes rimmed red. “You will do the honorable thing.”
Marcus closed his
eyes, again. He would have to mourn later. “Yes,” he whispered. How much more
destruction could he take before he crumbled? Somewhere, he would find the
strength needed to end his father’s misery and begin his own.
“Take care of your
sister.” It was the last command his father would ever give him.
“I will. I love
you.” He kissed the man on the cheek then stood, his sword flashed through the
smoke-filled sky and sliced through his father’s neck.
Marcus dropped to
his knees, the heartache so severe he nearly passed out. His lungs contracted
as he screamed to the heavens. Another failure, so many broken hearts he was
unable to heal. Why couldn’t he heal the broken hearts?
Strong arms circled
him from behind and held him tight. “I have you, my friend,” Aidyn whispered.
About the Author
As a child, Valerie would
often get into trouble for peeking at her mother’s favorite TV show, Dark
Shadows. She can still hear her mother saying “It will give you nightmares.”
She was right of course, but that did not stop Valerie from watching. As an
adult, her love of the fanged creatures never waned. She would watch any
vampire movie she could find.
Being a true romantic,
Valerie was thrilled when she discovered the genre of paranormal romance. Her
first read was one of Lara Adrian’s, Midnight Breed Series and from there she
was hooked.
Today, Valerie has decided
to take her darker, sensual side and put it to paper. When she is not busy
creating a world full of steamy, hot men and strong, seductive women, she
juggles her time between a full-time job, hubby and her two German shepherd
dogs, in Northern IL.
Buy Links
Contact Links
Website: http://www.valerietwombly.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FangedFantasy
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Valerie-Twombly/e/B00BOXA8ZE/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1381061037&sr=8-1
Giveaway
info
Four books
total. 1 e-copy of Eternal Flame and 1 e-copy of Amazon Heat to two winners.
(Amazon Heat releases in Nov)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
