Chaos Broken (33 page)

Someone spoke behind me. ‘I was about to send out a search party for you.'

Turning, I saw Seth behind me, grinning. Dana was with him, and she gave me a little nod before turning away. Crowhurst hurried off towards the head priestess, muttering his apologies.

‘You look a little pale,' Seth said to me.

I swiped a hand across my sweaty forehead. ‘Late night.'

‘I heard.'

‘Kianna's tits,' I growled. ‘Stop acting like you know everything, Seth.'

‘But I do.' Seth rocked back on his heels.

‘Honestly, you have the nosiest spies in the city.' I paused. ‘How's the petition for City Treasurer going?'

‘Slow, but steady.'

‘Uh huh.' My eyes skirted around the church, suddenly spying Gideon and Orella sitting towards the front. Gideon's wild mop of hair had been brushed neatly to the side, while Orella wore a blue scarf. When I'd greeted them off the boat, I'd been shocked at how much smaller Orella had appeared, as if she'd shrunk while away. But she'd been in good spirits and I hadn't heard any more chest-wracking coughs, so I'd held my tongue, just happy to see her.

Blackgoat had been in reasonable shape by the time Gideon returned. Nicola had not only paid my fees, but gave a royalty rate on the profits from the play. I hadn't gone to see it myself, but the street presses had announced it a great success. I wasn't sure if this was due to Roosen's talent, or the fact that the subject of the play was the newly declared Defender of the Weald. A title I was still protesting, mind you. The sword of fire was securely sheathed back at Blackgoat, mounted on the wall in Gideon's office. I had no idea what I was supposed to do with it, nor what duties I was supposed to fulfil. But the nephilim following Casper and Roman had announced they would support me in my role, and I supposed that was a good start.

Unfortunately, most of Blackgoat's new clients now wanted to deal with me and I'd quickly promoted Grubber and Cloete to help Crowhurst and myself keep on top of matters. Gideon himself had been more than happy to take a back seat, though the office was still considered his.

‘You'd better go.' Seth pointed to where Crowhurst was frantically gesturing at me. I hurried to join him, waving at Gideon and Orella as I passed. Gideon gave me a wink and Orella narrowed her eyes, as if she knew
exactly
why we were late and whose fault it was.

Looking around, I tried to spot Roman, but couldn't see him anywhere.

‘You've still got the rings, right?' Crowhurst whispered to me as I stood beside him.

‘Give me some credit, it's been five minutes.' I patted the pocket again, suddenly feeling the gravity of the situation. I usually went to more funerals than weddings, so this was a nice change. A flicker to my left drew my attention and I spied Roman standing away from the pews, near one of the alcoves that housed statues of Kianna's various lovers of legend. He smiled warmly at me and I grinned back.

It was still startling to see Roman's wings out in the open, and I now could spot several nephilim in the crowd, those who had openly declared their independence from the Order to follow Roman. After Laeonder had fallen, the Thesma Regulators had voted among themselves on what action to take. Some returned to Thesma, while others, sensing the beginning of a new age for nephilim, had stayed in Harken, while the Grigori appointed a small group to talk with Roman and Casper. The death of Fowler had struck a shattering blow, given it had been by one of their own. Now they were willing to talk change in Harken and new parameters with the nephilim.

My eyes trailed back to Roman, thinking on Crowhurst's jibe about him moving in with me. At the moment, Roman and Casper were renting a place in Applecross, both working with other nephilim who wanted to leave the Order, helping their brothers decide what role they would play within Harken now. I thought about how nice it was to have Sabine in the house. How Nicola's baby didn't scare me quite so much anymore, even to the point where I'd babysat a couple of times. Not to mention Gorath asking me to be his new baby's godmother. Naturally, I'd gotten drunk and said yes. After I'd sobered up and assured Gorath and Manika I really had meant it, I'd had the realisation I was now enmeshed in a big, extended family. And it wasn't so bad.

My gaze still locked with Roman, I mouthed the words that had been so hard for me a few months ago. They weren't hard for me now, and my heart melted when his smile broadened in response. I no longer felt unworthy of Roman's love and devotion, because I understood myself now. That I was a better person with him by my side, and that he helped me to see there was a balance in all things. Light and Dark. Order and Chaos. I felt whole with Roman and knew I was worthy of him.

And everything after?

Soft flutes started up as Cloete appeared across the room, cloaked in a sweeping veil of white and purple. Beside me, Crowhurst exhaled and I watched my friend approach us, pride filling my chest.

Everything after, I would take one step at a time.

Thanks for reading
Chaos Broken
. I hope you enjoyed it.

If you'd like to know more about me, my books, or to connect with me online, you can visit my webpage
rebekahturner.net
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Reviews can help readers find books, and I am grateful for all honest reviews. Thank you for taking the time to let others know what you've read, and what you thought.

You've just read a book in my
Chronicles of Applecross
series. The other books in this series are
Chaos Born
and
Chaos Bound
(more info over the page).

This book was published by Escape Publishing. If you'd like to sample some more great books from my fellow Escape Artists, please turn the page.

Introducing the
Chronicles of Applecross…

Lora Blackgoat, smuggler and mercenary, has been lying low after a job gone bad made her a laughing stock in the industry. When a childhood friend turns to her for help, Lora leaps to restore her reputation and starts hunting a killer who is stalking the gas-lit streets.

She never expects that her path will lead her to the Order of Guides, a sadistic militant religious organisation - or to Roman, a deadly and dangerously attractive half-angel warrior who also hunts the killer.

When Lora discovers that the killer has broken fundamental laws of magic to enter the city, she also uncovers a conspiracy that leads back into her own dark past.

Chronicles of Applecross Book 1

The long-awaited sequel to
Chaos Born
takes us back into the Applecross, where Lora faces increasing threats to her survival and her chance at love.

Lora Blackgoat — mercenary and smuggler — has only just recovered from the last threat on her life and hasn't even begun to sort out the mess of having both a nephilim warrior and a reborn hellspawn as potential lovers. Work should be a refuge, but a job finding missing persons puts her in the crosshairs of a violent gang and a merchant with a taste for blood sport.

Reluctantly, Lora turns to the two men in her life for help. Roman — the nephilim — professes to be her soul mate and turns to her when he feels the darkness of nephilim madness descending. But though Lora is drawn to Roman, it is Seth, ex-lover and reborn hellspawn, who Lora must ultimately ask to protect those she loves. Can she trust Seth to save Roman and her adoptive family, or will this be a fatal mistake?

Chronicles of Applecross Book 2

In
Words Once Spoken
¸ we met Evelyn, the normal girl with an extraordinary secret. Now we meet the men who love her…

Prince Liam and Lord Devon may be mortal enemies, but they're suffering from the same affliction: they're both in love with the same woman, Evelyn, the human-raised woman awaiting her coronation as Queen of the Fey.

Liam and Evelyn may have fallen in love, but his blood curse keeps him from taking his place by her side in Faery. Lord Devon has time, family, and lineage on his side. But Evelyn is no ordinary Fae, and she's not going to wait around for fate to decide.

On a quest for a cure, both Liam and Devon will vie for Evelyn's love, and a chance to rule Faery by her side.

In
Children of the Mist
, we discovered the secret history of the Children. Now, in the wilds of Scotland, one of them has come of age…

Megan MacGregor has lived her life off the grid, in complete secrecy. Now she's all grown up, and needs what every female werewolf before her has needed: a mate.

Tracking one down in the lonely wilds of Argyll will be no easy task, but Megan is no ordinary woman. When she finds Sean Duncan, she'll do anything to keep him. But Sean has secrets and a past of his own, and Megan might get more than she bargained for in a mate.