mythean arcana 06 - master of fate (34 page)

Her skin prickled when she looked toward the hallway to the left, so she set off that way. She could almost feel herself being drawn to him. How was it possible after so many years? 

Kitty stayed close by her side as she stomped down the hall, her footsteps thudding on the gleaming wooden floor as she made her way past closed doors. A glow emitted from the one at the end of the hall, the light within so bright it shined out from between the cracks at the edges. It beckoned her in the best and worst way. 

Her heart pounded in her ears as anticipation fought with her anger. 

Bastard. 

She shouldn’t want to see him after all these years, but she did. Her hurt over the past had faded some. What was left had turned to anger, which she stoked. She couldn’t bear to relive that crushing pain. So she’d focus on anger. 

But she couldn’t help the anticipation.

She sucked in a deep breath and stepped through the doorway. The room within was dark, the only light coming from the large fireplace that was blocked by a man sitting at a desk. She could only make out his silhouette.

She ignored her pounding heart and took in her surroundings, searching for additional trouble. The room was round, the ceiling soaring high above. She must be in one of the towers. Books lined the walls, stretching up five stories to the domed ceiling. A wide walkway spiraled up the sides of the round room, making it easy to access all the books. Kitty pressed up against her legs, trembling slightly.

Satisfied no other lurked in the shadows, she looked at the man at the desk. Shadows concealed his face, but not the outline of his form. Despite the dark, she could make out the breadth of his shoulders and the fall of his dark hair.

Her heart threatened to break her ribs and a chill broke out on her skin.

Malcolm. Desire that she’d thought long dead rushed through her. Her breath came short. She hadn’t even really seen him yet and she still wanted him. They’d only ever kissed, but memories of his skilled lips bombarded her.

He remained sitting, his feet propped on the gleaming wooden desk. A crystal tumbler of whisky sat in front of him. Firelight set the amber liquid aglow. Her insides tightened as her eyes adjusted to the dim light and she could take him in better. 

The man—it really was Malcolm—lazily spun her Demon Blade in one big hand.

“This what you came here for?” His voice was as deep and rich as the darkest chocolate. No sweetness. Just a hint of the bitterness that followed a bite of the rich substance.

Fear suddenly shivered down her spine. She was a powerful Bruxa—powerful enough that she had no need for modesty—but she was also a smart one. And she was right to be afraid.

This wasn’t the Malcolm she remembered. Of course it wasn’t. He was now one of the most powerful beings in all of the Mythean world. A warlock. Destruction and power personified. All bought by becoming an Oath Breaker and throwing her away. 

The reminder sent anger through her again. A reminder of what she was fighting for. What she’d always been fighting for. Her village. And for the first time since her line had taken up the role of Protector, they were at risk.

Because of this man.

“Yeah, that’s what I came here for.” Her voice could have cut stone. “Now give it back.” 

He surged fluidly to his feet, his shoulders blocking out the light of the fire. For such a large man, he was incredibly graceful. He approached her, his gait smooth and long, and she stifled a gasp at his size. 

Had she forgotten? Or had he grown? He was at least six and a half feet tall, his shoulders broad and his waist narrow. His sweater and pants were dark and expensive looking. He stopped just inches from her, looming over her.

His scent, rich with spice and darkness, wrapped enticingly around her. He bent his head, seeming to enclose her in an invisible embrace. His dark hair fell around his face. This close, she could make out the masculine beauty of his features. Dark brows and golden eyes, full lips that twisted with a bit of cruelty. 

Otherworldly. She trembled as desire surged to the fore again. She might be mad at him. Afraid of him. 

But she still wanted him.

“You don’t care at all why I took it?” 

Again, the rich timbre of his voice sent a shiver across her skin. Only this time, it wasn’t entirely due to fear. It was there, of course, making her skin prickle coldly. But a surge of heat came with it. Desire fueled by fear. He was dangerous.

He raised a hand as if he would touch her. Anticipation streaked through her.
Do it.

Hot anger welled within her. At him and herself. He thought he could touch her? And she would let him?

She pressed her hand against his hard chest, sending a bolt of heat meant to burn and punish.

The corner of his mouth kicked up in a dark smile and he pressed his palm over hers, absorbing what she gave him without reacting at all.

Her jaw slackened. It should have hurt like hell. Made him jump back at the very least, if not fall to the ground.

But his golden eyes flared with desire and his full lips kicked up at the corners. 

He liked it.

What the hell?

Witch’s Fate
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AUTHOR'S NOTE

As with most of my books, I incorporated history where I could. Normally, I use it to enrich the backstory. For example, the Burnings that I mention (a time in Mythean history when soulceresses were hunted and killed because other Mytheans feared them) was inspired by the Great Scottish Witch Hunt of 1661-1662. This is when Aurora was persecuted and her mother killed. It was one of several periods of witch trials during the 17
^th
century, and this was likely the one in which the most people were tried for witchcraft in Scotland. 

One of my favorite parts of Master of Fate was near the end, when Felix was timewalking through history to save Aurora. I’m an archaeologist and a nerd, so I picked some of my favorite periods to have Felix visit (however briefly). Some were self-explanatory, like the American West and the locomotive. Others are cooler than they seem at first, and those I’ll explain here. 

The first was the scene with the Egyptian pyramids and the harbors. I had no idea that in Ancient Egypt, each pyramid usually had its own small harbor in front of it (the landscape was different then). Building supplies were delivered to the pyramid via barge, which only makes sense now that I think of it (only, I’d never even considered it before). When my friend, Egyptologist Veronica Morriss, explained that to me, I thought it was so cool I had to put it in.

When Aurora saw Felix on the deck of a giant ship, she was seeing him on the deck of the Chinese Admiral Zeng’s seven masted Super Junk. My friend, nautical archaeologist Kotaro Yamafune, suggested this one. A Junk is a type of Chinese ship. Admiral Zeng built an enormous one in the 15
^th
century that, according to the Chinese, might have gone to the New World in the 15
^th
century. It was too cool not to include.

However, my favorite period in history is that of the Klondike gold rush of 1897/98. It was an amazing period of innovation and ingenuity because it was incredibly difficult to reach the gold fields. Women and men had to climb over mountains and then make their way down the Yukon River on all kinds of hastily constructed boats (often called ‘coffin boats’ for how well they worked!). When Felix finally comes to his senses as he’s timewalking to save Aurora, he does so amongst a group of men climbing a mountain. These are the miner’s climbing the Chilkoot Trail, trying to reach the gold fields. They had to climb approximately sixty times to get their 2,000 pounds of survival goods over the mountain.

Well, that’s about it for the author’s note. Thank you again for reading!

ABOUT LINSEY

Before becoming a romance novelist, Linsey Hall was a nautical archaeologist who studied shipwrecks from Hawaii and the Yukon to the UK and the Mediterranean. She credits the historical romances of the 70’s, 80’s, and 90's with her love of history and her career as an archaeologist. After a decade of tromping around the globe in search of old bits of stuff that people left lying about, she settled down and started penning her own romance novels. Her debut series, the Mythean Arcana, draws upon her love of history and the paranormal elements that she can't help but include. Several books may or may not feature her cats.