Wicked Lord of Thessaly (Halcyon Romance Series Book 3) (12 page)

asphodelus
,
eros
,
aionios
– three passwords to Halcyon, meaning “daffodil, love, and eternal”

lyssa
– a madness affecting centaurs, especially related to an incomplete bonding

melita
– term of endearment meaning “honey-sweet”

quarter
– pyrate term for “mercy”

Old Centaurion
– an ancient centaur language

Meliae
– honey nymphs

I’ve always planned to write the stories of Thereus’s brothers, but after readers went a little crazy over the centaurs in
Earth Borne
(and admittedly, I did too) I knew I just had to tell them
now
.

Thank you to my amazing beta readers, Ashley, Gina, Lyn, Nicola, and Bonnie, for drooling and gushing along with me.

A big thank you to my review team and street team, who always amaze me with their fantastic support.

To Kelley, my awesome copy editor, thanks for helping me through each of my projects.

Karie Deegan, my kickass PA, I couldn’t do any of this without you. I have a centaur reserved just for you. He’s around here somewhere.

Hugs and kisses to my family, for always sticking by me.

And to my readers, I hope these centaurs exceed all of your dreams. Brace yourselves ;)

Rachael has explored forgotten temples in Cambodia, kissed the Blarney Stone in Ireland, and stood inside the Roman Coliseum. She loves studying people and cultures, current and ancient. Her appetite for romance began with Lucy Maud Montgomery’s
Anne of Green Gables
, which she later nurtured with a healthy dose of Jane Austen.

As a writer of scorching hot fantasy romance, Rachael blends the lines between mythology, reality, and fantasy. In her worlds, you’ll encounter strong, sexy alpha males and the capable women who challenge them. If her heroines can’t meet their heroes toe-to-toe, then they’ll bring them to their knees.

No matter what torture she puts her characters through, true love will always prevail. Love is, after all, the most powerful force on Earth, and beyond.

Rachael holds an Honours BA in anthropology, as well as a CELTA. Her secret indulgence is her passion for baking, which she offsets with her addiction to running (she’s completed four marathons). She resides on the West Coast of British Columbia, Canada, with her husband, two children, cat, and dog.

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REMATCH
, for FREE! If you haven’t taken a bite of my Chinese Zodiac Romance Series yet, then this standalone novella is the perfect start!

REMATCH
is the perfect blend of Beauty and the Beast meets the Island of Misfit Toys. Add in the mix one cunning Matchmaker, a mischievous spirit animal (Cat), and the devilish Monkey King, and you know
REMATCH
will take you for a wild ride.

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Thank you for reading!

Much love,

Look for these titles, available
here
.

CHINESE ZODIAC ROMANCE SERIES:

BOOK 1: TRANCING THE TIGER

BOOK 2: REMATCH

BOOK 3: BY THE HORNS

BOOK 4: MATCH ME LATER

BOOK 5: REINING HIM IN

BOOK 6: MATCHING DRAGONS

BOOK 7: IN WOLF’S CLOTHING

HALCYON ROMANCE SERIES:

BOOK 1: MOON BORNE

BOOK 2: EARTH BORNE (DARK LORD OF THESSALY)

BOOK 3: WICKED LORD OF THESSALY

BOOK 4: BRUTISH LORD OF THESSALY

BOOK 5: MASTERFUL LORD OF THESSALY

BOOK 6: UNTAMED LORD OF THESSALY

BOOK 7: LOST LADY OF THESSALY

BOOK 8: WATER BORNE

Want more centaurs? Read on for an exclusive sneak peek at the second novella in the LORDS OF THESSALY spin-off series,
BRUTISH LORD OF THESSALY
:

Born to heal

Nysa of the
Krenaiai
nymphs has spent the last fifty years trapped inside her well, until her waters are gifted to the surly centaur Lord Oreius. Instead of consuming her gift, he tosses the sacred liquid to the ground, and the spell goes awry. Nysa is transformed back into a nymph, but she can only survive so long without her well—which happens to rest on enemy lands. Yet she chooses to stay, because something in Oreius’s eyes demands she coax out the darkness…even if it threatens to consume her.

The weight of the past

Lord Oreius has drowned his grief beneath a torrent of shame and regret. No one, not even a sultry nymph, can heal the wounds in his soul and the guilt tainting his heart. Though she bloody well keeps trying. He longs to find forgiveness in her eyes, but first, he’ll have to find it within himself. War looms on the horizon, and when their enemies join forces, Oreius’s last chance at redemption just might have come too late.

And the hope of the future

When Nysa is torn from Oreius, he’ll have to fight for a second chance at life, and at love. Even if it means giving up his brutish ways.

Centaur lands, Thessaly
Year 1384 of the reign of King Cheiron II
Or the human year, 1689

Oreius sneered at the flask and sniffed the liquid within. Too sweet to be water, too perfumed to be a potion of evil. Not that his brother Agrius would do such a thing.

Heal me.

He snorted. Agrius and his mate, Eione, had gifted Oreius the flask months ago, exclaiming with fervor how it would “cure” him.

Ha.
He had no desire for a cure, nor to ever be relieved of his heavy burden. Sarra was gone and ’twas his fault his sons had no mother. Nothing, not even a flask of potent water, could remedy those truths.

He grimaced at the flask in his hands. Why the hell had he held onto it for so many months? He ought to have done this the moment Agrius had bestowed him the flask. Heaving a sigh, he stepped to the balcony, raised the flask, and poured its contents onto the manicured lawn below.

There. Done.

Shaking his head, he turned toward his study.

“
Argh
,” a feminine cry echoed from below.

He whipped around and peered over the railing. Sweet gods, a female lay on the grounds, nude and dripping wet.

She groaned and rolled onto her hands and knees, her long, silvery blue locks clinging to her lithe form like wet clothes.

“Ho there, lass. What—”

She lifted sparkling, pale sapphire eyes to his, catching his breath. He sniffed the air and inhaled her scent.

Nymph.

Oh, damn. The waters.

“
You.
Why did you spill my waters?” She rose on unsteady legs, wobbling as she perched her hands on her hips. Those eyes narrowed on him, hardening into icy gems.

His throat dried as he gaped at the lovely female. Luscious curves and a slender, graceful form that would fit perfectly into the crook of his arm…

Hell.
Oreius scraped a hand down his face, tearing his gaze from the nymph. After he steadied his raging nerves, he leapt over the balcony rail and landed in front of her.

“Begone, temptress.” He flung out his arm, holding the flask for her to return to it.

Agrius was definitely going to receive a lashing for this.

Trickery. Treachery. He hadn’t deemed his brother capable of such betrayal.

Instead of obeying him, she raised one pointed brow, wrinkling her pixie-like nose. “That isn’t how it works.” Treading forward, she pointed a finger at him. “You tossed my waters onto the ground. You dishonored my gift. And you shall remedy this.” She jabbed her finger into his chest, jolting him.

She must have sensed the spark too, for she gasped, seizing one step backward. Yet, the fire in her eyes didn’t dim as she glared at him, crossing her arms over her bountiful breasts.

He swallowed thickly and forced his gaze once more to rest on her face. That didn’t help. Her lips were sensuously curved petals, as deep a pink as the flushing of her cheeks.

She was lovely and seductive.

And utterly disastrous.

***

Nysa flinched while the male removed his ivory tunic, baring his thickly muscled chest and broad, devastatingly brawny shoulders. He extended the tunic to her, jerking his chin.

She plucked it from him, still tense. Her nudity brought her no shame, for nymphs rarely suffered from modesty, but the male’s dark glare suggested he did.

So she tugged on the tunic, taking a moment to observe her surroundings. This wasn’t supposed to happen. It never had before.