Caben’s POV
Excerpt
I block her blow and come at her
from above, forcing her to deflect my attacks at an awkward angle for her
petite stature. My smile spreads. “We can dance like this all night, but I’d
rather our time be spent more usefully.” I lunge and slash, making it tiring
for her to defend herself. “Take me to the goddess relic, and I’ll let you and your empress live…for the time
being.” I grunt as she snakes a cheap shot to my wrist.
She’s
not amused by the slight damage she’s inflicted. Rather, as her gaze traps my
broken skin, she looks mortified. Everything I’ve waited for is falling apart.
I can’t have her die at the end of my sword while mourning the loss of her
prince. She needs anger. Wrath. Disgust.
Those
are the emotions that will drive her to face me full-on and not hold back.
I
could end this now—slice her open and turn my back on her forever. Find the
relic easily for myself and what else I came here for and then be gone. But
something inside me refuses to accept a simple defeat. Not from the woman who
has tormented my thoughts with weakness and regret.
She’s
the last thing in this world that threatens my power. And I refuse to destroy
her in this state, only to have her haunt me from the grave. I need a worthy
foe—a vicious opponent—to defeat.
Not
a heartbroken girl.
“This
won’t do.” I growl as I back her against the wall, my swings becoming sloppy
with my rage. As if she knows what she’s doing to me, she smiles. The first one
I’ve seen in so long…and she’s beautiful. Heart stopping. It infuriates me.
I
shout and thrust my sword, knocking hers aside as I move into her personal
space. Realization washes over her face, and she quickly brings up her arm to
guard against my fist. I stop short, my balled hand an inch from her cheek.
My
breaths are hot and quick as they leave my mouth in heavy puffs. My gaze flicks
over Kal’s shocked face, her trembling lips. And my fingers uncurl. I press
closer and trace my fingertips along her soft skin…
Kill her.
With
a jerk of my head, I hush the dark goddess’s voice. Then I seize Kal’s wrist
and slam the back of her hand against the stone wall. She’s as stubborn as
ever, keeping a tight grip on her weapon. I knock her arm against the wall
again. And again, until she releases a cry and her sword clatters to the floor.
I
drop my own and grab the arm still held up as a shield, then pin both her
wrists to the wall. “Look at me,” I order, my tone giving away my frustration.
Impatience grips my nerves, and I drop one hand to grasp her face, forcing her
eyes to meet mine.
As
she drinks me in hungrily, like she’s only just now truly seeing me, something
stirs beneath my skin. The white power crackles over my hands, healing the
wound on my wrist, and Kal’s eyes widen.
The
last time she encountered my power, when she was trapped by the glowing
tentacles, she suffered tremendous pain, I’m sure. And though something inside
me is screaming to unleash that power on her now, I rein it in. I don’t want
our dance to end so soon.
As
the power recedes, leaving my skin unblemished, I caress her face. Run my palm
and fingers along her soft flesh. Down her jawline. All the while, her eyes
hold me, ensnaring me. This is her
power—her spell over me. It’s the reason why she must die.
I
have to be free of her.
Yet,
I can’t help wanting to inhale her, taste her, quench my thirst of her one last
time. And maybe that will even spark the fury within her to fight. Bring the
old Kal back, the one who would rather put a blade through a man’s heart than
be victim to his charms.
Pushing
my body against hers, I revel in the feel of her curves, and know that I’m
lying to myself. It’s completely selfish what I’m craving, but the lie is all
too tempting. Just like her.
I
lower my head and place my lips to her neck, breathe her in. Then, trailing
them along her slick skin, my tongue flicking out to taste the mix of sweetness
and salt, I move next to her ear. Her breaths deepen, pressing her sultry chest
to mine.
“Let
me in, Kal,” I whisper, loving how my words cause her to shiver. “It’s what you
want.”
Pulling
back, I lock gazes with her. The desire in her eyes urges my lips to trap hers,
and I move in. Wanting to caress them as much as the yearning demands to hurt
them.
“Caben,”
she says, low and breathy. I halt my descent. She bites down on her lip, and my
arousal hardens painfully against my pants.
“What,
love?”
A
slow smile curls her lips. “Fuck off.” Then she spits in my face.
OF SILVER AND BEASTS: A Goddess
Wars Novel, Book 1
Excerpt
I drag my gaze away from Caben and
look at Cannon as he moves to the center of the Cage. His biceps bulge, like
two cannon balls have been implanted beneath his skin. For all I know, they
have been. The rings leaders are sick enough to do just that.
He
roars and smacks his fist into his palm. Then he barrels toward me.
His
face shifts back and forth quickly as he runs, shaking in my line of vision.
Suddenly his face is my father’s. It flashes before me in an instant, followed
by an image of Van falling to the ground. Willa’s lifeless form. Lilly. My
mother. Caben. The images seize my mind and a deep laugh rolls inside of my
head.
Kill him.
I
shake my head and lunge out of Cannon’s path. He swipes the air. Rolling out of
range of his stomp, I get to my knees and latch on to his ankle. I twist, and
he falls backward. He hits the ground hard, the dirt kicking up around him.
I
tamp down the throaty voice in my head urging me to end his life. I thought it
was the madness of the Otherworld invading my senses, but I know the truth. I’m
standing atop Bale’s grave. The conduit running through my veins calls to her.
I can hear her; feel her presence—her darkness. She’s not entered my mind; not
able to hear my thoughts—the dark priest would have shut down our scheme if
so—but I’m tired of hearing her voice. Tired of her madness pressing me.
The rage drumming though me after
watching yet another of my Nactue die desires to end this beast trying to kill
me now, but I have to remember who I am.
What
I vowed.
To
protect and serve those I care for.
Not
to end lives for a blood sport—a dark goddess.
Cannon
wraps his hulking arms around my midsection and lifts me off the ground. He
squeezes, and a cry rips from my throat. The mercury pumps faster, scorching my
insides. I pull my head back and snap it forward, knocking Cannon in the face.
His
nose explodes. Blood sprays my face.
He
drops me and swipes the air, his vision blurred. Sickened, I wipe at the blood.
It smears over my skin—and I stop—allow it to hide the mercury rising to the
surface. Jumping back into action, I kick his legs from beneath him and round
his large form. Coming up behind him, I angle my arm around his thick neck and
tighten until I see his eyes bulge. Their deep brown irises darken as he gasps
for air.
I
can knock him out. Anger the ring leaders and the dark priest. They can come
out here and kill us themselves to bleed their sacrifices for their goddess. I
won’t do it. Lena had no choice, I understand that. But she also tried to use
her kill to prep me for my fight. I think of her face as I squeeze Cannon’s
neck tighter.
The
horn sounds, and I look up. Weapons descend from the top of the Cage.
Before
Cannon loses consciousness, he gets a handle on my wrist and kicks off the
ground. His booted foot connects with my face.
I
try to bring him with me as I’m knocked backward, but he scrambles sideways and
breaks my hold. He takes off for the closest weapon dangling from the chains.
He
yanks the flail free and swings the spiked ball above his head. The crowd
stomps harder and faster as he builds momentum. The whom whom of the spikes slicing the air cuts through my eardrums.
Behind
him, illuminated by the projected full moon, is a long sword. I bound to my
feet and run.
The
flail swipes the air and I just dive out of Cannon’s reach as the spiked ball
slams the ground. He roars and jerks his weapon free of the black dirt. I turn
and leap backward as the flail flies toward me again. It snags my tunic. The
bottom of my shirt tears as I struggle free and sprint.
I
hear the pad of Cannon’s bare feet thumping the ground behind me. Before he
launches his weapon, I spring up and grab the sword. Dropping down next to him,
I arc my blade against his flail. Our weapons meet with a metallic clang.
Cannon’s
eyes widen, his sockets enlarging to deliver a crazed glare. He laughs a deep,
adrenaline-filled chuckle. “It’s over, protector,” he roars. “I’m going to
smash your bones to dust, just like I’ll do to little Red over there when I get
to her.”
Spinning
and blocking his blow, I glance at Krewl’s chamber, to where Lilly watches my
battle wide-eyed. I knock Cannon’s chin with the hilt of my sword. Lilly lost
Willa. She suffered through her death. I won’t let her witness my death, too.
I
won’t give Cannon the chance to touch her.
As
Cannon groans and swipes the flail at my stomach, I turn and dive. I have to
get that flail; use the chain to choke him unconscious. I can spare Lilly and
defy the ring leaders at the same time. I just have to—
A
spike drives into my thigh and I scream.
I
hit the ground hard, and Cannon yanks the spiked ball from my leg. I hear the
sickening squish as it leaves my
skin. He towers over me, a deranged look on his giant features. I feel the
static pull of the electrified cage bars behind me. It tugs on the fabric of my
clothes, my hair.
Cannon
has me closed off. He swings the flail one final time above his head as he
prepares to bring it down on my head. The ball descends, the whoosh filling my ears as the Cage zaps
behind me.
I thrust my sword toward the
flail.
The
chain circles my blade, and I yank back and throw the sword behind my head. The
sword connects with the Cage. A current travels through the spiked ball and
chain to Cannon’s flesh.
His
body sparks. His eyes illuminate like the moon above, and his body convulses.
He sinks to the ground, still holding the flail as the current continues to
drain his life.
I
drop my head to the dirt.
The
cheers of the crowd surround me, and the announcer’s voice shouts over the
chaos. I’ve won.
I’ve
killed.
My
eyes seek Lilly. She slips her hand through the bars of her chamber and
flattens her palm, her fingers crossed. Tears brim in my eyes.
We’re
still us—she’s still with me.
The
announcer waves me to my feet, and I push off the ground. As I slink my way toward
Bax’s chamber, I keep my gaze on Caben. I don’t know if he would’ve defeated
Cannon in the final battle, but now I don’t have to worry. It’s over.
Goddesses, forgive me.
OF SILVER AND BEASTS: A Goddess
Wars Novel, Book 1
EXCERPT
I don’t know if I’ve been asleep
for hours or minutes, but the adrenaline rushing system to act makes it
impossible to sleep. Nudging Caben’s slumbering body, I say, “Wake up.”
He’s still lying on his side, his
legs curled up where they had been entangled with mine while we slept. His arms
reach out, searching for something as his eyes crack open. “It’s not morning,”
he deadpans.
“I don’t know if it is or not, but
we’ve slept enough.” I prod him once more, rousing him fully awake. “Get—”
“Don’t make me bark another order,”
he snaps. “Climb back into bed.”
He rolls over.
Annoyed, and having had just about
enough of his chauvinistic arrogance, I lift my bare foot to kick his backside.
Before my heel meets his rump, his arm reaches behind and he grabs my ankle. I
swallow my yelp as he pulls me onto the cot. Landing on my back, I bite my lip,
holding in my cry as the bar beneath the mattress gouges into my spine. But all
thoughts of aches and revenge flee my mind as Caben pulls my ankle and slides
my body underneath his. Hovering above me—half his weight on the cot, half on
top of me—he presses me into the bedding.
His hand lowers my foot to the
bed, then slowly slides up the side of my leg until it reaches my stomach.
Lifting the bottom of my tunic, he rests his palm on my waist, on the small
curve above my hip. His eyes never waver, his heated gaze holding mine.
“Before we begin nefariously
plotting,” he says, low and husky, his breath skimming my cheek. “I want to
know—I’ll only ask this once.”
Unsure of what he’s demanding, I
squint, and my breath halts as his eyes drop to my chest. I swallow. My eyes
close.
“Kaliope.” He says my name with
the hint of accent I now know I only hear when he’s taken off-guard. When he
drops his barriers, either in anger, urgency, or fear. I wonder what emotion is
causing him to lose control now. And will his lilt deepen out of alarm or
revulsion when he sees my chest?
I open my eyes.
The steady thump of his heart
beats against my arm. It speeds as the tension thickens the slight span of air
between us.
No matter what happens later,
whether we live or die, I at least have control over this moment. Even if we
survive, and he goes off to rule his kingdom and I to lead the Nactue, I can
keep this one moment.
One stolen moment out of a
lifetime of duty.
Taking a breath and releasing it
in tiny clips that make my breastbone ache, I cover his hand with mine. The
metal cuffs on our wrists clank together. I force his hand slowly upward—onto
my belly ... my rib cage ... around the swell of my breast—to the hard glass
covering.
I fight the urge to shut my eyes
and close myself off from the many, sudden emotions that cross his face. His
eyes enlarge, and a crease forms between his brows as his features shift to
confusion. And when I think my body will die from tremors, he finally breathes,
his full lips pressing together in discernment.
Attempting to remove his hand and
rise, I shift sideways, but he holds his place, firmly pressed against me. The
rough pad of his fingertip traces the scar tissue around the casing. His deep,
stormy eyes follow the hollow of my neck until they land on my collarbone. And
with a movement so subtle, he turns his hand over and pulls my tunic down,
exposing the clamp.
My insides threaten to combust.
Every nerve in my body is ready to set the mercury aflame—my dread is complete.
I have to force some word from his mouth, some action from him, to end this
torment.
Only when he begins to lower his
mouth toward mine, I freeze, wondering if he’s merely accepting me because
again, we could die, and I’m the last chance he’ll have to be with a woman
before then.
But his lips pass mine, brush over
my chin and jawline, and instead find the sensitive, scarred skin of my chest.
He plants a soft kiss, and then another. My throat thickens. My nostrils flare
as a burning sensation blazes behind my sinuses. It quickly subsides when the
unshed tears I’m holding back release. I blink, and they quietly trail down the
sides of my temples.
OF DARKNESS AND CROWNS: A Goddess
Wars Novel, Book 2
Caben’s POV
Excerpt
The Crusher grinds to a halt. I’m
propelled forward, and my head smacks the low-hanging ceiling of the front
compartment.
“Damn, you fool!” I palm my
throbbing forehead, eyeing the driver of the Crusher—the machines I now call by
their Otherworlder name.
“Sorry, my liege,” he says,
backing against his seat, farther away from the glowing ribbons circling my
fingers.
Ignoring him, I study the luminous
white—like the surface of the moon—crawling beneath my skin, and marvel at the
power. My power. Had I possessed it
that day the Cavan Army forced me from my home, they never could have done so
easily. But then, I never would have obtained this power. Ironic.
“Just drive,” I tell him. I take a
seat on the front bench, away from the foul stench emanating from the back
compartment—our diversion tactic that will gain me entry into my palace, where
I know she’s being kept.
The glow beneath my skin
illuminates brighter, reminding me of her
skin. I curl my fingers into a tight ball.
The battle up ahead is only part
of my plan, one that I know Kaliope will fall for. I need the reserves away
from the palace. My back molars clamp down hard at the thought of her—a mix of
something like fire and nausea invading my stomach.
At one time, I felt things for the
black-haired beauty. I chuckle to myself. Well, at least my groin did. Just
thinking of her body makes me ache, and I have to adjust myself. But that was
when I was weak, when I only thought and felt with that weakness. As much as I hated my father for thinking me too feeble
to rule, he was right. I was pathetic.
Bale freed me. Released the part
of me that I kept buried, locked away deep down, and I no longer fear anything. I think of everything that
once made me shudder or quake with dread and laugh. It’s so simple.
Without fear, there is only
freedom.
Power.
And if I free Bale completely,
releasing her from within my being and making her corporeal, she’ll bestow me
with even more power. I don’t care what the dark goddess does or where she goes
once I restore Empress Iana’s relic. I don’t give a damn what happens to the
maggoty Otherworlders or their realm.
I just want her out of my mind.
And I want the power.
Then I’ll set my sights on
Perinya, and on gaining what’s mine.
A deep cackle fills my head, deep
and sultry.
“Quiet, woman.” I roll my eyes.
We’ve come to a compromise, the goddess and I, that she may remain within my
mind, but she’s to keep silent. I got tired of her constant lectures and angry
rants about her sisters. She doesn’t speak too
much…for the most part. But the sooner I get her out of my head, the
better.
Having a woman fill your thoughts
is a weakness in itself. A sudden flash of a smiling, laughing Kal blurs my
vision, and I shake my head.
There’s only one way to rid my
thoughts of that woman.
Kill her.
“Burrow, leach,” I command the
driver. “We’re coming up on the battle. Go underground.”
“Yes, my liege.”
Tonight, I invade. Find a way into
the capital of Perinya and into my home. And then take back what’s mine. The
goddess can have what she wants. I’m only interested in claiming what belongs
to me.
No one will ever take anything
away from me again.
Stay away, Kal.
I shake my head harder, trying to
quiet the pesky thoughts that always spring up when I think of her. Something
left over from before—a residual feeling, an effect she has on me.
It won’t be there much longer. I
smile, and Bale laughs.
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