The Grey God (War of Gods 4) (30 page)

Damian left. Darian rose and dusted himself off, thoughts going first to his cats at the cabin and then to the possible guardsmen nearby. He felt more like destroying than nurturing. He Traveled to the small town, at once struck by the scent of
barbacoa
again. His eyes drifted down the street.

The town looked quiet. He sensed no Others or Watchers there, though he wouldn’t know if a guardsman was present until it attacked him.

“I take it you’re my ride.”

He whipped around to face the speaker, too shocked to move. Jenn stood on the low front porch of the Guardians’ station. She’d cleaned up since he last saw her, and her short hair was still damp. When he didn’t move, she approached and stopped in front of him, looking up at him.

Darian had never seen anything half as beautiful as the pale, exhausted warrior in oversized clothing she must’ve borrowed from the beefier Guardians who lived at the station. She glowed from the inside out.

“I couldn’t Travel. Still can’t. Have had this headache since—”

The spell broke. He was frozen in disbelief that bordered on horror then suddenly swept her up into his arms. Darian bear-hugged her, lowering his head to breathe in her scent. Jenn laughed at the tickling sensation as his nose brushed her neck and squeezed him back. He looked as tired as she felt, his hair disheveled and dark circles beneath his blazing golden eyes. Even so, she’d never seen anything that made joy spring up within her.

“We made it,” she murmured, marveling in his scent and warmth.

“Jenn, I love you. I should’ve said it sooner,” he whispered. “I love your spirit and your strength and that look you give me when I say stupid shit.”

“I love you, too, Darian. You are the strongest, most honorable person I’ve ever known.”

“Next time my twice dead ex-wife comes back to try to kill me again, you’ll know better than to freak out,” he teased.

She laughed, unable to contain the emotion bubbling within her. She lightly kissed his cheeks and forehead and lips. Darian met her gaze, and her heart sang at the emotion in his eyes. She’d lost a family and a world, only to discover the other half of her soul in the man before her.

“Take me home,” she told him, touching his face.

“Not sure I know where home is anymore. Damian moved it again.”

“Take me
somewhere,”
she replied. “I got some things to teach you.”

“Hot damn,” he said, grinning. “I’ve got an eternity to learn.” He wrapped his arms around her tightly again. “Never letting go this time.”

“If I knew this is what love felt like, I wouldn’t have fought it for so long.” Jenn breathed in deeply. She melted against him. His warmth and magic filled her, flowing between them in an indication that they were one. “You know what this means?”

“What?”

“I get to go with you to hunt Others. No more leaving me behind.”

“I’m the Grey God. I still outrank you,” he said.

“If I’ve learned anything from watching Sofi and Damian, it’s that the mate of a god is truly the one with rank.”

“We’re having six kids.”

She stared at him.

“Two can play this game,” he said and nuzzled her cheek.

“Trust me, hon, this isn’t a game you will win,” she replied, smiling slowly.

Darian kissed her long and deep, his passion flying through her, leaving her breathless and aching for more than a kiss.

“I think I will,” he whispered huskily.

“What’re you waiting for? Let’s find out.”

War of Gods

Damian’s Oracle
, Book I (10/2011)

Damian’s Assassin
, Book II (11/2011)

Damian’s Immortal,
Book III (12/2011)

The Grey God,
Book IV (07/2012)

Original Beings – War of Gods spinoff

Xander’s Chance (Winter 2013)

Upcoming Lizzy Ford books

Dark Summer (Book I, Witchling Trilogy) – 08/2012

Kiera’s Sun (Book II, Anshan Saga) – 08/2012

Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Simply review one (or both!) of the books below on either Amazon or Amazon UK between July and September 30, 2012 and you will be entered into the giveaway. There are biweekly drawings at Lizzy’s website:
http://www.guerrillawordfare.com/
In addition, for every 100 reviews reached, Lizzy will release a new novelette in the series!

Please note: only reviews left on the two books below qualify for the drawing! First drawing is July 15. If you review both, you’ll be entered into both drawings.

“Katie’s Hellion” (Book I, Rhyn Trilogy)

“The Grey God” (Book IV, War of Gods)

Sneak Peek:
Anna
by Julia Crane

Anna

By

Julia Crane

Chapter One

There is a part of me that no one ever sees.

I hide behind a mask of heavy make-up and ever-changing hair and clothing. I try to reinvent myself. It doesn’t work. There are times when I am bone-crushingly sad. I just want to curl into a ball and hide from the rest of the world. But, I plaster on a smile and play the game for my family and friends. They call me a free spirit.

I wish I were free. I feel like I am imprisoned by my own mind.

Anna closed the book and leaned back on her fluffy pillow, the words she had written still swirling around inside her. Sometimes when she put to paper her feelings, it helped. Most days, it didn’t.

Sighing, Anna lifted the heavy plum-colored comforter that covered her bed to tuck her Book of Shadows under the mattress. Hiding the book put her mind at ease. Even though she lived alone—and could theoretically leave the book anywhere—it was a hard habit to break. Privacy was something she guarded at all costs.

From the moment Anna began studying witchcraft, she had settled into a routine of writing in her BOS first thing every morning. She had once read that a person was at their most creative when they were closest to the dream state. The mornings were reserved for her personal thoughts and feelings. She saved witchy things for when she wrote later in the day.

Sunlight streamed through the crack in the curtains, and birds were singing outside the window. Her little apartment was quiet and secluded, and it gave her a sense of serenity.

Do I really want to go to class today? There was no one around to force her to go like her mother had when Anna was in high school. She was completely on her own, which was as equally terrifying as it was exciting. Anna stared at the ceiling and thought of all the ways she could spend her day that did not include going to school. A trip to the art museum…a walk to the pool…a lazy day with a book in the park….

Eventually, her conscience talked her out of skipping school. With one last sigh, she swung her long legs off the bed and stumbled into the bathroom.

Anna didn’t bother to glance in the mirror—she knew she looked like crap. Instead, she turned on the water as hot as it would go, shed her pajamas, and climbed into the shower.

As the hot water pelted her skin, Anna tilted her head upwards. She lifted her hands to the ceiling and envisioned a white light that poured down from above. The light spread over her body, from fingertips to toes, and she chanted:

In this morning hour

I call upon the ancient power

I ask the goddess to clean my soul

Help me to feel whole

She repeated the chant three times, and then closed it with, “So mote it be.”

Anna smiled as the energy radiated throughout her body. She breathed deeply, enjoying the sensation—like a thousand tiny pinpricks that made her blood flow faster. Between the water and the energy, she was once again clean. The negativity had washed away, leaving her with a feeling of peace with which to start her day.

Anna wrapped a fluffy maroon towel around her torso and tucked the edge under an arm to hold it up. Her shoulders relaxed as she left her small bathroom and crossed the tiny hallway to enter the bedroom.

She loved her bedroom. The light-colored wood floors and pale yellow walls reflected the daylight that spilled through the large bay window so that the room was always bright. The space heater sitting on the hardwood floor by her bed had kept the room warm so that even her bare feet weren’t cold.

It was the silence of her apartment that made her happy, and not for the first time, Anna felt so blessed to be living on her own. Between the peace and the ambient light, she felt reenergized.

She found that she was finally excited about the day—first day back after winter break. It still amazed her that she was able to go to school for something she loved, digital arts. As she dried off, she vowed to shake the negative attitude; there was too much to be thankful for in life to go through it consistently pessimistic.

She rummaged through the cubby hole that qualified as a closet. She got most of her clothes at Goodwill or the Salvation Army, so her collection was more eclectic than the average wardrobe. Anna frowned, touching the sleeve of a bright pink top. “I have no idea what to wear,” she murmured.

Nothing in the closet jumped out at her. At times like this, Anna wished her childhood best friends Keegan and Lauren were around because they always knew what to wear and when. Anna just threw anything together and hoped it looked fabulous. She smiled fondly at the thought of the two of them; not many people could say they were best friends with an elf and a fairy.

Anna pulled a short, floral dress with a flowing skirt over her head and looked in the mirror. It’s missing something… She pushed the hangers aside one-by-one until she found what she was looking for—a black vest with round, silver buttons. Grey tights from her chest of drawers finished the ensemble.

She stood before her dresser mirror and nodded at her reflection. Much better.

Anna glanced at the clock; she had twenty minutes before she needed to leave. She sat at her vanity and carefully applied her make-up. Instead of dealing with her hair—or even brushing it—she pulled on a velvet fedora hat. Slipping her feet into black flats decorated with silver studs, Anna grabbed her bag and flew out the door.

The Art Institute of Seattle was humongous. It sprawled over several city blocks as a lush, green oasis of park land dotted with modern stone and glass buildings. The beauty of the campus had been one of the selling points to Anna. She had envisioned herself lounging on one of the many stone tables, her laptop open to her favorite image manipulation program and a travel mug of coffee at her side.

She rushed forward, trying not to stare in awe at everything and everyone. She’d spent an entire semester at the Art Institute, but each day it seemed to be even better than the day before. The other students all looked so hip, and so much older than she was as they loitered on campus in their raggedy Chuck Taylors and chunky jewelry, sipping hot Chai tea lattes. Anna looked down at her clothes with an inward groan. I look stupid! What are people going to think of me?

Panic rose in her chest. What had she been thinking, moving halfway across the country? She didn’t fit in with these people! There was no way she could make it… With a sigh, Anna lifted her hat and smoothed her pixie-cut hair down before returning the fedora. She often got these sudden, fleeting doubts, but thankfully they didn’t last long.

Focus, Anna, or you’re going to be late for class.

Looking at the map again, she groaned. Even after all this time, she still needed a map to find her way around for the first day of the semester. Of course, the English department was on the other side of the campus. She hurried in the general direction of the building, rushing past black-clothed students who stared blankly at Anna as she flew by. If I didn’t feel awkward before, I do now, she thought, trying to not let it bother her.

When she reached her classroom, the door was shut. There was a sign posted that read: Do not disturb. Lateness is not tolerated.

Anna fought the urge to scream.

With an hour till her next class, she decided to head across campus so she would be early. She couldn’t afford to miss another class. What a way to start the new year.

Anna took her time on the walk. There weren’t many students around; early morning classes had started. She passed a small, glass-fronted building with a bright sign that said, “Best Coffee” and stopped in her tracks. She swiveled on the balls of her feet and took off towards the coffee shop. A good latte could salvage the poor start to her day.