Brushing her fingertips against his sexy jaw, she pressed her forehead to his and just breathed him in. “I can’t believe you went to hell for me.”
“I went to Tartarus for you,” he corrected. “And I’d do it again in a heartbeat to keep you safe. I’d even voluntarily spend time locked up with the Fates if that’s what it took. Because the only hell that exists for me is a world without you in it. All those years alone, even the brief times we were together in the past, that was my hell because I hadn’t found you yet. Not the you from before, but the you right now, here today. The only person in all the ages who’s ever been strong enough to love a monster and make him want to be something more.”
“You’re not a monster,” she whispered.
“I’m definitely not a hero.”
“No, you’re not that. But as you already know, I never wanted a hero. I like the wild side too much.”
He chuckled as she pushed him down and stretched out on top of his tantalizingly naked body.
“Besides, heroes come and go.” She nipped at his jaw. “But you... You’re mine until the end of time. The only thing I ever wanted was a devil with a heart. And I found him. In you.”
“You didn’t find him. You freed him. And you saved me from the darkness and showed me the light.” His eyes turned all soft and dreamy. “Don’t ever stop being my light, mono mia.”
“I won’t.” She lowered her lips to his. “I never will. And if you even think of changing your mind, I have the perfect tower to lock you in to make sure you stay mine.”
He laughed as she kissed him, and against her lips, he mumbled, “I definitely won’t be changing my mind. But anytime you want to get freaky in that tower, just let me know.”
“Maybe later. Right now, I plan to get freaky here in this lookout with my dark prince.”
He laughed again. Whispered, “Hell, yeah.” Then groaned as she drew him into the light and beauty of her wicked kiss.
ETERNAL GUARDIANS LEXICON
agkelos – Term of endearment; my angel
Argolea – Realm established by Zeus for the blessed heroes and their descendants
Argonauts – Eternal guardian warriors who protect Argolea. In every generation, one from the original seven bloodlines (Heracles, Achilles, Jason, Odysseus, Perseus, Theseus, and Bellerophon) is chosen to continue the guardian tradition
binding/bound – Marriage/married
chará – Term of endearment; my joy
daemons – Beasts who were once human, recruited from the Fields of Asphodel (purgatory) now ruled by Hades
emmoní – Term of endearment; my obsession
Fates – Three goddesses who control the thread of life for all mortals from birth until death
Fields of Asphodel – Purgatory
Horae – Ancient goddesses of balance and justice
Isles of the Blessed – Heaven
kardia – Term of endearment; my heart
kobalos pl. kobaloi — Gnomelike creatures who mine Hades’s invisibility ore.
maenads — Nymphs who are the devoted followers of the god Dionysus
matéras – Mother
meli – Term of endearment; beloved
Misos – Half-human/half-Argolean race that lives hidden among humans
mono mia – Term of endearment; my one and only
nymph pl. nymphs – Mortal maidens who are beautiful and youthful-looking, and who inhabit rivers, woods, and other locations
Olympians – Current ruling gods of the Greek pantheon, led by Zeus; meddle in human life
Orb of Krónos – Four-chambered disk that, when filled with the four classic elements—earth, wind, fire, and water—has the power to release the Titans from Tartarus
paidí – Child
pampas – Daddy
Pandora’s box — Powerful artifact controlled by Pandora, the first mortal woman ever created
parazonium – Ancient Greek sword all Argonauts carry
patéras – Father
satyr pl. satyrs – Mortal male beings with the heads and torsos of a man, but legs and horns of a goat
sileni pl. silens – Sub-race of satyrs who celebrate peace, harmony, and pleasure rather than violence
Siren Order – Zeus’s elite band of personal warriors. Commanded by Athena
skata – Swearword
theós – Term of endearment; my god
therillium – Invisibility ore, sought after by all the gods
thisavrós – Term of endearment; my treasure
Titans – The ruling gods before the Olympians
yios – Son
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I don’t generally leave notes at the end of my books, but this one seemed to call for it, so here goes…
First of all, I want to thank all my loyal readers for supporting me and this series even though I took a pretty lengthy break between books. I’ve mentioned this before in my newsletters, but there were a number of reasons I had to take a break from writing the Eternal Guardians books. The biggest was that I was contracted for other work, but just behind that was the fact I never want to repeat storylines—keeping things fresh and exciting for you, my reader, is always my goal. Coming up with new material in this world is progressively tough, but it’s important to me, which is why I don’t want to rush any of the books. On top of all that was also the fact this hero—Zagreus—was a challenge. And when I say challenge, I mean…oh my gods, he was a nightmare!
I never intended to write this book. The goal was always for Zagreus to remain a villain on the fringe of my Guardian world. But after readers finished TWISTED, I started getting tons of emails asking when Zagreus was going to get his story. My reaction was… Really? The Prince of Darkness? The guy who tortures people? You want to read that? The answer was a resounding, “Yes!” So I set out to come up with a way I could explain why he’d done the awful things he’d done and figure out how the heck I could turn him into a hero. (Not an easy task, let me tell you!)
That leads me to my second thank you, which goes to author Rachel Grant. Back when I was contracted for those other books, and I was subsequently trying to figure out how the hell I could write a book for Zagreus—the villain!—she sat with me in a bar in Denver on the last night of the Romance Writers of America conference and helped me plot out Zagreus’s whole backstory, from Hades’s curse to Talisa’s reincarnation storyline. Rachel is a master at plotting, and I don’t know how I would get through this wild writing world without her. She always makes me look at things from a new angle, and I am forever grateful for that. (She also makes the BEST chocolate martinis!) That night in Denver was the first time I realized I could make this book work, and it was the first time I was actually excited to write this story.
I wish I could say things went smoothly from that point on—gosh, that was a while ago!—but, alas, I can’t. I got stuck in the story, other books came due, then the world turned upside down with Covid-19 and lockdowns and my kids being home 24/7. (That’s a whole OTHER topic I won’t get into!) Needless to say, some authors are super productive when the world goes crazy. I am not. But I appreciate everyone who has been patiently waiting for this book. And I hope it lived up to all your expectations.
And that brings me to the other author I need to thank…Darcy Burke. Darcy continually encouraged me through this writing process and wouldn’t let me give up on this story, even when I got stuck or was sure I’d forgotten how to write altogether. People come and go from our lives. Some leave a mark and some don’t. But the special ones stick around even when times are tough, and they lift us up and make us strive to be better. That’s what Darcy has done for me, not just with this book but with all my books. There aren’t enough thanks in the world to express how much I appreciate her being there for me, especially during this whole last year.
I also want to thank my husband, Dan, who always supports me and my dream of being an author. And I need to t
hank him especially for not asking, “Aren’t you done with that book, yet?!”
Finally, I want to thank my daughter, Alia, who is old enough to read my books now, and who loves to talk about characters and plots and what I’m writing next. She was the first person to read this story, and the first to tell me it worked (thank the Fates!) She’s also the one who has encouraged me to dive right into the next Eternal Guardians book so you, my fabulous readers, don’t have to wait too long for the next part of this story.
The world is a dark place. We’re reminded of that every day. And it’s so easy to get bogged down in the ugliness of it all. But there’s still light out there if you look. My goal is always to give you a place to escape reality, to help you find the magick you may be missing, and to encourage you to be the light for yourself and for others.
As long as you keep asking for magickal stories in the worlds I’ve created, I will be here writing them.
* * *
~Elisabeth
DEAR READER
Thank you for reading WICKED! I hope you enjoyed Zagreus and Talisa’s story! If you’re interested in reading more books in the Eternal Guardians series, visit my website here to check out exclusive excerpts and access buy links.
While each book in the series can be read as a stand alone, it is, of course, more fun to read them in order. The books in the Eternal Guardians series include:
MARKED – Book 1
Theron
ENTWINED – Book 2
Zander
TEMPTED – Book 3
Demetrius
ENRAPTURED – Book 4
Orpheus
ENSLAVED – Book 5
Gryphon
BOUND – Book 6
Titus
TWISTED – Book 7
Nick
RAVAGED – Novella
Ari
AWAKENED – Book 8
Damon
UNCHAINED – Novella
Prometheus
HUNTED - Novella
Erebus
ENSNARED - Novella
Ryder
WICKED - Book 9
Zagreus
If you enjoyed WICKED and any of the other books in the Eternal Guardians series, I would appreciate it if you would help others enjoy them as well by doing one of the following:
Recommend them: Please help others find these books by recommending them to friends, readers’ groups, and discussion boards.
Review them: Tell readers what you liked or didn’t like by reviewing them at one of the major retailers, review sites, or on your blog. I appreciate all reviews whether positive or negative.
To find out what I’m working on next, you can sign up for my Newsletter here. All through 2021, newsletter subscribers are getting a free book per month from some of the hottest romance authors in the business!
Visit my website to see a full list of my books. And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, or like my FB page to get exclusive excerpts, behind the scenes first looks, and upcoming series/book updates.
Stay tuned for more books in the Eternal Guardians series. I’m definitely not done with this world yet!
~Elisabeth
ALSO BY ELISABETH NAUGHTON
Eternal Guardians Series
(Paranormal romance)
MARKED
ENTWINED
TEMPTED
ENRAPTURED
ENSLAVED
BOUND
TWISTED
RAVAGED
AWAKENED
UNCHAINED
HUNTED
ENSNARED
WICKED
* * *
Firebrand Series
(Paranormal romance)
BOUND TO SEDUCTION
SLAVE TO PASSION
POSSESSED BY DESIRE
* * *
House of Sin Series
(Romantic Thriller)
THE SECRET
THE FALL
THE BETRAYAL
THE VOW
THE PRICE
THE CHOICE
SURRENDER
* * *
Deadly Secrets Series
(Romantic Suspense)
REPRESSED
GONE
PROTECTED
UNSPEAKABLE
* * *
Aegis Series
(Romantic Suspense)
BREATHLESS ESCAPE
DANGEROUS PROPOSAL
DEADLY ENCOUNTER
EXTREME MEASURES
LETHAL CONSEQUENCES
FATAL PURSUIT
* * *
Against All Odds Series
(Romantic Suspense)
WAIT FOR YOU
WAIT FOR ME
HOLD ON TO ME
MELT FOR ME
* * *
Stolen Series
(Romantic Suspense)
STOLEN FURY
STOLEN HEAT
STOLEN SEDUCTION
STOLEN CHANCES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Before topping multiple bestseller lists—including those of the New York Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal—award winning author Elisabeth Naughton taught middle school science. A voracious reader, she soon discovered she had a knack for creating stories with a chemistry of their own. The spark turned into a flame, and Elisabeth now writes full-time.
Elisabeth has penned over thirty books and continues to write in multiple genres. Her books have been translated into numerous languages and have earned several award nominations, including three prestigious RITA® nominations from Romance Writers of America. In 2017, REPRESSED, the first book in her Deadly Secrets series, won the RITA® for best romantic suspense.
Her work has been praised by the Chicago Tribune as being filled with “deadly intrigue, high adrenaline action, and scorchingly hot passion.” Kirkus calls her “a writer talented enough at weaving a yarn to get her readers ensnared in it.” When not dreaming up new stories, Elisabeth can be found spending time with her husband and three children in their western Oregon home, wrangling two needy cats, or chasing after two very rambunctious Dalmatians.
To learn more about Elisabeth, visit
www.ElisabethNaughton.com