The bond between us pulsed.
Afanasiy immediately stepped back, but I slipped my arm around his before he could cut the moment short. His chest fell as he exhaled, a fragile shudder rippling through his frame.
I’d be lying if I said a part of me didn’t take satisfaction in the effect I had on him.
“Shall we?” I motioned to the biergarten.
With a smile, Afanasiy led the way. As we entered this small oasis of utter normalcy, alive with patrons unwinding after a long day, catching up with old friends, or establishing bonds with their prospective partners, I felt more certain than ever that Afanasiy and I didn’t have to be so different from them.
Raya couldn’t dangle our fledgling mating bond over Afanasiy’s head any longer. And just like all new partnerships, I was willing to get to know the depths of the person before passing judgment on actions my own point of view was insufficient to explain. The threads of our past were a tangled mess better left in the pile of junk we didn’t need in our lives. Perhaps not something one should just erase from their mind, but at the same time, I couldn’t let it define the present or the future.
Afanasiy and I were equals now.
And with the complicated lives we led, perhaps even because of them, we truly didn’t need to make a mess of what was weaving between us.
When Afanasiy claimed the bench beneath a birch tree, I settled myself beside him. He slipped his arm around my waist, and I leaned into his warmth without a second of hesitation.
Whether we’d accept the bond in the end or not didn’t matter.
This wasn’t some long game we were playing, nor were we making a life-altering decision.
It was dinner.
It was a date.
But most of all, it was our chance to be nothing but our purest selves.
Thank you so much for reading PHANTOM MOON! If you enjoyed the book, I’d be thrilled if you left a review.
Lotte returns in BURNING MOON, the explosive finale to the series!
Looking for more kick-ass action entwined with a delicious enemies to lovers romance? Give the SCAR Force: Delta Faction serial a try!
Acknowledgments
This book wouldn’t be what it is without the help and support from the amazing people I couldn’t be happier to have in my life.
Lindsey R. Loucks and Michelle Rascon, my…well, I can’t exactly say ICRA agents, but…WWE (Word Wizards Extraordinaire) agents! You are a dream to work with, and I consider myself so damn lucky to have you in my corner.
Linda, thank you for supporting me from basically the very beginning. I’m always thrilled to send a new book your way, and your comments never fail to bring a smile to my face.
Boris, thanks for rooting for Lotte. For rooting for me, too. There are no words to convey how much that means to me. I love you, old man.
Leeroy and Merkaba, the best doggos in the world, thank you for being there, for your doggy kisses and cute looks and those adorable wagging tails whenever we go out for a walk. You’re my mini pack, and though you’ll never read these words, I hope you know how much lovelier writing is with you two by my side.
And last but not least, a massive thank you to my readers. You are absolutely incredible, and I can only hope to keep on delivering stories you’ll enjoy!
Love,
Gaja
Gaja J. Kos is a USA Today bestselling author with a mission to breathe fragments of Slavic lore onto many, many pages of fiction.
She resides in Celje, Slovenia, with her husband and two Chinese Crested dogs.
For more information visit:
gajajkos.com
Also by Gaja J. Kos
FANTASY WORKS CO-WRITTEN WITH USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR BORIS KOS
SHADOWFIRE TRILOGY
Upper YA fantasy
Evenfall
Emergence
THE IRON HEAD TRILOGY
YA epic fantasy;
The Fox
The Heart
The Bird
FORGED IN FLAMES
New adult anti-hero epic fantasy
SOLO WORKS
SCIENCE FICTION
SCAR FORCE: DELTA FACTION
Cyberpunk action serial with a slow-burn romance
Trinary
Parallax
Aphelion
Vortex
Nova
ROMANCE
SILVER FOX CLUB
Steamy May December standalone novellas
Cotton Candy
KOLOVRAT UNIVERSE
PRESENT
BLACK WEREWOLVES SERIES
Urban fantasy
Novels:
The Dark Ones
The 24hourlies
The Shift
The Ascension
Novellas:
Never Forgotten
Chased
Black Werewolves: Books 1–4
NIGHTWRAITH SERIES
Paranormal romance
Windstorm
Blackstorm
Nightstorm
Nightwraith: The Complete Series
SUCC
FUTURE
PARADISE OF SHADOWS AND DEVOTION
Standalone paranormal romance
LOTTE FREUNDENBERGER SERIES
Urban fantasy
Shadow Moon
Darkening Moon
Transient Moon
Phantom Moon
Burning Moon
SHADE ASSASSIN
Urban fantasy
Shadow World
Shadow Lies
Shadow Heart
HEAT OF THE NIGHT
Standalone paranormal romance
DAWN OF KOLOVRAT
Urban fantasy standalone novellas
Destiny Reclaimed