I smiled. “You’re the one who insisted I put the connection back.”
He laughed, the gold in his eyes sparkling like jewels.
I took a deep breath, trying to release some nervous energy. “Have you heard from Baker? Is my mom back home?”
“She is and she is safe and well. He’ll hang around for a few days to make sure everything is quiet, and then we can go see her.”
The demon, Malphas, and the jinni, Nicola, walked in without knocking. I hopped up and did my best to look calm, but judging by the look of consternation Holden gave me, I failed. He stood slowly, exuding confidence, danger, and lazy regard. He met the demon’s eyes unflinchingly. “I quit.” Holden never was one to mince words.
The demon stared at him and the jinni’s mouth fell open. Holden tossed the keys to the club at the demon and took my hand. We walked straight for the door, my stomach twisting and Holden’s cheek twitching at the feeling.
“What do you mean you quit? This isn’t McDonald’s,” the demon growled, moving toward us.
Holden laughed and looked over his shoulder. “There’s really only one way to define ‘I quit.’ I’m sure you’ll manage to figure it out. If not, there’s a dictionary on the shelf.”
“This isn’t over.” The demon took another step closer.
His chest met my glowing hand as my angel reared her head, always so quick to anger. She didn’t like to have her happiness threatened by anyone. The demon jumped back and rubbed the spot I touched, a murderous look in his eyes. I winked at him, all nervousness gone and a strange calm settling into my bones as my body readied to fight. Holden pulled me out of the room and down the stairs.
“You had to poke the bear.”
I laughed and the angel half relaxed and retreated again. A wicked, amused smile spread across his face. “We’re never going to have boring, are we?”
“Nope.” I kissed his cheek as we walked outside.
“You know they’ll come after us, right? They can’t let this stand or they’ll have an exodus on their hands.”
“Do you think it will be tonight?”
Amusement danced in his eyes and settled on his lips. “Probably not.”
“Good. We have plans.” Holden raised an eyebrow. “I sort of promised a double date with Sy and Femi.”
His forehead crinkled slightly, but he didn’t voice the complaint running through his head. I wondered if there was anything he wouldn’t do for me.
“You know if we could find Quintus a girl—”
He pressed two fingers to my lips. “Don’t push it.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Holden slung his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close as we walked back toward his apartment with no plans and the whole future stretched out before us. Holden and I had taken a world of black and white and made it gray. Many believe our story ends here, but they couldn’t be further from the truth. As the repercussions of our actions trickle out into the Abyss, dynasties will fall, norms will be challenged, and anything will be possible. No, our story is not over. We have only just begun.
-The End-
About the author
Many authors claim to have known their calling from a young age. Liz Schulte, however, didn't always want to be an author. In fact, she had no clue. Liz wanted to be a veterinarian, then she wanted to be a lawyer, then she wanted to be a criminal profiler. In a valiant effort to keep from becoming Walter Mitty, Liz put pen to paper and began writing her first novel. It was at that moment she realized this is what she was meant to do. As a scribe she could be all of those things and so much more.
When Liz isn’t writing or on social networks she is inflicting movie quotes and trivia on people, reading, traveling, and hanging out with friends and family. Liz is a Midwest girl through and through, though she would be perfectly happy never having to shovel her driveway again. She has a love for all things spooky, supernatural, and snarky. Her favorite authors range from Edgar Allen Poe to Joseph Heller to Jane Austen to Jim Butcher and everything in between.
Books by Liz Schulte:
Secrets (Guardian Series Book 1)
Choices (Guardian Series Book 2)
Consequences (Guardian Series Book 3)
Dark Corners (Ella Reynolds Series Book 1)
Dark Passing (Ella Reynolds Series Book 2) – Coming October 2012
Easy Bake Coven (Easy Bake Coven Series Book 1) – Coming December 2012
Hungry, Hungry, Hoodoo (Easy Bake Coven Series Book 2) – Coming 2013
Pickup Styx (Easy Bake Coven Series Book 3) – Coming 2013
Dead Inside – Coming 2013
Frost’s Kiss – Coming 2013
The Ninth Floor – Coming 2013
Anthologies
Cupid Painted Blind
Once Upon a Midnight Dreary – Coming Fall 2012
Learn more about Liz and her books at
www.lizshulte.com
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty two
Twenty three
Twenty four
Twenty five
Twenty six
Twenty seven
Twenty eight
Twenty nine
Thirty
Thirty one
Thirty two
Thirty three
Thirty four
Thirty five
Thirty Six
Thirty Seven
Epilogue
About the author
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty one
Twenty two
Twenty three
Twenty four
Twenty five
Twenty six
Twenty seven
Twenty eight
Twenty nine
Thirty
Thirty one
Thirty two
Thirty three
Thirty four
Thirty five
Thirty Six
Thirty Seven
Epilogue
About the author