No one survives their meeting with the Angel of Death—except for me.
After being accused of rallying citizens to revolt against him and breaking the rules of engagement with demons to save my best friend—guilty as charged on both accounts—the Angel of Death demands to personally oversee my sentencing in his obsidian castle of demons and death.
I’m done for. This is the end. But my death won’t be in vain—I’ll die a martyr to the Paladins Order’s cause, and I’ll rescue my best friend at the same time. She’ll be safe and the paladins will pick a new leader. They’ll thrive and continue the fight.
Or so I think. When judgment day arrives and I’m knelt before the Angel of Death, with his onyx eyes, his ebony hair, and his seductively imposing stature, my soul doesn’t leave me.
It soars.
Because when I dare to look the Angel of Death in the eyes, everything changes. And what unfolds in my anger and vengeance’s stead is a thread of events I never could have foreseen.
I survived my meeting with the Angel of Death. But can I survive his love?
OATH-BREAKER is the first of a M/F paranormal demon romance duology full of steamy goodness.
Excerpt
And
powerful, he was. After being isolated all afternoon, I’d almost forgotten the
feel of Lucius’s magic. It was a cold emptiness that washed over me and stole
breath from my lungs. And just when I thought I had recovered from the feel of
being drawn beneath a freezing ocean, nearly blown over by the force of his
magical aura, something more powerful barreled into me.
I
froze, a hand on the back of the chair I was to sit in, using it as an anchor
for the force that coiled around me. Our mate bond curled my stomach into knots
and made my skin tingle and warm. My eyes were drawn to Lucius, not of my own
accord, but from the force of this magnetism pulling us together. Closer. To
make us one. Meeting Lucius’s gaze, and the wonder and curiosity in his
eyes—about me or this mate bond, I wasn’t sure—nearly brought tears to mine.
I’d
expected hate. I’d expected loathing and frustration—for being a paladin, for
being their leader. For killing or
being responsible for giving the orders to kill hundreds of demons. But it
wasn’t hate I found or even anger. Just that quiet wonder and curiosity.
I
wanted to slap it off his face. But that would require touching him. And in
this very moment, despite all the animosity that should have existed between
us, I had a feeling that touching him even innocuously might lead to something
more. Something I had no desire for.
Or,
didn’t I?
A
flash of my bath earlier came to mind. And then the closeness between us before
that. Lucius was intimidatingly handsome. His strong jaw. The way the hard
angles of his face gave way to lush lips and enticing, dark eyes. I couldn’t
help but draw my gaze over him now, only to find him doing the same to me.
My
cheeks warmed as he licked his lips, his gaze settling on mine before moving up
to my eyes. “You are exquisite.”
Those
words brought reality crashing down around me. I held up my bound wrists. “I am
a prisoner.”
Lucius
blinked, seeming to also come back to himself. “There’s no reason you can’t
also be beautiful and cared for.” He gestured to the chair. “Sit.”
“Why?”
I asked, and it was a fair question, I thought. “Why go through all of the
motions, wining and dining me?”
“You
know why, Ayla,” he replied without missing a beat.
Gods,
why did he have to say my name? Every time he did, it was like honey rolled
over me, warming parts of my body that had no right heating to the sound of his
voice.
“If
you’re just going to kill me,” I said as I tried to push down feelings I wished
were harder to ignore, “then don’t bother with all of these pleasantries. I’m
your enemy.”
Lucius
stood, pulling my attention with him like gravity, and drew out the chair. “You
are my mate. Now, sit.” He hovered
behind the chair, waiting for me.
The
way he’d said it with a growl, more like an order than a suggestion, snapped
something taut inside of me, deep and low. If for no other reason than to defy
the way my body reacted to everything about this demon king, I met his hard
gaze and said, “Make me.”
It
seemed childish. It was childish. But
it made something flash in Lucius’s. He grabbed my waist quicker than I could
stop him, and pushed me down toward the chair.
“Hey!”
I shouted as his strong hands brushed the dress. They might as well have
touched my skin for the warmth there. Sparks danced along my skin beneath the
dress where his fingers touched, where his thumbs dug down into my hips. My
core clenched at his touch, although it had been anything but gentle.
With
a deft move, Lucius moved my feet out from under me so I had no choice but to
lean into his hold and go where he wanted. With my hands bound, I couldn’t have
caught myself quick enough if I tried.
Lucius
then pushed in the chair and retook his seat. “There,” he said, a satisfied
smirk on his face. “Now eat.”
I
relished the way the corner of his mouth twitched. That satisfaction had come
at the cost of frustration, and knowing I could get under his skin so much made
me want to do it more.
Author Bio:
River Starr writes books that help you escape, especially fantasy romance full of magic and supernaturals. Favorite things: coffee, wine, chocolate, and a heavy dose of books to chase away the dark... or invite delicious darkness in.
GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Hosted by:
Thanks for being on the tour!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! :)
Delete