And now...the moment you've all been waiting for...an exclusive look at Dark Prophet (The Chronicles of Koa #2) An excerpt. Enjoy. ;)
W
|
ith each sunrise and
sunset, Eunju thought of the daughter that she had lost.
Tears soaked her
cheeks. Only days had passed and nothing could dull the heartache. Nothing
could soothe her fears and worry for her only child.
As
she looked out the window at the sky, the sun vanished behind the mountains in
the distance.
Atticus.
She could feel his presence. He was returning, and she knew he would be
returning alone. Koa was trapped in the Netherworld, for all eternity.
Eunju
balled up her fist and pounded the glass of the window. She pressed her
forehead against the cool glass and squeezed her eyes shut.
Too
many emotions. Too much anger. Eunju feared what would happen if Atticus came
to her now.
She
feared what she might do to the vampire king that had taken her daughter from
her. She had fallen in love with him, but none of that mattered when it came to
the love she had for her daughter.
“Calm
down, Eunju,” she whispered to herself in a soft voice.
She
took a deep breath. Air sparked around her. Green and gold sparks crackled
around her. She opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred by shadows. She bit her
lip and sucked in more air.
The
sound of the doorman opening the door for her husband made her heart thump.
Eunju needed to control herself. She didn’t want to hurt Atticus. She didn’t
think anyone could harm that powerful man, but she knew that she could.
No
one was safe from her power. No man or creature.
It
was her blessing. It was her curse.
Eunju
loosened her fists and instead smoothed her long, black, hair and let out a
long sigh. Some of the anger escaped with the air from her lips. The sparks
faded into the air and all was quiet, except for the sound of Atticus’s
footsteps coming up the main staircase of the manor.
Eunju
fixed the collar of her white buttoned shirt and smoothed her gray skirt.
She
wiped her cheeks of tears and turned to face her husband. She looked at him and
knew that she could not be angry at him anymore.
She
held her breath when she looked upon his face. He looked tired. There wasn’t an
ounce of vigor in his eyes. She knew then, that he was as depressed about the
loss of Koa as she was.
After
all, it wasn’t his idea. It was that angel’s. Halston. He had devised this
plan. Eunju hoped she could trust him.
Before
Eunju could stop herself, she was running to Atticus. She wrapped her arms
around his neck and sobbed into his chest. He put both arms around her small
body and lifted her into a tight embrace. He sucked in a breath and buried his
face in her hair.
“My
raven-haired queen…I’m sorry,” Atticus said in a cracked voice.
Eunju
sucked up her tears and looked into his face. She wrapped her legs around his
body and held on. “No pet names today, Atticus. It will not work. Tell me what
you’ve done.”
Margot,
the housekeeper peeked into the library. “Do you need anything madam?”
Eunju
shook her head, but kept her eyes locked on her husband’s face.
“And
you monsieur?”
“We’re
fine, Margot, please leave us.”
Margot
nodded, bowed, and closed the door softly behind her.
Eunju
held his face in both of her hands. Her brows furrowed. “What happened? Tell me
everything.”
Atticus
carried her over to the sitting area, by Koa’s writing desk. This was Koa’s
favorite room in the entire manor. Eunju pictured Koa sitting in that mahogany
chair with her feet crossed on the desk before her, and her face in a large
book.
Atticus
put Eunju down on the ivory chaise lounge and sat beside her. Eunju could still
smell the Netherworld on him. Coal, embers, and a scent that she couldn’t
describe, but knew it only to be a Netherworld smell.
Eunju
wanted scrub that scent off of him. She didn’t want to think about that
horrible place.
He
wiped his face and shrugged. He was completely beaten down. There wasn’t a
shred of happiness in his green eyes. There was no doubt that he loved Koa as
much as she did. That comforted Eunju.
Eunju
sat up straight and folded her hands on her knees, waiting.
Atticus
sighed and clasped his hands. “I did everything like I was told. I took her to
the Netherworld, presented her as agreed, and…”
Eunju
frowned. “And what?”
Atticus
looked away. “And King Greggan married her.”
Eunju
shot to her feet. “What?”
Sparks.
Atticus
slowly stood. He held his hands out, urging Eunju to calm down.
Eunju
narrowed her eyes. “What?” Her hair blew back as the sparks crackled all
around. Atticus gulped and backed away.
“Darling,”
he said softly. “You must calm yourself.”
Eunju
knelt and held a hand out. “Why did you give my daughter to that bastard?”
Atticus’s
voice wavered. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“I
agreed to her marriage to the young prince. Not to the very vampire that
started this war.”
Atticus’s
eyebrows rose. He looked up.
Eunju
didn’t realize that she was floating. She didn’t care.
“My
love, come back down to me. Let’s talk about this calmly.”
Eunju
shot a green glow, grabbed him with it, and pulled him into the air. Her face
was twisted in rage. Atticus was shaking.
“You
bring my daughter back or I will banish you all.”
Atticus
reached a hand out to her. She growled and used the green glow to toss him into
a corner. All the tenderness and love in the world could not calm a mother
fearful for their child.
Atticus
was on his feet in an instant. He did not run, like she expected him to. She
glared at him from under her brows.
“Eunju,
listen.” He spoke calmer than she’d expected considering she’d just thrown
him…a vampire king…like a piece of rubbish across the room. He knew the extent
of her power, and still, he stayed.
“It
did not matter which of them she married. It is not meant to last. Halston has
a plan, and I trust him.”
“If
that vile creature touches my daughter…”
Atticus
nodded. “Yes, I know! I thought of that too. And so Halston helped Jax acquire
a potion from the Alchemist.”
Eunju
frowned. “What kind of potion?” She began to slowly lower herself to the floor.
“One
that will keep Greggan from touching Koa. He will never have her in the way he
intends. It will give Halston enough time to execute the plan.”
Eunju
landed softly on her feet. The carpet was soft beneath her bare feet, but it
was warm, heated from her power. She closed her eyes and stretched her neck.
The sparks faded, and her blurred vision subsided.
She
calmly sat down, crossed her legs, and looked across the room to Atticus. “Go
on. Tell me everything.”
.jpeg)
.png)
No comments:
Post a Comment