Queen of Fate & Fire by Annie Anderson
Series: Rogue Ethereal #6
Publication date: July 28th, 2020
Synopsis:
A crown I don't want. A bargain I can't take back. A life I refuse to sacrifice.
After four hundred years on my own, one would think I'd be able to walk away and never look back. I'd done it a thousand times before with nary an inkling of guilt. But with my brand new predicament, there is no way I can turn down the offered bargain--not if I want everyone I love to stay alive.
Now, all I have to do is trek the very realm I nearly died to keep sealed. Sure. Because there's no way that could go wrong.
Unseelie Court, here I come.
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Excerpt
"Way to be vague, Atropos," Marcus growled. "What kind of Fate are you? Yeah, let's just let a whole fucking realm tank and not say anything."
Then it was Atropos standing in anger, her red hair flying about her head in a halo of rage. I wondered if we should all start standing when we had a grand statement to make. "I do what I can. You know the laws I am bound to. You know, Marcus. So, don't sit there and tell me I'm doing a shitty job. I'm doing what I freaking can, okay? I'm here, aren't I?"
"Oh, for fuck's sake. Settle down. I'll just talk to him, okay? I've done it a couple of times already. I'll talk to the guy and see if we can get him out of whatever pocket dimension he made for himself, and we're good, right? Easy-peasy, lemon squeezy and shit." Yep, I was slurring the shit out of my words, but I had a feeling my message was clear enough. "Then you can give me back my husband, the world won't end, and things can calm the fuck down."
I took a little sip of what was left in my cup, and gently set it down on the coffee table. Okay, so I had to close one eye and aim extra careful, but I at least attempted to set it down gently.
Then I snuggled into the blanket and closed my eyes, calling on the element that was as elusive and ephemeral as smoke. Spirit wasn't like the other elements. Those I could feel all the time here. They were like breathing or my heart beating--they seemed to flow into me without thought. Spirit only wanted to touch me when I was at my lowest, when I didn't have enough strength to go on.
Kinda like right now. I felt the pull at my chest, the heat of all the elements filling me, healing me... stealing my damn buzz, but whatever. Then it felt like I was falling for a second, a sensation I hadn't yet felt while contacting Dusan.
I opened my eyes, but he wasn't there. The forest that was blurry at the edges, the night sky that was too close and too far away at the same time, the wooden stump he sat on--those were all there.
But he wasn't.
Frantic, I called out, "Dusan! Come out. I need you!"
My eyes swept the tree line for the giant of a man with purple hair and lightning in his eyes.
But no one came.
Pulling out of the little pocket world took far too much effort, and by the time I made it back to my body, I could tell something was wrong.
Teresa and Andras were holding onto me, forcing my arms to my sides as I thrashed. Also, I was on the floor--that was another clue that something was amiss.
"His isn't there."
Then it was Atropos standing in anger, her red hair flying about her head in a halo of rage. I wondered if we should all start standing when we had a grand statement to make. "I do what I can. You know the laws I am bound to. You know, Marcus. So, don't sit there and tell me I'm doing a shitty job. I'm doing what I freaking can, okay? I'm here, aren't I?"
"Oh, for fuck's sake. Settle down. I'll just talk to him, okay? I've done it a couple of times already. I'll talk to the guy and see if we can get him out of whatever pocket dimension he made for himself, and we're good, right? Easy-peasy, lemon squeezy and shit." Yep, I was slurring the shit out of my words, but I had a feeling my message was clear enough. "Then you can give me back my husband, the world won't end, and things can calm the fuck down."
I took a little sip of what was left in my cup, and gently set it down on the coffee table. Okay, so I had to close one eye and aim extra careful, but I at least attempted to set it down gently.
Then I snuggled into the blanket and closed my eyes, calling on the element that was as elusive and ephemeral as smoke. Spirit wasn't like the other elements. Those I could feel all the time here. They were like breathing or my heart beating--they seemed to flow into me without thought. Spirit only wanted to touch me when I was at my lowest, when I didn't have enough strength to go on.
Kinda like right now. I felt the pull at my chest, the heat of all the elements filling me, healing me... stealing my damn buzz, but whatever. Then it felt like I was falling for a second, a sensation I hadn't yet felt while contacting Dusan.
I opened my eyes, but he wasn't there. The forest that was blurry at the edges, the night sky that was too close and too far away at the same time, the wooden stump he sat on--those were all there.
But he wasn't.
Frantic, I called out, "Dusan! Come out. I need you!"
My eyes swept the tree line for the giant of a man with purple hair and lightning in his eyes.
But no one came.
Pulling out of the little pocket world took far too much effort, and by the time I made it back to my body, I could tell something was wrong.
Teresa and Andras were holding onto me, forcing my arms to my sides as I thrashed. Also, I was on the floor--that was another clue that something was amiss.
"His isn't there."
About the Author:
Annie Anderson is a military wife and United States Air Force veteran. Originally from Dallas, Texas, she is a southern girl at heart, but has lived all over the US and abroad. As soon as the military stops moving her family around, she'll settle on a state, but for now she enjoys being a nomad with her husband, two daughters, an old man of a dog, and a young pup that makes life... interesting.
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