Publication date: September 2nd, 2021
Synopsis:
What's a girl to do when death is the worst and best thing that can happen to her?
Lily cares for three things above all else: nature, her father, and her best friend, Caiden.
Caiden isn't the typical hot guy, but his eyes glow--sometimes literally--with a confidence and charm that make Lily's heart flutter wildly.
When she kisses him for the first time, he disappears into a swirl of gold and silver that leaves her questioning her sanity.
Three months later, Caiden reappears to explain what happened and who he really is, but Lily is too angry to hear it.
She needs time to figure out her feelings, time she doesn't have because she's been hunted by death--Death Sentries who know the truth about her lineage and want her for gifts she doesn't know she possesses. Those gifts in Death's hands can shift the balance between life and death on Earth and cause mass destruction.
Now, Lily must protect herself against manipulative Sentries sent to capture her, decide if she can trust Caiden, and resist or give into the explosive attraction between them.
But when she learns the truth about Caiden and his original intent toward her, Lily's head and heart go to war. Before long, she's left to question if her life is worth protecting or if her father and the world are safer without her in it.
*For mature young adult readers and all ages above.
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Excerpt
Thirty minutes had passed, and I hadn't moved since Raysa left. I couldn't stop thinking about Caiden and Bianca. I hated the jealousy brewing inside me over her being with him at the manor, while I was here, imprisoned. I couldn't even go outside to relax.
I pulled off my robe to change but ended up scrutinizing my figure instead. I still wore the white lacy bra and panty set Raysa insisted I put on under the dress. They were pretty and, though I was no Victoria's Secret model, the pieces did make me look almost curvy.
I glanced at my petite physique in the mirror and couldn't believe my eyes. I moved closer to my reflection and zeroed in on my lips. They were fuchsia, but I didn't have on lipstick. I grabbed a tissue and tried to wipe away the color, but it didn't work. This close to my reflection, my eyes looked more lilac than blue, and my dark lashes had doubled in length. Assuming it was a goddess thing, but still a little freaked out, I dashed to the kitchen. My phone was on the counter and I wanted to ask Raysa what she thought.
When I passed through the family room, the front door swung open. I froze.
A dark figure entered the foyer and continued in my direction. Immediately, I thought of Dagan.
My heart raced as I ran for the stairs and my bedroom. I'd barely made it five steps when hands snagged me around the waist.
"No!" I tried to pry his fingers from my skin.
"It's all right, Lily. It's me." Caiden pulled me against his chest.
I let out a breath and rested for a moment before I remembered that I was still in my bra and panties. "Close your eyes," I ordered. "I'm not dressed."
He chuckled. "You're joking, right?'
"I'm not moving until you close your eyes." At least, sandwiched against him, he couldn't see my body. Not unless he craned his neck and blatantly stared down at me.
"Lily, it's nothing I haven't seen before. Remember?" His tone was silky and low.
"Remember that you peek? How could I forget? I won't make that mistake ever again." The feel of his warm hands flat against my stomach had me tight as a knot.
"Ever?" he whispered in my ear.
Shivers ran over my skin.
I jumped away and faced him. "Why are you here?"
His glittering eyes roamed my body, and a ray of gold flashed from his head to his feet. With his chin low, he peered up through dark lashes and inched toward me.
"What are you doing? Are you... losing it?" I backed up until I bumped into the wall.
He stopped in front of me. "Stay still." He brushed my hair behind my shoulder and bent down to nuzzle his face in the crook of my neck. After a few deep breaths, he seemed to relax.
My body, however, did the opposite. My muscles coiled like springs. He was so warm and smelled so good. Unsure of what he was doing, but aware it wasn't an attack, I closed my eyes and rested my head against the wall.
"I had to see you," he breathed on my neck, his fingers lightly trailing up my arm. "Everything is right when you're near."
Tara Gallina is the author of the NA romance The Forever Series, and the YA retelling Fated to Die. She writes and reads romance in a variety of genres but has a soft spot for retellings.
She believes in fairies, true love, and happily ever after. When she's not writing, she loves to visit gardens, European castles, and Caribbean beaches. She's passionate about interior design, obsessed with throw pillows, is addicted in vinegar, favors the color pink, and only drinks wine that tastes like melted sugar.
She grew up in a small town by the beach but soon after moved to Orlando, Florida with her patient hubs, two older sons, and two fur-babies. With local theme parks like Disney World and Harry Potter, it's no wonder her life is filled with fantasy and make believe.
Daily needs: sunshine, laughter, morning coffee, family.
Daily wants: castle, English accent, princess hair, anti-age venom.
