Providence
Book II: Mythical Madness Series
by
AR DeClerck
The portals
through the mythical kingdoms have closed. An ancient evil is rising in Asgaard
and the Fates have decreed that their adopted son Kai Zoku travel there to
discover the cause and save the worlds from Ragnarok. Kai has been given a
partner for this mission, the Goddess of Beauty and Song, Sheridan Adara. She
is the alluring sister to his brother Gage’s mate, and a woman who might
understand him better than he understands himself. Through a journey to Asgaard
and an ancient threat Sheridan and Kai find that their attraction might be the
most dangerous temptation of all.
Prologue
A
shadow fell over Sheridan as she lay on the cell floor. She opened her eyes
enough to see through her lashes. He was a big man, and broad. He blocked out
the harsh light of the sun. He squatted down next to her, his face mostly
covered by a dark scarf. He left his arms lying across his thighs, and he looked
down at her with his head tilted as he studied her.
“You
can open your eyes, goddess. I already know you're awake.”
His
voice, Sheridan decided, had a decidedly western accent. She lifted her lashes,
and took him in without moving. His forehead was tanned and smooth, sloping
down to dark eyebrows and bright blue eyes, ringed by impossibly long, black
lashes. His eyes might have been beautiful, but they were cold. Colder than the
stone floor on which she lay.
“You're
Sheridan Adara.” Her eyes must have widened. No one knew her true name, not
even her parents or Lavinia. Only the Fates, who gave a god or goddess their
names with their powers, could know such a thing. He chuckled, raising the hair
on the back of her neck. “Relax, goddess. I'm not going to hurt you.”
He
never saw it coming when she leaped up, pulling his dagger from his belt and
taking him to the ground beneath her, his own dagger at his throat. She put
just enough force behind the blade to bring a drop of blood to the surface.
“You're
going to take me out of here.” Her voice was quiet but reinforced with steel.
“You're going to take them all out of here. If you do that, I may let you
live.”
He
stared at her, his blue gaze clashing with hers.
“Will
you kill me, goddess?” He reached up slowly, pulling down the scarf. He
revealed the most dangerous mouth she'd ever seen. She caught her breath, the
knife slipping, bringing another bead of blood. His hand dropped, and she met
his eyes again.
“Who
are you?” Her heart was beating fast, her breath coming faster. His grin was
sinful.
“I'm
Kai Zoku.”
Sheridan
tried hard not to grin. “Very funny.”
He
raised an eyebrow and she sighed.
“Kai
Zoku? Japanese for pirate.”
His
eyebrows drew together, but after a moment he smiled, and it sped her heart up
and pissed her off at the same time. “I never knew!” He sounded delighted, not
at all afraid of the woman sitting on his chest with a knife at his throat.
“Get
us out of here.” Sheridan could feel her energy flagging, and she used all her
strength to keep her hand from shaking.
He
nodded.
“Let
me up and they can go.” He reached up, the motion too fast for her to see. He
caught the dagger at the handle, his hand gentle over hers, but unshakable.
“You, goddess, will stay with me.”
Sheridan
pulled her hand from his, keeping the dagger and sliding off his chest. She
rose, keeping her back to the wall. “What do you want with me? Are you the one
paying the trolls to kidnap mythicals?”
He
sat up, running a hand through his short dark hair. He rubbed his neck
ruefully, wiping the blood on his pants before he climbed to his feet. He was
well over six feet tall and broader than even her father, who was the largest
man she knew.
“I'm
not.” He kept his distance, but she knew he could have disarmed her at any
time. “I'm here to return you to your sister.”
She
raised an eyebrow but didn't move. Over his shoulder, without turning his back
on her, he whistled loudly. Another large man in all black opened the cell,
waving the other prisoners out.
“See?”
Kai waved as they filed out. “I'm setting you all free.”
Sheridan
leaned against the wall, her energy nearly gone. “All but me.”
He
shrugged, looking rueful.
“Who
hired you?”
His
grin was back, cocky and full of unparallelled pride. “You think there's only
one Asesino, goddess?”
Sheridan
knew her eyes grew wide and she paled in shock. “You work for the Fates?” The
dagger clattered to the ground and he reached over, picking it up and sheathing
at his waist.
“Am
I to be punished?”
Kai
shook his head, moving closer and scooping her up, one arm under suddenly weak
knees and the other around her shoulders. Her head lay against his shoulder as
the last of her energy drained away.
“Sleep,
little goddess. No one will hurt you. I swear.”
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AR DeClerck
was born and raised in the mountains of Western North Carolina. She currently
resides along the Mississippi in Illinois with her husband, two daughters, two
dogs and a wily cat. She is an avid reader, music and tv lover and she works as
a dialysis technician to help people with kidney failure lead productive lives.
She loves to talk to readers and uses her books to explore the greatest
adventure of all: falling in love.
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