Autumn Moon by Jan DeLima

Author:Jan DeLima
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2015-09-13T16:00:00+00:00

Nineteen

When they arrived at Rhuddin Hall from the clinic, Merin was still there, lingering after dinner. Elen felt no hatred toward her mother, just an awkwardness that seemed impossible to breach. They were strangers, made so by almost seventeen hundred years of separation, a greater divide than the violence of their past. Thankfully, the distraction of Melissa eased their reunion, since a good portion of the conversation focused on the child, a balm to soothe their painful history.

The whole family gathered in the great room, along with Edward and their new shifter. Merin sat on the sofa, leaving a cushion between them. Cormack stood behind Elen, with his hand on the back of the sofa, grazing her shoulders with his knuckles in silent support. Porter stayed by the hearth in arm’s reach of several swords. Dylan and Sophie shared an oversized chair, and Joshua sat on the floor playing with a thrilled child in wolf-pup form.

It would have been a lovely gathering if not for the topic at hand and the woman leading it.

“Edwyn is a traditionalist.” Merin offered information on the eight remaining Council members, and she held every person’s attention except for Melissa’s. “Rhys turned cruel after the death of his mate and cannot be trusted. Neira is a tedious woman with a sadistic nature, but do not let her beauty or childlike voice fool you. She is a powerful wolf without a conscience. Her only weakness is the pleasures of the body and the pain she craves. She keeps flesh-slaves to satisfy her needs. When Pendaran meets his death, I predict Neira and Rhys will be the first to fight for his seat, and they are both strong enough to win.”

The flickering glow of the fire outlined Porter’s stiff silhouette. Silently listening, he turned to face the hearth, keeping his back to the room, but not before Elen noticed his features pinch at the mention of Neira’s name. His Celtic cross tattoo stood out like indigo ink on parchment, stark against his bare cranium that reddened as more Council members were discussed. There was a violent history there, and Elen knew some but not any concerning Neira. However, Porter was a proud man, and if the tortures had been of a sexual nature, he would have kept those stories untold. Perhaps it was that experience that kept his wolf dormant, for the Irishman had the full power of a shifter; she’d felt it once on a cursory contact. Porter was whole, and yet he had never called his wolf.

“Maelor is obsessed with his wife and his castle,” Merin continued. “He leaves only if either of those two things is threatened. William was allowed to live after his betrayal, and last I heard he may have earned his position back. He despises humans and would be content to live isolated with his purity and prejudice intact, but he wants an heir. He will return for the child at Avon, and this one here if he knew of her, to raise her under his control until she comes of age to breed.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.