Bait and Switch by Carmen Fox

Author:Carmen Fox
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: alpha female, magic, good and evil, humor, strong woman, strong female character, superheroes
Publisher: Smart Heart Publishing
Published: 2019-03-27T00:00:00+00:00

Eighteen

“It’s not the fall that kills you. It’s the splat.”

Nieve

When I woke up, my surroundings were as dark as they’d been before I went to sleep, except now Kieran was by my side. Or, rather, underneath me. The bed should have been too small for two people, but we’d found a way to make it work.

Who knew Kieran was as bored with his mundane Kindred life as me? He’d hidden it well. Only, shouldn’t I have known him better? He’d left his position as a warrior in the Torren army because he hadn’t believed in his father’s vision and was appalled by his cruelty, but it was clear he’d enjoyed the camaraderie and the physicality of combat. Like me, he yearned to be involved in something larger.

“You ready for another day of excitement?” he asked.

His morning voice was the sexiest. The perfect combination of a hot drawl and a lion’s purr.

“Bring it on.” I lifted my head and grinned at him. “Did you sleep well?”

“I’m a fan of my new blanket.” He traced his fingers up my butt and circled them for a while.

“Any dreams of your mother?” My tone was casual, but we both knew the question was loaded with meaning.

“No. That alone worries me, though, because it’s like she’s keeping things from me.”

“How do you feel about our plan? She’s your mother.”

“No, she isn’t.” Kieran shook his head. “My mother is a mythical person who loves me. A woman who’s had a tough life, but who never let anything bad fester.”

“Derinda’s—”

“She’s my mother the way Orrin is Lea’s father. An accident of genes. Lea’s real father is the man who adopted her, loved her, and guided her to become an awesome person. Orrin is this guy who, sure, he loves her in his own way, but it’s a selfish kind of love. Not a real person’s love.”

“And Derinda is that to you?”

“She helped nearly destroy the world once so that I could become king of everyone. Not once did she ask what I wanted. She loves power, and she doesn’t get that I’m not her.” His voice broke a little. “That doesn’t mean I want her to die, though.”

“She won’t. We’ll make sure of that. And if Orrin hadn’t been keeping things from Derinda, we wouldn’t even be in this situation.” I shook my head. “Secrecy hasn’t done anyone any good. Ever. Especially not us.”

“You and I, are we good now, though, aren’t we?”

I kissed his neck repeatedly, taking my time to soak in his jagged moans. “Yes, we are.”

We got dressed in the brown uniforms he’d brought with him. Tight pants, a tunic-style jacket, and a metal helmet that actually fit me.

“How do I look?” I twirled.

“Adorable. Just...”

“What?”

“Not many Torrens are that blond.”

Ding! Another head freeze. I was tired of making the same amateur mistakes over and over.

“Sorry.” I coiled my long hair into a knot on the top of my skull before replacing the helmet. “Better?”

“Perfect. And me?”

I glanced at him—and took a step back. He, too, had donned his uniform.

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