Mirror: A steamy fantasy romance (Fallen Angels Book 3) by Zara Dusk

Author:Zara Dusk [Dusk, Zara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Independent
Published: 2023-05-28T16:00:00+00:00

Scarla

There is nothing like a battle with a demon and a trio of hellhounds to make you appreciate a good meal.

Bwadu and her crew smuggle goods—and people—into and out of Solren’s sealed section so they have access to some of the best food around. I gobble down some juicy chicken and creamy mattroot until I can’t fit another thing in.

I plunk on the squishiest sofa beside Zaden and snuggle against him. My forehead scrapes against his three-day growth, and he rests a casually possessive hand down my back. We’re several floors below ground, so the temperature is comfortable, but the blazing fire we are grouped around adds a lot of atmosphere.

Bwadu and her wife, Alia, sit on another couch, close to each other but not exactly snuggling. Clearly, the general is not as open to public affection as I am.

Mahari is here too. I’m fascinated by how the two sisters interact, the way they only need to speak a few words to each other to convey a complex idea, as though they share genetics and brain waves.

A scuffle near the entrance from the winding hallways that lead outside draws everybody’s attention.

“Why in hells below did you bring him here? He should be in the cells.”

Two guards are disagreeing, and it’s only when one shoves the other that I see the source of their quarrel. A red-haired man with his narrow lips curved in a goofy grin. My childhood best friend, Leo.

I can’t help the traitorous pang of fondness at seeing him; it’s like settling into a warm bath or listening to a favorite story. Despite the betrayal, despite the difficulties, his familiarity is comforting.

It doesn’t mean I forgive him.

I watch in fascination as Leo sends a snaking tendril of his bruised-yellow-green vestigial power to the second guard, bringing him under his spell. Leo has Coerce, the mirror to Charm. Instead of Charm’s fresh-green hue, Coerce’s glow makes Leo look sickly. He can wield it to convince others to follow him, even against their own will and when the outcome is bad for them. He glows dimly, so his power is relatively weak but is still enough to be very convincing. Especially when the target has no idea it’s happening.

“I just want to talk with Scar,” Leo says to the angry guard, lacing his words with Coerce. It’s fascinating to see my childhood friend as a man, tall and muscled, instead of the lanky kid I still think of him as.

The guard stops fighting his colleague and looks at Leo, suddenly unsure. “Fine,” he says reluctantly under the magic’s influence. “I suppose that’s fine.”

Bwadu is on her feet, striding to Leo and pointing at the door. “Take this scum to the cells immediately.”

Last time she saw Leo was in VanDyke’s castle when she was a prisoner, and he was her captor. No wonder she has hard feelings.

Leo turns his Coerce on her, the sickly green-yellow snake of magic winding around her, and says, “I just need five minutes with Scar. That isn’t too much to ask, is it?”

I am immune to his Coerce.

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.