Part 1 (1/2)
Moonshadow.
Thea Harrison.
From bestselling author Thea Harrison comes the first in an explosive new trilogy set in the Elder Races world....
Her past is a blank, her future uncertain....
Recovering from a shooting, LAPD witch consultant Sophie Ross leaves her job and travels to the U.K. to search for answers about her childhood. When she encounters a Daoine Sidhe knight of the Dark Court, she becomes entangled in an ancient hatred between two arcane forces.
He has given his body and soul to fight for his people....
Barred from his homeland along with his surviving brother knights, Nikolas Sevigny is embroiled in a conflict that threatens everything he holds dear. Only by uniting their resources can his people hope to prevail against Isabeau, the deadly Queen of the Light Court. He will do anything and use anyone to return home to Lyonesse.
When Nikolas encounters Sophie, he sees a tool to be used. The insouciant witch might be the key to unlocking every pa.s.sageway that has been barred to the knights of the Dark Court, even as a fascination for her takes root in what's left of his soul.
Sophie has no intention of becoming anyone's p.a.w.n, yet the fierce Nikolas is so compelling, she can't deny the temptation that endangers her guarded heart.
As magic threatens Lyonesse, Queen Isabeau unleashes her merciless Hounds, and Nikolas and Sophie become embroiled in a race for survival. Meanwhile, the pa.s.sion that ignites between them burns too hot to be denied and quickly turns into obsession.
Thank goodness they both know better than to fall in love...
Praise for Moonshadow.
”Moonshadow is exactly what I expect of a Thea Harrison story, a stay-up-all-night read. Marvelous characters, lots of action and romance, and just the right touch of humor. This one goes on my keeper shelf. I loved this book.”
~ Patricia Briggs-#1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series.
”Moonshadow hits all the right checkmarks on my must-have paranormal romance list: an Alpha hero, a heroine who kicks b.u.t.t, worldbuilding that just keeps getting better, and a steamy plot that pulls me in from the first page!”
~ Carrie Ann Ryan-NYT Bestselling Author of Wolf Betrayed ”I loved this book. Moonshadow is Thea Harrison at her finest. I haven't been this excited since Dragon Bound!”
~ Kristen Callihan-USA Today bestselling author.
”A brilliant new chapter in an enthralling saga! Moonshadow kicks off a new trilogy in Thea Harrison's fantastic Elder Races series. With a compelling heroine entering this world, this is a perfect place for readers to step into the ongoing story. The hero is intense, the heroine clever, and the s.e.xual tension sizzling. Can't wait to find out what happens next!”
~ Jeffe Kennedy, Award Winning Author of The Twelve Kingdoms and The Uncharted Realms ”I'm already addicted to Thea Harrison's new world of Arthurian alpha warriors-especially after an American kick-a.s.s heroine with serious magic powers teaches them a lesson about 21st century women!”
~ Eloisa James, New York Times bestselling author of When Beauty Tamed the Beast ”Scorching chemistry, perfect pacing & memorable characters sent me on a roller coaster ride of emotions! I want to live in the Moonshadow world.”
~ Katie Reus, New York Times bestselling author of Breaking Her Rules.
”Moonshadow is a beautiful book and exactly what I needed-hot romance, wild s.e.x and a happy ending. Please don't miss anything written by Thea Harrison. She is a wonder.”
~ Ann Aguirre, New York Times bestselling author.
”Thrilling and deliciously s.e.xy, Moonshadow is a smart, action-packed introduction to a new adventure in Harrison's complex and compelling Elder Races world. Intrigue goes hand-in-hand with an addictive romance that will please new and established readers alike. I can't wait to see what comes next.”
~ Elizabeth Hunter, bestselling author of the Elemental Mysteries series.
”A breathless, rollercoaster ride of a tale, complete with a fierce, capable heroine and a powerful hero worthy of her in every way. The bonds of love, trust, and friends.h.i.+p are stretched and sometimes snapped in a war of attrition that crosses time and worlds. Thea Harrison blows the doors off with some rollicking good storytelling in Moonshadow.”
~ Grace Draven USA Today bestselling author of Radiance.
I owe a huge debt of grat.i.tude to Eloisa James, for the worldbuilding emails, her enthusiasm, and for truly terrific last minute advice. Any mistakes are entirely my own.
Also, many thanks to Patty, Carrie Ann, Kristen, Jeffe, Katie, Ann, Elizabeth, and Grace. I'm so honored to know all of you.
And last but certainly not least, I owe a big thank you to my a.s.sistant, Charlotte, and to beta reader extraordinaire, Andrea. I don't know how I got to be so lucky, but I'm glad you both came into my life.
Chapter One.
After another night filled with nightmares, Sophie overslept. When she finally woke and looked blearily around her bedroom, she could tell by the angle of the light along the edges of the blinds that the day was no longer new.
The day had, in fact, not been new for some time. Her stomach took a nosedive as she s.n.a.t.c.hed up her alarm clock. d.a.m.n it. Her technology curse had struck again. Resorting to an old-fas.h.i.+oned windup clock hadn't helped in the slightest, and the clock's hands had stopped at 4:26.
Ignoring the flare of aches in her shoulder, abdomen, and right thigh, she shoved upright and limped into the living room to check her cell phone. The screen confirmed what she already knew. She was horribly late.
Now she was faced with a choice that no coffee-drinking witch ever wanted to face. She could either fix coffee or throw her runes for a quick reading before she showered and left for her meeting.
A good night's sleep had become a thing of the past, and she really needed that caffeine. But leaving her apartment without doing a reading had become unthinkable. Not since the shooting. She never missed throwing the runes in the morning for whatever message, good or bad, the reading might be able to tell her about the day.
She could cancel the meeting, and for a moment temptation tugged at her. Part of her wanted to drink coffee in the dark with the curtains shut while listening to the distant sounds of LA traffic, but that was how she had spent most of her time since being released from the hospital.
She needed a new game plan for how to approach life, and she wasn't going to find one in the shadows of her apartment. The only things lurking here were memories, second-guessing past actions, and regrets.
Getting out in the fresh air and talking to someone she didn't know might not solve any of her problems, but it would be a step outside her door. A step somewhere else. Maybe even a step in the right direction.
So. Coffee or reading.
Choosing was painful, but after leaping into the shower, dressing, and taking five precious minutes to put on makeup and capture her long, curling hair in a loose knot at the nape of her neck, she sat at the small kitchen table with a folded, embroidered tablecloth and the worn velvet bag that held her rune stones.
She paused only for a moment to glare at the stupid, time-consuming percolator sitting on her stove. She had bought the pot to replace the stupid Keurig that had stopped working a few months back.
Turning to the business at hand, she unfolded the small tablecloth. She had st.i.tched the gold thread embroidery on the royal blue cloth herself. The project had taken her weeks. As she didn't embroider as a regular hobby, the symbols didn't look professional or even, but the detail was meticulous, and every st.i.tch was imbued with the invocations she had whispered as she worked on the cloth.
She used the small tablecloth for only one thing. As she carefully spread it flat, magic unfurled, changing the air above it where it lay. Holding the bag of runes in her right hand, she placed her left palm at the center of the cloth and centered herself.
Before the shooting, she would have just left the apartment without throwing the runes. The thought caused her to hesitate. It was not the best idea to rush through a reading, and she was going to be late as it was.
But no. Sometimes things change irrevocably. You turn a corner, hear a new song, read a book, fall in or out of love, or look at a painting in a different light.