Prince
by Blood and Bone
Tales
of the Black Court
Book
Two
Jessica
Aspen
Genre:
Fantasy Romance
Publisher:
Abracadabra Publishing
Date
of Publication: April 2014
ISBN:
978-0-9899558-1-2
ASIN:
B00JN858RK
Word
Count: 90,000 words
Cover
Artist: Kari Ayasha Cover to Cover Designs
Book
Description:
A
rebellious prince, a reluctant witch, and a mysterious
prophecy,twisted together in a tale of Beauty and the Beast
Trapped
in an underground palace Prince Kian must remain a beast, or give in
to the queen’s plan to strip him of his powers. But Kian refuses to
submit to his mother's evil plan and is determined to escape both his
prison and his curse—even if it means dabbling in witch's magic.
On
the run for most of her life, Bryanna MacElvy has never learned to
use her healing Gift. When she’s pulled by Kian’s spell into his
prison, the prince sees the golden witch as his salvation. Refusing
to let her, or to accept she is incapable of curing him, Kian offers
her a terrible bargain—heal him, or give up her freedom forever.
Their
lives entwined by fate, the prince must learn to love a human and
Bryanna must learn to trust herself—or risk losing their freedom,
his powers, and their passion, to the evil of the Black Queen.
Dare
to enter Jessica Aspen’s world of steamy, fantasy romance in book
two of her fairy tale trilogy: Tales of the Black Court
Excerpt:
Kian
barely got into his chamber and slammed the door shut before
succumbing to his desperate need, frantically clawing off the
confining cloak, scrunching it into a bundle, and viciously hurling
it into a corner. He shook with the effort of controlling himself,
his rage, anger, and frustration, spewing out in a bone-shaking roar.
As
the dust settled, he paced the room, shoving broken furniture out of
his way and listening to the tinkling of the crystal chandelier as it
quivered to a stop.
He’d
been here too long. So long he’d forgotten how a single breath of
rose-scented skin could tempt a man to violence.
From
the long blond hair and almond-shaped glass green eyes, all the way
down her very long legs in those ridiculously short shorts, she
couldn’t have been any more tempting. And he’d been tempted.
Tempted to rip off her clothes and see what her full breasts looked
like below the low scoop of her tank top. Tempted to lick and taste
and devour her skin all the way down to the soft indent of the belly
button that had flashed him when he’d scared her. Tempted enough to
take her, and ravish her, and jeopardize all chance of her good will.
The
wench had no idea how close she’d come to being violated.
If
she hadn’t turned out to be a witch, would he have been able to
resist the lure of her femininity? He’d been alone with only Beezel
and the goblins for too long. He didn’t think any man would resist
a fantasy sex slave dropped into his prison. But she wasn’t a
slave. She was his only hope, and he would need to woo her into
helping him break the curse.
Kian
crossed to the full-length mirror he forced himself to look into once
a day, lest he forget how much his mother hated him. She had twisted
his Gift, and it was twisting his soul. His magic was strong, a
legacy of his royal blood, and she’d used it against him the way
only his twisted mother could. She’d taken his Gift, a thing of
beauty, the ability to take on any shape—a mouse, a troll, a wolf,
anything at all—and she’d perverted it before imprisoning him.
He
stared and brooded at his reflection in the mirror, at the worst
motley of animals he’d ever seen. Himself. And wondered what the
terribly young, terribly beautiful, terribly innocent witch would
think.
The
upright stance of a human, but the humped-up shoulders of a bear. The
razor-sharp talons of an eagle, but the heavy, earthbound weight of a
boar. Long tusks protruded next to his wolf-like muzzle, and if it
weren’t for magic, his too long tongue and sharp fangs would make
speech impossible. His mother had stolen all his shapes from him and
left him a mess, but at least she’d left him the ability to
communicate. Goddess only knew why.
No
woman would want to look at a creature like him. No woman would kiss
a man with a wolf’s face and tongue, and a boar’s tusks. No woman
would be running her hands down his coarse, hairy chest, and when she
discovered what lay between his thighs? No.
His
fist lashed out and connected with the mirror. Gleaming shards of
glass flew, catching in his short, scrubby mane and fur.
The
girl would help him. And soon. He didn’t know how long he could
restrain himself from burying his face in her hair, and his cock
between those long, long legs.
A
hesitant knock sounded on the door.
“Come
in.”
Beezel
entered and scrambled into a low bow.
“Enough
of that.” Kian began pacing again, too restless to stand still.
“Does she like her room? Do you think we should have put her in the
one next to the library instead?”
The
gnome’s accusing eyes took in the broken glass and the shattered
mirror, but like the good servant he pretended to be, he kept his
opinion to himself. Kian restrained the overwhelming urge to beat the
gnome for the reproach he would never voice.
“I’m
sure she’ll be fine, Your Highness. She doesn’t seem to care.”
“Doesn’t
care?” Kian crossed to the trembling gnome, who edged closer to the
open door. “Explain,” he growled.
Beezel
hesitated. “She threw herself on the bed, sobbing, as soon as she
entered. She doesn’t want to be here, none of us do.”
Kian
stalked up and down the large room, pushing chairs and tables out of
his way. “She’s staying.”
“Sire,
I doubt your mother will let her.”
“My
mother!” Kian crossed the room and picked up the gnome, shaking him
hard until his arms and legs flew as if on strings. “You will not
tell the queen. You will not tell anyone about this girl. Do you
understand?”
“B-b-but,
I must.” The gnome’s knees knocked together.
“Beezel,”
Kian lowered his voice and drew close to the gnome. “If you do, I
will kill you.”
“If
I d-d-don’t the q-q-queen will do much worse.”
The
reek of the gnome’s fear overwhelmed his sensitive wolf’s nose.
“Beezel,
the queen is not here. I am. The strength of the spell confining me
here has left her blind to whatever goes on within the confines of my
prison. She’ll never know if you don’t tell her.” He lowered
his voice and whispered into the gnome’s bumpy, pointed ear, “But
I’ll know if you tell the queen and the girl is taken away from me.
And I’m sure you will still be here for me to punish.”
He
lowered Beezel to the ground and patted his bald head. “Beezel,
what do you desire? Jewels? Gold? An underground palace such as this
one?” Kian swung his arm wide. The warren was falling apart, but
for a cavern gnome such as Beezel, it would be more lavish than any
other home he would have in his lifetime. “Once I am released I can
give you all of that, and more. But only once the witch has freed me
from this curse that binds my form and my powers. If you tell the
queen and she takes the witch, I will still be stuck here, but
without a chance of freedom, and whatever hold she has over you will
remain.” He paused, and sighed. “Trust me, she never lets go. If
you do this, I’ll set you free and make sure you’re well
rewarded.”
The
little gnome avoided his gaze. “Well, Beezel? What’s it to be? Do
I reward you, or do I have to kill you now to gain some time?” Kian
pushed out a frustrated breath. “Are you in?”
Beezel
moved his head in a slow nod.
Kian’s
muscles relaxed in a rush of relief. He didn’t know what he would
have done if the gnome had refused. He likely would have had to kill
him, and who knew what the queen would send next.
“Good,”
he said. “Swear to me you’ll not tell anyone about our visitor,
anything about the girl, nor my endeavors.”
The
gnome’s voice came out almost too low to hear, but Kian caught the
words. “I swear.”
For
the first time in too long the tell-tale energizing upswing of joy
and anticipation tingled along his nerves. Finally, after too many
years in this dusty abandoned place, he would have his own shape, his
powers, and his freedom.
About
the Author:
Jessica
Aspen has always wanted to be spirited away to a world inhabited by
elves, were-wolves and sexy men who walk on the dark side of the
knife. Luckily, she’s able to explore her fantasy side and delve
into new worlds by writing paranormal romance. She loves indulging in
dark chocolate, reading eclectic novels, and dreaming of ocean
vacations, but instead spends most of her time, writing, walking the
dog, and hiking in the Colorado Rockies.
Website:
http://jessicaaspen.com
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/JessicaAspen
Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/jessicaaspen/
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Thanks for featuring my book, Prince by Blood and Bone, today!
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