Otherworld
Challenger
The
Otherworld Series
Book
Three
Jane
Godman
Genre:
Paranormal Romance
Publisher:
Harlequin Nocturne
Date
of Publication: September 1st 2016
ISBN:
9780373009794
ASIN:
B01CNOV7JI
Number
of pages: 304
Word
Count: 80 000
Cover
Artist: Harlequin
Book
Description:
KING
OF THE OTHERWORLD
The
race is on to find the true heir to the faerie crown before the evil
king Moncoya returns from exile. Mercenary necromancer Jethro de Loix
will find the challenger to Moncoya's crown…for a price. One
million mortal dollars. Outraged at Jethro's audacity, Princess
Vashti, Moncoya's daughter, arranges to accompany him on his mission.
Jethro
doesn't want company, especially not from Moncoya's belligerent,
pampered daughter. But as their journey pits them against evil
forces, their animosity soon gives way to an overwhelming physical
attraction. When the trail ends on the legendary Isle of Avalon, can
the pair face down the evil sorceress Morgan le Fay to claim a future
they'd long denied themselves?
Excerpt:
“I’ll
do it.”
The
words had the same effect on the assembled company as a volley of
bullets fired into the ornate ceiling of the vast banquet hall. Every
head turned in the direction of the man who had uttered them.
Lounging back on two legs of his chair, his broad shoulders against
the wall and his booted feet on the round meeting table, he returned
their stares with his customary nonchalance and continued munching on
an apple.
“You
can’t seriously be prepared to listen to him. He’d sell his
grandmother to the imps if the price was right.” The words burst
from Vashti’s lips before she could stop them.
“The
Crown Princess Vashti is reminded of the Alliance’s fundamental
principle of respect for all species.” The condemnatory voice of
the clerk echoed around the room. “Moreover, all speakers must
first be approved by Merlin Caledonius, Leader of the Council.”
Vashti
felt a blush of embarrassment turn the heat of rage already burning
her cheeks a darker shade of red. It didn’t help that he was openly
smirking at her humiliation. “I withdraw my remark.” She spoke
the words stiffly.
“Thank
you.” Merlin Caledonius, or Cal as he preferred to be known,
inclined his head in her direction before turning to address Jethro
de Loix. “What will you do exactly?”
“Exactly
what you want. Find the true King of the Faeries and bring him back
here to challenge Moncoya for the crown.”
A
murmur of interest rippled around the table and Vashti smothered her
derisive exclamation by turning it into a cough. Couldn’t any of
them see Jethro de Loix for the maverick he was? Even the way he was
dressed flouted convention. Everyone else around the table respected
the formality of the occasion. Not Jethro. His white-linen shirt was
unbuttoned a little too far, the waistcoat he wore over it hung
casually open. Those long, long legs were encased in a pair of
well-worn black jeans and the battered boots that rested on the
conference table looked like they had walked the length of Otherworld
and back. Perhaps they had. With his overlong jet-black hair tied at
the nape of his neck with a leather thong and his hawklike profile he
was too—her mind searched for a suitable adjective and could only
come up with swashbuckling—for this solemn setting.
Jethro
bit into the apple again, his teeth startlingly white against the red
skin of the fruit.
Several
hands were raised around the table and the clerk, a pompous little
elf, noted their names in his record book. “Prince Tibor wishes to
address the Council meeting.”
The
vampire prince rose, bowing his head slightly in Cal’s direction.
Vashti could never see Tibor without being struck by two things. His
stunning physical beauty and the fact that she had never met anyone
who looked less like a vampire. Stella, Cal’s wife, had once
remarked that he looked like a fashion model or a Scandinavian soccer
player. Vashti, with her limited knowledge of the mortal realm, had
no way of knowing what the comment meant, but she didn’t think
either option sounded vampire-like.
“Esteemed
Council Leader, fellow Council members, our Alliance is a new and
fragile one. We have taken the decision to offer our individual
dynasties democracy. Our people will soon get to vote for who will
lead them and represent them at this table in the future. It was a
brave and noble act on our part.” Heads nodded around the table.
“We believe our dynasties will vote wisely…”
Do
we? Vashti risked a glance around the table. Tibor might be secure in
the vampire vote—his loyal followers were not about to overturn
centuries of tradition—but there were others whose places at the
table were not so secure. Anwyl, the wolf leader, fought a constant
battle against Nevan, a ferociously ambitious alpha newcomer who
sought to usurp his place as pack leader. And, of course, there was
the reason they were all here today. The problem that united them
all. Daddy dearest.
“…But
there is one dynasty for which we all fear the outcome. If the
faeries vote to confirm Moncoya’s place as their leader, Otherworld
will descend once more into chaos. My friends, I fear there will be
no return to order next time.”
“Garrick
wishes to address the meeting.”
The
elf leader stood. “You paint a gloomy picture indeed, Prince. Yet
did this Council not, at its first meeting, request that Merlin
Caledonius issue a warrant for the arrest of Moncoya as a war
criminal for acts of barbarity against his own people? There is still
time to do that. Then, should he attempt to return and take his place
as leader of the faeries, surely his reign would be short lived? Not
only would he face imprisonment, if he is found guilty it is likely
he would be executed for his crimes. Even Moncoya’s arrogance would
not lead him to take such a step.”
Cal
cast an apologetic glance in Vashti’s direction. He knew how hard
it was for her to listen to accounts of her father’s atrocities and
maintain an outwardly impervious manner. “I am reluctant to take
such a step at this stage. Although the battle for control of
Otherworld drove Moncoya into hiding, it did not topple him from his
throne. He is still the King of the Faeries and there are many who
wish to see him return openly. If the faeries elect Moncoya as their
leader, we will have to tread carefully. The fae population is one of
the largest in Otherworld. We cannot risk alienating them by taking
an inflammatory action against the leader they choose. If they choose
him. Princess Vashti, perhaps you can aid this discussion by telling
the Council the mood of your people?”
Cal
had warned her in advance that he would ask her this question today.
Rising, she was conscious of all eyes upon her. So why did the
intense gaze of Jethro de Loix, who wasn’t even part of this
Council, bother her more than any other? “I wish I could give my
fellow Alliance members a definitive answer to that question. Sadly,
I cannot. If the faeries were asked to vote tomorrow, indications are
there would be an even split with half voting for Moncoya—” she
had schooled herself not to refer to him as ‘my father’ in this
setting “—and half evenly split between the other opposition
parties.”
Prince
Tibor raised his hand. “The princess’s words raise the real
possibility of Moncoya taking his seat at this table in the near
future.”
The
clerk gestured to Anwyl the Wolf. “I will not be part of an
Alliance that includes Moncoya.” Several heads around the table
nodded in agreement.
So
it begins. Moncoya’s return would destroy all the good work they
had done. Otherworld would descend once more into the constant
battles that had threatened to tear it apart before the Alliance had
been formed. Vashti met Cal’s eyes briefly and she knew he was
thinking the same thing. “Anwyl, the sentiments you express are the
reason why it is so important for us to find the true heir to King
Ivo, the faerie leader who was killed by Moncoya in the bloody coup
through which he seized power. The current opposition parties, all
well-meaning, do not offer the faerie race a viable alternative to
Moncoya’s strong rule. King Ivo was deeply loved by his people. If
we can produce his heir, I believe that will sway their vote.”
Anwyl,
still on his feet, looked skeptical. “What proof do we have that
this so-called heir even exists?”
“We
have the word of the leader of the Dominion, the fourth choir of
angels. We also know that the Goddesses of Fate summoned Princess
Vashti’s sister, Tanzi, to them at the palace of Gladsheim recently
and spoke to her of the true heir. Our biggest problem lies in the
fact that the identity of the heir has been so well hidden he himself
is unaware of it. The goddesses told Tanzi that the answer lies on
the Isle of Avalon.”
Anwyl’s
noble features remained mistrustful. “The Goddesses of Fate
delights in interfering.”
The
clerk cleared his throat in preparation for another reminder about
respect, but Cal spoke before he could intervene. “While that may
be true, the goddesses are not able to lie. If we are to find the
heir, someone must go to Avalon in search of him. It is a journey
that is both perilous and unprecedented. We have only one offer to
make the attempt. That offer has come from Jethro.”
Everyone
in the room knew Prince Tibor hated Jethro and had sworn to kill him
for the perceived crime of stealing the vampire leader’s human
servant from him. Even so, the prince’s words, when he turned to
speak to the necromancer, were polite. “You would do this? Knowing
the dangers, you would be prepared to go to Avalon in search of the
faerie heir?”
Jethro’s
smile—the piratical one, the one Vashti loathed with every fiber of
her being—dawned. “For the right price.”
“And
what is that price?” Cal’s voice was razor-sharp. As the Council
leader, he was scrupulously fair. He would offer no favors just
because Jethro was a fellow necromancer and a close friend.
“One
million mortal dollars.”
About
the Author:
Jane
Godman writes in a variety of genre. Many of her stories are heavily
tinged with the supernatural and elements of horror, with haunted
characters tormented by dark secrets.
Jane
writes paranormal romance for Harlequin Nocturne. Her Otherworld
Series is set in a mystical land inhabited by many races, including
faeries, vampires, lycanthropes, phantoms and gods. Unfortunately,
the constant battles between these warring dynasties threaten to
spill over into the mortal realm.
Jane’s
series for Harlequin Romantic Suspense, Sons of Stillwater, will be
coming soon.
Jane
also writes steamy historical romance for Samhain Publishing and her
Georgian Rebel Series features compelling heroes who fight hard for
the cause they believe in and harder for the women they love.
In
2017, Jane has a new paranormal romance series coming from SMP
Swerve. Watch out for her hot Arctic werewolves!
Jane
lives in Cheshire, England, is married to a lovely man and is mum to
two grown up children.
Website:
http://www.janegodmanauthor.com/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/JaneGodman
Facebook:
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