Leo is used to having power. After all, he carries the title Lord of the Light for a reason—he’s a supernatural powerhouse and his job is protect all of the “light” paranormals in the world. He’s used to snapping his fingers and getting anything—or anyone—he wants. But when he fell for Fate, Leo learned that power didn’t get a man everything. In fact, it didn’t even get him the one woman he wanted most…
Fate…AKA Mora (that’s the name she prefers to use—a lot less weighty on her shoulders) has spent centuries hiding from her supernatural ex-lover Leo. Most people fear Leo and rightly so. He’s got immense power and a definite date with an unfortunate end-of-the-world calamity. When Leo seduced Mora and promised to put the world at her feet, she actually thought the guy had fallen for her. Too late, she discovered he was just using her in an attempt to change his destiny.
And Leo’s destiny? It’s not pretty. Some very, very bad things are coming for him. Mora shouldn’t care about the danger he faces. She should turn her back on her ex. His heart is ice cold, she knows that, but her own heart…it’s still a little weak where Leo is concerned.
Leo has tried to walk on the side of good for a long time…but his sins are coming back to haunt him. A darkness is trying to consume him, and if Mora can’t help him…then it’s not just Leo who will pay the price for his past. The whole world will change.
You think you know the Lord of the Light? Think again.
Excerpt
He cleared his throat. “You’re a hard woman to find.”
“That’s because I didn’t want to be found.” She opened her eyes and schooled her expression. Breathing slowly, Mora straightened her shoulders. Then she turned to confront him. “Well, you sure can still clear a room. Nice to see that winning personality of yours hasn’t changed.”
She expected anger in the face of her taunt, but…he didn’t look angry. Didn’t even look mildly annoyed. If it had been anyone else, Mora would have sworn that he looked happy as he stared at her. His gaze slid slowly from the top of her head all the way down to the tips of her heels.
“Fate,” he breathed, “you are even more beautiful—”
“Mora.” The name blasted from her. “That’s my name. Picked it out all by myself because I liked the sound of it. Fate is just some dumb title that I was saddled with a long time ago. If you’re going to talk to me, use my name, got it?” She stalked forward. Her heels clicked on the wooden floor. “And you’d better talk fast. I’m giving you five minutes—just five—and then I want your ass out of here.”
He leaned back against the bar, crossed his arms over his chest, and just stared at her.
Could he hear just how fast her heart was beating? Could he smell her fear? His senses were all super amped up, she knew it—he probably had the best senses of any paranormal beast. There was a reason he was at the top of the paranormal badass ladder.
She kept her chin up, and she didn’t let her pace slow. So what if he smelled her fear? She was more than just fear. “Shouldn’t you be out saving angels or something?” Mora muttered. “Do you really need to be here, messing up my life?”
“You hid from me.”
Why, why did she still find his voice sexy? “Guilty.” She gave him a smile. One that she knew would not reach her eyes. “Ever so very guilty. I hid and I would have stayed hidden, but you just burst up into my place. Without an invitation.” She stopped about a foot away from him. Close enough to touch. Not that she planned to make that epically bad move. No, thank you. Mora tilted her head as she stared up at him. “How did you find me?” The clench in her gut told Mora the answer and she hated this new betrayal. I was not ready for him yet.
There was only one person who knew where she was. Her cousin. A muse with unfortunate taste in men.
Like I’m one to judge.
“Sabrina sent me.”
And there it was—another knife to her heart. Her cousin had sold her out.
“She made a deal,” he added, his voice rumbling right over her. “She was desperate, and you were the only thing I wanted.”
You were the only thing I wanted. If only those words were true.
No, no, she didn’t care if he wanted her. Not now. But back in the past, it would have been nice if his feelings for her had actually been genuine.
“So Sabrina told me where I could find you,” he continued, seeming to carefully choose his words, “and in exchange, I helped her.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you helped her plenty. I know how the deals you and your brother work play out—you and Luke are the only ones who really seem to benefit.”
He didn’t deny her charge. Probably because she was dead-on right.
“Have you thought about me?” Leo asked her.
She blinked. “What?”
“Because you’ve been in my head. Every single damn day.” He gave a grim laugh. “Though I have to say, the nights were the worst. The worst…” He paused. “And the best. Because the things that happened in my dreams—”
“Do not say another word.” And suddenly, she was standing toe-to-toe with him. “How dare you?” Mora demanded. “How fucking dare you come back into my life this way? You’re going to stand there and spout out some bull about dreams? You threw me away. You used me. You lied to me. You betrayed me.” You ripped out my heart. Stomped on it. Then stomped on it some more.
“I’m not the same man.”
Now she had to laugh. Bitterly. “No, I suspect you’re even worse.” Her gaze held his. “Lord of the Light.” Her voce was mocking. “Should I bow or something? You know, since I’m in the presence of such greatness.”
His jaw was rock hard.
She spun from him. “Your five minutes is tick, ticking on down—”
He grabbed her wrist. “You don’t bow to me. You don’t bow to anyone. You’re Fate. You hold the world…” Now he looked down at her hand—the one he’d trapped. “You hold the world in your hand.”
His touch seemed to burn her. She hadn’t wanted to touch him. When she touched him, Mora felt too much. Her breath was already panting out. The desire she felt for him—it surged inside of her. She hated him, but she still wanted him. That was the way it was between them. No sense, no reason at all, just a savage need.
The first time they’d met…it had been so very, very long ago. Savagery had ruled the land back then, and the wild desire she’d felt for Leo as they stood at the foot of a volcano? It hadn’t seemed so strange. In fact, she’d thought it was rather perfect.
She’d been wrong. About many things.
But the desire hadn’t died. After everything that had happened—every terrible thing—it was still there. Their skin touched, and her body primed. His touch charged her, and every inch of her body seemed to yearn.
“Let. Me. Go.” Her words were ice cold even though she was burning red hot. She might want him—her body was betraying her that way—but she was more than just a body. She was a mind and a broken heart.
“That’s because I didn’t want to be found.” She opened her eyes and schooled her expression. Breathing slowly, Mora straightened her shoulders. Then she turned to confront him. “Well, you sure can still clear a room. Nice to see that winning personality of yours hasn’t changed.”
She expected anger in the face of her taunt, but…he didn’t look angry. Didn’t even look mildly annoyed. If it had been anyone else, Mora would have sworn that he looked happy as he stared at her. His gaze slid slowly from the top of her head all the way down to the tips of her heels.
“Fate,” he breathed, “you are even more beautiful—”
“Mora.” The name blasted from her. “That’s my name. Picked it out all by myself because I liked the sound of it. Fate is just some dumb title that I was saddled with a long time ago. If you’re going to talk to me, use my name, got it?” She stalked forward. Her heels clicked on the wooden floor. “And you’d better talk fast. I’m giving you five minutes—just five—and then I want your ass out of here.”
He leaned back against the bar, crossed his arms over his chest, and just stared at her.
Could he hear just how fast her heart was beating? Could he smell her fear? His senses were all super amped up, she knew it—he probably had the best senses of any paranormal beast. There was a reason he was at the top of the paranormal badass ladder.
She kept her chin up, and she didn’t let her pace slow. So what if he smelled her fear? She was more than just fear. “Shouldn’t you be out saving angels or something?” Mora muttered. “Do you really need to be here, messing up my life?”
“You hid from me.”
Why, why did she still find his voice sexy? “Guilty.” She gave him a smile. One that she knew would not reach her eyes. “Ever so very guilty. I hid and I would have stayed hidden, but you just burst up into my place. Without an invitation.” She stopped about a foot away from him. Close enough to touch. Not that she planned to make that epically bad move. No, thank you. Mora tilted her head as she stared up at him. “How did you find me?” The clench in her gut told Mora the answer and she hated this new betrayal. I was not ready for him yet.
There was only one person who knew where she was. Her cousin. A muse with unfortunate taste in men.
Like I’m one to judge.
“Sabrina sent me.”
And there it was—another knife to her heart. Her cousin had sold her out.
“She made a deal,” he added, his voice rumbling right over her. “She was desperate, and you were the only thing I wanted.”
You were the only thing I wanted. If only those words were true.
No, no, she didn’t care if he wanted her. Not now. But back in the past, it would have been nice if his feelings for her had actually been genuine.
“So Sabrina told me where I could find you,” he continued, seeming to carefully choose his words, “and in exchange, I helped her.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you helped her plenty. I know how the deals you and your brother work play out—you and Luke are the only ones who really seem to benefit.”
He didn’t deny her charge. Probably because she was dead-on right.
“Have you thought about me?” Leo asked her.
She blinked. “What?”
“Because you’ve been in my head. Every single damn day.” He gave a grim laugh. “Though I have to say, the nights were the worst. The worst…” He paused. “And the best. Because the things that happened in my dreams—”
“Do not say another word.” And suddenly, she was standing toe-to-toe with him. “How dare you?” Mora demanded. “How fucking dare you come back into my life this way? You’re going to stand there and spout out some bull about dreams? You threw me away. You used me. You lied to me. You betrayed me.” You ripped out my heart. Stomped on it. Then stomped on it some more.
“I’m not the same man.”
Now she had to laugh. Bitterly. “No, I suspect you’re even worse.” Her gaze held his. “Lord of the Light.” Her voce was mocking. “Should I bow or something? You know, since I’m in the presence of such greatness.”
His jaw was rock hard.
She spun from him. “Your five minutes is tick, ticking on down—”
He grabbed her wrist. “You don’t bow to me. You don’t bow to anyone. You’re Fate. You hold the world…” Now he looked down at her hand—the one he’d trapped. “You hold the world in your hand.”
His touch seemed to burn her. She hadn’t wanted to touch him. When she touched him, Mora felt too much. Her breath was already panting out. The desire she felt for him—it surged inside of her. She hated him, but she still wanted him. That was the way it was between them. No sense, no reason at all, just a savage need.
The first time they’d met…it had been so very, very long ago. Savagery had ruled the land back then, and the wild desire she’d felt for Leo as they stood at the foot of a volcano? It hadn’t seemed so strange. In fact, she’d thought it was rather perfect.
She’d been wrong. About many things.
But the desire hadn’t died. After everything that had happened—every terrible thing—it was still there. Their skin touched, and her body primed. His touch charged her, and every inch of her body seemed to yearn.
“Let. Me. Go.” Her words were ice cold even though she was burning red hot. She might want him—her body was betraying her that way—but she was more than just a body. She was a mind and a broken heart.
Review:
I couldn't wait for Leo's book and to find out his heroine was "Fate" who wants to be called Mora now was very intriguing. Like I've said before Ms Eden does not disappoint on having different and unusual paranormal beings. No same ole same ole here thank you very much. And the way all her books in this series ties together is fantastic. I keep thinking that her books can't get better but they do.
I don't want to say much about this story since I don't want to give away any of the surprises that this book has. But suffice to say this was one fantastic read and I give it 5 stars. I was gifted the book by the author in exchange for consideration of a review.
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