Introducing...
Title: Even In Darkness*
Series: Book #3 in the Between Series
Author: Cyndi Tefft
Genre: YA (Paranormal/Fantasy: Angels)
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Excerpt
AIDEN
Ian reached to refill my glass but I placed my hand over it. “Are you trying to kill me off, then?” I said to the blurry image of my friend. “I’ve had far too much this evening already. I’ll not remember a word you’ve said come the morn if I dinna stop now.”
“Och, well, we canna have that, as every word from my lips is pure brilliant.” Ian leaned back in his chair, shaking with laughter. I joined with him, my face painted in a daft, drunken grin as I tipped the glass and waited for the last drop of whisky to fall on my tongue. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ian topple over and my muddled instincts sharpened anew.
I leapt to my feet. “Ian!” Sprawled on the floor, he waved me away, giggling like a lad. I could not help but smile at the spectacle the old man posed: hair the color of freshly fallen snow, crinkled face burnt a permanent shade of pink from years of toil under the hot sun, his kilt buckled beneath his rotund belly. I’d known him but a few months and I loved him as dear as my own father, God rest his soul.
He pulled himself to his feet, swaying only slightly. “Off to bed with ye now. Lindsey will be home later, once she and the lasses have had their fun, so it’s no use waiting up. Better to be fresh for her when she comes back, aye?” He gave me a raucous wink and I helped steer him to his room.
“A good night to ye, Ian,” I whispered once we’d reached the door, careful not to wake Sarah.
“And to you, my son.”
I slipped down the hall of the MacKinnons’ castle to the room they’d graciously set aside for me and my bride. Three days had passed since the priest gave his blessing over our union and the warmth inside of me had yet to fade. She’s truly mine, at long last, I thought to myself, unable to absorb the good fortune my Lord had bestowed upon me.
I unbuckled my kilt and let it fall to the ground. Too exhausted to even hang my garments over the chair, I dropped the rest of my clothes into a pile at my feet and crawled into bed. The silken sheets were cool against my warm flesh, one of the modern marvels I’d come to appreciate since coming forward three hundred years into the future. King Louis IV himself didn’t enjoy sheets such as these, I was certain. A cloud made of down feathers cradled my swirling head and guided me into oblivion.
The turning of the door handle brought me to my senses sometime in the night, the room aglow with the light of the full moon. Lindsey crept in and my heart took a breath, as it does every time I lay eyes on her. She’s home safe.
“Did ye enjoy yourself?” I asked, my voice scratchy with sleep. She nodded and padded across the floor to stand in a pool of moonlight. While I watched, she slowly undressed, baring soft curves that Aphrodite herself would have envied. Her gaze never wavered from my own as she disrobed. My body sprang to life, insistent for her touch. She peeled back the blankets, exposing my desire for her. As her skin slid against my own, I spoke to her in my mind.
You’re beautiful.
She kissed my neck, then traced her tongue over the shell of my ear. Shivers tightened my skin.
That was random, but thanks. Her laughter echoed in my head.
Perplexed by her response, I began to straighten, but she pressed me into the mattress. Her fingernails raked my chest as her mouth moved farther down and suddenly, all rational thought escaped me.
Oh, Lindsey.‘Twas more of a groan than true words, but she ceased her ministrations and fixed me with a serious look.
“No more talking,” she said. Her lips claimed mine as we made silent, frantic love in the moon’s embrace. I tried to slow the pace to prolong her pleasure, but the mixture of sleep, drink, and her writhing figure pushed me over the edge.
The pounding blood in my ears masked the sound of the door opening.
“Aiden?” My beloved’s voice called from the entry, sounding for all the world as though I’d cut the very heart from her chest. On my lap, Lindsey began to laugh. My head swiveled between her and the apparition looking on in horror from the doorway.
“What in the name—” I began and an instant later, my greatest fear was realized. The woman in my arms flashed blood red eyes at me.
About the Author
 A self-proclaimed Scot freak, she loved every bit about the trip to Scotland: the people, the kilts, the accents, the fish & chips, the haggis...well okay, not the haggis. |
*Note: You may have noticed that this post is lacking a cover photo... This is because we are having a cover reveal very soon! Be on the lookout.
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With love,
Margaret
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