He’s what things that go bump in the night fear.
Tragedy brings the ice elemental, Nicholas Frost, to
America and lands him on the doorstep of the High Council. While surrounded by
a group of Guardians who question his offer to kill the vampire Jackson,
Nicholas stumbles across the man fate has decreed his. Although overjoyed, the
secret he hides is now in jeopardy of being revealed.
Something lethal lurks within.
Cold. Powerful. Feared. A killer. Like the softly
falling snow, Nicholas is silent and deadly. Always alone. Always guarded. His
abilities are unrivaled, and other paranormals avoid him. With good reason.
And the man fate has paired him with is a truthsayer—a
living lie detector.
Guardian Jonas Parker is convinced fate has made a
monumental mistake. Guardian lifespans are practically eternal. Elementals only
live a couple of hundred years. No way that golden thread which links them
means what he thinks it does. Surely fate wouldn’t gift him with a man he’ll
outlive?
Jonas is a truthsayer, which is difficult enough. Add
in the chance of an accidental surface reading if he touches bare skin, and no
one is willing to get close to him. Jonas can dig into anyone’s psyche and
unearth all their secrets regardless if they’re willing are not.
No secret can remain hidden from him.
While Nicholas and Jonas struggle to figure out how a
mating can work between two such different paranormals, Jackson plots. As the
final battle looms on the horizon for the men of Mystic Bay, a terrifying
prospect has emerged—something not even Nicholas and the others may be able to
defeat.
Excerpt:
WHEN ALONE in the snow-covered hills, peace prevailed.
Outside noise fled, and silence was a constant companion. It wrapped cold arms
around all it touched, offering the feeling of being the only person to have
ever walked this path.
To Nicholas, it was paradise.
Funny how those feelings reversed in an abandoned building.
There was something sinister about a structure obviously erected at great
expense, then simply left unused. And in the dark of night? Well, the mind
plays tricks, asking what monster skulked through the corridors, waiting to
sink its greedy claws into unprotected flesh.
Nicholas was that monster.
Satisfied he heard only one beating heart, he crept forward.
After dodging barbed-wire fencing, he pushed his way through thick foliage,
moving soundlessly toward the towering, decrepit warehouse. Finding an unlocked
side entrance, he slipped into the building.
It had been allowed to fall into disrepair and suffered from
vandalism. Trash littered the floor, and every window he passed had been
shattered. Broken beams of moonlight fought the darkness as Nicholas walked the
maze of twisting corridors toward the open, main floor.
As he drew closer, he expanded his senses. Good. Still only
the one beating heart in all the silence, along with the stench of cigarettes
now. Such a nasty habit. But it did have its uses—like disguising scent. He
lifted his hand, and a rather strong blast of arctic air flooded the immediate
area.
“Fucking hell! Dammit, Frost.”
Nicholas chuckled. Yes, he imagined his informant didn’t
appreciate the chilliness, since he was ectothermic. That’s what he got for
smoking. While Nicholas did request this meet, and knew the paranormal waiting
for him, he wouldn’t relax his guard. A lax assassin was a dead assassin.
He sniffed the air currents again. Nothing human had been
there in a long time. The only living paranormal inside was the one who
Nicholas expected. Nothing undead lay in wait, either. To him, vampires smelled
slightly musty with a hint of moss. And, as odd as it sounded, decaying
mushrooms.
Satisfied no one else lurked, he strolled onto the main floor.
