Hi Rebekah, thank you for having me on as your guest today. And of course, for asking me to feature my hunky alpha from book two of
Tales of the Black Court. Today I’ve selected an excerpt from chapter one of Prince by Blood and Bone, A Fantasy Romance of the Black HYPERLINK , the sequel to The Dark Huntsman.
Kian’s heart slammed in his chest as he led the girl down the twisting, underground corridors of Cairngloss. He’d done it. She would help him. Willingly. Or at least with the bright, shiny carrot of leaving dangled in front of her grasp. Soon, he’d be released from the torment of being held in this mishmash of shapes, then the queen herself would weep.
His savior’s full skirt brushed against the stones of the walls behind him. The subtle swishing sound reminding him of dances long ago. Of women’s laughter…and flirting…and sex.
“Why did the queen trap you here? It seems…odd.”
Her voice cut into his reverie and he jolted back to the present. “Why put me in an abandoned palace, you mean?”
“It is a palace, isn’t it? Not a prison.”
He snuck a glance backward.
She darted a wistful look into a dusty, open chamber. “I mean, it’s confusing and empty and dark, but hardly a dungeon,” she said.
“The queen has a twisted mind,” he responded, and turned back around. He didn’t want to tell her this was more of a prison than a dungeon with fellow inmates would have been. By secreting him here in the abandoned shell of a palace, he had daily reminders of his isolation, and no fellow prisoners to rally to his cause. The queen knew him well.
“We’re here.” He pushed the elaborately carved double doors wide, held his candelabra to the side, and bowed.
She entered, the trail of her scent sneaking under his cloak, teasing him with its rosy, feminine lure. His eyes closed, and his muscles tensed as she passed dangerously close. He resisted the urge to touch the curve in her waist. Snag a golden lock of hair. Or use a claw to tear open the skirt of her dress and reveal the treasure beneath.
There was a scraping behind him. He whipped around and growled at the trailing hobgoblins that followed him everywhere like faithful dogs. They scattered, shrieking and hooting into the dark.
He carefully shut and locked the doors behind them. She was his, and he wouldn’t share.
“It’s huge.” Her green eyes widened, her pale pink lips formed a wide O and he damned his current shape. If he wasn’t cursed, he would abandon the library and have her back in his chambers, her soft flesh twined around him in a quest for another kind of release.
If he wasn’t cursed.
Kian De Tuatha, prince of the Black Court and enemy of his mother, the queen, has answered a few questions for you today.
What is your favorite drink? Kreslian ale. But I’ve been imprisoned in the abandoned gnome palace of Cairngloss by my mother, the Black Queen, and been unable to indulge for far too long. Do you happen to have any around? I could certainly use a glass.
Favorite Food? I’ve been trying to decide what would be my first meal when I’m released. Not that my servant and jailor, Beezel, isn’t a good cook, but he can’t get everything here. I’m partial to roast venison, or a well seasoned goose. Can you tell I’ve been trapped in this beastial form too long? All I can think about is meat.
Best Date? Date? I’m a prince of the fae, we don’t date. We call, and the women come.
Worst Date? Well, if I have to pick one, the man-eating fiancée my mother has chosen for me would be top of the list. She devoured a friend of mine’s soul in just a few months of marriage. Now I’m facing that fate in the face.
What do you notice first in a woman? Do your women readers really want to know that? I’ll go with eyes. Um, yes, of course. The eyes.
What is your biggest pet peeve with women? On occasion I run into one who simply doesn’t follow my orders. Now that is annoying.
Use three words to describe yourself. Prince, warrior, powerful.
If you could meet anyone who would it be? Ah, I’ve been dreaming about a woman joining me here in captivity. If I could choose, I’d like a leggy blonde. One who could play chess. I love chess and it’s deadly boring playing with Beezel. Oh, and if you can find such a woman, it would be nice if she could undo my mother’s curse and free me from both this blasted shape and my prison.
What is one secret that you don’t want people to know about you? That I’m a sucker for the underdog. Shh, keep that one to yourself.
due out April 2014
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
Author Bio:
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. To sign up for Jessica Aspen’s new release email please go to:
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