JustRomance.Me - Love A Tree Blog Hop

Welcome! This is my second time joining a JustRomance.Me blog hop. If you came upon this post by accident, but would like to join in the fun, just click the banner to the left and you can start at the beginning. There are lots of prizes up for grabs (one of which is a copy of my novella, Tower in the Woods).

This blog hop celebrates Earth Day , so I chose a relevant except from my new release Warlock's Pawn. Below it is a picture of the actual location that inspired this desert fantasy (Empty Quarter, UAE). My husband's one of the guys in black.

Though strategy dictated he walk past the idyllic scene in this neglected garden, he found himself marching toward her as if drawn by a magical tether. A single sighting would make his efforts a complete waste, but his mind fought the battle and lost. She was alone, surrounded by date palms and long-stemmed yellow flowers, and the simple white dress that had caught his eye at court made her appear ethereal as she sat by the water’s side. Now that she was but an arm’s reach away, their likenesses in the mosaic pool seemed as if captured from a forgotten dream.

“No one visits this place,” she remarked with a sigh. “The rarest treasures of the desert are here for all to enjoy. Yet each day you walk by as if dates are as common as sand.”

He frowned and reached over to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The odd calm in her tone made him wonder how attuned she was to his thoughts. “I am here now.”

She turned at long last to meet his gaze. “But you loathe yourself for not walking away.”

Accustomed to being inscrutable, he could not help but feel reluctant admiration for her astuteness. “Where there is beauty there are those who seek its destruction. It is my duty to protect the walls that keep these waters safe.”

Her lips curved into a small, almost mocking smile. “Are you telling me you do not have the luxury to savor what you have?”

He narrowed his eyes. “You clearly believe otherwise.”

She shrugged. “You neglect this place by choice, my lord, not by circumstance.” While her face remained impassive, he could sense the pain and confusion behind the veil of calm. Unable to stop himself, he leaned closer and circled his arm around her shoulders. She resisted for only a moment before resting her forehead against his chest. He needed to leave; he should have never come. The longer he tarried there the greater the chance a courtier would see them together and send whispers flying throughout court.

“I have hurt you. I will hurt you,” he murmured as he rested his chin on her hair and took in a deep breath. “What I did, what I will do, it is for your protection. Try to trust my words, for your suffering pains me far more than it does you.”

I hope you enjoyed the snippet as much as I enjoyed writing it. Happy Earth Day!

In a world of blood and sand, becoming a warlock’s queen is a fatal curse. To survive the Helicon court, Alia must learn to play a lethal game. But while she faces assassins with a dagger in hand, what she fears most is losing her heart along with her freedom.

Content Notes: Intense Heat/Edgy Erotic Romance, Anal Play/Intercourse, Light BDSM Practices or Play, Menage