“Dai’s
Dark Valentine” by Dariel Raye
Blurb
What happens when a sheltered cat-shifter and a dark
fey come together?
Three-hundred years is a long time, but left to its
own devices, what began as the vendetta of one man can grow to encompass even
more formidable hatred.
Daitre Salons is a beautiful but naïve heiress whose
true heritage has been kept secret even from her. Now, her abilities are
emerging and her father’s enemies want her dead, but what bothers her most is
that her new husband “in name only” insists on treating her like a child.
Joban Beaucoup, professional guard to the Salons
family, and dark fey (alternate spelling from Vodouin origin), has chosen to
leave the quaint yet suffocating French town of his orphan-childhood and
venture to the Americas, but he needs one thing he cannot concoct, despite his
magical abilities – a wife.
When Joban agrees to marry Daitre and take her to
the Americas with him, he carries her three-thousand miles away, then whisks
her three-hundred years into the future to assure her safety, but while Daitre
struggles to adjust to this strange new world, manage her newfound powers, and make
peace with her feelings for Joban, Joban learns that even here, their enemies
have followed them, now more deadly than ever.
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Excerpt
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A. - Present
Daitre
instinctively wrapped her arms around Joban’s neck, wonder overshadowing every
other thought and emotion.
Before she could blink, he slid her arms from him and took a step back. She blinked again and glanced around, the environment too strange for comprehension. What seemed like millions of images flashed around her synapses at once.
She closed her eyes again and did her best to ignore the rocks in her stomach, but the feeling of rejection would not go away. She’d over-stepped. He made it clear he did not want to be touched.
Apparently he’d meant what he said about their marriage being a union in name only, and God alone knew where he’d brought her.
The magical orb resurfaced in her mind and she watched Joban in awe. She’d always known he was a time bender, and he’d even flashed her from one place to another before, but his particular species of fey were so rare, she’d never met another, and no matter what she thought she knew, experiencing the phenomenon was no less overwhelming and amazing.
Everything seemed to happen in a flash, glimpses of familiar and unfamiliar things slowly registering as the light faded. Joban told her they were in The Americas, the United States of America to be exact, three-hundred years in the future, the twenty-first century, and he began showing her odd clothing.
“Things are very different here and now, Daitre. You will need to adjust as fast as possible. I got these for you after your father told me your size. They will take some getting used to, but dressing is much easier in this century, I imagine.”
“What part of America are we in?”
“We are in a place called New Orleans, Louisiana. I should have family here, and so should you.” He waved across his left hand and a picture appeared.
“This is a map of the United States. We are here,” he said, pointing to the bottom tip of Louisiana.
Daitre frowned.
“What is it, Princess?”
She placed her hands on her hips and folded her arms. “The picture in your hand. That’s something else I did not know you could do.”
“And why does this trouble you?”
She waved him away, the frown morphing into a scowl as she raised her voice. “I do not know. You are all I have, yet I know nothing about you for certain. I find it very troubling.”
He sighed, but otherwise said nothing.
Daitre fingered her gown and glanced warily at the pants, dresses, and other garments he’d purchased. All of her beautiful things were left behind – gowns, jewels, everything left in Monsieur Beaucoup’s carriage.
She wrapped her arms around her midsection. “No.”
“'No,' what?” His ominous tone did nothing to help the situation.
“No, I will not wear those. They are the garments of a harlot, and all of my things have been left in another place and time.”
About
the Author
Dariel Raye
writes powerful IR/MC (Interracial/Multi-cultural) paranormal romance and dark
urban fantasy with alpha male heroes to die for, and strong heroines with
hearts worth winning. Her stories tell of shifters, vamps, angels, demons, and
fey (the Vodouin variety).
release newsletter and daily
newspaper. You can contact her on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest.
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