“What if?” She dropped her arms.
“We won’t let history repeat itself.” He took her hand and squeezed. “Everyone involved with opening this gate, aside from myself, is dead. I destroyed the notes on Earth’s location. Arkavia is a dying realm. Closing the gate will cut off the leaching, and also the energy and supply chain. If they don’t figure out a way to open another gate to another realm, there might not be anything left to fear.”
They turned to the portal together. Thane held out his free hand and pulled his magic. The blue light flickered and faded, dimming gradually until it snuffed out.
“But what if?” she repeated, reaching out internally for the reassuring presence of the link that bound them together. Awareness of Thane pulsed in her mind and relief swept through her.
Thane took her other hand and brought them both to his face to kiss her knuckles. “If they ever figure out how to reform a portal to Earth, we’ll be ready for them.”
His words held ice and deadly promise for their enemies, but they sent warmth through her body. She believed every word.
If the Arkavians ever came back, they’d regret it.
Names & Glossary
Adrianna: from the House of Jericho, niece of Lane, cousin to Julian and Thane
Aello: father of Izar, “whirlwind” in Ancient Arkavian
Alexis: from the House of Auroris, sister to Aries and Ayden
Aries: head of the House of Auroris, brother to Alexis and Ayden
Auroris: the House of Auroris, “sun” in Ancient Arkavian
Ayden: deceased, son of the House of Auroris, brother to Alexis and Aries
Axel: one of Thane’s men
Bertrand: Thane’s Steward
Bruno: one of Thane’s men (sort of)
Chadwick: one of Julian’s men
Corentine: from the House of Raiden, Mother of Izar, “storm” in Ancient Arkavian
Draco: the House of Draco, a constellation
Edur: the House of Edur, “snow” in Ancient Arkavian
Elias: second son and heir to the House of Raiden, brother to Gale
Gale: head of the House of Raiden, brother to Elias
George: earthen survivor
Ilta: the House of Ilta, the Ghost House, “night” in Ancient Arkavian
Izar: Taya’s ancestor, the name of a star
Jericho: the House of Jericho, “moon” in Ancient Arkavian
John: earthen survivor
Julian: first son and heir to the House of Jericho, son of Lane, brother to Thane
Lane: head of the House of Jericho, father of Thane and Julian
Lokni: one of Thane’s men, twin brother of Sokanon, “rain” in Ancient Arkavian
Makani: whirlwind combat move from the House of Ilta, “wind” in Ancient Arkavian
Maris: from the House of Edur, mother of Thane, the name of a star
Orrin: one of Julian’s men, a constellation
Raiden: the House of Raiden, “lightning” in Ancient Arkavian
Sokanon (Soka): one of Thane’s men, twin brother of Lokni, also “rain” in Ancient Arkavian
Steele: one of Julian’s men
Thane: second son of Lane from the House of Jericho
Tommy (Tom): Taya’s brother
Author’s Endnote
I first wrote this story when I recently returned to Canada from living abroad and found myself in that awkward “I’m broke and have no job” stage of life. Like any other time I faced anxiety-inducing events, I turned to reading for an affordable escape from reality and stress relief. After binging on several fantasy series, I started having strange dreams and the urge to write them down. I hadn’t had this feeling since high school, which I ignored at the time, because I was too busy withering in self-doubt like pretty much every other teenager on the face of this Earth (but that’s another story).
This time, the push was more forceful. I wanted to write a story of a fictitious woman who wasn’t me, nor meant to be a fantastical version of me in any way. I viewed the characters like a spectator and the dreams of the woman’s life and journey were so vivid and real, I HAD to write them down. And since I had no job, I had the time! This woman’s story ended up being the first manuscript I ever completed. I called it “Earthen.” The manuscript was 80 000 words, 300 pages, and a hot, hot mess. It collected proverbial dust on my hard drive while I went on to write other stories. Ten published books later, I decided to try again.
And I started from scratch.
Nothing from the original manuscript was salvageable. At least not the words. The ideas behind the words—like the inciting event, overall plot arch and character development—remained true, and I wove them into this book.
I hope you enjoy reading my first story—the story that started my journey as an author—as much as I enjoyed writing it (twice).
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank the following people:
Karilyn Bentley, Charlotte Copper and Nicole Flockton for beta reading and providing feedback. Their critiques are always on point and this story is better because of them.
Lara Parker for the fabulous editing, especially for switching to “Canadian Mode,” which I appreciate.
Jacqueline Sweet for the stunning cover.
Linda Marrs for her wealth of horse knowledge and for answering my many, many questions about horse coats and colour genetics.
My friends on social media for answering random questions about clucking and klicks.
My family and friends for their support.
My readers for reading.
As always, any mistakes found in this book are mine alone and made in spite of everyone’s best efforts to support, guide and inform me.
About the Author
J. C. McKenzie is a book-loving, gumboot-wearing, unapologetic science geek. She's the author of the Carus Series, an urban fantasy five-book saga published by the Wild Rose Press. Born and raised on the West Coast, J. C. sets the majority of her books in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. She writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance with sassy heroines and brutish, alpha-type men.
Visit her at www.jcmckenzie.ca
Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/jcmckenzie
Blog: jcmckenzie.blogspot.ca
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/JCMcKenzie
Twitter: twitter.com/JC_McKenzie
Facebook: www.facebook.com/j.c.mckenzie.author
Instagram: www.instagram.com/j.c.mckenzie