The Bargainer begins to move down my torso, his lips skimming my skin. He kisses my belly button, his hands gliding to my hips, before continuing down …
I feel his breath fan across my flesh, and it raises goosebumps along my arms.
Too good to be true.
All that hoping and wishing and yearning. Life is never supposed to give you what you want, and if it does, best to not assume it’s forever.
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned about the Bargainer, about us, it’s that we’ve paid our dues and then some. And now we get to have this for the rest of our very long lives.
Suddenly Des pauses, his mouth poised in that tantalizing space between my abdomen and my pelvis.
He turns his head to the side, pressing his ear into my soft skin, as though my very flesh was whispering secrets to him.
His grip tightens on my hips. Ever so slowly he lifts his head, his eyes meeting mine.
I can’t read his expression. I can’t read his expression and I really, really want to know what’s running through his mind because the look he’s giving me is not normal.
“What?” I finally say, breaking the weird silence between us.
Des smiles, and it’s so bright, so heart wrenchingly beautiful that it’s physically hard to look at him.
He leans down and kisses my flesh.
“What?” I say again.
“I have a secret.”
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Be sure to check out Laura Thalassa’s post-apocalyptic romance series
Pestilence
Out now!
Click here to buy it on Amazon
Be sure to check out Laura Thalassa’s new adult post-apocalyptic romance series
The Queen of All that Dies
Out now!
Click here to buy it on Amazon
Be sure to check out Laura Thalassa’s young adult paranormal romance series
The Unearthly
Out now!
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Other books by Laura Thalassa
Pestilence
The Bargainer series:
Rhapsodic
A Strange Hymn
The Emperor of Evening Stars
Dark Harmony
The Fallen World series:
The Queen of All that Dies
The Queen of Traitors
The Queen of All that Lives
The Unearthly series:
The Unearthly
The Coveted
The Cursed
The Forsaken
The Damned
The Vanishing Girl series:
The Vanishing Girl
The Decaying Empire
The Infernari series:
Blood and Sin
Novellas:
Reaping Angels
Author’s Note
The end of a series always brings with it contradictory emotions. This one, most especially. The Bargainer series spans nearly five years of my life—from its humble inception back in the spring of 2014, when Rhapsodic was originally slated to be Moonlight Rhapsody, a novella that was part of a paranormal romance anthology, to the trilogy it is today.
My dear readers, thank you all for coming on this journey with me. This book belongs to every one of you. You were the ones who originally encouraged me to keep with the story—even at the very beginning, when I’d only posted a few teasers and thought that maybe I’d let this story slip through the cracks and collect dust on my computer—and you were the ones in the end that helped me wrap Des and Callie’s story up.
To answer the question I get most often at the end of a series (will you ever write more books about Des and Callie?): I’m a big fan of never saying never, but as of right now, I have no plans on any future books in this series.
That being said, I have many other stories that are slated to take place in the supernatural world(s) that Des and Callie live in, so if you enjoy paranormal and fantasy reads (with romance! huzzah!), you’re in luck. I’ll be starting my next series in this world next year (2019), and I won’t reveal what it’s about yet, but I will say that if you like enemies-to-lovers romances, this next series might be up your alley!
Hugs and happy reading,
Laura
Glossary
Arcane Forest: believed to be the place where the first trees took root; located in the Flora Kingdom; birthplace of the Green Man
Arestys: a barren, rocky landmass belonging to the Kingdom of Night; known for its caves; smallest and poorest of the six floating islands located within the Kingdom of Night
Avalon: also known as the City of the Sun and the Isle of Light; capitol of the Day Kingdom
Barbos: also known as the City of Thieves; the largest of the floating islands located within the Kingdom of Night; has garnered a reputation for its gambling halls, gangs, smuggler coves, and taverns
bog: a shadowy carnivorous Otherworld creature that eats its victims alive; feared for their ability to make their victims live out their worst nightmares as they die; native to the Night Kingdom
Borderlands: area where day meets night; the border between the Kingdom of Day and the Kingdom of Night
changeling: a child swapped at birth; can alternatively refer to a fae child raised on Earth or a human child raised in the Otherworld
cobind: the process by which fae share and exchange magic
dark fairy: a fairy that has forsaken the law
Desmond Flynn: ruler of the Kingdom of Night; also known as the King of Night, Emperor of the Evening Stars, Lord of Secrets, Master of Shadows, and King of Chaos
fae: a term denoting all creatures native to the Otherworld
fairy: the most common fae in the Otherworld; can be identified by their pointed ears and, in most instances, wings; known for their trickery, secretive nature, and turbulent tempers
gast: wraithlike creatures who feed off the life force of other fae; gasts burrow belowground but come to the surface to feed; native to Memnos
glamour: magical hypnosis; renders the victim susceptible to verbal influence; considered to be a form of mind control; wielded by sirens; effective on all earthly beings; ineffective on creatures of other worlds; outlawed by the House of Keys because of its ability to strip an individual of their consent
Green Man: king consort of Mara Verdana, Queen of Flora
House of Keys: the global governing body of the supernatural world; headquarters located in Castletown, Isle of Man
Isle of Man: an island in the British Isles located between Ireland to the west, and Wales, England and Scotland to the east; the epicenter of the supernatural world
Janus Soleil: ruler of the Kingdom of Day; also known as the King of Day, Lord of Passages, King of Order, Truth Teller, and Bringer of Light
Karnon Kaliphus: ruler of the Kingdom of Fauna; also known as the King of Fauna, Master of Animals, Lord of the Wild Heart, and King of Claws and Talons
Kingdom of Day: Otherworld kingdom that presides over all things pertaining to day; transitory kingdom; travels around the Otherworld, dragging the day with it; located opposite of the Kingdom of Night; the eleven floating islands within it are the only landmasses that can claim permanent residence within the Kingdom of Day
Kingdom of Death and Deep Earth: Otherworld kingdom that presides over all things that have died; stationary kingdom located underground
Kingdom of Fauna: Otherworld kingdom that presides over all animals; stationary kingdom
Kingdom of Flora: Otherworld kingdom that presides over all plant life; stati
onary kingdom
Kingdom of Mar: Otherworld kingdom that presides over all things that reside within bodies of water; stationary kingdom
Kingdom of Night: Otherworld kingdom that presides over all things pertaining to night; transitory kingdom; travels around the Otherworld, dragging the night with it; located opposite of the Kingdom of Day; the six floating islands within it are the only landmasses that can claim permanent residence within the Kingdom of Night
ley line: magical roads within and between worlds that can be manipulated by certain supernatural creatures
Lephys: also known as the City of Lovers; one of the six floating islands within the Kingdom of Day; believed to be one of the most romantic cities in the Otherworld
loi du royaume: Otherworld law that dictates all fae must submit to the rules of the kingdom they are in
Mara Verdana: ruler of the Kingdom of Flora; also known as the Queen of Flora, Lady of Life, Mistress of the Harvest, and Queen of All that Grows
mate challenge: a duel between two rivals for the hand of a mate; usually ritualistic as mate bonds cannot be transferred
Otherworld: land of the fae; accessible from earth via ley lines; known for its vicious creatures and turbulent kingdoms
Peel Academy: supernatural boarding school located on the Isle of Man
Phyllia and Memnos: sister islands connected by bridge; located within the Kingdom of Night; also known as the Land of Dreams and Nightmares
pixie: winged fae that are roughly the size of a human hand; like most fae, pixies are known for being nosy, secretive, and mischievous
politia: the supernatural police force; global jurisdiction
portal: doorways or access points to ley lines; can overlap multiple worlds
Sacred Seven: also known as the forbidden days; the seven days surrounding the full moon when shifters remove themselves from society; custom established due to shifters’ inability to control their transformation from human to animal during the days closest to the full moon
Somnia: capitol of the Kingdom of Night; also known as the Land of Sleep and Small Death
seer: a supernatural who can foresee the future
shifter: a general term for all creatures that can change form
siren: supernatural creature of extraordinary beauty; exclusively female; can glamour all earthly beings to do her bidding; prone to bad decision-making
skinwalking: the ability to wear the appearance of another being
supernatural community: a group that consists of every magical creature living on Earth
Thief of Souls: the individual responsible for the disappearances of fae warriors
Well of Resurrection: body of water located in the throne room of the Palace of Death and Deep Earth that can hold the dead; used to baptize the Death Kingdom’s ruling family
werewolf: also known as a lycanthrope or shifter; a human that transforms into a wolf; ruled by the phases of the moon
Found in the forest when she was young, Laura Thalassa was raised by fairies, kidnapped by werewolves, and given over to vampires as repayment for a hundred year debt. She’s been brought back to life twice, and, with a single kiss, she woke her true love from eternal sleep. She now lives happily ever after with her undead prince in a castle in the woods.
… or something like that anyway.
When not writing, Laura can be found scarfing down guacamole, hoarding chocolate for the apocalypse, or curled up on the couch with a good book.