Queen Mother...Chapter One

 I have done this for my other books and decided that I would keep with that tradition.  I love sharing my works with all of the readers that give me an opportunity to do so.  Thank you to each person that will take the time to read this.  My next release is coming October 30, 2014 and I cannot wait to see what those that have read the first book in the series think of this next installment.  Queen Mother is available now.

 Here is the link:  Amazon

 I am sharing the first chapter of the book just to see what kind of response I get from this.  Also, I am sharing so that you might get an idea of what my writing is like if you've never read my work before.

Here are some teasers for the book: 

Chapter One:

 “Bear down, Milady,” the lady in waiting practically yelled at the royal whose face was tear-streaked and reflected an air of exhaustion.

 “No, I cannot.  I’m so famished and weary.  I ache all over.  I don’t have the ability to do this,” the young woman with copper toned eyes and light, sun-kissed skin yelled.  

The words were thrust from her on a weakened breath.  Her normally curly, almost jet black hair was now spread over her regularly pearl colored pillowcase.  The pearl color was now a smoky grey because of the sweat pouring from her forehead.

       “You must! Your young is almost here.  You have waited for so long to hold your babe.  Milady, please,” the lady pleaded and began to position herself to between the young royal’s legs.  

The royal knew she must push forward.  She knew that this was her last attempt to give her beautiful Intended his last child.  He’d sought to have five.  She never understood his need, but she agreed to it.  He was so adamant about that number.  If she really put thought to it, then she would realize that she already knew why.  This child was to be his gift to her not the other way around.

If every child that had inhabited her womb had lived they would have nine no ten babes.  It was not to be so.  The all knowing mother had not seen that they were fit to bear that many.  This was the one that wasn’t supposed to be.  No one knew this child would come.  Every child before had been spoken of by a soothsayer or dreamwalker.  Not one had come and spoken of this one.  No one came until it was far too late for any to know what was to come from this one.

The Fated came to them in the night and delivered the horrifying “gift” from the Eldest Soothsayer. 

“The Fifth child born to the King of the Demoans and the Queen Mother will bring pain and death with his life.  In his name, war will wage and peace will be abolished.  He will be the harbinger of all that is evil in living by the error of his ways.  No good will come of the child that will live as the one that hunts his own.”

When word was received, she’d wept for days.  The fear of the words played in her head hourly and were the reason for each horrible sight she saw when she closed her eyes at night. A request was made for further divining or more knowledge to decipher the meaning behind the words.  It wasn’t until much later, far too late for anything to be done, that she and her Intended were informed there was a second portion to that message. 

The second portion was never given to the queen or her Intended. It crushed her to know that she had more information only after there was nothing in her power to be done about it.  The worst part about finding something was intentionally being kept from her was learning the reason that it was done. The Fated feared the words of the first portion of the message far too much to relay the second.  The ignorance of youth overrode the wisdom of age.  They wanted the child removed from the kingdom as fear overruled their sworn duty. The Fated had sworn a duty to protect the kingdom from such a child.  They had many in place to make sure that such a child would never come to be or so they thought.  What they hadn’t realized in their youthful exuberance was their actions were what brought about the foreseen actions in their message. 

As a result of the steps that they took, she was now dealing with something no person, especially a mother, should ever have to deal with.  Her children were her own.  They are the sons and daughters of Zephora Carthage-Veering: the Queen, Mother of their race and Foreseer.  Yes, she was hated because she was able to change the heart of a Demoan from his evil ways.  Doing so had split one of the most evil and deadliest duos to ever be spawned from hell.  Devianté, her Intended, and the father of the supposedly cursed child spent many, many days trying to put the broken Queen Mother back together. 

Things may have been so different had they only seen the second portion of that message.

Take heed in this message for it is truth.  His heart is the key to his destruction. Without the evil that touches it, he will be the greatest warrior and live by his mother’s twice blessed sword.”

All was not right in her world and it probably never would be.  She hadn’t lost just one child because of those words.  She’d lost two.  The Fated were cruel, heartless bitches.  So many days of wishing and praying for the return of those lost children were thrown back in her face.  It wasn’t enough for her to lose them then have them brought back into her life.  No, they were brought back with a secret so terrifying that she almost requested someone take her life.  It was the worst thing imaginable. 

All of her hopes for those boys, her sons, were dragged through the mud, trampled on by horses, then chewed up and spit out.  They weren’t those beautiful, innocent little babes that she’d for mere moments at her bosom.  They weren’t the kindhearted little ones that she’d always thought they’d be, expected them to be.  It was part of their family’s nature, their lineage, to be kind and nurturing.  Her boys were men.  They were men that were hardened by a life of anger, hostility and a childhood without love.  How could they be anything less than that growing up with a Demoan that knew not what it meant to truly be loved and cared for?  She wouldn’t expect them to be gentle men.  She couldn’t.  Yet, she’d still hoped.  When she heard of their depravity and who that youngest child had become, her heart instantly chilled. 

Only a mother that has heard of a child doing something that goes against everything that they taught their child would understand what she felt.  Only a parent that learned of a child committing a crime so heinous no other could hear of it without cringing could know the depth of her sadness.  Her anger knew no boundaries.  It seeped into her veins and screamed for release.  Every person that was within her kingdom tried to look at her with sympathy, but so many had been lost that the attempt was lost in their reflected heartache. 

Zephora couldn’t take it.  So, she left.  She took her leave of her kingdom that had been her safety net and sanctuary for as long as she’d been alive.  Even in her greatest moment of pain, her kingdom and the Foresayer L’ahelle had been her home.  There she’d always found peace.  She couldn’t find it.  So, she went to the second place that afforded her the opportunity to let down her guard.  Her arrival at the first space that she ever shared with Devianté had her trembling.  She hadn’t been there since she and Devi lived there with the children so many centuries before. 

Looking upon the gates with the Veering crest brought tears to her eyes.  The “v” that spread to take on the shape of dark wings was one she knew as well as her name.  It was etched into Devi’s skin.  The marking of one wing started at the top of his left pectoral and spanned the length of his torso.  It dipped around his side and the other wing spread out across his hip then lower back.  The dip of his “v” cut across part of his abs.  It was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen and couldn’t help, but learn every dip, turn and section of the marking with her tongue whenever she had the opportunity. 

Smiling to herself, she turned slightly and nodded her head.  He was there.  He was always there.  Devi thought that he was hiding himself when he silently followed her in the shadows, but she knew.  She always knew.  Her heart told her when he was near.  Knowing that he was with her, watching out for her, allowed her to be brave when she needed to be. 

“Devi, I need you here with me.  As much as I feel this is my own to bear, I cannot be in this place alone.  Plea…,” she began, but stopped when he stood before her. 

“You know you only have, but to ask.  I should have known that you knew I followed you.  I haven’t really been able to hide much of anything from you in all of our years together,” he stopped and looked around the area where they stood.  “I cannot believe it has been as long as it has been since we were away from this place.  It seems like yesterday that we were putting things together to make it our own.  The staff has done well in keeping up the grounds, don’t you think?”

Zephora tore her gaze away from her husband’s six and a half foot, hard body that was barely hidden in the dark jeans and blue sweater that he wore.  Anytime he was in that color, she thought of the deep blue eyes that called to her every time that he looked at her. 

“Evo, your thoughts have turned to things that will get you taken where you stand if you are not careful.  You came here for other things, I believe.  If I am going to be a distraction, then I will return to our home.  Even if looking into those beautiful brown eyes that darken with your desire make even speaking those words the hardest thing I had to do right now,” he said as he glanced over his shoulder. 

She’d heard it to.  There was a whisper on the winds and she knew they wouldn’t be alone long.  Her mother would be joining them soon.  Oh well.  So much for that little thought.  It would be a while before her mother would arrive.  She would make the most of the time that she would have alone with her husband. 

Her gaze moved to the home that stood before her.  The grandeur of the estate had never been lost on her.  It was an amazing place.  The palatial home was one that she didn’t think she’d ever get used to when she’d first arrived.  Sure, the home she lived in with her mother was more of a castle than home, but she’d known every nook and cranny of it. 

To be honest, she’d thought that Demoans lived in a hovel or cave.  She hadn’t expected to find such a wondrous place.  It had been cloaked in a protective spell the first time she’d arrived.  Devianté showed his first signs of not being the typical demonic killer when he’d brought her to this place.  The house looked like it was owned by a Lord from the Victorian Era.  The tower that set off to the right if you were facing the home was one of her favorite places to be.  The grey toned shingles, pillar like columns, grand windows and staircases and porch that ran the width of the front of the house made her love the house, instantly. 

Devi had the house modernized as time went on, but he never changed those things.  He knew how important those things were for her.  The five bedrooms and two bath home had been theirs.  It had been there’s and held so many memories.  It was also the place where she’d thought she’d lost herself forever.

 

The cover: 

The first book in the series is Night Hunter.  It is available now for purchase at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Thank you so much for taking the time to check out what I have shared.

~E.