Blazing Page 17

  Ertale’s arms wrapped around her to reposition her on his lap. Lucie rested her hands on his chest and tilted her head back. He signed, “Love you.”

  “I know,” she said. “I feel it here.” She touched her chest just over her heart and then his heartstone. It pulsed under her palm.

  His mouth slanted over hers and his arms tightened around her. Warm and patient, he would never let her go. He’d stand between her and any threat, tear down a mountain with his bare hands and wait a thousand years for her.

  Her lashes fluttered, wet again. His blunt, inhuman finger wiped away the tear. He gave her a quizzical look. “Must be the hormones,” she said with a smile. A baby. That would take a while to sink in.

  She stood up, the towel falling to the floor, and she reached for Sarsen and Asche. “Let me introduce you to the honeymoon—”

  Epilogue

  Lucinda

  The first snow brought the forest refugees to the City in the Caldera. They didn’t want to be there—the defiant gleam in their eyes made that clear—but they knew they couldn’t survive the winter.

  Lucie was happy to offer them shelter. Even with the revived Fire Valos, the city remained under populated. They had the space and the resources. Apartments that cut deepest into the side of the mountain had access to fresh air and an escape from the heat of the caldera.

  By a miracle, the group of six had all managed to keep themselves alive in the months since meeting with Lucie. The food her valos brought helped them to identify edible plants and fruit. They had found the abandoned village and made camp within the stone huts. They had water, food and shelter.

  Luck kept the worst of the forest creatures away. They did not come out of their ordeal unscathed. Evan suffered a deep bite on his thigh from an ak’rena. It healed poorly, causing a limp. Denise broke an arm and wrist. The makeshift splint set the arm properly but her wrist was a shattered mess.

  “I suppose you’re going to lord over us how you helped us and we should be forever grateful,” Amber said.

  Lucie ignored the sneer in the woman’s voice. Lucie-on-Earth would have obsessed about the petty insult and sought revenge. She wasn’t that person anymore. That version of herself died on the Concord. She was still putting all the pieces together that formed Lucie-on-Sonhadra. Still very much a work in progress, she knew the type of person she wanted to be and the type of mother she wanted to be. Kind. Principled. Forgiving.

  “No,” Lucie said, rubbing the slight swell of her belly. “I’m going to throw you a party and we’re going to celebrate life.”

  Thank you for reading!

  I hope you enjoyed our trip to Sonhadra. The adventure and romance continues with the rest of the series. Each book is a standalone and can be read in order. There’s no wrong place to jump in at.

  Check all the rest of the Valos of Sonhadra

  1 - Alluvial - Amanda Milo

  2 - Tempest - Poppy Rhys

  3 - Blazing - Nancey Cummings

  4 - Whirlwind - Ripley Proserpina

  5 - Radiant - Naomi Lucas

  6 - Shadowed - Isabel Wroth

  7 - Undying - Tiffany Roberts

  8 - Enduring - Marina Simcoe

  9 - Unfrozen - Regine Abel

  Working with these ladies (and Rob) was an amazing experience. We started planning last July, writing in November and have been trading beta copies and snippets since. Everything from talking about the type of story we wanted to tell and figuring out the world was a blast. We’re already talking about the next shared world project.

  But, Nancey, the fire guys were fun and all, but I want more of my purple warriors?

  I got you. We go back to the Warlord Brides universe next. Who? We’re going to find out what happened to Hazel’s sister, Rosemary.

  Join my newsletter and be the first to know. Plus, get a free book.

  https://dl.bookfunnel.com/jektemqay4

  Also Available by Nancey

  Warriors of Sangrin (With Starr Huntress)

  Paax

  Kalen

  Mylomon

  Vox

  Warlord’s Baby

  Seeran

  Snowed in with the Alien Warlord

  Delivered to the Aliens

  Dragons of Wye (with Juno Wells)

  Korven’s Fire

  Ragnar

  Alpha Aliens of Fremm

  Claimed by the Alien Prince

  Bride of the Alien Prince

  Alien Warrior’s Mate

  Alien Rogue’s Price

  About Nancey

  Join my newsletter and get a FREE copy of Claimed by the Alien Prince.

  Get it at here:

  https://dl.bookfunnel.com/jektemqay4

  I write fun, flirty and fast stories featuring sassy heroines, out-of-this-world heroes, all the mischief they can managed and plenty of steamy fun. Hopefully you want to read them too.

  I live in an old house with my husband and a growing collection of cats.

  Follow my Facebook page for early teasers and whatnots.

  https://www.facebook.com/NanceyCumm/

  Copyright Notice

  Blazing

  Valos of Sonhadra 3

  Copyright Nancey Cummings

  Cover design by Nancey Cummings

  Published February 2018

  Published by Menura Press

  All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this book only. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printer or electronic form without prior written person from the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Author’s Note: This is a work of fiction and all people, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. All characters depicted in this work of fiction are eighteen years of age or older.