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Counting Shadows by Olivia Rivers
(Duplicity #1)
Publication date: June 30th 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Two hearts, one kiss…
…Nothing left.
Faye’s
soul-mate is everything she should hate—an Angel, an outcast, an enemy.
Ashe is just one more imperfection in her life that somehow makes
everything… perfect.
Until he’s murdered.
With
the only person she loves ripped away, Faye sets out to avenge Ashe’s
death. The task seems impossible, until she finds Lor—an Angel who looks
nearly identical to Ashe’s killer. Arrogant and hot-headed, Lor is
everything Ashe wasn’t. But Lor is connected to her soul-mate’s past,
and Faye needs him to find the killer—even if Lor is potentially deadly.
But
when Faye discovers that Ashe’s past isn’t as black and white as she
thought, she faces an impossible choice: Give up the hunt, and risk the
lives of others. Or continue pursuing Ashe’s murderer, and forfeit the
lives of everyone in her family—including herself.
Purchase:
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Excerpt
His black eyes settle on mine, the pain in them a silent
accusation. Ashe knows he’s about to die. And he knows I’ve lied about his
Fate.
I can’t feel guilt. I can’t feel anything. There’s only my ragged breaths and the tears pressing
against my eyes. Ashe steps toward me, even though I’m in the opposite
direction of the door. No, I silently
beg him. Run. I don’t realize I’m
shaking my head until he falters.
“Stop,” one of the guards hisses, even though he already
has. “Don’t go near the Lady Faye.”
My heart pounds
wildly. “Just count the beats when you
get scared,” Ashe told me months ago, as he pressed his palm over my heart.
“Remember that I’ll protect you until the day they stop. And don’t be scared
anymore.”
I gasp in air. One,
two, three, four…
He walks toward me, his face hard with determination.
Five, six, seven…
One of the guards shouts and stabs his spear forward. At
Ashe. My Ashe.
My heart stops.
I scream at the guard, telling him to stop, to leave, to
disappear and never show his face again. But my words are a jumbled mess, and
it’s too late. The spear pierces Ashe’s right wing, drawing blood. Nausea fills
me as the red blood mingles with his crimson feathers. I’ve always loved his
wings. They mark him as an Angel, the one bit of perfection in my life.
Now those wings are ruined.
Ashe’s eyes never leave me, even as the guard tears his
spear out of the wound. I swallow hard. I’ve never stared into his eyes for too
long, knowing I’d probably lose myself in all the pain and loneliness in their
depths. Now I never want to look away.
“Get moving,” the guard with the bloodied spear growls. He
stabs at Ashe again, but Ashe grabs the shaft of the spear before it strikes
him. He yanks the spear from the guard and snaps it in two. Ashe allows one of
the halves to clatter to the stone floor, but keeps hold of the sharpened end.
His gaze slowly sweeps over the four guards with weapons, a low growl rumbling
in his throat.
“You can’t do this,” I say, finally finding my voice. “My
father would never allow it.”
“Your father ordered
this,” snaps the guard without a spear. He braces for an attack, as do the
others.
Then their leader takes a step forward and pushes out a staying
hand. “Wait.”
I recognize this leader as Jolik. He was my bodyguard for
awhile before Ashe became my Guardian. I’m not sure how many bodyguards I went
through—five, six?—but they never lasted long before I excused them.
Jolik nods to Ashe. “Let him say goodbye.”
The weaponless guard speaks up. “He could kill her.”
“He won’t,” Jolik says, shaking his head.
Ashe doesn’t wait for Jolik to change his mind. He drops the
broken spear and rushes to me. Cupping my face with one hand, he uses the other
to press me against him. Familiar heat radiates off him this close. He tilts my
chin up and kisses me so gently, I barely feel his lips against mine. But I can
feel the desperation, and as he presses me a little closer, I know this is a
goodbye.
The kiss only lasts a moment. Then the guards drag him away,
and those threatening tears finally spill. I’m not sure if the tears are angry
or anguished. Or maybe just broken.
“You’re right, little sparrowhawk,” Ashe says over his
shoulder. “Everything is going to be
okay. I promise.”
I don’t get to respond. The last guard exits my chambers and
slams the heavy door closed, leaving me truly alone for the first time in
years. I take a shuddering breath, willing the doors to burst open, for Ashe to
come rushing back to me.
They don’t. Silence settles over the room, screaming the
truth:
Nothing will ever be okay.
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AUTHOR BIO:
Author Links:
Website: http://oliviarivers.blogspot.ca/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6548741.Olivia_Rivers
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiversOlivia
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1 comment:
What a heart wrenching excerpt. Amazing. I must check this book out! Thanks so much for sharing!
Elizabeth
www.stuffedshelves.org
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