Of Flame and Fury: A Weird Girls Novel (Weird Girls Flame Book 3) Read online

  Praise for the Weird Girls series

  “I would devour anything that Ms. Robson writes. I strongly recommend [the Weird Girls] series to PNR/UF readers and fans of Larissa Ione, Kresley Cole and Gena Showalter. Cecy Robson is pretty up there, IMO.” – Under the Covers Book Blog

  “One of my favorite books series…so much action, so much violence and, oh, the lust radiating off of our heroes…I definitely recommend this series for lovers of all things paranormal and awesome.” – USA Today

  “[Of Flame and Light] Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year [2016] and Best Sequel and Series Ender…Tara Wird – most memorable character of 2016.” –The Reading Cave

  “Robson’s blend of smart-alecky wit, good old-fashioned romance, and suspenseful episodes of fighting off evil spirits form a paranormal thriller that will make pulses pound.” – Publishers Weekly

  “[With Robson’s] edgy, witty and modern style of storytelling, the reader will be drawn deep into this quirky paranormal world… Strong pacing, constant action and distinctive, appealing characters—including a gutsy heroine—will no doubt keep you invested.” – RT Book Reviews

  “A healthy dose of humor, a heaping dash of the supernatural, and a pinch of mystery all laced with a heavy dollop of action…Robson knows how to combine all the best ingredients to keep her readers hooked and begging for another hit.” – Fresh Fiction

  “…Robson’s supernatural tale will leave readers clawing for the next installment.” – Booklist

  “Jam packed with action, suspense, kickass girls, hot guys, humor and all out weird girls, this series has me coming back for more and more.” – Night Owl Reviews (Top Pick)

  “I was blown away by the depth of passion, humor, and creativity in this story…If you are a fan of powerful, sarcastic heroines and cross-over urban fantasy / paranormal romance stories, I highly recommend Of Flame and Light.” – Grave Tells Romance

  “I fell deeply in love with Cecy Robson’s sharp, funny dialogue, hilarious characters and brilliant world building.” – Book and Movie Dimension

  “When you begin, reading Of Flame and Light the rest of the world will slip away. Action-packed with heart, growth, and supernatural awesomeness.” – Caffeinated Book Reviewer

  When I started reading the Weird Girls series a few years back, I fell deeply in love with Cecy Robson’s sharp, funny dialogue, hilarious characters and brilliant world building…I really cannot stress enough how much I loved [Of Flame and Light]. – Book and Movie Dimension

  Titles by Cecy Robson

  The Weird Girls Series

  Gone Hunting

  A Curse Awakened: A Novella

  The Weird Girls: A Novella

  Sealed with a Curse

  A Cursed Embrace

  Of Flame and Promise

  A Cursed Moon: A Novella

  Cursed by Destiny

  A Cursed Bloodline

  A Curse Unbroken

  Of Flame and Light

  Of Flame and Fate

  Of Flame and Fury

  The Shattered Past Series

  Once Perfect

  Once Loved

  Once Pure

  The O’Brien Family Novels

  Once Kissed

  Let Me

  Crave Me

  Feel Me

  Save Me

  The Carolina Beach Novels

  Inseverable

  Eternal

  Infinite

  In Too Far Novels

  Salvatore

  Death Seeker Novels

  Unearthed

  APPS

  Crazy Maple’s Chapters: Interactive Stories APP: Shattered Past, Weird Girls and O’Brien Family Series

  Hooked – Chat stories APP: Cecy Robson is writing as Rosalina San Tiago

  A WEIRD GIRLS NOVEL

  CECY ROBSON

  Of Flame and Fury is purely a work of fiction. Names, places, and occurrences are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, or persons, living or deceased, is entirely coincidental.

  Of Flame and Fury Copyright ©2020 by Cecy Robson

  Cover design ©Sarah Hansen, Okay Creations LLC

  Copy Edits by Tera Cuskaden of Cuskaden Editorial and Publishing Services, LLC

  Formatting by Jesse Gordon of A Darned Good Book

  Excerpt from Of Flame and Light by Cecy Robson copyright ©2016 by Cecy Robson

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form without prior written consent of the author, except for brief quotes for use in reviews.

  This book contains an excerpt from Of Flame and Light. Taran Wird’s first full-length novel in Cecy Robson’s Weird Girls Urban Fantasy Romance series. The excerpt has been set for this edition only and may not reflect the final content of the published novel.

  Published in the United States by Cecy Robson, LLC.

  eBook ISBN # 978-1-947330-32-0

  Print ISBN # 978-1-947330-33-7

  Dedication

  To Jamie. You deserve this, and more.

  Acknowledgments

  These past two years were hard. Dang hard. Through the emotional ups and downs we have and are experiencing within our family, one thing has held true, mine and Jamie’s relationship.

  For better or worse? I remember that line so well. We’ve seen worse and it’s bonded us closer. It’s why I’m blessed and compelled to acknowledge Jamie first. He’s my rock. My friend. My hero. And yes, the great bringer of comfort food. Babe, I would be lost without your love and compassion. Let’s head toward more of the “better.”

  As always, I also want to thank my agent Nicole Resciniti. It’s not merely everything she does as an agent and how hard she fights to expand my career. Nicole is my best friend. During the darkest times, she listens, offering words of comfort and those hugs I frequently need. And during my brightest and most amazing moments, her hugs are just as fierce.

  To Kimberly Costa, my wonderful assistant and publicist. Thank you for beta reading and working so hard, at all hours, even through several bouts of illness. You’re not simply driven to help me succeed, you’re that kind voice I look forward to hearing. I hope you know, you’re family now.

  To Kristin Clifton, my sweet friend and beta reader. Thank you for your suggestions and support. I’m so glad our love for Bren has bonded us forever.

  To Tera Cuskaden, who had the absolute pleasure of copyediting this manuscript. I appreciate your “LOLs” in the comments and the reminders that I’ve yet to master English grammar. Super thanks for dropping everything to help me. I’m so glad we’re friends.

  To my wonderful French publisher MXM and editor Cécile Lederman. Your kindness and support are invaluable. Thank you for everything.

  To Sean Kelly and his mad proofreading skills. You know you have a real friend when you can text him, out of the blue, and say, “Hey. Want to proofread?” and he, like, does it.

  Finally, to my fans who are more like friends. Thank you for your patience when I postponed the release of Of Flame and Fury the first time. And the second. Oh, and I believe a third time, too. When I explained the stress the last few years have brought, you were kind when you didn’t need to be and gentle with your words and thoughts. My buddies, the moment has come. I hope you enjoy Taran’s last book and are ready for Shayna’s and Emme’s. After all, everyone needs a time to shine.

  Chapter One

  Love is bullshit.

  Or so I thought.

  My parents had love. Two rounds from a shotgun
cut that love short and catapulted my childhood into hell. Am I okay now? I suppose you can call it that. I survived a childhood that would make the Brothers Grimm think twice about writing stories of scary beasties. To their credit, they were only human, and like most humans, they didn’t realize those famished monsters looking for kids to munch on actually exist.

  Yeah, I survived my childhood and the monsters along the way. Then I met Gemini, and I learned how to live.

  From the moment I met my werewolf lover, I knew I was done for. Forget his strength and looks. Forget that he possesses the rare ability to split into two wolves. These are mere bonuses on a long list of sexy points. His real gift is calming my temper like no one else can.

  Usually.

  “I think I may have to kill something,” I tell him. I give it some thought. “Any of the slutty vamps here yet?”

  His chest rumbles where it’s pressed against my back, releasing a smooth, almost subtle laugh. He knows I’m kidding. Mostly. Except those damn vampires, who dress like naughty Catholic schoolgirls, have a gift for prancing on my last nerve with their stilettos.

  “Not yet,” Gemini replies. “You’ll be the first to know when they arrive.”

  His lips skim along the sweep of my neck. I shudder, the motion only briefly drawing my focus away from the terrace. I can’t see past the light bleaching the flat stone covering the small exterior space. I wish I could. Beyond, where the mountains of Lake Tahoe reflect on the water, scary creatures stalk, waiting for a chance to kill my sister and her unborn child.

  Not that I’ll give them the chance.

  It’s insanity, really. Anyone with a speck of reason would run screaming from this nightmare or fall into hysterics, pleading to be spared. I huff at the thought. I learned long ago pleading is for pussies, and no matter how fast you are, the monsters are faster.

  “Are you all right?” Gemini asks.

  “Peachy,” I reply, not even trying to mean it. God, I’m angry. No…I’m more than angry. I’m furious.

  Since Celia learned she and Aric were expecting the child destined to save the world, my fury has brewed to a deadly calm, more frightening than a horrific scream cut short or the hot breath of evil trailing over an innocent throat. It’s a good thing. This fury that stirs me from sleep and burns down to my soul is useful. Sooner or later, evil will lurk from that darkness and find Celia, targeting the little one growing inside her. When it does, my fury will unleash, and the remains of that evil will lie at my feet.

  “Taran,” Gemini murmurs against my skin. “Our people are in place. We’ve planned for every possible scenario to protect Celia.”

  “I know.” We plan all the time. Sometimes, we wake up planning. Except the bad guys plan, too, and tend to tuck cards up their sinister sleeves.

  My right arm twitches in agreement. She doesn’t like anyone threatening us. Like a supercharged battery, Sparky is ready to blow.

  “My love,” Gemini whispers against my ear. “It’s all right.” His hand strokes my agitated arm, his gentle touch soothing her in ways I’ve never quite managed.

  I smile softly, feeling her settle with another pass of Gemini’s hand.

  My zombie right arm is almost a separate entity. The bleached white skin and sickly blue veins that run the length clash against my olive skin tone, causing the suggestive glances I typically receive to avert quickly away. Can’t say I blame anyone. As much as Sparky and I have accepted one another, she doesn’t always listen, and her temper rivals my own.

  Sparky here will fry you like bacon with a strong bolt of lightning or whither you to ash in a blaze of fire. It won’t be pretty or gentle. In fairness, neither was the way my original arm was eaten off.

  The skirt of my white gown swishes as I turn to face Gemini. He’s in a tux he was born to wear, the shape outlining his long, lean muscles and broad chest. The dark whiskers of his goatee lie neatly trimmed over a chiseled jaw, and his dark, almond-shaped eyes shimmer as they take me in. He strokes the strand of hair that escaped my fancy bun, letting it curl around his finger. He’s so beautiful, and his heart so grand that sometimes, like now, it hurts to look at him. I look anyway, relishing this small pocket of time that remains between us.

  My arms wrap around his waist when he kisses me. It’s not a sweet, brief kiss. It’s one that promises we’ll spend the night making love if everything goes well. If it goes well. With everything out there… Yeah, I really need this kiss.

  Gemini pulls away before I’m ready to let him go. His gaze is sharp.

  It takes a moment for my hearing to catch up with his supernatural senses. A floor below, voices ripple as the first of the honored guests make their way to the ballroom.

  “It’s time,” Gemini says. The softness he demonstrated in my presence abandons him, leaving nothing but the devastatingly beautiful features of a predator readying to kill.

  My hands slowly slip away, the bite of tension that consumes me finding its way into my throat. “I know,” I say.

  The last few pureblood weres in existence arrived in Tahoe late last night. The vampire clans from Eastern Europe, three nights before. As head witch of the region and hostess, Genevieve has welcomed sister covens from as far as South Africa over the last few weeks.

  Working as one, the witches created and reinforced the wards surrounding Le Grand Chateau de Montagne, Genevieve’s newly constructed magical fortress where this supernatural summit is to take place. Anyone who’s anyone will be here for a chance to mingle among the elite and seek an opportunity to get ahead. But the real reason for this gala is why I’m here. It’s one last chance to unite the forces for protecting Celia’s baby.

  Voices echo along the second floor, the collective power of all these formidable beings chilling my spine and sending a quiver down Sparky’s length. The pale, bleached skin glows fluorescent white. She doesn’t like the magic scraping along our skin. It challenges us to come out swinging.

  Settle down, Sparky, I tell my arm. There shall be no death and destruction tonight.

  The smile Gemini stirred vanishes as I mull over that thought. Well, maybe, maybe not. None of us are exactly besties.

  Sparky shudders when someone belts out a laugh. It’s not a genuine, fun laugh. It’s packed with power and warns those in the vicinity that he’s not afraid—and that they should be. Gemini chuckles when I roll my eyes. This idiot is only the first of many who will flex their supernatural muscles tonight.

  We’re not rounding up the good guys. That’s not what we’re here for. We’re attempting to unify a crowd of bloodthirsty freaks.

  “Shhh,” Gemini murmurs. He lifts my right hand, brushing his lips across the sickly blue veins and over my knuckles. It’s fair to say we had issues accepting my new arm, despite the were magic used to create it. But you’d never know it by the way Gemini caresses me now. The glowing recedes, as do the trembles. “Rest easy, Taran. I am with you.”

  He bends to kiss me. But if he does, I won’t want him to stop. I avert my chin. “We should head to the party before I do more naughty things that you’ll enjoy.”

  “Hmm,” he says. “Very well. But it seems you enjoy them too.”

  “I’ll give you that,” I say. My impish smile vanishes when I realize how worried I really am. “Let’s stay alive, okay?”

  Gemini’s worry for my safety tightens his voice. “We will,” he replies.

  He straightens slowly, his posture stiff as the voices grow louder and the waves of magic rippling through the room turn more pronounced.

  I drop the vulnerability I allow in Gemini’s presence and reach out with the magic I was born with. I sense the witches, mingling among the throng of weres who’ve just arrived. The spell-wielders are different beings, but their magic is earthy like the weres. It’s one of the many reasons weres and witches are so tight; their mojo complements each other. But then in a shove, their collective power drifts away, and I receive a virtual slap to the ass.

  Oh, goody. The vamps are here, showin
g off their strength and allure since that’s how they roll.

  Gemini lifts his head, scowling. Yup. He senses them too.

  Tonight, is all about the supernaturals. Clans coming together and old bitter rivals burying hatchets. Unity must occur, so Celia and her unborn child remain safe. That doesn’t mean everyone will play nice, nor does it mean they’ll agree for the greater good. Most just want to spare their hides and keep their fortunes.

  Gemini’s frown deepens. “Aric is here,” he says.

  And cue the sense of wrongness. “Without Celia?” I ask.

  Gemini jerks out of his jacket and shirt before I finish asking. Like a vat of pouring ink, his twin black wolf materializes from his back.

  Large paws, one as black as the rest of the beast, and one white, strike the hardwood floor almost silently. I shadow Gemini as he crosses the suite to the door leading out.

  His twin stalks out. Another wolf prowling by, this one brown and white, stops dead when he sees Gemini’s twin. Like the black wolf, he’s over four hundred pounds of muscle and damn intimidating. He eases away from Gemini’s twin, trailing him as the twin trots down the hall.

  “Why is Aric here without Celia?” I ask, not liking this one bit. “His biggest fear is someone hurting her or the baby.”

  Gemini shoves his dress shirt back into his pants, redressing quickly. “He’s worried.”

  “Exactly,” I say, edging closer to the door. “So, why would he leave her alone?”

  Gemini sets his jaw. “It’s extra security. Aric’s magic is strengthening.”

  I help him with his tie, attempting to relax my nerves as I mull over his words. “I haven’t felt anything different.”

  “He’s been holding back,” Gemini replies, his voice lowering. “Being one of his Warriors and Second in Command, I’ve sensed it growing and feeding mine.”

  “I haven’t felt anything,” I admit. “And I feel everything…”

  My words lodge as a scary and vicious presence forces its way into the room. I jump away from the door, my firing arm out. Something primal waits just outside. I’m ready to blast away until I catch a trace of familiarity behind it. This beast isn’t at our door—he’s everywhere.