An Excerpt from Book 6

Gray Prince

Book 6 of the Demon in Exile Series is due out in early December, 2021.

Excerpt: Gray Prince

Lady Breen, ever true to form, played the part of a friend perfectly. “Lord Storm, what is your real name? I can’t accept such a precious gift without at least knowing that.”

The precious gift drifted quietly on the couch beside me, resting her head on my shoulder one last time.

“Ara.”

“Annette,” she replied. “And Jillian will remember you, even if you do not.”

A bit of wisdom from Vigil Thorn came to my mind. “The heart carries us through when one’s mind has decided otherwise,” I said, struggling, knowing the truth of it. “Inquisitor Stone is wise beyond her years.” And mine.

“So she is, but what about you, Ara?”

“If I were honest, I might say that I’m more like those Nantine children, a bedeviled refugee of war, sent elsewhere and severed because of it.”

The taste of exile sat bitterly on my tongue, and the Nantine sons and daughters left a familiar ache in my heart, prodding my thoughts toward Raven. There had been a particularly good reason why those children were sent down the coast, as was the case when Rae’s father had sent her away years before, but an exile could only be rescinded if one’s heart survived the round trip.

Sensing my sadness, Lady Chase smiled. “You aren’t honest?”

The scars on my arm were the most honest thing about me as I held Jillian Stone carefully in place. Her hair smelled of cinnamon and sage.

“Annette, I’m a gray prince and as far from being honest as war is from peace. Unlike truth, which might stand on its own, honesty requires a heart, and war, like a demon, lacks any regard.”