Empire of Shadows (Raiders of the Arcana, #1)

by Jacquelyn Benson

It was all rather in keeping with the theme of the last six years of Salavert’s life—a saga of dreams, itching, and abysmal disappointment.

Just fairy tales and hokum

“Is it about a man? Do tell me that it’s a man.” Ellie stiffened with alarm. “Gracious, no!” she exclaimed. “What on earth would I want to do with one of those? No.

“You are standing at the foot of the most important thing you have ever done in your life,” she declared. “Do you really want to turn around and walk away from that?”

“Fight with me,” Bates abruptly ordered. Ellie looked up with surprise. “What?” she blurted. “Fight with me,” he repeated, calling out the words over the relentless cascade. “Tell me why we should keep going.”

Slaying dragons, she thought distantly. She wondered what sort of dragons a man like Adam Bates might be called to slay. His hand was still extended. Ellie grasped it and let him lead her into what came next.

Perhaps I was simply an opening in your calendar, but you have been a very great deal more than that to me.”

“Why are you behind me?”

“Does it matter?”

“It had better not be out of some misguided, chauvinistic attempt to use your person to shield me from the bullets!”

“Can we worry about this later?”

“If I’m going to take you… every perfect, infuriating inch of you,” he elaborated as his eyes moved over her in a way that felt as intense as a touch. “I’m not going to do it like this.”

“I have become inordinately fond of you, you know,” Ellie abruptly admitted. “Well, then, we’re gonna have to do our damnedest not to die,”

“I will not lose you to an army of monstrous bats!”

“Careful, Princess,” he said happily. “I might start to think you like me.”