Unbreak Me (Spellbound Treasure)
Unbreak Me (Spellbound Treasure)
Unbreak Me (Spellbound Treasure)
Pink Petal Books
Pink Petal Books, an imprint of Jupiter Gardens Press , publish es romance novels where the relationship is primary. It doesn’t matter if you want to read super erotic or sweet inspirational books. Pink Petal Books believes that love is a beautiful thing, no matter what form it takes. For more information about Pink Petal Books visit http://www.pinkpetalbooks.com/.
Additional Titles by the Author
Tales of the Darkworld Book 1: Shifting Winds
Tales of the Darkworld Book 2: Hot Water
(combined in print volume Tales of the Darkworld Vol. 1)
Tales of the Darkworld Book 3: Fire Season
Tales of the Darkworld Book 4: Ride The Lightning
Tales of the Darkworld Book 5: Common Ground
Tales of the Darkworld Book 6: Sunstroked
Christmas Hookup
Christmas Catch
Christmas In Hell
A Very Cougar Christmas
Holiday Hearts
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
UNBREAK ME
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Copyright © LEX VALENTINE, 2010
Cover Art ® 20 10 by WINTERHEART DESIGN
Edited by MARY WILSON
ISBN# 978-0-9830904- 5-8
Electronic Publication Date: DECEMBER 2010
This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Jupiter Gardens Press, Jupiter Gardens, LLC., PO Box 191 , Grimes, IA 50111
For more information to learn to more about this, or any other author’s work, please visit http://www. pinkpetalbooks .com/
Unbreak Me (Spellbound Treasure)
Unbreak Me
Spellbound Treasure
Lex Valentine
PPB
Unbreak Me (Spellbound Treasure)
Spellbound Treasure
What did you buy?
http://spellboundtreasure.com
An online auction house based out of Crossroads, a place that is nowhere, and yet is the nexus of several worlds. Etienne and her partner Robin sell magical artifacts from every world imaginable. With powers untold, these artifacts make their way into their buyer's hands. And sometimes, a few of them even bring love.
Meet the people of Spellbound Treasure, discover the artifacts, and explore the worlds at our website.
Dedication
For Lisa Alexander-Griffin
One of the most caring, sweet souls I’ve ever known
Unbreak Me (Spellbound Treasure)
Prologue
Crossroads of the Realms
Spellbound Treasure’s Storeroom
The red heartstone lay on the counter looking more like a lump of coal than a precious gem. The stone’s usual bright red had been replaced by a lackluster rust color and its surface had a network of black grooves. The grooves formed a distinctive pattern that spoke of runes, but normal runes usually glowed gold. The darkness of the carvings on the heartstone told Robin that whoever had originally placed the magic upon the stone no longer lived. Or no longer had a soul.
With a sigh, he picked up the unusual shaped stone, running his thumb over the jagged side. The shape of the stone indicated it had been carved in the shape of a heart, then hewn in half. He wondered where the other half might be. If he concentrated hard enough while holding the stone, he might be able to summon its corresponding piece. Perhaps the two pieces might tell him what had happened to the owner.
Before he could draw a breath, the darkness of the room brightened as if a window had opened. He looked up, although he knew who approached. To his knowledge, only one person lit a room in such a fashion. He raised his eyes to meet those of the angel who ran Spellbound Treasure.
“Don’t bother to ask,” Etienne murmured, holding out her hand.
On her palm lay the other half of Robin’s stone. He took it from her, testing its weight in his left hand.
“Where did you…?” He broke off, knowing she wouldn’t tell him where she’d gotten the other half of the stone.
Etienne reached out and stroked one fingertip over a dark rune. “I don’t believe those who wrought this magic are dead, Robin,” she said softly, her mobile mouth turned down in a sad expression. “I believe they feel dead.”
“They?” His gaze raked her expression shrewdly. She knew something about the stone’s history. And he knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t give him the whole story.
“A man. And a woman. Both of them very strong. Warriors perhaps. Talented with magic. Invincible while together.”
Now, he had proof positive that she knew a lot more than she was saying, but Robin knew better than to try to pry information from her no matter how curious he might be about the origins of the stone.
“Obviously, they aren't together any longer. The runes don’t glow. Their invincibility is broken,” he murmured, mostly to himself. Whatever Etienne knew about the stone surpassed his own knowledge, so his deductions were solely for his own benefit and curiosity.
Robin stared at the pieces of stone. Suddenly, he set them on the counter and pressed the two of halves of the heart together. A sound like some invisible creature had drawn a breath echoed in the silence, causing Robin’s head to snap up, his eyes searching the room for the source of the sound.
Etienne smiled at him and reached out to stroke her finger over the black runes once more. Faintly, Robin heard a thudding sound and stared at the heart. The heartstone’s red surface began to glow faintly, the dull red growing in brightness.
“It’s their heartbeats.”
Etienne’s whisper confirmed Robin’s first assessment of the thudding sound. He touched one of the runes but drew his finger back swiftly when it seared his fingertip.
“Ow!” Sucking on his finger, he frowned at Etienne. “You coulda warned me,” he muttered around his burned digit.
“The love that once held that stone together is very strong. However, doubt, fear, grief, and pain have combined to rob this treasure of its lifeblood. I’d heard that heartstone imbued with magic could manifest its properties in such a way.” She stroked a finger over the stone again and the center glowed red, the blackness of the runes beginning to lighten. “Until now, I’d never seen the phenomenon.”
She turned away, saying over her shoulder, “List it today, Robin. As a single piece. No private buyers allowed. Full public auction.”
When the door closed behind Etienne, Robin slipped on a glove and picked up the heart. He could feel it throbbing through the leather. Slipping it into a burgundy velvet pouch with the gold wings of Spellbound Treasure embroidered on the front, he closed the drawstrings and turned to his laptop. Listing the piece would be easy. Dealing with those who sought to buy it would be the challenge because Robin knew that he would never be able to release the stone to anyone but one of the people who had poured the magic of their soul into the piece.
If he was lucky, he’d be able to give it to both of them.
Unbreak Me
(Spellbound Treasure)
Unbreak Me (Spellbound Treasure)
Chapter One
Crossroads
Spellbound Treasure
Tait stepped through the portal into Crossroads. Her power, the magic that she’d been born with, that permeated every iota of her flesh and spirit, went null. She’d known it would happen, but it still made her feel strange and a little nauseous. She’d voluntarily powered down in the past, turning off her magical energy, and she’d also had her power taken from her by force, but this didn’t even come close to either of those sensations. When she voluntarily turned off her magical power, she still knew she could call upon it if needed. When her power had been forcibly locked within her, denied release, she’d still known it was there. Here in this no-man’s land where human magic did not work, her power was simply gone. She had nothing left but non-magical skills which made her feel every inch the vulnerable human. She knew full well that non-human, immortal creatures such as angels, demons, and the fae, did not become null in Crossroads. However, their powers were shielded for the protection of the inhabitants of the realm; therefore, they couldn’t use them.
Luckily, she’d once been the best of the best at fighting without magic. It had been one of her most prized skills, and Tait hoped like hell she hadn’t lost much of her edge over the past six years. Walking the hard packed dirt of Crossroads wrapped in a cloak filled with weapons wasn’t the smartest thing she had ever done, but she had no choice. It wasn’t as if the portal had a coat check. Not that she would have taken off the Alizar cloak anyway. Alizar women wore it so that they could keep men from fighting over their beauty. Tait wore it to keep people from cringing.
She strode toward the group of buildings that seemed to be the only thing Crossroads had to offer. The biggest building had a sign with gilded letters on the front. Spellbound Treasure. Of all the realms in the universe, no other place dealt with the buying and selling of objects infused with magic. It took great skill to deal with cursed objects, and even enchanted items could be troublesome to handle, yet the enigmatic staff of Spellbound Treasure did it regularly and without issue.
Staring up at the building, Tait began to tremble. Six years ago, the tremors had begun, manifesting while she’d been under extreme duress. Although her situation had improved greatly in the past three years, she’d been unable to stop the shaking that wracked her body at the slightest sign of stress. She figured one day the trembling would get her killed. After all, an assassin whose hands shook while holding a gun or sword had to compensate for that flaw and the extra seconds it took to steady the weapon gave her opponent the advantage.
Inside the building, the object she’d come for called to her. Her body hummed like a tuning fork despite the fact that her magic – and all magic – had no power in Crossroads. Still, the heartstone drew her like metal shavings to a magnet. Her heart thundered, her breath quickened, and painful memories wrapped around her, clouding her perceptions and numbing her to everything but the heartstone—and her memories of a happy past.
Tait pulled the cloak tighter around her. She adjusted the mesh veil portion of the hood so it obscured the lower half of her face. Burrowing deeper into the hood cast her face in shadow. She knew the hood and veil made it difficult for anyone to see her features clearly, but that was the whole point of the cloak. Anonymity.
Silence enveloped her when she stepped into Spellbound Treasure. The eerie quiet set off alarms inside her head. Her back burned; someone watched her from a hidden spot. A door opened and a tall man entered, a rueful smile on his handsome face. Tait’s nose twitched as she caught his scent. Her well-trained sense of smell sent up the alarm. Demon!
The man’s brows rose as if he could hear her thoughts. “Can I help you?” he asked politely.
Tait would wager a commission that he knew exactly why she was there. “Etienne told me to come. She said the man who won the heartstone auction would be picking it up today. She said I could speak to him about offering more money for it,” Tait replied, her voice gruff.
It went against her instincts to come to Crossroads, begging for the chance to buy the heartstone from the anonymous man who'd outbid her for it online. But she needed the stone almost more than she needed her next breath. Now that she stood inside the building where it resided, she could hear it humming, singing to her soul. Her eyes closed for a moment as pain lashed her sharply.
“Are you alright?”
The tall man’s cool voice pulled her from the raw ache that threatened to consume her. She shuddered, the movement hidden within the voluminous folds of the cloak.
“You know, weapons aren’t allowed in Crossroads,” he told her in a matter-of-fact voice.
“Then you should have a gun check at the portal,” Tait hissed. The fact that she’d expressed her momentary annoyance proved that her control had already unraveled to the dangerous point. She needed to complete this transaction soon, before she fell apart in front the proprietor.
The man eyed her thoughtfully, refusing to rise to her bait. He gestured toward a chair in the corner. “You’re welcome to sit and wait. Can I get you anything? A glass of water? A cup of coffee?”
She shook her head. “No. Nothing.”
The chair he’d pointed to had mismatched legs but looked comfortable nonetheless. She sat down, her eyes shifting to survey the room automatically, checking for other entrances and exits. After three years of searching for her heartstone, she’d found it at one of Spellbound Treasure’s online auctions. The moment she’d seen its photo, the stasis she’d lived in for six years had cracked open. She needed the stone. Her body ached to hold it in her hand, and let its magic, and the emotions trapped within it, heal her. Her old life might be gone, who she once was might be gone, but that stone lived on, and her heart needed it badly.
She’d bid relentlessly on the stone. She hadn’t cared how much it cost. She could afford it. Living frugally while making huge commissions for kills meant that she could pay almost anything for the heartstone. Yet, every time she’d upped her bid, someone had topped her. She outbid him, and he came back with another higher bid. For a week, they had dominated the auction, pushing the price into a zone most buyers couldn’t touch. In the end, the rat hole she lived in with its spotty electricity had lost her the heartstone. The power had gone out and her wireless connection flickered just at the ending point of the auction. Her bid had not gone through in time and the buyer named Vengeance had won.
Instantly, Tait had been on the phone to Spellbound Treasure and Etienne, the owner, had told her that Vengeance had emailed stating that he would pick up the stone in person. Etienne told Tait to arrive at the same time and bargain with the man in person. For the first time in three years, Tait had ventured beyond the confines of her own realm for something other than work.
Her trembling increased as the clock reached the appointed hour and still the buyer had not arrived. Hiding her shaking fingers within the folds of the cloak, Tait wondered what would happen if Vengeance wouldn’t budge. She had had the vague notion of following him back to his realm and taking the heart from him. She certainly had the skills to do so. In fact, once out of Crossroads, if she was close enough physically to the heart, she could just call it to her. The magic from her soul permeated the heartstone. It was as if it were a part of her, so taking it from Vengeance would be like taking candy from a baby. She could call the stone to her and magick herself away before he’d even know the stone was gone.
The sound of heavy boots on the steps outside jerked her to her feet, her hands automatically finding the weapons inside her cloak. The demon glared at her, his eyebrows pulled together in a fierce frown of warning. The door opened and for a moment, all Tait could see was the dark outline of a man filling the doorway. Behind him, stood another man.
The first man advanced into the shop without hesitation, and the door swung closed behind him as his companion waited outside. He strode across the room toward the demon, and Tait’s heart stopped for
a full two seconds before it went into overdrive. Shock reverberated from her brain down into her body. Pain she’d held close to her soul for six years exploded into joy at the knowledge the man she’d thought dead still lived, and apparently thrived.
Dark hair, longer than regulation, waved to his shoulders. The cut of his uniform showed off his long legs and striking physique. Golden bars on his sleeves proclaimed his rank as Major. But Tait already knew that. She’d once known everything about Major Marcus ‘Ren’ Renniger. What she hadn’t known was that he’d survived the ambush on his unit six years ago. However, now that she knew he was alive and that he’d been the person named Vengeance who bid against her, she knew why he'd used that name.
Her hands clenched inside the folds of the cloak. The urge to melt into the shadows nearly crippled her. If not for the heartstone, she would have. She didn’t want Marcus to ever see her as she was now, but the stone called to her. She had to try to buy it from him despite the hatred he must now bear her.
Halfway to the desk where the demon stood with a velvet bag in his hands, Marcus stopped. Tait didn’t know what had clued him in as to her presence but Pythian warriors, especially those of the Elite, had skills and senses far above ordinary soldiers, and the man before her was the best of the best.
As he slowly turned to face her, she knew his awareness of her presence was personal. He didn’t just realize that someone stood there. He knew exactly who she was. Of course, the fact that they’d been lovers for five years, and comrades in arms for eight, probably gave him a heightened awareness of her despite the Alizar cloak that hid her from his hawk-like gaze.
“Are you here to finish the job?” he asked harshly.
A tremor went through her. He believed she’d betrayed him. Not that she could blame him. The evidence had been damning, just the way the real betrayer had intended. And apparently Marcus had not discovered the truth since his return. She licked her dry lips, fighting to control her shaking as well as her emotions and the physical response she had to his presence.