Lust’s Shadow, one of my older titles from New Concepts Publishing, had been out of print for a while but has recently become available again through NCP and All Romance Ebooks. I hope you enjoy the following excerpt!
Thank you for looking,
Kate
Lust’s Shadow
by Kate Hill
Blurb:
Devoting her life to the study of the ancient art of Lumeris-noire, Livia pursued her studies with the hope of becoming apprentice to the domain’s defender. When she is finally granted the coveted position, she finds herself bound to a mysterious man of dangerous appetites. A man whose dark, tortured soul evokes an allure she can hardly resist.
Perrin, tainted by Fiendgen blood, spends his life isolated, deep underground, insulated from others by the very earth. For years he has remained alone, protecting Guthdry from utter devastation, but time is running out. He must train an apprentice to hold his position after he is gone. But no matter how he struggles to resist Livia, he cannot ignore the explosive passion that burns between them.
Excerpt:
Chapter One
“If you are to learn from me, you must dedicate yourself completely to our craft. I will accept nothing less than your very essence.” Perrin’s voice, as rich and deep as a lion’s purr, resonated in the unfurnished marble room lit only by a single muted lantern dangling from the tall ceiling. The mere shadow of his face shown beneath the hood of his black cloak.
Though Livia strained to see the detail, his features eluded her.
“And if I promise, all you know – all your secrets – will be mine?”
“My knowledge – a lifetime of study in Lumeris-noire – shall be yours. I warn you – do not come to me unless you fully intend to accept my will in all things.”
“But what if – ”
“In all things.”
Livia watched him carefully. “What reassurance have I that you won’t use your will to gain illicit favors? What reassurance do I have that you won’t demand I give up my dignity?”
“If you have dignity, girl, no one can take it from you. As for your other worry, fear not. I have no interest in your feminine wiles. My concern is to pass on my knowledge to a worthy apprentice. Whether or not you prove to be up to the standard is yet to be seen. And you’d best keep your thoughts off acts of the flesh, as you’ll need all your strength to endure the education I plan to give you.”
Though annoyed by the scathing manner in which he’d replied, Livia felt satisfied by Perrin’s answer. Besides, what he offered was something she could get from no one else.
“When shall I begin?” she asked.
“Immediately. You will follow me.”
“But you must give me a chance to pack my belongings and speak to my family.” Though Livia was often immersed in studies, she loved her family and felt close to them.
“You will write your family a letter that I will have delivered. You may ask them to send anything you require – unless you’ve already changed your mind?”
“No,” she whispered. For the first time since meeting Perrin she nearly panicked. Oh, he’d frightened her from the first with his black cloak, hidden face, and power that seemed to spring from his every pore, but until this moment there had been a chance to escape him. Now, if she followed him deeper into those obsidian tunnels just beyond the open door at the back of the chamber, she would be completely at his mercy – but his knowledge and skill would also be hers for the taking.
“Decide quickly. There are others waiting to accept the challenge if you dare not.”
“Yes,” she said, her voice sounding like a rasp compared to his magnificent tones. “I accept.”
“Before you speak in haste-” He lifted his slender hands and pulled the hood away from his head.
Livia drew a sharp breath, hoping she didn’t appear as stunned as she felt. Framed by long, unkempt sable hair, Perrin’s smooth-shaven, hawkish face with its chiseled lips and sharp cheekbones bore the marks of evil. Gleaming black scales covered his forehead and nose to the tip. His wide-set eyes glowed with a pale unnatural green. Only practitioners who had engaged in an illegal ritual in which they gained phenomenal power from masters of Lumeris-noire, called Fiendgens, were marked in such a way.
“I had no idea-”
“Few people do. As you can imagine, the Overlord doesn’t advertise that his strongest defense against evil is associated with evil itself.”
“Do you expect your apprentice to make the sacrifice you did to attain such power?”
“I wish for no one ever again to make the sacrifice I did,” he snapped. “That is why I am here with the Overlord. That is why I have helped him hunt down the masters who taught me, and that is why I have decided to pass on my experiences to an apprentice. In the event of my death, I want my knowledge given to a worthy successor, one who will denounce the sort of evil that gave me this face. I feel that person is you, Livia, if you have the stomach to learn from one who has consorted with devils.”
Livia knew she should turn and leave, forget she ever saw him, but something in his eyes captured and bound her to him. Though his revelation terrified her, it also made her more curious than ever to know this man who had given their Overlord so many years of loyal service and wielded such power.
Like all great domains, theirs, called Guthdry, was protected by an enormous dome empowered by the Overlord’s most trusted practitioners of Lumeris-noire. Before Perrin, their dome had nearly collapsed beneath attacks from Jotamiana City, a domain that had taken over many others and sought to rule their world. His power had strengthened the dome so that even their fiercest attempts to breach it proved futile and they moved on to weaker domains. Perrin had nearly died while empowering the dome, but once recovered, he dedicated his life to serving their domain. His presence still kept them safe from Jotamiana City and others like it. The chance to study with him, learn his secrets, and truly help in the defense of her domain was not something Livia could pass by for any reason.
“I have accepted the position and intend to stand by my decision,” she stated.
Without another word, he turned, his cloak rippling like midnight waves, and headed for the door.
Her heart pounding, Livia followed.
Just like chasing after death, she thought.
Perrin guided them down a long corridor, his hand sweeping the smooth granite walls and activating randomly placed illumination stones that dimly lit their path. Livia’s heart beat so fiercely she thought it might leap through her chest. A chill rippled down her spine and she flexed her cold fingers inside the oversized pockets of her long black coat.
At the end of the corridor, they stepped through a door to a spiral staircase so deep that Livia’s stomach fluttered when she looked down.
Perrin glanced at her. “Something wrong?”
“No.”
He continued downward at a mind-spinning pace. Livia became so involved in keeping up with him that she slowly forgot about the steep decline of the staircase. When they reached the bottom, they continued down another long, winding corridor.
“Is this a tunnel to the other side of the world?” Livia asked.
“I suggest you keep your poor attempts at humor to yourself.”
“Are you always so friendly?”
He paused outside a dome-shaped metal door and opened it, stepping aside for her to pass. Livia walked into a fairly large room decorated in the ancient style of brick and cobblestones. It even had a fireplace, something unheard of for the past several centuries. A couch covered in a worn burgundy throw stood near the hearth, and in the center of the room was a dining table made of black wood with four matching chairs. A bookcase filled with rare paper books took up one entire wall. Most practitioners of Lumeris-noire had at least one paper book in which they recorded personal spells, since they believed part of their spirit transferred through the written word. Livia kept her own two books tucked in the bag slung over her shoulder. Thankfully, she had taken them with her for the interview with Perrin, thinking he might be interested in viewing her written work. He’d asked her many questions, several unrelated to their art, before offering her the position as his apprentice. Livia could scarcely believe her good luck. She knew how many practitioners had applied, hoping for the chance to work with one of the greatest masters of Lumeris-noire living today. Though the ancient art of absorbing power through touch was practiced by many, few became masters. Perrin was considered a master among masters, his manipulation of Lumeris-noire almost mystical.
Livia had spent her life training for the chance to learn from such a mentor, first with her mother, then with her private tutor, Sabina, who had an excellent reputation. Though her tutor had been serious about the art, her likable nature and endless patience made her a pleasant instructor. One minute with Perrin proved he was not pleasant and Livia doubted he was patient. Still, she couldn’t resist the chance to learn from him. Only now, trapped hundreds of feet below the earth, her only companion this icy mentor touched by evil, did she begin to question her decision.
“The kitchen is through that door and my room is there.” Perrin lifted a graceful hand and gestured first to the door on their left, then another to their right. He walked to a third directly in front of them. “This is your room. It has an adjoining bath. The lock is voice activated, but you may also bolt the door from the inside, since you seem to have concerns regarding my intentions.”
“I didn’t mean-”
“It matters not. As long as you work hard and obey, I couldn’t care less what you think of me.”
“I’m going to be here for quite a while, so couldn’t we at least try to get along?”
“We will get along. You have no choice, if you want to learn from me. I don’t expect you to begin your duties until tomorrow morning. Feel free to better acquaint yourself with your surroundings. I suggest you write a note to your family so that I may have it delivered tomorrow. Feel free to ask them to send any personal belongings you require under my name to the palace, and I shall pick them up during my next meeting there.”
He turned to leave, but Livia stopped him with a hand on his arm. He turned to her sharply and she dropped her hand.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“To the temple.”
“May I see it?”
“Tomorrow. Now I must attend to personal business and have no time to begin your training.”
He left abruptly. With a deep sigh, Livia entered her room, wondering what she had gotten herself into.
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