Devotion Read online

  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgements

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Connect With Me Online

  "A page-turner that's exciting, heart-wrenching, sweet, and mysterious. Delightful and deviant, sexy and shocking, Devotion will give readers a run for their money."

  - Brenda Pandos, Bestselling Author of The Talisman Trilogy

  "Devotion had just the right amount of intrigue, mystery, and pulse-pounding action to keep me eating up the pages. All my favorite characters are back and there are a few new ones I fell in love with. The rich world building and deep emotional connection between the characters

  makes this addition to the series a must-read."

  - Heather McCorkle, Author of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll

  "The Soul Savers series grabs you and refuses to let go! I guarantee a few sleepless nights, racing hearts, and inappropriate fantasies while reading these books. This is the perfect series for paranormal fans who want to plunge into a world featuring a struggle between good and evil, an insanely strong heroine, and a plot that will keep you guessing."

  - Jessica, Confessions of a Bookaholic

  "There's no doubting the love that I have for the Soul Savers Series by Kristie Cook. Each book has kept me utterly captivated - with characters that are unforgettable and writing that sings to me. I highly recommend each of these books to anyone who loves strong characters, wonderful writing that tells a story of choices, love, good, evil, sacrifice, passion and so much more."

  - Lisa, A Life Bound By Books

  "The Soul Savers series is one about difficult obstacles, true love, soul mates, secrets, good vs. evil and everything in between. Kristie Cook has created a world full of fascinating characters, interesting twists and stressful situations. It's got all the great elements you want in a story and series, and Cook's writing flows without effort. It's captivating and full of fun (and sometimes scary) surprises!"

  - Katelyn, The Bookshelf Sophisticate

  Soul Savers Series

  Book Three

  Devotion

  Kristie Cook

  Ang'dora Productions, LLC

  Naples, Florida

  Books by Kristie Cook

  – Soul Savers Series –

  www.SoulSaversSeries.com

  Promise

  Purpose

  Devotion

  Genesis: A Soul Savers Novella

  Find the author at www.KristieCook.com

  Copyright © 2012 by Kristie Cook

  All rights reserved.

  Published by

  Ang'dora Productions, LLC

  15275 Collier Blvd

  #201-300

  Naples, FL 34119

  Ang'dora Productions and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Ang'dora Productions, LLC

  Cover design by Brenda Pandos

  Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the owner of this book.

  Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters and events are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  First Edition February 2012

  Printed in the United States of America

  For my parents, Valerie, and Dan and Keena

  Thank You

  Acknowledgements

  First and foremost, I thank God and His Son. You have truly blessed me. Let me count the ways…

  Shawn, for being there when no one else was, in all the different ways that you have. My family–Zakary, Austin and Nathan, Mom, Dad and Keena, Terry, Grandma (RIP)–for your love, support and understanding.

  Chrissi Jackson, we've come a long way and still have far to go. I'm so happy and proud to be sharing this journey with you. Thank you for picking up my pieces and holding them all together. Lisa Adams, thank you for lifting me up.

  Author Brenda Pandos, your friendship means the world to me. We got it now (a little too much–haha!). Still living for the KM dream, but even if it never happens, this crazy journey brought us together and I am truly blessed for that. Thank you for your prudent picking apart of my story and my writing and for encouraging me to make it better. Thank you for all the extra help and, most of all, for your virtual shoulder when I needed it.

  Lesley Turnpaugh, my sexy model, and Jennifer Trammell, the fabulously talented photographer, for bringing Alexis to life, and Brenda, for making my covers gorgeous. I can't stop staring and drooling. Thank you!

  Author Heather McCorkle, Author Lani Woodland, Tina Moss, Judy Spelbring, Jennifer Nunez, for your time, patience and wonderful insight that has made this book shine. Heather Call and Patti Oaks, for taking your time to scrutinize each word and phrase.

  Book bloggers around the world, for all that you do for authors and readers. Thank you to those who participated in my virtual tours and for taking the time to read my books and write your reviews. A special shout-out to Mindy, my favorite book whore and pimp, and to Lisa and Jessica, for your friendship. You all are much appreciated.

  Last but certainly not least, I am blessed to have the best readers and fans a girl could ask for. Thank you for making my morning each day when I open my inbox to find your heartfelt fan mail or when I discover a new review posted online. I have had so much fun chatting and interacting with you. Oh, and your taste in men! Because of you, Tristan was the 2011 Indie Pick for Best Badass Hero and the Daemoni the 2011 Indie Pick for Best "Slimeball" Villain. You all ROCK! Let's see what we can do in 2012!

  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Connect With Me Online

  Chapter 1

  I stood in the sitting room of the ancient Amadis mansion, stared at the giant tapestry spanning the entire stone wall and wondered how I could change the future it told for my son. A long vine, embroidered with gold and green thread and with leaves on each side, wound and climbed its way across and up the wall-hanging, a golden name on each leaf. These were the names of my ancestors. The
Amadis Family Vine only showed the mothers and their children, the fathers deemed irrelevant in our matriarchal society–most had died young, long before their widows knew their real heritage.

  Silvery-green thread outlined most of the leaves–the ones with female names, the daughters–but some were brown and separated from the vine. The names on the brown leaves were all male, a twin to a green-leafed sister, and each had an asterisk next to it. A seemingly insignificant little symbol ominously marking the fate of each boy. The meaning looked disproportionately large on this huge hanging: *Converted to the Daemoni.

  A much smaller rendition of the image spread across the inside cover of the leather-bound book I hugged to my chest: The History and Life of Alexis Katerina Ames Knight. My history. The book explained that not only Angel blood coursed through my veins, but so did the blood of vampires, were-animals and mages. The book, which I'd already devoured beginning to end, was full of such fascinating details.

  I stared at the enormous vine in the wall-hanging, however, because it better reflected the magnitude of my feelings than the tiny one in the book. At the top of the Family Vine, right above my leaf, scripted in gold like all the others, was the name Dorian, my son. His leaf, unaccompanied by a female twin, an anomaly in itself, was brown, though not separated from the vine. Yet, anyway.

  I had no idea what I would do to keep it that way. I was too new to this Amadis life. But I vowed to do something. I could not let my son become part of the Daemoni, our innate enemies, servants to Satan himself.

  "Ma lykita," murmured a smooth, sexy voice from the doorway, "staring at it doesn't change anything."

  Tristan stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, sending electric currents under my skin.

  "I know," I said with a sigh. "I'm just thinking about what we can do that will change it."

  He kissed the top of my head. "We'll figure something out. Fortunately, we have a few years."

  "According to the book and history, yes. But if he's anything like me or you, unique in so many ways, he could go early."

  "But not tonight or tomorrow or anytime soon. Right now, we have more pressing matters to worry about."

  "More pressing than our son's life?"

  Tristan sighed. "Nothing is more important than Dorian's life. But there's a difference between important and urgent and, for now, the issue isn't urgent. We have time. But tomorrow morning–in a few hours–we have a council meeting and I expect it'll be intense. It's late and you have to be tired."

  My body did feel heavy with exhaustion, not surprising with the combination of jet lag and a lack of sleep. Excitement to learn about my heritage combined with being overwhelmed by my new mind-reading ability prevented me from sleeping on the flights from Miami to Athens. I'd been awake for nearly forty-eight hours, which included fighting a psycho vampire intent on killing me. I didn't think I could shut my mind down, though. Between all the information I just learned about my history and my genetic make-up and figuring out what to do about Dorian, there was too much to think about.

  "How am I supposed to sleep?"

  "I put Dorian to bed. Let me take you. You might be surprised once you let yourself relax. And, if you can't relax," he kissed my ear, giving me goose bumps, "I can help with that, too."

  "That's stimulating, not relaxing," I said, my body already trembling for his touch.

  "Hmm … good. After all, we do have that other matter and the council will want to know we're working on it." He nuzzled his face into my hair, pressing his lips against my neck. As usual, my body immediately responded. I couldn't help it–he'd always been irresistible to me.

  "We do need to keep trying," I conceded with a smile. "And it has been a while."

  "It's been way too long." He took my hand and led me up the stone stairs, lit by torches affixed to the stone walls.

  Two days certainly felt like a long time, for us, anyway. We'd never before gone more than twenty-four hours without making love–if you didn't count the seven-and-a-half years while he was held captive by the Daemoni. Our eight-year anniversary was less than four months away, but we were still newlyweds in a very real sense, having had a total of three weeks together as husband and wife.

  We also had a mission to accomplish: we needed a daughter for the survival of the Amadis–my family, our society. And if the Amadis didn't survive, neither would humanity. It would be lost to the Daemoni.

  "Can't we flash to our suite?" I asked as we continued up the stairs to the third floor.

  "If you flash everywhere, you'll get lazy and I won't have a lazy wife," Tristan teased. "More importantly, you don't want to create bad habits. We'll have to mainstream soon and you can't be flashing all the time around the Normans."

  "Normans," I'd recently learned, meant normal humans. They'd been keeping much from me all these years, including the jargon of this world.

  "I know. But I'm not being lazy." I slid my hand down his back and over the perfect roundness of his ass and gave it a squeeze. I finished the thought telepathically. I'm just horny.

  "Ah. Why didn't you say so?" He picked up the pace and we practically flew through the long hall.

  As we entered our wing, I slowed. A door on the left led to Mom's suite and I sensed she was still awake, probably reading. I stopped at the door on the right–Dorian's room.

  "I stayed until he was sound asleep," Tristan whispered, but I cracked open the door anyway, needing to see him. A little-boy snore rattled in the darkness and his dream appeared in my head–he was swimming with his dad and happily fighting sharks. I could only imagine the embellishments Tristan had added to Dorian's favorite bedtime story. With a smile, I closed the door.

  We entered the front room of our suite at the end of the hall, and once we were alone, I was instantly in his powerful arms, locked into a kiss.

  "Not in here," I reminded him, remembering Mom's warning of the antique furniture in the front sitting room.

  We made our way to the bedroom, which was specifically designed for our kind, completely bare except for a large, stone platform with a two-foot thick pad and lots of pillows–the bed. A stone pillar stood at each corner and blue gossamer hung in curtains between the posts. The bedding was either easily reparable or replaceable–a necessity considering our kind tended to destroy things in moments of passion.

  Tristan lifted me with one arm and carried me to the bed, his satiny lips never leaving my tingling skin. Making love with him had always been intense, but since the Ang'dora, my heightened senses made it so much more sensual and our powers made it so much more fun. With expert skills, Tristan quickly took me over the edge. The loss of control crumbled the mental wall I so carefully held up to block out others' thoughts … and to protect my own.

  All at once, my feelings flowed out as the mental images flooded in. Thankfully, Dorian still dreamt of sharks, but Mom stiffened in her reading chair then shook her head, thinking, "Alexis!" Solomon and Rina, in their own bed, exchanged knowing looks. Owen felt surprised and confused and … excited? The sheet over his lap began to rise. Oh, shit!

  My mental wall flew up, feeling more solid than ever, in fact, solid as steel. I could almost hear a metallic clang as it slammed into place, like the thick, heavy door of a vault. Everyone's thoughts disappeared. Mine were my own again. I panted, my body as rigid as the steel wall in my head, as I still clung to Tristan, who was pressed against the ceiling. I forced myself to relax and let go, fell to the bed and lay there on my back.

  "Oh, shit?" Tristan said as he joined me on the bed, his expression a mix of satisfaction and amusement. "That's a new one. I think I prefer 'Don't stop' or 'Right there' or even 'Love you, baby' to 'Oh, shit.'"

  "Did I say it out loud?" I asked hopefully.

  "Mmm … no."

  I groaned, automatically reaching for the necklace that no longer hung around my neck. Playing with the ruby pendant Tristan made for me had been a nervous habit for years, but now Vanessa the evil vampire bitch had it.

&
nbsp; Tristan rolled onto his side, facing me. He took my hand from my neck and kissed my palm. "What's wrong? I thought that was pretty great myself."

  "Of course it was." I brushed his hair, still long and darker than usual, away from his face, to see the gold in his hazel eyes sparkling brightly with my affirmation. I dropped my hand with a sigh. "And that's the problem."

  He lifted an eyebrow. "That's a problem?"

  I threw my arms across my face, trying to hide. "Everyone in the mansion heard me!"

  He chuckled. "Their hearing isn't that good, especially through stone walls."

  "That's not what I mean. You heard me, right? In your head?"

  "Ah," he said with understanding. And then he laughed.

  "Tristan, this is so not funny! I'm … mortified."

  He kept laughing, though. I dropped my arms from my face and stared at him. I wanted to hit him. He took in my glare and, a smart man, silenced his guffaws.

  "Lexi, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. They all expect it. In fact, they want us to do it. They want a daughter, too."

  "But, Tristan, you know how I can make you feel what I'm feeling through my thoughts? I just did that with them!"

  "Then I'm sure they enjoyed it." He flashed my favorite smile, then pulled me into his arms. "I bet Rina and Solomon are having their own fun now, Sophia won't care and Owen … well, at least he'll have good dreams."