A Discovery of Secrets and Fate (Chronicles of the Stone Veil #2) - Sawyer Bennett Page 0,117

chance I’d be reasonably safe. That’s all moot now.

Dark Fae Fallon leers at me, a husky laugh permeating the air. “You’re so gullible, Finley. And now that I have you here all to myself, I’m going to make you regret that gullibility.”

Shit. Oh, hell. Why didn’t I bring my backpack? Why didn’t I tell Carrick or Zaid where I was going?

How did I, once again, foolishly underestimate my situation?

I don’t dare take my eyes off her since she stands no more than twenty feet away. The door is to my back, unlocked, and only two feet away.

Can I make a break for it? I have no weapons to fight her with, and I don’t know the extent of her powers, but I do know that she’ll be strong enough to crush my bones.

Before I can calculate the risks or consider an alternative plan, DFF snaps her arms out at forty-five-degree angles. Fear spears through me when two fireballs appear, one on each palm about the size of softballs.

“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath, taking a step back toward the door.

“Don’t bother trying to run,” DFF warns. “It would be futile.”

Yeah, well, to hell with that suggestion. I’m going to run my ass off and very soon. I’m going to hope like hell I can make it to that door and get it opened before she incinerates me. I’m going to further hope like hell that she won’t follow me out onto the streets while sporting balls of fire in her palms, but not a great chance as the city is still asleep.

“Ignis magna,” DFF screams and to my horror, the balls of fire grow to the size of basketballs.

She raises her hands and I start to bolt, but to my shock, she shoots not at me, but out to the sides of the shop, one catching a clutch of tables and causing them to explode, and the other hitting the set of wooden shelves against the wall that contains retail products for sale. They go up in a whoosh of flames and start to burn bright.

DFF laughs maniacally. “Gotta burn this entire shop to the ground so there’s no suspicion on me when they find your charred body.”

I look around in horror as the flames spread, licking up walls, engulfing the wooden tables and chairs. Thick black smoke starts to waft toward me, causing my eyes to sting and water as I watch a part of my life being burned away.

I blink a few times. When my eyes clear, I see DFF has two more fireballs in her hands, both as large as the previous ones she shot out. She’s not paying attention to me at the moment, instead gleefully taking in the carnage she’s created.

I’ve got to move. There’s no saving my shop, but my life is what’s important. With Fallon distracted, I start to turn for the door, only to come to a freezing halt.

“Oh no you don’t,” DFF snarls with a tsking sound. I try to move my body, but I am completely immobilized by what I’m guessing is her magic. My mind starts the process of accepting that this is probably it for me.

I’m going to die very soon.

I wonder if my mom and dad will be waiting for me, wherever it is I might be going. I wonder if the prophecy will go forward, and all my loved ones remaining here will be destroyed.

I wonder if Carrick will even care that I’m dead.

DFF raises her hands, cocking them back slightly behind her shoulders.

Prepared to launch fire straight at me.

I try to struggle against her hold, but not a single muscle is able to move against her magic. When I try to access power in my feather, I only get dead feeling.

“Nice knowing you, Finley,” DFF taunts before she pushes her hands forward and launches the fireballs straight at me.

Having lost the only family she has left, Finley Porter is determined to find out the truth regarding her sister. She continues to find herself drawn to Carrick Byrne, and as she surrounds herself with a new type of family, realizes their connection may run deeper than she ever thought possible. CLICK HERE to see what’s next in The Evolution of Fae and Gods.

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About the Author

New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.

A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to her wonderfully naughty dogs.

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