Woman King - By Evette Davis Page 0,140
walked into the room, a furious look on his face. As he approached I thought he might strike me, his body was coiled so tightly.
“That’s enough, Olivia! Calm yourself. No vampire would bind himself, give his blood, risk his life, unless he was truly in love,” he said. “If you want to be angry at your mother and father, fine, be angry. But don’t take it out on William, or me, for that matter. We’re your allies… maybe the only people you can trust.”
Josef words snapped me out of my hysterics and I hung my head for a moment, feeling deflated. He was right, of course. I looked up at William, transmitting my deep regret through every fiber of my body.
“I am sorry,” I said. “This is all so shocking.”
William came to stand next to me, holding my hand and running his fingers across the copper bands on my finger.
“I’m sorry, too,” he said. “I should have told you my suspicions.”
“Listen up,” Josef said. “We have bigger issues to consider. First there is the fact that as Gabriel’s heir, Olivia is technically eligible one day to assume his seat on the Council. If Nikola and his allies find out, it will give them another reason to harm her. Second, she is next in line to head one of the most powerful witchcraft families in Europe, not to mention one of perhaps a handful of children ever produced from a human and witch union. Rare, powerful and in line for the throne, that is a potent trio of considerations.”
I was shocked to hear myself laughing at Josef’s remarks, perhaps out of distress, perhaps out of fear. “Forgive me. I think you are making too much of it,” I said. “I’m not nearly that important. I was running one tiny campaign in Silicon Valley.”
“Yes,” Josef agreed, “Because that is what Gabriel wanted. He wanted to keep your profile low, until he could assess your abilities, but then you stumbled onto the robbery and began to reveal your skills—telepathy, invisibility. He knew he was running out of time.”
I stood silent, unable to think of a response.
“Olivia, darlin, stop thinking like a human,” William said. “You’re an Other, at least partially, and that part, however big or small, is what counts now. The rules in our world are different and, I’m afraid, less forgiving.”
I was too bewildered to speak. Lily was thousands of miles way. Elsa was missing. I was estranged from my parents and far from San Francisco, and yet I knew I could not go home again. Nothing I knew, or remembered, made sense.
“We need to get out of here,” I said finally. “I want to disappear for a while, until I can figure this out.”
William nodded. “I’m ready to go now,” he said, clasping my hand. “But you know you can’t stay hidden forever.”
“I know,” I said. “I just want a little time to think about all of this. Someplace where Nikola won’t find us, or at least might not try to kill us.”
Josef regarded us both for a moment before speaking, a knowing smile slowly appearing in his face.
“Pack your bags,” he said. “I know just the place.”
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THE END
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I'm blessed to be part of a circle of extremely intelligent, talented women who have all helped in some way with the publication of this novel. I want to thank Sara Hillman, my friend and neighbor who created my web site, and Leah Hefner, the gifted graphic designer who created the artwork for Woman King.
I also would like to acknowledge Marcia Schneider for her unwavering friendship and editing skills that helped shape this book, and Donna Bero, whose confidence has helped me to accomplish great things.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Evette Davis is co-owner of a San Francisco-based public affairs firm. She also serves on the board of Litquake, founders of San Francisco's iconic literary festival.
Prior to founding her firm, Davis worked in Washington as a press secretary for a member of Congress, and as a reporter for daily newspapers in the San Francisco Bay Area. She earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from Mills College in Oakland, California.
For more information visit www.evettedavis.com, or follow her on Twitter, @SFEvette.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
About the Author
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
About the Author