A Matter of Circumstance and Celludrones (33 page)

Kelan glanced over his shoulder and met her gaze. The silence
stretched. He was dressed in black from head to booted foot. His cloak swirled
just below the knee. The breeze coming in from the ocean tossed thick strands
of black hair across his stony jaw. From where she sat, even his eyes appeared
more black than blue.

“Come here,” he said. Without looking to see if she followed, he
walked across the wet sand and didn’t stop until the waves lapped his boots.

Lily pushed up, gathering her skirts in one hand, and went to him. The
Red Hawk was nothing more than a dark speck against the blue horizon. The trail
of steam dissipated too quickly in the heat and breeze, taking the last of
Greyston from her.

When she reached his side, Kelan walked deeper into the water,
mindless of his boots and trousers.

She followed, the sea icy between her toes, dragging at her skirts,
cresting against her hands. The waves jostled her back and forth, drenching any
residual fear with precious, soul-restoring salt water.

Kelan turned to face her. “You’re not a demon, Lily.”

“I know,” she said softly.

For a few minutes after she’d learnt the truth, she’d very nearly
thought she was. Her blood had curdled, separating the demon essence from the
rest of her, a foreign evil snaking through her veins and threatening to choke
her.

But then she’d looked into Greyston’s eyes, filled with pain, horror
and self-loathing, and she’d seen no elementary trace of demon in him. This
demon blood infused into them didn’t make them demons.

“He’ll be back.”

“You don’t know Greyston.” She shook her head slowly, her gaze
shooting past Kelan to the endless expanse of ocean. “You can dunk him in a
hundred oceans, and he’ll still believe he is a demon.”

From the Author

A very big thank you to everyone who helped
out with this book. My beta readers and critique group, Judy for your absolute
support again and again without grumbles, “Eagle Eyes” Leonie for your huge
effort in helping polish this, Janet for your ever-helpful comments. And,
always, to my family who make it possible for me to write and support me no
matter what.

I loved writing the heroine in this first book
of my Dark Matter series. As much as I love kick-butt heroines, this series
gives me the opportunity to explore a heroine who doesn’t start off that way.
Seriously? If I came face-to-face with a demon, I’d jump behind the biggest
male available. And then I’d probably faint. But Lily does have a formidable
inner strength and by the end of this book, she’s well on her way to kick-butt
fabulousness.

Above all, I am a romance writer. My stories
all have to have their happy ending, and Lily will get hers too by the end of
this four book series.

If you enjoyed this book, please look out for
Book 2 in the series (coming soon)
A Matter of Propriety and Parasites
.

I love to interact with readers and if you’d
like to connect with me, you can do so on:

Twitter: @ClaireRobyns

Website:
www.clairerobyns.com

FaceBook: Claire Robyns