Magic's Design (48 page)

Authors: Cat Adams

BOOK: Magic's Design

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She nodded and hugged him tight. “You did. Just for a moment.” She touched the Tree and it was just bark. “But then she remembered … Eva remembered. You reminded her of why she became the Tree. The people haven’t forgotten her, nor forsaken her. She’d forgotten they were there. I just had to help her find them again.”

“She let you go?” His voice was stunned, filled with disbelief, still afraid it might not be real.

“To save her people.” Mila got to her feet unsteadily and wrapped her arms around Tal’s neck, giving him a slow kiss. She hoped Eva could still feel the tingles that slowly spread through her as his tongue found hers. She let the Tree taste sweet fire magic and might have imagined it, but thought that Eva might have sighed in bliss. “There’s much to do.”

She took a deep breath, as the wind began to blow fragrant air toward them. The little pine was green again, sprouting fresh new growth and tiny yellow buds that tickled her nose with pollen. Eva was reborn, fresh and alive with the love of her people. And in the awakening, she’d found new purpose. She planned to heal wounded hearts as well as bodies and Mila knew she could always count on that help as they fought to bring the pandemic Vegre had planned under control. And if in the healing, the Agathians came to forgive the Parask … and
themselves
, so much the better.

“C’mon, Tal. Let’s go save some people. There are more than I’d thought. It’ll take a lot of long nights. ’Cause I work days.”

He touched her face and let out a little laugh. “As long as you promise to come home to me at the end of every long night, I don’t care. I love you too much to care.”

She smiled and kissed his hand. “Every night. I swear on my mark, because I love you, too.”

Praise for Cat Adams, Writing as C. T. Adams and Cathy Clamp

Praise for the World of the Sazi

“I read the book in one sitting. I look forward to the next book in the series, because it has to be the beginning of a series. A world this enjoyable deserves more than one visit. This book has some new twists in the werewolf’s tail that were very cool.”

—Laurell K. Hamilton on
Hunter’s Moon

“Adams and Clamp are adept at writing intensely sensuous, hot lovemaking scenes, but where they really shine is in the creation of an unforgettable world where secret shape-shifters live, love, and scheme. Laurell K. Hamilton readers will enjoy this edgy world.”

—
Booklist
on
Moon’s Web

“It’s only taken two books for the dynamic duo of Adams and Clamp to cement their position as premier authors of paranormal fiction. Gritty and unique, with amazingly Byzantine character development, this inside look at the unconventional world of shape-shifters is a page-turner in the truest sense.”

—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews,
(4 ½ stars, Gold Medal Top Pick) on
Moon’s Web

“Firmly grounding these extraordinary characters in the modern world helps increase the emotional stakes in the gripping Sazi reality. Like few others, Adams and Clamp’s writing style successfully blends romance, adventure, and the magical. As their latest confirms, this outstanding duo is unbeatable!”

—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
on
Captive Moon

“After being a dangerous footnote in previous books, the true evil of Sazi serial killer Jack Simpson is now revealed. Layer by layer, Adams and Clamp build their compelling Sazi world with its strict laws that give this unique universe dramatic shape and form. Besides captivating plots, it is the rich, dark characterizations that make these books distinctive and mesmerizing. True genre luminaries!”

—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
on
Howling Moon

Praise for the World of the Thrall

“Kate is back and ready to rumble in the outstanding sequel to last year’s amazing
Touch of Evil
. This edgy and dark tale is chock-full of rich characters and conflicting loyalties. Kate’s first-person perspective adds poignancy to the story of a woman pushed to the edge. The paranormal genre was richly blessed when the virtuoso duo of Adams and Clamp joined the ranks!”

—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
on
Touch of Madness

“Unveiling a new paranormal series, the brilliant team of Adams and Clamp crafts an exceedingly intriguing heroine trying to survive a dangerous and complex world. Told in first person, the resilient Kate’s struggles and choices are both vivid and terrifying. This is an unbeatably good paranormal!”

—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
(4 ½ stars, Top Pick) on
Touch of Evil

“Adams and Clamp are adept at incorporating riveting plot twists into this fully imagined world, and they don’t stint on the romance.”

—
Booklist
(starred review) on
Touch of Evil

“
Touch of Evil
receives
The Road to Romance
Reviewers’ Choice Award for … the great writing of the author duo C. T. Adams and Cathy Clamp. This book has it all and more. Readers don’t want to miss this perfect example of fantastically vivid paranormal fiction.”

—
The Road to Romance
on
Touch of Evil

This is a work of fiction. All the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously.

MAGIC’S DESIGN

A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010

www.tor-forge.com

Tor
^®is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

eISBN 9781429954129

First eBook Edition : March 2011

ISBN-10: 0-7653-5963-4

First Edition: February 2009