Moonless (35 page)

“You asked if I would be willing.”

He smiled sadly, touching her lips. “Yes, but I would rather you live your life
with
me than sacrifice it
for
me.”

A shiver of elation ran through her. He shifted up onto his knee, pulling her after him.

He held up a glittering ring. “Will you marry me, Alexia ‘Christianne’ Dumont?”

Gold shimmered in the sunlight, radiance refracting from inlaid diamonds, one at the apex, pink, and the others white; a coral iris with five teardrop petals.

She gasped.

“I am hoping that is a ‘yes’.” His eyebrow quirked.

“It is beautiful!”

His face contorted with concern. “But do not say yes because you are dazzled by a few pretty stones.”

She gave him a frown.

He chuckled. “I always planned to ask you—you should know that—but I wanted you to have a clear enough vision of our life to make that decision. I suppose you have a clear enough vision now, and so do I.”

“What do you mean?”

“When you were . . . unconscious . . .” His struggle to express himself took her by surprise. “I was lost. I did not know what I would do without you. I did not know if I even wanted
to do
without you. It—” His eyes met hers honestly. “It could have killed me.”

She shook her head.

He gazed resolutely deeper. “I love you, Alexia Dumont. I do not think I can live without you, not anymore.”

She ceased to breathe, tears breaking cover.

He leaned closer, lacing his fingers gently through her own. “Will you have me?”

“Can I?” She breathed, very narrowly aware of how faint she’d become. Her heart thundered.

“Is that a yes?”

“You could have had me the first time we met. There has never been another choice, never been another path. Yes a thousand times over! Marry me, please!”

He laughed, one eyebrow tweaking. “You are certain?”

“Would you kiss me already?”

He jerked her close, looping his fingers through hers and wrapping one arm, then the other around her back. Her breath caught. The tides of his consuming eyes softened, swallowing her in his sea of love. If she never surfaced for air again, she didn’t care. This was where she belonged.

His lips tenderly grazed hers. She shivered. A grin broadened his face as he pulled back.

“You are the most insufferable—!” She tore her hands free and shoved him onto the ground. Leaning over him, she captured his lips. He pulled her on top of him and rolled until she was trapped below him, his incredible mouth taking possession of hers.

Their shared space opened up. In the back of both their minds echoed worries about the Soulless, Bellezza, and the struggles that lay ahead, but Alexia pushed them away. For this moment alone she was hopelessly free, impossibly happy, and incessantly in love. Whatever trouble lay over the horizon, she would face it with Kiren at her side.
             

Dear AWESOME Reader,

Thank you for joining me on this journey through the world of the Passionate! If you enjoyed Alexia and Kiren’s story, please leave a
review
. Here’s your virtual cheese basket of thanks. Sign up for the
newsletter
and you’ll receive the cut prologue. Book two in the Maiden of Time series,
Soulless
, will be available for purchase summer of 2014.

Wishing you much cheese and the happiest reading endeavors,

             
Crystal Collier             

About the Author:

Crystal, author of MOONLESS, is a former composer/writer for Black Diamond Productions. She can be found practicing her brother-induced ninja skills while teaching children or madly typing about fantastic and impossible creatures. She has lived from coast to coast and now calls Florida home with her creative husband, three littles, and “friend” (a.k.a. the zombie locked in her closet). Secretly, she dreams of world domination and a bottomless supply of cheese.

You can find her on
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Acknowledgements:

The process to publication has been a long one. Much thanks goes first of all to my amazing husband who may believe in my dreams even more than I do, and feeds me cheese while being grossly ignored. To my three littles (who allow me to chat about imaginary characters and spend half our school time discussing the merits of good writing,) I adore you! And to my super amazing extended family, I don’t know what I’d do without all of you.

My amazing sister, Cindy, thank you for being my go-to and allowing me to talk your ear off on a regular basis while working through “stuff.” Mom, for your grammatical corrections and pushing, thank you.

Special thanks go out to my stellar critique partners Rachel Hert and Tammy Mckee. Sharon Johnston, my
incredible writing coach from Pitch Wars 2012, thank you for the new title and believing in me! To Bethany Kaczmarek at A Little Red, Inc., your editorial work was invaluable and I will forever have a tender place in my heart for Henry Cavill, just because of you.

To my bestie in elementary school, thank you Melanie. Without those story sessions during every recess I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t be where I’m at today. Chris, my amazing first critique partner and
prolific shredder, you made a world of difference.

A huge “I love you forever” to the beta readers who helped me work through the rough draft in 2008. Lastly, to each of you who read this book (and especially those who read it more than once or got through this ridiculously long list of gratitude), I HEART YOU.