Strange Brew (41 page)
Authors: Patricia Briggs,Jim Butcher,Rachel Caine,Karen Chance,P. N. Elrod,Charlaine Harris,Faith Hunter,Caitlin Kittredge,Jenna Maclane,Jennifer van Dyck,Christian Rummel,Gayle Hendrix,Dina Pearlman,Marc Vietor,Therese Plummer,Karen Chapman
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Fantasy, #Anthologies, #Science Fiction/Fantasy
“I pray that whatever you hoped to gain from this was worth their deaths and the nightmares that will haunt me,” I said softly.
“If the lives of a dozen evil humans will make you into the warrior who will save millions of innocents then, yes, it is well worth it.”
It seemed an easy thing for her to say. She didn’t have to live with the nightmares of what I’d done here tonight.
Then again
, I thought as I regarded her cloaked in her own darkness,
a war goddess must carry the burden of far worse things
.
“There will be rumors,” Devlin interjected. “If the High King were to find out—”
“If he takes issue with anything that’s happened here,” she said, “I will deal with him.”
Devlin just nodded, and pulled Justine closer to him.
Morrigan turned back to me. “Dawn is approaching, and you must go. Rest today, but if I were you I’d put Venice behind me come sunset. Sara likely will not be too pleased to find her father dead, evil bastard though he was.”
I nodded.
“Go with my blessing, my children,” she said, and then she was just… gone.
I sighed and laid my head on Michael’s shoulder, suddenly weary to the very marrow of my bones. All I wanted was a bath and the comfort of my lover’s arms around me.
“Let’s get you home, love,” he said, and kissed my forehead.
“Home,” I sighed. “Can we go back to England?”
“Of course,” Michael replied softly.
“Sounds bloody marvelous to me,” Devlin grumbled. “I’ve grown weary of this city.”
Justine arranged her borrowed cloak more securely around her. “
Oui
,” she said, “I liked Venice much better when the most interesting thing about it was keeping up with what Lord Byron was doing.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” I murmured as Michael swept me into his arms and carried me to the door.
Jenna Maclaine
is the author of the Cin Craven series. When she isn’t writing, she spends her time caring for the eighty-plus animals that share her family farm in the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
You can find out more about her at
www.jennamaclaine.com
.
Table of Contents
Death Warmed Over by Rachel Caine
Hecate’s Golden Eye by P. N. Elrod
Signatures of the Dead by Faith Hunter