Sin Incarnate Read online

  “No,” she said.

  “I will kill him.”

  “He has proven he cares for me by risking is life to fight you,” she said. “You have no power over him.” Her heart pounded. “Or me.”

  Aeden sneered. “No man can love a woman in a single night.”

  Lorna stared. “If no man can love a woman within a single night, what hope had I of being freed?” Her mind raced. Something was wrong. Aeden had to know he couldn’t deny the truth once the curse was broken.

  She faced Jace and said something she hadn’t believed she would ever say. “I am Mubbirum. You have been tested and been found to be a man of courage. You have freed me.”

  His brows snapped down. “A what?”

  “Mubbirum; Accuser.”

  Aeden gave a derisive laugh. “She is a woman who chose beauty over honor. Her redemption lies in finding a man who can love her despite her vanity.”

  Lorna felt as if the air had been sucked from her lungs. He was right. For the first time in her life, she saw clearly. She had chosen physical beauty over character, then spent centuries trying to find a man who would love an image, a shallow vessel. In the process, she had condemned men to insanity because she lacked the courage to face life with her flaws.

  But Aeden would not have Jace.

  She looked at Aeden. “He is beyond your reach—just as I am.”

  A glitter appeared in Aeden’s eyes. “But the other one isn’t.”

  The door opened down the hallway. Lorna gasped.

  “What is it?” Jace demanded.

  “No,” she whispered.

  Chapter Twelve

  A draft tickled hairs on the back of Lorna’s neck. A pinpoint of light appeared near the window. The vortex that linked the mortal realm to the bridge to Shade was opening.

  “Holy shit,” Jace muttered.

  “What in hell is that?” Ryan said.

  Everyone turned toward him. He stood near the hallway, staring at the swirling opening that was now large enough to step through.

  “That is the gateway that will take you to my domain,” Aeden sneered.

  “He’s innocent!” Lorna said.

  Aeden gave a nasty laugh. “He doesn’t care for you.”

  “He isn’t part of this.”

  Aeden looked down at her. “Then you shouldn’t have let him shove his cock inside you.”

  “Lorna,” Jace said.

  She met his gaze. “I-I’m sorry.”

  “What’s going on?” Jace demanded.

  “I am Mubbirum. You passed the test. Ryan did not. He wanted only my body.”

  “That’s what this night was supposed to be about,” Jace said. “A one night stand.”

  “Not for you.” A sob tightened her throat. “Not for Ryan.”

  “Jace, what is that thing?” Ryan pointed at the vortex. Fog swirled within the opening.

  “That bridges our world and yours,” Lorna said.

  “Your world—” He swung his gaze onto Jace. “Did I drink some bad whiskey?”

  “If you did, we drank from the same bottle.” Jace addressed Aeden. “You’ve got two seconds to get out before I kick your ass.”

  Aeden gave an amused laugh. “Foolish mortals.”

  He started toward Ryan. Jace moved to intercept.

  Lorna grasped Aeden’s arm. “I will return to Shade with you.” His gaze riveted onto her and she nodded at the question in his eyes. “Yes,” she said, “I am ready for the Sa Belet. You know the price.” Everything came with a price.

  Triumph shone in his eyes. “You are worth a hundred of him.”

  He traced a finger along her cheek, then down her neck. She choked back tears when he touched the curve of her breast…then—

  “Get your hands off her.” Jace lunged.

  Lorna leaped in front of Aeden and shoved Jace. He stumbled backwards, hit the wall, and landed on the floor with a heavy thud. Fear lanced through her. She had withheld her strength but he—she caught movement in the corner of her eye and whirled on Ryan.

  ”Stay back,” she ordered. He halted, and she faced Aeden. “I wish to go. Now.”

  “Lorna.”

  The harsh demand in Jace’s voice tore at her heart. She turned. He stood, gaze steady on her.

  “Surely you didn’t think this meant anything?” she said. “You fucked me, and I took pleasure.”

  She expected anger, hurt…betrayal. Instead, understanding shined in his eyes.

  “What’s the price, Lorna?” he asked.

  “Do not meddle in things you don’t understand.”

  “I may not understand that,” he pointed at the vortex, “but I can see that you don’t want to go with this guy.”

  She lifted her chin. “You are wrong.”

  “I think it’s you or Ryan,” Jace said.

  “Your friend is safe. Let it go,” she insisted.

  “I won’t let you go.”

  “Would you have your friend go in my place?”

  “It’s not an either or choice.” Jace pointed at Aeden. “That asshole is going to leave.”

  Her chest tightened. “You’re wrong. A choice is exactly what it is. I can’t send your friend to Shade in my place.” She started toward the vortex.

  Wind gusted through the room.

  “No!” Aeden shouted. “She’s mine.”

  Lorna pivoted to face him.

  His eyes locked on her. “Ten times I ventured into this wretched place.”

  Lorna gasped. Ten times?

  Understanding struck like lightning. This explained his presence here. He had arranged to have a particular man here in the hotel to meet her. He was manipulating her. Not just her, but the other men she had met. But how? Only Fate knew who was to be tested. Why had Aeden been allowed to interfere?

  Aeden’s glare shifted to Jace. “You weren’t meant for her.”

  Jace stared back. “That’s where you’re wrong.”

  He was right. Tears filled her eyes. She hadn’t doomed innocents to Shade. Those men had been chosen by Aeden because of their deceit in order to ensure her curse wouldn’t be broken. Jace hadn’t been chosen by Aeden…he had been chosen by a higher power for her—for her final test. The question had never been whether or not she could be loved, but if she could love.

  Lorna riveted her gaze onto Aeden. She had never lacked beauty. Her beauty was the very reason he had granted her wish…the reason he had chosen her as his queen. What she had lacked was the ability to see beyond her common life. He had been right; they were well suited.

  Once.

  Fury twisted within Aeden’s irises.

  Yes, he read her too well.

  His body spun and vanished into the vortex. The swirling mass closed shut behind him. An instant later, Jace reached her side. He grasped her shoulders and hugged her close until her trembling subsided.

  At last, Lorna pulled back and looked up at him. Confusion muddled her mind. “I was supposed to return. I was always supposed to return.”

  Jace gave a gentle smile. “I told you it wasn’t an either or.”

  “But how did you know?”

  “I could see it in his eyes.”

  She stared. “But how did you know I would stay?”

  He traced her cheek with a finger. “I saw that in your eyes the moment you walked in the door.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lorna crossed the hotel foyer, arm-in-arm with Jace.

  He nuzzled a kiss on her neck as the door slid open and they stepped into the bright morning sun. “Remind me to thank Ryan for running the Bar-S while I took these three days off,” he said. “I owe him big time.”

  She was the one who owed Ryan. The three days she and Jace had spent together had given her the chance to tell him the truth—about everything. He’d listened, then told her he accepted what she told him, even though he couldn’t fathom half of it.

  “Not to mention,” Jace went on, “keeping the two women busy who were supposed to be our dates.” He la
ughed. “That’s a night—and a morning—Ryan won’t forget anytime soon.”

  They stopped at the curb and Lorna gripped Jace’s arm when a mammoth black, metal creature came to a halt beside them. She looked up to find him staring.

  “You’ve never seen an SUV?”

  She glanced at the monster. “What is it?”

  “An SUV, a car.” She frowned, and he added, “A horseless carriage.” He released a breath and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “This will take a while.”

  He reached toward the thing and opened the door. Lorna hesitantly took a step toward the beast, then paused when movement drew her attention to the firs just beyond the hotel. A shadow flickered among the trees, then a huge silver wolf stepped to the forest edge, amber eyes set on her. She drew in a quick breath. It wasn’t possible.

  What’s wrong?”

  She glanced at Jace, then looked back at the trees, but the wolf was gone.

  Lorna’s heart swelled. “Nothing.”

  Jace’s arm slid around her and he pulled her close. She looked up into his face and read the reflection of her love in his eyes.

  The End

  We hope you enjoyed Sin Incarnate as much as we enjoyed writing it.

  To learn more about our books stop visit our website.

  Evan and Shawn

  T. C. Archer

  Other Titles from T. C. Archer

  Full Throttle

  Chain Reaction Book One in the Phenom League

  Sasha’s Calling

  Winter in Paradise

  The Pickle My Little Friend

  For His Eyes Only

  Coming Soon

  In the Company of Kate

  About the Author

  T. C. Archer is comprised of award winning authors Evan Trevane and Shawn M. Casey. They live in the Northeast. Evan has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering, and Shawn is a small business owner. Their collaboration began on a lark with the post WWII film noir story The Pickle My Little Friend, and has evolved into nearly a dozen works, which includes their new series The Phenom League, and the Daphne Du Maurier winner, romantic thriller For His Eyes Only.

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  Special excerpt from Labyrinth by Tarah Scott

  It’s a Mississippi Deputy Sheriff’s duty to bring a serial killer to justice…even when he’s a three hundred year old Scottish lord.

  It’s an SAS agent’s duty to save her.

  Chapter One

  Murderers weren’t born. They were made. At least, that’s what Margot had told herself these last four years. She opened the door to Castle Morrison and stepped inside the small entryway. Her hand tightened on the strap of the duffel she carried. She’d left Mississippi behind fifteen hours ago and was now on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, about as far north as a person could get in the Scottish Highlands. The countryside was just as remote as Wilkinson County, and probably just as wild.

  Gooseflesh crept across her arms with an unexpected desire to turn and head back home—back to her father, the job she’d left behind and the front porch swing that squeaked too loudly on sultry summer nights. Exhaustion, she told herself. That and the fact she was about to face a murderer.

  She took three paces through the arched doorway into the reception area and stopped. Caterine Bowers, the new owner of Castle Morrison, stood alongside a young brunette behind a mahogany reception counter at the far end of the room.

  Cat hadn’t changed in the four years since Margot had seen her. The boys back home had gone wild over her perfect thirty-six, twenty-four, thirty-six body. With lustrous, jet black hair that brushed her waist and the feminine walk she’d perfected, she’d fucked her way through half of Wilkinson County. Margot didn’t blame her for that. Hell, she’d had her share of those southern boys. It was the fact Cat had murdered Donny four years into their marriage—and gotten away with it—that Margot hated.

  Cat’s invitation for Margot to visit her in Scotland offered the opportunity that had been lacking when Cat fled to L.A. six months after Donny’s death. Eighteen months later, Cat dropped off the radar. Margot couldn’t let that happen again—couldn’t let Cat murder again. And she would.

  Cat looked up from the papers she and the brunette were studying. The emerald green eyes that had gotten her name shortened from Caterine to Cat lit up. Margot chilled. As Deputy Sheriff of Wilkinson County, she’d convinced criminals she was their friend in order to get their confessions. But none of those criminals had been her best friend…and none of them had murdered her husband—Margot’s cousin. So how was she going to hide the fact she was here to prove that Cat killed Donny?

  Lie.

  Margot smiled. Cat skirted the counter and hurried toward her. Margot dropped the duffel and started forward. They met in the middle of the room and Cat pulled her into a warm hug. Margot relaxed as if embracing the same friend she’d shared everything with, from make-up to Jimmy Thornton in the twelfth grade.

  Cat pulled back and looked into her face. “You look exhausted.”

  Margot startled at hearing the clipped Yankee tones coming from Cat’s mouth. What had happened to her Mississippi drawl? The four years she’d been gone from Mississippi wasn’t nearly long enough to lose that southern inflection.

  Margot gave a tired smile. “Beyond exhausted.”

  Cat grinned. “Sorry, there are no direct flights from Wilkinson County to Scotland.”

  “Wilkinson County?” Margot grunted. “There aren’t any direct flights from anywhere in Mississippi to Scotland.”

  Cat slipped an arm around her shoulders. Margot forced herself not to stiffen when Cat gave her a squeeze.

  “Come on, I’ll show you to your room.” Cat looked past Margot, and Margot glanced back to see her cab driver standing at the counter, her suitcase and duffel beside him on the floor.

  “Hold on.” She started to pull free.

  Cat’s arm tightened around her. “Never mind. Dahlia, see to him, will you please, and have Margot’s bags sent up right away.”

  The brunette smiled and turned her attention to the driver.

  Cat directed Margot across the foyer to a staircase on the left wall. “You’re going to love Morrison Castle,” Cat said. “There’s nothing like it in Wilkinson County.” She released Margot and went ahead of her up the stairs.

  Margot followed, grimacing when the entrance disappeared around a hard right turn and the narrow stairwell closed in behind her like a coffin. Her legs moved as if slogging through mud and she released a tired breath when the stairs finally opened into a hallway that was expansive by comparison. Cat turned left.

  Margot looked back at the slit in the stone wall that held the staircase. “Those stairs would challenge the most seasoned spelunker. How do people pass on them?”

  Cat laughed. “The Scots are big on togetherness.”

  Margot imagined two men coming face to face, backs pressed against opposite walls as they sidled past one another. If the men were anything like the large specimens she’d seen working the castle grounds, they would exchange more than just greetings.

  “Staircases were built narrow,” Cat said, “so an enemy had to charge up one man at a time, which gave the defenders a chance to kill them before they reached the upper levels.”

  They passed four doors before Cat stopped. “This is the last of the unrenovated rooms. I didn’t want you to have to worry about moving while you’re here.”

  She opened the door and stepped inside. Margot followed, catching sight of the bed. The brandy colored quilt looked like heaven on earth. She halted, her attention riveted onto a painting that hung over the fireplace where a low fire burned. The painting’s three d
imensional depiction of Castle Morrison made the picture feel as real as the wing backed chair sitting in front of the low burning fire in the fireplace.

  Battlemented towers on each corner of the oblong castle rose above the keep’s three stories. Like a velvet caress, ivy crawled up the stone surrounding the heavy, central oak door. Sunlight glinted off narrow, stained glass windows as clear and vivid as newly cut glass.

  “Damn,” Margot breathed.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Cat asked.

  “Magnificent. Who’s the artist?”

  “Unknown. The picture’s three hundred years old.”

  “Three hundred? But that’s impossible. It’s so…”

  “Perfect?” Cat said.

  “That’s one way of putting it.”

  Margot crossed to the fireplace. The castle came into sharper focus as if she had hit the zoom button on her web browser. “The detail’s amazing.” She reached a hand to touch the ivy, then thought better of it. Three hundred year old paintings weren’t meant to be touched. She faced Cat. Hair on the back of her neck stood on end and she recognized the feeling of being watched. That’s what happened when you stood in the presence of a killer.

  A knock sounded on the door.

  “Your luggage,” Cat said. “Come in,” she called.

  The door opened and a young man entered carrying Margot’s luggage. He murmured a hello, then lifted the suitcase onto the stand to the left of the door and set the duffel on the carpet beside it.

  He faced them. “Will there be anything else?”

  “Hold on, sugar.” Margot started toward the duffel where she kept her money, but Cat lifted a hand.

  “No tipping here at Castle Morrison,” she said.

  “I don’t mind.”

  Cat shook her head. “The caliber of guests who stay here don’t tip.”

  “That rich?” Margot asked, as if she didn’t already know the answer. Castle Morrison was a new brand of hotel where the obscenely wealthy squandered their money on the “seventeenth-century-Highland-experience.”