âThe more curses you break, the sooner youâll die.â
Magic has a priceâand for Amber Sarga itâs days and years off her life. Each curse she breaks ages herâand the bigger the curse the bigger the cost, and not only to her. Thatâs why she hides away and has vowed not to get involved again⦠Thatâs why she hates looking in a mirrorâ¦
And then an ill-fated stranger arrives. Rafe Davail doesnât believe in cursesânot even knowing that in his family every first son dies young. Amber offers guidance but she wonât break the curse. Still, as she grows closer to Rafe and discovers the secrets of their pasts, she wonders if for this time, this man, she should risk it allâ¦
Praise for the novels of
Robin D. Owens
âRITA® Award-winner Owens offers a world strongly imbued
with a sense of magic in this contemporary fantasy series launch.⦠Romance and fantasy fans will enjoy Jenniâs preparation to enter a new world of compromise between the Folk, humans, and technology.â âPublishers Weekly, starred review, on Enchanted No More
âA multi-faceted, fast-paced gem of a book.â
âThe Best Reviews on Guardian of Honor
âThis book will enchant readers who enjoy strong heroines.â
âRT Book Reviews on Sorceress of Flight
âFans of Anne McCaffrey and Mercedes Lackey will appreciate the novelâs
honorable protagonists and their lively animal companions.â âPublishers Weekly on Protector of the Flight
âStrong characterization combined with deadly danger
make this story vibrate with emotional resonance. Stay tuned as events accelerate toward the final battle.â âRT Book Reviews on Keepers of the Flame
âA glorious end to the series.â
âWild on Books on Echoes in the Dark
Chapter 1
March
Denver, Colorado
IF SHE AGED naturally, Amber Sarga would have been twenty-six. But her gift for curse breaking cost her days, weeks, monthsâ¦years.
Sheâd found another gray hair today. Gray hair on a gray day.
Amber was taking a break from her home genealogical business to prepare a flower bed. Halfheartedly she stuck the big trowel into the dirt. An odd scent drifted to her and she straightened. There was something in the air....
When her yellow Labrador puppies, Baxt and Zor, went into a barking frenzy, she turned. And saw a small brown being in her garden. Her mouth fell open. He was plucking a bloom from the heavy mass of her violets and dropping the flower into a jar.
He was nothing human. Small, under three feet, thin, triangular face and large triangular ears, he was definitely magic. Over the past few years, living in Mystic Circleâs cul-de-sac, Amber had gradually become aware that there was true magic in the world, and magical people.
Although they tried, the puppies couldnât get near him. They bounced off some sort of force field. He wore boots and sturdy pants and a shirt. All brown.
Amber swallowed. âWhat are you?â
âIâm a brownie,â he grumbled.
She had a brownie in her garden. She swallowed again. âAnd you are, uh, harvesting violet blooms?â
His brown slit-pupil gaze fixed on her trowel, he gave a short nod. âYou have good stuff here.â He sniffed. âMuch better than Jenniâs few plants.â
He must mean Jenni Weavers, her neighbor to the south. With enough spit to speak again, Amber said, âThank you. And you need the blooms forâ¦?â
âGoing to crystallize them as a candied accent.â
âAh.â Amber nodded. It didnât seem strange that a magical being would eat violets. âI have a chocolate pie recipe with crystallized violets.â
The brownieâs large eyes grew huge, seeming to take up more space on his face. âChocolate pie,â he breathed, clutching his jar. Then he offered it to her. âChocolate pie.â The tips of his ears quivered.
Ah, so he loved chocolate.
âI could make a chocolate pie for you. And maybe you could help me with my magical gift.â
His mouth pursed as he scanned her from top to toe. âOne of the Cumulustre human offspring. Gypsy strain?â
âHuh? Iâm Amber Sarga.â
He scrinched his boney shoulders together and kept his mouth shut.
The puppiesâ yips increased in volume. With a flick of his fingers and a guttural mutter, the brownie cast something fine and silky at the pups. They abruptly collapsed into snoring sleep. Then he glanced at her from the corner of his eyes and bent down to caress another violet bloom. âI can candy them for youâ¦for the chocolate pie.â