Warmth spread throughout my heart as he slipped the ring onto my finger. Made of stone, the ring had an intricate pattern of vines on the outside that Kerrick must have carved.

“This is temporary. It kept me busy while waiting for you.”

“This is wonderful. No need—”

“Nope, I’m buying you one made of liquid metal. It has to last forever.”

I grinned. “Hard to believe I’ll be Queen of Sogra.”

“You’ll be a queen, but not of Sogra. I’m changing the name of the realm.”

“Now, that I agree with. What’s the new name?” I asked.

“The Realm of Peace. Because it’s what we set out to accomplish and even though it’ll take many years to achieve, I’m hopeful. Besides, Peace Lilys are my favorite plant.”

“What a coincidence. They’re my favorite, as well.”

* * * * *

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

It shouldn’t be a surprise that my support network grows with every book like ripples on a pond. At the center are my husband, son, and daughter. They are the rock-solid core that I lean on. They encourage me and inspire me and brag about me and even entice me away from my writer’s cave from time to time. Thanks so much!

Then there’s my editor, Mary-Theresa Hussey, and agent, Robert Mecoy, who like it when I spent lots of time in my cave, creating new worlds and characters. Their help with shaping my stories has been instrumental to my success, and I’m grateful for their insight, humor, and for not letting me get away with lazy plotting.

After all the hard work of writing the book, I’m thankful I don’t have to design a cover, write press releases, and deal with the million other details that arise when producing a book. Thanks to all the people at Harlequin who are involved in crafting this lovely book that I can display on my shelf (and my eReader) with pride!

And I must thank all my readers. You have been an unexpected joy. The outpouring of support and encouragement and, yes, even the emails urging me to write faster have been wonderful. I used to write for myself; now I write for you.

Copyright

ISBN: 978 1 472 06071 6

TASTE OF DARKNESS

© 2014 Maria V. Snyder

Published in Great Britain 2014
by Harlequin MIRA, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited,
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.