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Chapters (64)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  6. Pronunciation Guide
  7. Prologue
  8. Part One
  9. One
  10. Two
  11. Three
  12. Four
  13. Five
  14. Six
  15. Seven
  16. Eight
  17. Nine
  18. Ten
  19. Eleven
  20. Twelve
  21. Thirteen
  22. Part Two
  23. Fourteen
  24. Fifteen
  25. Sixteen
  26. Seventeen
  27. Eighteen
  28. Nineteen
  29. Twenty
  30. Twenty-One
  31. Twenty-Two
  32. Twenty-Three
  33. Part Three
  34. Twenty-Four
  35. Twenty-Five
  36. Twenty-Six
  37. Twenty-Seven
  38. Twenty-Eight
  39. Twenty-Nine
  40. Thirty
  41. Thirty-One
  42. Thirty-Two
  43. Thirty-Three
  44. Thirty-Four
  45. Thirty-Five
  46. Part Four
  47. Thirty-Six
  48. Thirty-Seven
  49. Thirty-Eight
  50. Thirty-Nine
  51. Forty
  52. Forty-One
  53. Forty-Two
  54. Forty-Three
  55. Forty-Four
  56. Forty-Five
  57. Forty-Six
  58. Forty-Seven
  59. Epilogue
  60. Excerpt from The Sun and Its Shade
  61. The Night and Its Moon Playlist
  62. Acknowledgments
  63. About the Author
  64. Back Cover

Malik scowled at him but left the table to inquire about a room for the night. He took his pint with him, leaving Ash with a chilled, frothy glass to finish on his own. Ash was right, and he knew it. Malik needed somewhere to lie while the tonic worked its way through his bloodstream and his shoulder healed. The injury had been relatively shallow, but it was to his right side—his sword hand—and he couldn’t risk any damage to the tissue.

While Malik found the innkeeper, Ash scanned the faces of the patrons. The faeling’s character was normally amiable and open to townsfolk when he traveled. He’d done quite well with the ladies when he’d wandered into towns, more than happy to use his ears as a conversational opener and see where the night took them. This night was different. He felt sickened at the sight of their simple faces as they went about their merry, superficial lives. What must it be like to have your greatest worry be the springtime taxation or the anxious hope of an invitation to a mayoral dinner party. He admitted he might be feeling a little bit biased by his own bitterness as he drained his ale. Ash intended to shoot back as many as possible tonight. He was on a mission to get as shitfaced as the innkeeper would allow before he was cut off.

He set the pint down as the barmaid approached.

He glanced up to order another drink, but it wasn’t the barmaid at all. Ash was looking into the twinkling eyes of the single most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He straightened a bit, clearly surprised as he looked at the oddity standing at his table. She seemed to glow from some unseen inner flame. Her bottomless eyes were utterly mesmerizing as she looked directly into his. She leaned onto the table, pressing her palms onto its wooden surface. A cinnamon smell overpowered the honest auroras of stews and breads that had filled his nose only moments before.

“Hello.” She smiled, teeth glinting. “May I sit?”

Ash was baffled, certain everything about his face betrayed his surprise. He had been radiating acidic energy from the moment he’d stepped into the alehouse that night. There was no reason anyone should have wanted to come within three table lengths of his bitter company.

“I’m sorry, m’lady. I don’t think I’m particularly good company tonight,” he offered as both an apology and an attempt at dismissal.

She made a somewhat amused face at that. “I’d rather a man be honest with his emotions than feign pleasure while concealing pain. Would you share your table with a lady? Maybe I can make your bad day better.”