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Back The Night and Its Moon
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

Making some unintelligible gesture in an attempt to recover, he motioned his hands toward the seat across from him. He’d meant to tell her to be his guest, but there was nothing charming or elegant about the way he’d reacted. Doing his best to compose himself, he asked, “May I buy you a drink?”

“You may.” She grinned, delighted. She eased from where she’d been standing and leaned onto the table, seated directly across from Ash.

The young woman clasped her delicate, bronze hands in front of her. Apart from himself and Samael, he hadn’t seen many people with her particular coloration. The lovely, tanned skin would have made her stand out in the tavern by itself, but the woman was a testament to the goddess’s eye for beauty, as she was a masterpiece. Her glossy black hair shone like wet ink. Her white, pearly teeth flashed with unnatural allure in an effortless, winsome smile.

His eyes grazed from her hair, the rouge of her cheeks, her berry-dark mouth, and her elegant throat to the curious cloak she still wore. It had been too warm of a day for the royal-blue cloak draped over her shoulders. The girl unclamped it at the neck, draping it on the chair behind her. When she removed it, it was clear why she’d been covering up. Her dress left astonishingly little to the imagination, plunging and hugging deliciously around her shape.

“Are you from Yelagin?” she asked.

Ash had forgotten the common tongue. All thoughts vacated his mind as he did his best not to gape at her. He wasn’t convinced he’d ever known how to speak. He’d only had one pint, but he was feeling terribly drunk by the shock of her presence. He shook his head mutely, doing his best to keep his eyes on her face. Maybe the All Mother had seen what a terrible night he’d had and taken pity on him, sending him a silk-wrapped present. The thought, however foolish, warmed him. He managed to strike what he hoped was a casual tone.

Finally, he answered, “Just passing through, I’m afraid. Are you a local?”

She feigned offense, bringing one hand to brush her chest as she pointed to herself. The brush of her fingertips as they grazed the space below her collarbone served more than one purpose, truly testing his resolve to retain eye contact.

“Of this landlocked town?” she asked. The girl tossed her hair easily to one side with a charming grace. “Oh, I could never settle somewhere so far from the sea. Where’s the sense of freedom in that?”