Into the Ashes [The Arcadians 2]
The Arcadians 2
Into the Ashes
Raven Sanchez is a Chicago cop who
has risen from the ashes of a painful
past. Struggling with the disappearance
of her friend, Raven seeks to find
balance in her life, but everything
changes when she’s struck by lightning
and finds herself transported to another
world.
Kings Savitar, Kadan and Tristan Akira
have been searching for the woman who
will complete their souls. Born in a world
with a shortage of females, they fear that
day will never come. When a goddess
suddenly appears in the middle of their
palace, they know she is the one they
have been waiting for and claim her
before she can escape.
Caught in a clash of cultures, Raven
must forge a place for herself in this new
world. When wills collide and legacies
are unveiled, can she find a way to
embrace being an Arcadian or will the
fires of lust burn them all to ashes?
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a
Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Science
Fiction, Shape-shifter
Length: 77,226 words
INTO THE ASHES
The Arcadians 2
Laurie Roma
MENAGE AMOUR
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU
HAVE PURCHASED: Your
non-refundable purchase of
this e-book allows you to only
ONE LEGAL copy for your
own personal reading on your
own personal computer or
device. You do not have resell
or distribution rights without
the prior written permission
of both the publisher and the
copyright owner of this book.
This book cannot be copied in
any format, sold, or otherwise
transferred from your computer
to another through upload to a
file sharing peer to peer
program, for free or for a fee,
or as a prize in any contest.
Such action is illegal and in
violation of the U.S. Copyright
Law. Distribution of this e-
book, in whole or in part,
online, offline, in print or in
any way or any other method
currently known or yet to be
invented, is forbidden. If you
do not want this book anymore,
you must delete it from your
computer.
WARNING: The unauthorized
reproduction or distribution of
this copyrighted work is illegal.
Criminal
copyright
infringement,
including
infringement without monetary
gain, is investigated by the FBI
and is punishable by up to 5
years in federal prison and a
fine of $250,000.
If you find a Siren-BookStrand
e-book being sold or shared
illegally, please let us know at
A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Amour
INTO THE ASHES
Copyright © 2013 by Laurie Roma
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-856-1
First E-book Publication: November
2013
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2013 by
Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This
literary work may not be reproduced
or transmitted in any form or by any
means,
including
electronic
or
photographic reproduction, in whole
or in part, without express written
permission.
All characters and events in this book
are fictitious. Any resemblance to
actual persons living or dead is
strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
If you have purchased this copy
o f Into the Ashes by Laurie Roma
from BookStrand.com or its official
distributors, thank you. Also, thank
you for not sharing your copy of this
book.
Regarding E-book Piracy
This book is copyrighted intellectual
property. No other individual or
group has resale rights, auction
rights, membership rights, sharing
rights, or any kind of rights to sell or
to give away a copy of this book.
The author and the publisher work
very hard to bring our paying readers
high-quality reading entertainment.
This
is
Laurie
Roma’s
livelihood.
It’s
fair
and
simple. Please respect Ms. Roma’s
right to earn a living from her work.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
www.SirenPublishing.com
www.BookStrand.com
DEDICATION
This one is for my readers. Thank
you all for your support, and for
encouraging me to create new and
exciting stories!
No matter what happened in the
past or how many obstacles life
throws in anyone’s path, everyone
deserves love and a chance to find
their own happily ever after. I wish
that for all of you, and until then,
reach for the stars and keep
reading…
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Epilogue
About the Author
INTO THE ASHES
The Arcadians 2
LAURIE ROMA
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
“Police! Stop right there!”
Detective Raven Sanchez cursed as
she gave chase after a thief through
the pouring rain.
It shouldn’t surprise her…they
never did stop.
She’d seen the snatch-and-grab
seconds after having stepped out of
the local deli she usually frequented
on her way home from shift. Sparing
a brief second to lament her umbrella
and the sandwich she’d been forced
to toss aside, she kicked it into high
gear as she chased down the stupid
teenager that had ripped the purse off
of an unsuspecting tourist.
Only blocks away from Chicago’s
Magnificent
Mile,
the
premier
shopping district in the heart of
downtown, tourists walked around
blissfully unaware of the dangers
their inattention presented. The
woman targeted by the teen had been
busy looking up at the high-rise
buildings, her purse dangling from
her hand with the zipper slightly
opened.
Christ, it was like asking to be
robbed.
Begging for it even.
Still, it was Raven’s job to make
sure all the people in her city, even
the stupid people, were safe.
Raven weaved and dodged through
the sea of pedestrians and onlookers
as she ran after the teen. It always
made her a little sick to see how so
many people could just stand back
and watch something happen without
interfering or coming to someone
else’s aid. The teen turned his head
to glance behind him, and damned if
the little shit didn’t smirk as he
thought he’d lost her in the crowd.
“Oh, fuck that…”
His expression changed as she
launched herself in the air and landed
on him, taking him down to the
pavement. They skidded like two
drunk frat brothers on a slip-and-
slide down the slick sidewalk,
coming to a stop when they hit the
side of a building with a solid thud.
Good thing he was on the bottom
because that fucking hurt.
“What…the…fuck, man?” the teen
wheezed out after he got his breath
back.
“You stupid asshole. When a cop
tells you to stop, you fucking stop, got
it?” The boy struggled to get away,
making her press her knee down on
his back to keep him in place.
“I didn’t do anything!”
Soaked to the skin, Raven’s
patience disappeared like a puff of
smoke. “You just snatched that
woman’s purse right in front of a cop,
genius. Now stop squirming or I’m
also gonna charge you with evading
instead of just the theft.”
The boy went limp underneath her
like a wet noodle. Raven held back a
wince as she hauled him to his feet.
Damn, she might have pulled
something on that dive. She cursed as
she noticed the tear in her favorite
jacket.
Well, damn it.
Could this day get any worse?
With a snarl she swung him around
to face her. The teenager’s mouth
dropped open in shock as he got his
first good look at her.
“Holy shit! You can’t be a cop!”
Raven rolled her eyes and tapped a
finger on the badge secured on the
waistband of her pants next to the gun
strapped to her side. She was used to
the reaction though. Nicknamed
“Detective Sexy” by her squad mates,
even soaking wet Raven Sanchez
looked more like a model or an
actress than a police detective.
It had been her bane for as long as
she’d been on the force.
She had a thick mane of curly black
hair that she ruthlessly tamed back
into a braid when she was on duty
and a face that was both graceful and
strong with sharp cheekbones and
full, lush lips. Raven was what most
people would call a knockout. But
what set her apart even more were
her brilliant green eyes that simmered
like two perfect emeralds under long,
thick, inky lashes.
When she entered the police
academy
after
graduating
from
college with a degree in criminology
they thought that she would never be
able to cut it as a cop because of her
looks.
They were wrong.
Because
people
always
underestimated her, she worked
twice as hard to get where she
wanted to be. She’d fought tooth and
nail to get where she was. If she
needed to downplay her looks, she’d
wear colored contacts to hide the
startling color of her eyes and bulky,
drab clothing to try to cover up her
voluptuous figure.
Hiding had been something she had
learned to do a long time ago.
Other than that, Raven had learned
to use her assets to her advantage. In
her line of work she’d found that men
usually went out of their way to
cooperate with her and most people
assumed she didn’t know what she
was doing or immediately thought she
wasn’t too bright because of her
looks.
To their detriment of course.
Raven was smart. With a sharp eye
for detail and a tenacity to find the
truth, she closed cases. She had a
passion for helping people and a
desire to seek justice for those who
couldn’t do it for themselves. Despite
her physical appearance she had
climbed the ranks and earned her
detective’s badge. Sure, some of the
guys she worked with didn’t think she
deserved it, but she knew better.
Over time, the guys in her squad had
grudgingly come to accept her. She’d
earned their trust and respect, and she
made damn sure they knew not to
mess with her.
She’d been a victim once and was
determined never to let it happen
again.
Raven had blossomed into a beauty