Read Thorne (Random Romance) Online
Authors: Charlotte McConaghy
Thorne (Random Romance) (34 page)
She told me the other night that she loved my beast as much as she loved me. I tried not to be jealous, as the smug bastard howled his glee inside me.
Finn had taken the news of Jonah and Penn hard though. She was instrumental in our strategy meetings. Her abundance of energy was poured into her training. She and I would sit with Ava, Ambrose, Falco and Osric through the nights, planning and discussing the workings of our next moves.
What became clear to us on these nights was that we had one important move to make: we had to figure out who the Sparrow was and make contact with him. He was the only chance we had of wresting Kaya back from the warders.
For now Finn and I held each other in the dark and we whispered stories to each other, so that no matter how lost either one of us became in the shadowy depths of our chipped souls, we would hear those words and be tethered to each other.
Nothing would ever change the vow I made her on a winter’s night. The life I wanted was inside her heart. Always.
‘Thorne! Get your gorgeous behind over here!’
I looked up at Finn and blushed crimson with horror. Did she have to talk about my behind in front of every damn person in the fortress? There was a ripple of laughter throughout the crowd and I sighed.
‘You do have an awfully gorgeous behind,’ Ambrose pointed out, and I smacked him over the head.
We were standing in the trees to watch the first of Finn’s games. These days the fortress of Pirenti was filling up with Kayan refugees fleeing their catastrophically dangerous home country. What I’d been amazed at was the fact that most Pirenti hadn’t made a fuss or argued about it – they’d let it happen with an admirable aplomb.
The refugees were all miserable and scared, of course, so Finn had decided that she knew exactly how to cheer them up. And she’d set out quietly and without fuss to rig up an enormous obstacle course, reminiscent of both the Siren Nights and the tournament in Sancia. The forest beyond the fortress was now full of ropes and ditches and ladders and puzzles. Every person between the ages of five and eighty was permitted to enter, both Kayan and Pirenti, and it was patently clear from the shrieks of laughter that it was a success.
I watched with Ma, Falco, Ava and Ambrose at the front of the crowd of amused onlookers. Under the course stood Finn and Osric, both using their warder magic to ensure no one was hurt.
A few young lads from both countries had just finished, much to their own pride and their friends’ rapturous applause. What was inspired about the course was that it wasn’t about physical strength, which would have made it unfair to the Kayans when having to face their much larger Pirenti opponents. It was about courage, cleverness, agility and athleticism. Anyone – man, woman, Kayan, Pirenti, elderly or child – could win. Well, probably not elderly or child. But they were still enjoying themselves.
I watched as Sadie and Ella stepped up to take their places at the
starting line.
‘They’re too young!’ Ambrose protested, lurching forward, but Ava grabbed him and dragged him back.
‘Leave. Them. Alone,’ she growled, making Ambrose sulk.
That was when my darling wife decided to publicly embarrass me. ‘Thorne! Get your gorgeous behind over here!’
I slumped over to her side amidst the laughter – apparently both peoples found it hysterical to see the berserker prince having his behind brought to attention by a small mischievous woman.
‘I dare you to race your cousins.’
Ella and Sadie screamed their excitement and I shot Finn a glare. ‘I’m far too mature to be baited by a dare.’
Finn stared at me, waiting.
I sighed. ‘You’ll pay for this.’
She smiled sweetly. ‘Hurry up, big guy.’
‘Just a second,’ I forestalled, leaning in to give her a long, slow kiss. The crowd cheered, and when I pulled away Finn was the one blushing. She shoved me towards the course.
Sidling over to the girls, I climbed up beside them on the platform. Glancing down at the ground, my head swum with unease. Despite everything, I still really, really hated heights.
Ella and Sadie both took one of my hands. ‘You can do it,’ they encouraged, and I couldn’t help but smile.
‘Whose kindness did you inherit?’ I muttered rhetorically.
‘Da’s,’ they replied promptly and I burst into laughter.
We set off. As I swung hand over hand along the ropes, being indisputably annihilated by my much quicker cousins, I glanced to the side and saw him standing there in the trees.
My da. He smiled, looking amused.
‘You’d better pick up the pace, my boy,’ he grinned. ‘No son of mine gets left behind.’
And then, more softly, my father said, ‘You were born to lead the way, my son, even when the world is at its darkest.’
They settled upon me, those words, and for the first time in my life I believed them to be true.
Here ends Book 2 of
The Chronicles of Kaya
Coming soon …
Isadora
Book 3 of
The Chronicles of Kaya
Charlotte grew up with her nose in a book. At fourteen she decided to write a novel, and thus began her foray into epic fantasy, with sweeping romances, heroic adventures, and as much juicy drama as she could possibly squeeze in.
Her first novel,
Arrival
, was published at age seventeen, followed by
Descent
when she was twenty, launching The Strangers of Paragor series, which is adventure fantasy for teenagers.
Soon she started her first adult fantasy novel,
Avery
, the prologue of which came to her in a very vivid dream. This was followed by
Thorne,
the second book in
The Chronicles of Kaya
series, and
Fury
, the first in a dystopian science-fiction trilogy called
The Cure
.
Charlotte has a Masters in Screenwriting, which allows her to explore different aspects of her writing and indulge in her passion for film and television. She lives in Sydney and will, however, always be a novelist at heart, still unable to get her nose out of the books.
by Charlotte McConaghy
The people of Kaya die in pairs. When one lover dies, the other does too. So it has been for thousands of years – until Ava.
For although her bondmate, Avery, has been murdered and Ava’s soul has been torn in two, she is the only one who has ever been strong enough to cling to life. Vowing revenge upon the barbarian queen of Pirenti, Ava’s plan is interrupted when she is captured by the deadly prince of her enemies.
Prince Ambrose has been brought up to kill and hate. But when he takes charge of a strangely captivating Kayan prisoner and is forced to survive with her on a dangerous island, he must reconsider all he holds true …
In a violent country like Pirenti, where emotion is scorned as a weakness, can he find the strength to fight for the person he loves … even when she’s his vengeful enemy?
Avery
is a sweeping, romantic fantasy novel about loss and identity, and finding the courage to love against all odds.
Available now!
by Virginia Taylor
It’s Bree Branson’s first day at Pemberton Private Hospital and the last thing she needs is a patient dying in suspicious circumstances on her watch. The only person who can help her clear her name is the one person she was hoping to avoid, the devastatingly handsome Sam Vincent … the doctor she stood up three years ago.
Forced to work together to find a killer, will Bree and Sam be able to leave their past behind to find a future together?
A scintillating romantic suspense novel with a twist of intrigue and a lot of flirtation. Can true love be found in the hunt for a killer?
Available now!
by Alissa Callen
Kree Garrett’s younger brother Seth is all the family she has left, so when he goes missing in the Australian outback, she doesn’t think twice about leaving her American home to find him. When Seth is rescued Kree vows to find a way to thank the small town of Glenalla. It isn’t long before she falls in love with the tight-knit rural community. But is it really the
town
she’s falling for?
Ewan Mackenzie has given up everything for his brother’s family, but he can never give enough to assuage his guilt at what happened one dark night, years ago … Ewan knows he doesn’t deserve a second chance at happiness, but when beautiful, open-hearted Kree stays to fight to save his home town, he finds it hard to keep his distance.
Can Kree and Ewan leave their pasts behind for long enough to find a future together?
An enthralling rural love story. Sometimes you need to give yourself permission to fall in love.
Available now!