Flash Point (Elemental Trials, Book 2)
By Ronelle Antoinette
Genre: Fantasy Romance
About the Book:
Scandal will shake foundations.
Treachery will tip balances.
Choices will have consequences.
And secrets? Those will change everything.
A night of careless passion leaves Battlemage Jex
Xander and Adept Enari Alycon in a
precarious position. Long-time lovers
they might be, but the Imperial ambassador and the daughter of Egalion’s High Mage have rather public roles in the court—whether they wish it or not—and
scandal couldn’t come at a worse time.
When a hostile kingdom reluctantly agrees to parley,
the fate of two-thousand years of peace is on the line. In the midst of
negotiations, Enari becomes the target of
one of the Greater Maelstrom. She and Jex must race against time to save her
life and that of her unborn child. What happens when an earth-shattering
secret, a demon bent on destruction, and a kingdom teetering on the brink of
war collide is anyone’s guess.
The decisions of a few will determine the fate of
many, and who or what will remain standing in
the end is still uncertain. Hearts and lives are on the cusp of
irrevocable change…and not necessarily
for the better.
About the Author
Ronelle Antoinette lives in western Colorado with her husband, two cats, and
one dog-who-believes-he's-a-person. While she is a mother to none, she’s an
auntie to what should qualify as a small army. She is an admitted caffeine
addict, chocoholic, and hopeless romantic who has carried on a passionate
affair with the genre of fantasy since she was old enough to read 'chapter books'. She dabbled in creative writing for
many years and even considered it as a major in college. (She ended up getting
a Bachelor's degree in Counseling Psychology.) She published her first novel,
Errant Spark, in July of 2016.
https://twitter.com/RonelleAntoinet
https://www.facebook.com/Elementaltrialsseries
https://amazon.com/Flash-Point-Elemental-Trials-Book-ebook/dp/B072JNPYZ4/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35424850-flash-point
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35424850-flash-point
Excerpt:
He raised the shard, letting her examine it for a heartbeat or two, then used the blade to cut her palm and his own. Enari winced at the line of pain that blazed across her skin, biting back a hiss just in time to keep from breaking the mandate of silence. Jex pressed their weeping palms together and laced his fingers through hers.
She could almost taste her own dread now, bitter as a mouthful of lemon
rind.
“Blood to blood and gift to gift,” Jex
intoned, “I lend you my strength for the test ahead. I will hold the door so
you may pass and may it be with joy that I close it after your return.” There
was a hint of fear in his emerald eyes as he spoke the final words.
“Initiate, it is time for you to
face The Pool and The Dweller below,” her father announced.
Sweat broke out across her forehead and the back of her neck as her eyes
settled on The Pool.
Jex rose to his feet, fingers still twined
with hers, and she balked, not wanting to go any nearer to that still and
menacing water. He reached behind her and seized her belt, forcing her up and
forward. His hand remained at the small of her back to hold her in place once
they stood at the very lip of The Pool.
Her stomach knotted and a slithering
nausea twisted its greasy fingers around her throat. She swallowed hard and
tasted bile.
Jex put his mouth against her ear and
began to speak.
“We have to lower you into the water. Take
a deep breath, close your eyes, and don’t be afraid. It’ll be over before you
know it.”
She turned to him, shaking her head. More
than anything, she did not want to let that black water touch her.
Blue eyes met green and she pled the only
way she could.
His expression went flat and his voice hardened. “You asked me to
serve as your Chosen. Let me do my duty.”
“Be silent!” the high mage barked.
Jex gave him a dirty look, but nodded once and the two men took hold of her, each putting a hand under
one of her arms and grasping her hands in theirs. With agonizing slowness, they
began to lower her.
The first shock of bitter cold stole her
breath.
As the velvet of her robe became wet, it
dragged on her and clung to her legs. She kicked, trying to free her feet but
the heavy fabric stuck fast.
Before she was half-submerged, she started
to tremble. The water felt just short of freezing solid and had a slimy quality
that disgusted her.
Soon, only her head remained clear and Jex was crouching at her side, still
gripping her bloody hand. His other settled on her hair.
“Deep breath, now,” he directed.
And before she could even think to scream,
he jerked his hand free of hers and thrust her head beneath the surface.
Thank you for supporting me on my release day!
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