do you know she's yours?”
“What, you think she's yours?” Chance gave a laugh.
“The consort of the Water King?”
“Vesta chose me over you a long time ago, Chance,”
Varun grinned. “Guess you never got over it.”
Chance gritted his teeth.
My heart swelled up in pain for him. For Varun to rub
that in Chance’s face.
“We’ve always had our differences,” Chance said
softly. “Although we’re cousins, we’re family, we’ve always
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had that come between us. I’ve tried forgiving you long
ago,” Chance said. “I know you purposely seduced Vesta,
turned her against me…made her fire powers weaker so that
she was becoming more and more like a water goddess.”
“My water goddess,” Varun smirked.
“Whatever!”
Chance
growled.
“That
was
dishonorable, especially since fire gods and fire goddesses
are one!” Chance looked over at me and his eyes softened.
“I’m hoping with Mac, Vesta’s new Embodiment, we can
start all over again. It has been a long time since our quarrels,
Cousin. Mac is not Jana. She is not like Vesta. Perhaps she
will retain this innocence, this purity of hers when she
Awakens…”
“It's not like we have a choice, you fool,” said Varun.
“You think what I want – what you want – you think that
either of those things matter? No, Fate has determined it.
Who she is. Whom she'll love. Whose consort she was born
to be...and if you try to hurt her, then there's no way in Hades
that I'm going to let you live through that.”
Chance snarled. “Well, that makes two of us, then.”
I'd had enough of this. “Excuse me!” I cried. “I'm
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standing right here! What are you even talking about – both
of you, you're insane.”
Varun turned to me, his eyes full of sadness. “I'm
sorry, Mac. I'm not going to let someone else die for him. I
had to come out here to warn you.”
“I already know who Chance is, Varun. Yes, I get it,
he’s the Fire God. At least he was open and honest about
that. He was also open about why he treated me the way he
did for so long. He didn’t want to hurt me or to get me
involve with him, and he certainly didn’t go after me, like
you thought, Varun. Chance kept trying to push me away
instead. He didn’t mean to be cruel or cold to me on purpose.
He did it so that I would get away from him.” I glanced over
at Chance, who was standing there no longer with a glare in
his face. His gaze held mine, and it was the purest look of
love I have ever seen.
Varun caught the look Chance and I exchanged, and
his face was crestfallen. “Mac,” he said, “Don’t do it, please.
Don’t take the test. It would kill you. It would ruin
everything. Vesta can’t rise again!”
Before I can say anything, he vanished, leaving me
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and Chance alone. I was stunned beyond belief. Did Varun
say “Vesta can’t rise again!” Didn’t he love her? Why
wouldn’t he want her back?
“What was that about?” But Chance did not reply.
“Chance – you need to explain what's going on...”
“Not yet,” Chance looked up at me, and I could feel
the heat of his gaze. He pulled me to him, enveloping me
with his warm arms. I felt all his love pour into me, warming
my heart as I leaned into his chest.
“But soon, right? I have to know before the test…”
“Very soon. I know you’ve made up your mind about
doing this, Mac,” he said. “But you’re not ready, and I don’t
want to lose you because you’re not ready. Anything can
make it go wrong.”
“I need four more stones, right?” I asked.
Chance nodded before kissing me. “And I can tell
you have doubts, especially after what Varun said.” He
looked fiercely at me then. “You can’t go into the test with
that doubt in your heart or you will surely die.”
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Princes of Paradise (M.A.G.E. #1 )
Mac, Chance, Varun, and Brandon’s story
continues in
Book 2
Gems of Gods
https://www.amazon.com/Gems-Gods-
M-G-Elementals-ebook/dp/B084HHZ8VY
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KAILIN GOW
244
Princes of Paradise (M.A.G.E. #1 )
245
KAILIN GOW
Dance of the Deities (Book 3)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B
084H5GZP4
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Princes of Paradise (M.A.G.E. #1 )
OTHER BOOK SERIES COMING UP OR JUST
RELEASED FROM KAILIN GOW and
ROMANCEonTHEgoBOOKS.COM
Vampire Samurai Series by Kailin Gow
I am Evie Everheart. As a Life's Blood Carrier, I am
pursued by all vampires who want to become All Powerful
or to become human again. Which is practically ALL
vampires. Basically, I'm screwed.
Then I meet him, the Vampire Samurai and his band of
247
KAILIN GOW
brothers, consisting of another vampire, a fae, and a shifter.
What they want of me, I've yet to find out.
Friend or foe?
I don't know. But as a carrier, all I know is that I must do
everything I can to keep the vampires from getting my
blood or humanity as we know it, would end.
**Vampire Samurai is a new series in the PULSE
Vampires World Series, a YA/New Adult series
appropriate for age 17 and
