Dawn was approaching, and the sun had nearly crested over the horizon, when I finished for the night and started for my room. As I neared it, however, I felt Vienne’s presence grow stronger with every step I took, causing a smile of realization to spread across my face.As soon as I opened the door, I saw the lump on my bed under the covers where she lay.I immediately started toward her but a whimper from the corner of the room waylaid me. I turned to blink in surprise, not realizing a crib had been stationed there until the baby inside it started to stir. Shaking my head, I smiled before changing my course to check on the babe.Anniston had kicked off her blanket and lay on her back windmilling her legs with a speed that made me chuckle, while she gurgled, blowing bubbles from her mouth.“Well, hello there.” I picked her up, grinning softly. “It’s nice to see you in such good spirits. Happy to be home again with your mother, I presume?” Then I nodded and shifted her up against my
The castle’s chapel was full again.But this time, the marriage was not for my sister or even for an arranged union. This time, it was for me. And I was finally being united with my one true love in holy matrimony.The good king Brentley had pardoned Vienne from her spousal mourning period of a year since her first husband had turned out to be a traitor to the throne. So, we decided to have the ceremony as soon as we had the kingdom put to rights again.Which had taken too fucking long, if you wanted my opinion.Honestly.Far Shore hadn’t readily agreed to believe that Soren had been the sole culprit behind their raised clear rock tariffs. They were still bent out of shape over the fact that Donnelly had chosen High Cliff for an alliance, not them. And they were particularly enraged when their only prince, Murdock, ended up dead. They wanted to make us hurt. Badly.So, after receiving word that they’d sent out another round of troops to fight us for annihilating their first wave
Much love to my family!! Poor Kurt, Lydia, Sadie, and even Holly the cat have to suffer through every time I go off into my writing mode and I’m not mentally present, even when I’m right there. Thanks for being my foundation and still loving me for who I am.And to the rest of my family: Even though we lost our glue—our matriarch—I love you guys more than I did before, and I feel closer to you than ever. Whenever I get to missing Mom, I just have to see one of you, and there she is. You keep her memory alive.Thanks to the family members who always read the first, roughest drafts of my stories. This time, I believe it was Alaina, Shi, Kayla, Jamie, and maybe even Morgan. Your initial responses are the most important to me! Big hugs.Then there is always Amanda, who is my go-to beta reader. I swear, her feedback is almost as long as the story itself, and I love, love, LOVE that. I enjoy seeing the story from her point of view; it helps me fix and polish more than anything else. Her h
Oh, what an adventure learning cartography for a fantasy world was.At first, I just knew I wanted the land in my world to be formed in the basic shape of a semicolon to honor those semicolon tattoos that mean the bearer is a survivor of self-harm/anxiety/depression or things of that sort. This was kind of my symbolism for pushing through, not giving up, and valuing perseverance.Aside from that, I had no clue what to do. So I just started googling fantasy maps and how to make them. I somehow stumbled my way upon freefantasymaps.com where there were these mapmaking competition entries. I fell in love with the style of this one map entry I saw there, called The Land of Mórthyr, created by Warren Godone-Maresca. But yeah…when I tried to emulate his technique, let’s just say it didn’t work out so well. But I fiddled around with one version for four hours before thinking I’d just settle for that, even though I wasn’t completely satisfied with it.The dissatisfaction followed me, and bug
Writes romance fiction from YA to adult, contemporary to fantasy. Most Kage stories lean more toward the lighter, sillier side with a couple meaningful moments thrown in. Focuses more on entertainment value and emotional impact.Lives with hubby, two daughters, cat Holly, and nine cuckoo clocks in southeast Kansas, USA. Farm girl. Parents were dairy farmers. Was youngest of eight. Big family. Day job as a library assistant. Harry Potter House Gryffindor, Patronus White Stallion. Supernatural Team Dean. Game of Thrones Team Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister. The Walking Dead Team Daryl. Outlander Team Jamie Fraser. Teen Wolf Team Stiles. Avenger Team Thor...or Hulk (can't decide). Justice League Team Flash. Arrow Team Stephen Amell. Stranger Things obsessed. Heard Laurel, not Yanny. Started out reading with the Baby-Sitters Club. Then moved to Sandra Brown, Linda Howard, Julie Garwood, and LaVyrle Spencer in high school. Now all over the place with romance reading.Published since 2010. W
One True LoveCopyright © 2018 by Linda KageThis is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses or establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.All rights reserved. No part of this book—except in the case of brief quotations in reviews—may be used, reproduced, or translated without written permission of the author.Contact Information: linda@lindakage.comPublishing HistoryLinda Kage, June 2018ISBN-13: 978-1370924936Smashwords EditionCreditsCover Artist: Kage CoversEditor: Summer at Red Pen RevolutionProofreader: Shelby at Book Lovers Have More FunProofreader: Shelley at 2 Book Lovers ReviewsProofreader: Judy at Judy’s Proofreading Created with Vellum
Rain hadn’t visited this region in quite some time, proof evident in the brown, wilted cacti and dead flowering plants we passed. Sandy travel dust coated us all, weighing us down with a weary kind of plod that made our journey feel even longer than the three weeks it had taken to reach this point. Even our horses had given up on twitching their tails in an effort to remove flies from their hides.Our path was paved with dry, cracked earth, and what emaciated cattle we saw lay in the shaded nooks of exhausted boulders as they panted with their dehydrated tongues lolling. It made me miss home even more. Nothing could compare to the vast expanse of rolling, green-carpeted hills, turbulent blue seas, succulent fruit trees, and the white-washed cliffs I’d grown up exploring. This dry, barren wasteland did nothing whatsoever to change my mind, either.I couldn’t believe I’d agreed to come to this place with my sister.And stay.Forever.I must’ve lost my damn mind.With a sigh, I capp
“Shh! Don’t stop walking!” Allera backtracked to grab my arm and manually drag me along, earning us another worried glance from the short-banged dignitary. “Do you want them to think we’re having second thoughts about this marriage alliance?”“I don’t give a fuck what they think.” Without lowering my voice, I continued to scowl at her. In front of us, Short Bangs let out a shocked gasp. “And I’m certainly not bound to one of them. You’re quite mistaken.”I snorted and shook my head over the mere idea.Bound to a Donnellean?Bull. Shit.Except a deep fear unfurled inside me. A part of me believed. A person simply couldn’t come from High Cliff and not believe in the signs from their mark, warning them of their mate’s proximity. My one true love must be near. But to me, nothing could be more frightening than becoming bound to anyone from a kingdom I still adamantly thought of as them.The tingling grew worse.I muttered a curse under my breath. Dammit. This couldn’t be happening.