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Ouroboros
by Genevieve Iseult Eldredge
Syl’s a princess of the fair Fae.
Her girlfriend Rouen is a princess of the dark Fae.
Mortal enemies. Girlfriends.
Relationship status: It's Complicated
All introverted geek girl Syl Skye wants is to get close to her girlfriend. But when you can kill with a simple touch, a normal date night’s not really in the cards.
As it happens, Syl is also a sleeper-princess of the fair Fae. Last year after a freak accident, her power Awakened, granting her white flame to purify the darkness.
Rouen Rivoche is that darkness—a dark Fae princess whose power to bewitch mortals is as terrifying as the violet lightning she controls. Rouen is Syl’s total opposite. Her mortal enemy.
She’s also Syl’s beloved girlfriend.
And even though they joined forces to defeat the evil Circuit Fae who harnessed the killing magic in technology to take over the school…that was so last year.
Now, Syl’s touch could mean Rouen’s death. Her increasing power is spiraling out of control, threatening to burn down everything she and Rouen have built together. Their lives, their love, their very world...
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• Genres: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, LGBTQIA+• Publisher: Monster House Books
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• Purchase: Amazon / B&N / Kobo
In this scene from Rouen’s POV, Syl’s bee
taken into OverHill, the land of the fair Fae, against her will by Prince
Aldebaran, who forced her to put his torc (his ring) on.
Once
I get that damned torc off her.
In this scene from Rouen’s POV, Syl’s bee
taken into OverHill, the land of the fair Fae, against her will by Prince
Aldebaran, who forced her to put his torc (his ring) on.
_________________________________________
Sunlight sears into me—pure sunlight from
OverHill—and I stagger away from it, all my dark Fae instincts instantly
hitting critical mass. I cloak myself in shadows, shielding myself against the
killing heat and brightness. Already, my skin is starting to smoke. Still, I
draw the line at hiding behind my bike. No way.
If
something fair Fae is coming into this alleyway, I’ll meet it head-on.
Especially
if it’s Aldebaran.
Shielding
my watering eyes, I face it, steeling myself.
A
silhouette appears in the brightness. I clench my fists, ready to beat Syl’s
location out of Prince Fancy, ready to beat him for daring to take her in the
first place.
The
figure staggers and then stumbles, falling unceremoniously into the alley. I
see a flash of grey eyes, a cascade of red curls—
“Syl!”
I go to her, scoop her into my arms. The sunlight washes over me, the sting
instant, then amping up to a burning, searing pain across my body. With a
growl, I pull us both back into the shadows.
Syl
is almost limp in my arms, her grey eyes open and dazed.
Ancestors, she’s been faestruck! I brush
the hair from her face and pat her cheek lightly, hoping to break the spell.
Her left hand feels hot as it brushes my thigh, but I pay it no mind. Of course
she’s hot. She just came out of OverHill.
No,
not came out. Tore out.
I
try not to panic at that thought of Faerie bleeding, try not to let my mind go
wild. What did Aldebaran do to her? “Syl…Syl…” I shake her gently, cradling
her.
You should have been there to protect her,
Roue.
“R-Rouen?”
She blinks, her eyes clear, and then she throws her arms around me and pulls me
close, trembling.
I’ll kill him. Murder lairs in my heart,
but she’s my first concern. I wrap my arms around her, allowing us a long
moment before pulling away. “Did he hurt you? Syl?”
“No…
Yes… He…” She shakes her head, bites her lip, her eyes filling with tears.
I’ll kill him twice.
I
can feel her, hot from Summer, her power right at the surface. I can’t risk
touching her again. “It’s okay. Whatever happened, I’m here now.”
“Rouen,
I…”
Sunlight
flares into the alleyway again.
“He’s
coming.” Syl’s face is stamped with hurt and fury.
“Oh,
he is, is he?” I stand up. “Good. I can’t wait.”
She
gets up, turns her back on the sunlit portal, and meets my gaze. “Rouen.”
Okay,
all this calling me by my real name is starting to freak me out, but I don’t
show it. I need to be strong for her. “I’m here.”
“He…”
She holds her left hand up.
That’s
when I see it. Aldebaran’s ring. No, his torc.
On my girl’s hand.
In
the mortal realm, the torc is just a ring. But in Faerie, it’s a sign. It marks
his ownership of her, that she will eventually soul-bond with him.
And
somehow, he tricked her into putting it on.
A
low growl rumbles from my throat. “That dirty…” A torc binds two Fae. He won’t
be able to control her with it, not like with a Contract, but she’s tied to
him.
He’ll
know where she is at every moment. He’ll be able to track her, stalk her…and
other Fae? They’re supposed to recognize the torc as his claim on her.
Never.
Rage sweeps over me so fast it leaves me shaking. Before, I was just going to
kill him. Now? I’m going to eviscerate him. Slowly.
Once
I get that damned torc off her.
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Raised by witches and dragons in the northern wilds, GIE writes angsty urban fantasy YA romance--where girls who are mortal enemies kick butt, take names, and fall in love against all odds.
She enjoys long hikes in the woods (where better to find the fair folk?), believing in fairies (in fact, she's clapping right now), dancing with dark elves (always wear your best shoes), being a self-rescuing princess (hello, black belt!), and writing diverse books about teenage girls finding love, romance, and their own inner power.
She might be planning high tea at the Fae Court right now.
GIE is multi-published, and in her role as an editor has helped hundreds of authors make their dream of being published a reality.
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