Heart of Stone

Book 4: Alice Worth

by Lisa Edmonds

Genres: Paranormal; Urban Fantasy; Occult & Supernatural; Fantasy Romance; Paranormal Romance; Supernatural suspense; urban fantasy; paranormal romance; magic; female sleuth; paranormal mystery; vampires; werewolves; kickass female protagonist

Synopsis

Alice Isn't Running Anymore.

Five years ago, mage private investigator Alice Worth escaped her grandfather Moses Murphy's organized crime syndicate. Now, her grandfather's war with local boss Darius Bell has drawn her out of hiding and put her in the crosshairs of not one but two merciless crime lords. Her decision to intervene in their war has endangered everyone Alice cares about and threatens to destroy the life she's built for herself, including her relationship with alpha werewolf Sean Maclin.

Meanwhile, Alice's new case is the most dangerous of her career. Hired to find a missing child with a rare magical ability, she and her ghost sidekick Malcolm quickly become targets for the boy's ruthless kidnappers. To stay alive and free from both Bell and Moses, she must rely not only on her growing powers but also her alliances with Sean's pack and the Vampire Court.

When Alice's conflicts with pack members turn violent and the Court betrays her, the truth becomes clear: freeing the kidnapped boy and finding her place in the pack will cost Alice her secrets, her safety, and - if she isn't careful - her life.

Contains mature themes.

Release date: June 18, 2019

Publisher: Storybook House, LLC

Print pages: 426

Content advisory: Language, violence, sexual content

Sample

I ran through the trees, moving as quickly and quietly as I could. Small twigs and branches I couldn’t see in the dark whipped across my face, leaving scratches that stung mercilessly.

Behind me, sirens blared and bright lights swept across my path, searching for targets. I thought of the snipers on the walls of the compound and my back itched. I expected to hear shots and feel an impact at any second. I ran faster.

I chanted swear words in my head as I ducked under branches and dodged the searchlights. Where the hell is Arkady?

I had little time to worry about my partner’s fate. Dark figures moved in the trees to my right, heading in my direction. I veered left, hoping to find cover and a chance to regroup while I came up with a strategy for avoiding capture.

I stole a glance at my watch. Only a little over an hour until sunrise. Dawn meant safety and hopefully escape. I’d survived this long—surely I could make it just one more hour.

A twig snapped behind me. I dropped to my stomach in the mud and held perfectly still as stealthy footsteps passed less than ten feet away. I held my breath as they went by, my heart pounding in my ears.

I waited until my pursuer was out of earshot before I belly-crawled through the mud to hide behind a downed tree and catch my breath.

If Arkady was still out here, she’d be headed in the same direction I was going, hoping to either meet up with me or reach a secure position to wait it out until our rescue arrived. I heard shouting back in the direction of the compound, but I couldn’t tell what they said. If those shouts meant she’d been captured…well, I’d have to deal with that later. Either way, I couldn’t stay where I was. I needed to keep moving.

I listened hard but heard only the usual chorus of nighttime insects, rustling leaves, and branches creaking in the wind. I moved to a crouch and peeked over the top of the tree trunk.

Nothing.

I rose and grimaced at the mud covering the front of my long-sleeved black tee, borrowed BDU pants, and combat boots. I’d actually thought I looked fairly badass and had a little bit of Arkady-style swagger, but that was before we’d tripped some kind of perimeter alarm near the compound, given away our position, and had to split up to avoid capture. And before I’d had to crawl through the mud.

I swung my legs one at a time over the downed tree and continued heading east. As an earth mage, my affinity to the land meant my internal compass was stronger than most. Heavy cloud cover meant lack of moonlight with which to see or navigate, but I knew which way was east. With any luck, I’d make it to the rendezvous, find Arkady waiting there, and get the hell out of Dodge.

Just as I thought that, the earth literally fell out from under me.