The Divine Ones: Dangerous Love

By Elizabeth Moore

Jezebel is the daughter of the vampire king at the Court of Eclipse. The kingdom is located in the mountains of North Carolina where it has been hidden away for hundreds of years. Jezebel is about to marry the man of her dreams, a werewolf of the court, then take the throne. Her world is destroyed along with her dreams as she is betrayed by someone she loves.
Cole is a human slave to the court, docile and angry from the death of his mother and sister. He is taking care of the horses in the stables when she is swept up into Jezebels world where deceit and a plot for the throne might take down the whole kingdom. The two are drawn closer together as they face peril, uncover secrets and risk their lives all in the hopes of saving the kingdom.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 16, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483635286

Elizabeth Moore

Elizabeth Moore is a graduate of Mississippi College and the Columbia Publishing Course at Oxford University. Born and raised in Louisiana, she now lives in New York where she works at Penguin Random House and serves with the Church of the City New York creative team. Elizabeth has contributed articles to Timshel, Transformed, Windrose, Belong, and Porticomagazine.

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Copyright © 2013 by Elizabeth Moore.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-4836-3527-9

                Ebook            978-1-4836-3528-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Rev. date: 05/01/2013

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my grandma who pushed me

to get this goal of mine accomplished and helps me

keep going when I feel like giving up.

I love you grandma.

CHAPTER 1

Jezebel Blackthorn sat at her window seat in her bed chamber. Her eyes swept over her father, King Delos Blackthorn’s kingdom; her soon-to-be kingdom. She would be queen once she got married, which would be soon. Excitement bubbled up in Jezebel as she overlooked the medieval kingdom; the bustling human slaves and the dark royals who walked regally.

This was the Court of Eclipse; home to some of the most elite and righteous vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, witches, elves and fairies. At the Court of Eclipse the vampires ruled because the Blackthorn family were said to be direct descendants from the vampire goddess, Anautica. With that came great power; every member of the Blackthorn family since Eclipse Blackthorn himself, creator of the Court of Eclipse, had gotten some power. Jezebel herself had the power to read minds; inside her head was a constant whisper of noise and she could pick out which person’s thoughts she wanted to hear. Every Blackthorn also had the power of a numbing bite; it completely numbed the human or animals mind to a pleasurable black oblivion.

Just thinking about her vampiric bite made Jezebel think about her eternal longing for blood. Vampires were never fully satisfied until they had devoured all of the blood and life energy from their victims. Every human and every animals blood tasted different also. Jezebel could feel her fangs sharpening at the thought of blood; she quickly focused her mind on other topics.

She thought about how good her life was. She was the oldest daughter of the head ruler of the Court of Eclipse. She was an eighteen year old princess; she could have anything she wanted and even anyone she wanted. She already had who she wanted though; Prince Evan Hunt of the werewolf clan. The thought of him flustered her, making her heart race and she stood up in a sudden burst of energy. She took a deep breath as flashes of his golden eyes passed in her mind.

She walked over to her full length mirror with thoughts of Evan overflowing her mind. He wasn’t her soul mate; if that was even a real old flocks fable, but he was the closest thing to a soul mate to her. He was a werewolf and she was a vampire but they loved each other fangs, claws and all. He would soon be her husband and her king. The engagement had been announced earlier that day and celebrations would continue until the wedding happened.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror; her dazzling ice blue eyes were sparkling, her pale ivory cheeks were flushed from excitement, her full lips were spread into a smile that showed off her high cheek bones and pearly white teeth. She tousled her shiny auburn curls that hung around her shoulders and framed her delicate featured face. She studied her dress next, the black satin was smooth against her skin, the sleeves puffed at her shoulders then flowed loosely down to her hands, the neck of the dress was cut low to show the top of her red bodice. When she walked the satin skirt swirled around her legs and black satin flats. She felt just like the medieval princess she was; beautiful and powerful.

Jezebel liked the fact that the court was still in the medieval era; just like it had been when her ancestor Eclipse Blackthorn had built it. She liked that the men still had chivalry and the ways of courting. She liked the nightly feasts in the grand hall, the festive balls accompanied by the fiddle and violin band. The band played the most festive dark music; it strummed with desire and dark temptation. It seemed to enter your soul and bring forth your darker side. The only thing she was glad that had evolved was the way they spoke; they had the same modern ways of speaking just like the humans in the Outside world.

The Court of Eclipse was the embodiment of darkness and temptation. Dark royals all as beautiful as sin, the stone walls around the court and that made the castle all dark slate gray and the silver and black flags that represented her family’s reign flying high on the towers of the castle. The money raked in from the Outside drug sales, the black market selling’s of human organs and from illegal weaponry sales kept everyone at the court happy. The organization that Eclipse had started, the Dark Force were the ones allowed Outside of the court to find the bad in the human world and profit from it. The slave exchange was the best profit of all since it kept the chores done around the court and when the vampires needed blood, or the werewolves wanted a human snack or when the shapeshifters wanted the flesh of a human it was available. Direct feeding had been ruled illegal but small amounts of blood or flesh was allowed in the wine at night. Another rule of the court was that no other immortals except for the Dark Force could go into the Outside world but that rule was hardly ever broken. None of the dark royals wanted to fraternize with the weak humans unless they could control them and their world. The slaves didn’t dare rebel because they were drugged from human drugs that were modified by the witches to keep them obedient and under control. Occasional news of an overdose or a fatal shooting in the Outside world would sometimes make its way to the court but it was not a big deal; death was merely a process all humans had to go through. As long as the rich stayed rich then the deaths of weak humans were overlooked.

There was another court though that opposed the beliefs of the Court of Eclipse and that was the Court of Dawn. It was the exact opposite of the Court of Eclipse. It was filled with caring and kind nobles who all did the chores around the kingdom so there were no slaves. They were run by the witches and allowed their court members Outside as long as they remembered the key rule of both courts; don’t ever fall in love with a human or tell them about the magical world right under their noses or sever punishment would ensue if you were caught.

Jezebel couldn’t stand the thought of the happy and sun shiny court. The thought of working in the fruit or vegetable gardens with other nobles like slaves disgusted her. It just wasn’t right. That was what humans were created for; to do the work for the ones superior then them which was obviously the immortals. The Court of Dawn members didn’t want slaves or to even mingle with humans, they were afraid of humans from what Jezebel had heard. They didn’t want the humans to know about them. It made Jezebel feel smug because her court was using humans as they were made for, labor and food. They were all weak so what else was their purpose? Jezebel looked down on the slaves in their drab green tunics and brown pants; scurrying about with heads bent like ants. Humans were lower on the food chain, that was a fact and they were fulfilling their purposes to the ones higher up. There was nothing wrong with that.

A light thought drifted through her mind, What if the tables were turned? Then how would you feel?

A strong knock on the door saved her from having to think about the answers. She smoothed her hands over her skirt and rushed to answer the door. The questions were completely forgotten as she saw who it was. Evan stood; tall, dark and drop dead handsome in her doorway. His chiseled face bright with a smile, his golden eyes hypnotic, his short black hair falling in his eyes and his strong tan arms already going around her waist.

In a very unladylike way she wrapped her legs around him and began passionately kissing him. With ease he lifted her in his arms and closed the door behind him all while kissing her back. Jezebel could feel her heart flutter with each step that brought them closer to her bed. He sat her on the edge of the bed and broke the kiss. Breathless he said, With a greeting like that I’d say your excited about our announcement.

Jezebel was a master at being coy and right then she turned it up fully as she replied, Very. A coy smile on her lips.

Evan smiled back at her hungrily; getting her implied meaning. She didn’t wait for an actual answer, she knew he wanted her; she laid back on the bed and pulled him down on top of her. In an instant he chuckled, looking at her with those gorgeous golden topaz eyes, Very excited, huh?

Yes, very.

He bent closer towards her and Jezebel’s heart raced with anticipation. He stopped, his lips barely an inch from hers and he asked casually, So, you like the ring?

Jezebel smacked his arm playfully and said, You’re such a tease.

Evan sat back on the bed and she did also. He asked in his deep but gentle voice,

Really, do you like the ring?

Jezebel looked down at it shining brightly on her left hand. Did she like the ring!? Of course, it was made of silver with a black onyx stone set in the middle and tiny diamonds were set all around it. She hadn’t even ever told him her taste in jewelry but he had picked out the most perfect ring ever; the ring of her dreams. She decided to tease him like he had teased her, Maybe. she answered with a flippant air.

He asked concerned, Maybe?

She smiled, That’s a just answer considering how I just threw myself at you and you took the hint but teased me. I think it’s fair that I get to tease also.

Evan pulled her close again and kissed her. She was glad he didn’t break the kiss this time; it progressed more passionately. Somehow she was laying on the bed again and his hand was sliding up her leg before she even noticed how. She slid her leg around him, urging him on. It wasn’t like they hadn’t done the same thing several times before in their two year relationship. His warm hand slid to her inner thigh and she sighed. He began kissing her neck, going lower with every soft kiss.

There was an intrusive sound behind them; the clearing of someone’s throat. Evan instantly jumped up and so did Jezebel. She smoothed down the skirt of her dress and tried not to look so flustered. Who stood before them was Cady Starfire, Jezebel’s lady-in-waiting. Her beautiful mocha face was set in casualness, her brown eyes shined with amusement as she said, What guilty expressions! She played sarcastically dumb,

What could you two have been doing? A comical smile came across her small lips.

Jezebel knew that Cady might have appeared to be light and joking but Jezebel knew better. She could feel the wave of angry tension coming from Cady. Jezebel could hear the mean thoughts Cady had about Evan. Cady really didn’t like Evan and she had made it vocal in private to Jezebel many times before. Cady had told her to watch out for Evan because she didn’t trust him. Jezebel valued Cady as a friend; ever since Cady had begun as her lady-in-waiting over seven years ago. Through all those years Jezebel had never known Cady’s intuition to be wrong but it was now. There was nothing to be weary about concerning Evan. Cady was presently worried about the news of their engagement.

Evan was laughing nervously and Jezebel felt heat rise in her cheeks. Cady kept a smile on her face as she said, Well, Jez needs to get ready for the first celebration. The left out words; so get out, hung in the air. Cady kindly smiled but her eyes made the message clear.

Evan smiled at Cady then looked at Jezebel, I’ll see you at the grand hall doors in half an hour so we can walk in when they publicly announce the news.

She nodded and kissed his cheek before he left the room. Jezebel sighed exuberantly and smiled brightly. She was brought back to earth as she heard Cady’s negative thoughts. Jezebel looked at Cady, Why do you have to be so negative today of all days?

Cady replied pleadingly, Jezebel, I’m very worried. Prince Evan gives me uneasy feelings. I don’t think he is very genuine or as sweet as you think.

Jezebel defensively said, "That’s not true; Evan is kind, he’s not like every other dark royal here. He has dreams and visions and he treats me right. Your half witch intuition is wrong. He’s sweet and charming."

Jezebel saw the stone look on Cady’s face as she had thrown her blood line in her face. Cady was half witch and half fairy. She twitched her purple fairy wings that had designs of black roses on them; the habit she usually did when she was agitated. She tossed her long flowing black hair from her face as she said, My intuition has never been wrong before. They’re telling me that he’s sadistic and cunning.

Jezebel said in a finalizing way, Well there’s a first time for everything.

Cady ignited like a gasoline soaked fuse as she began ranting, How can you not see the manipulative plans behind his eyes!? You’re a mind reader; actually take a good look for once in his mind. I’m sure he’s hiding some dark thoughts just as sure as I am that he’s playing you for a fool but hey, I guess you are what you are, right? Her eyes were burning with their intensity.

Jezebel might have listened to her if she hadn’t been fueled by her own anger. She didn’t want to hear Cady talk badly about Evan. She coldly said, Get out of my room and don’t come back.

Cady looked shocked but pride filled her face and she nodded, Okay but when the time comes I’m going to enjoy telling you I told you so and then you’ll regret not listening to me. Then she turned on her heel and slammed the door behind her.

Jezebel wanted to go out and apologize to Cady but then again she knew Cady wasn’t going to change her opinion of Evan. She brushed off the nagging feeling that had started to gnaw at her stomach and began getting herself ready for the celebration.

She couldn’t believe that she was going to be married soon; all of her dreams of her and Evan ruling the court side by side were finally going to come true. The two year relationship had started out as just a dare to dance, not meant to even start anything but it had turned into something serious. As a result Jezebel had experienced the best two years of her life. She could tell Evan anything and he listened to her, cared about her opinions and wanted to be close to her. He was always so caring towards her, affectionate and loving in every sense of the word. She had never thought a vampire and werewolf relationship would work but she had gladly been proven wrong. Of course, the whole court talked about the two of them constantly; about how it was an outright scandal for such two high class immortals and of such different races to be together. But they both wanted to be together simply because they loved each other. Their races didn’t matter to them.

Jezebel’s own father had been outraged when he heard about the relationship. He had said it wasn’t meant to be because werewolves and vampires were too different. They couldn’t get along and the children would be considered mongrels because of their mixed blood. Jezebel and Evan had already decided that they didn’t want kids because of how they would be treated around the court; they would be shunned like Cady usually was for her mixed blood. That hadn’t gone over well with her father either; the next rulers of the court had to have kids for the blood line to continue. The conversations hadn’t gotten far with her father but she hoped he was warming to the idea of the relationship.

Jezebel looked at her reflection in the mirror; seeing if she approved of her dress choice. She had on a red silk dress with a low square neckline, loose long sleeves, white satin on the front that cut down in a V to the waist then spread out on the dresses skirt in an upside down V and sewn on the border where the red and white material met were little black silk roses. She nodded in approval.

Jezebel tried to get the words Cady had said out of her mind as she began fixing her hair. She ran a brush through her auburn curls and tried to focus but Cady’s words rung in her mind. Jezebel hadn’t wanted to fight with Cady but she couldn’t stand Cady’s bad opinions. Why couldn’t she just be happy for her and accept that her intuition was wrong? Jezebel shook the thoughts from her mind as she began braiding her hair while weaving a strand of white pearls and black onyx in the braid. Then she pulled it back into a bun and secured it with red ruby rose hair pins. She then slipped on her white jeweled slippers on her feet. She smiled at her reflection and decided to forget about Cady. She and Evan were perfect for each other no matter what anyone said.

CHAPTER 2

Jezebel stood outside the closed silver doors of the grand hall with Evan; her hand resting in the crook of his arm. His warm smile was comforting to her nerves and his golden eyes were shining with brilliance. Seeing him looking so sweet reassured her that Cady had been wrong about him. It eased the guilt she had been feeling for being angry with Cady. There was no way Evan was evil like Cady thought; he was different then all the other immortals in the court.

Jezebel could hear the crowd inside the grand hall; their excited chatter brought giddy nervousness fluttering through her like a million butterflies. Evan was there though so that restored her confidence; he would be by her side.

He looked down at her with his knowing eyes, he asked, You okay?

She smiled and kissed him, Yep.

Evan smiled back at her as the voice of Jezebel’s father boomed inside the grand hall, As some already know Prince Evan Tobias Hunt of the werewolf clan and Princess Jezebel Antoinette Blackthorn of the vampires have named each other as their mates; these celebrations are in honor of their union and will continue nightly until the day of the wedding. Introducing the newly engaged couple and future monarchs of the Court of Eclipse; let the celebrations begin. The crowd applauded loudly as the doors opened. Jezebel stepped closer to Evan as they confidently strode into the grand hall.

The eyes that met their’s were cold with eternal years but still held sparks of interest. Jezebel felt her nervousness melt away and her confident manner slide into place. Her smile was dazzling as she felt all eyes on her and Evan. She loved being the center of attention