The Ruby Blade: An Eleanor Morgan Novel, #3

By Amy Cissell

Raj once swore he'd pay any price to recover the sword he'd first carried over a thousand years ago, but that was before he knew it might cost him Eleanor's love. 

Eleanor continues to battle the enemies who would see the gateways closed forever, but no treacherous elves or double-dealing shifters are quite as dangerous as the seductive vampire Raj.

The chill that threatens to send her dragon half into hibernation does nothing to bank the fires of her desire for Raj—but Florence's cryptic warning is keeping her from succumbing to his charms. Raj is not what he seems and he is hiding something far darker than Eleanor ever imagined.

When the truth is revealed will she be able to forgive him or will it kill her first?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Broken World Publishing
• Release date: Oct 31, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386989004

Book preview

The Ruby Blade

Praise for the Eleanor Morgan Fantasy Adventures

This is a whole story with a strong female protagonist and superior writing! Brilliant and entertaining.

Rabia Tanveer, Readers’ Favorites, 5-star review

The Waning Moon is a can't-miss fantasy adventure with humor, snark, and fun banter. A must-read!

Liz Konkel, Readers’ Favorite, 5-star review

This [The Waning Moon] is a winner and one of the best in its genre that I’ve read of late.

Grant Leishman, Readers' Favorite, 5-star review

This [The Ruby Blade] is an epic fantasy and fans of magic and mayhem will lap it up, but the by-play and the strong, positive characters, especially the women, are so refreshing to read. This is one of those books that is impossible to put down as one exciting scene just literally drags you into the next, but for readers with a thirst for witty, sassy, dialogue, that's all here too.

Grant Leishman, Readers' Favorite, 5-star review

This book [The Broken World] was amazing! I so enjoy the characters and their quirks. I am very much looking forward to the next installment in this wonderfully unique series. I can't wait to see what happens next! Amy Cissell has now been added to my must-read authors list.

5-star Reader Review

Ms Cissell is a truly gifted writer. She has fun with her characters, just the right amount of sexy, and a solid understanding of how to write a series that you don't want to end. I find myself rushing to read the last chapters, to find the next twist even as I mourn having to wait for the next installment.

5-star Reader Review for The Lost Child

Wow! I love, love, love this series! If you like Fae creatures of all kinds, magic, shapeshifters of all kinds vampires, a great love story or two, dragons, etc. Then this is your series and this book [The Iron River] does not disappoint!

5-star Reader Review

The Ruby Blade

A Vampire and Fae Fantasy Adventure

Amy Cissell

Broken World Publishing

An Eleanor Morgan Fantasy Adventure

(complete series)

The Cardinal Gate (February 2017)

The Waning Moon (June 2017)

The Ruby Blade (October 2017)

The Broken World (March 2018)

The Lost Child (June 2019)

The Iron River (May 2020)

The Dark Throne (February 2021)

---

Box Sets (ebook only)

Eleanor Morgan Books 1-4

Eleanor Morgan Books 5-7

Contents

Acknowledgments

Get your free books here!

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Isaac

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Isaac

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Isaac

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Isaac

Chapter 23

Epilogue

Want more Amy Cissell?

The Broken World

Not in the Cards

Don’t Forget Your Free Book!

Amy Cissell - I Spell Trouble

Also by Amy Cissell

THE RUBY BLADE

Amy Cissell

---

A Broken World Publication

13820 NE Airport Way, Suite K395495

Portland, OR 97251-1158

The Ruby Blade: A Vampire and Fae Fantasy Adventure

Copyright © 2017 by Amy Cissell

ISBN 978-1-949410-06-8 (ebook)

ISBN 978-1-949410-07-5 (paperback)

---

Cover Design by: Covers by Combs

Edited by: Colleen Vanderlinden

Proofread by: Christopher Barnes

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author at [e-mail].

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

For Chris

I love you comma and I can’t wait for our next adventure

Acknowledgments

I’m grateful to my editor, Colleen Vanderlinden for her expertise, humor, and encouragement.

Special thanks to my cover artist, Daqri Combs, whose reimagined Eleanor is magnificent!

I want to thank my readers, Cat, Nichole, Marci, and Kari for their time, critiques, corrections, and invaluable feedback.

My author group—the Illuterati—was invaluable. They helped with cover critiques, blurb writing, word sprints, penis jokes, and were always there for the serious conversations about tentacle porn. Emma, Genevieve, Alicia, Monica, Mel, Elizabeth, Grace, Tiffany, Vicki, and Cate—thanks for the distractions, the humor, and the encouragement.

Special thanks, as always for Chris. My partner, my love, and my first and last reader. Without your patience, support, enthusiasm, and incredible eye for detail, I couldn’t have done this.

Get your free books here!

cover of Eden Valley novella Match Made in Hell. Glowing martini surrounded by ring of fire

Your Free Books Are Waiting!

As a subscriber to Cissell's Epistles - my amazing twice-ish monthly newsletter - you can pick any of these books to get you started on your journey! Sign up for my newsletter, then watch your inbox for the confirmation & download links!

---

The series: An Eleanor Morgan Fantasy Adventure

The Eleanor Morgan Fantasy Adventures are a 7-book series (complete) of contemporary fantasy books. Eleanor is in her mid-30s and is living a perfectly ordinary life. And then... (there's always a and then) She finds out she was a changeling child - one left on the doorstep of a human couple by the Fae. And her quest is to reopen the gates between Earth & the Fae plane which will help bring balance back to both worlds, but maybe at the cost of destroying herself and everything she's ever known.  

---

The freebie: The Cardinal Gate is the first in this series. Eleanor definitely has a lot more swearing, violence, and explicitly naked sexy times. There are witches and vampires and zombies and dragons and werewolves. Lots of snark. Lots of adventure. And a few broken hearts along the way. Romance isn't the main theme, but there is definitely some of that going on.  

---

The series: Midlife Magic in Eden Valley

Midlife Magic in Eden Valley is paranormal women's fantasy romance because all the protags (except in a couple of the novellas) are 40+. (And, in the case of our MC from book 4, much, much, much over 40.) Eden Valley is an idyllic town set on the edge of a picturesque lake in the eastern Cascades of Washington State. Every summer throngs of tourists flock to the high elevation town to escape the heat, but not everyone flocks back home. Eden Valley is not quite right, and one of the biggest tells is that no one in Eden Valley knows that anythings amiss.  

Raising a Demon - the first in series - is the story of Evie & Lily. Evie is a 40-something single mom to her almost-too-precocious 10 year old. She has great friends, fantastic parents, and that aforementioned maddening but delightful child. And then... she catches her kid in the woods with a Ouija board, demon tome, and some text cribbed from Supernatural. Next thing she knows, her world's been turned upside down when Lily's demon summoning accidentally brings Luc - Evie's summer fling from 11 years ago and Lily's dad - back to town.  

The freebie: Match Made in Hell is the origin story of Evie's & Luc's relationship (and the actual origin story of Lily).  

---

The series: Psychics of Oracle Bay

The Psychics of Oracle Bay is a series of paranormal romance/psychic mystery stories set in a small coastal town in Washington State with unusually high per capita population of psychics - and these psychics are always, always right. That much knowledge and foresight does't always make things easy, though!  

Not in the Cards is book 1, and it's your intro into the tight-knit group of psychics. Sandy is looking for a new life and a new home, and stumbles onto a tarot shop for rent with a living space above the shop. She pulls out the cards she hasn't looked at since college and hangs out her shingle. It doesn't take long for her almost-ex-asshat to find her... And it takes even less time for the fate of the town to rest in her (and the rest of the oracles') hands.  

The freebie: Wing and a Prayer is the third in the series (and shorter than the rest) but can be read as a stand alone. If you like grumpy fallen angel/risen demons/stuck on earth bartenders, feisty psychics, and a totally irreverent and highly attended apocalypse, you'll want to grab this one!   There are currently 4 novels published and a fifth coming out June 21, 2022.

Get your free books by subscribing to my newsletter!

Cissell’s Epistles

One

IT WAS COLD. I hated the cold. I hated almost everything about winter. Snow, slush, ice, the lack of daylight hours. But mostly, I hated the cold. I burrowed down into the blankets piled on top of me trying to extract more warmth from them, but couldn’t stop my shivering.

I’d add my body heat to yours if I thought it would help, but I have none. Raj’s voice came from somewhere outside my blanket burrow.

Why is it so cold? I asked, nearly biting my tongue with my chattering teeth.

It isn’t that cold, Florence said. It’s above freezing.

That information has zero effect on my body temperature.

Where’s the girl? Raj asked Florence, ignoring my sniping.

She has a name, Florence replied.

Raj growled. Everyone was cranky tonight.

You can’t intimidate me, she said.

I could exsanguinate you before Eleanor got out from under those blankets.

Do you really think so?

Don’t push me, witch.

Oh, I’ll push. And right now, I’m going to push you to remember our guest’s name.

Raj sighed in defeat. Where’s Emma?

Hiding in the bathroom, which you must already know. She’s scared of us. Why?

A werewolf could help raise Eleanor’s core temperature.

She’s even more afraid of Eleanor than of you. I’m not sure she’d agree to do that.

She doesn’t have to agree to it, Raj said.

Yes, she does, I interrupted. I’m not cuddling with a strange wolf who’s being forced into it. A strange wolf who happens to be my mate’s ex-girlfriend. If she’s afraid of me and has issues with my relationship with Isaac, she’s not the person I want under these blankets with me.

You and Isaac are mates? a soft voice floated over us. It was high and musical and sounded very, very young.

I poked my head out from under the blankets. Emma was peering around the corner of the bathroom door. Long, blonde tresses trailed down her back framing her porcelain skin. She’d drawn some of the hair over her face, whether in an attempt to hide us from her sight or vice versa, I wasn’t sure, but I could see enough to see that she had large, blue eyes and the kind of beauty you rarely saw outside of the movies. How she still looked so good after decades of imprisonment and a night in jail was mind-boggling. The longer I stared and didn’t answer, the straighter she stood. A fierce wave of possessiveness washed over me, and I lifted my chin and caught her gaze. Yes.

Do you mean…sex? she whispered the last word as if it would somehow sully her to say it aloud.

We did the mating ceremony during the full moon with an entire Pack serving as witnesses. Yeah, I was staking my claim. It wasn’t a jealousy thing. Not even a tiny bit. It was following pack protocol. This is what any wolf would do regarding their mate. I was absolutely one hundred percent not threatened by Isaac’s ex-girlfriend. Not even if she looked and sounded like a fairy princess. Which she wasn’t. I was the only fucking fairy princess in this room.

Raj made a weird noise, and I glanced over at him and realized that he was laughing. Probably at me.

Shut it, I said to him. Help me sit up? I asked Florence.

Florence helped me struggle to a sitting position and readjusted the blanket burrito around my shivering body.

Why am I so fucking cold? I muttered. No one else looked like they were freezing to death. There was no heat in the motel room due to that whole no electricity problem I’d created, but everyone else looked comfortable. True, everyone else was a fully clothed werewolf, a vampire who didn’t feel the cold, and a mage who probably had some kind of magical warming spell.

You’re cold-blooded, Florence said.

I am not. I mean, I’m not the most touchy-feely person around, but I wouldn’t go with cold-blooded.

You’re a dragon, she said. The more you accept your dragon half, the more you’ll take on the strengths and weaknesses of a dragon. There aren’t a lot of weaknesses, but as a reptile, an inability to regulate body temperature is probably the big one.

So, what do we do? We’re still headed north. There’s no heat anywhere. I need to function.

Maybe we can find an outdoor store and get cold weather gear for you. With insulated underthings and wool clothes and a sleeping bag, maybe you can stay warm enough to stay awake.

Or maybe I can just hibernate while you all go find the gate and then you can wake me up when it’s time for my part?

That’s a brilliant idea, Florence said. There is nothing I’d like more than to wander around looking for some magic rocks—that’s still our goal, right?—in the snow, hope we’ve found the right ones, and then wake a sleeping dragon who’ll probably be hungry after six weeks of hibernation. Best adventure ever.

Florence, at this point, you’re abusing sarcasm, not to mention encroaching on my idiomatic territory. She grinned at me, and I smiled back. Besties for life, I said. She shook her head at me, and I squelched my feeling of triumph.

I turned back towards Emma. She hadn’t moved any further into the room and didn’t appear reassured by our witty banter. She was trying to keep an eye on both me and Raj at the same time, and it made her look more than a little absurd.

Emma, I said, trying to sound soothing. We’re not going to hurt you.

She snorted, and I was relieved she had a bit of spirit. I’m in a room with a day-walking vampire who’s older than dirt… there was a sound of protest from Raj, the most powerful mage I’ve ever seen, and some kind of bizarre dragon Fae and you think I should feel safe?

Bizarre? I protested.

She ignored my indignant query. I spent six years chained up in a dungeon full of Fae and the craziest vampire of all time. I’ve been beaten. Starved. Tortured with silver and prevented from changing. And now, I’m locked in a motel room with more Fae and vampires.

Six years passed Underhill? I asked. Crap. Just what she needed.

Emma nodded, and then her eyes widened. How much time passed here? Dammit. She’d picked up the implication in the word ‘Underhill.’

What year were you taken? I didn’t know exactly although I had a decent idea. Isaac’s Aston Martin Vantage was a 1962. He’d escaped Michelle in the fifties and was out for less than ten years. That meant that Emma had been taken some time in the early sixties.

Nineteen sixty-four. It was spring. April.

Emma, I hate to tell you, but it’s December 2013. It’s been almost fifty years here.

She folded in on herself in a slow collapse. Florence rushed over and caught her before she hit the ground. She was sobbing, and I felt like an ass. There had to have been a better way to break the news to her. She’d been a young wolf when Isaac had met her, which meant she probably still had family alive at that time.

Florence held her and patted her hair like a child. She looked at Raj over Emma’s head.

"She wants to move Emma to the next room. She thinks our presence won’t help her calm down." Raj said.

I nodded and projected towards Florence, "We’ll be okay. Raj will stay with me. Let’s take the next day to calm down and regroup. Maybe I can figure out a more specific destination."

Florence helped Emma to her feet.

Emma, we’re going to get another room. Are you hungry? Do you want food?

I didn’t hear her reply, but they walked out of the room, Florence’s arm protectively tented around Emma’s shoulder.

What about you? Raj asked aloud. Do you want food?

My stomach growled loud enough to be heard through the layers of blanket and Raj laughed. I’ll see what Florence left us.

I shivered again. Could find me more socks? Do we still have Isaac’s stuff? Maybe he has a pair big enough to fit over the three pairs I’m already wearing.

I’ll see what I can do.

I huddled under the blankets and watched Raj move around the room. He found a pair of large men’s socks and helped me put them on. He handed me a granola bar, and I looked at it in disgust before removing the wrapper and taking a bite.

I miss Taco Bell, I said.

I miss the internet, Raj replied. Finding magic rocks would be much easier with Google.

Do we have maps? I finished my granola bar and wondered if I could use my magical powers to heat a cup of water and make ramen.

In the car. Raj gave me a large ceramic mug, filled it with bottled water, and handed me some beef ramen. I concentrated on heating my hands without starting fires, and soon the water was simmering. I dropped the noodles in and stared at the cup, willing them to cook faster. By the time I’d decided they were done enough and had stirred in the seasoning packet, Raj was back with a US atlas and some detailed area maps.

Where are we now? I asked around a mouthful of too-hot noodles.

Charlotte, North Carolina.

I looked at the US map and tried to get a feel for where we needed to go. I wasn’t having much luck, which was pissing me off. The last time I’d known it was Savannah. Just like I’d known we were headed to the Black Hills. I didn’t want to drive all over the snow-covered and freezing northeastern United States looking for some fucking mystical rocks. Finding the gate near St. Louis was a pain-in-the-ass experience I’d rather not repeat—and not just because it gave every vamp, witch, and shifter a chance to have a go at me. I closed my eyes and tried to intuit the location of the next gate. All I got was north.

Dammit, I said. I guess we keep driving north. Hopefully, soon, I’ll get something more. I hate not knowing almost as much as I hate being cold.

I wish I could warm you up, Raj said.

Maybe I can figure out how to just heat my whole body the way I heated my hands to boil the water. I wasn’t ready for any other types of heated discussions.

Raj inclined his head and returned his attention to the maps. We’ll stay on I-77 tomorrow until we get to I-81 and then head northeast. It’s December 25th today, and we have until February 2nd to find the gate, right?

It’s Christmas? I exclaimed. Shit. I can’t believe I didn’t even notice.

Merry Christmas, my sweet, Raj said. He kissed my forehead and handed me a glass of wine I hadn’t seen him pour. His cold lips triggered another full body shiver. He held his glass towards me. Cheers. We clinked glasses, and I drank deeply, hoping the wine would make me feel warmer. It helped a bit. The second and third glasses helped even more. After we’d emptied the bottle, Raj helped me lay down in my cocoon, and I felt myself drift off. Hibernation sounded like a fantastic idea.

We drove to Roanoke, Virginia the next evening. Florence took the entire shift because I was too cold, Raj claimed not to know how, and Emma was still too…whatever she was. I was almost positive Raj was lying but didn’t call him on it because it wasn’t too long of a drive—or at least it shouldn’t have been. The detours around stalled cars and closed sections of the freeway extended our three-hour drive into a five-hour journey.

Someone else needs to take a turn tomorrow, Florence announced. I am too old for this.

Everyone turned and looked at me. Hey! Emma’s the youngest, even if she was born before me. Florence gave me a frigid look, and I was glad she hadn’t put any magic punch behind it. I was cold enough as it was.

If you don’t mind the heater going full blast and a limited range of movement from the pile of blankets I require, I’ll take my turn. I tried not to sulk. I was sensitive about my age. Hanging out with the all-but-immortal had its downsides. I hated being the new girl in the club.

I can drive, Emma said quietly. It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long since I’ve done it and your car doesn’t look too different from what I’m used to.

You don’t need to take a turn until you’re feeling back to yourself, Florence said.

I might as well make myself useful. I don’t understand why we’re here and what we’re doing, but I don’t know what else to do at this point but stay with you. Isaac’s scent is all over that Fae.

I suppressed my desire to punch Werewolf Barbie in the face and settled for smiling. Based on the increasingly chilly air around me, Florence didn’t think my smile was as friendly as I’d meant it to be.

Emma continued speaking, either ignorant of or ignoring the unspoken communication between Florence and me. If Isaac was with you and that Fae, I couldn’t smother the growl that time, but Emma soldiered on, then he must have trusted you. Until I figure something else out, I guess I’ll stick around.

I was starting to feel truly warm for the first time since we’d left Savannah and noticed Raj eying me warily. Florence was giving me some side-eye, too, but her expression wasn’t wary, it was pissed. Something in Emma had triggered her protective instinct, and our pre-existing friendship wasn’t trumping that.

I tried to tamp down my anger so I wouldn’t start any fires but not so much that I started shivering again. Let’s find a place to crash for the rest of the night. We can drive north again in the evening. I need food and sleep.

You’ve been sleeping a lot these last few days, Florence noted.

Byproduct of the gate opening, being shot, and the cold.

And mourning, too, I suspect, Raj said. He was glaring at Florence although I had no idea why. Eleanor’s had a rough go of it these last couple of weeks. She’s hitting another magical level, too, which will burn through her resources. We need to get her some protein.

And beer, I added. Eleanor needs beer. It’s possible it’s a Fae remedy for power surges. Sometimes I hated my inability to say random made-up shit to be funny. Phrasing was key, but it made my jokes much less amusing. At least I’m assuming it was the phrasing that made it unfunny since no one in the car was even smiling, much less laughing.

Florence sighed. I’ll find a motel. Do we want something operational, or do you want to find something vacant and squat?

If it’s up to me, I’d like something with a fireplace. Now that my anger was simmering down, I was back to shivering. I needed to find balance if I was going to survive this winter road trip.

I’ll see what I can do.

We drove into town and found a restaurant that’d specialized in wood-fired pizza before the surge. It was the only restaurant in the area that seemed operational, so we stopped there. Places were still taking cash—no credit or debit cards, of course—but I felt guilty paying in a currency that might soon have no value. We did it anyway, picking up three large pizzas. We also got directions to some romantic honeymoon cabins outside of town that had fireplaces and spring-fed hot tubs. We were the only customers and spent our soon-to-be-worthless cash on four cabins, each with its own fireplace and hot tub.

I raided my stash for a couple of bottles of wine and invited everyone to my cabin for dinner. Florence had one slice of pizza, declared herself full, and leaned back to sip her wine. Emma followed suit, and I gave her side eyes.

No way are you full, Emma. I’ve seen shifters eat and know what your metabolism’s like. At least have a second piece. I got three pizzas because I assumed you’d eat an entire one by yourself, and I know I’ll eat at least one.

I am not a glutton, she said, primly crossing her ankles. I rolled my eyes, and she continued, Unlike some people.

If you’re really not hungry, fine, I said, trying—and failing—to keep my tone civil. But a hungry shifter is a dangerous shifter, and I can’t imagine your control is that great after being a captive for so long.

I am quite full. Her stomach growled loudly, and it took every ounce of self-control to not laugh in her face. Instead, I passed over a pizza box. She snatched it out of my hands, glared at me, and ate another piece. I was almost done with one of the pizzas when Emma grabbed a third piece. She polished off the entire box of pizza, and I finished the better part of two. When I finally felt like my stomach wasn’t wrapped around my backbone, I groaned, leaned back, and picked up my glass of wine. I wrapped a blanket more firmly around my shoulders and scooted closer to the roaring fire, but the food and wine were doing their job, and I felt marginally warmer.

So, tomorrow? I prompted. I can drive a bit as long as someone else warms up the car. What’s our gasoline situation?

We should be okay for now, Florence said. We’ll need to find a new source of gasoline and refill the cans before heading out for our next trip. We’ll get better gas mileage now that we’re no longer towing the camper.

I sat up straighter, nearly spilling my wine. Oh no! The supplies in the camper? The coffee and beer!

I transferred most of the supplies into the back of the car while you were in the hospital and Florence and Emma were in jail, Raj said. Anything that wouldn’t comfortably fit, I left with the Savannah vampires to either hold or trade. I gave them all the ammunition since none of us need that. I kept the coffee, gasoline, canned food, and as much liquor as I could.

I relaxed again. Thanks, Raj. You’re the best.

I know.

A soft snore interrupted our banter. Emma had fallen asleep. I guess it’s time to call it a night, I said.

Florence roused Emma and led her off to her own cabin, next to Florence’s.

Raj leaned forward and topped off my wine glass. I took a sip and then eyed the hot tub. Steam was rising from the surface.

Don’t let me stop you, Raj said. The warm water will help you relax, soothe any lingering aches, and keep you warm.

I stood up and handed him my glass.

Turn around, I commanded.

He slowly turned a full 360, and I rolled my eyes at him.

I’m going to strip. Turn around.

I’ve seen you naked before, he said.

By all the gods, Raj, please just turn around.

He did, and I stood, sloughing off my blankets, then quickly removing my coat, a hooded sweatshirt, long-sleeved t-shirt, t-shirt, tank top, and a sports bra. Once my top was bare, I moved closer to the fire and started on my lower half. Jeans, long underwear, four pairs of socks, and a pair of panties later, and I was nude.

Okay, you can turn around, I said after I slid into the natural hot spring.

His eyes flashed red as he raked them down my newly naked body, distorted as it was by the roiling water.

Are you going to invite me to join you?

Only if you’re going to promise to keep your parts to yourself.

I think you misunderstand the purpose of an ensuite hot tub.

I think you forget how recently I lost my mate.

Raj stripped quickly and efficiently. I averted my eyes so I wouldn’t see him nude up.

You can stop pretending not to watch now, he said.

I couldn’t deny it since I couldn’t lie, so I stayed silent.

He grabbed our wine glasses and the half-full bottle and stepped into the hot tub. I gave up pretending to look away and eyed his naked body appreciatively. He was a beautiful man, and his dark skin glowed with golden-brown undertones. He handed me my glass and took a seat as far away from me as possible.

After sipping our wine in silence for a few