Their chests were pressed tightly together. She could feel the steady strum of his heart beneath hers. He was her saviour, her hero.
When at last they reached the copse of cypress trees, Egmath set her down, took her hands in his and under the starlit sky looked her straight in the eyes. “I’m so sorry for hurting your feelings,” he murmured. “I should never have teased you.”
“I should not have taken offence. I was silly. Thank you for caring enough to come after me.”
They stared into each other’s faces, and even though they were mere children they both knew they were fated to be together.
Egmath leaned in and tentatively, tenderly brushed his lips against Batu’s for their very first kiss.
And in that same moment a falling star streaked across the sky, throwing itself like an angled spar – darting a brilliant white, yellow and blue. Sealing their kiss. Sealing their destiny.
Egmath and Batu, forever always.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Table of Contents
Prologue
Stanhope Auction House Upper East Side, Manhattan 12:01 a.m.
RIGHT OR WRONG, he must possess her.
Stealthily, Jean Luc Allard, professional jewel thief, crept from the shadows of the silent auction house, intent on one thing and one thing only.
The surveillance camera mounted overhead whispered as it rotated to scan the perimeter, but Jean knew how to avoid detection. Strategically placed, a high- powered magnet would disrupt the camera’s feed.
For weeks, following the death of high-society heiress Zoey Zander, he’d researched every detail, learned every facet of the auction house’s routine, preparing for the moment when his target would show up for bidding as part of the vast Zander estate. His instructions were clear. He must not allow her to go up for auction, no matter what the risk.
And now soon, very soon, Jean would hold her in his hands.
Excitement trembled his fingertips, anticipation sped his pulse. Nothing thrilled him like a daring heist. Nothing, that is, except what she represented.
The key to his future as a very wealthy man.
It was the most lucrative job he’d ever taken. He was so close, Jean could taste the money.
He’d heard the stories about her. She was legendary in his small world. According to rumor, only those who were pure of heart could possess her without falling under the curse.
Laughable.
His whole life had been cursed. There was nothing she could dish out that would top what he’d already suffered. Besides, he didn’t believe in curses. Ruthlessness? Yes. Cruelty? Oui. Violence? A necessity in his trade. But fabled curses were no more real than children’s fairy tales.
Silently, he crept toward the vault, barely able to restrain himself from rushing forward, when he heard a noise somewhere down the corridor.
He stepped back, pressed his body against the wall, stood stock still in the darkness and willed himself to disappear.
Don’t move, don’t make a single sound, don’t even breathe.
Jean was dressed all in black from his black wool cap to his black leather sneakers. His hair was jet black and so were his eyes. Three days’ worth of beard growth shadowed his jaw. He was one with the darkness, owned it. Holding his breath, he waited.
Footsteps drew nearer, but it was not the sound of the security guard’s booted gait. The footfall was almost as furtive as his, sneaking quietly toward the vault without benefit of illumination.
Was someone else robbing the auction house?
Impossible.
Not on the same night he had chosen. Jean had discussed his heist with no one. A smart thief never talked about his jobs, no matter how
