Dark Summoner (Relic Keeper Series Book 1) by D.D. Miers

captured mine. At least six-three, he towered over the other men, his muscular build athletic but not bulky. All tight, lean, mouthwatering muscle. I recognized him. The man from the club. The one able to frighten away monsters that had come for me. When he smiled, the entire universe flashed before my eyes, and I was thrown into a vision.
    We are naked, entwined in total ecstasy. Our bodies, slick with sweat, rest on a thick, fur rug. We roll back and forth, him on top of me, me on top of him, and back around again. He flips me one last time until I’m towering over him. He sits up and dips my head back, pulling my hair tightly in his hand as he possesses my mouth.
    “I’ve waited an eternity for you,” he says.
    My body burns with fire again. Everything about this man consumes me. His presence, my drug. I’m helpless, intoxicated, without a way out.
    In one second, I’m back in the present, thoroughly flushed with need and desire. Heat travels through my body and my breath hitches in my throat. Who was this man? Why did he evoke these visions and desires? A small smile played on his lips.
    “Abby?” Dorian’s voice broke the spell and pulled me free. “We need to go,” he said. His eyes followed mine, and he met my savior’s gaze with hostility. Dorian took my hand and guided me down to a private sitting room where the others waited for us.
    “Who was that?” My mind swirled with emotions.
    “No one of consequence.”
    Once inside, Dorian sat me in the largest leather chair directly across from Daegus. Before anyone had a chance to speak, the door creaked open again as a man and two women entered. The man had a large waist and white hair that in any other circumstance would have made for humorous Santa Claus jokes. I swallowed the lump in my throat.
    One of the women was exceptionally tall, head-to-head with Dorian’s six-foot-plus frame. But where he was thick with muscle, she was lean and bony. Her perfectly straight red hair reached down to her thighs and made her look elf-like. The other woman was much older, perhaps in her eighties in human years. She had a mix of silver and white hair pulled back into a bun. Unlike the other three strangers, this woman had a gentle kindness to her features and her presence put me at ease.
    “This is her?” the redhead asked as she turned her nose down at me. Daegus, this woman and Santa, all made me feel worthless, their expressions full of disgust and doubt.
    “May I present Abigail Davenport, the Keeper,” Dorian said from his position behind my chair. He rested his hand gently on my shoulder and offered a slight squeeze. “Abigail, this is Sydelle Jovius and Pius Cretle. Along with Daegus, they form the top tier of the Council.” He gestured his head at each of them as he spoke. “And this is Isadora Veyhanna, High Priestess.”
    Sydelle turned to Daegus. “You’re telling me that this simple child is going to put an end to the Black Walker? You can’t be serious.”
    “It’s what the prophecy claims. A child of the mortal world,” Dorian said.
    “What abilities has she manifested?” Pius asked.
    “None,” I said, but not one of them paid attention to me.
    “None—at present.” Dorian added, “But there’s still time.”
    “She’s shown no ability?” This time it was Daegus who spoke, his voice clipped. “Dorian, we’ve entrusted you to ensure that this is who we seek. Now you tell us she has no ability?”
    “I’m certain that she is the Keeper, and I do believe her powers will come.”
    Daegus rubbed at his chin again. “Her time has long come and passed.”
    “Believe?” Sydelle scoffed. “This is the fate of the realms, not some silly game. What about the others?”
    Others? What the hell were they talking about?
    “No. I tested all of them against the stone. None of them brought about its glow except her.”
    “Can we be certain that this is the right person? Perhaps there is another. One we’ve missed?” Pius