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

have seen the Keeper coming somehow,” Isadora said.
    “You must see that he can’t be trusted, Priestess.”
    “I do not see, Dorian. We have no other choice but to put our faith in the prophecy. You cannot let your private anger toward him dictate your behavior in this matter.”
    Dorian stopped himself from arguing further.
    Nervous butterflies swarmed my belly while we waited for the arrival of the Dark Summoner. They’d call us fated. Destined. According to these people, this man and I were soul mates. But how was that possible? I’d never been one to believe in destiny and the power it supposedly had over our lives. I would not accept some kind of arranged marriage.
    The door handle turned and the breath I’d just taken caught in my throat. I moved to stand beside Dorian, using him as a shield to hide myself from something I wasn’t ready for.
    “Lord Blake, thank you for joining us.” Daegus’s words were polite, but his tone was acidic. Everyone else seemed only moderately affected by his arrival, but not me. My body came to life and I was breathless, as if all the air had been sucked out of my lungs.
    “I’ve never been a fan of your formalities, Daegus.”
    The Dark Summoner’s rich masculine voice was hypnotic, alluring, and held a lethal edge. He was across the room and yet I experienced the heat of his mouth as if he stood behind me, his deliciously warm lips placing hot feather-light kisses along my neck.
    Get a grip, Abby!
    “Yes, of course. My apologies, Kieron .”
    At the sound of his name, a strange aching stormed my heart.
    “You’ve asked for an audience, Daegus, and I’ve obliged. What do you want?”
    “We want to ask your allegiance against the Black Walker.” It was clear that Daegus didn’t like asking for anything from anyone but especially from this man.
    “My allegiance?” Kieron laughed, the deep sound echoing through the room. “Since when have I ever given allegiance?”
    Unbearable curiosity forced me to turn and look at the most captivating man I’d ever seen—for the third time.
    “It’s you.” The words fell from my lips when I hadn’t meant to say them aloud. For only a moment, something inside of him reacted to me, just as I did to him.
    “You’ve seen him before tonight?” Dorian asked, both curious and angry.
    “Almost three weeks ago. He was there—in the club. The same night . . .”
    I didn’t finish my sentence, too afraid to admit the context of my vision out loud. I didn’t want them to know anything about my visions.
    Kieron raised his brows and Dorian urged me on. “The same night what, Abby?”
    I was saved by Isadora’s interruption. “The Black Walker has risen and she comes for the Keeper. If you have any interest in self-preservation, now is the time to act.”
    The three men who’d entered with Kieron snickered at her words. They were spread out around the room, their tall, menacing figures taking up a lot of space. The one who stood closest to me wore thick, black sunglasses. His skin was slightly sun-kissed, and he was more bulky muscle than lean. When he noticed my appraisal, a crooked smile broke through his thick brown mustache and goatee. The second man looked to be the youngest. He had that charming model/surfer look. Something about him seemed more open and friendly than the others. The man who stood to Kieron’s right was the most frightening, with milky-white hair cropped close to his head and white eyes hooded by thick black brows.
    “I don’t follow your rules, woman. I never have.”
    “Yet now you must,” Isadora said. “This girl is not only the Keeper, she is your elhun . But I suspect you already knew that. That is why you sent the Triae to watch over her, isn’t it?”
    He was silent; his face and eyes betrayed nothing. He took a seat in one of the large mahogany armchairs. One leg casually relaxed across the other as he leaned back into the cushion, his elbows comfortably resting on the arms of the chair.