Mistress of Malice and Mercy (Family Lies Series Book 3)

Chapter One:

Viola Ashwood dreamed of war. She dreamed of rivers of demon blood soaking the ground, battle cries ringing in her ears, and leading an army of demons to victory over Elrachaim. She woke with the scent of gunpowder burning her nose and the bitter tang of blood coating her tongue. Energy crackled at her fingertips and along her arms.

"This has got to stop."

She sat up against the headboard, rubbed her churning stomach, and glared at the man still sleeping beside her. A small, peevish side of her wanted to kick him so he'd wake up; it was his dream that had roused her, after all. She didn’t mind being mentally linked to her husband, but dream-sharing wasn’t something she considered a perk. Careful not to rouse the bed’s other occupant, Viola slid off the bed. She ruffled the hair of the two Wfsals snoring on her nightstand and padded out of the bedroom.

She kept the kitchen lights off while she set the kettle on the burner and prepped a cup of ginger tea. As she waited for the water to boil, she booted up her laptop and opened her e-mail program. She and Tobias Duke, her husband of three and a half months, had returned from a week-long tour of his region of the Network, a federally-backed but autonomously run organization of supernatural specialists. She'd used the trip to scout out several hotels and bed-and-breakfasts for Spirited Stays, her “paranormal experience” travel agency. Between the ghosts and Network meetings, she hadn’t had a chance to do more than scroll through her inbox. It was going to take hours to go through her unread messages.

Viola poured boiling water over the ginger and herb filled infuser and returned to her e-mail. She let the strong aroma of the ginger cleanse the remnants of blood and war from her memory. She patted her stomach when it slowly stopped churning. "Thank you, sweetheart. We'll kick your daddy's ass later." She cocked her head to the side, ears twitching at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. "Isn't that right, Tobias?"

Duke rubbed the grit of sleep his eyes as he stumbled into the kitchen. He dropped a kiss on the top of Viola's auburn head before collapsing onto the chair beside her. "Wha’s tha’?"

"Between your war dreams and the spawn's restlessness, it's a wonder I get any sleep at all." Viola closed the top of her laptop and squeezed Duke's hand. She let the tingle that came from their link chase away her early-morning grouchiness. "You need to put Sebastian's vision out of your mind."

His jaw hardened. All traces of sleepiness disappeared. "He saw a... God, sugar, he saw a damn battlefield. With you leading the damn troops."

"Sebastian watches too much late-night cable." She scowled when a Sebastian-insult failed to lighten his mood. Overprotective by nature, Duke had descended into full-blown paranoia when they'd learned she was pregnant. No matter how many times she tried to assure him that she was more than capable of protecting herself, he insisted on keeping her in a cocoon. It grated on her nerves.

"Your brother had a vision about you commanding an army of demons, about you going to war with your father."

"He's not my father," she bit out, anger darkening her eyes. The demon king Elrachaim had possessed her father, but that thing walking around with Gerard Ashwood's face and voice was not her beloved father; it was a monster. A rabid dog that needed to be put down before it could harm her baby.

"I know, sweetness, I know." Duke guided her off her chair and onto his lap. Mindful of his still-healing shoulder, he cradled her against his chest with her head tucked under his chin. "I'm sorry about that. Blame it on the fact that I'm running on no caffeine."

"You should have stayed in bed."

"I can't sleep when you're not there with me."

Viola's heart melted. Tears stung her eyes. He was so gruff most of the time that his sweeter side still stunned her. She was glad no one else saw the gooey side to the rough, tough Network region head. "Aww, Tobias."