Betrayal (The Divine, Book Two) (35 page)

BOOK: Betrayal (The Divine, Book Two)

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I used my foot to push open the door to the house. It was old, and not in great shape, but it was more than good enough. Charis was sitting in a dilapidated wooden rocking chair in front of an empty fireplace. It was clear to me she was mourning the loss of Ezekiel, but she still glanced over at us for just an instant, and I could feel the warmth of the caress.

I carried Sarah up the stairs in search of a bed. She had stopped apologizing, and was sobbing quietly into my shoulder.

The master bedroom had an old four-posted queen in it. The mattress was barren, and looked worn well past its time, but I’d never been so grateful to have it. I put Sarah down as gently as I could, and slid onto the bed beside her. As soon as I leaned back, she scooted over to me, putting her head on my chest. I rubbed her back, feeling her breathing even out. A few minutes later, she was asleep.

“Sweet dreams,” I whispered to her, hopeful that she could escape the nightmare for a little while at least.

Left alone in the dark, my mind flashed back to Rebecca. She was crying out for me to save her, Malize’s sword stuck in her heart, burning her in its heavenly light. My own tears ran freely while I remembered her, and all that we had gone through together. Did it matter that she had betrayed me? We had all made mistakes. Hadn’t we only done what we believed was right?

I saw Ross’ face then; the sick, wicked smile he had given me as he cut her down. He was the Beast. He was destruction. He was the universe’s answer to God in a game that would never end. “They can’t win, if you don’t play,” Sarah had once said to me. The trouble was, neither could you.

Game on.

****************************************************

This is the end of Book Two, but Book Three is coming!

Please turn to the next page to see how you can participate in the story.

Win An Amazon Gift Card!!!

One of the most awesome things about digital publishing is that a novel can be easily distributed the moment it is determined to be complete, which in turn allows the author the opportunity to experiment with ways to get you, the reader, involved in the creative process at a slightly deeper level than can be afforded a pulp book.

So, what is this experiment of which I speak? I’m glad you asked! :)

If you’ve reached this point, I’m assuming you’ve read this novel, and most likely Balance, the first novel in the Divine Series. I already have an outline for the remaining two novels in the initial story arc, which as you can now surmise revolves around Landon and company’s battle against the Beast. There are; however, some decisions to be made. Decisions which I would like you to help me make.

Please visit
http://bit.ly/18GPX6u
and cast your vote. As an incentive for your feedback, one lucky voter will win a $50 Amazon gift card plus a free copy of book 3, and five runners-up will win free copies of book 3. The contest will run from now until September 1, so make sure to cast your vote today!

Oh, and if you liked Betrayal, please consider sharing the love and leaving a review. Thank you so much for reading!

Books By M.R. Forbes

The Divine Series

Balance:
http://amzn.to/10KdkJW

Betrayal

Thank You!

It is readers like you, who take a chance on self-published works that is what makes the very existence of such works possible. Thank you so very much for spending your hard-earned money, time, and energy on this work.

It is my sincerest hope that you have enjoyed reading!

Independent authors could not continue to thrive without your support. If you have enjoyed this, or any other independently published work, please consider taking a moment to leave a review at the source of your purchase. Reviews have an immense impact on the overall commercial success of a given work, and your voice can help shape the future of the people whose efforts you have enjoyed.

Thank you again!

This one is for the bears.

10% of all royalties will be shared between the WSPA and Animals Asia,

two charities who work to end the suffering of these incredible creatures.

WSPA:
http://bit.ly/1172I9F

Animals Asia:
http://bit.ly/10KP7D2

About the Author

Michael Forbes is mobile and web application engineer and author of science fiction and fantasy. He has a degree in fine art, and loves animals, the outdoors, good user interface and industrial design. Michael lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, a cat that thinks she’s a dog, and a dog that thinks she’s a cat. If you like what you’ve read, he’d love to hear from you!

Mailing List:
http://bit.ly/XRbZ5n

Website:
http://www.mrforbes.com/site/writing

Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6912725.M_R_Forbes

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/mrforbes.author

Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/mrforbes

About the Cover

Credit goes to the following for the royalty free stock imagery used in the creation of the book cover. All graphics licensed under Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Design Elements Collection (fire):

GoMedia.us

http://www.freevector.com/design-elements-collection/

Japanese Fighter (sword):

Rockagraphics.de

http://www.freevector.com/japanese-fighter/

Creepy Werewolf:

VectorOpenStock.com

http://www.freevector.com/creepy-werewolf/

Silhouette

GotemCZ

http://www.freevector.com/fashion-models/