Double Trouble (46 page)
Love Potion Number Nine.
A potion it would be.
Lilith danced as she conjured, a reckless glee making her feel decidedly younger than her many years. Her cauldron was on the stove and the strongest love potion of all time was rapidly being assembled.
If Sebastian was anywhere within the galaxy, he’d get this message. When he showed up, Lilith had several hundred years of creative thinking to put to good use.
Lilith felt her desire heat to a fever pitch with every pinch of this and two petals of that cast into the brew. Anticipation hummed beneath her skin and every passing second added to her conviction that this spell would work. The mixture began to boil and its earthy perfume filled the house.
The yearning was enough to make her knees go weak.
Lilith changed softly before the simmering brew.
“Lover true, come to me,
Through the air or across the sea.
Once we loved all night with style
Come back NOW…”
Lilith chuckled under her breath as she thought of the perfect rhyme.
“I’ll make it worth your while.”
She ladled the bubbling green brew into her coffee cup. The last chorus of the song bounced off the kitchen walls. D’Artagnan lashed his tail as he watched from the doorway, his eyes bright. The potion smelled vile.
Lilith held her nose. She closed her eyes. She held her breath.
She took a sip.
* * *
Now available in a new edition.
You could win a book from Deborah or Claire by entering the monthly contest on her blog. There are two contests—and two prizes—each month.
For the
Reviewer Contest
, you need to post a review of one of her books somewhere online—Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, you name it. It just has to appear on a public site.
For the
Reader Contest
, all you have to do is enter for a chance to win.
To learn more—and enter!—use the links above to see this month’s contest posts. You can also visit the
Alive & Knitting blog
, then choose either Reviewer Contest or Reader Contest from the category sidebar.
Good luck!
Deborah Cooke sold her first book in 1992, a medieval romance that was published in 1993 under her pseudonym Claire Delacroix. Since then, she has published more than fifty romance novels and numerous short stories. As Claire Delacroix, she has written historical romance, romance with fantasy elements, fantasy with romantic elements and future-set urban fantasy romance. As Deborah Cooke, she has written paranormal romance and paranormal young adult fiction. She also wrote briefly as Claire Cross—the time travel and paranormal romances originally published under that name have been re-released as Claire Delacroix books, while the contemporary romances have been re-published as Deborah Cooke books. She tends to include fantasy and paranormal elements in her stories and likes to write linked series of books. Her stories include a blend of action, adventure, romance, humor and deep emotion.
The Beauty
by Claire Delacroix
, part of her successful Bride Quest series, was her first book to land on the
New York Times
List of Bestselling Books. She has been nominated for numerous awards (as Claire and as Deborah), including
Publisher’s Weekly
’s Quill Award, and has won some, including the Booksellers’ Best Award. In 2009, she was the writer-in-residence at the Toronto Public Library, the first time the library has hosted a residency focused on the romance genre. In 2012, she won the RWA PRO Mentor of the Year Award for her support of aspiring and new writers. Her blog, Alive & Knitting, includes her weekly column on the changing landscape of publishing called Wild West Thursdays and a post each Friday about her knitting.
She makes her home in Canada with her family, too many books and too much yarn.
Deborah’s blog Alive & Knitting
Links will take you to the author’s website
for excerpts, copy and buy links.
Claire Delacroix titles:
Historical Romances
THE ROMANCE OF THE ROSE
THE SORCERESS
ROARKE’S FOLLY
HONEYED LIES
THE MAGICIAN’S QUEST
UNICORN BRIDE
PEARL BEYOND PRICE
UNICORN VENGEANCE
MY LADY’S CHAMPION
ENCHANTED
MY LADY’S DESIRE
THE PRINCESS
THE DAMSEL
THE HEIRESS
(also called The Scottish Bride Quest):
THE COUNTESS
THE BEAUTY
THE TEMPTRESS
THE ROGUE
THE SCOUNDREL
THE WARRIOR
THE BEAUTY BRIDE
THE ROSE RED BRIDE
THE SNOW WHITE BRIDE
“The Ballad of Rosamunde”– a short story
THE RENEGADE’S HEART
THE HIGHLANDER’S CURSE (upcoming)
(Originally published under the name Claire Cross):
ONCE UPON A KISS
THE LAST HIGHLANDER
LOVE POTION #9
THE MOONSTONE
Amor Vincit Omnia
(digital only)
An Elegy for Melusine
(in TO WEAVE A WEB OF MAGIC)
The Kiss of the Snow Queen
(in THE QUEEN IN WINTER)
The Ballad of Rosamunde
Urban Fantasy Romances:
FALLEN
GUARDIAN
REBEL
Deborah Cooke Titles
Paranormal Romances:
KISS OF FIRE
KISS OF FURY
KISS OF FATE
WINTER KISS
HARMONIA’S KISS
WHISPER KISS
DARKFIRE KISS
FLASHFIRE
EMBER’S KISS
The Dragon Legion Novellas (upcoming)
Paranormal Young Adult:
FLYING BLIND
WINGING IT
BLAZING THE TRAIL
The Leaves
(digital only)
Coven of Mercy
Contemporary Romances
THIRD TIME LUCKY
DOUBLE TROUBLE
ONE MORE TIME
ALL OR NOTHING
Table of Contents
