Angels Dance

the winds began to whisper, he listened.
    A single word. A name.
    Eris.
    The only significant Eris that Jason knew of was husband to Neha, the three-thousand-year-old archangel, the sole member of the Cadre who had chosen to follow the mortal ceremony of binding. Eris was also her consort, but he hadn’t been seen in public for some three hundred years. Many believed him dead; however, Jason knew the male lived, imprisoned in a palace inside Neha’s sprawling fort. Except for when he’d attempted to escape early on in his captivity, he had not been physically harmed.
    Neha loved Eris too much to hurt him.
    It was also why she hated him so violently for his betrayal.
    Eris.
    Sliding into the shadows of the trees that edged Raphael’s property, a welcome respite from the light, Jason took out his cell phone. In earlier centuries, even with his considerable mental abilities, it had taken him days to communicate with his men and women, weeks to gather a single piece of information. Technology made it so much simpler—unlike some angels of old, and though his chosen weapon remained a sword, Jason did not abhor the modern world.
    Now, he saw that he had a number of missed calls that must’ve come in during the ceremony, while his phone had been in silent mode. All were from Samira—she was a servant with clearance to work in Neha’s private quarters and technically his highest-ranking spy in the other archangel’s court, though Jason had his doubts about her continued efficacy. “Samira,” he said when the call was answered. “What has happened?”
    “Eris is dead.” A hushed whisper. “Murdered inside his palace.”
    “When?”
    “I don’t know, but he was found an hour ago. Neha has not left the body. Mahiya is by her side.”
    Jason had never spoken to Mahiya, but having done a subtle investigation when Neha first adopted her just over three centuries ago, he knew the princess was of Neha’s bloodline. That relationship was accepted knowledge, but the facts behind it had long been buried. Many in Neha’s own court chose not to remember, not to see the truth—that Mahiya had been born of Nivriti, sister to Neha and dead as long as her child had been alive.
    No terrible secret that . . . except if you knew the name of Mahiya’s father.
    Eris.
    * * *
    C lick here for more books by Nalini Singh

A BOUT THE A UTHOR
    Nalini Singh is passionate about writing. Though she’s traveled as far afield as the deserts of China, the Highlands of Scotland, and the temples of Japan, it is the journey of the imagination that fascinates her the most. She’s beyond delighted to be able to follow her dream as a writer.
     
    Nalini lives and works in beautiful New Zealand. For contact details and to find out more about the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series, please visit her website at www.nalinisingh.com, twitter.com/NaliniSingh, and facebook.com/AuthorNaliniSingh.

Berkley titles by Nalini Singh
    Psy-Changeling Series
    SLAVE TO SENSATION
    VISIONS OF HEAT
    CARESSED BY ICE
    MINE TO POSSESS
    HOSTAGE TO PLEASURE
    BRANDED BY FIRE
    BLAZE OF MEMORY
    BONDS OF JUSTICE
    PLAY OF PASSION
    KISS OF SNOW
    TANGLE OF NEED
    Guild Hunter Series
    ANGELS’ BLOOD
    ARCHANGEL’S KISS
    ARCHANGEL’S CONSORT
    ARCHANGEL’S BLADE
    ARCHANGEL’S STORM
    Anthologies
    AN ENCHANTED SEASON
    (with Maggie Shayne, Erin McCarthy, and Jean Johnson)
    THE MAGICAL CHRISTMAS CAT
    (with Lora Leigh, Erin McCarthy, and Linda Winstead Jones)
    MUST LOVE HELLHOUNDS
    (with Charlaine Harris, Ilona Andrews, and Meljean Brook)
    BURNING UP
    (with Angela Knight, Virginia Kantra, and Meljean Brook)
    ANGELS OF DARKNESS
    (with Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brook, and Sharon Shinn)
    ANGELS’ FLIGHT
    Specials
    ANGELS’ PAWN
    ANGELS’ DANCE