OF DECEPTION AND DIVINITY
Death and Destiny Trilogy, Book 3
The arrival of a new enemy. The start of a greater battle. A destiny to be defended.
A mighty war, waged every 500 years, has returned to the realm of mortals. And with it, the Day of Serpents arrives to wreak havoc upon the world.
Assefa and Sanura struggle to complete their mate bond, as they also continue their fight in this preternatural war of fire versus water. Unseen enemies, surprise magic attacks, and betrayal lurk at every turn for the couple, and revelations about their powers and past come to light.
As Assefa and Sanura fight to seal their bond and love, destiny and divinity may have already sealed their fate.
The sight of his change never ceased to amaze Sanura. She’d never seen a were-cat shift as effortlessly, quickly, and painlessly as Assefa. Shimmered. That word always came to mind whenever she watched him go from man to beast. He simply shimmered. The molecules that comprised his body broke apart and reconfigured themselves so swiftly that, even with Sanura’s advanced second sight, all she ever managed to see was a magical shimmer, a twinkle of light right before his Mngwa appeared.
A long, wide tongue licked her from jaw to hairline. And with a girlie squeal, she threw her arms around the humongous neck of her familiar. Gods, what a magnificent animal, Sanura’s arms barely long enough to cuddle his neck.
I believe we did this earlier, sweetheart, Assefa spoke in her mind.
“Not like this.” Burying her face in the thick black-and-gray fur of her Mngwa, Sanura smiled, loving the feel of him in her arms and the heat his close proximity brought deep within, her fire spirit anxious and happy. “I missed you.”
He knows. He missed you, too. And her.
Her inner spirit began to hiss and wail, wanting freedom from the cage Sanura kept her locked in, afraid to let the fire beast off her leash and what she’d do once emancipated.
But there, with the Mngwa, Sanura could give her inner spirit, if not absolute freedom, more than she’d had before they started performing the spirit fire ritual.
Releasing the nearly seven-hundred-pound cat, whose gigantic claws and teeth were capable of bloody, life-ending damage, she stepped away, giving him plenty of room.
For long minutes, the Mngwa circled and eyed the floor of the bedroom, his golden orbs taking in the area with a critical, discerning gaze.
“For Oya’s sake, Assefa, it’s just a floor inside our private suite. How dirty could it be? Pick a spot and lay your big behind down.”
He growled, showing lots of white, sharp teeth.
Sanura rolled her eyes and pointed to the empty floor space in front of her.
You could at least pretend to be afraid of my saber teeth. I am the predator of all predators, after all.
An arched eyebrow, hands on hips, and a foot tapping with impatience were all the response his statement deserved.
Selecting, purposefully, a location on the other side of the room, the Mngwa reclined in all his legendary glory—a true beast of beasts.
“Suit yourself.” Sanura made her way to the colossal baby, waiting for him to lie on his side when she reached him.
Climb up on your magic carpet, my fire priestess.
Dianne c/o Tome Tender via Goodreads
Once again, N.D. Jones brings strong and passionate writing to the table with OF DECEPTION AND DIVINITY and Assefa and Sanura find the ties that bind them strained as their partial bond seems to become more of a weakness than proof that they truly are meant to be together. Sometimes one can be over-cautious, and the fear of taking a leap of faith can be terrifying. Sanura fears becoming swallowed whole by the power and wealth that is part of Assefa’s total package. Meeting his family isn’t conducive to the warm and fuzzies, either.
The tremendous weight of the prophecy looming in their near future and the terrible war that must be waged between Fire and Water. Is the pressure of their bond and their role in this battle proving too much for Sanura? Can she trust Assefa without reservation, even as his earthly job pulls him away from her? As the powerful fire witch and the massive shifter must come to terms with a prophecy that they must win to save the earth from devastation and darkness, they discover the most brutal of deceptions from one who has always been so trusted. The time is drawing near for that war to begin and their bond has not been completed, in fact they are like two splintered souls, weaker than the evil they must battle. How can they trust in a prophecy if they cannot trust in each other? Has their Fate been sealed as the darkness rises?
Heavy with emotion, tension and the weight of the future, these characters suffer from human frailties, human needs, and human deception, all while their Fate is wrapped up in a Divine prophecy that could mean their death. N.D. Jones runs wicked-hot with this addition to her series and her characters are incredibly passionate in all they do and believe. Ms. Jones’ writing is, once again, simply incredible!
Before trust and love can take hold, grow solid roots, and blossom into a reality larger than self, fear must be conquered and faith embraced. Yet fear of an ancient prophecy, of burning magical power, and a broken heart, Sanura Williams, psychology professor, is unprepared when Special Agent Assefa Berber enters her life, hunting a preternatural serial killer. Assefa's intelligent, chocolate eyes and intoxicating aura signature stirs her fire spirit but frightens the woman.
In a world where all is not as it seems, Sanura and Assefa must battle the gods' first creations - vile predators who threaten the safety of humans. Each confrontation, each bloody clash, will bring Sanura and Assefa closer to fulfilling the prophecy of being the Fire Witch and Cat of Legend - the ones who will save humanity from the Water Witch of Legend. Death, godly magic, and physical attraction draw Sanura and Assefa to each other, but fear and faith will determine their destiny.
In a world of mystery and magic, sometimes old bonds must be broken before new ones can be formed. Who knew that finding one’s soul mate would test bonds and unleash beasts?
Mami Wata and Oya are now free from their watery prison and ready to wage a battle five hundred years in the making. Special Agent Assefa Berber and Dr. Sanura Williams are the prophesized Cat and Fire Witch of Legend. To save the world from Mami Wata, a water goddess with a bloody thirst for power and an insatiable appetite for death and destruction, they must defeat her beasts and the Water Witch of Legend.
Assefa and Sanura are fully in love but possess only a partial mate bond. While Sanura has merged their auras, bonding Assefa’s cat spirit to her, she has yet to accept his claiming bite. Their incomplete mate bond and their new relationship are tested when Mami Wata sets her malevolent eyes on them, manipulating beasts, sacrificing humans, and creating heartache. Can their bond survive, or will they drown under the vicious tide of godly might?
N. D. Jones lives in Maryland with her husband and two children. She is the founder of Kuumba Publishing, an art, audiobook, eBook, and paperback company. Kuumba Publishing is a forum for creativity, with a special commitment to promoting and encouraging creative works of authors and artists of African descent.
A desire to see more novels with positive, sexy, and three-dimensional African American characters as soul mates, friends, and lovers, inspired the author to take on the challenge of penning such romantic reads. She is the author of two paranormal romance series: Winged Warriors and Death and Destiny. N.D. likes to read historical and paranormal romance novels, as well as comics and manga.
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