Killian stepped forward, forcing her to tilt her head back to look up at him. He still seemed so big to her. He still overwhelmed her. But he didn’t frighten her anymore.
“You look tired.” She fought the urge to lift her hand to touch his gorgeous face.
“I am,” he said, the corner of his lips turning up in a half smile.
“Oh.”
He stared down at her, his half smile slipping. A dizzying parade of emotions swirled through his eyes. She couldn’t read them all, but she understood enough. He felt as torn as she did.
“Will I remember you three years from now?” she whispered, her heart aching with the fear that she would forget him as she had so much else…and with fear that she would remember him. That she would survive this nightmare and he would haunt her for the rest of her days like so much else did.
“Do you want to remember me?” He took another step in her direction.
“I don’t know.” She frowned, confused. “You make me feel like maybe the world isn’t so bad. Like maybe I’m safe with you. I don’t think I want to forget that.”
Killian tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek gently in one big hand. “You are safe with me. I won’t let anyone hurt you, Aubrey.”
She stared at him for a long, silent moment. He’d promised before that he wouldn’t hurt her, but even then an unspoken fear had stood between them like a wall. A little voice whispered that if she got too close, he would hurt her as badly as the things in her past hurt. That voice had stopped whispering when he’d kissed her today, and wasn’t that odd?
“You hurt me today.”
He bowed his head, letting his hand fall away from her face. “I’m sorry.”
Her heart ached a little at the agonized way he said it. As if it shamed him to know he’d hurt her. As if, maybe, he cared more than he should too.
“Why did you?” she asked, not accusing, but curious. She wanted to understand him. No, she needed to understand him on some level she couldn’t even explain to herself. “You wanted me, didn’t you?”
His gaze sought hers, honesty shining from his angel-bright eyes. “More than you know.”
Aubrey took a deep breath, letting her lungs fill with air even as her heart filled with his confession. And just as quickly, the buoyant feeling vanished. “It doesn’t change anything, though, does it?” she whispered.
“Do you want it to?”
She hesitated for a long moment, unsure. And then her shoulders slumped, the breath she’d taken expelling in a long sigh. “I’m sorry.”
Killian gave her a sad smile and reached for her again. He swept a finger beneath her eye, collecting the teardrop she hadn’t even realized had fallen. “No apologies,” he whispered, bringing his finger to his mouth. He stuck out the tip of his tongue and lapped that single bead of moisture from his fingertip. “You owe me nothing.”
If that was true, why did she feel like crying?
A.K. Morgen is the Amazon Bestselling author of the Ragnarök Prophesies series. She lives in the heart of Arkansas with her childhood sweetheart/husband of twelve years, and their five furry minions. When not writing, she spends her time hiking, reading, volunteering, causing mischief, and building a Spork army. Ayden graduated summa cum laude with her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and Forensic Psychology in 2009 before going on to complete her graduate degree in CJ and Law. She currently puts her education to use in the social services and CJ field.
Ayden also writes New Adult and contemporary romance under the penname Ayden K. Morgen.
You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, or via her website at http://aydenmorgen.com.
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Interview with A.K. Morgen
Tell us a little about Stricken. How did you come up with the idea?
Stricken is an urban fantasy about angels, demons, and a lethal virus killing anyone with angel blood. Killian St. James, an angelic warrior, and his two brothers are searching for a cure when they find Aubrey Carter, a human with angel blood who's being hunted down by infected shapeshifters. Killian isn't sure why she's being chased, but offers to help her find out. The more he learns about her, the more he realizes that her past might just hold the answers he's seeking. Because he's falling for her, this presents all sorts of problems for him and for her, leading him to a choice between the future of his people and her life.
One of the Dead Sea Scrolls, called the War Scroll, strategizes the war between the Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness. While reading through it one day, I started wondering what if… and the idea for Stricken came. A conversation with friends prompted the inclusion of the virus, and the story just grew from there.
Who is your favorite character in the series?
I really like Killian. He's very noble, fighting for the future of a race that doesn't necessarily like or accept him. He tries to do the best he can with what he has, and sacrifices a lot along the way. He's also protective of Aubrey, but recognizes her strength. He's very much an alpha, but he can be very sweet, too.
What was the hardest part about writing Stricken? What was the easiest?
The hardest part was all of the research! I had to learn about virology and demonology and theology, not to mention mythology and folklore… it was a long process. But it was fascinating, so I'm definitely no complaining. The easiest part was the evolving relationship between Killian and Aubrey. They're both reserved and self-contained, and a little beyond believing in HEAs. It was fun getting to challenge that belief for the two of them.
If you could save the life of any one fictional character who would it be and why?
I'd save Gunn from Angel! I loved his character. J. August Richards actually fake proposed to me as Gunn on Twitter once after I said I would totally marry Gunn. So, you know, we can't get fake hitched if he's not alive! Can I also save Hershel from The Walking Dead? I miss him!
How much research went into the story?
There was quite a lot of research involved. I had to learn about things like virology and engineering viruses and how they spread and mutate. And then I had to learn about demons and how and why the angels Fell and put all these complex ideas and pieces together in a cohesive manner. It was an exhaustive process.
Tell us something about the series we don't know.
When I first started writing Stricken, Killian was Fae, and then a vampire, and then a Fae again before I finally decided on Nephilim. He's evolved a lot as the story has evolved.
Tell us something about you we don't know. What do you do for fun?
I'm a huge hockey fan. If the Blackhawks are playing, I'm screaming at the t.v. My Border Collie refuses to come into the living room if I'm watching them. I think he's slightly terrified of how insane I get. When they won the Stanley Cup in 2010, I dislocated my hip celebrating. My doctor still laughs at me about it.
What else can we expect from you?
In addition to the War Scrolls series, I'm currently finishing up the Teplo Trilogy, which is for my adult readers, and All Over You, a companion of sorts to the All Falls Down duo. I also recently finished Flame, the third book in the Ragnarök Prophesies series, so hopefully that will be on shelves soon.
