Regrettably, I take a look behind me. It’s not my past that’s tormenting me, it’s my father as he remains stuck in the world he wanted and yearned for.
A warrior king now lies defeated, abandoned, and ruined. My father doesn’t cover his shame or his anguish, he revels in it. For once, my father lives in the moment, no matter the destruction it promises, and he feels absolutely every consequence of his actions fall upon him. I guess all debts have been repaid to my father as he sits a crumpled man, stripped of family and power.
As Zane’s hand tightens around mine, I turn back and begin to head toward the door, my head held high, satisfaction clinging to me. This is a fresh start, a clean slate, a new horizon for us all, and I won’t let my father have any sort of claim on me, or us, anymore.
I’ll never close my heart, never deny myself happiness, or shy away from my true destiny for him. I’ll never believe what he says or vie for his attention and his absolution. I’ll never feel I need him or make myself believe he is the only one who can love and protect me.
The men before me are that. The ones who have loved me unconditionally, fight for my best interests, love me for my morality, my conscience, my potential to be a good person, and who, in the face of true darkness, never get lost.
For the first time in my life, I’m finally out of the devil’s clutches.
Apparently, death and heartbreak go hand in hand in a bittersweet union, preparing for an indulgent future where we are all but free souls.
THE END
THE PERICOLO SERIES
The Pericolo Series is transforming. Be prepared for what is going to occur within this series.
Femme Fatale (#1)
Femme Fatale Reloaded (#2)
Femme Fatale Loved (#3)
Femme Fatale Finale (#4)
Trigger (Spin-off)
Mobbed (1920s Prequel)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
MUM
It goes without saying I wouldn’t be writing at all without you. Your constant love, support, and encouragement has seen me get over bad reviews, writer’s block, and the everyday stresses of life. Thank you for being a number one mum and for being with me on this journey.
ALLANA AND VICTORIA
Without you two this series wouldn’t be what it is today. It wouldn’t have flourished and become this explosion. I wouldn’t have pushed it, but it’s you two that have helped. You loved the concept and have carried on loving this book and me.
Thank you for everything you do for me! I’d be totally lost without you two in my life.
CHARLOTTE
I’d be pretty damn lost without you in my life now. You’re not just a friend, you’re one of my best friends. It’s not just all about the writing with us. We support and love one another even with all our flaws. Thank you for always believing in me.
I hope I can do the same for you one day.
BETH
Duck! I just want to say thank you for believing in me when I haven’t really believed in myself and thank you for always being a phone call away whenever I desperately need you. I know I can be honest with you and you’ll always love my moments of madness, especially #MidnightPhilosophy.
JADE
Even though the book killed a part of you, I cannot thank you enough for giving me another chance! And for loving it just as much as you loved Femme Fatale!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KirstyAnne Still is a twenty-three year old writer from Kent in the south east of England. Having found a love for writing in 2009, Kirsty dreamt of pursuing her writing. She allowed it to consume her life in the form of wild ideas scrawled onto post-it notes, scraps of papers, whichever surface is first available!
She spends her time with family, friends, working and dreaming about her next best novel idea! Always been a soft touch for romance, Kirsty cannot withhold from having a strong romantic touch to her books, regardless of how dangerous the plot can become!
After being just another Fanfiction writer, Kirsty found the self-belief to step out from writing someone else’s characters and writing her own. Even though A Fire That Burns was an adaptation from a Fanfiction she had written years before, The Viper Series was a trilogy that added to a long line of original work that is yet to be finished – blame it on the overactive imagination!
Writing is a lifeline. She now loves creating a world that others can literally fall into and love as much as she does. She loves having the control to make a whole new world. It’s like a dependency, and an addictive one! As much as she complains, Kirsty does love the mini dialogues that go on in her head, the plotlines that attack her when she least expects them to, and the excitement that comes with a brand-spanking-new idea! The ones that jump to life at the most inappropriate times and drive her totally crazy!!
For now, Kirsty splits her life between writing, dreaming, working, and volunteering with children.