of Blood & Iron

Of Blood and Iron When fear is inherited and power is hunted, only chosen bonds can hold. In the aftermath of war, the Appalachian highlands stand exposed, its people weary, its lands coveted, its old protections strained by iron rails and false promises.Élise Dufort, born of the Boisclair witch line, was raised on stories meant to keep her safe. Stories of the Rougarou, wolves who walk like men, who steal daughters and leave grief in their wake. Stories that taught her fear long before they taught her truth. When danger follows her north from New Orleans, Élise is forced to seek refuge among the very wolves she was taught to dread. Ronan Beithe has sworn his life to the Mountain's protection. He knows Élise as his mate long before she can bear to name it herself. But instinct cannot override fear, and love cannot erase the scars of inherited terror. Ronan will not claim what is not freely offered, not as a wolf, not as a man. As a rogue sorcerer feeds on stolen magic and rail schemes press forward with iron and greed, the Mountain begins to stir. Old covenants, long broken by betrayal and bloodshed, whisper again, calling witches and wolves to stand together or fall apart. To survive what hunts them, Élise must confront the lie at the heart of her fear. Not all wolves are monsters. Only the soulless ones. And the bond she dreads may be the very thing that saves them both. The Blood Weave, an ancient covenant renewed only by blood freely given and breath freely shared, cannot be forced. It must be chosen. In a land where iron cuts deep and memory never fades; courage is not the absence of fear. It is the decision to stand anyway.

Pagina's: 348, Hardcover, Honey Gouge Casey