★EXCERPT REVEAL & Pre-Order★ Symbol of Redemption
Title: Symbol of Redemption (Symbols Duet #2) Author: Natalya Orekhov Release Date: September 16th 2016
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense
Blurb
Symbol of Redemption is the highly anticipated conclusion to Symbol of Treason. Don’t miss the finale that will have you screaming. Whether that’s a good or bad thing, well…, that’s debatable. As The Brotherhood closes in, the stakes are as high as they come. Everyone is on edge, and Alice finds herself more lost than ever as her heart is torn to shreds. She’s desperate to discover all that was Logan Snow before he became the monster she married. But Logan refuses to give her any insights into his former life, knowing full well that once everything is revealed, Alice will be gone. Will Alice find the strength to fight to the end, or will the truths of the past prove too much to bear? Will Logan find a way to save them from a war determined to destroy them, or was the battlefield rigged from the beginning? And when you’re faced with your own mortality, will forgiveness wash over you, or will you take vengeance to your very grave?
Excerpt
Getting home I decided to shower before dinner with Marina; feeling the need to cleanse more than my body.
The water cascaded warmly over my bare skin and for a while I simply stood; eyes closed, mouth slightly open, and my mind…straining. At the sound of the door clicking my eyes shot open and my heart rate jumped several yards.
It wasn’t long before his arms snaked hungrily around my body and I eagerly allowed him to swallow me whole.
“You’re a sight to behold my love; a treasure beyond comprehension.”
I never tired of his words. Every sound he uttered my way I accepted with greed, and always eager for more.
“You regard me with such adoration, Logan. Though, I wonder if only you can see it?”
With his hands at my shoulders he turned me to face him. Rivulets of water dripped from his handsome face. His brows were drawn together; a look of pain, straining to understand the omnipresent mystery which seemed to surround us.
“Do you believe in fate?”
His question surprised me.
“I’m not sure what you mean?”
The steam grew thick as we stood lost within its fog: I sensed some correlating significance in that.
“I feel as though the universe conspired to bring you to me. At a time I least expected, you brought me back to life, Alice. I’m defenseless against your touch and your eyes see so deep within me, I wonder if I’ve ever been able to see that far within my own self.”
The raw pain held a presence all on its own. Every word; sincere and vulnerable. I wished it all away. Every reality we currently faced was poison with no antidote; and as each day passed, the truth hit that much harder.
My fingers slid easily down his cheek and within the confines of the shower, the evidence of my tears would remain hidden as I savored our time together.
“I’ve never thought much of a future, it felt like a crime in a way to think I stood a chance. I’d lived as a shadow, always afraid, uncertain and angry. This life abandoned me at birth and I’d accepted that.”
Logan’s gaze grew fierce, his jaw achingly firm while his hands pressed passionately into my skin.
“With you, I feel…real. You see beyond my field of weeds and shards of glass. Beyond my wastelands—straight to my soul; which, within your arms becomes somehow…beautiful.”
My throat ached, it caught as I fought to regain control.
“Whatever brought us together, I’m grateful.”
Logan fell to his knees before me, his arms wrapped firmly around my backside, his head just below my breasts. My heart beat wildly, my mind blocking all thoughts except the here and now. Logan was in pain, I felt his hurt as though the ache manifested out of my own being.
“What demons are you fighting?” I asked as my hand continued to glide over his hair, now slick with water, while patiently waiting for a reply.
“Forgive me.”
“For what?”
Silence.
“What is it you ask me to forgive, Logan?”
Silence.
I wanted to heal him, sooth his pain and regret. I knew Logan had expelled every resource in an attempt to have the investigation dropped, or at the very least; not broadcast. He felt responsible. After all, Lily was after and wanted him.
“Listen to me. Whatever you feel responsible for, I forgive you. All of you. Every part, good and bad, I love with all I know to be true.”
His arms slide up as he stood taking me with him and pinned me against the cool tile. I let him. I wanted him to; both taking what each of us needed.
Logan held nothing back as he pressed deeper, my hands locked, and my mouth captive. I moaned into his ear as he groaned in response; gripping my thigh with force and abandon. His fingers slid softly from my neck before returning with vengeance at my backside. The sensations washed over me. A kaleidoscope of emotion and healing, and I took it all.
Excerpt 2:
As I reached the summit of the mountain my last thought lingered, the thought I could never find resolution to. Why did she die and I…spared? Was life really a series of moves? Or was it simply a gamble disguised as choice?
Neither option provided relief. Neither road led to an outcome that offered peace for the guilt of failing the only angel I had known in this land of carnage.
I stepped closer to the edge of the cliff, and knew if Logan was here, he would’ve pulled me back. But he wasn’t, and I didn’t want him to be.
My heart was racing, the gusts of wind aimed upward from my feet—whispered how easy it would be to soar. Soar until the pain of memory was no longer piercing my wounded heart like a burning dagger. The adrenaline was strong, the pull stronger, and I wouldn’t step back. The bouquet tucked within one hand found its way into my line of sight and I wept.
I sank to the cold ground, unbothered by the ice pressed against my backside as my feet dangled over the edge of the perched rock, daring to crumble beneath my weight and plummet; me along with it.
“I don’t believe I’m strong enough anymore, Mama. I thought that Logan’s love would pull me out forever and do away with the fear but instead…my hatred grows. The more I allow the dream of a future to linger, the hotter my fire burns.”
With shaky fingers I untied the ribbon holding together the stems of delicate flowers. Taking one, I threw it over my knees, watching as it gracefully descended to inescapable demise.
“I’m sorry I didn’t understand you more while you were still with me.”
Another stem.
“I’m sorry for not being stronger for you.”
Another.
“I’m sorry your kind spirit was punished by those meant to protect you.”
Three stems more.
“I’m sorry…I was a coward…I’m sorry I didn’t fight for you…I didn’t try harder, I didn’t scream louder or find something to help us escape, or rip Boris apart with my bare hands for hurting you the way he did. I’m sorry, so damn sorry for it all. I hate it all and I can’t move on. It suffocates me and I have to shut you out just to catch my breath because you deserved better! This world screwed you. It betrayed a Father I never knew, it abandoned me, and I can’t understand it! I cannot…I just…I miss you, Mama. I miss you so damn much. I want you back, please…”
The remainder of the stems followed the others to a grave hundreds of feet below that no one would ever find.
It was the fifteenth of December.
Eight years.
People say it gets easier with time, I haven’t found that to be true. Not in my case. My body shook with grief I couldn’t let go of. I didn’t own anything of my mothers. Not a single photograph or trinket. All I had were memories, and even those I didn’t truly own. Fear reigned over it all.
Logan set out on a journey to avenge those who’d wronged his parents, but me…I was too afraid when it came down to it. Too weak to give my mama the justice this world would not. I’d failed her.
The sound behind me was too heavy for a stray animal and too steady to be a random sound of wilderness.
“You shouldn’t have come.” I yelled, but heard nothing more than the advancement of his approach.
My body was shivering severely now. Shaking with a force I couldn’t control. My blatant disregard for safety was reckless. I lacked reason and was being stupid, that’s all there was to it.
His steps were steady and encroaching until his arms snaked around my body and pulled me back from the ledge. Logan fell to the ground, and his grip around me tightened just the way I liked. I was shaking too hard to reciprocate his embrace. My teeth chattering and my spirit drifting to sleep.
Unzipping his coat Logan tucked me closer to his warm body, the scent of home assaulted me beautifully as the scent of Lily of the valley faded over the cliff side.
To be dead.
With the dead.
I pushed deeper into his chest, reaching for a place I couldn’t get close enough to. A place where everything was as beautiful as his embrace. Logan wrapped his coat as far around my body as it would go, infusing his warmth into my numb limbs. He tucked his head over mine and for a while we rocked back and forth as he kept my head secured sweetly beneath his.
“You cannot leave me, Alice. Please don’t ever leave me.”
His plea danced its way into my heart. A sad dance, as though it knew what was coming.
I couldn’t respond, for I could not find my voice. I wept. For a long, long time, I wept.
Book 1: Symbol of Treason is available on Amazon
In a world drenched in cruelty, Allison Red’s only goal is to maintain ambiguity to her identity, and to leave behind the life she escaped. Yet she remains captive to the shadows of the past, who are always close enough to send a chill down her spine. Against all odds, Alice carves out a small existence in the foothills of Colorado: friends, kinship she calls family, and a small business. But it isn’t until Alice meets a stranger that she admits to herself how alone she truly is. Logan Snow had it all; parents he loved, physical attributes he didn’t deserve, and a future so sweet he could taste it. But that was a long time ago, and Logan is no longer the same man. Revenge is the only fuel left in him and the day Logan sees Allison in the flesh, his plan couldn’t have come with easier bait. If only fairy tales were real. If only life offered everyone justice. If only…it didn’t screw you.
About the author
As a Russian refugee, Nataly Orekhov at a very young age learned that life is anything but fair. If her toys and clothing were not donations from a charity or a kind soul, then they were acquired by a technique called Dumpster Diving. As the fourth of five children, Natalya was well versed in the dynamics of big families. Yet despite the bickering and slamming of doors, everyone knew that with this family, blood would always be thicker than water; the screams always took second place to their cheers for one another.
Today Natalya lives in a cozy home in Southwest Littleton, Colorado, with her husband and two young children. She’s known in her neighborhood as an exceptional baker and enjoys surprising friends with mouthwatering desserts. Though, moderately young, Natalya has earned several degrees in various disciplines of life—in hardship, heartache, and forgiveness when it’s the last thing you want to give. Yet in the midst of such a grueling education, Natalya has also had the great privilege of meeting countless individuals with hearts larger than life, and spirits that rival the best of them. To such individuals she is eternally grateful.
