Page 1 of God Touched

PROLOGUE

Hir yw'r dydd a hir yw'r nos, a hir yw aros Arawan

“Long is the day and long is the night, and long is the waiting of Arawan”

-Traditional Cardigan Folk Saying-

Gods from above and gods from below, they walk amongst us. They were once more subtle about it. Since the fight with Morrigan, the fae returning and all the other monsters and magicians coming out, why was anyone surprised about the gods?

No one noticed when a castle of bone appeared overnight in the north of Wales. Most couldn't find it, and even if they did, they wouldn't have any memory of it.

Arawan, the god of Annwn, hadn't come to the human world to make friends.

He had come to hunt.

Aneirin had released Morrigan's feared generals before he met his end. From what the stories claimed, Hafgan and Vili were worse than the Battle Bard had ever been. Hafgan wasn't going to have a chance to try and hurt humans or take over Annwn.

Arawan wasn't going to allow his old enemy to live that long. When the god of the dead wanted something done, he had no problems getting his hands dirty and doing it himself.

And when hereallywanted something…nothing would stop him from claiming it.

1

Imogen didn't like flying, small seats, or hoping they didn't crash because her cursed ass was on the plane. She hated it all, but she had endured it to escort David to Kian and the fae healers.

Charlotte and Reeve followed two days later, and Imogen had been relieved of her duty to watch over her father. She had tried to feel bad about it. The truth was two days hanging about had been enough to drive her crazy.

Imogen had been restless enough to pack up her ax, jump on a motorbike, and ride north. It was a miserable time of year to be on the back of the bike. Cold and wet and uncomfortable. Imogen loved it.

Anything was better than being bored. That was when all her thoughts would catch up to her, and she wasn't interested in anything that they had to say.

So she had cut her wrists to pay a call to Arawan, the god of the dead. She had no choice. Theworldhad no choice but to trust him to destroy Hafgan because Imogen knew that there was fucking no one else strong enough to take him on.

Arawan had healed her, but the gray scars on her wrists were problematic. She needed an ally, and Charlotte had been it. She had berated her the whole time she had helped Imogen clean up the blood and then marched her over to Reeve's place.

Now, her scars were invisible under a cute skull and flowers tattoo on one arm and a dagger on the other. Written on the dagger blade were the words 'Say No' that were meant to remind her to say no to any more bad decisions. Time would tell if the warning would work.

Imogen was impulsive enough that her turning up with two new tattoos surprised precisely no one.

Only Reeve and Charlotte knew what had happened that night, and Imogen intended to keep it that way.

Aren't you forgetting someone?

Imogen turned the music up louder in her helmet and rode faster. It was exhilarating and an insanely bad idea. She didn't care. It was not like she hadn't already escaped three near-death experiences as it was.

The fourth time might stick, bitch, and then where will you be?Certainly not in Annwn.

She had been eleven years old the first time she had drowned and died. Imogen had cheated the Grim Reaper every day of the eighteen years that had followed. She expected to die every single day. As a result, she loved no one that wasn't her family.

She kneweveryone,that didn't mean she let them get close. Lovers, friends, fuck buddies, everyone only got so far because they weren't worth the pain. Sooner or later, she would die, and it would finally stick.

Her fascination with death was also problematic, so she never told anyone about that either. Except for Bayn and Freya that one time they got shit-faced together after Killian's mating party, but that hardly counted. They were family, so they were bound to find out anyway.

God, aren't you morbid? Maybe it's Wales,she mused, staring at the bleak stormy afternoon.

Imogen had left Cardiff early that day and followed the coast north. She had told everyone that she was going to visit Bayn and Freya and wanted to see the countryside on her way up there. She had never been to Wales and wanted to stretch her metaphorical legs.

It was only half the truth because Imogen hated to make people worry. Maybe Charlotte suspected she was up to something, but she was wise enough not to mention it.

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