****Copyrighted**** 'Tell me you don't feel it.' He whispered against my lips, and the trembling that had ceased at the feel of his lips against mine began again with renewed vigor. 'Tell me it's not what you want, and I'll go. You'll never have to see me again.' Swallowing, I looked up at the eyes that had entranced me from the start. I took in his every feature, slowly and deliberately. I thrilled at the feeling of his arms enfolding me, and I inhaled his familiar scent with a trembling breath. And then, then I did the most foolish thing imaginable: I flung my arms about his neck and kissed him with all that I had, almost losing myself in the safety and security I felt. But more than that, I ran. I took his moment of shock, the slight loosing of his arms about me, and tore myself away from him, shoving out the door and into the rain. I suppose I'll never know why he didn't follow me. It was the thing I feared most. I knew that if he came for me a second time, I wouldn't be able to say 'no'. I wouldn't be able to run. But I had to. I had to go. I couldn't let him be hurt because of me. He would live on now, and I would marry another. I had leased my last bit of passion in that one moment in his arms, and as I made my way through the dark streets, I felt myself become dull and lost like the creatures bound in the menagerie. **Much of this was written when I was younger and then I came back later and finished it. There will likely be mistakes. Lots of them.

For a millennium the descendants of the Conqueror have ruled the Continent, subjecting all others who call the land home. Rebellions have risen and fallen beneath the weight of their iron fist. Yet change is on the cold, northern wind. Inexperienced and unequipped, Brenn, Princess of Duthaich, will stop at nothing to save her mother and her people from another foreign invader. As the threat mounts, the pressure is on Brenn to live up to the prophecy and drive this usurper from her land. Will she regain the throne and save her people from enslavement? **Graphic content warning**

Magic caused the war. Magic is forbidden. Magic will save us. The Relic Guild is the award nominated first book in The Relic Guild trilogy. It was said the Labyrinth had once been the great meeting place, a sprawling city at the heart of an endless maze where a million humans hosted the Houses of the Aelfir. But when the Thaumaturgists, overlords of human and Aelfir alike, went to war, everything was ruined and the Labyrinth became an abandoned prison. The surviving humans were trapped behind boundary walls a hundred feet high, and all magic was forbidden. And now the war is returning. The Relic Guild are all that stand against the end of the city. But they are old, scattered and weak, and the enemy is growing in strength... Here in THE RELIC GUILD (and other stories) please enjoy a large chunk of The Relic Guild Trilogy (published with kind permission of my publisher Gollancz), complete short stories, the odd poem, one or two blog posts, and samples chapters from my other novels.

When Kára first arrives at the palace by the request of Frigga, Loki treats her with the same cold indifference that he grants everyone. However, as she grows closer to him and they share their love of magic, his cold exterior cannot hold up.

Briar watched him with curiosity as he shuffled closer. He stumbled when he neared her but managed to steady himself before he fell. He slightly blushed and stuck out his hand with the dandelion in it. He murmured, "For you." She felt something odd happen in her chest. It felt like fluttering, she thought, but she tried to push these feelings away. She didn't want to acknowledge them. She didn't want them to be real. // Briar was just trying to survive her schooling at Hogwarts with the constant trouble her fellow students seemed to start, but the Ministry of Magic was determined to help each student find their soulmate through a series of letters and hints over their years at Hogwarts. Only problem? Briar didn't believe in love. SOULMATE AU // HP FANFIC Highest Rankings: #1 in NevilleLongbottom #1 in Neville #1 in Soulmate #1 in SoulmateAU #1 in Slytherin #1 in Hogwarts #1 in DeathEaters #2 in HarryPotter #2 in Forbidden Love #3 in Gryffindor #6 in FanFiction /disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter characters or that universe. I only own Lorelei Jones and Briar Davies./ [started - november 2020; finished - february 2021]