Title: Guardian of the Way
Author: Diane Moat
Publication Date: Nov. 7, 2016
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Other Books by Author: Dog Gone
It’s been two centuries since someone murdered the last Guardian of the Way, closing off this world from the many realms of magic and fae.
Cassiopeia “Cass” Wilson is an eighteen-year-old living on her own for the first time. The only magic she’s interested in is the kind that will help her pay the bills on time. Little does she know that a trip to the hospital after a fainting spell will change her life forever.
Cass soon learns she may be fae, and everything points to her being the next Guardian of the Way. There’s just one problem: whoever—or whatever—killed the last Guardian wants Cass dead too.
Cass quickly runs into problems, and an attack by djinn is just the first. But Cass joins forces with a wrath daemon, were-creatures, and fae on a quest to reach the Lighthouse—the site of the Way.
Cass soon learns about wizards desperate to keep the Way closed to serve their dark purposes, and she comes to a crossroads: will she take the test to become the new Guardian and leave her normal life behind? Or will the Way remain closed to all who need it?
Diane is a Tennessee transplant, animal rescuer, and nurse. Dog Gone is her debut novel, born from years of hearing animal rescuers say about animal abusers, “If only I could get my hands on that person…” Diane is assisted by her many rescue dogs.
She had seen ordinary live wolves, and she was disappointed at first to discover the Were looked exactly like those ordinary wolves, except bigger. Her disappointment faded quickly as the Were moved. Of course these weren’t ordinary wolves. Their movements gave them away. They were liquid, and fast. The pairs of silver eyes didn’t reflect the light, but instead absorbed it. The intelligence in those eyes was unnerving, causing Cass to look away.
One of the bikers stepped up to her. He was bald, likely in his twenties, with an intricate tattoo going from the base of his jaw, swirling down his neck. In the dark she couldn’t make out what the drawing was. He held out his hand to her, saying, “You’re awfully tiny to have caused such a ruckus, little lady.”
He’s trying to sound like John Wayne. Remembering the iconic actor made her smile. The man in front of her smiled back, and she instantly liked him. She gave him her hand to shake, but he didn’t shake it. Instead, he held it up to his nose and sniffed her, the way Tal had sniffed her before. And not just some little sniff. He smelled the top of her hand, then he turned it
over and smelled her palm and her wrist. He didn’t smile as he did it, but seemed to be concentrating. As he let go of her hand, he said, “My name’s Patrick, but you can call me Pat.” The smile returned, with an additional twinkle. “Or baby, or honey, or just about any damn thing you want to call me. I’m the leader of this pack.”I’m going to have that 70s song in my head now. Cass started humming “The Leader of the Pack” under her breath as Pat and Malon discussed the fastest route to the old mine. The air was chilled but felt great after they’d been in the car for so long. As Cass looked toward the woods, Pat was the only biker left, and a lot more Wolves were moving through the heavy pine-tree thickets. At least, she hoped the shadows weaving in and out of the trees were Wolves.
Aeshma came up on her right, saying quietly, “If you need me, think of my name and say you need help. Your power grows every time you use it. Trust the Wolves over anyone else. They die easier than the Fae, but they have no ulterior motive. They only want to protect the Guardian.”And with that, Malon and Tal started into the woods, with Cass close behind them. A massive grey Wolf appeared to her left, touching her hand with his nose before moving off.
Dorothy, we are so not in Kansas anymore.
