Forbidden love. Buried secrets. A kingdom's fate hangs in the balance: Whispers of the Past (Spectral Syndicate Book 1) Epic Romantic Fantasy by Sophea Chan Book Tour with Giveaway
The Syndicate will kill to keep their sins buried. Will the forbidden whispers unite Siles and Madi, or will the truths they reveal tear them apart forever?
Whispers of the Past
Spectral Syndicate Book 1
Enchanted Elemental Empires Book 3
by Sophea Chan
Genre: Clean Dark Fantasy Romance
Forbidden love. Buried secrets. A kingdom's fate hangs in the balance.
Siles, heir to the all-powerful Spectral Syndicate, has his future set. Until he meets Madi. A clever historian with radical ideas, she awakens desires that could destroy everything Siles has been groomed for.
As their passion deepens, they uncover clues about the Syndicate’s shadowy past which could bring the regime crumbling down. Before Madi can reveal what she knows, tragedy strikes, and Siles is stripped of his title and exiled.
With nothing left to lose, Siles must unravel the whispers of the past to regain his honor. Yet lethal forces lurk in the darkness, ready to silence Siles permanently.
The Syndicate will kill to keep their sins buried. Will the forbidden whispers unite Siles and Madi, or will the truths they reveal tear them apart forever?
**Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Enchanted Elemental Empires books!**
Find them on Amazon!
Excerpt 1:
"You're meddling in affairs
you know nothing about, Madi," he says sharply, cutting through my
enthusiasm with a blunt edge. "Your idealism won't protect you from the
harsh realities of politics and power."
I bristle at his dismissive tone.
"I may not be a Council member or a seasoned politician, but I know
history," I retort, my voice steady despite the rising tension. "I
understand the implications of unchecked power and oppression. I can make a
difference."
He scoffs. "History lessons
won't save you from those who play the game." Why are his words laced with
undeserved disdain? "You're naive if you think you can waltz into this and
change anything. The same way you waltz right into this library, stealing right
under my nose and trying to lie to my face about it."
I meet his gaze squarely,
crossing my legs, refusing to back down. "Maybe I am naive. But someone
has to speak up, to challenge the status quo. If not me, then who?"
Siles leans back in his chair,
regarding me. "A woman like you should stay in her little bubble," he
remarks icily, his words slicing through the air. "Leave the world's
problems to those who understand them."
I feel a surge of indignation
rising within me, fueled by the patronizing tone in his voice. Standing up
abruptly, I meet his gaze with fire in my eyes. "I won't be confined to
your narrow view of what I'm capable of," I declare defiantly, my voice
trembling with anger. "I've studied history, politics, and the
complexities of power dynamics. I'm not afraid to challenge injustice and fight
for what's right."
Siles' jaw tightens, his gaze
narrowing. "You have spirit, Madi. But spirit alone won't change the
world. If that was the case, the dead would continue to rule the world from
beyond the veil of the living. Yet they don’t. Those alive in the Spectral
Syndicate do. Political changes take strategy, calculation, and sometimes
making difficult choices. These are all headaches that no person or politician
wants to do unless they have to. And to control heirs? What would their reason
be? Would that not defeat the purpose of the Council, making them
obsolete?"
I refuse to back down. He hasn’t
seen what I’ve seen on the streets of Thetrinch city. It’s already started—the
prejudice. Hate like that only grows like cancer when left unchecked.
"I understand that," I
retort sharply, getting to my feet and making my way toward the journal.
"But I refuse to stand idly by while others suffer under tyranny and
oppression. If you won't support me, then at least step aside and let me do
what needs to be done."
The tension in the room crackles
between us, the air thick with unspoken challenges and conflicting ideals.
Siles studies me intently, before slowly standing up from his seat.
"Madi, I warn you," he
says evenly, his voice carrying an edge of caution. "The consequences of
your actions will be yours to bear."
I meet his gaze squarely,
refusing to back down despite the fear that creeps in. "Are you
threatening me?" I ask, trying to mask my apprehension with resolve. I
know he holds all the power outside of his heir abilities, while I'm just a
woman striving to ensure a harmonious world for all.
Am I being foolish?
I have to do something.
Siles' eyes shift in color for a
second like storm clouds. "I'm not threatening you," he answers
firmly, his tone cutting through the tension. "I'm warning you because
apparently, you care nothing about your own safety."
Confusion clouds my thoughts for
a moment. "What do you mean?" I demand, my voice tinged with
frustration. "Why do you care?"
He hesitates with an unreadable
expression. "Because you're reckless. And because someone needs to keep an
eye on you."
I frown, bristling against his
implication, feeling a mix of irritation and something else I can't quite
define. It’s the same feeling I get when Dr. Fletcher gets like this, only my
current emotion feels more volatile and I don’t know why. "I can take care
of myself.”
Siles's jaw tightens. "And
yet you’re here with me, one of the biggest predators around. Do you really
believe what you’re saying, Madi? Or are you choosing to see the world through
rose colored glasses in regards to what can happen to you?”
His words strike a nerve. Part of
me wants to lash out, to prove him wrong and assert my independence. But
another part recognizes the truth in his words—that danger lurks in the
shadows, even here within the supposed safety of these walls. After all, he’s
hanging out with monstrous shadow creatures. What more does he have in his
arsenal?
"I..." I start, my
voice faltering momentarily as I struggle to articulate my thoughts. "I
understand the risks. But I refuse to let fear dictate my actions. I have to do
what I believe is right."
He leans in, his eyes emitting a
subtle glow. This close, he smells of oakmoss and something deeply masculine.
My breath stutters with his proximity, his dominant aura threatening to devour
me alive. “I highly doubt you’ve truly experienced fear, Madi. So let me help
you.”
Excerpt 2:
“Matteus, do you understand
women?” I ask, walking over to the other side of Franco.
Matteus looks at me and smirks.
“What brought this on? Let me guess, a little troublemaking—”
The glare I send his way cuts his
sentence short. “What am I supposed to do with her?”
He clears his throat and grabs a
knife off the table, joining me. “From what I hear, they’re simple creatures.
And simple is good, especially for men like us. It's about getting what you
want while making them think they're getting what they want,” he nods while
carving an intricate image into Franco’s skin.
“If that’s the case, why did Madi
react so volatilely? Are you sure you know what you’re saying?”
“Of course, I know what I’m
saying, I’ve seen it,” he nods again, digging the point of the blade into the
man’s shoulder socket, twisting it. “In case you've forgotten, some of your men
are married. The usual thing that happens after a lover’s quarrel is the man
has to grovel whether he is wrong or not and convince her he’s sorry. That way,
she lets him back in the house and agrees to continue feeding him instead of
trying to poison him.”
Franco screams, occluding my
ability to listen to Matteus’ rambling. So I swing the mace into his face,
knocking him unconscious for a while.
Matteus scowls. “Well, that’s no
fun. Now, he’s not even awake to play.”
I toss the mace onto the table
and lean against Franco’s chair. “What is this word you speak of, groveling?
What does that entail, exactly?”
Matteus uses the bloodstained
blade to scratch his growing beard. I’ve been lax lately. It’s crucial to
remind my men that the upkeep of their grooming is paramount when they are out
in the public representing the Finis.
“Well, if your words aren’t
swaying them, you have to move onto action.”
I nod. It’s like business
negotiations. If they don’t take the offer they can’t refuse, I have to make an
example.
Matteus points the knife in my
direction with a stern look. “You don’t make them an example. What I’m trying
to say is that you have to act upon what you are insisting they are being
convinced of.”
I stare at him incredulous,
wondering when he developed the ability to read my mind. What else is he hiding
from me?
Matteus twirls the knife in his
hand, then slams it onto the table loudly, startling Franco back to
consciousness for a few seconds.
“So, let’s say you promise her
you won’t do whatever it is you did, again. You have to show her that.”
I cross my arms, unconvinced. How
do I know Matteus isn’t playing me to create an opportunity for himself? I
narrow my eyes.
“Why are you looking at me like
that? It makes perfect sense.”
“Give me an example, or a
demonstration,” I gesture to him. We both look at Franco. He’s passed out
again.
“Alright.” Matteus leans against
Franco’s busted shoulder and taps his chin, then snaps his fingers. “So, that
annoying receptionist.”
“Who?”
“The one that sounds like candy.
Candace whats-her-face. See, in order for me to create a line of communication
with her boss, I had to play it nice with the wretched woman. Had to promise
her I wouldn’t touch the relics and all that, or break the glass like I did
that one time.”
I lift a brow, not missing the
fact he admitted to helping Madi call Dr. Fletcher. I’ll remind him of this
later with a fist to his face.
He straightens and clears his
throat. “So, I had to hold to my promise and physically show her I can stand in
one place while we finished what we had to do. And once we were done, I knew I
had won,” he grins.
Is he listening to himself, right
now? None of what he says makes any sense. What exactly is he winning?
“I don’t have time to stand
around and make sure I don’t break things. Give me another example,” I growl.
Matteus lifts his hands up in a
placating manner. “All right, all right. So, I’ve also seen the men bring their
women weeds or something. Colorful ones.”
“Weeds?”
“Yeah, the ones with varying
shades and shapes. They must emit some sort of pheromone because when their
wives take a sniff it’s as if everything is magically erased and they’re let
back in the house,” he claps with emphasis.
I start to doubt my sanity,
wondering why I ever sought Matteus's advice. He's relentless in his work
ethic, but his romantic track record is a carousel I can't keep up with—never
the same woman twice in a day.
Closed door fantasy writer of dark and twisty worlds, Sophea Chan is dedicated to bringing you amazing stories pulled from the depths of her imagination to take you on a trip you will never forget with a hint of fright.
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This looks really interesting. Thanks for sharing and hosting this tour.
ReplyDeleteThe excerpt sounds really good.
ReplyDelete