A Kiss of Spice
Prologue
"Its power comes from love."
The small statue glittered in the firelight, its
ruby eyes bright as burning coals. "So the
legend goes." The man raised his palm to the
flames, then slowly curled his fingers closed.
"It is said that the very first pasha of our
tribe carved this lion, the king of beasts, to
watch over his family and keep it safe from all
threats."
"Fascinating," murmured the Englishman. "Might I
have a closer look?"
There was a flicker of hesitation. Several of
the tribal elders shifted nervously, stirring a
faint whispering of silk. Shadowed by the folds
of his headdress, the Persian chieftain's
features took on a certain tautness. However, as
custom dictated a hospitality to strangers, he
gave a courteous bow.
"Over the years it has been handed down with
great ceremony from father to son," he continued
softly, passing the statue over to his guest.
"For you see, it comes with both a
blessing ... and a curse."
"A curse?" The Englishman's brows arched,
expressing an equal measure of surprise and
skepticism as he inspected the delicate
workmanship. With its gilt ma ... read full excerpt from: A Kiss of Spice ebook
