Harmony of Lies


 
 
 
 PRAISE FOR
 HARMONY OF FIRE
 “Brian’s writing is lyrical, emotional, unexpected, and explosive. Beyond extraordinary.”
 —Christine Feehan, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Recovery Road
 “Complex world-building, interesting characters, and lots of action blend together to make Brian Feehan’s debut novel a real treat.”
 —Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Serpent in Heaven
 “Fans of angels and demons, battles of good vs. evil, and dancing the gray line will want to dive in [and] read Harmony of Fire.”
 —Caffeinated Reviewer
 “Very exciting and intriguing. I really loved the chemistry between Owen and Alice. I also loved most of the secondary characters, as Mara, Damon, and Cornelius had amazing powers. . . . Harmony of Fire is very well written by Brian Feehan, and I look forward to the next book.”
 —The Reading Cafe
 “An amazing world built in such a descriptive way that you will be able to see it all easily. Owen and Alice are very well fleshed out and likable, as are the other secondary characters. There is very strong chemistry between them that seems very realistic.”
 —Fresh Fiction
 “A stunning beginning. . . . This book took my breath away; it held a captivating note all throughout the story that will charm . . . its readers and have you yearning for more of this power couple! Truly an exhilarating read!”
 —Addicted to Romance
 “Engrossing, unique, and beautifully executed. If you enjoy contemporary paranormal romantic suspense and urban fantasy novels, then this author may be one you will enjoy as much as I do.”
 —Mystery & Suspense Magazine
 
 
 Titles by Brian Feehan
 
 Harmony of Fire
 Harmony of Lies
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 BERKLEY ROMANCE
 Published by Berkley
 An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
 penguinrandomhouse.com
 
 Copyright © 2023 by Brian Feehan
 Penguin Random House supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader.
 BERKLEY and the BERKLEY and B colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.
 Ebook ISBN: 9780593440568
 First Edition: February 2023
 Cover design and photo illustration by Judith Lagerman
 Book design by George Towne, adapted for ebook by Molly Jeszke
 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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 I dedicate this story to Christine Feehan. You have given me so much love, so much strength and so much wisdom. My writing, as with my life, would not have happened without you. You were right—a great imagination should never be wasted. Thank you for sharing so much of who you are with me. I will always be grateful. I love you, Mom.
 
 
 
 
 Lies—be them inside or out—are the wedges we place between each other. No matter how soft, sweet or mighty, lies are and always will be a wedge between true connections. Moving, shifting two souls until their hands can’t reach each other. To grasp and hold on to each other, the lies must end.
 
 
 
 Chapter One
 
 A+O
 Owen Brown sat on a log, his legs stretched out toward the large steel-ringed fire on an old farm in Denver, Colorado. For the last couple hours, the cool wind of autumn had done battle with the heat of the tall blaze as Owen silently pressed and released the strings on the neck of his old acoustic guitar with one hand while his free hand held a warm beer he had forgotten about.
 Around Owen were his people and Alice. They were all laughing and drinking and smiling up at the moon while he mostly held still but for the drifting fingers of one hand over the guitar and his mind singing with chords of music. This time, as with the last number of nights, he held a secret. A secret he wasn’t prepared to share. It would be foolish to share, knowing Alice as he did, knowing what he knew.
 This time, as with those other times he had created music just in his head, using his imagination, Alice was singing with him. In his mind, her voice was strong and rich and had the ability to curve around words as easily as a dancer could move around a room. In his mind, where it was safe and he was entirely in control, they rode the sound together as it poured out of him into the night, his fingers digging into the strings of his acoustic, moving and tucking and pressing as the music in his mind reshaped and charged forth. He did this all deep within while the others talked, joked and drank beer, leaving him alone with his secret.
 “Hey! Hello! Why is nobody listening? I am trying to perform here,” Max said from across the fire with enough force that the music was pulled back into Owen’s body and away from his eyes and fingertips.
 “Max,” Clover said with a warning, “you don’t need to be rude about it.”
 “I was listening. Don’t bunch me in with the two of them,” Daphne said, referring to Jessie and Clover.
 Owen knew if he needed to, he could pull back the conversation but didn’t bother to after this many hours around a fire under a night sky. It was about letting the stress out. Letting go and letting the magic of the stars above sink into your soul.
 “Daphne? I’m not sure you were even in your own body, the way you have been staring