In the Lucen city dwell the descendants of Righteous and Fallen angels. Kept hidden form the rest of Earth and governed directly by Heaven, each descendant is given a chance to prove themself loyal to Heaven, and obtain salvation. For most, the task is encouraging and fair, but for David, it's devastating.
David Ghent has waited twenty-one years to fulfill a prophecy foretelling the destruction of Lucifer’s power on Earth and Heaven, saving himself and the entire world from Hell’s power. His training is complete, the city prepared. As the battle commences, the city’s most beloved daughter, Layla, suddenly appears at the Hellgate.
David is then faced with an impossible choice: fulfill the prophecy, or save her life. The consequences David faces after choosing Layla force him to question his entire life, and his loyalty to Heaven. As the aftermath of failure unfolds, David discovers that the real battle against Lucifer has just begun.
About the Author
Maren grew up in Rochester, NY, which is why much of her work is set in the East. She moved to Provo, UT to attend Brigham Young University in 2004. Meanwhile, she received a license in cosmetology in 2006, and graduated with a B.S. in Home and Family Living-Clothing and Textiles in 2009. After graduation, Maren worked as a cosmetologist/barber, while her husband finished his own degree in Special Education. After he graduated, they settled in Spanish Fork, UT, where they plan on staying for a long time.
Now Maren is a stay-at-home mom, part-time piano teacher, cosmetologist, and writer. Amidst the buisiness of being a housewife, she loves reading, writing and playing music, vacationing, going on dates with her hubby and friends, throwing dinner parties, and sewing. She enjoys collecting books, and hopes someday to have a library big enough to fit all of them. Currently, her two pretty-enough-to-be-displayed-bookshelves are overflowing, and she's got books stashed all around her house. Open a random drawer, you'll probably find one.
Maren's previous work includes a short comedy, "A Tale of Two Cemeteries," and a middle-grade reader, The Treehouse. The Faith and Fate of David Ghent is her first published novel. Find out more about Maren at www.marendille.com, or on Facebook, Goodreads, and Amazon.
Excerpt from The Faith and Fate of David Ghent:
David helped Layla wrap Galen in the bed sheets, readying him for the rapid journey to Zeezra’s cave. Her fingers moved steadily and methodically over the guard’s limp body, but when David looked at her face, it was pulled tight.
“I’m sorry, Layla,” he said. “Will you be in much trouble for this?”
“Under normal circumstances, probably. Fortunately, the Heavens have bigger worries than my travels.”
“You agreed to this with hardly any persuasion. Why?”
“Because you asked me to, David,” she said, She flushed and resumed working on Galen. David stared at her, trying to make sense of her last words. He reached out and put his hand over hers. She stilled, but wouldn’t look at him.
“Layla,” he started, uncertain how to continue. He shook his head. His mind felt feverish again, his hand warming over Layla’s.
“Must we do this now?” Layla asked quietly.
“I’m not sure what we’re doing anymore, Layla. Something’s different, something happened.”
“No, nothing happened.” She removed her hand from his. David caught it, forcing her to look at him.
“Something happened,” he said firmly.
Layla winced and squirmed in his grasp. David hopped over Galen and backed Layla into the wall.
“I don’t know how,” he said. “But something changed between us.”
“David, please,” Layla said, her eyes closing. She sucked in a breath as David took her by the chin. “Please, I don’t—”
“It can’t just be me who senses it. I don’t feel any revulsion when I see you. I can hardly remember that I’m supposed to. We’ve never even so much as kissed, yet I’ve never been so intimate with another in my entire life. When I woke and you were gone, I was terrified by your absence.”
“Let me go, please.”
“I won’t release you until you explain this.”
“I don’t know what’s happening.” She cringed as though in pain. “What is there for me to say? How could anything pass between us when you feel the way you do about me? You hate me, you have forever. You despise everything I am, what I did to you. How I care about you.”
“Hate you?” David breathed heavily. This didn’t feel like hate. He hadn’t felt that for a while. He never wanted to be parted from her again. He wanted to do many things that had no founding in hate.
“You’ve never made it a secret,” Layla said. “I was always yours, even to be hated.”
“I don’t hate you,” David said.
“But you must!”
“I don’t!” His frustration softened. He didn’t hate Layla, he couldn’t. He loved her. Whether it was real or not, he didn’t think it mattered.
“Please don’t say that,” Layla begged, her eyes welling up with tears.
“It’s the truth. I can’t lie to you.”
“Please, David.” His face loomed closer, his bronze skin radiant in the candlelight. “Please hate me, please.”
David kissed her softly.
Galen groaned, and David pulled away from her.
She bit her lip to quell her trembling mouth. David’s lips burned as he stared at her.
“David,” she managed to say. “Don’t ever do that again.”
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