The Guardian

The Guardian

A.M. Mahler · Completed · 93.2k Words

245
Hot
248
Views
100
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

“No, you need to leave,”
“You will find a Warrior ten years after that who will protect you in your quest. Do not guard your heart against him, for he is your mate. ”


A stone that grants eternal life. It's her job to keep it safe. It's his job to protect her at all costs.

Jack Justice didn’t believe in love or the power of the human spirit and was fresh out of faith. But that all changed when he saved Lady Nora from bandits and discovered she was the Guardian of a Philosopher’s Stone. He had never met her before, but she haunted his dreams for as long as he could remember.

With the gift of eternal life, Nora has been searching for a hundred years for the Scholar, the Healer, and the Fox, so together, they may use the stone for good and keep it away from evil intent. She is convinced that Jack is her Warrior and will protect her in her journey. All she has to do is teach him it’s safe to love, trust someone else, and depend on them to help you achieve your goal. Can Nora restore Jack’s faith in love? Will Jack give up all he knows for a dangerous adventure?

Chapter 1

THE WARRIOR THRASHED about on the bed, sweat breaking out all over his body. He was trapped again in a battle that he hadn’t fought—a war that wasn’t his own. He was an observer, and though he’d had the dream before and knew what was to come, he couldn’t stop it. He couldn’t intervene and change any-thing. He couldn’t help the girl.

And he wanted to. Oh, how he wanted to just once jump in front of her and slay her attackers for her.

She was tired; he could feel it. He knew her physical strength drained as the fight went on.

He ran along behind her as she fought her way through the corridors of the manor, frustrated as she sustained injuries he could do nothing to stop. Suddenly, she screamed as she was violently jerked into a room. The heavy wooden door slammed shut and was barred against intruders.

“Fox!” she cried out in recognition to the man in the room. “We have to leave, Fox. We have to flee now. There are too many men to fight.”

“No, you need to leave,” the man said. “You need to get as far away from here as you can. Take the stone with you. Pro-tect it at all costs. He will not rest until it is his.

Everyone needs to split up and go their separate ways. If we aren’t together, we can divide his resources. It will confuse him for a while. He will need to regroup, form a new plan, before he can come after any of us.”

“Split up?” she asked, shaking her head. “You can’t be serious. The Healer and the Scholar—”

“He doesn’t want them as badly as he wants you and the stone. You are the Guardian. You will find an inventor and sci-entist in the American Colonies in the year 1763 who will be sympathetic to your plight. He will be a great asset to you. You will find a Warrior ten years after that who will protect you in your quest. Do not guard your heart against him, for he is your mate. He will know things, like I do. Trust in what he says. He will be marked, and not like others.”

The girl desperately grabbed Fox’s coat sleeve. “What is a Guardian without the Healer and the Scholar? What is she without the Fox? We need each other. I do not know the stone as well as the others.”

“You don’t need to know it any better than you do,” Fox said. “You just need to protect it. We will all meet again. Grad-ually, you will find us—one by one. It won’t happen for centuries, but when the time is right, we will be reunited for the final fight.”

“Your visions are vague, Fox.”

“This one is specific.”

“Only to you. You aren’t telling me all of it.”

“No, I am keeping some to myself. I am only telling you what you need to know. It doesn’t all pertain to you,” he said, gently removing her hand.

A banging on the door rang out through the room. Fox moved to a bookcase and shoved it aside, revealing a small wooden door. “Go now. I’ll seal the passage behind you. Head for the forest. In the ruins of the chapel, there is money hidden in the altar for you. Take it and go straight to London, and secure passage on the first ship to France. You can head to the Colo-nies from there. Your inventor isn’t born yet, nor your Warrior. Make sure you are in the Colonies by the year 1763. You’ll meet the inventor in a city named Philadelphia. The Warrior will come ten years later. Now, go! Go!”

The Guardian plunged into the darkness of the corridor. She dared not light a flame to see by. She didn’t need to anyway. She knew these secret corridors better than the back of her own hand, as she had grown up running through their maze. Only her family could find her here. None of the servants or men-at-arms knew about them. So she ran through the darkness, guided by memory. She came out right near the stables, just as she had hoped. Quickly, she looked around her. Seeing the immediate area clear from soldiers, she plunged ahead to the barn and took the first horse she came upon, which happened to be her father’s prized stallion and the fastest in the herd. Pembroke—named for William Marshal, First Earl of Pembroke and Richard the Lion-heart’s most treasured knight—didn’t protest. He was used to his mistress’s impromptu and ill-advised jaunts into the night. She spurred him forward, not daring to look behind her as she made her way to the chapel ruins and the unknown life that now awaited her.

King of Prussia, Pennsylvania – 1773

JACK WOKE WITH a gasp. The dream was so real that the girl’s image lingered in the air before him. She called to him of that he was certain. But who she was, where she was, or what her real task might be remained ever a mystery. He had seen her in his dreams since he was a child. He knew her face as well as he knew his own. He knew all their faces.

Silently, Jack rose from the bed. There was a bottle of whisky still lodged in his hand from the night before, and he set it on the trunk at the foot of the bed. Moving around the small room with stealth, Jack gathered his weapons and few belong-ings, then left the room without waking his companion. It would be less awkward that way since he could not recall her name, or perhaps had never known it at all.

Once outside, Jack took to the shadows of the barn, bor-rowed a stallion with no intention of ever returning it, and tore off into the night. The horse appeared to know where to go, which was advantageous, as Jack did not have the first idea.

He rode through the early morning hours until daybreak, seeking answers for the eternal questions in his mind. The dream had come to him over and over for as long as he could remem-ber, always featuring her, and sometimes the others she had spo-ken of. A battle had separated them from each other and now she looked for a warrior. But who was she? Why did she need pro-tection? Rationally, he knew she must be a manifestation of his subconscious. He must have seen her in his travels and remem-bered her face, inserting it into his dreams.

But deep down in places of himself he was hesitant to explore, Jack knew that wasn’t the truth. These dreams of his had a way of becoming true in reality. When he was but a boy, he had dreamed of an Indian family, one he would consider his own. Then one day, his village had burned and left him the sole survivor. The same Indian family who had appeared to him in his dreams had taken him in and made him one of them.

“Olam-a-pies,” his Shawnee mother had named him. A story builder. She said he built these stories in his dreams. Now, he was their representative in the white world.

The sun was just rising, though he had been awake for hours. Finally spotting a deer, Jack dropped the horse’s reins and slid quietly from his saddle. Removing his bow from its case, he moved slyly through the brush, his unsuspecting prey in sight. Dinner would be venison today. If he could come across some salt for it, he would be in heaven.

Sliding through the tall grass, he stalked close to his quarry and nocked an arrow, preparing to shoot.

Jack cursed as his meal suddenly spooked and bolted into the forest. The thunder of horse hooves approaching surprised him, and he crouched down to avoid detection. His horse grazed far off the trail now, but the stallion did not appear fazed by the approaching animals.

A cloaked rider astride a white mare moved at a danger-ous speed through the forest. Four riders followed in close pur-suit. A rifle roared and the bullet struck the mare's flank, causing the horse to stumble and bring her rider tumbling down. The cry of fear and surprise that rang out was a woman's, closely fol-lowed by a bellow of outrage. Without a thought, Jack trans-ferred his concentration to the chasers closest to him. The ban-dits dismounted and viciously yanked the girl to her feet, the hood of her cloak covering her face.

Only cowards attacked a woman, and so, without need-ing to aim, Jack drew and released in one motion. The arrow pierced its target right through the heart. The woman screamed and the other three men scrambled to find their attacker. Nock-ing another arrow, he crouched low and moved quickly through the brush with stealth he had learned from his Shawnee surro-gate family. The next arrow passed by the man holding the woman and found its mark through the stomach of the second attacker.

Jack was soon only a few yards away, too close for ar-rows or a musket, so he dropped the bow to draw his knife and tomahawk and stepped out into the open.

“This is no business of yours, bumpkin.”

“Where I am from, striking a lady is a grave crime,” Jack seethed, circling the sneering outlaw as the fourth one held tight to the girl in question. “What is more, it is cowardice.

Fight someone equal to you, if you dare.”

The man was probably no more than a common thug—all bluster, no substance. He drew his sword and made to close in with Jack. Jack’s right arm quickly swung up and then for-ward. The tomahawk flashed across the distance and buried its edge in the center of the brigand’s forehead, dropping him like a felled tree. Walking smoothly over to the corpse, Jack jerked the weapon free and then turned to the last pursuer.

The final scoundrel pushed the woman aside. Her hood fell away, revealing long hair the color of a chestnut. She clutched her stomach but did not look up.

“She belongs to Lord Rogan,” her would-be abductor announced, drawing his sword left-handed.

Jack and the last bandit began to circle each other. “It appears she is not of the same opinion,” he said pleasantly. He knew nothing of this Lord Rogan, only that he was about to crush the man's plans.

“She has something he wants,” the bandit hissed, reveal-ing quite a few missing teeth.

“The property is nothing to me. Only the girl's safety is my concern.”

“She is of no consequence to you.”

“Wrong.”

Jack couldn’t have said why his current opponent was wrong. While he had not seen the girl's face, he was reasonably sure he didn’t know her. He didn't know anyone in this region.

The ruffian lunged for Jack, who parried the blade away with his knife and chopped at his opponent’s sword-wrist with the tomahawk. The enemy swung back and upward to evade the hatchet and slashed at Jack’s belly. He, in turn, blocked. Their steel clashed over and over. They were evenly matched in skill with their own weapons, but not in dealing with those of their opponent’s. As clash after clash resulted in one nearly fatal close call after another, both realized that the fight could not go on much longer.

A motion off to the side caught Jack’s eye, and he saw the girl pick up a large branch. He didn't know what she planned to do with it, but he supposed it was better than no weapon at all. Just as his attention was diverted, his opponent launched a pow-erful slice at his shoulder. Jack was able to divert the sword just enough to keep the strike from being fatal, but it still struck deep into his right shoulder. As the bandit pulled the sword back, Jack saw his own chance. Knocking the sword aside with his toma-hawk, he lunged forward with his knife hand, driving the blade into the man’s chest. The last of the highway criminals dropped to his knees and fell forward, dead as a stone.

Panting for breath, Jack fell back against a tree, his vi-sion wavering. He could just make out the girl, branch still in her hand.

“You can drop your club,” he slurred. “I am no threat to you.”

“You killed them all.” She sounded astonished, her voice soft and song-like. She didn’t sound like a Colonist.

“Was I correct in assuming they were no friends of yours?”

“They were not.”

“With them all dead, there will be no one to report back to your Lord Rogan.”

Jack pressed his hand to his shoulder and winced. The in-jury to his shoulder oozed blood down his arm and chest at an alarming rate. Alone, save for the girl, this did not

bode well for him.

“He will know I was responsible,” the girl said.

“You weren’t responsible, I was.”

“It won’t make a difference to him.”

Still leaning against the tree, Jack dropped down and tried to look up at her. She was still out of focus. Not one easily soothed by a woman, he fell victim to the croon of her voice and found himself comforted.

“Who are you?” she demanded.

“My lady, if you could save the inquisition for another time, I am going to lose consciousness now.”

Her image got darker and darker to him. As his head lolled to his shoulder, he felt her grab him by the ears and hold his head still for a moment before letting it go, where it cracked against the tree.

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

Mated to Her Alpha Instructor

Mated to Her Alpha Instructor

200k Views · Completed · Marina Ellington
I'm Eileen, an outcast at the shifter academy, all because I don't have a wolf. My only saving grace is a knack for healing that got me into the Healer's Division. Then one night in the forbidden woods, I found a stranger on the brink of death. One touch, and something primal snapped between us. That night tied me to him in a way I can't undo.
Weeks later, our new Alpha combat instructor walks in. Regis. The guy from the woods. His eyes lock on mine, and I know he recognizes me. Then the secret I've been hiding hits me like a punch: I'm pregnant.
He has an offer that binds us tighter than ever. Protection… or a cage? Whispers turn ugly, darkness closes in. Why am I the one without a wolf? Is he my salvation… or will he drag me to ruin?
Survival Island

Survival Island

3.7k Views · Ongoing · Jacky Westbury
Zara lived a steady life. She was a primary school teacher and loved her job. She was not a social butterfly and only had one person she considered a friend and that was her best friend, Ivy. She liked her quiet life after growing up in foster care, the quiet was nice.Until her best friend’s husband and his mistress decided to kill Ivy and frame Zara. Now she has been sent to Survival Island--a deadly prison where convicted criminals fight to the death for a chance at freedom and a $10 million prize.
Zane, a powerful vampire and the island's owner, has spent centuries unable to feel desire for any woman. But when he notices Zara's intelligence, resilience, and determination to survive, she awakens something in him that no one ever has. For the first time in his vampire life, he is interested in a female, and his member is also starting to come to life. Who is this woman and why does he suddenly crave her and not just for her blood?
The Spy Who Left

The Spy Who Left

1.5k Views · Completed · Orion Vale
"She's naive. A pretty little socialite who got lucky marrying above her station."
"I still can't believe she actually did it. Aria Hart, filing for divorce. Who saw that coming?"
"How long do we think it'll take before she comes crawling back?" Another voice joins the conversation.
"Three days," Victoria declares. "Five at most. She has no money, no skills, no family. Where's she going to go?"
When Aria Chen divorced billionaire Leon Hart, New York's elite sneered, betting she'd crawl back within days. She never did.
Three years later, the world is rocked when Dr. Aria Vale, CEO of a revolutionary cybersecurity empire, steps into the spotlight. The mysterious genius who built a billion-dollar company from nothing is none other than Leon's discarded wife, the woman everyone thought was just a pretty ornament.
Now, every powerful man wants the queen Leon threw away a renowned scientist seeking partnership, a financial titan proposing an empire, and an actor offering devotion. Each sees the brilliance Leon ignored.
Then Leon discovers the truth: Aria's sacrifices, her secret double life, and the daughter she's been raising without him. For the first time, the man who once took her for granted must fight for her love. But can he compete with men who valued her from the beginning?
A story of love, betrayal, and power where the king must kneel before the queen who never needed saving.
Where The Ice Gives Way

Where The Ice Gives Way

49.4k Views · Completed · Sheridan Hartin
Charlotte Pierce is used to surviving in motion. New towns, new schools, the same old house on the edge of nowhere, and the same rule that keeps her standing. Keep her twin brother, Charlie safe. Keep his hockey dream alive. Keep her own needs quiet. She works too much, sleeps too little, and saves the one thing that still feels like hers for the middle of the night, when she can lace up her worn skates and carve freedom into dangerous frozen ice. Charlotte and Charlie shifted once, years ago, and never understood what it meant. They had no pack, no guidance and no protection. Just two twins clinging to each other and pretending the voice in their heads was stress, imagination, or loneliness. Then they move to Wellington.
Blake Atlas scents his mate the moment Charlotte arrives. The bond hits hard and unmistakable, but Charlotte doesn’t recognise it. She doesn’t know why her chest keeps pulling toward the one boy she absolutely cannot afford to want. Blake is Charlie’s new hockey captain. Charlie’s chance at making something good. Charlie makes it clear; his sister is off-limits and Blake tries to do the right thing, but secrets don’t stay buried forever. Rogues prowl the edges of town. The ice cracks. The bond tightens. Then Charlotte’s rare white wolf awakens, the very thing that makes her powerful, also makes her a target.
Shanti needs Shakti. (Peace needs strength.)

Where the Ice Gives Way is a slow-burn YA paranormal romance filled with fated mates, protective alpha energy, fierce sibling loyalty, found family pack bonds, hurt/comfort, and quiet, aching tension. It’s a story about first belonging, learning to be cared for, and what happens when the girl who has always held everyone else up finally falls, and someone catches her.
A Queen Among Darkness (Book 4 in the Gods' Saga)

A Queen Among Darkness (Book 4 in the Gods' Saga)

6.2k Views · Ongoing · ADB_Stories
Isolde’s life was full of love and joy. She was set to be High priestess of the makkari, but everything changed in a single night when she lost everything at the hands of someone she thought she could trust.

For centuries, she has been on the run, helping the supernatural community under the cloak of anonymity while she works to clear her name and save the very people after her from destruction.

Enemies are closing in, but an unexpected complication befalls her when she realises she’s been fated to someone who wants her species exterminated. After all, an evil chance seldom comes alone.

A Queen Among Darkness is the 4th book in the Queen Among Series/The Gods' Saga. This is an interconnected series. To see how it ends, I recommend reading the full series.

Books in the series in order:
A Queen Among Alphas - Book 1
Bite-Size Luna - A Queen Among Alphas Prequel (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Snakes - Book 2
A Queen Among Blood - Book 3
A Queen Among Darkness - Book 4
Whole Again - A Queen Among Alpha's spin-off (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Tides - Book 5
Valor, Virtue, and Verve - Tides Prequel Spin-off (will be available under book 5)
A Queen Among Gods - Book 6
Runaway Empress - A Queen Among Snakes Prequel (will be available under book 2)
A Queen Among Tempests - Book 7
Dark Vocation - Darkness spin-off (will be available under book 4)
A Court of Arcane Souls Anthology (side character short stories exclusive to Ream)
Royal Shadow Series (Next Generation Coming Soon)
Twin Prince Alphas Student Mate

Twin Prince Alphas Student Mate

4.7k Views · Completed · H.A Shah
Caught in a web of forbidden love, conflicting loyalties, and hidden truths, Lyla finds herself at the epicenter of a love story as complicated as it is intense. "Fate's Chosen Mate: Bloodmoon Chronicles" delves into the tumultuous life of Lyla, a young student at a prestigious academy for supernaturals. Lyla isn't just any student; she's linked by destiny to Cameron and Samuel, her warrior trainers who are also the enigmatic alpha princes of the werewolf race.
As her 18th birthday approaches, her brothers warn her about the powerful pull she might feel toward dominant wolves. But it's not just any wolves they need to worry about—it's her teachers. Cameron and Samuel are more than just older, wiser, and off-limits; they might just be her fated mates.
While navigating complex relationships, academic pressures, and the normal trials of young adult life, an unexpected threat jeopardizes the academy. Explosions rock their world, forcing Lyla and her love interests into a chaotic swirl of heroism, heartbreak, and hard choices.
Will Lyla follow her heart and let destiny lead the way, or will the very rules that bind their world tear them apart? Amidst turmoil and taboo, Lyla must make choices that could forever change the course of her life and the lives of those she holds dear.
Discover a story where love isn't just complicated—it's forbidden, ageless, and defies all rules. In a world of supernatural beings and extraordinary stakes, will Lyla's love life be another casualty, or her saving grace?
Diaries Of A Hybrid And Her Mate

Diaries Of A Hybrid And Her Mate

2.3k Views · Ongoing · Sherryann Martinez
R18 MATURE CONTENT

Beautiful Aubrianne Ivanov, raised by her single mom, had a tough childhood. With low self-esteem, she became an outcast and was alone one too many times for her liking. Time spent at her part time job, she eventually grew into a brave, confident, and determined young woman who walked right into an opportunity that would change her life forever.

Will Aubrianne truly feel whole? Will she find what has been missing in her life? Will she allow herself happiness and joy? Will she find love, and most importantly, will she survive what's to come?

Join Aubrianne on her journey as she discovers who/what she is and navigates all the heartbreak, betrayal, drama, and exciting and thrilling events that come her way...

Excerpt:

She lay before him in all her magnificent beauty draped across his king-size bed in the most compelling and provocative way known to man or beast. And for Alpha Zayne, it was the most captivating view he had ever had the pleasure of seeing with his own eyes.

She stared at his every movement, lips slightly parted, her stunning brown eyes scanning every inch of his gorgeously toned and glorious body while heat radiated off of hers. He was HERS.

Her body trembled in delight and anticipation; she was ready and wanted to be with him in every way.

As innocent as she was, she wanted him to...no need him to take her in the worse ways, bringing her to heights of pleasures she had never experienced before.

Fuck she is beautiful, one fine specimen, and she is all MINE, MY MATE. A wave of pure unbridled possessiveness vibrated through Alpha Zayne. He thanked the Divine Moon Goddess, for she has truly blessed him.

He drank her in, eyes trailing up her toned sexy legs spread wide for him, and she gave him that come-and-get-it look.
The Ice Between Us.

The Ice Between Us.

1.7k Views · Completed · Nora Obeche
In the world of elite hockey, discipline is the only currency that matters. For Julian Thorne, the perfectionist Captain of the Northwood Olympic Center, every stride is calculated, and every emotion is frozen solid. He is one season away from the pros, but the team is drowning under public scrutiny and a board of directors looking for any reason to cut the cord.

​Then comes Jax Miller.

​Jax is a hotheaded rookie with a lightning-fast puck and a reputation for burning bridges. He doesn't follow playbooks, he doesn't respect authority, and he’s determined to melt Julian’s icy composure. When a viral video of their on-ice collision threatens to bankrupt the program, Coach Clain delivers an ultimatum that feels like a death sentence: they must live together in a cramped, two-bed dorm for the duration of the season.

​Forced to navigate the high-stakes world of sports fame, "forbidden" locker-room tension, and the mysterious blackmailer who caught their first mistake on camera, Julian and Jax must decide what’s more dangerous: losing their careers, or losing themselves to the person they were supposed to hate.
The Family Books 1-3 (A Mafia romance)

The Family Books 1-3 (A Mafia romance)

2.5k Views · Completed · Emma Mountford
Saints and Sinners- She was the light to my dark.
The saint to my sinner. with her innocent eyes and devilish curves.
A Madonna that was meant to be admired but never touched.
Until someone took that innocence from her.
She left.
The darkness in my heart was finally complete.
I avenged her, I killed for her, but she never came back.
Until I saw her again. An angel dancing around a pole for money.
She didn’t know I owned that club. She didn’t know I was watching.
This time I won’t let her escape.
I will make her back into the girl I knew.
Whether she likes it or not.
2/ Judge and Jury- I can’t stop watching her.

I’m not even sure I want to.

Taylor Lawson, blonde, beautiful, and totally oblivious to how much dangers she’s in.

She’s also the one juror in my upcoming murder trial that hasn’t been bought.

The one who can put me behind bars for a very long time.

I know I should execute her.
After all that’s what I do.

I am the Judge.
I eliminate threats to The Family.
And Taylor is a threat.
But I don’t want to kill her.
Possessing her, making her love me seems like a much better plan for this particular Juror.

3/ Rags and Ritches-
Taste of Fate: The Vampire King's Human Mate

Taste of Fate: The Vampire King's Human Mate

5.5k Views · Ongoing · Miranda Carr
I never knew my blood could kill a king—until I met one. Sebastian, the ruthless and immortal King, rules with precision. For centuries, he's ruled with ruthless precision, his heart as cold as the stone throne beneath him. One moment, I'm nothing. The next, I'm his obsession. His touch burns like ice fire. His stare follows me through shadows. And when he feeds from me—God help me—it feels like drowning in darkness and craving more. He tells me my blood is unlike any he's tasted, that my scent drives him to the edge of madness.


He reached for the back of my head and pulled me up just enough to reach my neck. When his fangs slid into me, the pain was instant, electric. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. My hands found his shoulders, clawing for something to hold. My legs kicked. Tears streamed down my cheeks.

He moaned against my throat as he drank, and the sound was devastating.
First Taste in a Century​

First Taste in a Century​

1k Views · Ongoing · Sherry
Fresh out of college and fumbling through his first year in the real world, twenty-two-year-old Lysander wanders away from a friend’s party and into an isolated forest. There, he stumbles upon the high-tech laboratory hidden within the ancient castle of Vivienne—a vampire who has spent one century cultivating solitude. Disgusted by the intimacy required to hunt, she long ago withdrew from humanity, passing the endless decades perfecting homemade synthetic blood rather than sampling the countless varieties of plasma she grew tired of.

But Lysander’s arrival spells disaster. In a clumsy accident, he doesn't just ruin dinner; he obliterates her state-of-the-art scientific instruments. With her life’s work destroyed and her synthetic supply cut off, the scent of his living blood overwhelms her engineered senses. Forced to break a century-long abstinence, she takes what she needs, only to find herself addicted not just to his taste, but to the man himself.

Using the equipment as a flimsy excuse to lure him back, Vivienne battles a terrifying new obsession. She craves his body despite believing he’s taken, despising her own weakness. Meanwhile, Lysander’s initial terror curdles into a forbidden fascination. Can a relationship survive when one person feels everything, and the other only hungers?
Mated To My Ruin: A Dragon's Debt

Mated To My Ruin: A Dragon's Debt

1.9k Views · Ongoing · ashlennox8
Nyx would risk anything to save her dying sister. Even steal from a dragon. Even trust a prince who promised her a crown in exchange for the impossible.

But the prince lied. The dragon she touched bound itself to her soul and now she is trapped in the vampire kingdom with a king who has waited centuries for her return. King Caelan remembers everything. The love she destroyed and the great war she started. The lives she burned to ash with the very dragon now living inside her.

She remembers nothing.

He wants her to suffer for crimes she cannot recall. She wants to survive long enough to save her sister. But the bond between them refuses to stay buried and the dragon has its own plans. When she turns twenty and her fae powers awaken, Nyx discovers the truth is far more twisted than centuries of hatred.

The prince who sent her was the one who destroyed her family. The king who hates her saved the only person she loves. And the past life she cannot remember might be the key to stopping another war.

This time she will not run. This time she will burn the world herself if that is what it takes.