by Cait Marie
Lee opened his mouth, but she cut him off with a loud gasp. It felt as if all the air was sucked from her lungs. Her knees shook then gave out, and Lee grabbed her before she could fall completely. He held her by the waist, begging her to breathe, to listen for a moment, but she shook her head as tears fell.
“She figured it out.” Ada met his eyes. “That’s why he killed her.”
Lee’s jaw dropped. He shut it quickly and reached up to brush the wetness from her cheeks.
Her breath came too fast. “She didn’t just know you were real and out there. She figured out you’re the lost prince. She must have found the real treaty and put it all together. She knew how to break the curse, and he killed her for it.”
She dug the dagger out of her coat pocket and turned it over in her hand. She didn’t know where the sheath was, but the blood had been cleaned from the blade. Her mother had given Shane the treaty hidden within a scepter. She’d given Ada the Nihryst cards and book. She knew it all.
And she knew to keep it from their father.
“She knew he was going to kill her,” Ada whispered, thinking back on her last night with the queen. Her mother had insisted on reading that story that night before bed. Not Ada.
“Ada, stop.” Lee gripped her wrist, and she looked to the blood dripping down her palm.
She’d held the blade too tight, not realizing it was cutting her. Lee cursed and grabbed a cloth from a nearby drawer. She put the blade on the floor as he held her injured hand. But there was no pain.
“It’s not deep,” he said. “Just a small… cut…”
His words trailed off, and she glanced back down, scared of what she’d see—of what she’d feared since waking up. No one had an answer as to why or how she came back to life.
She’d seen it before though.
She’d seen the man in front of her come back after a fatal wound. The man still cursed as an immortal.
With a deep breath, she watched the cut turn to a faint pink line mirroring the one she’d seen on Lee’s hand in the church.
And before her eyes, it faded to nothing.
Soldiers moved about the large room in haste. They sharpened weapons and gathered gear. The sound of clanking armor filled the space, making its way up to the man standing on the balcony, watching as they prepared for war.
“The troops will be ready soon,” a soldier said, walking up the steps.
“Good.” The man at the balcony gripped the rail. “We leave for the southeastern hills at the top of the hour.”
The man bowed and returned to the others. Corralling them and getting ready for battle.
They didn’t know the truth behind the upcoming fight, but that didn’t matter. They were soldiers.
They followed the orders given from their king.
And they didn’t question him.
To refrain from being repetitive of my other books, I’m going to keep it super short and simple. There are so many people to thank, and I know I’m going to forget someone, so just know I love you all.
First and foremost, thank you to my family. Immediate or distant, you have all been incredibly supportive. I’m so grateful for all of you buying my books, hyping them up, and making your friends read them. You have no idea how much it means to me.
My unofficial beta readers—aka friends who read the book first, put up with my 3 a.m. ramblings and questions about what words to use to describe rivers, and cheered me on as I stayed up for multiple days editing without sleep. Stephanie Wyatt, Katie Robinson (no, TLA is not done yet), Brandi Goss, Jennifer Gardner, and Leah Miller, thank you all for the feedback, constant reassurances, and support. You’re all the best.
An extra special bonus thank you to Leah for reading it AGAIN after the final revisions as a last minute proofreader.
A shout out to Melissa A. Craven for editing and once again bringing out the best version of this book as possible. Thank you for guiding me in becoming a better writer.
Thank you to my amazing PA, Heather Dowell, for keeping me sane and helping me stay on track. And thank you Stephanie Augustine, from Skye Book Tours, for organizing the cover reveal, blog tour, and ARC distribution.
Matt Amaro for being the best friend ever and literally telling everyone at his own wedding that I’m an author and that they need to read my books. Ashleigh Underwood for helping me (making me) reorganize my life and slow down so I can focus on the things I love and not be stressed out 24/7. The Word Splurge group for encouraging me to put my books first from time to time and for giving me a place to do so.
And finally, thank you to all the readers who immediately fell in love with The Lost Legends. Your appreciation for these characters truly warms soul. I’m so glad they have found a place in your heart as they have mine. Please don’t hate me after this book.
All her life, Cait Marie has loved fairy tales. When she discovered a passion for writing in 2015, she knew she had finally found the right path.
Cait is the creator and manager of Functionally Fictional. In 2019, she joined the indie staff of YA Books Central as a reviewer and then Indie Co-Manager in 2020. From 2017 to 2020, she held multiple positions within Coffee House Writers, including C.O.O., Editor, Advertising Supervisor, and Writer. She graduated with honors in 2019 from Southern New Hampshire University with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, and she is currently enrolled in their Master of Fine Arts program.
She lives in Indiana, where she freelance edits and provides a variety of other author services. When she’s not writing or reading, she can usually be found watching Disney movies, creating pages in her bullet journal, painting, or singing showtunes to annoy her family and cats.
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