Book Read Free

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire: A Blood and Ash Novel

Page 65

by Jennifer L. Armentrout


  It was Jasper. During the battle at Spessa’s End, I hadn’t realized how large he was.

  The silver wolven stopped in front of me, meeting my wide-eyed stare with those unnerving, glowing eyes, and I knew if I ran or reached for the fallen dagger to protect myself, I wouldn’t make it an inch.

  A shivery sense of awareness drew my gaze from Jasper, from the wolven, and beyond the statue of Nyktos.

  Casteel came up the steps, his dark hair wet and windblown as if he’d run faster than the wind could travel. Faint traces of red streaked his face as he stalked forward, features stark and chin dipped low.

  It struck me then, sort of dumbly, that Casteel looked like some kind of god standing there. In black, with his swords strapped to his sides, and the near brutal hardness that had settled into the striking planes and angles of his features, he reminded me of the god Theon.

  Jasper turned to the Prince. The other wolven stopped circling me. Casteel’s chest rose and fell heavily as he stepped around a body, stopping only when Jasper let out a low rumble of warning.

  He drew up short, taking in me, the wolven, the bodies, and the lit torches. His eyes widened a fraction as something akin to understanding flickered across his face.

  “My gods,” he uttered. Golden eyes met and held mine as Casteel crossed his arms, withdrawing his swords.

  Air lodged in my throat as pressure clamped down on my chest, squeezing my heart.

  Casteel hadn’t arrived alone.

  Others were climbing the steps. Naill. Emil. Alastir. Familiar faces. Nameless ones. My senses flickered to life in me, sensing…sensing fear and awe and so many different emotions that I was afraid it would all overwhelm me again, and I would…

  I didn’t even know what I’d done.

  Growls rumbled from the other wolven as two more crested the top of the stairs, followed by several dressed as the ones sprawled across the ground, their golden swords drawn. I should be concerned by them, but it was the two who had entered before them that captured my attention.

  A tall, blond man, broad of shoulder and dressed in a white tunic stained from the blood rain, whose cut jaw, straight nose, and high cheekbones were painfully familiar. He drew up short, his hand going to the sword at his side.

  “Impossible,” breathed the woman who stood beside him, her hair a glossy onyx tucked back in a loose knot at the nape of her neck. The shape of her eyes and her mouth was also familiar, and she was beautiful, absolutely as breathtaking as the disbelief that poured from her.

  Even if it weren’t for the similarities, the crowns of twisted, bleached bone would’ve told me who they were.

  Queen Eloana’s hand pressed to the bodice of her simple, sleeveless lavender gown—a gown stained by the rain that had fallen. “Hawke…”

  The silvery glow around me pulled back and faded, seeping into my skin as my entire body shuddered.

  “What have you done?” she asked, her eyes as vibrant as her son’s as she stepped forward. “What have you brought back?”

  “It’s not too late,” Alastir spoke, startling me. “It’s not, Eloana—”

  “Yes.” Her gaze swept back to me, to where the wolven surrounded me and then to her son.

  My gaze swiveled back to Casteel. He stood right there, no more than a dozen feet or so from me, but it seemed like an impossible distance, an impassible gulf.

  He stood right there.

  Hawke.

  Casteel.

  The Prince of Atlantia.

  The Dark One.

  My husband.

  My heartmate.

  Casteel lowered to one knee, crossing the swords over his chest as he bowed his head between the vee of the deadly sharp blades. A stuttered heartbeat passed, and he lifted his chin just enough that he saw me.

  The wolven sank onto their haunches, heads bowed, but their lips peeling back in snarls as those behind the King and Queen quietly advanced.

  “Yes, it is,” his mother spoke again, reaching up and curling her fingers around the twisted bones.

  Queen Eloana removed her crown, and with wide eyes, I watched her place it on the Temple floor, at the feet of the statue of Nyktos.

  With a whoosh of air, flames roared from the stone torch of Nyktos, flickering and dancing in the wind. The other torches followed suit, fire sparking to life, and the bones of the crown shimmered, the bleached whiteness of them cracking, slipping away and turning to ash, revealing the gilded bones underneath.

  “Lower your swords,” she commanded, her chin lifting even as she lowered to one knee, even as a potent, helpless sort of rage drenched the space around her, one that carried the stench of a long-buried fear come to fruition. “And bow before the…before the last descendent of the most ancient ones, she who carries the blood of the King of the Gods within her. Bow before your new Queen.”

  Get your free copy of the Red Pearl bonus scene here!

  Discover More Jennifer L. Armentrout

  If you’re Team Hawke, you will love Caden.

  If your Royal is Casteel, you’ll fall for the Prince.

  Discover the Summer King Trilogy…

  The Prince: A Wicked Novella

  Click here to purchase.

  She’s everything he wants….

  Cold. Heartless. Deadly. Whispers of his name alone bring fear to fae and mortals alike. The Prince. There is nothing in the mortal world more dangerous than him. Haunted by a past he couldn’t control, all Caden desires is revenge against those who’d wronged him, trapping him in never-ending nightmare. And there is one person he knows can help him.

  She’s everything he can’t have…

  Raised within the Order, Brighton Jussier knows just how dangerous the Prince is, reformed or not. She’d seen firsthand what atrocities he could be capable of. The last thing she wants to do is help him, but he leaves her little choice. Forced to work alongside him, she begins to see the man under the bitter ice. Yearning for him feels like the definition of insanity, but there’s no denying the heat in his touch and the wicked promise is his stare.

  She’s everything he’ll take….

  But there’s someone out there who wants to return the Prince to his former self. A walking, breathing nightmare that is hell bent on destroying the world and everyone close to him. The last thing either of them needs is a distraction, but with the attraction growing between them each now, the one thing he wants more than anything may be the one thing that will be his undoing.

  She’s everything he’d die for….

  * * * *

  The King: A Wicked Novella

  Click here to purchase.

  From #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes the next installment in her Wicked series.

  As Caden and Brighton's attraction grows despite the odds stacked against a happily ever after, they must work together to stop an Ancient fae from releasing the Queen, who wants nothing more than to see Caden become the evil Prince once feared by fae and mortals alike.

  * * * *

  The Queen: A Wicked Novella

  Click here to purchase.

  The King must have his Queen....

  Bestowed the forbidden Summer’s Kiss by the King of the Summer fae, Brighton Jussier is no longer just human. What she is, what she will become, no one knows for sure, but that isn’t her biggest concern at the moment. Now Caden, the King, refuses to let her go, even at the cost of his Court. When the doorway to the Otherworld is breached, both Brighton and Caden must do the unthinkable—not just to survive themselves, but also to save mankind from the evil that threatens the world.

  * * * *

  From Blood and Ash

  Click here to purchase.

  Captivating and action-packed, From Blood and Ash is a sexy, addictive, and unexpected fantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Laura Thalassa.

  A Maiden…

  Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Neve

r to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers.

  A Duty…

  The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.

  A Kingdom…

  Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.

  * * * *

  Dream of You: A Wait For You Novella

  Click here to purchase.

  Abby Erickson isn't looking for a one-night stand, a relationship, or anything that involves any one-on-one time, but when she witnesses a shocking crime, she's thrust into the hands of the sexiest man she's ever seen - Colton Anders. His job is to protect her, but with every look, every touch, and every simmering kiss, she's in danger of not only losing her life but her heart also.

  Sign up for the Blue Box Press/1001 Dark Nights Newsletter

  and be entered to win a Tiffany Lock necklace.

  There's a contest every quarter!

  Click here to subscribe.

  As a bonus, all subscribers can download FIVE FREE exclusive books!

  Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Seven

  Click here for more information.

  THE BISHOP by Skye Warren

  A Tanglewood Novella

  TAKEN WITH YOU by Carrie Ann Ryan

  A Fractured Connections Novella

  DRAGON LOST by Donna Grant

  A Dark Kings Novella

  SEXY LOVE by Carly Phillips

  A Sexy Series Novella

  PROVOKE by Rachel Van Dyken

  A Seaside Pictures Novella

  RAFE by Sawyer Bennett

  An Arizona Vengeance Novella

  THE NAUGHTY PRINCESS by Claire Contreras

  A Sexy Royals Novella

  THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT by Darynda Jones

  A Charley Davidson Novella

  CHARMED by Lexi Blake

  A Masters and Mercenaries Novella

  SACRIFICE OF DARKNESS by Alexandra Ivy

  A Guardians of Eternity Novella

  THE QUEEN by Jen Armentrout

  A Wicked Novella

  BEGIN AGAIN by Jennifer Probst

  A Stay Novella

  VIXEN by Rebecca Zanetti

  A Dark Protectors/Rebels Novella

  SLASH by Laurelin Paige

  A Slay Series Novella

  THE DEAD HEAT OF SUMMER by Heather Graham

  A Krewe of Hunters Novella

  WILD FIRE by Kristen Ashley

  A Chaos Novella

  MORE THAN PROTECT YOU by Shayla Black

  A More Than Words Novella

  LOVE SONG by Kylie Scott

  A Stage Dive Novella

  CHERISH ME by J. Kenner

  A Stark Ever After Novella

  SHINE WITH ME by Kristen Proby

  A With Me in Seattle Novella

  And new from Blue Box Press:

  TEASE ME by J. Kenner

  A Stark International Novel

  FROM BLOOD AND ASH by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  A Blood and Ash Novel

  QUEEN MOVE by Kennedy Ryan

  THE HOUSE OF LONG AGO by Steve Berry and MJ Rose

  A Cassiopeia Vitt Adventure

  THE BUTTERFLY ROOM by Lucinda Riley

  A KINGDOM OF FLESH AND FIRE by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  A Blood and Ash Novel

  Discover the World Of 1001 Dark Nights

  Collection One

  Collection Two

  Collection Three

  Collection Four

  Collection Five

  Collection Six

  Bundles

  Discovery Authors

  Blue Box Press

  Rising Storm

  Liliana Hart's MacKenzie Family

  Lexi Blake's Crossover Collection

  Kristen Proby's Crossover Collection

  On Behalf of Blue Box Press,

  Liz Berry, M.J. Rose, and Jillian Stein would like to thank ~

  Steve Berry

  Doug Scofield

  Benjamin Stein

  Kim Guidroz

  Social Butterfly PR

  Ashley Wells

  Chelle Olson

  Hang Le

  Stephanie Brown

  Chris Graham

  Jessica Johns

  Dylan Stockton

  Celia Taylor Mobley

  Richard Blake

  and Simon Lipskar

  Table of Contents

  Book Description

  Book Description

  About Jennifer L. Armentrout

  Also from Jennifer L. Armentrout

  Acknowledgments from the Author

  Dedication

  Map

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

 

 

 

-->

‹ Prev