by Amanda Foody
His first day as a senator had been nothing short of disastrous.
“I know her,” she said. “I know Pup, their seconds...all of them. I could be a useful tool to have at your disposal.”
She studied him carefully, knowingly. Harrison had gone to great lengths to keep his secret. He’d burned and discarded every piece of his birthright.
Except one.
“I’m surprised Pup never noticed, after all that time spent with Scavenger,” she said. “I realized it at the execution. I was there, too. Jonas was waiting for you to help him.”
Harrison had learned from his mother’s mistakes not to get too attached. Jonas’s death inconvenienced him more than it upset him, even if Jonas had held out hope that he’d be saved. But Harrison had sent him to St. Morse to die.
“Clever,” he said quietly. “So what exactly do you want?”
“At least one of your omertas is now vacant, and I’m willing to make a trade.” Sophia stood up and held out her hand, but it wasn’t to shake. “I’ll be your chess piece.”
Never had Harrison seen someone offer themselves to him before. No one volunteered to be a victim. But now it had happened twice in three days, and the coincidence of it all made him suspicious.
He narrowed his eye. “And in exchange?”
Sophia tossed a golden Shadow Card on the table—the Lovers. Harrison recognized it immediately from the night before, but he couldn’t imagine how Sophia had obtained it. It wasn’t her card.
It was his.
“I want a key to the House of Shadows.”
* * *
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My “girl gang” book, as I’ve grown to call it over the years, would not have been possible without the support of so many talented and wonderful people—many badass women included.
Thank you to Christine Lynn Herman—if I ever found myself wanted and on the run with two bodies in the trunk of my car, you are the person I’d want riding beside me.
To my agent, Brianne Johnson, who fought for me every step of this process, I am in awe of your savviness and grateful to count you in my crew.
To my editor, Lauren Smulski, who never batted an eyelash when I told her how long and complicated this book would be. Thank you for your faith in me.
To Meg Kohlmann, kissing scene editor extraordinaire. To Amanda Haas, fellow accounting mastermind. To Katy Rose Pool, tireless champion. And to all the other amazing women in the Cult: Melody Simpson, Akshaya Raman, Janella Angeles, Kat Cho, Claribel Ortega, Mara Fitzgerald, Erin Bay, Alexis Castellanos, and Tara Sim. You all inspire me as a creator and a person.
To Kaitlyn Sage Patterson, who has often felt like a partner in crime during this journey.
To Laura Gianino, Jennifer Abbots, Evan Brown, and the entire team at Inkyard for their work in making this series a success.
To the many other wonderful minds who have traveled with me into the world of New Reynes, including Zoe Sivak, Jena DeBois, Sarah Hudson, and Audrey Fae Dion.
To the OwlCrate team for placing Ace of Shades into the hands of such a vibrant, enthusiastic community of readers.
A special thank-you to the #ShadowGang for your incredible efforts to share this series with the world.
To my family and friends for always supporting my creative endeavors. To Jelly Bean, who contributed countless typos to this manuscript while walking across my keyboard. And to Ben, who patiently listens to me ramble about all my ideas, no matter the hour—I suppose I’ll finally let you read the book now.King of FoolsAmanda Foody
ISBN-13: 9781488034282
King of Fools
Copyright © 2019 by Amanda Foody
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