Breath of Fire

by Amanda Bouchet

  Terror closes in on me like a club swinging down with brutal force. I can’t leave Griffin. There’s Eleni!

  But if it’s not me, it’s Griffin or Kaia. That simply can’t happen. I won’t let it.

  Griffin’s fingers dig painfully into my arm. He’s gone impossibly rigid and pale. I feel more than hear his breath hitch, and know the sickening whoosh of betrayal is sweeping through his body like an ax cleaving him in two.

  “Only request?” The slightly baffled look on Piers’s face makes me think he translated the old parchments wrong. You don’t call a God just to get rid of someone. There are weapons for that, sometimes bare hands, and if you’re a sneak and a cheat, there’s always poison. You don’t call a God to do that kind of dirty work. You call a God to request something epic, something you can’t possibly accomplish on your own. Losing a soul close to you is the consequence, a payment of sorts—one people finally caught on to. That’s why they eventually hid the scrolls, burying them deep in the archives of the knowledge temples.

  Not deep enough, obviously.

  “Believe me, she’s enough,” Piers finally says with enough acidity to practically slap me in the face.

  I stare, starting to shake and horrified on so many levels. He’s unbelievable. And criminally shortsighted. Piers has done the unthinkable, so he might as well at least help out the brother whose heart he’s tearing out. I can hardly believe it, it’s so unconscionable. He doesn’t even want Ares’s assistance—the God of War—to help Griffin conquer Fisa?

  Ares folds his arms over his chest, making his monstrous biceps bulge. Something in the Olympian’s expression must make Piers think Ares needs some convincing.

  On sale January 2018

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  My first thanks and immense gratitude are for my husband and children, who have seen less of me over the last year than any of us ever imagined they would. Their patience and understanding every time I shut myself away to write and then said, “just two more minutes”—which inevitably turned into an hour—make them the best kind of superheroes in my mind. My parents and sister have also been there for me every step of the way. Your encouragement, help, and enthusiasm mean the world to me. I’m so lucky to have such a wonderful and generous family, and I love you all!

  My heartfelt thanks also go to my dynamite editor, Cat Clyne, for all her efforts and time spent helping to make this book shine. I love what we did with it together! I’m incredibly grateful to the whole Sourcebooks team for their excitement, support, and hard work. I’d especially like to thank Amelia Narigon for being such an extraordinary publicist and Rachel Gilmer for her eagle eye. My sincere thanks also to Dawn Adams and Gene Mollica for creating the most amazing book cover I’ve ever seen.

  I’d also like to express my appreciation and admiration for my agent, Jill Marsal, who knows just how to encourage and reassure, and who never leaves me hanging with a question, despite the nine-hour time difference between us. You’re the best!

  I’m also incredibly grateful and excited to have had the support and encouragement of Darynda Jones, Nalini Singh, Damon Suede, C.L. Wilson, and Thea Harrison. The kindness these wonderful authors have shown me has been beyond amazing!

  Also, to the bloggers, book enthusiasts, and reviewers who have gone out of their ways to help this series get noticed, I can never thank you enough! And to the readers who have connected with me personally over the last months, please believe me when I say you make my days.

  Finally, thank you to the friends I’ve made on this writing journey. Rusty, Adriana, and Heather—you ladies help keep me sane, whether we’re crying, talking about books or Alpha heroes, worrying over deadlines, or just trying to figure this whole thing out. And Callie—I’m so grateful that I can always count on you for an email that makes me laugh or helps me feel better about something, a much-needed break, a last-minute proofread, or simply being on my side. You’re the most amazing friend a person could ever have. You’re my anchor and my kite.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Award-winning author Amanda Bouchet grew up in New England and studied French at the undergraduate and graduate levels, first at Bowdoin College and then at Bowling Green State University. She moved to Paris, France, in 2001 and has been there ever since. She met her husband while studying abroad, and the family now includes two bilingual children, who will soon be correcting her French.

  Breath of Fire is Amanda’s second novel. For contact details and to find out more about the Kingmaker Chronicles, please visit her website at amandabouchet.com.

  Thank you for reading!

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