by K.N. Lee
Koa’s face paled. Their black eyes searched her hallway.
No, Koa thought with cold realization. Her skin crawled with dread. It’s not possible. “Syths,” she whispered in a hiss. They heard her. Four black eyes looked up and met hers.
Koa pulled back. Her pulse raced. These were creatures of folklore and mythology, but Koa knew the truth. Such creatures did exist. It was just that they shouldn’t be in the human world. She gulped. Something was definitely wrong.
“Shit!” No time to run now. Boots stomped down the marble floor. Dread washed over her, making her skin feel prickly.
Two Syths, equipped with crossbows. Koa knew what those arrows were laced with. Her stomach pumped with anxiety. Why were they in her house?
Raven came around the corner and leisurely sat in the middle of the hall. Koa’s anxiety was replaced with fury. No one had ever invaded her home.
Koa glared over at Raven.
“Fine. Just sit there and let me do all of the work,” she said to the black cat. Koa yelped as a large hand reached for her long black and blue hair. She grabbed the hand and with a push off the ground, she leapt.
Her feet climbed up the air as if by invisible stairs. With a surge of energy, she took flight. She grunted as she lifted the large man’s weight off the ground and flew upward. He used his other arm to direct the point of his crossbow at her.
Koa’s eyes widened and she pursed her lips. She saw the red poisonous bolt ready to be released. The second Syth waited below as Koa went higher and higher up the tall, vaulted ceiling. It was cold up there, and pitch black, but Koa could still see the Syth’s illuminated face.
An arrow zipped past her and she gasped. “Come quietly, Koa, and we won’t have to hurt you,” the Syth below shouted. “Our master doesn’t want you dead. He just wants us to bring you in.”
She snorted. “No thanks. I like my world just fine.” Koa looked down at the Syth whose hand she held. It was rare to see one of his kind.
His lips curled into a malicious grin. “Yes, come quietly, my pretty,” he whispered. His voice was like nails on gravel. “You know you don’t belong here with the humans…”
Koa gazed into those soulless black eyes and felt her stomach churn with dread. They were like small, black beads. The tattoos around his eyes were inscriptions of a dialect that didn’t exist in this world. Someone was letting rogue nephilim out of the Netherworld.
“And neither do you,” she said and with an evil grin, she let go of his hand.
He cried out and fell nearly fifty feet. Koa heard a satisfying crunch of bones. She smirked. Still, it wasn’t enough to kill a Syth. Those bones were probably regenerating already. Koa hadn’t encountered many since she’d become a Netherworld agent, but Netherworld beings were extremely hard to kill.
Koa darted away from another arrow and into the darkness of her empty manor. She stood on the ceiling, upside down, yet defying gravity as she looked down at the two shadows below. She considered all of her options. She could fly out of that window ahead or she could go back and kill them.
Syths were dangerous. She couldn’t let them get away. But her weapons were in her vault. In order to reach her vault, she would need to go past the Syths. How silly of her to think that she was safe. Not even her home was sacred anymore.
Nearly five years as an agent in Halston’s Netherworld Division, and Koa was still caught off guard.
Koa frowned. Halston was right. She should have moved a long time ago. She could already see Halston’s self-satisfied smile. She hoped she’d make it out alive to see that smile again.
Something caught her attention: a glittering light below. Raven’s green eyes glowed.
Like a bolt of lightning, Koa shot through the darkness to Raven. Determination filled her veins. She could make it. She had to.
Bolts bounced off the walls and sparked along the floor. Her heart pumped, but her face was set with purpose. She smiled when she saw her Lyrinian sword lying on the floor, like a beacon of hope in the darkness.
The second Raven stepped away from it, Koa grabbed the silver hilt. A jolt of power slammed into her palm and flooded her body. She gritted her teeth and embraced the euphoric pain the sword caused her. The blade shot out, lengthening from the size of a small dagger to that of a full-sized sword. The jagged blade was a dark metal, rippled with black engravings.
Netherworld dialect.
Koa grinned. Once the initial pain subsided, the power made her feel invincible. The Lyrinian sword had been her father’s. He had trained her to use it when she was only a little girl. This weapon was not of this world—and would not be put away until all evil was vanquished.
“Thanks, Raven.”
The cat seemed to nod.
Koa cried out as a bolt nipped her right cheek. The pain was surprising. It sizzled. Blood dripped from her face as her hand shot to cover the wound.
Her green eyes went dark. She balled up her fist and tightened her grasp around the sword. She narrowed her eyes and turned around. They pulled the triggers on their bows and heard empty snips.
Koa gave them a cold grin and yet there was no amusement in her voice. “You picked the wrong girl to mess with.”
They were out of bolts. Both Syths skidded to a stop. Almost frantically, they reached behind them and into their quivers to reload.
As Koa took a step forward, their eyes went wild with fear of the small girl before them.
Koa held her sword’s black blade at her side. It pulsed with craving for blood—the blood of the evil ones that would increase its power.
Charging at them, Koa was lifted to her toes and. She spun and slashed one of the Syths across his side, a sizzling sound filling the air around them. Her white teeth flashed as the blade burned an iridescent red at the first taste of blood.
The blade craved blood and she would sate it.
It didn’t stop at the bone. It didn’t even pause. The glowing blade sliced through his spine with ease until the man was cut in half. It sped up only when it came through his other side and into the cold air of the manor.
The Lyrinian sword’s red light encased the black blade and heat radiated along her flesh.
She clenched her jaw as the blade went cleanly though the other man, separating him at his waist. Their cries filled the entire manor as she sliced them to bits.
Both Syths lay on the floor in pieces. Koa kicked their crossbows away, not that they had hands connected to their arms anymore. Her chest heaved as she stood over them. Smoke rose from the blade of her Lyrinian sword. Koa watched their pale white faces, waiting. Blood pooled onto her floor. She watched it gather around her bare feet.
Raven sauntered over. She sat down and licked her front paw. Her green eyes looked up innocently into Koa’s matching green eyes. “Shall we leave now?” she asked, in her mother’s voice.
Koa’s shoulders slumped. She looked over at the cat. “Yes.” She nodded and looked down at the blood pooling between her white toes. “But first, I must clean up this mess.”
Available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited
About the Author
K.N. Lee is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She is the author of the Dragon-Born Saga, Eura Chronicles, Wonderland University, and the Chronicles of Koa series. When she is not writing twisted urban fantasy, epic tales of dragons, pirates, and mermaids, and dark poetry, she does a great deal of traveling and spending time with her family. Wannabe rockstar, foreign language enthusiast, and anime geek, K.N. Lee also enjoys gaming and sketching. She is a winner of the Elevate Lifestyle Top 30 Under 30 "Future Leaders of Charlotte" award for her success as a writer, business owner, and for community service.
She is signed with Captive Quill Press and Patchwork Press.
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Also by K.N. LEE
The Chronicles of Koa Series:
Netherworld
Dark Prophet
Blood Princess
Dragon Born Saga:
Half-Blood Dragon
Magic-Born Dragon
Queen of the Dragons
War of the Dragons
Fate of the Dragons
Curse of the Dragons
The Eura Chronicles:
Rise of the Flame
Night of the Storm
Dawn of the Forgotten (Coming Soon)
Prophecy of the Seer (Coming Soon)
Empire of Dragons:
Fallen Empire
Reign of Magic
Dawn of Dragons
Wonderland University:
The Red Queen
The Sea Witch
The Ice Princess
THE GRAND ELITE CASTER TRILOGY:
Silenced
Summoned (Coming Soon)
Sacrificed (Coming Soon)
THE FALLEN GODS TRILOGY:
Goddess of War
Goddess of Ruin (Coming Soon)
Queen of Chaos
STANDALONE NOVELLAS:
The Scarlett Legacy
Liquid Lust
Spell Slinger
Academia of the Beast
Lost in Laguna
More from K.N. Lee
Rise of the Flame (Epic Fantasy)
In a magical world where fairies, elves, and dragons exist, one girl is the key to saving humanity. But, can she escape slavery in time?
Half-Blood Dragon (Young Adult Epic Fantasy)
Time is running out for half-blood, Rowen, a lady-in-waiting to a princess. While the two princes of the Dragon Court vie for her affection, she spends her days and nights dreaming of a future free from prejudice based on her lineage. The half-blood is not who she appears to be. As a prophet, she knows what the fate of the realm holds, and it's not the grand parties the kingdom is used to.
Netherworld (Urban Paranormal Fantasy)
In a world where vampires and fallen angels have devised a peace treaty, humans either live their lives oblivious to the supernatural creatures living amongst them, or actively take part byselling their blood. The Vampire Registration System has kept everyone from killing one another...until now.
The Scarlett Legacy (Paranormal Romance)
Wizards. Dragon shifters. Mobsters with magic. Welcome to Westerly Creek, where one family of wizards give new meaning to organized crime.
Goddess of War (Young Adult Fantasy) Unsuspecting humans. Fallen gods in disguise. A battle for the entire universe.
The Red Queen (YA/NA Paranormal Fantasy)
Graduating highschool was a piece of cake. Try surviving a college where fairies make up the cheerleading squad, doorways open to other worlds, and finals are life or death. Literally.
Welcome to Wonderland University.
Academia of the Beast (New Adult Paranormal Romance)
Allyn escaped the hunters once before. As a witch, she risks capture by the ruling Baran wolf-shifter clan every day.
Fallen Empire (Epic Fantasy)
They say the Age of Dragons ended after the War on Magic, but hiding in the forgotten lands remains one clan destined to reclaim their ancestral home.
Liquid Lust (New Adult Romance)
Sohana needed a fresh start. Arthur--a British billionaire has an enticing offer. Neither expected their arrangement to spark something more.
Discover more books and learn more about K.N. Lee on knlee.com.