Oh, Holy Knight (Wicked Knights)
Page 1
Table of Contents
Oh, Holy Knight
!!STOP!!
Dedication
Also by Amelia Hutchins
Upcoming Series
Reading Order
Warning
Oh, Holy Knight
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
About the Author
Oh, Holy Knight
by
Amelia Hutchins
Oh, Holy Knight
Amazon Edition
Copyright ©February5th2019 Amelia Hutchins
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book in its entirety and in portions is the sole property of Amelia Hutchins.
Oh, Holy Knight Copyright ©2019 by Amelia Hutchins. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical without the express written permission of the author. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com Kindle Direct and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Authored By: Amelia Hutchins
Cover Art Design: Tenaya Jayne
Copy edited by: E & F Indie Services
Edited by: E & F Indie Services
Published by: Amelia Hutchins
Published in (United States of America)
!!STOP!!
Read the warning below before purchasing this book.
TRIGGER WARNING: This book includes scenes of graphic violence and sex does have scenes that might affect sensitive readers. Rape isn’t a joke, nor is it used for titillation in this book. If you know someone or have been a victim of rape yourself, get help. Don’t let this asshole get away with it because chances are, your attacker will do it to someone else. You’re not alone in this. Thousands of people are raped daily; there are hundreds of people who go free after attacking their victim because the victim is afraid to report or discuss the crime for a variety of reasons. No means no. If you or someone you know has been a victim of rape, get help. RAINN is available in many countries, and is a free confidential hotline. It is free to call and available 24/7 call
1-800-656-HOPE
Dedication
To the fans who always take a chance to read what comes next. To my team who work beside me, and never complain when I send them last minute changes. To everyone trying to just make it through the week, or doing their best. You’re enough. You’re brave, and fearless.
Also by Amelia Hutchins
The Fae Chronicles
Fighting Destiny
Taunting Destiny
Escaping Destiny
Seducing Destiny
Unraveling Destiny
Embracing Destiny - Coming Soon
The Elite Guards
A Demon’s Dark Embrace
Claiming the Dragon King
A Demon’s Plaything 2/9/2019
A Winter Court 3/2019
A Guardian’s Diary
Darkest Before Dawn
Death Before Dawn
Midnight Rising 2018 (Final Book)
Monsters Series
Playing With Monsters
Sleeping With Monsters
Becoming His Monster
Last Monster Book TBA
Upcoming Series
Wicked Knights
Oh, Holy Knight Novella
A Crown of Ashes
TBA
Reading Order
If you’re following the series for the Fae Chronicles, Elite Guards, and Monsters, reading order is as follows:
Fighting Destiny
Taunting Destiny
Escaping Destiny
Seducing Destiny
A Demon’s Dark Embrace
Playing With Monsters
Unraveling Destiny
Sleeping With Monsters
Claiming the Dragon King
Oh, Holy Knight
Becoming His Monster
A Demon’s Plaything (Love Potion Anthology)
A Winter Court
Warning
This book is dark. It’s sexy, hot, and intense. The author is human, as you are as well. Is the book perfect? It’s as perfect as I could make it. Are there mistakes? Probably, then again, even New York Times top published books have minimal mistakes because like me, they have human editors. There are words in this book that won’t be found in the standard dictionary, because they were created to set the stage for a paranormal-urban fantasy world. Words such as ‘sift’, ‘glamoured’, and ‘apparate’ are common in paranormal books and give better description to the action in the story than can be found in standard dictionaries. They are intentional and not mistakes.
About the hero: chances are you may not fall instantly in love with him, that’s because I don’t write men you instantly love; you grow to love them. I don’t believe in instant-love. I write flawed, raw, caveman-like assholes that eventually let you see their redeeming qualities. They are aggressive, assholes, one step above a caveman when we meet them. You may not even like him by the time you finish this book, but I promise you will love him by the end of this series.
About the heroine: There is a chance, that you might think she’s a bit naïve, or weak, but then again who starts out as a badass? Badasses are a product of growth and I am going to put her through hell, and you get to watch her come up swinging every time I knock her on her ass. That’s just how I do things. How she reacts to the set of circumstances she is put through, may not be how you as the reader, or I as the author would react to that same situation. Everyone reacts differently to circumstances and how Magdalena responds to her challenges, is how I see her as a character and as a person.
I don’t write love stories: I write fast paced, knock you on your ass, make you sit on the edge of your seat wondering what happens next books. If you’re looking for cookie cutter romance, this isn’t for you. If you can’t handle the ride, un-buckle your seatbelt and get out of the roller-coaster car now. If not, you’ve been warned. If nothing outlined above bothers you,
carry on and enjoy the ride!
Oh, Holy Knight
Chapter 1
I watched the Fae inside the club, dancing and celebrating the coming holiday like they didn’t have a worry in the world, when they should. Mages were thicker now than ever before. Not even the druids ignored the threat. Not with the walls of every world failing and allowing monsters to slither into ours.
I palmed my weapons and turned away from the club, lifting the hood of the jacket I wore and pulling it tightly around my head to protect me from the biting cold air that nipped at my flesh.
“They’re preoccupied,” I informed the Paladin watching my slow approach.
“For how long?” he questioned.
“If you like, I could ask them?” I snorted as I stopped mere feet from where he stood in pristine armor that glinted in the moon’s gaze.
“I am your superior, Erie,” he snapped coldly.
“So you are; still doesn’t change that I cannot foresee when they will finish for the night, Arthur,” I grumbled.
“And the Guild; is it empty?”
“I am not a seer,” I chided softly so as to not upset his superiority complex. “I cannot tell you it is if I am not inside it, now can I? If you’re afraid, I can go with you.”
“Drop the tone, druid,” he ordered as he crossed his arms and stared down his nose at me.
I knew what he was after, but I also knew it was no longer hidden within the Guild anymore. When the Guild fell, we’d taken it. They wanted what was ours, and even worse, they wanted to use us to obtain it. As if druids were no more than the creatures who bowed at the feet of the ancient Knight Order.
I crossed my arms over my chest to ward off the chill; little puffs of steam and smoke expelled from my lips as I stood in the garbage-strewn street waiting for him to decide if I had to go play fetch.
“I will retrieve it myself; you’re dismissed,” he said as he slid his faceguard into place and slowly slithered back to the shadows from which he’d come.
I exhaled the breath I’d held as his power reached out to touch against mine in a show of force and strength. A warning of who was stronger.
As much as they hated us, they needed us. We helped them keep the balance. There was also the little issue they had with a curse placed upon them for meddling where they shouldn’t have. They couldn’t procreate without female druids. The problem with that? I was the only female druid ever born. And I loathed them with a capital L.
Dropping my arms, I turned and found Callaghan watching me from the shadows. Another Knight? What the hell had I done to piss off the Gods? I bared my teeth as the male approached me, his gait surefooted and cocky as he moved towards me.
“Erie, as beautiful as ever,” he murmured. His tone was as cocky as his stride. “Arthur needing assistance, or do you get off on sending men to their untimely demise?”
“The Fae would not dare,” I replied coldly. “Play with him, yes. Kill him? No. They have enough war to deal with. I don’t think they’d ignite your wrath as well. You’re all so over dramatic as is. The entire world knows it.”
“You are a mere druid, Erie. Born of the magic of the cauldron of drahgar to serve us and this world,” he said silkily.
“I serve no man,” I grinned impishly letting him see the whites of my teeth.
Callaghan was unlike the other Paladins he served with, but his pride was a bane not even he could ignore. His bloodline was pure; his heart, on the other hand, was a lost cause. He had it stolen long ago in another time by someone who had wanted to break it. Now, now he worked with the Fae King and Queen to serve the Order’s needs.
His ocean blue eyes slowly trailed over the skintight suit I wore with a look I couldn’t name. Lust? His silver-blond hair glinted beneath the full moon as he slowly perused my body without care. My eyes rolled once, and then unbidden, they roved over the unique tattoos that covered his neck and slipped below the tight t-shirt he wore. My gaze dropped to linger at the amulet he wore that amassed power, pulling a constant flow to him for use.
“Like what you see, Erie?”
“You are rather pretty,” I admitted. “What do you want?” I asked, tearing my gaze from his to stare at my chipped nail polish.
“You are aware of the prophecy in which you were created for.” He stepped closer, invading my personal space. “Your time is near. You will be mine whether you like it or not. It’s time we do our parts to protect our people.” He continued talking as he backed me up until I was pressed against a brick wall. “Them or me, Erie,” he growled huskily. “If you’re mine, they’ll never dare to touch you. I will lead them one day; they respect me. You’re running out of time, and they are running out of patience. Do you know what Arthur seeks tonight?”
“He seeks the witch’s cauldron,” I snapped as I shoved him away from me.
“He seeks an amulet we created, one that controls free will,” he corrected as he turned to watch me as I distanced myself from him.
“So what, he can get some will of his own? We both know he could use some.”
“That’s not how it works. It removes the will of the one it is on. He was told to retrieve it so that it can be placed around your pretty little neck. As I have said, they’re done waiting. They want to make you into an incubator, Erie. With that trinket, they can do it and you’d never be the wiser.”
I shivered, anger mixing with fear as his words shook my confidence. Too late, I realized he’d seen what his words had done to me.
“You could be mine, carry my sons and remain at my side as my equal,” he said softly as his fingers trailed through his hair as he stared at me. His eyes captured mine in a silent plea, and I watched the darkness inside of him peering back at me.
“They have to catch me first,” I retorted.
“Arthur called you to him tonight, and what happened? You came. Your mother was from the Order, as pure of blood as my own was. In all reality, you should be one of us, but you’re not. You’re a druid; did you never wonder how that happened? You were handed to the druids to be trained and then returned to us when the time came. That tattoo on your wrist? I put it there. I placed ink into your flesh to bind us together; you and I, Erie. You were born a druid for a reason, and that was to be mine when the time was right. It’s here now, and so am I: to collect you.”
“You branded me like cattle?” I demanded.
“I gave you my signet to protect you,” he clarified as if it made it any better. “You have my seal, my name on your arm in our language. You’ve worn it since the day you were born. When the witches cursed us, you were created to be our fix that breaks the curse they placed to end our races. Every curse has a fix, and you are ours. If a Knight isn’t born once a century, we cease to exist. We serve the same cause, Erie. Don’t make this harder than it has to be. You won’t ever want for anything. I won’t hurt you as the others intend to do. I will leave you the use of your mind and that smart mouth of yours.”
I swallowed the scream that threatened to let loose from my lungs. “When was the last Knight born?” I pried.
“Ninety-nine years ago today,” he announced, and my stomach dropped to my feet as I looked up into his eyes.
“I won’t be yours or anyone else’s incubator, Callaghan. This is my life! I’m not something you just claim or drop this kind of shit on. I’m not even old in druid standards, I’m an infant!”
“You’re not young, Erie. You’re beautiful; you are ready to do what you were created to become. I’ve waited for you to be ready for me. I’ve given you ample time to come into your powers, you’re ready,” he returned softly, silk lacing every word.
I turned around and closed my eyes against the multitude of emotions that assaulted me at once. When I felt him closing in on me, I turned, stared into his eyes, and smiled coldly as he winced and looked between our bodies, wh
ere the blade protruded from his heart. His eyes snapped to mine as his hand grasped for me, only to find air where I’d stood.
“I won’t be yours or anyone else’s incubator, asshole.” I withdrew the blade and watched him drop to his knees on the cold, trash-littered street. It was where he belonged, where they all belonged.
Chapter 2
I paced aimlessly inside my apartment’s living room. The Christmas tree in the corner was no more than a car air freshener. But it wasn’t like there’d be any gifts to put under an actual tree, so it worked for me. I’d stolen lights from downtown, which now blinked on and off, basking the room in a pretty glow. The couch in the corner was scuffed up, but it had been that way when I’d discovered it here eons ago. Pictures of a happy couple covered the walls, which were painted a lighter shade of gray than I’d have chosen myself. I preferred all things dark, because I was sure if I had a soul, it was black and lifeless.
Moving into the bedroom, I stripped out of the blood-stained clothes which, blood that served as proof that I’d murdered Callaghan. Not that he’d actually die, but wishful thinking and all that jazz. Water dripped from the other room, reminding me that a hot bath awaited my aching bones. Abandoning the bedroom for the bathroom, I exhaled the pang of regret that entered my mind, clenching my heart in a vise.