by A. K. Koonce
“That, my Prince, is your kingdom.”
The End
The Hopeless Series continues! Book two, Hopeless Kingdom is now available on preorder, releasing March 6th! Turn the page for an advanced (unedited) sneak peek at Hopeless Kingdom!
Chapter One
Welcome to Juvar
The heavy shackles slam against my wrist the moment the anchor drops into the crashing waves. My hands fall in front of me with the weight of the chain and cuffs.
The warmth of the flames clinging to the crumbling buildings overwhelms my senses. Hot air surrounds me and sweat begins to trickle down my spine.
A mass of people litters the muddy shore. Gray foam laps in from the dark sea, clinging to their legs as they wait for the people of this ship to descend. Big flakes of ash fall from the heavens, kissing my face as I hold my head high.
Pain shoots through my jaw from how tightly I’m clenching it together. The soldiers look at me with nervousness flashing in their darting gazes. They watch me closely even as they start to cuff Ryder, Daxdyn and Darrio’s wrists.
The three large and intimidating fae men hold their hands out submissively as they wait their turn for the shackles to bind their hands.
What the fuck is happening right now?
None of them meet my glaring gaze.
“What did you do?” I ask, my words clipping out through clenched teeth. My attention burns over Ryder and he still doesn’t have the balls to look at me.
The soldiers look to Prince Ryder, waiting for his response.
He demanded I come here. This exiled prince insisted I bring them to the city of Juvar. Maybe he isn’t in exile at all.
Daxdyn manipulates emotions. Apparently, he’s much better at manipulation than I gave him credit for.
It’s then that I look to Darrio. My throat tightens as I recall the way he opened up to me and I have to look away toward the billowing smoke of Juvar. The thick pollution chokes my airways even more with a mixture of uneven breaths and heavy betrayal.
I’m a fucking idiot.
But I’m not fucking helpless.
The light clinking of my chains is barely heard over the shouts from the residents on the coast.
“The Hopeless have returned to us. They have returned to save us all.” It’s a chant. An ominous and demanding chant that doesn’t sound like admiration. It sounds like crying pleas. It sounds like screaming threats.
My hands clasp around the hilt of my father’s sword, one finger after the other. I clutch it familiarly, comforted by the sense of belonging.
The pull of my arms lifting the sword, sends my whole body into a fluid movement of defense. My arms tense into position with the blade held with aim, my core tightens and my legs crouch just slightly. Everything in me is fueled by survival.
These fae, who I almost trusted, just sold me out.
Friendship isn’t comparable to revenge.
They think I was a shitty friend? Just wait till they see what a fucking atrocious enemy I can be.
The clanking of my chains signals my intent and the soldiers notice me a moment too late. My blade slashes through the ribs of one before the thundering of my boots carry me on to the next one. Three soldiers fall before I’m thrashing in Ryder’s stunned face. Wide blue eyes look down on me.
“You did this. I trusted you and you did this to me?” My voice is a shaking scream and the aim of my sword accompanies my words. The thick, iron chains binding his wrists comes up just in time to block the edge of my bloody blade.
With a quick jerking of his arms, he coils his chains around my sword until it tears from my palms and clatters to the damp wooden floor of the ship.
“Kara, stop,” Daxdyn says, his warm arms rise above me and slip around me. The black chain on his wrists encompass my body with my back pressing into his chest. His corded strength clings to my small frame. Anger shakes through my body.
I hope they burn here. I hope they all burn in the center circle of hell that is this destroyed city.
Ash settles on my tongue with every heaving breath I take and I force myself to just breathe. To just stop my thrashing and take a breath.
A bitter calm pushes into my chest and the few soldiers who are left, stand with apparent tension in their bodies. Everyone watches me with close attention.
When my eyes slowly open, I’m staring right at Darrio. The corners of his lips are turned down and his steely gaze is filled with worry.
Regret is held there in his beautiful eyes.
Fuck him.
With a jarring movement, my head slams back into Daxdyn’s perfect nose.
Pain soars through my skull but I don’t pause to feel it.
A groan is heard with the sound of a satisfying crack of his nose.
I hope it heals with a slight angle.
He deserves more than just a small flaw on his absurdly gorgeous face but it’s the best I can do at the moment.
He releases his hold on me, his hands coming up to cover the crimson blood that’s gushing from his face. Then everyone on the ship is on me. My legs bend beneath their force. Their strong arms push me face down onto the damp floor. The smell of wood fills my senses as my cheek smashes into the deck.
“Zakara stop struggling. Just stop.” Darrio’s voice pushes past the angry shouts of the soldiers and it only fuels my anger even more.
My teeth bite down sharply on an anonymous hand. My palms sneak around the dagger strapped to my thigh and I manage to sink it into a shining black boot.
A stream of curses is all I hear just before one of them threads their fingers tightly through my long blonde hair. Pain shoots through my scalp and it’s all I feel as he flings my head into the deck.
Ryder’s quiet voice hums through my consciousness just as everything begins to blur.
“Trust me, Kara. Just trust me and everything will be okay,” he says. The pleading sound of his voice sounds far off in the distance.
Then my heavy lids close to the blackness.
Preorder Hopeless Kingdom today!
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Book two is on its way and Zakara’s story keeps getting more and more dangerous and epic (did I forget to mention sexy, definitely sexy)!
Hopeless Magic has been amazing to write. I wanted a heroine who’s a total badass, even when her emotions got the best of her. Zakara Storm took the idea of a backward Tangled retelling and turned it into a book I couldn’t stop writing. In fact, book three is already underway!
The four-book series will release once a month from now till May because Ryder, Darrio, and Daxdyn can’t seem to keep a simple f*cking human out of trouble;)
Thanks for reading and if you want more Hopeless updates feel free to sign up for my newsletter or join my Facebook Group!
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Also by A.K. Koonce
The Mortals and Mystics Series
Fate of the Hybrid, Prequel
When Fate Aligns, Book one
When Fate Unravels, Book two
When Fate Prevails, Book three
The Resurrection Series
Resurrection Island, Book one
The Royal Harem Series
The Hundred Year Curse
The Curse of the Sea
The Legend of the Cursed Princess
About A.K. Koonce
A.K. Koonce is a USA Today bestselling author. She’s mom by day and a fantasy and paranormal romance writer by night. She keeps her fantastical stories in her mind on an endless loop while she tries her best to focus on her actual life and not that of the spectacular, but demanding, fictional characters who always fill her thoughts.
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