No Man Can Tame
The Dark-Elves of Nightbloom Book 1
Miranda Honfleur
No Man Can Tame © copyright 2018 by Miranda Honfleur
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
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 your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: 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 prison and a fine of $250,000.
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-949932-02-7
Cover art by Mirela Barbu
Editing by Laura Kingsley & Deborah Nemeth
Proofreading by Patrycja Pakula for Holabird Editing & by Charity Chimni
Author’s Mailing List
Click on the image above or visit www.mirandahonfleur.com to sign up for Miranda’s mailing list! You’ll get “Winter Wren” for free.
Also by Miranda Honfleur
Blade and Rose Series
“Winter Wren” (available on www.mirandahonfleur.com)
Blade & Rose (Book 1)
By Dark Deeds (Book 2)
Court of Shadows (Book 3)
Blade and Rose: Books 1-3 Digital Boxed Set
Queen of the Shining Sea (Book 4)
The Dragon King (Book 5)
Immortelle (Book 6)* Available September 2019
* * *
The Dark-Elves of Nightbloom Series
No Man Can Tame (Book 1)
Bright of the Moon (Book 2)* Available May 2019
Throne of Night (Book 3)* Available August 2019
* * *
The Celestial War Series with Nicolette Andrews
Guise of the Dragon (Book 1)* Available August 2019
Pretender to the Crown (Book 2)* Available September 2019
Empire of the Gods (Book 3)* Available October 2019
* * *
Enclave Boxed Sets
Of Beasts and Beauties
For my mom,
For being my biggest fan.
A Letter From the Author
Thank you very much for reading No Man Can Tame! I really appreciate it. Because of your support, I’m able to keep writing, which means more stories for you and continuing this career for me.
Did you know that oftentimes authors and publishers decide whether to continue or cancel a series based on how many units it’s selling? That could mean ending a five-book series at book three. Piracy affects both authors and readers. It’s also against the law, even when distributed without monetary gain, and can lead to investigation by the FBI, fines of up to $250,000 per offense, and federal imprisonment of up to five years.
If you want your favorite authors to keep writing the stories you love, you can help by making sure you get your books from a verified retailer, the publisher, or the author, and not from an illegal download site. To see where you can get a print or ebook copy of this book legally, visit my website: http://www.mirandahonfleur.com/book/no-man-can-tame/
This book is for…
Shelby Palmer, Mary Nguyen, Erin Montgomery Miller, Lela Grayce, Shannon Childress, Susanne Huxhorn, Jennifer An, Anthony S. Holabird, Wanda Wozniczka, Nicole Page, Spring Runyon, Judith Cohen, Eugenia Kollia, Judy Harding, Lisa Woo, Sarah Keffer, Dana Jackson Lange, Jennifer Moriarity, Tricia Wright, Scarolet Ellis, Alicia Moten, Jackie Tansky, Tanya Wheeler, Roger Fauble, Shauna Joesten, Maggie Borges, Donna Swenson, Seraphia Sparks, Marilyn Smith, Pamela Kitson, Mary Maceluch, Fiona Andrew, Lindsay McKenna, Chao Mwachofi, Belinda Hoy, Karen Borges, Kathy Brown…
* * *
…and everyone else who’s supported me and spread the word about my books from the start. I couldn’t do this without you, and you being in my corner has meant the world to me.
Map of Silen and Surrounding Lands
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Epilogue
Author’s Note
About the Author
About Blade & Rose
Preview of Blade & Rose
Chapter 1
The raven leered down his long black beak at Aless as she twirled, his gaze so intense it burned.
A blur of bodies in jewel-toned silks and brocades circled her and her sister, Bianca, in three-quarter time. Ravens, cats, bears, peacocks, wolves… The animal kingdom had come to their king’s call beneath arched ceilings and canopied swaths…
Or maybe to catch a glimpse of his infamous daughter back from her worldwide hunt.
She was pleased to be home again. It would give her another opportunity to tackle Papà about finally building the public library Mamma had always wanted. He’d barely spoken to her since she’d arrived.
Tonight she’d donned a lion mask with a full, voluminous mane and a grotesquely painted facade. If she was to be gawked at anyway, the least she could do was make it count. Besides, if she could catch Papà’s attention—good or bad—perhaps he’d have her dragged to see him and she’d finally get a word in about the library.
Signore Raven leaned against a pillar and raised his chin, peering at her through his mask. Oh, he’d been looking at her all evening with those hungry, dark eyes. And not in the aghast gawking of most of the nobiltà. He wanted something—and considering he definitely wasn’t royal, he wasn’t a man Papà would approve of.
All the more tempting to give Signore Raven what he seemed to want so badly.
Signore Cat next to him was the same, ogling Bianca as if she were a plump, unwitting canary. Bianca hadn’t been sent around the world by Papà in offering, so she would no doubt know who these courtiers were.
“Don’t look now,” Aless whispered from behind her lion mask, “but the cat and the raven have been struck dumb.”
Bianca giggled and spun, her slippered feet clicking on the parquet floor to the music of the harp, the flute, the drums, and rebecs, amid a chorus of practiced laughter and effusive tones of conversation. All of the palazzo’s ballrooms dazzled, but this place, the Sala di Forza, was a tribute to one of the Terran faith’s greatest heroes, Forza, son of Nox and a mortal woman, a demigod of great s
trength. Painted with his exploits, great hunts and battles celebrating strength, war, and masculinity, it was Papà’s favorite.
It was suffocating.
With Papà, it was always strength, war, and masculinity. Lorenzo was a master swordsman and could hit a target with his throwing knives from thirty yards—so no matter his shortcomings, Papà favored him. And since Papà didn’t allow her to learn any of the martial arts—and she loved books as Mamma had—there was just no way to win with him.
Her only option was to lose. And to lose so boldly and so notoriously that Papà couldn’t ignore her. But no matter the spectacle and gossip, Bianca could always be counted on to stay by her side. A loyal sister, and a trusted friend.
Bianca adjusted her elaborate tabby-cat mask and tucked a lock of shining onyx-colored hair behind her ear. “The Belmonte brothers.”
Ah, so the raven and the cat were none other than Luciano and Tarquin Belmonte. Their reputations preceded them. Especially Luciano’s—Bianca hadn’t stopped talking about him for months. But that was her way—no, the family’s way. Once an Ermacora made up her mind, there was no dissuading her, and pity for anyone foolish enough to stand in her way.
And Bianca had certainly made up her mind about Luciano.
The taller of the two, Signore Raven, had to be Tarquin, the younger brother and general of the Belmonte Company of mercenaries; the older of the two, Signore Cat, was Luciano, and after their father’s passing, now visconte of Roccalano.
Morally fluid, physically fit men, who were good dancers and—if rumor held true—skillful lovers, but lacked the blood and moral obligation of royalty.
Aless guided Bianca off the dance floor to the nearest trestle table heaped with marzipan torte, custard tarts, and colorful berries. She popped a grape in her mouth and held out a goblet until the telltale splashing of poured wine ceased. After a sip of the bubbly white, she handed the goblet to Bianca, all the while keeping her gaze locked on the Belmonte brothers.
“Maybe Luciano will finally become your latest entertainment?” she asked Bianca, who hid her face in a goblet of wine. “Not that I’m complaining,” she whispered, giving Tarquin a slow—very slow—once-over, “but what are they doing in Bellanzole?”
Bianca leaned in. “The Belmonte Company has been handling our… issues with the Immortali. The army didn’t have the expertise to clear the harpy nest in the cliffs, but ever since Arabella Belmonte, their sister, disappeared a couple months ago, Luciano has been studying them and Tarquin has been handling them. They’ve become experts on the Immortali, so Papà hired their company.”
The Rift had torn the Veil a few months ago, and the Immortali had re-entered the world as if stepping from the pages of myth and legend. Some were peaceful here in Silen, like the light-elves, the dark-elves, and the fae, and others were monsters who killed with impunity—harpies, wyverns, basilisks, and more. Papà had deployed many of his forces to combat the piracy ravaging the coasts and his trade routes, and so the reserves had to be stretched thin fighting enemies no one understood—no one except the Belmonte brothers, apparently.
“Say a prayer for me, Aless.” Bianca gripped the goblet tightly. “I think I love him. I think I want to… marry him.”
Marry? With talk like that, Bianca would be the one directing Papà’s attention, whether she wanted to or not. To any woman of the Ermacora royal line, Luciano was forbidden fruit when it came to marriage. Still, in her wistfully recounted daydreams, Bianca always seemed to find herself in an orchard of forbidden fruit anyway, with a ladder just tall enough to reach anything she wanted.
“I know you have your heart set on him,” she replied, “but maybe you could… adjust your expectations a little.”
Bianca gulped the wine, then upturned the goblet and drained it entirely. Liquid courage? She glanced over her shoulder at the Belmonte brothers.
“I’m already twenty-three,” Bianca insisted, “with no other prospects, so perhaps Luciano could be more? Papà may be keen on sending you to every eligible royal bachelor in the region, but not me.”
“Three. Three royal bachelors in this past year—”
“In this past year alone.” Bianca raised her chin. “And those three are all the eligible royal bachelors. All the others are already married or betrothed.” She frowned, her eyes meandering up and off to the side. “Or little children.”
“Papà is only keen on sending me around because he wants to get rid of me. Unlike his favorite daughter.” Since Aless had reached marriageable age, Papà had sent her to maybe… a dozen or two royal bachelors. Although this year, he’d only sent her to two princes and one king. Maybe it was a sign that he was giving up and would finally leave her in peace with her books.
Bianca set down the goblet. “It’s only because he finds you so meddlesome. Once you decide something must be, you don’t let up. It can make you… difficult. This public library thing of yours has been a thorn in his side.”
She straightened. Mamma had spent her life teaching the paesani to read, and when she’d died, all that had stopped. For nearly a decade, Papà hadn’t just stalled Mamma’s plans to build a public library—a center of learning for all—he’d actively avoided it. It was meddlesome to want to dedicate her life to seeing the library built, to want to teach any and all who wanted to learn, just as Mamma had wanted? She huffed.
“I want to do more than just be foisted onto royal bachelors,” she declared. “Is it so wrong to have dreams of something more?”
Sighing, Bianca shook her head. “Difficult. Your spine may be healed now, but you’re still the Beast Princess.” With a final shrug, she sashayed back onto the dance floor.
Heat spread across Aless’s skin, climbing over every inch until she burned. Beast Princess? It had been some time since someone had called her that, at least to her face.
Trying to ignore the rapid pulse in her ear, Aless popped another grape into her mouth and stormed toward the door. Whispers followed her, but she didn’t care. This was only a stupid party, and her time would be better spent studying the Immortali in her books.
Her chest collided with someone—a woman in a rabbit mask, who curtsied quickly.
“Pardon me,” Aless blurted, inclining her head. A circle had formed around them, no doubt waiting for yet more gossip fodder. But she hadn’t been the Beast Princess all her life without learning to tame her temper… at least a little. But perhaps this would be enough to earn a meeting with Papà.
The rabbit woman didn’t reply, but looked on toward the food.
Odd. But Aless cleared her throat and gestured in the direction of the trestle table. “Please, help yourself. I promise I don’t bite,” Aless joked with a toothy grin, tapping her lion mask. At least not anyone who didn’t bite first.
The woman curtsied again. A man in a fox mask approached, curling an arm around the rabbit woman’s waist.
“Ah, forgive my darling fiancée, Saverina, Your Highness. She’s taken the Vow of Silence.”
A vow not to speak until her wedding. Many parents in Silen demanded it of their daughters for arranged marriages among the nobiltà—both a show of piety and a way to ensure loose lips didn’t beget unfortunate slips. “How ruinously traditional.”
The fox man tittered. “One can only hope the tradition continues after the wedding!”
Aless forced a laugh. “How utterly draconian of you,” she said as sweetly as she could while the man nodded along effusively.
“Indeed! Very kind. By your leave, Princess,” he said, taking a bow before leading his avowed speechless fiancée away.
Most of the paesani couldn’t read, but the nobiltà’s only excuse was willful ignorance. But knowledge wasn’t as prized here as it once was. Papà—and everything he stood for—was evidence of that. Sighing, she looked out at his opulent domain.
Masked guests dressed in the height of Bellanzole couture mingled and danced. The nobiltà and the nuovi ricchi devised this adventure, preened for one another as usual, t
heir eclectic fashion diverse—within an allowable variation, of course.
Except for Signore Raven—Tarquin Belmonte. No, he’d thrown the allowable variation to the winds and had come here to shock. To arrive cloaked in death was to object. In his raven mask, black brocade doublet and trousers, and a feathered mourning cloak, he filled out couture well, and he had a lot of nerve showing up to a masquerade at the Palazzo dell’Ermacora dressed in funereal garb. As much nerve as a princess in a grotesque lion mask.
She grinned. A man with a spine. Good. At least one courtier who didn’t fall all over himself bowing and scraping before Papà.
Bianca had found something to do instead of squabbling. There was wisdom in that. She’d do her all to get that meeting.
Eyes locked with his through her lion mask, she turned, rearranging her ample costume mane behind her, and glided through the crowd with ease, mingling, brushing off eager courtiers as she stalked from the Sala di Forza and out onto the balcony.
He’d follow, of course. The perfect moment to come. She traded brightly colored silks and paintings of Forza’s many mythical victories for the faraway diamonds dusting the black velvet sky.
Gripping the stone balustrade, she closed her eyes and took three deep breaths. The soft, fresh scent of roses embraced her, surrounded her, as it had countless times in her dreams and fantasies. The same dense, overgrown courtyard of vining roses in full bloom sprawled before her, mysterious and lovely, exhaling the most spellbinding perfume in the clearest, purest air. She reached out a fingertip and could almost feel the velvety soft, shimmering petals—
No Man Can Tame Page 1