The Chase Treylen hadn’t seen the queen’s shadow when he entered, but as thedoor slammed shut, he felt the long fingers of the old elf wrap around his shoulders.“The long awaited return of Cren’pin Tromweft…” the oily voice slithered into Treylen’s ear.He didn’t dare move.The hands slipped away. Treylen was relieved to see Aaron was awake.His eyes locked with Treylen's as he turned slowly on the rope. “You were to bring him directly to me.”“Yes, Shadow,” Remin said.“What is this then?” He gripped the man's chin and turned his head, a trickle of blood running over his pale fingers.“There was a misunderstanding.” Remin struggled to lower his eyes and the shadow lifted his chin again. He pursed his papery lips, then relaxed them.“It is time. Tell them.” He flicked his fingers dismissively. The assassins in the stalls rose without a sound, filing out the door. The sound of the wings in the night air told him they hadn’t come alone. Each of these assassins had a dragon with the

The MissionRemin Noduan had been the last person he suspected would stand upfor him. But when the night ended and Treylen and the small army of assassins found themselves leaderless and staring down the empty tunnel in the base of the tower, the spycatcher had surprised him.Not only had Remin kept his mouth shut about the fact that Treylen had been the last one seen in the shadow’s presence, but he had also suggested that Treylen had the most experience in caves and should lead the expedition to search for the shadow.They had only gone as far as the old city. There they had found a scrap of clothing belonging to the shadow as well as one of his daggers on the beach amongst a mass of hoof prints. After a lengthy search of the city the body of his dragon was found. Rendrak had tied himself into knots and died in the back of an old storeroom.It was decided that the countess had made a bargain with the lowsater, and, possibly with the help of spies from Ketaresk, had set an ambush fo

And finally, at the other end of the table, is my uncle Franco. He sits there, overseeing my family, like he owns the place. After our father died when I was fourteen, which was six years ago, Franco moved in and took over as head of the business my father left behind. I know the business is shady. I’ve heard the words “mob boss” and “Mafia” thrown around enough times to understand, but I don’t ask too many questions. It’s not really proper for the women in my life to ask questions about such things.Gemma sits down next to her husband, Viktor, who’s honestly one of the most handsome men I’ve ever seen. I always find myself tongue-tied around him.Viktor shoots me a grin. “Hey, Franny. How’s it going?”“Uh, good. I just got back,” I manage to say. See? Tongue- tied. And it’s not because I have a crush on Viktor. I don’t. It’s more that Viktor is one of the only people to actually acknowledge me when I’m in a room, and it always startles me. I’m dragged out of my safe hiding place of b

LA IS SURPRISINGLY cold when I land. It’s the winter, after all, but without all the snow, looks are deceiving. I wrap my jacket around myself, waiting for Emilia and Marco to pick me up. I wait and wait and wait.Checking the time, it’s well past the hour they were supposed to come for me. I try to keep my tears back. I’m just exhausted after traveling and dealing with all the people. It’s so draining for me.When another half hour passes, I decide to just get a taxi and head for Emilia and Marco’s house. It takes another hour to get to their place, and once I see the familiar Spanish-style mansion, I feel instantly better. I can’t wait to snuggle into my new bed with a good book about Greek sculptures.I knock on the door when I arrive. A middle-aged woman answers. “Yes?”“Uh, I’m Francesca. Is Emilia and Marco home?”“Yes, they are. May I ask your business with them.”“I’m Emilia’s sister,” I say with a frown. “I’m here to stay with them for a while.”She motions me inside. “I’ll l

“THAT WAS COLD, MAN,” Henry says, taking a sip of his beer. We’re at some dive bar Marco owns. The barstools are falling apart, and the bar is always stained with something sticky, but out of all of Marco’s properties, this one is my favorite. It even beats out the nicer ones he owns. Henry is one of Marco’s employees, just like me, but as Marco’s second in command, I outrank every one of Marco’s other employees. I have the job they all want and know they’ll never get. “Cold.” He laughs softly.“What can I say? I love doing it. It’s fun to mess with women like that.”“I get it.” Henry smiles widely, showing off his insanely white teeth. Like, dude goes to the fucking dentist every week and uses whitening strips every day type of white. His tan skin and dark hair just make his teeth look even brighter. “If I had your charm, I’d fuck my way through every woman in this city.”“It’s not my charm. Henry. It’s my looks.” I take a swig of my beer and dodge Henry’s hand as it comes for the ba