by Ann Aguirre
Bitter. Broken. Brutal.
Molded since childhood to be the perfect weapon, Gavriel d’Alana (also known as Death’s Shadow) has devoted himself to serving Thalia Talfayen. The life of a Noxblade is lethal and lonely, and since the princess has no need of him, he secretly believes there’s no reason for him to live—and he should seek a glorious death—but that’s before he tangles with a tiger woman who unleashes his darkest desires.
Tough. Tenacious. Trustworthy.
Magda Versai has a reputation for being unattainable—no deep attachments, only discreet amusements. If she has her way, the pride will never learn of her private heartbreak, as she accepted her curse years ago. Now, she focuses on work, which is why she’s acting as Raff’s bodyguard while secretly hunting for Slay. The search leads Mags to team up with a Noxblade so belligerent that she can’t resisting baiting him.
She’s the steel, he’s the flint, and the sparks they strike together might kindle a fire that could warm them for a lifetime, if they don’t kill each other first…
Table of Contents
Cover
About the Book
Title Page
Dedication
Copyright Page
Acknowledgments
The Story So Far
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Author’s Note
THE SHADOW WARRIOR
Ann Aguirre
To Ms. Beverly Jenkins,
Who writes the most beautiful books
And who once called me a slayer of words.
Thank you for so generously sharing your gift
While inspiring others to strive to do the same.
Copyright Information
THE SHADOW WARRIOR
Copyright © 2019 by Ann Aguirre
EPUB Edition
Edited by Victoria West
Cover art by Kanaxa
Print design by Kanaxa
Proofreading by Lillie
Formatting by BB Ebooks
Content warning: This story contains rough sex, dominance and pain play, and suicidal thoughts / ideation.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any form whatsoever, without written permission from the author except for brief quotations embodied in critical reviews or articles.
Acknowledgments
Thanks so much for waiting patiently to read about Mags and Gavriel. He’s a been an ass for the first three books, so it was a challenge to make him lovable. I’ll leave it up to you, dear readers, as to whether I succeeded.
First, thanks to Karen Alderman, Fedora Chen, and Pamela Webb-Elliot for their beta-reading brilliance. Much appreciation to Rachel Caine, Bree Bridges, Lilith Saintcrow, Kate Smith, Melissa Blue, Kate Elliott, Yasmine Galenorn, Alyssa Cole, Suleikha Snyder, Donna J. Herren, Thea Harrison, and Charlotte Stein for offering advice, support, and commiseration, as appropriate. Thanks to Patrick Weekes for proving that cool guys read romance.
A thousand thanks to Kanaxa for the beautiful cover art. My editor, Victoria West pushed through even past personal illness, so a huge cheer for her dedication as well. Thanks to Lillie for the wonderful proofreading. These books are a team effort!
Finally, thanks to my family, who understand when I’m busy at odd hours. Thank you for being patient with me while I’m lost in fictional worlds, leaving you on your own in the real one. I appreciate your support more than I can say.
Please enjoy this story and look forward to the rest. We’re past the halfway point, aiming for an epic conclusion! Thanks for sticking with me and keep telling paranormal romance fans about the series.
The Story So Far…
In The Leopard King, Latent shifter Pru Bristow went after the pride leader, Dominic Asher, who had holed up at the seer’s retreat after the death of his wife, also Pru’s best friend. With the conclave approaching, Ash Valley couldn’t afford to let Dom’s second, Slay, run the show. It was rocky going, and they were attacked by Eldritch assassins. In the furious fight that followed, Pru finally shifted and saved Dom’s life.
In time, she convinced Dom to come back to Ash Valley because the fate of the pride rested on completing the conclave and renewing the Pax Protocols (a peace treaty between supernatural communities). Her success didn’t come without a cost, however. She agreed to become Dom’s mate and lead the pride alongside him.
Their return startled a lot of people, Slay most of all, because he’d always thought that Pru would wait for him forever. Since he didn’t want her when she couldn’t shift, she didn’t want him once she could, and Pru devoted herself to working with Dom to make the conclave go smoothly.
That wasn’t in the cards. Though the attendants all arrived safely, the Pine Ridge wolf pack and the Burnt Amber bear clan hated Lord Talfayen of the Eldritch, and nobody knew what to make of Prince Alastor of the Golgoth. Everything that could go wrong, did, including the murder of an Eldritch envoy. Talks broke down, culminating in treachery, but the Eldritch Lord’s plot went awry, as the bombs he’d set detonated too soon, catching his own people in the trap. King Tycho of the Golgoth attacked thereafter and it was all Ash Valley could do to hold.
Meanwhile, Dom and Pru tried to keep things together while falling in love. They did battle with their enemies and each other, before eventually admitting their true feelings. Slay vanished mysteriously and the leading couple finally had a wedding party, once Ash Valley was safe. Soon after, the visiting dignitaries departed, and the Numina prepared for war.
In The Demon Prince, Dr. Sheyla Halek reluctantly agreed to take charge of Prince Alastor Vega and work on synthesizing the medicine he needed for his rare illness. Since she preferred research to treating actual patients anyway, she didn’t hate the idea, but she was quite annoyed to be saddled with someone she considered an enemy. For his part, Prince Alastor liked the prickly doctor at once and spent a good deal of his time trying to charm her.
They left Ash Valley together—with her ostensibly in the role of company medic—and became closer through an arduous journey to Tycho’s likely next target: the unprotected city of Hallowell. Alastor tried his best to woo Sheyla, and while she wasn’t susceptible to his brand of charm, she did admire his determination to do the right thing for his people. Slowly, they drew together, because he understood her, and she—without realizing it—quietly partook of Golgoth courtship rites.
Eventually, they decided to embark upon a wartime romance because their passion could no longer be denied. They’d only stay together until Hallowell was safe. Afterward, they’d go th
eir separate ways, because Sheyla belonged in Ash Valley, and Alastor had heavy responsibilities to his people. Since she couldn’t have a relationship, even a brief one, with a patient in her care, Sheyla turned treatment over to a colleague and focused on researching Alastor’s medicine.
Neither one cared to admit how deeply they’d fallen for one another, and the risky romance only intensified, set against the backdrop of impending doom. When Tycho’s forces invaded, it seemed like all might be lost, but Alastor eventually won against incredible odds, mounting a successful defense of a critical foothold in the war effort, though not without painful loss and sacrifice. He also secured the allegiance of Tycho’s surviving forces, which was when Sheyla left him, as per their original agreement.
Realizing he couldn’t live without her, Alastor chased her down and officially proposed in front of her family, offering to make her his queen once he liberated Golgerra. Though her relatives were skeptical at first, eventually they agreed, and the demon prince was set to live happily ever after with his physician-queen. This decision meant rejecting other marital offers, however, which would have a fascinating impact on the war effort elsewhere.
In The Wolf Lord, Thalia Talfayen finally rose to power, but with enemies all around, she realized she needed to make a strategic political marriage to cement her position and claim the Silver Throne. After her first choices turned her down, Thalia was left with the roguish leader of Pine Ridge, Raff Pineda.
About the only thing Raff and Thalia had in common was regard for their people, though they certainly had different ways of showing that care. That led them to pursue a marital alliance, which got off to a shaky start due to Raff’s propensity for breaking the rules. When the first activity was disrupted by a vicious attack by House Manwaring and Raff was gravely injured, Thalia acted swiftly and decisively to save his life. On his recovery, Raff committed to the marriage of convenience, pledging aid to House Talfayen in return for their support later when the war reached Pine Ridge.
This wedding was anything but convenient, however. Someone attempted to murder everyone at the head table, a tragedy prevented only by Raff’s acute sense of smell. Sadly, Lileth, Thalia’s aide, was fatally poisoned. A grief-stricken and enraged Thalia was determined to punish those who helped rival Eldritch leader Ruark Gilbraith infiltrate the fortress. With some help from her new right hand, Ferith, Thalia soon discovered secret tunnels in and out of the Daruvar fortress. Meanwhile Thalia’s former head Noxblade, Gavriel, joined forces with tiger shifter Magda to search for both the missing Ash Valley second, Slay, and the insurgents loyal to Thalia’s traitorous father.
Unfortunately, Thalia’s plan to act as bait to uncover the enemy succeeded a little too well, leaving both Thalia and an injured Raff cut off in the tunnels. They fought their way out and took refuge from a sudden snowstorm in a rustic Animari hideaway. The shared danger heightened their burgeoning attraction and they finally consummated their marriage. Realizing they had an opportunity to flush out the traitor in their midst, Thalia and Raff worked with tiger shifter Titus to retake Daruvar as their feelings for one another deepened.
Titus pretended to be a bounty hunter returning to their bodies, and a bloody battle ensued. Once they won the day, Thalia discovered that her ‘cousin’ Tirael was a traitor who had staged a coup in Thalia’s absence. Just before Tirael’s execution, the woman told Thalia that they were, in fact, half-sisters, courtesy of old Lord Talfayen. Thalia silenced Tirael with a personal execution, but her problems were far from over.
The other houses were still in open rebellion, and her own people seemed to be doubting her fitness to lead, as they didn’t wish to send children to train as Noxblades until the succession was settled. Thalia tried to talk it over with Raff, but he had a distinctly Animari outlook, which led to conflict between the two lovers. To further complicate matters, a young wolf named Sky awakened as a Seer and required Raff’s comfort and attention. Thalia stumbled on an intimate scene and misread the situation, leading her to make a drastic decision.
Thalia embarked on a suicide mission to triumph or die. She witnessed the hardship her people had experienced first-hand and learned more about the growing problem of a strange drug called gray tar. At long last, Thalia discovered her gift during the hunt-kill mission inside Braithwaite, Ruark’s stronghold. As she’d left without consulting Raff, he could only help from afar by sending drones to act as a distraction. That feint was enough to save her. With Raff’s air support, Thalia and Ferith took on House Gilbraith and won, whereupon Thalia broadcast a message of conquest all over Eldritch lands.
A triumphant Thalia returned to Daruvar with Ruark Gilbraith’s head to claim the Silver Throne as the new queen. Other Eldritch houses quickly dispatched vassals to pledge their loyalty and various Animari and Golgoth dignitaries came to pay their respects as well at her coronation. That success gave Thalia the courage to claim her man and she professed her love for Raff, who had been hers all along. But with a marriage of convenience transforming to one of true love, there were still more seeming impossibilities yet to occur…
1.
This Noxblade was begging for somebody to kick his ass and Magda Versai was just the woman for the job.
She’d come to Daruvar—a grim, ancient Eldritch fortress—to guard Raff’s back, and this asshole had the nerve to attack on her watch? Not fucking likely. They’d thought they were being subtle by taking the argument to a dark hallway, but everyone knew they didn’t get along. She heard Raff say, “Use your words, Gavriel.”
The assassin released Raff, spitting an Eldritch swear. Mags understood enough of the language to know that he’d just insulted Raff and his mother. She lingered in the shadows, ready to step in if it became necessary. Dammit, she’d nearly found out something about Slay, too, the whole reason she was here, and now this bastard was wasting her time. He’d pay for that.
Gavriel snarled, “I warn you, wolf. The princess is not for you. Leave this place before something worse happens.”
Mags leapt on the Noxblade, seizing his wrist and wrenching his arm up toward his shoulder blade. She put her lips to his ear. “I’m something worse. And Raff is under my protection.”
For good measure, she twisted harder, digging her strong fingers into Gavriel’s wrist bones. He felt fragile in her hold, though she had no doubt he’d enjoy sticking a blade in her, should she show weakness or mercy. Possibly he considered them to be two sides of the same coin.
Raff cleared his throat. “Let him go. We’ll use our words too, Mags.”
“You brought me as your bodyguard.” She pressed harder until Gavriel made a pained, angry sound. It would be so easy to break his bones.
Though she was physically stronger than the wolf lord, Mags didn’t resist when Raff pulled her hand away and the Noxblade scrambled away from them like they had a contagious disease. She could smell the hatred on him, sharp and acrid. The assassin was breathing hard, unaccustomed to being overcome so easily, and she smiled, enjoying his discomfort.
Gavriel didn’t meet her gaze. Of course he didn’t. Fucking coward.
Instead, he growled at Raff, “How dare you bring your mistress here!”
She made a fist, taking a step forward. Is that what you see when you look at me? I thought assassins had to be observant. “I belong to only myself.”
Though Raff set a hand on her shoulder, she grabbed Gavriel’s arm again, so tempted to stomp some humility into this insulting war-hole. It was a pejorative term, all credit to Beren. Damn, I miss that old bear. Because the wolf was exerting full strength, Mags humored him and pretended to let him haul her back.
“Leave us,” Raff said. “He won’t hurt me. He respects the princess far too much to violate her oath of hospitality.”
She had her private doubts, but Gavriel spoke first, his tone strained. “That…is true. Come with me. Now.”
The other two headed for the stairs that led to the ramparts. She pretended to move off and followed in complete silenc
e, a lightness of foot that surprised those who judged her by size and strength.
She caught up in time to hear Raff say, “Go ahead, speak your warning. If I hurt her, you will poison me, so I die in slowest agony, and then you’ll carve out my heart and offer it to crows and so on.”
“None of that makes any sense,” Gavriel snapped. “Slow poison makes it more likely that you’ll be caught, an antidote administered. And if you died of poison, why would I feed your heart to innocent birds?”
To her annoyance, Mags agreed with all those points. Raff was laughing, probably not in danger. “You take things far too literally. Didn’t you bring me here to threaten me?”
“Much as I would like to, there are more important matters at hand.”
“Then, by all means, continue convincing me not to wed Princess Thalia.”
“You take nothing seriously and you seem to care only for your own pleasure. You are no fit match for her, and you will only add to her burden in time.”
At this point, Mags could have moved off, but she was curious enough to stick around. They didn’t know she was listening, ready to pounce if Gavriel made a move, and it might give her some insight as to how the Noxblade thought. That might come in handy later. Opponents rarely expected her to be clever, only fierce; therefore, it was deliciously satisfying when they realized she was both.
Raff snapped, “What the hell are you even saying, man?”
Only Animari ears could have detected Gavriel’s sigh from this distance. “Haven’t you considered at all what a disastrous mésalliance this would be? When she’s still bright and beautiful, she’ll be chained to you, though you’ll be a doddering, toothless old hound by then.”
Mags had considered that aspect, but she figured they could dissolve the marriage at any point before then. Things weren’t normal anymore and there was no reason to pretend the old rules applied. Hell, she never could’ve imagined leaving Ash Valley to hunt down Slay, who might’ve turned traitor. When she requested leave, there was one critical fact she hadn’t mentioned to Dom.
