Invidious

by Bianca Scardoni

  An ember of fire still glimmered in my heart, urging me to do something, to stop them, to kill them where they stood. But it wasn't enough. I didn't have the strength to fight anymore. I didn’t have the ability to run. And even if I did, where would I go? Back to the party? Back to my faceless attacker who was masquerading as a friend amongst an endless sea of my enemies?

  There was nowhere left to go, and no hope for rescue. So I didn't. Instead, I did what I had to do to survive the moment. I let it go. All of it. Hope. My life. My dreams...

  Him.

  I let it all fall away through space and time—back into the past, back into the twisted maze of secrets and lies that left me breathless time and time again, broken up only by the small moments of peace when I was with him; the only boy I'd ever loved. My own version of a true heaven on earth.

  But all of that was gone now. Only darkness remained; a darkness as thick and suffocating as the destiny that was written in my blood long before I was ever born.

  My enemy had won the battle. He'd collected his prize and strung it over his shoulder like the carcass of an animal that never had a chance in hell of making it out of the forest alive. He was free to do with me as he pleased, free to hand me over to the Dark Legion, to let them have their way with my blood—with my soul, to obliterate any remaining light I had left in my heart. He was free to keep me for himself, to torture me until I handed over the Amulet and begged for my own death. The possibilities were endless, and time was infinite, for no one would even know to come looking for me.

  Death was racking its nails against my door, begging for me to let it in, but it was all just a formality. It wasn't asking my permission. It was taunting me with its presence. Tormenting me as I tried to figure out the grand finale.

  I didn't know when or how, and I couldn't understand why. There was only one thing I knew for sure.

  The end was coming.

  BONUS MATERIAL

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  GLOSSARY

  ANAKIM

  A race of people born with the spirit of man and the blood of angels; Descendants of Nephilim

  CASTER

  A Descendant of Magi Angels; ability to cast magic, control elements, and manipulate energy

  CINDERDUST

  Magical powder created by High Casters that sends a Revenant to Sanguinarium

  DARK LEGION

  Descendants that have turned against the Order; pledged to the dark side/ Lucifer

  DAUGHTER OF HADES

  Descendant of Lucifer, prophesied to raise Lucifer and bring on the end of days

  INVOCATION

  An ancient ritual used by the Order to invoke Anakim abilities

  LUCIFER

  The first angel to be created and the first to fall; imprisoned in a tomb in Hell

  REAPER

  A Descendant of Transport Angels; capable of teleporting, time travel, and mind reading

  SANGUINARIUM

  Realm of perdition for Revenants that have been vanquished

  SEER

  A Descendant of Messenger Angels; ability to communicate with the Spirit Realm and predict the future

  SHIFTER

  A Descendant of Guardian Angels; capable of shifting into animal form, and telepathy

  SLAYER

  A Descendant of Warrior Angels; possess super strength and ability to sense demons, siren-like blood

  THE ORDER OF THE ROSE

  A secret organization that oversees all Anakim affairs

  ANAKIM INDEX

  SLAYERS (Warrior Angel Descendants)

  Jemma

  Tessa

  Gabriel+

  Karl

  Thomas*

  Jaqueline*

  REAPERS (Transport Angel Descendants)

  Trace

  Peter

  Linley*

  CASTERS (Magi Angel Descendants)

  Nikki

  Caleb

  Carly

  SHIFTERS (Guardian Angel Descendants)

  Dominic+

  Ben

  Julian

  SEERS (Messenger Angel Descendants)

  Morgan

  * Character is deceased

  +Character is a Revenant

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  A huge thank you to Keri Karandrakis, for proofreading my second-born on the absolute shortest notice possible, and for doing an amazing job at that. Thank you to Andrei, for designing a stunning cover that beautifully captured my vision and tone for this book (and for putting up with my endless notes and revisions). A special thank you to Derek, whose design expertise and generosity of his time saved me from a whole lot of heartache and grief.

  Thank you to my awesome parents for continuing to love and support my dream, whether it be by cheering me on, talking me off ledges, or babysitting my little one so that I could write into the wee hours of the night. I'm truly blessed to be surrounded by such a loving and supportive family. My cup seriously runneth over.

  Thank you to my other half, Jeffrey, without whom, this book would probably not even exist yet. Thank you for taking such good care of me and our son, and for making it possible for me to live out my dream. You've listened to me rant and rave about my characters for months on end; consoled me, encouraged me, filled me up when I had nothing left to give, and supported me wholeheartedly every step of the way…even on my horribly bad days. For that, and too many other reasons to name, I love you (still s’match).

  Thank you to my little sunshine, Jaxon, for making my days shine brighter than I ever imagined they could. You may not have had a hand in writing this book, but you are the very reason I'm sitting here writing this. You inspire me to do better and be more, to work hard and live out my dreams so that one day, you too, will live out yours. You are proof that magic exists in this world, and that insta-love is real. That's right, I said it. Mama loves you, baby.

  And, finally, my absolute biggest thank you goes to you, the reader. The fact that I even have the honor of saying that still boggles my mind. This past year has been one of the best years of my life, and I owe that to you for allowing me to live out the dream I almost didn't allow myself to dream. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for choosing to read my books, for loving Jemma’s story as much as I do, and for encouraging me to keep writing. You've given me all the feels and I seriously can't thank you enough for it. Seriously. Thank you.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Bianca Scardoni is a paranormal fiction writer who resides on the East Coast of Canada with her family. She graduated from college with a degree in web design and went on to build an online writing community in 2004. When she isn’t writing, she spends her time reading, watching vampire shows, eating junk food, and staying up too late.

  For upcoming book releases, bonus material, and additional information on the author, please visit her website: www.biancascardoni.com