Storm Princess 3: The Princess Must Reign
Page 32
Every time they try to force Hunter out, Slade gets in their way, becoming an unexpected ally. Despite her best intentions, Hunter finds herself lowering her guard around him, which only makes carrying out her secret mission more difficult and puts her in danger of falling for him.
But there's more at stake than Hunter's heart. The Master Assassin possesses the key to locate a weapon that Hunter must ensure remains hidden at all costs.
In her quest to stop this deadly power from falling into the wrong hands, she must make a choice between following her heart... or fulfilling her destiny.
This is a full-length novel at 80,000 words, the first in the Assassin's Magic series.
Chapter One
Rain drips down my face and back as I brace beneath the weight of the heavy wooden log resting across my shoulders, the muscles in my arms and legs screaming. I’ve stood like this for nearly two hours, unmoving, feet planted and legs straight.
Three paces to my right, the only candidate left standing with me is Slade Baines, the strain on his body beginning to show, raindrops mingling with the sweat on his bare chest.
We’re located in the middle of a courtyard inside the home of the Assassin’s Legion. It’s a place that shouldn’t exist—that doesn’t exist on any map except to those who know its location. Outside these walls, a city of people go about their everyday lives in Boston, sipping lattes, worrying about paying bills, and rushing to work or school.
That life isn’t for me.
Death is in my blood. It isn’t a choice. I have to finish my mother’s work. I have to become an assassin. The first step in my plan is to be trained as a Novice. The second step is to become a fully qualified assassin—what they call a Dominant.
So far, I’ve made it inside these walls, but for the Master Assassin to agree to train me, I have to pass this test of endurance.
Master Gareth pauses in front of me, his eyes cold and gray. He whispers into the rain, “You will never amount to anything, Hunter Cassidy.”
I blink rapidly as water drips into my eyes and plasters my hair to my back. I’m nearly naked, ordered to strip down to my crop top and underpants. Slade, too, is wearing barely anything. It’s to make us feel powerless, to get inside our heads and make the test of endurance harder. Tremors rack my body while my temperature runs hot and cold in turns. No matter how much I want to give up, I remind myself: I have to do this. I have to finish what Mom started.
The other candidates are all male. Their mocking expressions tell me they thought they would outlast me—that I wouldn’t be strong enough to hold out this long—but over the course of the afternoon, all of them except Slade fell before me.
The plank of wood is square and four inches thick. Sharp iron nails protrude from its lower side, positioned to impale our shoulders if we don’t hold it high enough.
It grows heavier and heavier. I know I can’t hold on much longer. But if I fall before Slade, I’ll be out. It won’t matter that I held on longer than most of the males. I’m female. A different standard applies to me. Master Gareth will never agree to train me unless I beat all of them.
I grit my teeth and hold on.
I can’t break before Slade does.
As if he senses my self-doubt, Master Gareth leans closer, a gleam in his eyes. All Dominants can use magic but the energy I sense around him is something else: layered and deep, with levels of darkness I’ve never felt before.
He says, “No woman has ever been allowed to train in my Legion. You will not be the first.”
I meet his eyes, allowing the slightest challenge to enter mine. What he won’t admit is that I’m not the first woman to step foot inside these walls. Mom was the first. He didn’t train her though; he’s not lying about that. The Master before him trained her. But Master Gareth trained with my mother and it must worry him that I have suddenly appeared on his doorstep and asked to become an assassin like her.
There are three Factions of assassins in the United States—the Legion here in Boston, the Horde in Austin, Texas, and the Dominion in Portland, Oregon. Each Faction has one intake of Novices each year and you have to be twenty years old to be considered. This is my one and only shot.
He straightens and his robes drag, sodden with rain, across the stone courtyard as he paces around me. I sense him pause at my back, no doubt studying the tattoos that decorate my shoulders. They are intricate designs—ones my mother created for me. I had them inked into my skin the day after she died. The day all her plans failed.
I draw on her memory right now to keep me standing, the memory of her last words: Just because you are born into darkness, doesn’t mean you can’t overcome it.
Words I’ve lived by since the day she died.
Half of the trainees gloat at the way Gareth is speaking to me. The other half... look me up and down in a way that makes me shudder. Many of them have an air of entitlement about them.
I never met any of them before today but I’ve already memorized their faces and names: the big guy in the middle is Lutz Logan, the smaller guy beside him is Brandon Baker, and the blond guy is Rowan Robertson. They all seem to have figured out that if they want to survive, they’re going to have to do what Lutz says.
I’ll need to watch my back at all times.
Gareth shouts from behind me. “You are nothing, woman! You will be nothing!” He leans right in behind me and rants into my ear. “You are worth… nothing.”
Movement to my right makes me glance in that direction. Slade glares at the ground, his teeth gritted, his palms still pressing upward, but his fingers curl slightly as if he wants to form fists.
He shifts a little so his gaze can meet mine. His eyes are slightly wide-set, a pale blue color, but rimmed in a darker gray that looks almost black, making them appear crisp and piercing. Dark brown hair with a wave in it frames his face while his strong chin is indented with a slight cleft. There is nothing soft about his face, not even his lips, which are perfectly formed and pursed in an unforgiving line.
Anger swirls in his face and I’m surprised when he casts his rage in the Master’s direction.
I don’t allow myself to imagine that Master Gareth’s taunts have made Slade angry—that he could be furious on my behalf.
I block it all out, focusing on a point on the muddy courtyard, on a single mossy stone embedded with all the others. The court is cobbled stone, but the rain has kicked up dust and debris. The Master may be powerful and strong—the strongest assassin in the eastern United States—but nature is always stronger. He can’t control the rain. Even here in what we call an Assassin’s Realm, nature breaks through.
Each Realm is a place that sits right on top of a manmade landmark. In the Legion’s case, its Realm rests on top of the Boston Common. Ancient magic allows the buildings inside the Realm to coexist in the same space as the park. There could be a person walking through the exact location where I’m standing right now and I wouldn’t know it—and neither would they.
Another half an hour passes and my shoulders sag. My head droops. My legs wobble. My arms shake.
Slade isn’t fairing any better. If only we weren’t trying to beat each other. Doesn’t he know that he doesn’t have to prove himself anymore? He’s in. He’ll be trained. He doesn’t have to beat me.
He seems to have the same thought at that moment, his gaze flashing to me. His forearms are shaking just as hard as mine. He takes a deep breath, exhales out through his mouth, and steps forward, tipping his hands backward to allow the plank to drop safely to the ground behind him. It thuds to the stone, an impact that is met with silence.
He’s a step in front of me so I can’t see his expression, but his arms lower in agonizingly slow increments. It’s the flow of blood to his fingers that will hurt. I don’t want to think about it. All I know is that I have to hold on long enough that it’s clear I held on the longest.
Master Gareth takes up position two paces in front of me, staring at me, waiting. His expression tells me that he wants me
to fail no matter what I do. No matter how long I hold up this damned piece of wood.
Mom warned me about him many times. Don’t believe anything he says. Don’t accept any favors from him. And above all, never contradict him.
I hold on for another five minutes, counting out each second inside my mind. Seconds closer to relief. Then I step out from under the plank the same way Slade did, trying not to scream as it slides from my numb fingers and the weight lifts. I don’t take it easy. I drop my hands to my sides, letting the blood rush to my fingertips in an excruciating wave.
Slade raises his eyebrows at me, a look of amazement on his face about the fact that I would welcome the pain so readily.
I squeeze my eyes closed. There is no pain that compares to watching my mother die.
There is no pain like standing in front of her killer and not being able to avenge her.
The burning sensation in my arms will be over soon and in the meantime, I refuse to make a sound.
When I open my eyes, I find Master Gareth pacing between Slade and me, tracing a figure eight around and between us.
He stops in front of me and says, “It was a tie.”
I blink at him. It clearly wasn’t, but I can’t say anything.
He repeats, louder, as if he thinks I didn’t hear him. “It was a tie.”
I grit my teeth. He wants me to contradict him, but I won’t say a word. If I want to stay, I have to accept everything he says and everything he does, no matter what.
He can’t see Slade’s face, but I can. Slade remains with his back to me, but his head and shoulders are turned in the Master’s direction. A deep frown falls over Slade’s expression, making the contours of his face even harsher than before. He opens his mouth but his eyes meet mine just in time.
I give him the smallest shake of my head. I don’t want him to say anything.
My gesture causes Slade to frown more deeply but he doesn’t voice whatever he was about to say.
Master Gareth remains staring at me as he says, “The ranking order is as follows: Slade Baines, Lutz Logan, Brandon Baker, Rowan Robertson…” He continues listing out names until he gets to the end and then he hisses with disgust, “And Hunter Cassidy.”
Despite the fact that Gareth is trying to demean me in the eyes of the other trainees by putting me last, he’s done me a favor. My low ranking means I’m not a threat to their egos.
Not like Slade. Lutz has been sizing him up for the last forty minutes, no doubt trying to figure out when he might be able to slide a knife between Slade’s ribs.
I might be ranked last, but I’m in.
Now the real challenge begins: doing what Mom couldn’t. And maybe… avenging her at the same time.
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgements from Everly: I am so grateful to have shared the journey of writing these books with such an amazing author and wonderful friend, Jaymin. Writing this series with Jaymin has been the best experience, a dream actually. Somehow she always tugs the emotions out of me, inspiring me to take chances, to push myself to be and write more. We are so incredibly proud of this series and the world we created. Baelen and Marbella will always have a special place in my heart. I also want to thank my husband with all my heart. Without him picking up the slack in other parts of our lives, I never would have kept up with everything; he is my rock, my foundation. And to our readers always, thank you! This book is for you. xx
Acknowledgements from Jaymin: I’m so grateful to have met Everly. She was my friend long before I was an author, and I’m sure that we will be friends for the rest of our days. Writing this series with her was a dream come true, she pushes me to be a better writer. Because she is one of the best writers I’ve ever read. EVER. She has a gift that cannot be learned, and I am so grateful that she chose to share it with me. And the world. Thank you to all of our readers who have taken this journey with us. We appreciate you so much.
Also By
BOOKS BY EVERLY FROST
The Mortality Series (complete)
Book One: Beyond the Ever Reach
Book Two: Beneath the Guarding Stars
Book Three: By the Icy Wild
Book Four: Before the Raging Lion
Assassin’s Magic series (coming soon)
Book One: Assassin’s Magic
Book Two: Assassin’s Mask
Book Three: Assassin’s Maze
Companion Book 1.5: Assassin’s Menace
Stand-alone books
A Shiver of Blue
The Crystal Prince (short story)
Stay in touch with Everly:
www.facebook.com/everlyfrost
Mailing list: http://tinyletter.com/everlyfrost
BOOKS BY JAYMIN EVE
Supernatural Academy (coming 2019)
Secret Keepers Series (Paranormal Romance)
Book One: House of Darken
Book Two: House of Imperial
Book Three: House of Leights
Book Four: House of Royale
Storm Princess Series (Fantasy Romance)
Book One: The Princess Must Die
Book Two: The Princess Must Strike
Book Three: The Princess Must Reign
Curse of the Gods Series (RH Fantasy Romance)
Book One: Trickery
Book Two: Persuasion
Book Three: Seduction
Book Four: Strength
Book 4.5: Neutral (Novella)
Book Five: Pain (November 2018)
NYC Mecca Series (YA Urban Fantasy)
Book One: Queen Heir
Book Two: Queen Alpha
Book Three: Queen Fae
Book Four: Queen Mecca
A Walker Saga (YA Fantasy Series)
Book One: First World
Book Two: Spurn
Book Three: Crais
Book Four: Regali
Book Five: Nephilius
Book Six: Dronish
Book Seven: Earth
Supernatural Prison Trilogy (Urban Fantasy)
Book One: Dragon Marked
Book Two: Dragon Mystics
Book Three: Dragon Mated
Supernatural Prison Stories
Broken Compass
Magical Compass
Louis (December 2018)
Hive Trilogy (YA/NA Urban Fantasy)
Book One: Ash
Book Two: Anarchy
Book Three: Annihilate
Sinclair Stories (Contemporary Sports Romance)
Songbird