In the Wake of the Wicked (The Veridian Empire, #1)

by V.B. Lacey

To those who have ever been told you aren’t enough, let them watch you fly.

“There is a poison in the fang of the serpent, in the mouth of the fly and in the sting of the scorpion; but the wicked man is saturated with it.” - Chanakya

Most nights, I stayed up far too late experimenting with new potions and spells, feeling a sort of freedom and comfort under the solace of the moon.

Another person taken from me. More pain to hide beneath my layers.

“I couldn’t do any of this without you, Leo.” “Yes, you could,” I insisted. “But if there’s one thing I can promise, it’s that you’ll never have to.”

The reflection in the mirror showed a woman ready for combat, of sorts. A tight, sleek black dress as armor; rose-tinted cheeks and darkly lined eyes as a shield; deep red lips and sharp tongue as a sword.