Curse of Shadows and Thorns (The Broken Kingdoms, #1)

by L.J. Andrews

“A dagger?” Legion’s deep voice spurred me from the moment. “Seemed fitting. Kindness on the outside.” Mattis touched one of the blossoms, dragging his finger to the hilt of the dagger. “A warrior on the inside.”

“They couldn’t scrape the symbols,” Runa said. She gestured at the blackened marks, but true enough, next to the missing names were the symbols of their titles. A rune for the sun, of beauty, and of darkness.

“Not all Timorans ruin the earth. And not all Ettans tend it. We choose who we become, Elise.”

When the scene clicked, it was a frighteningly, perfect moment. Though I ran from him, I could not deny I reveled in what his gaze told me would happen next.

I’d seen the bloodlust in the Wraith’s eyes. Red, glowing, inhuman. This look was different. Black, simmering rage. The look of a mortal man defending what was his with his life.