King of Shadows (The Masks of Under, #2)

by Kathryn Ann Kingsley

“No, beautiful darling, you are the first unusual thing to happen in this forsaken world in a long, long time. I have no desire to kill you. Far from it.”

A madman, by his own accounts. And yet, here she was, almost disappointed the conversation was over. What was wrong with her? Why was she so curious about him? No. Staying here was a very bad idea.

“I have not known Aon to show true romantic interest in another. He has taken a lover from time to time. Yet the interest has always been fleeting.”

There was only one option—the girl was not as useless as she seemed. Aon must have discovered her purpose. And if he had, Lydia was a significant danger to this world and everyone in it.

🤦🏼‍♀️

Lyon had once called the King in Black his dear friend, but Lyon could not forgive the warlock for his actions during the Great War or for the pain and torment he paid to all upon this world.

Ziza bowed her head, her stark white hair falling along her pale skin. After a long pause, she spoke. Cold and empty, with neither joy nor suffering. “Lydia must die.”

The only reason to bring her demise would be to hurt him. An act of spite, nothing more! How could they know? He had not even spoken the truth of it to himself in the privacy of his own mind.

💕

Aon had loved Lydia.

Aon was grieving deeply, such as Lyon had never seen, and it could only mean one thing. It was then that he knew whose sorrow Ziza had seen in her vision of Lydia, dead upon the stones. The agony had belonged to the warlock. Aon had loved the girl. What have we done?

Since when had he been crying? Since when had he been once more capable of such things?

For that day so long ago when he had taken Qta’s life, he had demanded Qta make for him a queen. He had demanded he build someone to love him. Qta refused, and Aon murdered him in his rage. In the desire to love, and more importantly, to be loved, he had destroyed the world.