Malice (Malice Duology #1)

by Heather Walter

I am reviled and despised for the very reasons I’m sought out. A figure of dark, evil magic. A member of a race all but stamped out. A Vila. A monster.

I’ll never be a heroine like Leythana. In Briar, I’ll only ever be a villain.

“There’s a reason you’re drawn to the first queen,” she says. “I know a bit of history, too. Enough to guess that there’s power in you, girl. More than you realize.

I look forward to the day when you wake up and start using it.”

What would Leythana think now, if she could glimpse the future her efforts had wrought? I think she would burn it all down.

“Alyce.” I’ve never heard my name spoken that way before, with compassion, and it almost hurts.

Suitors for the crown princess are always male, even though couples of the same gender are common in Briar.

Daughters, It is not only Fae blood which blesses your crown. It is mine. It is every other queen’s—spilled in one way or another—to grant you your throne. There are those, spurred by greed, who would rob you of this inheritance. Be wary and vigilant. Wise and fair. Do not lose yourselves in the sea of wealth and power to come. Surround yourselves with loyalty and love. And if nothing else, remember this: That which is given oft cannot be regained. —Lost letter from Leythana, first Briar Queen, to her heirs. Age of the Rose, 45

I take one last look at the Shifter who killed Aurora. Who used me and lied and pretended to love me. But all he ever cared about was himself. And so I find the treasonous heart of his power and smash it beneath the heel of my own.

“What I did with your elixirs was the very least of my abilities. For twenty years I’ve let this realm trample over my back. Keep me caged and controlled. But I am not a beast. Not a mongrel. I am Vila. My power will never Fade. And you’re about to feel every bit of it come down upon your heads.”