Lord of Embers(The Demon Queen Trials #2)(69)

“The Devil wears many faces,” she hissed.

“I know. Just simmer down, friend. Look, I might have to fight them both. Just text me when they leave.”

“Wait. Wait. If you make it home alive, put cat pee in front of your door, mixed with old cabbage.”

“Is that supposed to ward off fae nobility?”

“Dunno, but Aunt Starlene put it outside our trailer to keep the police away after she threw an alligator at someone in a McDonald’s parking lot. And she set bear traps.” She scratched her cheek. “Also, she might have shot them, so … that could have actually been the part that kept them out of our trailer.”

“Thanks, Ciara. Gotta go.” I shoved my mobile back in my pocket.

Dread bloomed in my chest.

Baleros’s n in th law of pow er: Don ’t attack u n less you ’re certain you can w in .

I’d been trained by a spell-slayer. I knew how they fought.

As a gladiator, I’d often fought multiple opponents at once, taking them out within minutes. I had been the only female gladiator, and my stage name had been the Amazon Terror. The amount of blood I’d spilled had been more than enough to appease the crowds, and Baleros, because he was a complete prick, had fashioned special armor that emphasized my boobs. I’d been quite the attraction.

But spell-slayers were different than anyone I’d fought in the arena.

They were ancient, disciplined, with centuries of exquisite training far beyond my own. My chances of winning in a fight against two of them were a little lower than my chances of sprouting wings and flying off to freedom. Before I flung my knife at them, I’d wait to see if they attacked first.

My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out to read the text.

T h ey’re leavin g.

Adrenaline raced through my blood, and I dodged into an alleyway.

It’s not like I could really hide, though. Fae trackers like them would be able to smell me.

I quickened my pace, but I’d only gone a few steps before the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I could feel them watching me, and my pulse started racing out of control. A cold sweat dampened my brow.

How had they gotten here so fast?

I gripped the hilt of the knife hard, and I whirled.

A pit opened in my stomach at the sight of two cloaked spell-slayers standing just behind me. Frigid panic rippled up my spine.

To read more of this completed series, check out Shadow Fae on Amazon.





A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

Thanks to Michael Omer for his help making my characters come alive, and for helping me to think about logic—not my strong suit.

Thanks to Lauren Ann, my assistant for helping me publicize the book.

Lauren and Jean are my fabulous editors for this book.

Thanks to my advanced reader team for their help in making it truly shine, and to C.N. Crawford’s Coven!