Authors: Amanda Bonilla

Tags: #ScreamQueen, #kickass.to, #arc

Against the Dawn (38 page)

“I’m sorry to interrupt your rest, highness, but this came for you.” Elise, a member of my household staff, held out a folded piece of parchment sealed with wax.

I levered myself off the sofa and crossed the room. “Thank you Elise.” I took the parchment from her hand and she gave a curt nod of her head before leaving.
Gods, what now?
Yet another strongly worded letter from Saben, perhaps? Weariness tugged at my eyelids, pulled at my limbs and made them grow heavy. A king must always watch his back. Trust was a luxury even I couldn’t afford which is why those in my inner circle were few and well-tested. If not Saben, another would take his place soon enough. On and on until I was no longer strong enough to defend what was mine.

Was I even strong enough now?

I turned the parchment over in my hand and as my gaze lit on the elaborate design stamped into the wax, my breath stalled in my chest. I broke the seal with trembling hands and scanned the words, once, twice, and again. Disbelief, and then anger so raw and powerful overtook me, that my limbs shook with restrained rage. The letter fell from my grasp, drifting to the floor. A haze of red clouded my vision, my decision made without an ounce of forethought. What I would lose was far too great a sacrifice, and if I didn’t act now, Darian was a good as dead.

I strode through the stark white hallway of the PNT’s containment floor with my stomach riding high up in my throat. Pride was a miserable pill to swallow, and for me it was twice as bitter. Through a maze of cells, Adare led the way. I kept my gaze focused and straight ahead, I had no business with any of the other prisoners here. Their circumstances meant little to me.

At the end of the long hallway, Adare came to a stop. If Raif knew what I was about to do, he’d stop me. Anya, Asher, all of them would put themselves between me and my chosen path. Only one male would willingly help me in what was likely to be a suicide mission. And it grated that I had to ask the son of a bitch for help.

He sat on the bare floor of his cell, as regal and smug as though he were himself a king. When his gaze lifted and met mine, a sneer curved his lips. Frost crept up the pane of glass in the cell’s door, winding in icy tendrils until it blocked the bastard from my view.

“Are you sure you want him released into your custody, Your Highness?” Adare asked with trepidation. “He’s been…fairly cooperative since he’s been here, but I’m beginning to think that his patience is wearing thin.”

No doubt Darian’s disappearance had something to do with the change in his attitude.
He scents her like a hound on the hunt
. Bastard. “I’m sure.”

“I hate to admit it, but I’ll be glad to see him go.” Adare’s voice held the slightest bit of awe and not a little fear. “Our magic is nothing compared to his. He’s only barely restrained.”

The frost that coated the windows and caked the cell door was proof enough of that. “Then I’ll be happy to take him off of your hands, Adare.”

“Very well, then. He’s all yours.”

Adare entered a code into a keypad on the wall beside the cell. The frozen door creaked as it slid open in a series of jerky movements, sending frost particles into the air like bits of confetti. I took one step into the cell and the Jinn slowly pushed himself off the floor, his gaze locked with mine. He was not of this world. An affront to nature. And likewise, he didn’t deserve her. But he was damned well going to help me save her.

“Where is she?” His temper simmered under the surface of civility and his breath fogged the chilled air in the cell. As I’d suspected, he’d known the moment she’d been taken.
Like a hound on the hunt
…

I squared my shoulders and looked my adversary straight in the eye. I would never cower in his presence. No matter the power he possessed. “Padma, Queen of Rakshasa has taken her. And you, Tyler, are going to trade my life for hers.”

Acknowledgments

Thanks so much to everyone at Nancy Yost Literary Agency for all of your hard work! And a million thanks to Natanya Wheeler, agent of awesomeness. You’re the BEST!

To Nathalia Suellen, thank you so much for designing such a beautiful cover. You truly captured Darian the way I see her. I couldn’t ask for a more perfect rendering.

Thanks also go out to my awesome beta readers, Chelsea Meuller, Windy Aphayrath, Meredith Moore and Cassidy Winter. You guys rock and your feedback was invaluable!

The biggest thank you of all goes out to my readers! Your support of the series encouraged me to keep going. Thank you for sticking it out with me and with Darian. ScreamQueen

Discover Amanda Bonilla

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The Shaede Assassin Series

Shaedes of Gray
– Book 1

When Shadows Call (novella prequel to Shaedes of Gray)

Blood Before Sunrise
– Book 2

Lost to the Gray
(Tyler’s novella)

Crave the Darkness
– Book 3

Against the Dawn – Book 4

Xander’s Novella – coming November, 2014

The Sentry of Evil Series

Vengeance Borne
– Book 1

Haunted
– (a Sentry of Evil short story)

Book 2 in The Sentry of Evil Series – coming in 2015!!

The Sexy Shifter Shorts

The Sweetest Torture

The Sweetest Temptation

The Sweetest Mercy

The Sexy Shifter Box Set

Discover Mandy Baxter (Amanda Bonilla’s contemporary romantic suspense alter ego!)

The US Marshals

One Night More
– Coming September 2, 2014

One Word More –

One Kiss More

About the Author

Amanda Bonilla lives in rural Idaho with her family. She's a part-time pet wrangler, a full-time sun worshipper, and only goes out into the cold when coerced. She loves the outdoors, black clothes, pink appliances, and thinks junk food should be a recognized food group.

She is the author of the Shaede Assassin urban fantasy romance series, which was nominated for Best Urban Fantasy Protagonist by Romantic Times, The Sentry of Evil dark and gritty urban fantasy series, and the Sexy Shifter erotic romance series. Amanda also writes contemporary romantic suspense for Kensington under the pseudonym, Mandy Baxter.

Amanda first fell in love with urban fantasy and paranormal romance when she read MOON CALLED and hasn't once looked back. She's an avid reader and firmly believes that nothing is better than new book smell!

For more information on Amanda's books, including chapter previews, reviews and publication dates, go to:

http://www.amandabonilla.com/

http://magicandmayhemwriters.com

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Mandy Baxter

http://www.mandy-baxter.com

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https://twitter.com/MandyJBaxter

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