About the Book:
A Secret . . . A Confession . . . A Decision that will change the lives of an entire country.
The palace is scrambling to recover from a brutal assault . . . the country is in disarray . . . and the royal security team is on edge like never before.
Kayden entered the palace under a lie . . . a lie that has now been exposed.
And now . . .
Prince Dvarius has to decide what to do with his reluctant assassin.
Links:
AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1Sx0NBj
KINDLE: http://amzn.to/1p08zLT
NOOK: http://bit.ly/1W3reRN
ITUNES: http://apple.co/1R0hSlo
KOBO: http://bit.ly/1Ynah6b
GOODREADS: http://bit.ly/1n5J2Q
The palace is scrambling to recover from a brutal assault . . . the country is in disarray . . . and the royal security team is on edge like never before.
Kayden entered the palace under a lie . . . a lie that has now been exposed.
And now . . .
Prince Dvarius has to decide what to do with his reluctant assassin.
Links:
AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1Sx0NBj
KINDLE: http://amzn.to/1p08zLT
NOOK: http://bit.ly/1W3reRN
ITUNES: http://apple.co/1R0hSlo
KOBO: http://bit.ly/1Ynah6b
GOODREADS: http://bit.ly/1n5J2Q
Excerpt:
Kayden sat on the cot Dvarius had led her toward after they'd rushed inside the bunker. The explosions were coming nearer and nearer.
She leaned back against the wall, going over their last conversation in her mind.
“I was sent here to kill you.”
No matter how she tried, there was simply no other way she could have gotten through to him in that moment. His own training had taken over — pushing him to where he knew he was supposed to go in a crisis.
Drey was counting on that.
She looked up and watched Dvarius pace across the room. There was so much on his shoulders — and now she had added to it.
I will never be able to undo that.
When he turned back to her, she opened her mouth to speak, but he immediately cut her off.
“Do not even try to explain yourself! There is nothing you could say right now that I want to hear!”
He moved away from her again, pacing back and forth, as far as the room would allow, while keeping his distance from her.
With every explosion, his shoulders jerked.
With every shower of plaster that rained down on them, he cringed — and she knew why. She knew he wasn't thinking about the damage or the repairs.
He was thinking about the people who were still out there in the palace — his people — who were still in danger.
She knew his thoughts were on the people who were wounded, with no one to help them, and the ones who had already died.
“You are fortunate the palace is under siege right now or I would send you packing this instant.” His voice was quiet . . . hard . . . cold.
And with it came an unexpected sensation from within her. A lump of emotion lodged itself in her throat, making it difficult to breathe and impossible to speak.
Dvarius turned away. Kayden stayed where she was, not moving anything except her eyes, as he moved back and forth across the length of the massive room — and she tried to figure out what was going on inside of her . . . what emotions had taken hold of her.
There were at least fifty guards in the room with them — and Kayden knew she should be thankful they were more intent on what was happening outside the bunker, but there was no room in her for thankfulness at the moment.
She was too consumed with emotion, fear she recognized . . . fear that the door wouldn't hold, fear that the palace would come down on their heads, fear for the people who did not have such a place to hide, and fear that the end would come without her ever having a chance to tell the Prince how she felt.
It didn't matter that she had not meant for her confession to come out this way.
It had.
And now that the worst was out, she could see what he thought of her.
It didn't matter that this had turned out to be a bad idea.
It didn't matter that she could have found a better way to tell him.
It was done now and there was no going back.
All she could do now was try and protect him, if he would let her.
She was still a little surprised that he'd led her into the bunker, his arm at her back, guiding her . . . protecting her.
He could have sent her away. He could have left her outside the doors, completely vulnerable in the castle, but he hadn't — and she knew why.
She had known for some time that he was not the man she had been led to believe — a man she had been sent to assassinate.
“Have you no loyalty?”
The question took her by surprise. It was not spoken in the same harsh tone, but in nearly a whisper.
“Do you really think so little of me?”
His words shocked her so much that her response was literally the first thing that came to mind.
“I didn't know you then.”
There was a hint of something in his expression — something that she could not identify.
“What am I supposed to think now? How am I supposed to believe anything you say . . . anything you have said?”
“I don't know.”
She had to force the words out through the pain that had filled her chest.
He nodded and walked away again. She breathed out a heavy sigh. As her breath hitched with unshed tears, a glint of light refracted off the edge of her ring.
Very slowly, she moved the fingers of her right hand up her left hand until they rested on the ring.
She knew she would always cherish every moment that had led her here . . . even sitting in this bunker while Prince Dvarius angrily paced.
Even when she had nearly killed him with an arrow, he had loved her. He had chosen her when no one had wanted him to — perhaps not even the Queen. Now he was protecting her, even though she had been sent to kill him.
He is a good man and he will be a good king.
All she had to figure out was how to get him on that throne.
She leaned back against the wall, going over their last conversation in her mind.
“I was sent here to kill you.”
No matter how she tried, there was simply no other way she could have gotten through to him in that moment. His own training had taken over — pushing him to where he knew he was supposed to go in a crisis.
Drey was counting on that.
She looked up and watched Dvarius pace across the room. There was so much on his shoulders — and now she had added to it.
I will never be able to undo that.
When he turned back to her, she opened her mouth to speak, but he immediately cut her off.
“Do not even try to explain yourself! There is nothing you could say right now that I want to hear!”
He moved away from her again, pacing back and forth, as far as the room would allow, while keeping his distance from her.
With every explosion, his shoulders jerked.
With every shower of plaster that rained down on them, he cringed — and she knew why. She knew he wasn't thinking about the damage or the repairs.
He was thinking about the people who were still out there in the palace — his people — who were still in danger.
She knew his thoughts were on the people who were wounded, with no one to help them, and the ones who had already died.
“You are fortunate the palace is under siege right now or I would send you packing this instant.” His voice was quiet . . . hard . . . cold.
And with it came an unexpected sensation from within her. A lump of emotion lodged itself in her throat, making it difficult to breathe and impossible to speak.
Dvarius turned away. Kayden stayed where she was, not moving anything except her eyes, as he moved back and forth across the length of the massive room — and she tried to figure out what was going on inside of her . . . what emotions had taken hold of her.
There were at least fifty guards in the room with them — and Kayden knew she should be thankful they were more intent on what was happening outside the bunker, but there was no room in her for thankfulness at the moment.
She was too consumed with emotion, fear she recognized . . . fear that the door wouldn't hold, fear that the palace would come down on their heads, fear for the people who did not have such a place to hide, and fear that the end would come without her ever having a chance to tell the Prince how she felt.
It didn't matter that she had not meant for her confession to come out this way.
It had.
And now that the worst was out, she could see what he thought of her.
It didn't matter that this had turned out to be a bad idea.
It didn't matter that she could have found a better way to tell him.
It was done now and there was no going back.
All she could do now was try and protect him, if he would let her.
She was still a little surprised that he'd led her into the bunker, his arm at her back, guiding her . . . protecting her.
He could have sent her away. He could have left her outside the doors, completely vulnerable in the castle, but he hadn't — and she knew why.
She had known for some time that he was not the man she had been led to believe — a man she had been sent to assassinate.
“Have you no loyalty?”
The question took her by surprise. It was not spoken in the same harsh tone, but in nearly a whisper.
“Do you really think so little of me?”
His words shocked her so much that her response was literally the first thing that came to mind.
“I didn't know you then.”
There was a hint of something in his expression — something that she could not identify.
“What am I supposed to think now? How am I supposed to believe anything you say . . . anything you have said?”
“I don't know.”
She had to force the words out through the pain that had filled her chest.
He nodded and walked away again. She breathed out a heavy sigh. As her breath hitched with unshed tears, a glint of light refracted off the edge of her ring.
Very slowly, she moved the fingers of her right hand up her left hand until they rested on the ring.
She knew she would always cherish every moment that had led her here . . . even sitting in this bunker while Prince Dvarius angrily paced.
Even when she had nearly killed him with an arrow, he had loved her. He had chosen her when no one had wanted him to — perhaps not even the Queen. Now he was protecting her, even though she had been sent to kill him.
He is a good man and he will be a good king.
All she had to figure out was how to get him on that throne.
About the author:
JC Morrows - Bestselling author of YA Christian speculative fiction, drinker of coffee and avid reader - is a storyteller in the truest sense of the word. JC has been telling stories in one form or another her entire life and once her mother convinced her to write them down, she couldn't stop.
She finished her first speculative fiction novel purely for the enjoyment of her mother - also known as her biggest fan.
She gives God all of the glory for her talent and ability!
"And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it." Habakkuk 2:2 KJV
Website: http://jcmorrows.com
Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/jcmorrows
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7279550.J_C_Morrows
Instagram: http://instagram.com/jcmorrows
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JCMorrows
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/jcmorrows/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JC.Morrows.Author
She finished her first speculative fiction novel purely for the enjoyment of her mother - also known as her biggest fan.
She gives God all of the glory for her talent and ability!
"And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it." Habakkuk 2:2 KJV
Website: http://jcmorrows.com
Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/jcmorrows
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7279550.J_C_Morrows
Instagram: http://instagram.com/jcmorrows
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JCMorrows
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/jcmorrows/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JC.Morrows.Author
Giveaway!
JC is generously giving away a copy of any book in the Order of the Moonstone series: A Reluctant Assassin, A Treacherous Decision, or A Desperate Escape to one lucky winner! To enter, just fill out the Giveaway Tools form below. (If it doesn't show up in the email, click here and go to http://www.annaweaverbooks.com/giveaways to enter from the website.) Giveaway ends 5/24. Thanks for participating and God bless!
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