Showing results by author "A.H. Hadley" in All Categories

She worked for them, bled for them, and nearly died for them humans in the Conglomerate of Free Citizens. For her entire life, they refused to let her forget that she was the inferior species, but things have changed. With the alliance of the two strongest nations on the continent — which she leads — her former country needs her help. They just don't know how to ask. They demand that she brings her army to assist them. But Salryc Luxx isn't the same downtrodden slave she used to be.

Once upon a time, I was a typical foster kid—overlooked, bounced around, and just waiting until I was old enough to get out. Some girls in my situation might dream of being a secret fairy princess, but not me. I simply wanted a chance. It came by accident when a bird flew into my latest home. No big deal, right? Except that was all it took to get noticed. Now I'm heading to Silver Oaks Institute, an elite private college with very specific acceptance criteria. My caseworker got me an interview on a technicality, and when they say elite, they mean it.

Being human, my life at Silver Oaks isn't quite a fairytale. This is a school for fae refugees, and I'm not one. Instead, I'm going to be a knight in shining armor—wielding the one thing none of them want to be around: iron. I'm just not very good at being a hero. My magic is dangerous to the fae. My cool new powers include doing all the things they can't, and yet somehow I'm supposed to be their champion? Sadly, this whole thing doesn't come with a manual. But that's ok. I'm not good at following directions anyway. So I'm making it up as I go, which basically means protecting my friends.

Their people have learned what hope tastes like. Humanity has finally recognized them as more than just beasts to be discarded, and they're winning. With millions of grauori pouring down from the mountains, nothing can stand in their way. Once little more than a unit of soldiers, the Black Blades have become the saviors of their entire species.

Sal Luxx is desperate to prove her kind are more than beasts. Born a second-class citizen in a world ruled by humans, the hardheaded pure-bred iliri has had subservience beaten into her veins. But her waning hope for freedom surges when she is given a pass to the trials for an elite military unit… and unleashes her inner predator.

On the first day, she met her match. Then she killed 16 men. Tossed into the gladiator arena, the delicate girl in the fancy pink dress should have been the first to die. Leyli had other plans. Surviving was at the top of her list. Revenge was a close second.  

The meeting of allied nations should have been something to celebrate. Instead, Sal dreads what will happen when Dominik Jens, the King of Anglia, arrives. If her court martial isn't over, he'll hear every last detail about how she betrayed him. From her own lips, she'll have to tell him that she was the assassin who put him on his throne. And that will destroy the only ally the iliri have—unless the Blades can find a way to stop this. The Conglomerate only cares about their political aspirations, but for the Black Blades, this is worth fighting for.

The leaders of her own country despise her kind. They assume that Salryc Luxx and every iliri crossbred are nothing more than expendable. But, if they can do the job, then the Conglomerate of Free Citizens is happy to use them. They win either way. So they sent Sal to Anglia without pack. She can no longer hear their thoughts and can't smell her brothers. It's just her and Cyno killing their way across unending expanses of snow-covered mountains. Her mission is to assassinate the current king and replace him with someone sympathetic to the Conglomerate, but Sal wants more.

They called her the Gladiator Queen, the first female heir to the throne of Norihame. Leyli never wanted this. But her cousin's scheming left no other option. He'd killed her brother, trying to claim the throne for himself, and sold her off to be a gladiator, hoping to get rid of her. It didn't work. Now, she'll do whatever it takes to make sure he can't destroy the country her family fought so hard to keep safe. Even a queen's number one job - she has to marry a noble and produce an heir.

Unfortunately, spending her mornings purging her stomach isn't it. Evidently, not even the Queen of Norihame is immune to morning sickness. Even worse, women in her country were expected to produce the next generation, not rule it. As soon as the men in court realize she's pregnant with the heir, they'll try to take away all the power she fought so hard to gain.

For the first time in her life, Sal has a place to belong, and it feels so right. The iliri live in packs. The Black Blades is hers. But humans see them only as a military unit, and one with a little too much influence. To keep the "scrubbers" from gaining an advantage, humans will do anything - and none of it good. The only people they can trust are themselves.