Blurb:A shard of ice hides in her chestA raging fire burns in his.A lost queenA desperate assassinTogether they will change the world.Maggie Abernathy always thought she was human, even though she could do the most peculiar things. Things no other girl in her village could do. Fifteen years after being abandoned as a baby, she begins to question who she is, where she belongs, and what she might be capable of. When a mysterious letter from the past calls her home, she embarks on a journey that will change her life forever-if she survives.Loravain-an enslaved, ember-breathing witch hunter-is hot on her trail and gaining fast. If he can find and kill her, he will win what he has sought for twenty years: freedom from the demon he serves. But he knows he isn't supposed to be the villain, and his conscience weighs heavily even as he continues his hunt. Will the prospect of freedom overpower his desire for redemption?As their fates intertwine, neither knows what the future truly holds.
Jacob's hair was usually
golden blond but with all the ash in the air from working the forge, it was
more gray than anything else, giving him an aged and distinguished look even
though he was only a teenager. His arms were large and muscular, one of the
benefits of swinging a hammer all day. He wasn't tall, but his shoulders were
broad, giving him the shape of a barrel. A desirable barrel, Maggie thought.
His eyes shone blue in the sun, which reminded her of the cool, deep lakes her
village fished on. In short, Jacob was the man of her dreams and she loved
watching him.
Maggie was the opposite.
She was tall, lanky, and agile. Her hair, almost entirely black, matched her
eyes and was shoulder length and ragged as if someone cut it with a pair of
dull gardening sheers. She considered herself pretty but had never had a wide
range of suiters to agree with her. At least no one said anything to the
contrary. That was understandable though as she was just now reaching the age
of marriage. In three months' time, she would turn sixteen and her parents
would start preparing to marry her off. The only thought that brought her any
comfort about that was that Jacob wasn't married either. Would he ever consider
marrying her? The idea tickled her stomach.
Inside, she shimmied up a
questionable-looking ladder to the loft above. She'd done it many times before
so she had learned which rungs would send her plummeting back down to the hard
floor below and avoided them. On the far wall of the loft was a small knot in
one of the planks of wood with a tiny hole carved into it. When she lay down on
her belly, she had a clear view of the forge. Closing one eye, she peered out
the slight opening and watched Jacob take a drink of water. She was in luck.
He'd been working hard and was already sweating. When he had finished drinking,
he poured a ladle of water over his head. The thin fabric of his shirt stuck to
his chest. It was almost more than Maggie could bear.
She rolled onto her back
and stared through the gaps in the roof. She lost herself in a waking dream.
Jacob stood in front of her, gently taking her hands in his, then slowly fell
to one knee and proposed. Her parents were there as well, beaming with pride at
the prospect that she would accept. The dream shifted to a wedding scene where
she wore a beautifully tailored dress. The entire village was in attendance and
all eyes were on her. The flowers that lined the crowded streets were stunning
with bold and agreeable colors. The food was delicious, both sweet and savory,
and lively music filled the air, encouraging everyone to dance. It was the
biggest party the village had ever seen. When her lips were moving to form the
words "I do", the smile faded from her face.
"Jacob Prescott. You
know I can't concentrate with you pounding that hammer all morning."
It was the voice Maggie
despised most of all and it pulled her harshly back to reality. It belonged to
Katie Levinston, the butcher's daughter. She was wealthy, according to Lakes
Hollow standards, and beautiful. Her mother had passed on a few years back from
the same fever that had taken Jacob's father's leg, and since then her father
had attempted to raise her all alone. With a bustling shop to manage, he let
his daughter do whatever she wanted. Like Maggie, Katie was close to marrying
age and her father was doing everything in his power to attract a long line of
suitors for her. He was a little blind when it came to his daughter because
Katie didn't need help when it came to finding suitors. Without his help, the
line she could garner on her own would be even longer. No matter the disdain
Maggie held for her, she thought Katie was stunning, which made her sick. Her
hair alone was enough to entangle any man within a hundred miles of Lakes
Hollow. It was rarer than diamonds in these parts. It was curly, long, and red.
Her father had black hair and her mother’s had been light brown so no one knew
where the red had come from but a few wicked rumors had floated around the
village. Her eyes shone like emeralds, a brilliant breath-catching green, which
was another rarity. All the boys swooned over her and all the girls hated her
while secretly wishing they were her. Maggie loathed her, just like the rest,
but for another reason. Jacob liked her. They were always flirting and playing
around in the streets, putting on a show for the entire village. This morning
was no different.
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