{"product_id":"heir-of-twisted-lies-isbn-9780593818701","title":"Heir of Twisted Lies","description":"\u003cb\u003eTheir love is the only thing that can save them from a cursed fate in the next dramatic installment in the bestselling Broken Souls and Bones series.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLyra Bien never expected to leave the royal house at Stonegate in one piece after her rare melder magic was revealed. Once she discovered the truth behind the need for her magic and the brutality of her kingdom, Lyra vowed to put an end to the corruption of the crown. But is the enemy of her enemy her friend? Lyra must put her trust in the man who stole her heart . . . then deceived her.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRoark Ashwood rose through the ranks to become Sentry of Stonegate and personal guard to the prince, despite being born of the enemy clan, the Dravens. But in a single heartbeat he destroyed his ruthless reputation all to save Lyra. With his true identity unveiled, Roark revealed years of plotting and betrayal to everyone he loves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs Roark’s two lives collide, he must fight to protect the woman he loves and outsmart those throughout the kingdoms who want his power for themselves. Lyra must wade through long-kept secrets, rising battles, and vicious court intrigue—all while keeping her feelings for Roark at bay.\u003cb\u003eLJ Andrews \u003c\/b\u003eis a \u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of fantasy romance. She mystically brings to life worlds of dark Nordic and Viking myths bound by conflicts that bring together impassioned heroes and heroines. In her non-author moments, she is courageously corralling her four children to the myriad of life activities that involves, along with spending time with her favorite hero, her husband. Add two high maintenance dogs and a sassy conure to the mix and that sums it up. LJ Andrews thrives spending time in the Rocky Mountains where she lives in Utah.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo learn more about LJ Andrews and her series, including The Ever Seas, Broken Souls and Bones, Broken Kingdom, and more, please visit her online at https:\/\/ljandrews.net1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLyra\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePressed against my ribs was a dagger stained with blood that had long since dried black.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWater lapped at the thick logs of the makeshift boat. The rails were uneven and the floorboards were roughly cut with cracks, leaving my feet soaked in the rimy water of the Black Fjords.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt felt like ages since I'd been tossed into the vessel and forced to cross the neck of the cove, toward the enemy border of Dravenmoor. In truth, we'd only sailed through the whole of one night. The upper forest of Jorvandal had been long ago blotted out with a velvet shroud of night, and now, in the pearly mists of dawn, nothing but unknowns lay ahead.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI hugged my knees against my chest but lifted my chin, staring at the warrior aiming the blade into my ribs. Four lanterns hung from separate posts on either side of the boat, and the amber light cast angry shadows over his features. From beneath the pelt of a brindle fox covering his head, he kept watch over me through the narrow slits of blue eyes, sharp and cold as a first frost.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"What are you staring at, Melder?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was the first word any of the surrounding warriors had spoken to me, and I could not find the strength nor desire to reply. Instead of looking away, I merely studied him. As though marking every scar, every line of his face, might help make sense of all this.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom beneath his pelt, more than one lock of golden hair fell over his shoulder. Nearly the same shade as Kael's.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy heart burned, a knife to the center.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKael. My brother, my truest friend, remained trapped behind the impenetrable walls of the Stonegate royal keep in Jorvandal. Fadey, the once-dead melder, was alive. Along with the cruel Queen Ingir, Fadey had stolen Kael from me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePanic, despair, and rage were cruel foes, the sort that drew their blades swift and deep. I felt them all lodged deep in the sinews of my heart, and I could not stop the sharp, jagged breaths from sliding over my lips.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI wanted to scream and bite. I yearned to turn the blade on the Dark Watcher eyeing me like I might lunge at any moment. I ached to curl inside myself, somewhere dark and distant, and never emerge lest a new reality take shape.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"If you're going to be sick, spew it over the side,\" the warrior grumbled.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFocus. Piece by piece, my resolve to not bend in front of the Dark Watch splintered beneath the weight of reality. I peeled my stare from the watcher and looked to the palish sky, recalling the moments that brought me here, shivering and seething among the Dark Watch army.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDamir, the Jorvan king, was dead, and blame for his murder was placed at my feet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd now they had Kael.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI abandoned Kael.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo. I was forced to leave.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Make ready to dock.\" Somewhere across the raft another warrior called out the command.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDarkly clad bodies rose, stretching arms overhead, cracking necks side to side, and readying more blades in sheaths and scabbards.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen I stood, my blood felt too cold in my veins, my feet had long gone numb, and I nearly crumbled when my knees bent. My long, dark braid had loosened from the winds, and no matter how I braced against the bite of it, the cold dug into the marrow of my bones.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA gentle hand curled around my wrist. Glassy, vibrant blue eyes locked with mine. Emi Nightlark, a woman I'd considered a friend-before everything fell apart-stepped beside me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"They're going to try to keep you separated,\" she whispered. \"Stay by me.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI didn't have a moment to puzzle out what she meant before both of us were shoved forward toward the rail of the boat.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Get moving,\" the Dark Watcher snarled, his lip curled like a snapping wolf's. His contempt flicked between me and Emi, like the sight of us turned his insides.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEmi curled an arm around my waist and whirled on the man. \"You'd be wise to stay your hands from the melder. You are being watched very closely.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs if the warrior could sense the sharpness of distant disdain, he looked over his shoulder.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn the far side of the boat, a man stalled while packing a leather satchel with rope and what seemed to be a bone-hilt knife. The commotion drew the molten gold of his eyes to the silver scars in mine-fire and starlight.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHim. He'd taken me from the Stonegate fortress, insisting my life was of more value than Kael's. He'd taken me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRoark Ashwood. My hunter. My protector. My lover. My liar.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor a heated moment, Roark looked nowhere but at me, then he slowly tilted his regard toward the warrior. Shadows doused the fire of his eyes, a sharp reminder of the secrets and lies the man carried soul deep.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt my side, the warrior shifted uneasily and rested a hand on the amber pommel of his blade.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe cleared his throat and used his chin to gesture us forward. \"Move, then.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEmi tightened her hold around my waist and leaned into me. \"Keep Roark in your sights.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTruth be told, I wanted to flee from them all, even Emi. As his cousin, she'd kept Roark's secrets as well as he had. She'd deceived me and her own lover.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePain and betrayal urged me to pull away, but something fiercer, something deeper than instinct, kept me at her side. Like the friendship forged behind the walls of Stonegate crafted a bond made of sturdier things than the mistrust between us now.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen again, Emi was not the one who'd shattered my heart.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen my boots sank into the damp sand of the shoreline, I looked behind me. Back to him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRoark shouldered the satchel, his jaw pulsing with tension so fiercely I was certain it ached, but he studied my every move, my every breath. Like the shadow he'd always been, he remained on the brink of attack, a villainous predator.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Dark Watch of Dravenmoor had been subtly trying to separate us along the journey from the wood to the Black Fjords. What I knew of Roark Ashwood was that should he be pushed too far, blood would spill.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe seemed on the brink of bloodlust even now, and I hated how I felt the need to go to him, to soothe whatever fury burned under the surface. After it all, how was it that I still yearned to be near the man?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOnce, I was taught folk could never truly know a heart until they saw the darkness kept inside. But there was more to it. No one ever mentioned that to love the darker edges of a heart would consume everything. And never did I anticipate that the dark heart I fell in love with would belong to a damn prince.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA vicious truth I'd discovered not even a full sunrise before.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWas he a gallant prince from fables and sagas, like the glittering lovers that Gammal read tales of to me in the youth house so many seasons ago? No. He was the sort of prince so vicious the heroes of lore would cower at his feet and name him the villain. A man hauntingly beautiful and more inclined to slit a throat than to touch it gently, save in rare moments with me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith me, those fingers traced my skin with a sort of reverence. In those moments, he owned me-body, heart, and soul.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI tore my gaze away and looked forward to the path ahead. Somewhere during the journey, with nothing but my tumbling thoughts to lead, Roark's lies grew into a poison tainting those sweeter memories of us together. Every cruel omission of the truth stained the tenderness of his touch, the burn of his eyes, the taste of his kiss.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHow much of it was true and how much of it was to gain the trust of the melder?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt would be wiser not to feel, not to desire.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere was no longer any existence where twisted lies were not tangled between us.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Keep pace.\" A tall brute of a man waved the Dark Watch warriors forward. \"We need to be off road before sunrise. Move your asses.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMore than one warrior shoved past me and Emi, knocking our shoulders. I was pushed aside, proving who claimed their true ire.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMore warriors filtered between us, and soon Emi was drawn into the rows of Dark Watchers, at least ten paces ahead. A touch of panic brightened her eyes when she looked back, and I thought she might've called my name before she was blocked by a taller warrior.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlone. Among those who'd be glad to ram a blade into my spine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI quickened my steps and followed the procession up a slope from the shore until the fjord was shielded by trees and thick branches, a militant wall caging me away from any chance of freedom.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Where do you think you're going, Melder?\" A lanky Dark Watcher slipped against my side.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnother warrior chuckled and strode up next to my other shoulder, trapping me between them. \"Slow down. Let us get to know each other better. Perhaps find a good reason why you ought to keep breathing.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePanic was tight in my chest. I held no power here, but I would not be slaughtered while whimpering. \"Do not touch me.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe merely widened his grin. \"Ah, but we know you prefer Draven cock. Must be something about you if-\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You will step back,\" I said through my teeth. Craft flooded my veins, heady and cold. A taste like swallowing the tides of the sea coated my tongue, and a hint of smoke and ash burned in my lungs. I clenched one fist, readying to strike should he reach for me again. \"I have melded a man's mouth shut. I have broken a Berserkir until he met Salur. I will do it again.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSomething like hate darkened one of the watchers's cerulean eyes. \"Do it. Gods, I hope you do. Give us a reason to end you . . .\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis words died off. Roark stepped in front of me. His stance was one of ease, almost like he was irritated that he needed to intervene at all.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRoark raised his hands to gesture a simple but direct command. We have the queen's word the melder enters the gates unharmed. Do you stand against your queen?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe watcher swallowed. \"I . . . I don't understand.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith an agitated twist to his mouth, Roark looked to me and waved one palm.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe wanted me to . . . translate for him? I blinked, then repeated his words to the watcher.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe man seemed befuddled for a breath. \"She can speak for you?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStrange how she picked up my words swiftly. Others rarely can, not since my own clan ripped out my voice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDamn him. Heat flooded my cheeks as I repeated Roark's words, but I left out the reek of bitterness in his silent tone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe watcher's brow furrowed, but after a moment he stepped back. \"She needs to keep up\" was all he said before he fell in line with the rest.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor a few heartbeats, even surrounded by Draven warriors, it felt like Roark and I were alone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI studied my hands, unsettled by his nearness. I'd felt the warmth of his bare skin pressed against mine, the heat of his mouth on my flesh, and now I hardly knew how to be in his presence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor a man who'd sworn such violent devotion, he seemed wholly unbothered by the threats of the warrior. Tomas Grisen, the sod whose jaw I once melded shut, had threatened me, and Roark had forced him to eat his own finger.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUnbidden, a bite of pain lanced through my heart. Perhaps, surrounded by his own folk, the formidable Sentry was beginning to recall why his clan despised melders.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe need to move, Roark gestured and opened an arm for me to take the first step.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI didn't speak, merely followed the Dark Watch procession. What was there to say? Fate would never be on our side.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBetter to end whatever had only just begun before more lives were lost.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e2\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLyra\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBriars and nettles blanketed the forest floor. Night settled over the trees like a satin shroud. Evening mists entwined the thick oaks and evergreens like claws slicing through the earth. A heavy chill in the air lifted the hair on my arms and caused each puff of breath to billow like a cloud in front of my lips.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI hugged my middle. My thoughts were too wild, too frenzied, to think of something so inconsequential as the cold.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRoark kept a steady pace. His knuckles had gone white from grasping the handle of his bearded ax with such ferocity. Any notion of comfort among his clan had faded.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs though he sensed my study, Roark looked my way. A shudder lined his breath when he turned my palm up. The gentle brush of his fingers against my skin spoke words only meant for me. I need you to remain close.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI winced but kept my voice low. \"You were the one who settled away from me on the boat at the fjord.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRoark closed his eyes for half a breath, then barreled on, almost frantic. I cannot let on to the depth of my feelings for you. Not here. Last I confessed feelings for a melder, blood was spilled and my voice was lost.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDamn the gods. He was playing a role, a vicious prince who brought the melder along as something more like a prize he'd won.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSigns of his unease were all at once clearer-the way his shoulders never relaxed, the way his eyes kept scanning the rows of warriors, waiting for attack. The way his breaths were sharp and uneven.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRoark Ashwood was silently reliving the horrors of his past.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd I hadn't even noticed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUnable to stop it, I felt a knot of anger tighten in my lower belly, sharp as broken glass. Anger for the raids that destroyed both our houses. Anger for a boy who'd done nothing but confess he felt something for a girl, then lost his soul for it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI tugged on the end of my braid. \"I don't know how to be near you anymore.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRoark spoke swiftly against my palm. Then find a way. I do not know how much longer I can keep my darker soul at bay should anyone else disrespect you. Stay close.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe took a long stride, abruptly ending any protest or comment from me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut I took note of the way he kept flexing and extending his fingers, the way his neck was corded in tension, the way every step forward was forced.","brand":"Ace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233221292261,"sku":"NP9780593818701","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593818701.jpg?v=1767728877","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/heir-of-twisted-lies-isbn-9780593818701","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}