AN INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER! Their 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. Lyra 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. Roark 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. As 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. LJ Andrews is a USA Today and Sunday Times 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. To 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.net 1 Lyra Pressed against my ribs was a dagger stained with blood that had long since dried black. Water 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. It 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. I 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. "What are you staring at, Melder?" It 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. From beneath his pelt, more than one lock of golden hair fell over his shoulder. Nearly the same shade as Kael's. My heart burned, a knife to the center. Kael. 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. Panic, 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. I 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. "If you're going to be sick, spew it over the side," the warrior grumbled. Focus. 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. Damir, the Jorvan king, was dead, and blame for his murder was placed at my feet. And now they had Kael. I abandoned Kael. No. I was forced to leave. "Make ready to dock." Somewhere across the raft another warrior called out the command. Darkly clad bodies rose, stretching arms overhead, cracking necks side to side, and readying more blades in sheaths and scabbards. When 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 fro