Hello, I am Lauren O'Neill, and my favorite thing to write is books and short stories. So far, I have written 8 books, and am working on more. I occasionally share excerpts from my books in lit club. I also share short stories I have created.
A note...
Description: Book four of The Assassin and the King series.
Twenty-three years after Laurel Renier and her friends stopped Althalos Montfort and his army, Erilan is back under another tyrannical rule. King Targus has destroyed the lives of many, but there is someone who may be able to rid Erilan of their villainous king.
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Chapter 1
Padalise Weylin smelled the young man's scent lingering in the air around her home before she saw him. Her aunt and uncle were off hunting, so she was all alone at the little farmhouse. She wasn't worried about an intruder, however. She was accustomed to killing if she needed to, so if he was a threat, she could take him down easily. She sighed, and stormed out the door. She sensed the man sneaking around the back, so she silently stalked in that direction, relying on sense rather than sight.
She spotted him moments later, sneaking around in the darkness. He didn't appear to have any weapons on hand, but Padalise knew well enough that that wasn't proof enough. She got as close as she could to him with her stealth, and leapt on him, tackling him to the grass. The impact caused him to whack his head on the ground, and that moment of shock allowed her to pin his arms beneath her, so she was on top of him, looking into his face.
He was attractive, that was for sure. Pale grey-green eyes stared back at her, and his strong body was still beneath her. He didn't struggle or yell or even spew profanities at her, like men usually did in this situation. He just curled his lips into a half smile and laughed, looking right into her eyes.
That was the other thing. Her eyes, unusual, as they were bright gold, typically frightened people. It wasn't normal. It was freakish. She knew it, and didn't care. She hailed from both a witch and a demon, and her heritage was a blessing that gave her many strengths.
But this young man just stared at them as if they were any other, natural eye color. She wasn't foolish enough to think he just didn't notice because of the dark, because they seemed to glow brighter at night than they did in the day. No, he knew.
"Who the hell are you?" She asked, baring her slightly elongated teeth. They were retractable, so she could pass off as human in everyday situations, but she could tell that she needed all of her assets against this man.
"Sorry, sweetheart, but that's on a need to know basis, and you certainly don't need to know." He said, smirking.
She sneered, and he attempted to push her off of him, something that caused her to nearly lose her confidence. He was strong. Not human strong; no human had ever been able to make her waver. Not even the men much larger and beefier than him. But he had managed to make her budge, and that ticked her off.
"What are you?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Just a guy trying to check out his property. Which you are trespassing on, by the way." He said cooly.
