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Prologue

Present Day

Once I kneas in this life for good, I promised myself I would never let anyone else in ht it; I asked and begged Abner to let Etienne go, but he refused

The man is a monster

And now my son is one of the Crowns

At first, I thought he’d fall into the sarown up,than if he’d been a party animal When I left Tynewood, Etienne and his friends were always at the lake house drinking and having keggers and I worried about hie behavior, I’d done the same

What concernedinto Abner Lancaster Even though the man was a friend, I kne ood

My formative years were spent with Abner, and Tarian’s uncle andI didn’t want Etienne to be like s I’m not proud of, but Abner always took it a step too far by reveling in the violence, blackht him down

I never wanted my son to be burdened with the darkness that can Once you’re sworn in, it’s as if your soul is blackened with the filth that resides within the walls of the dungeons where our s are held

Knowing how Abner tore apart the Tynewood faction only cen down, but I knoill never happen As much as I want to deny that I wouldn’t cross the line if I needed to, I can’t If itI pray with all I have that Etienne, Tarian, Ares, and Philipe will find a way to change the filth that’s plagued the society and turn it into so a part of

Asa Crown, I can’t forsake what I’ve worked so hard to acco sip of the deep cri while, and I savor the sweetness and burst of flavors that hit ue

The office is silent, and I close my eyes for a et the chance to be with n has its pitfalls, one of theovern

It’s been a long time since I first walked into this room and took the seat at the head of the table When the man who I worshipped ran this place, it felt as if ere in the army—he ruled with an iron first But the day he died, a part of this manor house ith him

I’ve lived here for almost seven years, and I swear I still feel his presence As if his ghost still walks ast the carpeted halls Every step that creaks, eachthat affords a view of the vast groundsin a museum

A knock at the office door draws my attention to the heavy wood It’s a soft sound, one that letsher voice

“You know you don’t have to knock,” I call to her When n, I walked out I prayed that Etienne would find so to occupy his time and mind that didn’t involve the Crown, but the as futile I should’ve brought him with me, but I couldn’t take him away from his friends

When the door slides open, Maisy walks in Long dark hair flon her back, the wide blue eyes that I’ve coive her any infor in the office

I had proet too involved in the society I couldn’t allow her to get hurt Even though she knows about the Sovereign, after her father died and I took his place, I kept ht

“Iherself onthe alcohol At thirty, she looks closer to twenty-one With smooth, creamy skin, blemish-free and perfect, she’s like a doll

“I needed to finish up so to the manor tomorrow”