Ravenous Innocence

Book excerpt: "I can give you everything," he whispered, smiling through the lie. All I had to do was kneel... The Caledonian forces come armed, yet offer peace. Spouting claims that they can deliver a new era—one of luxury and ease—they think to seduce. They promise our countries will thrive together, that they will save us from ourselves in exchange for Tritan's secrets, our expertise in the mystical arts of wielding ki. Partner with warmongers unaccustomed to being refused, or fall beneath their boots. These conquerors fool no one. They seek to leash my people and claim our priestesses for their own sick uses. But I will not kneel. Especially not to him. Captain Asher Rawlings. Powerful... Elite... Relentless... He's been tasked to hunt me down and dress me in chains—a mission he relishes, for with one taste of my lips, he hungers for my submission above all else... In an instant, the deadly secret I've been keeping for years is exposed to his attention. He knows what I am, what I might be capable of, and he's drawn to my fire... my ki... With a kiss, he feeds me whispers of a coddled life kneeling at his precious feet, his offer nothing more than the life of a cherished pet. But he won't have me or my ki, for his betrayal has given me strength even he didn't expect. Only one thing is certain—he'll either put me on my knees, or I'll kill them all.