City of the Enchanted Queen Read online

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  Copyright © 2019 by Olivia Ash.

  Cover and art copyright © 2019 by Amalia Chitulescu

  Book design and layout copyright © 2019 by Olivia Ash.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living, dead, or undead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from S. M. Boyce, L. L. C.

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  Books by Olivia Ash

  The Nighthelm Guardian Series

  City of the Sleeping Gods

  City of Fractured Souls

  City of the Enchanted Queen

  Demon Queen Saga

  Princes of the Underworld

  Wars of the Underworld

  Mistress of the Underworld

  Sentinel Saga

  By Dahlia Leigh and Olivia Ash

  The Shadow Shifter

  The Demon Prince

  The Rogue Alchemist

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  City of the Enchanted Queen

  Book Three of The Nighthelm Guardian Series

  Olivia Ash

  Book Description

  Once a guardian of the people, Sophia is now a wrongfully convicted fugitive of Nighthelm—and the hunt is on.

  Deadly assassins stalk her every step, and the murderous creatures of the Witch Woods are hot on her heels. Nothing and nowhere is safe. Anyone brave enough to fight beside her risks a gruesome death.

  Her only redemption is to restore the rightful heir to the throne—but the clock is ticking.

  Though Sophia and her men barely escaped Ripthorn mountain with their lives, they must return. For deep in the mountain, the heir still lives… for now.

  Enchantments, corruption, and assassins stand in Sophia’s way.

  As with so many things in this timeless city, not everything is as it seems. Old enemies resurface. Painful truths are unearthed. And the only way for Sophia to discover the truth behind her fractured magic is to end the Nameless Master’s takeover… no matter the cost.

  Edric is a master of war. Zeke, a master of magic. Andreas, a master of death. These men fear nothing but losing the woman they love—and though they would die for her, only Sophia can end the bloodshed.

  For the truth is she’s painfully familiar with the one responsible for the deep corruption in Nighthelm…

  And she’s closer to the lethal truth than even she realizes.

  City of the Enchanted Queen is third reverse harem novel in the Nighthelm Guardian Series. Get ready for a breathtaking story, soulmate romance, lip-biting love scenes, mind-blowing magic, one kickass heroine, three gorgeous men, lots of toned muscles, fights to the death, and edge-of-your-seat action.

  The Nighthelm Guardian series has now been extended! You now know what Sophia is, and why her soul was broken… but now you can discover who she really is, and the truth behind her mysterious bloodline. Stay tuned for books four through six, coming in Spring 2019!

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  You’re Missing Out…

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Sophia

  Sophia peeled her eyes open. The blur of the morning was heavy in her eyes as she stretched. Andreas’s arms wrapped tighter around her. She smiled, loving the way his arms felt around her body. Protective and warm. She inhaled his skin and caught the scent of a cooking fire nearby. Her stomach growled, demanding sizable portions of the fried meat and eggs. But she was so comfortable lying with Andreas. Part of her wanted to get more sleep, and part of her needed food.

  “You appear to have a monster in your stomach,” Andreas said, mumbling the words sleepily.

  She looked up at him. His eyes were still closed, and his face was completely relaxed. She smiled. “Yeah. Seems so. But I’m too comfortable.” She snuggled in closer.

  Her stomach growled again. The thing seemed to have a mind of its own, demanding sustenance immediately.

  Andreas chuckled and shifted. “Go eat. I’ll be along in a moment.”

  She groaned as she forced herself to pull away from his warm embrace to ease the monstrous hunger in her belly. She stopped at the doorway and looked over her shoulder, finding Andreas had sat up and was tugging on a shirt, his tight muscles shifting with each movement. She bit her lip then peeked outside. The sun was bright and warm and danced along the canopy of the trees, turning the leaves a vibrant green.

  As she stepped out of the hut she shared with her men, she found Ezekiel and Edric standing guard near the entrance of the village. She smiled at seeing them so serious and dutiful. Sophia grew even more appreciative of their presence. Having them around made her feel stronger and more in control. More complete. This life would be impossible to bear without them, and she didn’t know what she would do if she was ever faced with that day. They had taken permanent residence in her life. They were the missing pieces of her soul.

  Her heart swelled as she realized that she was in love with them more than ever. She would do anything for them.

  Nearly losing them in Ripthorn Mountain was as close to losing them she ever wanted to get. Apart from Andreas, who didn’t seem as affected as the other two, she practically watched them wither away. Though the trip wasn’t all bad. Despite being betrayed by one of the creatures of the mountain, she managed to not only kill Lady Naomi and free the people the woman had enslaved, but her and her men defeated the vexsnare. The same creature that nearly killed her over a decade ago and was after Andreas, thanks to a curse from Tryce Klatrix. She also killed Winston for torturing her men and trying to enslave her. She could still feel his clammy hands on her skin from the number of times he touched her.

  Good riddance.<
br />
  A shiver trickled along her spine as she recalled his advances. Bile rose in the back of her throat. She washed it down with a long pull of water from the ladle.

  Another thing that came from the mountain was her reliving the day she was broken and discovering that not only was the Nameless Master responsible for her becoming an anima contritum, but he was also after the Duchess of Westray, Steward of Nighthelm. Though she still really couldn’t explain how she knew those things, she just knew. Information had flooded her mind as soon as she had relived the moment her soul was broken. She wasn’t sure what the Nameless Master wanted with the duchess. Only that he was after her. Sophia wondered if the Nameless Master was also somehow responsible for the girl in the crystal coffin. It wasn’t much of a connection, but everything else seemed to lead toward him.

  Sophia needed to warn the duchess about the Nameless Master’s plan to harm her, but how? The castle wouldn’t let her in, and the Nighthelm army was still after them.

  They needed a plan. But first, breakfast and checking in with Ezekiel and Edric. She decided to do the last part first. As she opened her mouth to say, “good morning,” an arrow whizzed toward her. She twisted in the nick of time, narrowly missing the razor-sharp blade that was aimed at her heart. Jumping into action, she rushed forward and caught the one that would’ve landed in Ezekiel.

  She quickly glanced at him. His eyes widened, and he nodded in thanks. She nodded as well and released Haris. “Vocavi.”

  Green mist lifted from her arm and hovered just a few feet in front of her. As Haris solidified, Sophia dodged another arrow aimed at her head. The shot was close. She felt the fletching brush the top of her hair as it zipped over her. Haris instantly rushed into the fight.

  A horn blasted through the camp, alerting the rest of the wraiths to the attack. Dozens of the shifters rushed forward, joining Sophia and her men in the battle. Even more attackers charged forward, outnumbering the wraiths, Sophia, and her men four to one. They were covered from head to toe, with no distinguishable features. Hoods covered their heads and they wore masks over their mouths.

  Andreas shouted, “Assassins!”

  She quickly charged toward an attacker and blasted it with fire. Pulling on her sword, she held it toward another assassin who crouched low and held two short swords aimed directly at her.

  The sound of battle filled her ears behind her, and she wanted to quickly take this bastard out.

  The dual-wielding assassin charged her, swinging his swords in rapid succession. Sophia kept up with the attacks, parrying and making an effort to disarm him or her, but she was forced backward with each of her opponent’s advances. She pulled out her dagger and stepped up her game. Her magic seeped to the surface, coating her body in bright purple and blue sparks.

  Before, this would’ve been cause for concern—but she was in control now, and she didn’t have to worry about the possibility of losing hold of herself anymore. She smiled, calling upon the power within her, and she felt renewed strength. Her hits were harder, and her assassin was pushed back this time. She bent low and swung her leg out, intending to swipe the legs of her opponent from underneath him, but the assassin saw it coming and jumped into the air.

  His movements mimicked that of the lynx creatures within the mountain. But having them on the surface didn’t make much sense. Unless, they sought revenge against Sophia for killing their kind, like the grimms.

  Regardless, she fought. And when the opponent showed zero signs of giving up, she held her hand out toward her assailant and released her magic in a beam of light that nearly blinded her. The person growled, all cat-like, and lashed out haphazardly. Sophia kicked the creature in its stomach and sent it flying back into a tree, impaled by a branch.

  Turning, Sophia watched as another assassin sneaked up behind Edric while he faced off with two others.

  Damn.

  She ran, and the magic coursing through her started to burn. As the assailant lifted a dagger to plunge into Edric’s back, she released a ball of fire, setting him ablaze. He dashed about, wailing, trying to douse the fire. She quickly ended his suffering by throwing her sword into his back.

  Once she turned to take out yet another assassin, she found them escaping into the woods. Haris went to run after them.

  “Haris, no!” Sophia called out. He stopped and gave her a questioning look. She shook her head and he returned to her. She whispered, “Reverte.”

  His physical form dissolved into bright green mist and floated toward her and into her forearm. He was safe and with her.

  Andreas said, “Come look at this.”

  Edric, Ezekiel, and Sophia joined him at one of the bodies of the assassins. He had pulled off the hood to reveal that they were, indeed, the lynx from the mountain.

  “What do you make of this?” Andreas asked.

  “That we pissed some people off in the mountain,” Edric said and crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t think we will see much of them anymore.”

  Mica and Ozul joined the group. They stared down at the creature, scrutinizing every detail. Sophia almost shuddered.

  “The bastards killed two of our own,” Mica said. Ozul nodded.

  Sophia said, “I agree that we pissed off someone, but this seemed more than just a revenge killing. I believe there is more behind it.”

  Ezekiel said, “If creatures have followed us from the mountain and found us here, there is no telling how long it will be before Nighthelm’s guards locate us, or the grimms.” He nodded at Sophia. “We need to consider if it is safe to continue staying here and jeopardizing more of the wraiths’ lives.”

  Ozul snorted. “We are capable of handling ourselves. It takes a lot to kill us. Those two deaths were likely very lucky happenstance. Nothing more.”

  Andreas nodded. “I agree. And we have nowhere else to go. None of us can return to Nighthelm.”

  “Not to mention,” Sophia added, “traversing Witch Woods has its own fair share of dangers. However, that won’t stop me from finding the heirs.”

  Edric stood taller. “Then we should set up watch. Ezekiel, do you think you could line the village with some traps? Set a perimeter so that we are warned before another attack?”

  Ezekiel nodded.

  “I’ll tend to the wounded,” Sophia said.

  Andreas said, “And I’ll work with Edric to set up watches.”

  Sophia left to offer help to whoever needed it. Meanwhile, she thought about the chance that someone from the mountain had followed them out. She knew there was more to the attack. Someone was trying to stop them. But she wouldn’t stop. She had a job to do, and she refused to even rest before that job was done.

  Chapter Two

  Sophia

  Once all the wounded were tended to, the watches set up, and Ezekiel had finished the wards, she and her men sat together enjoying a hot meal. She couldn’t finish eating. Her mind was too occupied.

  “We should make sure we capture one next time,” Edric said. “For questioning.”

  “I agree,” Sophia said. “This way we’ll at least know who sent them and why.”

  The men nodded.

  “Perhaps there are some additional supplies lying about that could be used to fortify the perimeter?” Ezekiel asked.

  Andreas shrugged. “I don’t see why not. There are a few huts that are vacant. You could always check them out.”

  Sophia stood. “I’ll look in the huts. Anything I find I will bring to Mica or Ozul first.”

  “Good idea,” Andreas said.

  Sophia excused herself and went on her little hunt. At first, a lot of the huts didn’t contain much of anything beyond a few weapons and armor. But in the last hut, she found a strange, enchanted chest. It appeared old, like it had sat there for a number of years just waiting to be found. Kneeling closer, she discovered there was a number of locks on it. Whoever this chest belonged to, he or she definitely didn’t want anyone opening it. It probably had traps too. On the lid, just above a lock,
was a familiar phoenix symbol. She couldn’t begin to piece together where she knew it from. It was just there, tugging at the oldest of memories, calling to her.

  Sucking in a breath, she brushed a finger over the symbol. Flashes of images rushed through her mind.

  A woman held her… though she couldn’t quite make out the woman completely, she hummed a soft lullaby as a tiny hand wrapped around her entire finger. She was safe. Things made sense.

  It was such a sudden and powerful image that she jerked her hand back and stared at the chest for several minutes.

  What did all this mean?

  Her heart pounded in her chest. She had to know what was inside that chest. She decided to go to Mica and Ozul. They would know the most about the chest since it was in their village. Jumping to her feet, she hurried toward them. Their eyebrows met with concerned expressions as she approached them.

  “Is something wrong, Sophia?” Mica asked.

  She shook her head. “There is a strange chest in that hut over there,” she pointed in the direction, “do you have any idea who it belongs to?”