Assassin's Fate (The Assassin and her Dragon Princes Book 1) Read online

  ASSASSIN’S FATE

  The Assassin and her Dragon Princes I

  IVY CLYDE

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

  Copyright © 2019 by Ivy Clyde. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be used or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted and reproduced in any manner or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or whatsoever without written permission of the author.

  For information contact, Ivy Clyde

  Table of Contents

  ASSASSIN’S FATE

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  Ready for the next part in Daria’s journey?

  About Ivy

  ASSASSIN’S FATE

  Three sexy dragonborn princes. An assassin with an erased past. And the impossible mission of assassinating the dragon emperor.

  I have spent my whole life training to be an assassin of Linmoor Valley, an underground gild of the world’s most lethal assassins. My past is a blank, my master merciless. I kill on command, no questions asked.

  Life changes after the day I’m sent to the town’s brothel to make a kill.

  The people who ordered the killing now want me to execute the greatest assassination of our time. Their mission is simple: Kill the tyrant dragon emperor and bring peace to the four kingdoms.

  A wiser assassin would refuse the impossible. But I can’t.

  From the moment I see the three dragon born princes, I know I belong to them. And they, to me.

  Assassinating the emperor is no longer my only mission. I must protect the three princes, for they are the only hope of reviving the four kingdoms.

  My tasks seem impossible, but I am determined to carry them out if only for a chance to be with the men who make my frozen heart throb and bleed.

  Assassin’s Fate is the first in an intrigue-filled whychoose fantasy romance that support’s our heroine’s right to choose more than one mate. Get ready for this captivating tale full of heart-pounding romance and edge-of-your-seat action.

  Note: The Assassin and Her Dragon Princes is a reverse harem series meant for mature readers who enjoy their fantasy fiction with no restraint to language, violence and a few heated scenes.

  1

  Strings of red paper lanterns shifted gently in the cool evening breeze. The main street of the town was filled with vendors, selling poor quality cloth and vases. They called out to me, thinking a pretty, young maiden would give them her coins for fooling her with their abysmal ware.

  I passed by, discreetly covering my face with the painted fan in my hand, letting the shopkeepers drink in my nubile body clothed in an expensive silk dress. They would never know a stranger was among them, someone who intended to assassinate one of their numbers.

  My wandering steps took me up an arch bridge built over a narrow stream that cut through the town square. Reaching the topmost point, I stopped, pretending to take in the market scene down below me. Closing my eyes, I waited for my magic to connect with Tuto, my pet ghost owl. The breeze lifted the stray strands of my ebony hair while I waited for the connection to take place.

  When I began sensing sounds and smells other than the ones around me, I knew I was experiencing the same things as Tuto. My eyes fluttered open and the green depths of my irises turned a tawny gold as a different vision opened up before me.

  I was perched on top of a small, round hole cut in the wall. There were no windows in the room down below. Most of it was cast in shadows except for the lit area in the corner. A young girl, aged around twelve, lay on a cot. Her arms and face were grimy and she wore a dirty, ragged dress of coarse wool. Red paper lanterns hung over her unmoving body, bathing her pale skin in an aura of scarlet.

  “What place is this?” I murmured, looking all around the room.

  I willed Tuto to sniff the air. Rich notes of perfume mixed with sweat wafted towards me. My glance fell on the mounds of brightly colored dresses in the corner. They were attractive but the fabrics were cheap. Only one place in this town of starving peasants would have such items discarded so carelessly.

  “A brothel.” The word came out in a whisper from my lips.

  Blinking my eyes, I cleared the vision away and broke the link with Tuto. I inhaled lungfuls of the cool air, knowing I would have to hurry before the girl became a prey to the monster I was out to hunt tonight.

  Raising my head, I took a step forward and promptly collided with a hard wall. Moaning at the impact, I rubbed my forehead and looked up at a tall man. He was handsome and richly dressed in an expensive outer robe that fell down to his ankles. Locks of dark braided hair framed the sides of his face. He had high cheekbones but my gaze was drawn to his luscious lips. They were curved up in a smile.

  Desire curled up in my stomach as I gazed up at him. He was so different from the rest of the men in that town square. There was no meanness or desperation in his clear gray eyes.

  “Are you all right, Miss?” he asked in a deep voice. The timbres of his baritone shuddered through my body, making me even more aware of my throbbing heart.

  “F-fine,” I mumbled. I might be an assassin by profession but I was still a virgin woman of nineteen. My heart fluttered but I suppressed the feeling. I couldn’t let myself get distracted while I was on a mission. Clearing my throat, I said, “Could you tell me which way is the brothel?”

  Surprise flickered in his eyes. “Why do you care to know?”

  “My friend asked me to wait for him there.”

  “Would you like me to go with you?” he asked as concern clouded his features. This handsome man was making my heart pound harder against my chest. Why did he have to be so nice to me?

  I shook my head. “It’s not what you think.”

  A soft chuckle escaped him. “Of course. I know you don’t belong there.”

  My cheeks warmed as I looked away from him. I’d never reacted this way to another man before. My curiosity heightened. Who was he?

  He placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and turned me towards the western side of the town square. Extending his arm, he pointed in the distance. “Take that street and walk straight. You’ll find the place you’re looking for.”

  “Thank you,” I replied, raising my head to look up at him. This close, I could smell the fragrance of peppermint on him. I inhaled deeply, memorizing his scent.

  “Be safe.”

  Mesmerized by his intense eyes, I could only nod.

  “My name is Cain. Meet me at the tavern later tonight.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “It would ease my worrying. A young woman like you…” He shook his head, looking away from me. When he turned his attention back on me again, he said, “If it’s money you need, I will help you. Okay?”

  I wondered what a man like him was doing in Oakhedge. Only peasants resided here and conmen roamed the streets looking for their next victim. He seemed like a prince from a faraway kingdom
.

  “I hope my work will be finished by then,” I said. “Either way, don’t worry about me. I can look after myself.” I smiled, hoping to reassure him.

  “What’s your name?” he asked just as I was about to pass him by.

  Turning back, I grinned. “Daria.” Giving him a small wave, I walked down the bridge and onto the crowded street below. Focus on the job, I told myself, fighting the urge to look back at Cain.

  Following Cain’s directions, I walked to the western end of the square and entered a narrow alley. It was shadowy without a single lantern lighting the way forward. Only the brightly lit building at the end of the road illuminated the path. The stench of vomit and urine gagged me as I moved along, feeling dark stares upon me. My hand brushed over the bodice of my dress and a single poisoned needle came away, discreetly clutched between two fingers.

  I kept my gaze focused straight ahead, ignoring the catcalls and jeers of the men who leered at me. They either showed me their dirty copper coins or grabbed their crotch.

  “Hey, beautiful,” said a man, blocking my path. “You’re mine tonight.” I moved out of the way as his grubby hand shot forward. With lazy effort, I plunged the needle into the side of his neck. My movement was quick enough to go undetected by him or the men staring at our exchange. It only took a few breaths for the poison to act. Tottering like a drunkard, he fell to the ground, followed by loud jeers. I continued walking forward but this time, no one came to stop me.

  The brothel was a four-storied structure. Red paper lanterns hung from the sides of the doorway as well as the tall walls that surrounded it. An air of lust and merriment hung over the place as drunken men walked in and out of the place. The stench of stale alcohol, vomit, and exotic perfume threatened to burn my nostrils. Unfolding my fan to its widest span, I brought it over my face and walked through the entryway.

  My senses were blown away by the cacophony of noise and sight before me. Women in colorful garbs were surrounded by dozens of men, each fighting the other in a bid to get closer to them. The ladies laughed, clearly enjoying the attention. From time to time, they would leave with one of the men, probably the ones who promised to pay the most.

  Keeping my face hidden by the fan, I walked through the crowd. No one seemed to mind my presence there. Everyone was too busy drinking or trying to attract a prostitute for the night. Anger simmered inside me to think the way these peasants were spending their hard earned wages while their wives and children were starving at home. Controlling the urge to inflict pain on them, I moved towards the wooden staircase in the corner.

  I climbed it, feeling the gazes of men and women who dotted it. Still, no one stopped me, presuming I was heading upstairs to one of the rooms to service a client.

  The staircase became dark after the third-floor landing. It looked unused. Discarded wooden boxes were stacked to the sides. This had to be the place Tuto found. Making sure no one was watching me, I climbed upward, effectively melting against the shadows.

  A single door lay before me. This part of the building was quieter. The noise from the lower floors was dulled here. My feet crept towards the rays of candlelight leaking through the cracks in the wooden door.

  My ears pricked at the sound of soft, muffled cries coming from inside the room.

  Fuck! Was I too late?

  2

  My hands pushed at the door. To my astonishment, it swung forward, almost throwing me off balance.

  “Who’s that?” grunted a man.

  As my eyes adjusted to the red luminance of the red paper lanterns, I spotted a large man in the corner. Beside him, lay the young woman I’d seen through Tuto’s eyes.

  Her body was bound to the cot with thick ropes. She struggled weakly against them and cried softly. Her right hand hung limply from the edge of the bed. A glistening scarlet X was cut on the underside of her wrist. Thick streams of blood steadily poured from it and fell into a silver bowl on the floor.

  My blood turned cold as my gaze focused back on the fat man beside her. He had a pale, greasy face. Mean black eyes stared back at me.

  “What are you doing here, bitch?” he asked sternly. “No one is allowed to come up here.”

  “No?” My voice was barely a whisper.

  I closed the door shut behind me, making sure to latch it securely before turning back to look at my mark. The mission was to kill the man who bled young girls and to find the names of the men he sold the blood to. In recent years, a roaring trade had been built upon selling virgin blood. People touted medicinal properties which would bring both virility and longevity in those who drank it. Of course, it was another way to scam money from the rich nobles who ruled the country.

  Blood was blood. A virgin’s was no better than a whore’s.

  “Get out of here!” the man hissed. When I continued to stand my ground, he swore and got to his feet. “I am going to make you regret this, bitch.” He came at me, his hammy fists raised.

  I stepped out of the way and threw a poisoned needle at the bald patch on his head. With a cry, he came to a sudden halt.

  “Wait there while I patch her up,” I said, moving towards the cot. The man wouldn’t be going anywhere. The needle poisoned him with a paralysis drug. He would die that night but not until I completed the second part of my mission.

  Reaching the bed, I tore off a piece of fabric from my underskirt. “Here,” I said in a low, gentle voice. “You’re going to be okay.” I tied the cloth over the cut and pulled it tightly. Next, I took a few more needles from inside my sleeves and stuck them to specific points on her neck and chest. “This will slow down the blood flow.”

  She stared at me wide pale gray eyes. “Will I live?”

  “Of course, you will. He’s the only one to be dying tonight,” I said, my tone cheerful. I gestured with my thumb at the fat man who stood still at a strange angle. The girl looked confused. At least, she’s not terrified anymore, I thought, walking back to my prey.

  “I am going to allow you to talk,” I said, piercing him with a needle in his throat.

  “Who are you?” he asked at once, his voice heavy with fear. “What do you want from me?”

  “Who do you sell the blood to?”

  He swallowed.

  I repeated the question, speaking slowly.

  “Just…just…nobles and officers of the army. They are the only ones who can afford to pay.”

  “Really?”

  Beads of sweat appeared on his face as he evaded my gaze. “Yes. That’s it.”

  Coming to stand in front of him, I fumbled around his pockets.

  “Stop! Please stop! You won’t find anything in there.”

  I started searching every fold in his robes for what I was looking for. Coins of gold and silver, a wooden comb, a half-eaten sweet bun and a handful of peanuts scattered onto the floor.

  “Stop!” he cried when my hands reached under his robe to fumble around his crotch.

  I stopped. “Will you give me the names?” I grasped him by the balls and squeezed until I had him screaming again. “You are dying tonight, Master Blood Trader,” I whispered as he wheezed. “Won’t you like to take your friends to hell with you?” For effect, I crushed his balls again.

  He screamed, proceeding to cry and plead. “I will tell you,” he whispered through his sobs when I released the pressure on his hairy sacks. “Will you let me live, then?” He sounded hopeful.

  “Tell me the names,” I said. There was no chance he was getting out alive.

  “Gaelway,” he said as I stepped away from him.

  “The town’s mayor?”

  He nodded. “And General Abel and Valhad. They distribute it among their friends and acquaintances.”

  I made a mental note of all the names the man spewed out. He took my thoughtful expression to be one of leniency.

  “That…that’s all,” he finished lamely.

  I closed my fan, sliding it inside my belt. The interrogation was over.

  “Free me now,” said the m
an desperately.

  Without a word, I stabbed him in the neck with a poison needle. He gasped, his hairless face breaking into an expression of surprise. Within minutes, frothing saliva bubbled out of his mouth and he fell to the floor with a loud thud.

  Target hit, I noted.

  “Help me. Please.” I started at the weak voice. I’d almost forgotten about the bound girl on the cot.

  “I will free you.” Reaching the girl on the cot, I took out a small dagger and began cutting the cords binding her. “What’s your name?”

  “Tilly.”

  “I’ll get you out of here and then you can run home.”

  She shook her head as tears seeped into her rusty red hair. “I can’t.” I helped her sit up on the bed but she continued to sob. “Take me with you. Please.”

  “I can’t do that.” I was an assassin of a hidden sect that dwelled in the mountains. Very few knew of our existence in the realm. It was no place for a lost young girl like Tilly. “The best I can do is take you home.”

  “No! Please!”

  I frowned, looking down at her. “It’s not fun to be where I live,” I told her. “It’s a hard life. I don’t walk around looking like this every day.” I gestured at my lavish silk gown. “You may even end up dying in that place.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” she said, falling to the ground and bowing low. “I will follow you anywhere as long as you get me out of here.”

  “Get up, girl!” I scolded, pulling her up. “You will make the injury worse.”

  I forced her to stand up but Tilly swayed on the spot. “They sold me,” she whispered. “If I go back, they will do it again.”

  “Your family sold you?”

  She nodded. “My mother died many years ago. It’s just my brother and I. Father loves him better than me. When our crops failed this year, he sold me for a sack of grains to feed my brother.” She halted, swallowing down the sobs. “That’s all I’m worth. A sack of wheat.”

  I was torn between slipping out of the brothel and helping her.

  Tilly’s life was so pitiful, it was moving me. I was taken to Linmoor at the age of five. No one asked me if I wanted to go. One day, I just found myself there. My memories before that time were lost. While life had been terrible there, if my master hadn’t taken me in, I would probably be another body on the cot with my wrists slit open.