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Back Kingdom of the Wicked
Chapters (58)
  1. About the Author
  2. Title Page
  3. Imprint Page
  4. Dedication
  5. Epigraph
  6. Map
  7. Contents
  8. Prologue
  9. One
  10. Two
  11. Three
  12. Four
  13. Five
  14. Six
  15. Seven
  16. Eight
  17. Nine
  18. Ten
  19. Eleven
  20. Twelve
  21. Thirteen
  22. Fourteen
  23. Fifteen
  24. Sixteen
  25. Seventeen
  26. Eighteen
  27. Nineteen
  28. Twenty
  29. Twenty-One
  30. Twenty-Two
  31. Twenty-Three
  32. Twenty-Four
  33. Twenty-Five
  34. Twenty-Six
  35. Twenty-Seven
  36. Twenty-Eight
  37. Twenty-Nine
  38. Thirty
  39. Thirty-One
  40. Thirty-Two
  41. Thirty-Three
  42. Thirty-Four
  43. Thirty-Five
  44. Thirty-Six
  45. Thirty-Seven
  46. Thirty-Eight
  47. Thirty-Nine
  48. Forty
  49. Forty-One
  50. Forty-Two
  51. Forty-Three
  52. Forty-Four
  53. Forty-Five
  54. Forty-Six
  55. Forty-Seven
  56. Forty-Eight
  57. Acknowledgments
  58. Endmatter page 1

I knew he was only asking politely because of the demonic etiquette. I didn’t want to agree, I didn’t want to ever touch him again, but I knew I couldn’t find my way into the underworld without his dark magic.

“Yes.”

I wrapped my fingers around his before my emotions betrayed me. There was crackling power in our connection. Tiny currents sparked over our skin. Before I could think about it, smoke enveloped us. Searing pain followed. It felt like my entire body was burning. I choked on a scream. Wrath’s fingers tightened on mine. There was no earth, no connection to the natural world, nothing tangible except my grip on the prince I now hated more than the rest combined.

The pain lasted only a moment before a new sensation stoked even greater fear. We stood on solid ground again. Which meant . . .

Goddess above, I could hardly breathe. I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut forever.

Instead, I stared straight ahead, pulled my shoulders back, and waited for the smoke to clear.

I hoped the kingdom of the wicked was ready for a vengeful queen.

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Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

It takes an entire coven of talented individuals to bring a book into the world, and, like Emilia, I have been goddess-blessed to have the following people casting powerful spells for this series:

Stephanie Garber—I’m so incredibly lucky to have a friend like you. This book would not be the same without your constant support, brainstorming sessions, and willingness to hop on the phone and chat about even the smallest details. Our weekly calls about our books (and our favorite TV shows) made drafting so much fun, and I am so happy we get to do it again!

Barbara Poelle, agent goddess extraordinaire, you never cease to amaze me with the many, many hats you wear: agent, friend, fierce business partner, bitmoji queen, and brainstorming champion. Thank you for planting the idea of Princes of Hell in my head way back when I first started kicking this idea around—I can’t imagine this story without those sinfully devious demons now!

Maggie Kane and the entire team at the Irene Goodman Literary Agency, Heather Baror-Shapiro (Baror International), and Sean Berard (Grandview) work tirelessly behind the scenes to bring my work to amazing countries and to Hollywood. And I couldn’t be more grateful to each of you.

To my brilliant editor, Laura Schreiber, you inherited this book (and me!) and immediately jumped in with unwavering enthusiasm to help find the story that had been in my head. I’m so happy with all of our hard work and cannot wait for what’s to come in the next installment!

Liam Donnelly, the cover art and details inside the book make my dark heart sing. A million thank yous for the snakes and flowers and skulls—the whole aesthetic is *chef’s kiss* fabulous.