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Back The Ones We Burn Save as PDF
Chapters (93)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Part One: Skra: Sixty Days Remain
  5. PART ONE SKRA SIXTY DAYS REMAIN
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4 Two weeks later
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. Part Two: Monster: Twenty-Five Days Remain
  25. PART TWO MONSTER TWENTY-FIVE DAYS REMAIN
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. Part Three: Butcher: Six Days Remain
  40. PART THREE BUTCHER SIX DAYS REMAIN
  41. 32
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. 46
  56. 47
  57. 48
  58. 49
  59. 50
  60. 51
  61. 52
  62. 53
  63. Part Four: Bloodwinn: Coup Successful
  64. PART FOUR BLOODWINN COUP SUCCESSFUL
  65. 54
  66. 55
  67. 56
  68. 57
  69. 58
  70. 59
  71. 60
  72. 61
  73. 62
  74. 63
  75. 64
  76. 65
  77. 66
  78. 67
  79. 68
  80. 69
  81. 70
  82. 71
  83. 72
  84. 73
  85. 74
  86. 75
  87. 76
  88. 77
  89. 78
  90. 79
  91. 80 EPILOGUE Three months later
  92. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  93. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Galen cleared his throat. He was the kind of person whose smile radiated something infectious even when it meant nothing. “Tonight we celebrate the Bloodwinn treaty. We celebrate three generations of peace.” How many others who knew him looked at that smile and saw how hollow it was? “All right, then—enough formality. Enjoy!”

Music jumped into the air. The revelers turned back to their dances. None of them knew the twins well enough to recognize the grim light in Aramis’s eyes, the way she stepped into the ballroom as if preparing for battle. The twins separated, Aramis flashing a honey-sweet smile and wielding a light touch to the arm like a weapon, Galen greeting people with a forced formality.

Ranka steeled her nerves and stepped into the crowd.

It was time to stop a coup.

49

RANKA COULDN’T FIND ONGRUM.

She’d banked everything on tonight, on making Ongrum see reason and swaying her to their side.

How could she do that if Ongrum was nowhere to be found?

To her left, Aramis and Galen danced with Murknen witches, smiling easily and chatting through the music. Percy twirled with a beautiful human noblewoman whose pink gown made her brown skin glow. He met Ranka’s eyes over her shoulder, scowled, and mouthed, dance.

She glared back at him.

He took a hand from the woman’s waist and drew a line across his throat.

Ranka turned to the witch behind her. “Will you dance with me before my friend has a heart attack?”

The leader of the Oori coven gave her a smile that was all teeth. “Nice to meet you, too, little Bloodwinn.”

Oh, sweet Goddess, kill me now.

Ranka may have been the Butcher of Belren, but Ursay Whitehook had long earned the title of Demon of the Seas and embraced it.

They were taller than Ranka, sharp faced and lean, their ears and fingers adorned with pale gold jewelry. Tattoos wrapped their limbs, but the one that marked them as a witch worthy of legends was the shark’s teeth tattooed around the column of their brown throat, carefully inked so it appeared the teeth closed in from each side. Nearly meeting but never quite. Ursay was older than Ongrum, but not by much. And they carried a power even Ranka couldn’t match—not the raw power of blood-magic, but the unshakable confidence of a leader who knew they were the most dangerous one in every room they entered.