Slumped down in one of the Tempest Lounge’s booths, all of Lina’s memories returned at once. But the memory of her murder is the one that held her attention. Mataius Drake, the man she had been promised to, was right behind her as she ran into the alley. Something smashed into her head, and she woke up in silver chains, blood still running down her face and neck. Mataius smacked her across the cheek, then pressed into her wound until she passed out again. He carved her body with a knife in preparation for some ritual. By the time her uncle Alistair and Quinn found her, they could not save her life, but there was something they could do to protect her soul, even though she wouldn’t remember them. She couldn’t make a sound as they buried her.
Her Guardian, Nord, wrapped his arms around Lina and asked her to tell him what Mataius had done, because he intended to repay him tenfold when he captured him! Then they all sat at the booth while they reviewed the last 27 years while Lina had been “dead”.
Lina is one of the heirs to the notorious criminal order, the Mobius Council, an organization that the Brotherhood has been seeking to destroy for decades. The Council is made up of five families— the Cuskas, Drakes, Satori, Thortons, and Alinari, with each family having one seat on the Council. Lina is the heir to the Cuska seat, and Mataius was the heir to the Drake’s. They were all animagi, an ancient magical race. When a new generation comes into their power, they replace the previous Council members as power flows into their heir during their Awakening. If an heir is killed, the power will die. But it made no sense if Mataius killed her to end the Cuska power since he knew it was too soon – Lina had not entered her Awakening. So what was he after? Lina reminded them of the ritual, and the power they used was not anything she recognized. But if the evil, dark power did manage to initiate the Awakening, the magic transfer would have weakened her father – unless Lina’s spirit being bound to the earth by Alistair and Quinn’s action kept the ritual from being completed. And she now knew her consciousness and memories returning the previous night had actually been her Awakening! She was now the head of the Cuska family and leader of the Council.
With Nord beside her and her awakened powers, Lina will go after the man responsible for her murder. As she hunts, she is hunted by her murderer, wanted by the Brotherhood, and struggling to relearn her powers. Will she survive? Can she defeat her enemies?
This story has a strong beginning that will snap the reader to attention immediately. As the story becomes more complex, the tension rises. Grab your copy and follow Lina in her quest to find justice and to preserve the power of her line.