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Chapter1
Arden
For a clandestine organization, the Forsaken Lunars’ lobby was bland—generic furniture, beige walls, and a TV playing fae news. Then again, interior design wasn’t at the top of their priority list.
I sighed, slumping lower in my seat. I didn’t expect to be seen immediately, but I didn’t anticipate waiting for so damn long. Usually when they called me in for a possible break-in or recon job, I was in and out within a half hour. I got a run-down of what they needed from me, plus how much they’d pay. Then, I accepted or declined. I usually accepted, especially these days.
“The three assailants were immediately taken into custody and are awaiting their punishment,”the news anchor said. I shifted in my seat to see the screen better.“Attempts on the Royals’ lives are typically punishable by death, and this case will likely be no different.”
“Idiots,” I murmured under my breath.
On the one hand, I got it—the Royals were too powerful, and all of that power being concentrated among three fae felt wrong. They ruled over millions of fae all over our world with an iron fist. To make matters worse, each of their family lines had churned out Royals for centuries, not allowing any other families to rule. And century after century, they got stronger because of it.
How did someone even start planning to take them out? Maybe they started with writing their wills because they were almost guaranteed to get killed. I wasn’t the most cautious person, but I never wanted to go up against the Royals unless I absolutely had to.
“Arden?” One of the Forsaken Lunars, a young man whose name I didn’t remember, poked his head out from the door. “We’re ready.”
I followed the kid through the door and down the long, winding hallway to where the Forsaken Lunars were really based. The farther we walked through the labyrinth-like halls, the heavier the surrounding energy felt. When the kid opened the door, I saw why.
Instead of my normal contact, Tommy, the Moon Oracle was sitting behind a desk, flanked by two attendants on either side. Her long blonde hair spilled over her shoulders and into her lap, not a strand out of place. Her pale blue eyes were unnerving.
I wasn’t an official Forsaken Lunar, but I was still starstruck by the Moon Oracle. She radiated power, and every member of her organization worshiped the ground she walked on. That kind of status was a big deal, especially for a female fae. She was the exception—all the other high ranking Forsaken Lunars were male, just as it was outside of the group.
I always wondered how she’d gotten to where she was, but no one seemed to know. Some said she’d been blessed by the Mystic, the source of all magic. Others said she was just born that way. It didn’t matter to me; I was still in awe of her.
“Hello, Arden,” the Moon Oracle said, her voice soft. She never had to raise it to get someone’s attention. “Please, sit.”
I sat across from her, running my hands down my thighs. My biggest rule was to never let them see you sweat, but that went out the window in her presence.
“Thank you for waiting,” she said. “We appreciate all of your help. Are you sure you don’t want to join us in an official capacity? We can offer you guidance, protection, anything you need.”
“No, I’m good. But thanks for the offer.” I didn’t have to think about it for even a second. The thought of anyone telling me what to do on a regular basis made me itchy, especially if they treated all women besides her like they were lesser. “I operate on my own terms.”
“Of course.” She smiled. “I just thought I’d ask again, since you’ve worked with us for so long. But I didn’t ask you to come here for another invite into our organization. I have a job offer I think you’ll be interested in.”
“I definitely am.” My job as a barista didn’t pay all that well, hence the gigs for the Forsaken Lunars. “How much will it pay?”
The Moon Oracle gave me a figure that made me laugh out loud. Was she insane? That kind of money would change my life forever. I didn’t like the idea of quitting my job and doing nothing, but with that kind of payment, it was a possibility.
“I’m not kidding,” she said, as if she’d read my mind. “It’s a very big, important job, and we trust you to execute it.”
“What’s the job?”
“We need you to steal an artifact from the Royals,” she said.
I waited for her to say she was just kidding, or that she somehow meant some other Royals who weren’t capable of burning me alive or drowning me with the flick of their wrist. But she was dead serious.
“Yeah, no,” I said, standing and shaking my head. “That’s insane.”
“Arden, wait. Please sit down.”
“I don’t go up against fae like the Royals,” I said, still standing. “If you need me to gather information on some sketchy businesses that the Royals are associated with or steal something from some wealthy fae, I’ve got you. But I’m not in the business of putting myself into situations where I will get killed.”
“I understand your hesitation,” the Moon Oracle said. “And I’d never ask you to put yourself in a dangerous situation if it wasn’t extremely important. This artifact could change everything. It could help us take down the Royals once and for all.”
I rested my hand on the back of my chair and studied her calm face. I believed her when she said that the artifact could take down the Royals—they had never sent me on a job that wasn’t exactly as they described.
That was the problem. Yes, the Royals were kind of evil and had way too much power between the three of them, but was it really worth putting my life on the line to potentially take them down? Strong emphasis onpotentially? The Royals and their families had been in power for centuries, and countless people had tried to dethrone them. None of them had succeeded, and I doubted I’d be any different.
