Renegade
Mallory McCartney
Contents
Prologue
Part I
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Part II
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Part III
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Untitled
Renegade
by Mallory McCartney
Published by Clean Reads
www.cleanreads.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation.
RENEGADE
Copyright © 2018 MALLORY MCCARTNEY
ISBN 978-1-62135-779-7
Cover Art Designed by CORA GRAPHICS
For everyone who has dared to fight for love,
in all its forms.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
-Robert Frost
Prologue
Twenty years earlier, Sarthaven (The Ruined City)
The note shook so hard in her grasp, Nei couldn’t focus on the words splayed before her. With a racing pulse and sharp ringing coursing through her ears, she crumpled the paper beneath her white knuckles. Breathe. The words were branded like hot iron to her flesh, her entire being flowing with them. Her hope consumed by them.
She sat at her desk like any other day. The afternoon light poured through the window catching the various objects scattered throughout, from the copious number of books to the overwhelming stack of lists and notes. A hard glint reflected off her favorite weapons that lay around the room. The office was one place of solace in a world of unrest.
Golden hair spilled forward as she dropped her face into her hands, covering her eyes, and her senses were diluted and muffled, if only for a second. Her father’s voice filled Nei’s mind as clear as day in her reprieve, “You will not marry for love, my sweet girl, but you will sacrifice yourself wholeheartedly so this world may see a day where peace ensues and this war eases itself into the pages of our history.”
Her eyebrows furrowed. It had been one year since their arranged marriage. Their world had quaked and shook with the defiance of it. A wild woman from the Shattered Isles, betrothed to the prince. Reactions had been worse than expected. When Nei Runnard had been scuffling around with her sisters and sailing the coast, following her heart wherever adventure was, Roque Fae was being groomed in the politics of his court and in this country. Nei had almost laughed when her father sat her down and told her he had sealed her fate.
One. Year.
It was a strong union, she was told. One that would end her people’s suffering. Kiero could unite with the Shattered Isles to ensure the longevity in their trading companies and to turn a blind eye to the illegal pirating. So here she was, prettily packaged, trying to quell a full country’s fire. It had surprised her at first, how angry the people were. So, she was a rover, a pirate. More warrior than princess. But every day in this court proved just how deep-rooted the suffering went, everyday accusations of the government not providing the security and protection the people wanted, that they needed. Sighing, Nei Fae stood stretching, her joints popping. Beneath her simple garb, bruises peppered her body, reminding her with every step who she was. She had fiercely promised herself that.
Her only friend in this forsaken court, Bresslin Stratton, took it upon herself to encourage evening walks together. Instead of dresses and gossip, they filled their time with clashing steel and aching muscles. Smirking at the thought, Nei reminded herself what her sisters had always said, that amongst them all she was born with the fury of the sea, with the resilience of the rocks the water crashed upon. She would not break beneath the pressures of being a hated queen, beneath the lies and the riots. Her sisters had been so sure she had what it took to be here. Their excitement, their hope of a better life, one that didn’t require constant fighting for survival, is what kept her from running away and disappearing into nothingness. Besides Bresslin, that’s what everyone here thought of her. That she wasn’t as cunning and didn’t have the potential to rule beside Roque.
A sharp knock sliced through her thoughts, and she stood quickly, tucking the note flush against her wrist and out of sight. The door swung open to reveal Roque leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed and mischief dancing in his cutting green eyes. Their outfits were matching, black loose pants and shirt, a deep plum cloak fastened at his throat.
Swallowing hard, Nei bowed her head, rasping, “My King.”
Three hundred and sixty-five days later, she was still not used to saying those two words. Two words that chained her, confined her. Lifting her dark gaze, she got a lifted brow in response as Roque stepped into her office. “Are you ready? They won’t wait forever, you know.”
The council.
And like every other day, Nei plastered that splintering grin, making her cheeks hurt. “Of course.”
The note felt like flames dancing up her arms, a flare underneath Roque’s pinning gaze. His brows furrowed for a moment before he offered his arm to her, the gentleman he was dictated to be. She was grace and poise as she accepted his gesture, and they left behind her sanctuary.
Sarthaven, the Capital of Kiero, the city beneath the stars, bustled outside the towering walls, the shouts and chaos a never ending senerade. She wanted to laugh at the acclaimed name. It was far
