Broken
Prince
(Book 2 of The Broken Ones)
Jen
Wylie
Genre: New
Adult, Fantasy
Synopsis:
Sometimes, when you're broken, you can heal on your own.
Sometimes, you need the help of your friends, your family, and the people you
love. Keeping those pieces together when the world seems intent on ripping you
apart is the greatest challenge of all. Especially when the ones you love, the
ones who hold you together, start falling apart themselves.
Arowyn and her family continue on their journey to return the Elven Prince,
Shael, to his homeland before he fades and dies. A journey full of triumph and
horror, love and sorrow, rips them apart with every fighting moment, and yet
brings them together as a family. They don’t allow the prophecy to rule their
lives. Some don’t believe, some don’t care. Prophecies aren’t written in
stone. Events can change. People can change. They are only words. From besieged
cites, to the elusive Were and wild Fey, nothing quite prepares them to face
their deadliest of enemies, one they didn't know existed.
Author Bio:
Jen Wylie resides in rural Ontario, Canada with her
two boys, Australian shepherd and a disagreeable amount of wildlife. In a
cosmic twist of fate she dislikes the snow and cold.
Before settling down to raise a family, she attained a BA from Queens
University and worked in retail and sales.
Thanks to her mother she acquired a love of books at an early age and began
writing in public school. She constantly has stories floating around in her
head, and finds it amazing most people don’t. Jennifer writes various forms of
fantasy, both novels and short stories.
Links:
Twitter: @jen_wylie
Excerpt:
Damon
knelt before them.
"Will
she get better? Will she…" Prince’s voice trailed off.
Her
eyes locked on Damon’s face as he regarded her thoughtfully. His hand came up
and she flinched as it rested on the top of her head. No pain came. She
felt…nothing. If he tried to speak to her, she couldn’t hear him.
"No,"
he said finally. "There has been damage to the brain. There is bleeding
and swelling inside."
Prince’s
cry startled her, almost as much as the sudden clutching of his arms around
her. "Can you do anything," he choked out. "Please, I am
responsible. I can not…I will pay–"
Damon
chuckled. "It is not your life that needs saving." He stared at
Prince for a long moment. "I see." He shook his head. "Perhaps I
was wrong and she isn’t the one. I read so few pages of the book." He
turned to Kei.
"No,"
the Fey said. "I don’t remember."
"Pity."
"Dragos,
I beg of you," Prince began again.
"The
Elven prince begs, and for a human. How very far you have fallen." He
looked down at her again.
Blinking
up at him, she tried to get her scattered thoughts to work. She’d barely
comprehended what he’d said past the inference she was dying. The words sent an
icy chill through her body. Terror crawled through her, speeding her heart.
Sweat broke out on her forehead and all she could hear was her increasingly
frantic breathing.
Kei
startled her, leaning forward over her to press a kiss to her forehead. She
tilted her head back, trying to see him.
"I’m
with you."
Damon’s
fingers brushes her cheek, drawing her attention back to him. "Do you wish
to live, young Arowyn?"
Words
refused to pass her lips. Somehow she managed to nod. She didn’t know what the
cost would be, certainly there would be one. Right then, she didn’t care. Rot
it all, she wanted to live!
"Very
well." He regarded her thoughtfully for a moment. "Dragos rarely heal
others. I do know the magic, but it is difficult. Your story has barely begun.
I find I would actually attempt it, just to see what you might become and how
it will unfold."
He
sat back and gestured to the pile of furs next to him. "Lay her down. This
will take some time and I’ll need no distractions."
Prince
carefully set her amongst the furs, arranging her arms so her hands rested on
her chest, tucking stray locks of hair behind her ears. Leaning forward, he
rested his forehead for a moment against hers.
"Get
well, Arowyn."
Bo
appeared next, smoothing the hair back on the top of her head and squeezing one
of her hands. "You can do this, pup."
Garen
pressed his wet nose against her temple. If he spoke, she didn’t hear him.
Kei
pushed the wolf aside and took her face in his hands. His eyes glowed with that
strange orange inner light. Tears streaked down his cheeks. Despite the awkward
position he leaned down and held her close for a moment. "Remember our
promises," he whispered in her. "I’m always with you." He choked
on a sob and squeezed her tightly again. "I love you," he whispered
fiercely before quickly pulling away.
She
wished she could speak. More than anything, she wanted to tell him she loved
him, too. She wanted to tell all of them she did. Tears filled her eyes and
slid down her face.
Damon
knelt beside her and turned her head to look at him. "I will do what I
can," he said. "However I can’t guarantee it will work. I have never
tried to heal a human before. Understand?"
She
managed a faint nod and pressed her quivering lips together.
He
glanced up and gestured the others away. "Stand back and be silent."
His eyes found hers again. "Don’t fight me this time, little one. Fall
into my eyes…"
Blinking
once more to clear the tears away, she tried to do as he asked. Damon’s eyes
were strange enough she found it not difficult to stare. They had vertical
slits and no whites at all. The iridescent color was a wash of blue-green with
streaks of gold and red. The colors began to swirl, making her dizzy as she
tried to watch them. A comforting thrum emanated from his chest, soothing her
as his power wrapped around her. Her thoughts drifted into nothing.
