When his younger sister is propositioned by the Tyrant King, Aster steps in to take her place. Just when he fears he must face this fate alone, the King assigns Rowan the Black to protect him—an Enforcer Knight with a tortured past. Despite his cruel reputation, Aster can't shake the feeling that Rowan is familiar to him. Haunted by memories of his lost childhood sweetheart, Jace, Aster must now navigate a veritable political chess game he wasn't at all prepared for. 

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“Flowers like the rose are needed for so many reasons,” Aster said. “The ground needs their roots, bees need their pollen, and animals need their leaves. So they do what they can to survive, by any means necessary. Does that mean a rose is evil for growing thorns?” He looked up at Rowan.

Rowan kept his eyes on the rose. He didn’t seem convinced. “A single rose has never caused as much pain as I have, Aster.”

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Broken Vows is created by Alex Agar, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author. 

BRoken Vows

Despite putting his claws and fangs away, Aster still had a lingering cloud of anger floating around him as he carried himself away from the King’s chambers. It buzzed around his head like angry wasps, welled in his eyes, and twisted his insides into knots. His hands, folded tightly in front of him, gripped each other to keep him from lashing out at anyone who passed. He made no eye contact, but he felt their eyes on him. Whether they were curious about the stinging bruise on his cheek, or the lingering scent of enraged pheromones, he didn’t really care. 


He made it all the way to the infirmary’s entrance before his nerve finally crumbled. He found a seat on a stone bench beside the doors, and curled in on himself as tears streamed down his face. A shocked little sob escaped him, and he brought his hand up to silence his cries. His body began to tremble as an overwhelming wave of surprise and fear crashed over him. 


Chapter 28: Lingering Rage