Page 1 of Vicious Knight

I knew better than to fall into his trap…

Prologue

Thorne

One year ago

Life is what you make it.

There is no such thing as good luck or bad.

There is only giving and taking.

Conquering and defeat. War and the peace you allow.

I learned from an age too young for most that you have to know when to choose your battles.

Sometimes you have to wait for the perfect moment to strike. Or for the right opportunity to come along to get what you want.

Like now.

Tonight is my initiation. The moment I’ve been waiting for my whole life.

In just a handful of minutes I’ll become a member of the Knights, one of the most powerful secret societies in the world.

Becoming a Knight will define everything I do next with my life.

It will be the foundation of my success.

Pushing my shoulders back, I walk through the large oak doors of the ceremonial hall. The instant I’m inside the scent of power wraps around me and sinks beneath my skin.

That potent scent is everywhere—in the ceiling above, the stone floor beneath my feet, and it ripples through the members of the Knights Council standing on either side of the room watching me.

Like me, they’re wearing the black Knight’s tunic with theblue-silver Raventhorn Crest embossed in the center.

In another world we could be mistaken for Templar Knights, but we couldn’t be more opposite. Ours is a society borne from darkness and danger.

Aleksander Ivanov, my uncle and leader of the Knights, stands at the head of the hall.

He is the sovereign of our beginning and our end. The man tasked with ensuring we live by the Oath, and die by it.

I focus on him and, like always, my thoughts collide. We’re family, but it’s in name only.

If my dear uncle truly had things his way I’d be long dead and just as much a ghostly memory as my father, mother, and sister.

After their massacre my uncle took me in and raised me along with his sons, but he’s grown to despise me.

I bow my head respectfully when I reach him. He does the same with that emotionless stare he always gives me.

“Raise your right hand.” His voice rumbles through the hall.

I obey, lifting my hand.

“Thorne Nicholai Ivanov. Do you swear your life and allegiance to our cause?”

“I do.” Those simple words reflect my deepest desires and all the hard work I’ve put in to get to this point in my life.

“Then please take the Oath.” His unwavering gaze scrutinizes me, finally showing some emotion.

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