“The trick to stealing from an Aurean,” said Lei with emphasis, “is to tell them you aren’t stealing at all.”
Book I: HEART OF BRONZE
Decades after the sudden appearance of Magicfolk blasted the modern world beyond recognition, twisting the land’s evolution and leaving old-world history and culture surviving only in stubborn fragments, Lei and fellow orphan Ven fled to the budding kingdom of Aurea. They were supposed to start a life together, safe behind the king’s walls from world-killing chimeras, vampires, and silver-skinned Argentfolk. And they were…until Aurean guards stole Ven away.
Years later, his beloved long-gone, Lei has become a greedy, wisecracking thief, weaseling into pockets and panties instead of facing his altered world and unmoored heart. When his crew dares him to poke beyond the Magicfolk wall, he accepts with a wink…and stumbles straight into the dangerous knowledge that Ven might now be Aurea’s mysterious Prince Raven, the kingdom’s captive all this time. And what sort of thief wouldn’t try to steal back the one person who made him feel honest?
But Prince Raven isn’t precisely the downy-hearted Ven Lei remembers, and his rescue heist erupts into full-tilt chaos when Magicfolk are blamed for Raven’s disappearance. Before Lei can unravel anything between him and his prince, he’s tumbling sticky-fingers-first into a war of magical hijinks and deadly kingdom secrets. It turns out, Magicfolk were never world-killers, only victims—and Lei will have to set his selfish ways aside and pull out his best cons and coin-flips to help them conquer Aurea’s real enemy if he wants to live long enough for a second chance at love.
CHARACTERS
Lei Lancaster
Nolly Bellator
Covell Chevon
Raven
Mari Capricorn
Jetmir Lekaj
Cyndra
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