Rise of a Warrior

Rise of a Warrior BLADE OF ICE BOOK ONE JESSICA WAYNE Contents The Third Realm Foreword Carleah 1. Carleah 2. Carleah 3. Carleah 4. Carleah 5. Carleah 6. Carleah 7. Carleah 8. Fort 9. Carleah 10. Carleah 11. Fort 12. Fort 13. Carleah 14. Fort 15. Carleah 16. Carleah 17. Fort 18. Carleah 19. Fort 20. Carleah 21. Carleah 22. Carleah 23. Carleah 24. Carleah 25. Carleah 26. Carleah 27. Fort 28. Carleah 29. Carleah 30. Carleah 31. Fort 32. Carleah 33. Carleah 34. Fort 35. Carleah Also By Jessica Wayne About Jessica Wayne RISE OF A WARRIOR Blade of Ice, book 1 By Jessica Wayne Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, businesses, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places, or actual events is entirely coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission of the author, except for use of brief quotations in a book review. Edited by McKenna Lay Proofread by Tasha Lewis Proofread by Dawn Y. Cover Design by TwinArtCoverDesign Interior print art by Samaiya Art To anyone who has ever been underestimated. Never let them tell you how bright your flame can burn. Foreword Thank you so much for downloading Rise of a Warrior! Carleah is not the same type of heroine you are used to getting from me. While she is fiery, she has also been incredibly sheltered and therefore is learning a LOT the hard way. I am absolutely in love with this world and these characters, so I hope you love them as much as I do! If you’d like to reach out to me after you’ve read and submit your review to appear on my website or social media, please tap here to sign up for my newsletter! Then, once you’ve finished reading, hit reply on the first email you receive and send over your personal thoughts, and/or your review! I am the one who reads and responds to each of my emails, so I would love to hear from you! NOTE: This series was written because I am obsessed with the world building of Lord of the Rings, but also crave spice that is typically not presented in a lot of traditional high fantasy. These characters have a ton of personal and emotional development they need to go through, but the spicy scenes are NOT fade-to-black. If that makes you uncomfortable, please don’t keep reading. There are plenty fantasy series out there with very little romance. I want you to be happy with what you read because I know there are a lot of amazing stories in the world, and I don’t want you to spend time on one (even if it’s mine!) that isn’t a good fit for you. Tropes you can expect to see in this series are as follows: Minor age gap, exposed secrets, warrior hero, sheltered heroine, graphic violence, loss, love, an orgy (not with our hero and heroine), magic, an epic world, a twisty plot. Triggers (flip the page if you don’t want to read spoilers!): _ _ _ Loss of loved ones, graphic violence, mentions of breeding and threats of rape (though it does NOT take place). I'm the prize to be won. But the game is far deadlier than I could have ever imagined. I'm the first daughter born to a royal in centuries. Which means that my entire life has been laid out for me since the moment I was born…including who I am to marry. Unfortunately, my heart has always belonged to another. A man who has never spoken a word to anyone. His body built for war, he's the head of our guard…the shadow who tracks my every move. When my world comes crumbling down around me and I'm forced to flee the only home I've ever known, he's at my side. However, the secrets he harbors are far deadlier than anything I could have predicted. And as we're both propelled toward destinies that are completely out of our control, I'm forced to face the very real possibility that the man I've been in love with for years may not be the hero I've always believed him to be. Carleah Music from the orchestra drifts out of the ballroom as I hastily fasten my coat. Wine dances on my tongue, and a giggle escapes my lips as I look back at the man behind me. His light hair is disheveled, his tunic askew, but he watches me with a hunger in his hazel gaze that makes me feel like a woman rather than a sheltered princess of barely eighteen. “Come on!” I urge with a laugh, reaching out to pull him with me. He takes my hand and lets me drag him outside. Snow crunches beneath our shoes, but my laughter will not be heard thanks to the party noises still drifting from inside. I do not know the man’s name, but to be honest, I don’t really care. He’s a distraction. A way to get my mind off of the destiny that is now hurtling my way at lightning speed. We reach the edge of the frozen lake as it glistens beneath the bright moonlight. Overhead, an owl hoots, and somewhere in the distance, a wolf howls. It’s home. A beautiful, perpetual winter paradise. The man spins me and slams my back into a large tree as his hands go to my waist, his mouth on mine. The kiss is fast, hard, but lacking any real passion—at least on my end. Though the wine making me dizzy helps me pretend that there is. I wrap both arms around his neck and let him bury his face against my pulse. His tongue grazes over my throat, and I let out a soft groan