The Essence: A Pledge Novel (The Pledge Trilogy)
Kimberly Derting
Language: English
Pages: 368
ISBN: 1442445602
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
“Danger, dread, mystery, and romance” (Booklist) continue in the second book of The Pledge trilogy, as Charlie’s reign is under siege from the most unusual of enemies.
At the luminous conclusion of The Pledge, Charlaina defeated the tyrant Sabara and took her place as Queen of Ludania. But Charlie knows that Sabara has not disappeared: The evil queen’s Essence is fused to Charlie’s psyche, ready to arise at the first sign of weakness.
Charlie is not weak, but she’s being pushed to the brink. In addition to suppressing the ever-present influence of Sabara, she’s busy being queen—and battling a growing resistance determined to return Ludania to its discriminatory caste system. Charlie wants to be the same girl Max loves, who Brook trusts, but she’s Your Majesty now, and she feels torn in two.
As Charlie journeys to an annual summit to meet with leaders of nearby Queendoms—an event where her ability to understand all languages will be the utmost asset—she is faced with the ultimate betrayal. And the only person she can turn to for help is the evil soul residing within.
wielded, not yet fully realized. I didn’t want her to know how badly I needed this. I couldn’t tell her why it was so important, although I feared she already knew. “Please, Angelina. For me.” Parshon slipped from my mouth, feeling strange on my tongue, but I was desperate. She sighed, her narrow shoulders sagging with the weight of my request. I could see her reluctance, but she pulled her hands from mine and gingerly laid a small palm on each one of my cheeks. She inhaled and closed her eyes,
he planned to outlast my obstinate rebuffs. That he would one day be my husband. Although as far as I was concerned, he already belonged to me. I pushed him down so I was leaning over him as he lay on his back once more. When my lips finally left his, they were tingling, stung by the currents that crossed between us. The curtain of my silver-blond hair fell over his much shorter, much darker hair as I cocked my head to the side and studied him. He was far more handsome than any man I’d ever
shielding them from view. At night, however, the nibbed ends of each branch would burn bright in shades of blues or reds or white, depending on the blossoms. A million tiny buds of light would flicker and flash, casting this entire sector of the forest in an ethereal glow in which nothing—and no one—could hide. Something I understood all too well, I thought as I glanced down at my hands, where light flickered just beneath my skin. Zafir slipped through the curtain of wilting boughs and, after
couldn’t see, as preparations were being made for our arrival. Somewhere out there, a horn sounded. It was a deep noise that managed to cut through all the other commotion. Mere seconds had passed before an answering blast sounded from our own vessel. The ferry came to a sudden stop then, jolting us as it collided with the side of the pier. Since there were no surprised gasps from around us, I guessed that the abrupt landing must be usual. And then pandemonium erupted, as the men and women
our family restaurant. Here, he had seventeen ovens, five enormous sinks, and an endless stretch of counter space on which to work. Yet even though he refused to stop working in the kitchens, he had acclimated to this life much faster than I had. He looked younger, healthier, happier than he had in years. Maybe ever. Even the callouses on his hands had grown less coarse during the weeks since he’d stopped toiling at our family restaurant. I smiled. “Just wondering why you can’t find something