Murdering humans is a huge no-no and comes with an off-with-your-head sentence. Doesn’t matter if you don’t remember doing the crime.
There they were, shadow cadets in training armor, second years if the color of their breast plates was anything to go by. They sparred in twos, back and forth, stab, parry, thrust. Moonlight glanced off the metal surfaces of their armor and impressive weapons. No training swords there.
A huge hulking figure stood off to one side, arms crossed over his broad chest, shorn, dark hair glinting silver in the moonlight, biceps bulging obscenely as if trying to escape the confines of the tight long-sleeved black top he was wearing.
Archer Hyde – the man, the legend himself. My gaze dropped to his legs, but even with my nightblood vision, it was impossible to spot which one was real and which one was mechanical from this far away. But I’d heard the stories of his battle-scarred face and formidable fighting skills. And the loss of the limb? Well, the story was that a fomorian hound had eaten his leg. He’d fought it, killed it, and a carried a man back through the mist to safety. And how did the watch repay him? By benching him and giving him a class of snotty shadow cadets to train.
One of the shadow cadets paused and glanced up at the window. He brushed his fair hair off his forehead before raising a hand in greeting.
I almost responded.
But he wasn’t waving at me. He was waving at his sister. Minnie waved back, and he smiled. His gaze tracked to me, and the smile dropped, leaving only icy contempt.
Yeah. Lloyd was not happy that his little sister was besties with a Justice. I tore my gaze away and across the neatly trimmed grounds, over the tops of the gray, bushy trees to the building that rose up to touch the stars. The shadow knight fortress was an impressive structure built as a stronghold. It was also the final destination for every shadow cadet.
That would be their prison. Look at them fighting to get there.
Idiots.
Shadow Caster
The Nightwatch Academy #1
Debbie Cassidy
Publication date: September 10, 2019
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Urban Fantasy
Debbie Cassidy
Publication date: September 10, 2019
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Urban Fantasy
Murdering humans is a huge no-no and comes with an off-with-your-head sentence. Doesn’t matter if you don’t remember doing the crime.
I killed a human, and no, it wasn’t on purpose, but that shit doesn’t matter to the council. I’m facing death. So, when I’m offered a deal to avoid execution, I’d be a fool not to take it, even if it means leaving the human world and urban life behind to enroll in the Nightwatch Academy – a gothic monstrosity hidden from human eyes, located way too close to the largest tear in the fabric of our reality.
It would be fun if I had any inclination of becoming a member of the Watch or supporting the shadow knights at keeping the Formorian threat at bay. But heck, the monsters beyond the mist aren’t my problem. I have personal demons to deal with.
Once I’m out, the Watch can shove it.
But one sip from the ceremonial goblet and my plans to coast are out of the window as my powers spark to life.
I’m an anomaly, one the Watch won’t be letting walk any time soon.
My only comfort is a man who prides himself on his ability to harness pain. Battle scarred and formidable, he’s my tutor, my mentor, and the object of some super saucy dreams. He’s completely off limits and my only hope of surviving my first test.
I’ll need to harness my powers fast.
There can be no distractions.
But when my fellow cadets start going missing then returning with no memory of who they used to be and my best friend is taken, turning a blind eye is no longer an option.
Allies are limited when you’re a freak. Luckily, I don’t need a cheer squad to get shit done. Whoever is responsible better watch out. I’m coming for them, and I’ll be bringing the pain.
About the Author
Debbie Cassidy lives in England, Bedfordshire, with her three kids and very supportive husband. Coffee and chocolate biscuits are her writing fuels of choice, and she is still working on getting that perfect tower of solitude built in her back garden. Obsessed with building new worlds and reading about them, she spends her spare time daydreaming and conversing with the characters in her head - in a totally non psychotic way of course. She writes Urban Fantasy, Fantasy and Reverse Harem Fantasy. All her books contain plenty of action, romance and twisty plots.
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