Read an excerpt from The Affiliate by K.A. Linde
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On the day of her Presenting, in front of the entire Byern Court, seventeen-year-old Cyrene Strohm's lifelong plans come to fruition when she's chosen as an Affiliate to the Queen.
Or so she thinks. When Cyrene receives a mysterious letter and an unreadable book, she finds nothing is as it seems. Thrust into a world of dangerous political intrigue and deadly magic, Cyrene's position only grows more treacherous when she finds herself drawn to the one man she can never have...
King Edric himself.
Cyrene must decide if love is truly worth the price of freedom. Find out in this first book in USA Today bestselling author K.A. Linde’s new Ascension series.
Excerpt
“Now, tell me what the Queen has done to make you believe that she dislikes you.”
“It’s nothing, My King.” She turned her face away from his. She couldn’t possibly tell him the real reason.
“It’s enough to infuriate you, which is enough for me.”
When she looked back up into his blue-gray eyes, she felt that same magnetic pull between them. Somehow, she had not realized how close they were standing to one another. His hand felt warm against her bare skin. His body was only a few inches away from hers. His breath was hot on her face.
Her heart contracted in her chest, but she forced herself to respond, “She speaks of…of your interference…as if…as if you…”
Time stretched between them, and for a split second, she thought he might move even closer to her. She was rooted in place, captivated by his gaze.
“Yes?”
His other hand drifted to her waist, and she was suddenly on fire.
Their breaths mingled together as she murmured, “As if you favor me.”
“And do you think that?”
“I…”
“Yes?” he asked, stepping closer.
She couldn’t breathe. He was so close. His fingers tugged her body toward him. She felt the hard contours of his chest through her thin dress. His head tilted downward, and she rose up ever so slightly on to the tips of her toes, arching up to him. Her gaze landed on his lips, and she knew any second that something was going to happen that she could never reverse.
“Cyrene,” he whispered, their lips nearly touching, “do you think that I favor you?”
Her eyes fluttered closed, but she couldn’t keep the words from spilling from her lips. “I think you have Your Queen.”
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About the Author
USA Today bestselling author K.A. Linde is the author of The Affiliate, the first book in the Ascension Series. As a military brat, she traveled the world with her family, imaginary friends, and ever-increasing supply of books. She has spent much of her life dreaming up new worlds and characters and forcing them into uncomfortable, usually life-threatening scenarios. After graduating from the University of Georgia with a masters degree in political science, she began spending every waking hour putting those characters onto paper.
When not writing, she spends her time dancing, collecting paperbacks in the hopes of filling a Beauty and the Beast style library one day, traveling to visit her friends who live all over the country, and still reading anything she can get her hands on. She currently resides in North Carolina with her husband and two puppies, Lucy and Riker, where she is hard at work on her next novel.
