She’s an uncontrollable stalk of poison spreading all over me.
Thorns of Malice, an all-new dark, second chance romance, and the epic conclusion of the Wilted Kingdom Duet from International bestselling author Maggie Cole is now available!
For ten years she’s been under my skin and out of my grasp.
The last time I saw her, I decimated her and everything she valued.
Not a day passes that I don’t crave one more dose of her.
And Ivy Ford’s everything I remember.
Beautiful. Graceful. Seemingly innocent.
I wish that were the case.
There’s only one reason she’s reinserted herself into my life.
Revenge.
It’s nothing new in my world except for one thing.
Ivy learned from the best.
Me.
It’s clear there’s no longer anything naive about her.
She’s an uncontrollable stalk of poison spreading all over me.
Thorns of Malice is book two of the Wilted Kingdom duet. It’s a dark college bully romance between the rich kid and the girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Dax and Ivy’s begins continues in Book 1 of the Wilted Kingdom duet, Seeds of Malice.
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Keep reading for a look inside Thorns of Malice!
"Dad, I'm home."
He doesn't reply, which is unusual.
The hairs on my neck rise, and I call out again, turning the corner into the family room.
A choking sound fills the air. Dad's in his armchair, holding his chest.
I rush over to him, fretting, "Dad!"
Sweat covers his purple cheeks. His widened blue eyes glisten.
"Dad!" I cry out, grabbing his cold hand.
His eyes roll, and foam spills past his lips.
My insides quiver. "Dad!" I pull my phone out of my purse and try to turn it on, but my gut dives when I realize the battery's dead.
"No, no, no!" I sob, glancing at the table and patting Dad's empty pockets.
The purple deepens, more foam falls, and I tug him into me, weeping.
He freezes, his eyes wide open.
"Dad," I shriek, my hands on his cheeks. "Dad! Breathe!"
He doesn't take in any more oxygen. The warmth leaves his body, and his face goes slack.
I tug him into me, sobbing until I have no more tears. Feeling numb, it takes a few moments for the sound of loud music to register.
I slowly turn, and then paralysis hits me.
The TV shows Avery Carrington, sitting with her legs crossed and perfectly manicured hands in her lap, beaming at talk show host Winter Sophia.
"Welcome back. If you're just joining us, we've been discussing the newest scent developed by Avery Carrington. Tell us more about how you created Seducing Ivy," Winters asks, holding up a bottle of perfume in the shape of the letter I. It has whore-red garnets and diamonds encrusted on it. A vine of gold ivy leaves wraps around the pendant with more garnets etching the vine.
Whore red.
My stomach churns. It's the same design as the necklace she gave me the night of my demise. The color of the I matches the nail polish and lipstick Dax used to insist I wear.
Avery chirps, "Well—"
"I think it's best if I explain, don't you, dear sister?" a voice calls out, and my insides tremble harder.
The camera turns, and an older, sexier, more filled-out Dax Carrington appears. He leans down, kisses a surprised Winter on the cheek, then does the same to his sister and sits on the sofa beside her.
Avery quickly gets over her surprise, and her smile reappears. "Dax."
"Well, isn't this a treat! If you don't already know, this is Dax Carrington, CEO of Carrington Enterprises and Avery's oldest brother," Winter gushes.
Dax grins, and my world continues to fall apart. That grin has haunted me for ten years, never fading from my memory. He states, "I wanted to support my sister's latest venture. I hope it's okay to join you."
"Of course!" Winter exclaims.
Avery's expression never changes, and I can feel her seething underneath, but it's something the rest of the world wouldn't pick up on.
Dax nods. "Great. I think you asked how we created Seducing Ivy?"
"She meant how Avery Carrington Scents created it," Avery corrects.
Dax nods at her and grins wider. "That's right." He repositions his gaze on Winter, stating, "As a subsidiary of Carrington Enterprises, we allowed Avery Carrington Scents to incorporate in their latest perfume our newest, and soon-to-be highly-sought-after, hybrid flower."
Winter arches her eyebrows. "Love your confidence for your new flower."
Dax grins confidently. "Yes, well, I don't ever make statements I can't back up."
"Fair enough. So tell me, what's so important about this new flower?" Winter questions.
Dax continues, "A lot, Winter."
"Like?"
"The—" Avery starts to answer.
"For starters, the new hybrid creates a vibrant red blooming flower. The scent is incredible and the blooms stay alive 80% longer once they're unattached from the plant. I anticipate it'll cut the demand for roses in half before the end of the year," Dax interjects, speaking over her.
Winter gapes.
"What my brother means—" Avery tries say but is once again interrupted by Dax.
"I mean, every floral shop in the world will want the new hybrid," he declares.
"So you have a new million-dollar product," Winter gushes.
Dax chuckles. "Try over a billion dollars."
Winter's shocked expression appears again, but she recovers faster this time, stating, "Sounds like we should show our viewers what this newest craze-to-be looks like!"
The sound of applause floats from the TV. A pop-up screen shows ivy crawling up a wall with gorgeous red flowers dancing around it.
"How did you create this new hybrid?" Winters asks. "I—" Dax starts. "He's always had a knack for knowing how to take the winners to the patent table, haven't you, Dax?" Avery interjects.
Something passes over Dax's expression, but it fades almost as soon as it appears. He nods, claiming, "It's why my grandfather chose me to run Carrington Enterprises. He knew I'd continue to grow it."
Hatred fills Avery's expression, but she quickly recovers, and her sugar-laced voice adds, "And my grandfather saw how my enterprising ideas would take the assets Carrington Enterprises have and expand them into billions of dollars' worth of profits."
Winter beams. "Such brains between you two."
Avery leans closer to the camera and lowers her voice, as if she's letting me in on a secret, keeping my trance fixated on her, claiming, "Seducing Ivy is the most important project we've ever worked on, isn't it, Dax?" She slowly glances at him.
A look of disgust briefly flashes on his face and then it morphs into agreement. He pulls me in just as Avery did, answering, "If I'm telling the truth, Ivy's the only thing that's ever mattered to me."
My insides crumble. A new wave of heartache, rage, and grief hits. I grab the rose paperweight on the table and hurl it at the TV.
Glass shards land several feet in front of me. I wrap my arms around my father's cooling corpse, wailing.
I don't know how much time passes before I calm down. I take my phone to my bedroom, put it on my charger, and look around the house for my father's cell so I can call 9-1-1, unsure what I'm supposed to do with his body.
I can't find it anywhere. I grab my charger and phone, return to the living room, and plug it into the outlet. I set my cell on the table and sit beside Dad, still in shock.
Several moments pass. I turn to see if I can make a call, then I freeze.
Dad's worn, tattered, leather-bound notebook sits next to my phone. He's used it for as long as I can remember to write down all his ideas. I pick it up, stroking the leather, tearing up again.
I wipe my face, open it, and cry harder at seeing his handwriting. After a few moments pass, I calm down. I review each page, remembering how excited he'd get when he thought he was on to something new.
Halfway through the notebook, I turn the page and discover a white, folded piece of paper. I open it, muttering, "What is this, Dad?"
It's a printed page from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. As I read it, four words cause bile to creep up my throat.
Seducing Ivy.
Patent granted to Daxton Everett Carrington V.
My pulse skyrockets.
Why is this in my father's notebook?
In a new state of shock, I read the paper again, then stare at Dad's notes, focusing on several words.
Red blooming ivy.
$10,000 patent attorney.
My eyes dart between the printout and my father's handwriting of a date from fifteen years ago, until the truth becomes clear.
How did Dax get Dad's notebook?
This is my fault.
Dad knew what he did.
I stare at the broken TV, an onslaught of new guilt soaking my entire being until I'm drowning in grief and self-hatred.
There are no tears this time. A snowball of something new rolls at lightning speed, growing bigger until I can't see straight.
It's the need for revenge.
I put my head on Dad's chest, squeezing his freezing hands, muttering over and over, "I'm sorry. I'll make him pay. I'll make all of them pay."
How?
There's no room to be weak or feel sorry for yourself, Ivy.
I straighten up, squeeze Dad's hand, and pick up my phone. I take several deep breaths and dial 9-1-1.
A woman answers. "911. What's your emergency?"
My voice cracks. New tears fall. I state, "My father's dead.”
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My Review
5 Stars
Thorns of Malice by Maggie Cole is book Two in the Wilted Kingdom Duet. This continues the story of Ivy Ford and Dax Carrington. Their story started in the previous book "Seeds of Malice". That book should be read before starting this one. This book picks up about 10 years later from the last one. We see how much Ivy has changed due to those that hurt her in book one. Dax has never forgotten Ivy and when she is back in his sites he wants her back. But Ivy is out to right the wrongs down to her and her dad. Enjoyed.
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