Cards of love, p.1
Cards of Love, page 1
Cards of Love: Knight of Swords
Autumn Jones Lake
Ahead of the Pack, LLC
Contents
About Knight of Swords
Introduction
Acknowledgments
Also by Autumn Jones Lake
Social Media
Newsletter
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Epilogue
A Note from Autumn
Cards of Love
Also by Autumn Jones Lake
Sign Up
About the Author
Connect With Me
The End
Sometimes the most beautiful souls are the most broken.
CARDS OF LOVE: KNIGHT OF SWORDS
by Autumn Jones Lake
Copyright 2018 – All Rights Reserved.
Digital ISBN #978-1-943950-32-4
Print ISBN#
Cover Designed by: Lorrie Jackson
No part of this book, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the prior written consent of the publisher and author, except in the instance of quotes for reviews. No part of this book may be uploaded without the permission of the publisher and author. No part of this book may be translated into any other language without permission of the author.
The Lost Kings MC™ series are works of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, actual events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters and names are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
The publisher and author acknowledge the trademark status and trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks mentioned in this book.
Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
This is an original work of fiction by Autumn Jones Lake. Published by Ahead of the Pack, LLC.
AutumnJLake@gmail.com
About Knight of Swords
Protect.
From the minute I met her, I wanted to offer my protection.
Desire.
I wanted her to be mine, but didn’t have anything of value to offer. Just my jaded heart, broken soul, and undying love.
Sacrifice.
I gave up my pride, my hostility, and my heart to make her happy.
Justice.
Fuck the consequences, I would’ve given up anything, even my life, to keep her safe.
* * *
Tragic.
Both our lives were soaked in tragedy from day one.
Reckless.
I ignored the people who warned me he was dead inside.
Truth.
He was as broken as I was.
Strength.
Together, we’d heal our hearts and stitch together our souls.
Introduction
Welcome to my contribution to the Cards of Love series! Cards of Love is a massive multi-author project, organized by author Willow Winters. It’s a series of love letters about the mysterious and intriguing world of tarot cards. The Cards of Love series can be read in any order. The only thing the books share is a common inspiration from the tarot card.
While Knight of Swords is a complete standalone love story with its own HEA, it takes place in the same universe as my Lost Kings MC series. As it takes place before Slow Burn (Lost Kings MC #1), there are no spoilers in here. Roman and Juliet both appear later on the in the Lost Kings MC series, so if you fall in love with them here, you’ll get to check in on them in the future.
Acknowledgments
First, I must thank author Willow Winters for organizing the Cards of Love series. Also, thank you to Sophie Broughton for all of her assistance!
I also have to say thank you to author Nora Flite who first told me about this very cool tarot-themed collection.
The ladies who are part of my Lost Kings Lounge facebook group-thanks for being so supportive of a non-LOKI book!
Liz, thank you for taking a first look. Jezzie, thank you for taking a final look.
Mr. Lake—thank you for always listening and keeping up with all the crazy stories in my head.
Also by Autumn Jones Lake
The Lost Kings MC Series
Slow Burn (Lost Kings MC #1)
Corrupting Cinderella (Lost Kings MC #2)
Three Kings, One Night (Lost Kings MC #2.5)
Strength from Loyalty (Lost Kings MC #3)
Tattered on my Sleeve (Lost Kings MC #4)
White Heat (Lost Kings MC #5)
Between Embers (Lost Kings MC #5.5)
More Than Miles (Lost Kings MC #6)
White Knuckles (Lost Kings MC #7)
Beyond Reckless (Lost Kings MC #8)
Beyond Reason (Lost Kings MC #9)
One Empire Night (Lost Kings MC #9.5)
After Burn (Lost Kings MC #10)
After Glow (Lost Kings MC #11)
Zero Tolerance (Lost Kings MC #12)
Stanalones set in the Lost Kings MC world
Bullets & Bonfires
Warnings & Wildfires
Cards of Love: Knight of Swords
Social Media
Sign up for Autumn’s Newsletter
BookBub
Goodreads
Autumn’s Lost Kings MC Lounge Facebook Group
www.autumnjoneslake.com
Newsletter
If you’d like infrequent updates about what I’m working on, sign up for my newsletter! I promise not to bug you unless it’s important!
Dedication
For those who learned to be strong on their own.
One
ROMAN
I fell in love for the first time when I was seventeen.
One simple mistake altered the course of my future, of my very existence.
Until that day feelings had always seemed irrelevant and illogical. My world was too dark and chaotic for love to develop.
It was the first day at another new high school. That made—three? four?—this year alone.
The locker I’d been assigned wouldn’t open no matter how many times I spun the combination or slammed my filthy, worn boot into the rusty metal front.
“Do you mind?” A soft voice came from beside me.
I glanced down. Five-feet-nothing of waist-length red-gold hair, soft blue eyes, and freckles stared up at me. A smile played over her full pink lips that I already had an urge to kiss.
“I can’t get it open.”
“Maybe that’s because it’s my locker.”
“No, it’s not.” Even though I already had a bad feeling in my gut that she was right, I handed over the yellow slip of paper I’d been given this morning.
“Hmm.” She tapped her finger against that plump bottom lip that I wanted to suck into my mouth and run my tongue against. “It says seventy-six, but that can’t be right.”
She stepped forward, not at all intimidated by my size—I had to be at least a foot taller than her. Her warm shoulder brushed against my chest, and her long hair tickled my arm. She smelled like roses after a rainstorm. I’m not ashamed to admit I stood there and inhaled her.
The lock clicked open and she opened the door. “See? It’s my locker. My combination works on it. Yours doesn’t.”
“Well, shit.”
She grinned at me. “What’s your name?”
“Roman.”
Laughter spilled out of her. “I’m Juliet. I’ll tell you what, Roman, I’m willing to share my locker with you. If you promise not to leave any gross boy things in it.”
I scratched the back of my neck. “Give me an example of a gross boy thing.”
“Uh, dirty socks.”
“No problem.”
“Jockstraps.”
“Don’t have one.”
“Anything smelly.”
“Okay.”
Pink raced over her cheeks, and I wondered what else she was going to say, but instead, she shook her head. “Welcome to locker seventy-six, roomie.”
She held out her hand. I took it, meaning to give a quick shake. Instead, an electric current of attraction sparked between us. I stood there staring into her eyes, trying to decide if they were t
“Thank you, Juliet.” I loved the way her name felt rolling off my tongue.
She didn’t jerk her hand away, and she held my gaze.
I made up my mind right then and there.
I was going to marry this girl.
Two
ROMAN
Protect.
That’s all I wanted to do once I laid eyes on Juliet.
She was so damn tiny. Waiting for me by the lockers, under the glare of cheap fluorescent lights, she seemed defenseless.
People seemed to avoid her which both bothered and pleased me. I wanted her to myself, but I also wanted to kill anyone who hurt her feelings.
“So how is your first day progressing?” The corners of her mouth twitched, but I didn’t feel like she was mocking me. More like we were both in on the same joke.
“Lame. Just as boring as the last three schools.”
Her eyes widened. “Why so many? Do your parents move around a lot?”
My eyes darted away, I didn’t like talking about my situation. It was one of those things that made people uncomfortable and eager to get away from you. But I sensed I could trust Juliet.
“I live at the group home over on Pine,” explained in a lowered voice. “Foster care. Before that I was with a few families. None of ‘em stuck.”
My story was more complicated than that. Six years, twelve different families, and three separate group homes to be exact. But I feared sharing too much, getting too real, might scare her away.
Sadness clouded her eyes. “I live with my aunt and uncle. Not the same thing, but I understand what it feels like…not to…”
I waited for her to finish, anticipating what she’d say.
“Feel wanted,” she finished.
She’d never have to worry about that again. I wanted her like nothing I’d ever wanted in my life.
But I had absolutely nothing to offer her.
No family. No money. Hell, I didn’t even have access to a vehicle to take her out on a date. I had the clothes on my back and a few other things stuffed in a drawer at the home. My luggage was a Hefty bag. I’d had a job lined up at the last place I lived, but that was gone now.
“Sucks, right?” I said to fill the silence between us.
Her lips curved up in a soft smile. “It’s not so bad. One day I’ll have my own family and I’ll know all the right things to give them.”
The longing in her voice hit me on a primal level. I didn’t understand what having a family meant. It had always seemed too unattainable. But the way Juliet talked about it, made me want to figure it out. With her.
I’d never had the luxury of thinking that far ahead in my life.
I was too busy surviving from one day to the next. But Juliet made me want to think ahead. She made me hope for things I’d been afraid to admit to myself I even wanted.
Before I opened my mouth and offered to make some babies with her, someone slammed into me from behind. My shoulder hit the corner of the open locker door and I narrowly missed knocking Juliet over.
“Watch it, new guy,” the brawny football player I’d showed up in gym class earlier said. He high-fived his equally douchebag friends.
It wasn’t pride that forced me to go after him. I didn’t care that Juliet saw me get shoved like a little kid.
No, it was blind rage. That fucker had pushed me right into her. She could’ve been hurt and he did it without thinking.
I’d been pushed around enough at that point in my life. By foster parents, teachers, other kids. I’d learned early that the world was cruel.
I also learned not to take shit from anyone.
If you couldn’t stand up for yourself, no one would do it for you. And if I couldn’t defend myself, how could I protect anyone else?
“Roman—” Juliet said, but I was already sailing through the air, tackling Doug to his knees and punching him in the side.
The violence in my eyes and fists made his two buddies back away instead of helping their unfortunate friend.
Two teachers and a security guard pulled me off the kid, but I still kept fighting.
Until I saw Juliet shaking her head. Tears in her eyes.
“Don’t,” she mouthed at me.
It was a bucket of ice water over my hot-tempered head.
Three
Juliet
“Roman, don’t.”
I wasn’t afraid he’d get hurt.
No, obviously Roman was the kind of guy who could take care of himself. I was more worried he’d kill Doug Winsted and end up in jail. Doug deserved the ass-kicking. He’d been picking on the younger, weaker kids for as long as I could remember.
My bigger fear was that Roman would get expelled from school before I got to know him better.
Selfish? Maybe. But I’d never met anyone who affected me the way he did. Despite the fact he was kicking in my locker, he was the most beautiful boy I’d ever seen.
Boy probably wasn’t accurate. He had the seriousness of a man who’d already seen it all. Survived it all. Rich, brown hair fell over his forehead, complimenting his green eyes. The brief smile he flashed made me weak in the knees. He didn’t seem to notice that half the girls in the school where gawking at him, practically running into walls because they were staring so hard.
But he never took his eyes off me.
Destiny.
Before Roman, I believed my sad story was already written.
Love at first sight.
My cousin Debbie had always reminisced about how she fell in love with her husband the minute she met him in ninth grade. I loved her, but her story made zero sense to me. Only when I looked into Roman’s olive-green eyes did I finally understand.
Maybe I affected him too. He stopped resisting and allowed the security guard to drag him down the hall. I chased after him, but Mrs. Johnson, my AP English teacher, stopped me.
“Don’t, honey. You don’t need to be involved with trash like that. He’s not going anywhere good in life.”
My temper flared. “Doug started it. He’s always starting trouble. Hurting kids who can’t fight back. This time he picked on the wrong person and got what he deserved.”
She recoiled. I hardly ever spoke up or talked back to teachers. I earned high marks, but I kept to myself.
My outburst seemed to change her mind. “Go ahead down to the principal’s office and let Mr. W know what happened.” She glanced over my shoulder. “I’ll give you a pass.”
Relief that at least one adult in my life seemed to have some decency flooded through me. I accepted the pass and hurried downstairs.
Mr. W was no nonsense. We called him Mr. W because no one could pronounce or spell his last name. I’d never been in his office before.
I stepped into the main office and his secretary glanced up. “Juliet? What are you doing down here?”
“I have a pass.” I swallowed hard, finding my courage. “I need to speak to Mr. W. about the fight. I saw what happened.”
