The Guild

The darkness born from the Shadow Grove world envelops three mercenaries in a web of lust and deceit.

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1. HONEY TRAP by Tate James

SYNOPSIS

honeytrap (noun) - a stratagem in which an attractive person entices another person into revealing information or doing something unwise.

Those who have reached a certain level within the mercenary guild, know that it’s not merely a job. It isn’t a hobby or a career or a fun pastime. It’s a calling. A fucking honor. Being in the Guild is our life... Or death.

Not everyone is created equal, and not everyone is truly cut out for the work we do. It’s not pretty, it’s not glamorous, and it’s sure as shit not moral or good. The weight of the sins we carry can become too much for some, and they crack. When they do, they become a threat. No one quits the Guild. Not really. Either they cut a deal to make themselves useful in another capacity, or they get eliminated.

But who, you might ask, can kill a killer? Who scares the boogeyman into running and hiding?

Men like me. The Guild is my life. My love. My very existence. Anyone who poses a threat to that, is eliminated. No questions, no hesitations, no mercy. Until her.

2. DEAD DROP by Tate James

SYNOPSIS

dead drop (noun) - a method of espionage tradecraft used to pass items or information between two individuals using a secret location.

All I’ve ever known is the Guild. They clothed me, fed me, raised me. They trained me. And in return I became their perfect weapon, their loyal soldier, their deadly asset. For as long as I can remember, the Guild has been my life. But now, it’s about to become my death.

Not everyone is cut out to be a mercenary. I’ve watched countless colleagues fail in their missions and pay the ultimate price. I’ve watched peers lose their minds with the weight of the work we do, and pay with their lives to keep our secrets. I never thought I would become one of them. No one quits the Guild. But I sure as hell won’t stick around to be killed by some coward in the shadows, pulling strings to see me fail.

How do I run from the deadliest of hunters? How will I hide, when they have eyes everywhere?

By making the enemy of my enemy, my friend. The Guild was my whole life. My purpose. My mentor. Now I’ll do anything to escape them. To escape him. Even if it hurts. Especially if it hurts.

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3. KILL ORDER by Tate James

SYNOPSIS

kill order (noun) - a document issued by the Circle allowing for the murder of a mercenary with no agency repercussions. A rarely-wielded tool, a kill order brings the Circle’s full wrath down on its target.

Worthless, useless, waste of space. That’s what my father liked to remind me on a daily basis. I was a stain on his pristine reputation. We both were, Moana and I. He taught us that we were less than nothing, we were an inconvenience. Slugs on the cabbage of life. But he was wrong.

Because of him, my sister and I dedicated our lives to helping others. Fighting for others who couldn’t fight for themselves. We took risks, gained ranks, and eventually discovered a purpose. My big sister, my best friend… her pain and loss gave us the direction we both so desperately needed. We were a unit. A family. A team. Dedicated to a purpose. My calling in life. Until I met her.

How do I tame the deadliest of women? How can I prove myself to her, snaring her in the bonds that have lashed me to her? How do I navigate a partnership with a man I loathe, to whom I’d spent years wanting to destroy?

Destroy the Guild. Take Danny home. Live our life. That had been my goal. Now? I want her back. I want the Guild out of her life. I’ll sell my soul and work with my enemy if I have to. Whatever it takes.