This full series bundle also includes the following exclusive content:

• Extended epilogues for each novel compiled in one novella
• The bonus novella, Minotaur's Love set in the realm of Protheka!
• A companion book with a brief history of Protheka

Chapter 1

Lita

I'm sure from across the water it looks like the stars have multiplied, but here in Karona, we all know it's the dozens of floating lanterns we've sent up into the skies. I tip my head back, watching the way that bob above the crowds.

When I first saw them, I was shocked. The minotaur are notorious for being immune to magic, and they most certainly do not use enchanted items sold by the dark elves. It wasn't until I was older that I learned it is actually science—some combination of hot air and gas—that keeps them at the right altitude.

I'm not much of a science person, but they do provide a good distraction among the crowds as people and minotaur touch and bounce them. They keep their heads tipped back to stare up at the skies, which means they don't even notice when their coin purses go missing from around their waists.

The fact that everyone in Karona flocks to the streets during the Bright Lady festival makes my job so much easier. Bodies are packed so closely together that even if someone manages to feel my fingers brush their skin or fur—which they never would; I'm not sloppy—it is dismissed as a bump in a crowded street.

All the minotaur are so focused on festivities, all the food and music and parties, that it almost seems unfair how easily I rob them blind. But even in the celebration of Zukiev, the Lady of Light who brought life to this race, I don't feel guilty by how I come by my food.

We all have to survive. I just have a different method than most.

Maybe their deity should have stripped me of my excellent pick-pocketing skills.

Music swells around me as I slip through the crowds, and I hear the steady beat of drums as the moon starts to rise. The ceremony starts at sunset with the lighting of the lanterns, but the festivities—the raging parties and orgies of the city—don't really begin until my favorite part of the festival.

The Parade of Masks.

It's as if this holiday was made for thiefs! Even the worst pickpockets could go unnoticed in a sea of masked creatures, slipping between packed bodies that thrum with the beat of music.

As if I need anymore help, I don my mask, and now I'm indistinguishable from everyone else. There will be no description of me if I am caught stealing. The night alone can sustain me for months.

I slip my hand into the leather pouch of an already drunken warrior, pulling out his last few coins before slinking back into the shadows. Despite my ability to go unnoticed, I do take extra precautions from those that could put me out of business for a while.

Making a quick dash down the alley, I come out of the other side, and I stumble out onto the streets, making a big show of my lack of balance so when I bump into others, they don't suspect anything.

Most even help me get steady on my feet, and I almost laugh as someone asks if I need help. Little does she know her bracelet is now stashed in the pocket lining my cloak.

After another dash through this street, I duck into a doorway, slinking back so no one can see me. I don't lower my mask as I pull the contents of my pocket and coin purse out, my stomach sinking at the meager contents.

"Shit," I mutter, looking at what I've gathered.

I'm not sure if the people of Karona are just getting better at protecting their coins or if we have all grown weaker as a group, but this will not do. I need a big score tonight while I have the chance, and I've made more than this on market day before.

Deciding not to waste my night digging out small coins, I ease back out onto the street. No one pays me any mind, and with the mask in place, they can't see the way I am scrutinizing each person and minotaur that passes me.

I need to find something that screams money. And unless the King himself is here, I don't think I'm going to find that on one creature.

No, I need to get into one of these parties. Belongings will be left unguarded as clothes are discarded, making it all too easy to slip in and collect a large. Plus, only the richest and most elite minotaur are invited to those events.

Which begs two questions.

Where am I going to find this party?

And how am I going to get in?

I have a good idea where I should start, so I slip through the crowds that are pouring in toward the heart of the city and climb up the steep hill that leads to the district I tend to avoid.

The higher caste zone.

It's a lot easier to pick humans out here as they can never be part of the high castes, even after earning their freedom. Even on Milthar, we have our limitations.

But on the night of the Bright Lady festival? Anything goes.

As I crest the hilltop, crossing into the thinning streets where the noise goes from deafening to normal party volume, I spot my mark.

"Bingo," I whisper with a grin.

There's a manor on the corner with the door thrown open wide as minotaur filter in and out of the home. It's huge, at least three stories high, though it may be more. From the open door, I can tell that the ceilings are tall, even for minotaur.

Casually, I walk to the side until I'm blocked from the view by the shadows of the buildings and trees. It will do me no good to be caught staring. Seeing a thief evaluating their mark is an easy way to get caught, and I haven't made a rookie mistake like that in well over a decade.

My eyes rake up the estate, and I'm almost certain it has to belong to a senator. No one else has this kind of money, and through the dimly lit windows—only candles are allowed on this night so as not to outshine the Lady of Light—I can see large chandeliers dripping with crystals and gems.

My gaze continues down, taking in the lack of security and running along the guests waiting to enter. They are all scantily clad, many undressing in the foyer, but that makes it easier to see the jewels decorating their fur.

My heart hammers as I take in the thick necklaces and bracelets, earrings dangling with half a dozen stones encrusted.

Yes, this will do nicely.

And, to my surprise, I even see finely dressed humans mingling inside. It appears that they are not clinging too highly to the caste systems if they are letting fiepakaks in. While it is the highest caste for humans, it is the lowest for minotaurs, consisting mostly of laborers that would never be allowed in a place like that.

But humans have an appeal to them that seems to draw in other races, and I don't mind. It gives me an easy in.

I swiftly change, flipping my mask over so that it is now a shimmering gold instead of plain white. My cloak doubles as a dress as I flip that inside out, too, so that the satin crimson lining is exposed. The arms tie around my bust nicely to create a strapless dress that lands just above my knee.

With the necklaces and bracelets I've stolen over the night now on display, drawing attention to my slender wrists and exposed cleavage, I'm hoping that I will pass off as a fiepakak. The only part that may give me away are my sensible, but beat up, shoes.

Thankfully, I see minotaur abandoning their clothes near the door, and I slink up to the line, blending in with a group of humans as we slip inside. I manage to slip out of my shoes into a cute pair of strappy heels that erases any doubt that I am an imposter.

Feeling much more confident, I start around the part with my head held high and my lips pursed. I need to look interested, not shying from anyone or they will discover the thief among them.

Still, I am grateful for the mask concealing the excitement on my face. While my lips curl into a soft smile that seems to invite the eyes of many, my eyes would give me away in a heartbeat if they weren't shadowed by the mask.

The party doesn't disappoint as I float from room to room, taking drinks and food alike to blend in with the other guests. And a full belly won't hurt.

I am not the only human woman here in a sleek dress, so I don't draw as many stares as I anticipated. That makes it easier as I run my hands down the backs or chests of minotaur, flirting with them as I unload their jewelry.

By the time our gaze breaks and they might notice something is missing, I'm already onto my next target. Thankfully, no one has come in pursuit of me as I rack up my collection, using the bust of my cloak to hide my new treasures.

I always go for jewelry. In a setting like this, it is quick and light, easy to conceal, and has a high resale value on the streets. Sometimes I can even barter for more than I think it's worth, and to me, that is a better gamble than just the value of some coins.

My confidence grows with my bounty's size—and that glass of wine helps—and I slip up beside a minotaur many seem to be fawning over. He's handsome and well dressed, and I sway my hips as I catch his eye, many of the women eye me warily.

I'm a threat to their pursuit.

"Hello," I pur, sliding a hand down his thick bicep.

His eyes slide to me, and his face shifts from disinterested to curious quickly. He takes in my pouty lips and exposed breasts, and his arm quickly slides around me, pushing me toward the back wall and away from the prying eyes over others.

"Hello."

I bite down on my bottom lip, glancing at the floor and back up. The batting of my eyelashes always seems to get the men excited. "You look…" I trail my fingers lightly up my back, and he leans into me.

"Incredible," he finishes for me. "Alone?"

My eyes sweep around like I'm making sure no one is listening as my palm glides back down to his waistband where I felt the leather pouch tucked away. "For now."

His eyes glisten, and my fingers dip until the waistband, seeming to tease. A soft exhale passes over his lips, and he asks, "Do you want a drink?"

My fingers close around the edge of the pouch. "I'd love one."

And he does the work for me. As he turns, walking toward the bar along the opposite wall, he doesn't even feel the pouch tug free of what he thought was his safe spot.

I grin as I turn, planning on slipping to another room before the minotaur returns, and my eyes lock onto another guest. He's staring right at me with accusatory eyes.

He saw me.

"Shit," I mutter.

His mask is intricate, and behind it, those dark eyes are sharp, clear. There is no amount of flirting or fake explanations that will get me out of this.

So, I fall on my back plan in case things go wrong.

I run.

Before he can take a step, I dart off through the crowd, slipping through easier than a minotaur can, and as soon as I hit the far room with the curving staircase, I ditch the heels and climb as fast as I can to the upper floors, hoping to find my escape route there.