Gideon The Ninth Novels & Stories

In someone else’s story, we would not be the heroes. We would be the villains. Late that night, Gideon finally returned from the mountains. He did not come to see me. Instead, he went straight to the hidden forge in the lower courtyard. The forge burned hot enough to melt silver. Killian was already there waiting. The two men said very little. This time, there was no coffin. No silk. No ceremony. The Executioner’s body was placed into the blazing coals of the forge. The flames swallowed it quickly. There were no prayers.

My heart had pounded with every step past those guards in polished armor. And then I saw him. Newly knighted, seventeen, his sword still too big for his frame. But he stood like he was carved from something ancient, eyes already too sharp, too quiet. Not yet the Commander. Not yet feared. Just a boy trying not to look like he was still grieving. He’d nodded at my mother. She nodded back, without breaking stride. Later that evening, I asked who he was. “Gideon Malik,” My mother said, grinding dried bellroot into a vial. “Of Blackthorn Hall.” She didn’t look up when she said it, but I remember the way her hands slowed for just a second.

She turned towards Gideon, crossing her jeans cladded legs on the wooden bench, “Tell me what happened.” Gideon hesitated but then told her everything. As they talked under the darkening sky, her demons went silent. All she could focus on was the man in front of her, telling her how a girl from his school had told him that she was seven weeks pregnant with his kid. Gideon was the heir to Pierce Empire. His father was the one holding the reigns now but one day, it would be him. He, too, lived in New York like Aria but he lived on the luxurious side.

Suddenly, Glory, who was walking in the front stopped. "Prince, there's something up ahead," Glory said in a very low voice. "We have to hide immediately," Prince Xander replied, then took Gideon's hand. The three of them looked for a place to hide. Not far ahead there was a flame of fire. "Uncle, there are people there, I see there are nine people there," said Gideon. "It's so dark there. How can you see it in the dark?" Prince Xander asked Gideon. "Uncle, I can see anything in the dark. I can even see ants crawling near the ears of the man making the fire," Gideon replied in a whisper. Prince Xander and Glory were quite surprised to hear Gideon's confession. "Gideon, will you help us?" Pri

From followers of a lost cause to builders of a new one. “Our first task is to secure the pack. Our second is to find my daughter, your future Alpha, and bring her home.” I paused, my next words dropping into the silence like stones. “And our third… is justice.” I turned to the warrior at my side. “Bring the prisoner.” A ripple went through the crowd as Gideon was dragged in, his hands bound, his armor stripped away. The cold, proud Alpha was gone, replaced by a sullen, defeated man. But his eyes still burned with hatred when they landed on me.

It made him feel a sort of pressure that he hadn’t felt in a long time. “The people of the Liberated are such cowards! Thankfully, they’ve prepared an incredible prey for me tonight. I’m interested in seeing who’s willing to assist them in their fight against the Jackals!” Gideon had arrived at the manor’s main gate. In front of him stood a massive iron gate. It was neither opened nor locked. He paused in front of the iron gate while peering inside. He didn’t reach for the iron gate. Instead, he launched a punch into the air.

He turned, looking into Kan’s silver-grey eyes. "I tracked him to a hole called The Lead Pipe," Gideon said, his voice gravelly. "I touched him, Kan. I got close enough to see the way his pulse jumped in his neck." He let out a jagged breath. "He’s the one. He’s the third piece."

"That bitch needed to die to keep her mouth shut for good. I set the archive fire, and I arranged the helicopter malfunction too." Gavin and I exchanged a look. We had everything we needed. "You raised me to be a fake heiress, and now you're trying to get rid of me too?" Tears welled in her eyes as her voice trembled. Gideon sneered and suddenly grabbed her by the throat. "You were just a pawn. Now, you're useless." At that critical moment, Gavin and security rushed into the room and slammed Gideon to the floor, saying in an ice-cold tone, "Gideon, every one of your crimes has been recorded."

The old woman's words hung in the air long after she said them. "The Bride of the Ninth Life has returned." Nobody moved. Not Kai, Not Draven, Not even the servant. The whole courtyard had turned to stone around me, and I stood in the middle of it, shaking, with no idea why a stranger kneeling on cold marble made me feel like the ground had opened under my feet. Ninth life?? What did that even mean? I looked at Kai. His jaw was tight enough to crack. I looked at Draven. For the first time since I'd met him, he wasn't smiling.