Empire of Blood by A.J. Nicky

 

An incredibly powerful incubus raised from a child, unaware, struggling to survive as best he can. A paranormal assassin that's failed to protect and seeking revenge, but may find redemption in protecting something he discovers is precious.

From the Empire of Blood blurb:

So they were stuck like this, the rage orchestrating Jackson’s actions propelling him to hurt Clio. And Clio, who could not be hurt. They were forces of equal match, Jackson’s brutality and Clio’s invincibility, caught up in a hellish ouroboros that would never give up.

Perhaps this is why he dragged me here, Clio thought. To feel nothing but his anger, until the end of time.

Agent Jackson has one agenda: kill all paranormals. A bit hypocritical, considering that he himself is a werewolf. Yet the violent scheme is assigned to him by the same agency he works for, and the only way he can eventually live happily, free of this gruesome duty, is if he becomes their best clawed-hitman. Yet his own goal is put to the test when he meets an unlikely creature in the forest on one of his killing sprees: predator, a demon, a god of all paranormals. An incubus. A being so powerful, it poses a threat to even the mighty agency he has sold his soul to.
And it will change everything.

This is a standalone novel. Themes include paranormal creatures, incubi, werewolves, vampires, a paranormal agency, and a gut-wrenching, high-stakes revenge plot. Reader advisory can be found in the front of book.

SNik's Review:

Standalone. Paranormal. Slow burn. Friends to enemies to lovers. Dual POV. Heed content warnings.

 

Clio is an incubus, imprisoned since he was a child, brainwashed, only friends with the other children and the man who rescued him, and not really aware of his burgeoning powers. Jackson is an assassin on a leash, killing other paranormals until he gains his freedom, but years later the child he befriended betrays him and he is on a mission to kill him, but can’t escape the fact that he can’t. 

This story is a series of twists from horrible circumstances, desperate friendship, living for revenge, and not believing your worth until you find someone that believes in you. I struggled with the first part, Clio was easy to empathize with but unbearably manipulated, the second part was easier to understand the characters, and then the quick turn around in the third part settled the story a little more solidly towards a romance and the big conclusion. This was an entertaining read with a slow start but unexpected feels to round it out.

Empire of Blood is available in e-book format and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited subscription.