“I guess I could play,” she said. “Fine.” Neil stood, his skin glistening in the flickering torchlight as the water rolled off of him. “Castor, you partner with Ember. I’ll partner with Raven.” For a second, I hesitated. I could feel Ember’s gaze on me, the hope in her expression dimming. I didn
Raven I found a tree stump near the edge of the forest and plopped down on it, my burning hand clenched into a fist in my lap. Neil’s words still stung, like a knife twisting in my belly. One night of pleasure. Was that really all I was worth to these men? Like a single-use item, to be had and d
Raven Before I could even say a word, Neil had already vanished into the flames. A plume of black smoke billowed out through the hut’s small windows, swallowing him. For a second, the world felt distant—just the roar of the fire, the crackle of burning wood, and the sound of my own blood rushing t
I screamed, the sound raw and ear-splitting, like a trapped animal. Because that was what I was—trapped. Like a rabbit caught in a snare. If I hadn’t lifted my hand to defend myself, then the knife might have gone through my eye instead, but my relief at that was nothing compared to the pain. “Hmm
Raven I winced as Ember cleaned the wound on my hand with some kind of sanitizing solution that stung like hell. The knife had gone straight through my palm, leaving an ugly, raw hole that would likely never fully heal. Not at this rate, at least. “This should be closing by now,” Ember muttere
Raven The large, heavy wooden doors of the throne room groaned open, their sound echoing off the vaulted stone ceilings as Neil led me inside. My pulse quickened inside of me at the sight of his two brothers standing by the throne, with the King seated between them. The King’s piercing eyes lock
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” I choked out, throwing in a sniffle for good measure. “But I think I need to lay down and… process all of this.” The King’s expression seemed to soften, just slightly, but it was enough to send a ripple of relief through me. He bought my act. For now, at least. As for
Neil & Raven Neil My horse’s hooves pounded against the ground beneath us as I pushed him harder, faster, the wind stinging my face and tearing at my cloak. My muscles burned and my bones ached from riding nonstop for hours, but I did not slow down. As the first light of dawn filtered through
Raven The heavy oak doors to the council chamber loomed ahead, and despite the many months of relentless preparation leading to this moment, my palms were still damp against Neil’s. I squeezed his hand tighter, grounding myself in the warmth of his touch. Six months ago, I wouldn’t have imagined
“Not today,” Neil said, the faintest hint of a smirk touching his lips. Serena was the last to approach, her steps slow and deliberate. Her eyes locked onto Neil, flicking between the knife in his hand and Edrick’s body sprawled lifeless behind us. I felt my stomach twist painfully. I moved to p
Raven When I had killed Hannah, I thought that there was too much blood. But now, as I watched Neil fall to the stone floor, as that guttural scream ripped from my throat, I knew that that was nothing compared to the blood pooling around him now. He was losing too much blood to survive. Befo
He raised his sword and easily parried an attack with one hand. “And what’s that?” “I may not be the full-blood prince, but I was chosen to take that place. Perhaps that is worth more than your blood ties to the crown.” I pressed forward, hammering him with a series of strikes, but Edrick met me
Neil The blade in my hand felt heavier than it usually did. Maybe it was just my exhaustion, or maybe it was the weight of the crown that I wasn’t wearing yet that was dragging me down. Or maybe it was the feeling of everyone’s eyes on me. The warmth of my father’s blood still coating my hands.
Castor exhaled, dragging his free hand through his hair. “Raven… I know you think you can help, but if they see you here, it’ll only make things worse. Edrick’s been feeding the court lies for weeks. They’ll kill you on sight.” Shaking my head, I reached into my cloak and pulled out the pendant th
Raven By the time I returned, the battle was over. But that didn’t mean that the chaos had subsided. As I cautiously wound my way through the village, careful not to be seen, I could hardly even see because the air was so thick with smoke and blood. I could smell the wreckage before I even saw t
And then it struck me. There were only two. “Eric,” I breathed. “Where is he?” Castor simply shook his head and stared at the floor. That was all the answer I needed. My fists tightened at my sides. My people—my friends—were dying while Caleb had been carrying out his devious little plan. Fo
Neil Serena was alive, kneeling in front of me, her face streaked with tears and dried blood. I didn’t know what my brother intended to do with her after this, but I knew it would not be good. Caleb knelt down slowly, gripping a handful of Serena’s hair as he did. The way he tugged her head upwa