Raven The horse stood, completely steady, her dark eyes blinking as if nothing had happened. I reached out tentatively, my hand brushing against her knee where the arrow had been just moments ago. Her coat was smooth, unbroken. No blood. No wound. Not even a scar. Nothing. “What…” My voice c
I processed that in silence for a moment, saying nothing. “I care about her as my friend, my equal, my confidante,” he said simply, glancing at me over his shoulder. “And last night…” His voice trailed off, and he shifted uncomfortably in his saddle. My cheeks flushed a little as memories of our
Raven The phone in Castor’s hand was silent now, but according to Castor, it had been buzzing all morning. My heart skipped a beat as Neil snatched it from him. He flipped the phone open, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the screen. “Multiple missed calls,” he muttered, turning the device so I c
“I started feeling poorly,” he said wryly. “It was funny, really. I woke up one day feeling like I had a fever and a little back pain, nothing tragic.” He inhaled deeply, wheezing with the effort. “Next thing I knew, I was diagnosed with cancer.” I couldn’t believe it. As long as I had known my fa
Raven The moment I dismounted and unsaddled my horse, I headed straight for Neil’s quarters. I needed to talk to him, tell him what I had just found out. Stage 4 liver cancer. My father was going to die. Yeah, well, not if I could help it. I strode through the castle doors, my leather boots
Raven Neil’s arms around me were an unexpected comfort. His warmth enveloped me, the steady beating of his heart thrumming against my chest. I didn’t know how to react, didn’t even know how to breathe at the contact. I just stood there, my cheek pressed his body, my eyes wide and unblinking. T
“It’s fine,” he said, although his voice was strangely quieter than usual. “I understand.” For a heartbeat, the tension between us hung like a heavy weight in the air. I thought about what would happen if I leaned in again, if I closed the gap and kissed him properly. I felt suddenly cold without
Raven My lips parted, my heart pounding so loudly I thought Hannah might hear it, but I forced out a shaky laugh instead. “Werewolves? Oh, come on, Hannah. It’s just an inside joke between me and Ember.” I reached up to brush a strand of hair from my face, willing my hand not to tremble as I mov
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