CHARLOTTEShocked as Vance was when I ran over and hugged him, I appreciated the fact that he just let me enjoy the moment, seemingly sinking into it himself. He didn’t pull away. He ran a gentle hand over my hair and hugged me tightly; it felt nice to be held so closely and so gently. It felt nice
CHARLOTTE“That can’t be what I think it is.”Vance’s voice was what snapped me out of my shocked haze. I quickly slipped away from him and returned to the passenger seat, adjusting my clothes as I went.My heart was in my throat and shame coloured my cheeks pink.How could I have forgotten?? I inte
CHARLOTTEAfter a few attempts at getting me to talk, Madeline carefully bundled up my sobbing form and gently led me inside.Thankfully, we didn’t run into anyone as she took me up to her room. She lowered me onto the bed, shut the door and slowly tried to calm me down so she could understand what
CHARLOTTETaide cursed, immediately letting go of me.I stumbled back a little, a bit stunned by the force of my head slamming against his nose. Taide’s grip on me was gone, his hands now on his nose that was rapidly gushing out blood.I watched with intense satisfaction as crimson trailed from his
He was standing in nothing but a pair of loose jeans that barely hung onto his hips. My gaze shifted to the left of him, and something in me soured further at the sight of Emmalaine peeking out from Caeson’s doorway at the end of the hall. She was wearing one of his shirts, which left little to the
CHARLOTTETaide rolled off his back, pushing up to his hands and knees as he stared at the ground.He shook his head back and forth in a repetitive motion before another bloodied grin took over his features. “I gotta say, I’ve missed you, man.”I was puzzled by what he meant, but Mads just scoffed a
CHARLOTTE I anxiously tapped my finger against the side of my phone, my eyes fixed on the little word written under my text. ‘Read.’ I’d sent him this message just after we’d concluded our sham of a meeting. Madeline had wanted to talk to me, but she gave me the space I needed. The triple
CHARLOTTE I sat in the library, my notes spread out in front of me, but my mind was somewhere else. I had been trying to study for midterms, but something felt off. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Maybe it was everything that was going on with Vance, or maybe I just missed my sister even mor
CHARLOTTE I sat on the bed, trying to calm my breathing. My chest felt tight, and my hands trembled in my lap. I couldn’t stop replaying what had just happened. King Aurichad been here, in this room, and now he was gone. But the memory of his cold, cutting gaze lingered, wrapping around me like
CHARLOTTE Caeson shot to his feet as soon as the words left my mouth, startling me. He turned toward the entryway, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the empty space. After a moment, he turned back to me, a deep furrow forming between his brows. Without saying a word, he spun on his heel and strod
CHARLOTTE I watched as Taide stepped away from Sean, smoothly sidestepping him without another glance. Sean looked after him for a moment, but Taide didn’t seem to care. I caught Madeline’s eyes, and she grinned before doing a subtle little happy dance. Her excitement was almost contagious. Taid
CHARLOTTE The seamstress stepped back, letting out a satisfied hum. I stood in front of the mirror, smoothing my hands over the soft fabric of the dress I was wearing. It fit perfectly, hugging my body in all the right places. The sweetheart neckline and shoulder-less design gave it an elegance
The hell?I blinked, trying to understand. Then it hit.He was talking about yesterday, when I’d abruptly questioned him and then walked away without waiting for an answer.“You wouldn’t have participated anyway,” I said, using his analogy as I crossed my arms.“You don’t know that,” he replied.I
CHARLOTTEThe morning light streamed through the tall windows of the dining room, illuminating the grand breakfast spread that covered the long table.I could hardly believe how much food there was—it seemed like enough to feed ten people, if not more. The table was piled high with plates of fresh f
CHARLOTTEThe palace was something out of a dream.No, more than that—something out of a world I didn’t belong to.The long driveway was lined with perfectly manicured gardens, each bush and flowerbed so precise it looked as though someone had sculpted them by hand. Towering trees stood around, thei
CHARLOTTE We had our things packed and ready for the trip. Madeline’s birthday ball was this Sunday and now it was Friday already, the day of our departure. By the time we returned home it would be about a week before our junior year finals. And then, graduation. Which meant that we would be
I gave her my thanks and followed her instructions, up the stairs and down the calm, clean hallways of the care home. And like every time I came here, I couldn’t help but be struck by the difference between this care house and her old one. I was just about to walk in through the open threshold but