Taide let go of my hair and returned his attention to everything in front of him. He shook his head and muttered with a slight bite to his tone, “You call that keeping it light?” I slapped my hands down my thighs and let out a breath of frustration. “You just don’t want to play.” Taide shot me a s
CHARLOTTE To stay true to my promise to visit Da’ana more frequently, I was back at her care home a week later. Only… I had a plus one this time I strolled about the hospital hallways with Taide at my side. He’d decided to tag along when I told him where I was going, something about ‘meeting t
Taide let out a sound of protest, but I didn’t look at him. “I told you about him already, remember,” she signed, looking between Taide and me as if she could sense the turmoil between us. “He’s the nice guy who buys me toys and stuff.” I looked away from her, my jaw clenched in anger. When my eye
CHARLOTTE Taide had left me alone with Da’ana. To gather myself. To track down his brother, I didn’t know. He was just as shocked as I was when we got to the bottom of who the culprit was. The word ‘culprit’ left a bitter taste in my mouth though. Caeson hadn’t necessarily done anything to ha
CHARLOTTE I pulled away from Caeson, stumbling back in the tight space, my hands clutched against my chest. My heart was racing, and my mind spun as I stared at him, taking in every small detail. His hair was shorter now, buzzed down to the scalp, and the similarity to Taide was so striking that
CHARLOTTEEvery second I spent in the car alone with him left me feeling like there wasn’t enough oxygen.My jaw was locked tight in anger, in absolute dismay and hatred for my current situation. Inhaling brought all the memories back to the forefront of my mind, the smell of him in the small space
CHARLOTTE I watched as Caeson marched up to the house, his steps heavy with purpose. I stayed in the car, my fingers gripping the steering wheel a little too tight. I needed a minute, just a moment to process everything. My mind was spinning with what had happened earlier. What did Caeson mean
CHARLOTTE Betrayal stung. I would know. But I didn’t want to jump to that conclusion. Not with Mads. At Taide’s words, I spun around on my heel, turning to fix her with a look. She was in on this? Her gaze shifted from Taide’s accusing glare aimed at her, wide, shaky eyes then turning to me
CHARLOTTE I trailed behind Taide and Reigh, keeping my distance as they moved through the halls. Their steps were steady and purposeful, and I made sure to stay just far enough behind so they wouldn’t notice me. They stopped at a door in the middle of the hall, one I hadn’t paid much attenti
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 lik
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