But truthfully, they were so much more than that. At a wedding as politically charged as ours, the seating chart was everything. Nicholas and I would have to painstakingly choose who would sit next to whom, which tables would be clustered together, which of our family would sit with us at the head t
Kayla By the time I burst in the front door of the estate that evening, the sun was beginning its descent over the horizon and a light snow had begun to fall outside. I expected to find Nicholas lounging on the sofa with his legs crossed at the ankles and his feet up on the coffee table in that la
It almost felt like, before now, both pack sigils had been… incomplete. But that was ridiculous. Without further ado, we got to work on the cards. Emma carefully cut and folded the paper while I stamped the border and the text on, ink staining my fingers and sweatpants. Jade then carefully sketc
Kayla Nicholas stood in the doorway for a long moment, not saying a word. I must have looked utterly stupid as I stared up at him, my eyes wide and my mouth hanging open like a fish out of water. Did he hear everything I had just said? If he did, then what did he think of it? Hell, what did I
With that, the four of us got to work remaking the cards in the new style. With Nicholas’s help as well as a few more snacks and two more bottles of wine, we managed to finish all of the cards that night. When we were finally finished, we stacked all of the cards neatly and bundled them together.
Kayla The next morning, I found Nicholas in the kitchen bright and early, stirring cream into a cup of coffee. He turned when I entered, and his face was as calm and collected as ever, utterly ignorant of the butterflies in my stomach. He’d said that there was going to be a party this weekend, c
But I couldn’t fault him for the idea. I would have done the same, if I had been the one to think of it first. A public engagement party wasn’t exactly ideal, but it was a great way to make the public happy. There were bound to be tons of cameras there, plenty of chances for sweet moments and phot
Kayla I laid on the couch that evening, reading the last pages of my book—the same fantasy romance that Nicholas had recommended. I was finally almost finished with it, and admittedly, I was sad that it was nearly over. No matter how annoyed I was with Nicholas, I had to hand it to him: he had g
The sensation was indescribable—like finding a piece of myself I hadn’t known was missing, like coming home after a lifetime of wandering.I grinned up at Nicholas, feeling almost impish with the secret I’d kept for so long.His mouth hung open, shock written across his features. “You knew,” he said
Kayla“One more push!” the doctor’s voice barely registered through the haze of pain that had consumed me for the past sixteen hours. “I can see the head, Kayla. One more big push!”Nicholas gripped my hand, his other arm supporting my back as I leaned forward. I was beyond exhaustion, beyond pain,
There was Emma, fierce and loyal despite everything she’d been through, slowly healing from her injuries with her brother’s unwavering support. Marcus, who’d practically raised his sister from childhood and would do anything to protect those he cared about, including us.Noah, with his gentle demean
Kayla“She’s going to get what she deserves. Today,” Emma said, drumming her fingers against the armrest of her wheelchair. It was the third time she’d said it in the last half hour, but none of us called her on it. We were all tense.We stood outside the guild hall in a loose circle, our faces grim
“What did you do with her?”“She’s locked up in Nightshade’s prison for now,” Nicholas said grimly. “I’m going to speak to the guild to decide her fate.”I shivered. I couldn’t believe it, and yet… Somehow, I could. Because Isabella had done so much worse. This was just the cherry on top.My thought
KaylaLight filtered through my eyelids, hazy and blurred. Everything felt heavy. Sore. But alive.The first thing I saw was Nicholas hunched over me, clutching me so tightly I could barely breathe.“Kayla,” he murmured against my throat. “Kayla, please come back…”My shaky hand came up, my fingers
Across the room, Noah let out a roar of grief and anger, his fist punching through the wall with enough force to crack the plaster all the way to the ceiling. Marcus’s hands tore at his hair as he cursed violently. Emma shook in her wheelchair, silent tears streaming down her face. Grace simply star
Nicholas“Detain her!” I snarled at the nearest warriors, who were tangled with their new mates in various states of undress beneath the trees. They scrambled to their feet at my command, eyes widening as they took in Isabella writhing on the ground beneath me, her glamour spell completely faded now
“I’m here, Kayla,” she whispered. “I’ve always been here. It’s going to be okay…”Sobs tore from my throat. “I’m miscarrying, aren’t I?” I choked out, clutching her tighter. “I’m going to lose my baby.” I pulled back just enough to look into those luminous green eyes. “Please emerge before that happ