Theodore The crowd buzzed with restrained laughter, the tension shifting into something more bearable. Seraphine said absolutely nothing, but she didn’t need to. Owen’s smirk was gone and his jaw tightened slightly. “Your hospitality is as generous as ever, Alpha Dorian,” he said smoothly. The
Nora looked down, her face burning red. I was impressed by the show of noble solidarity. It was nice to know that she was loved and card for, defended even. After it was clear that they would either have to bulldoze their way into conversations, i.e. Owen would have to order someone to talk to him
Theodore The nobles erupted into a polite round of applause, though the undercurrent of excitement was anything but subtle. The Luna whispered something to her husband, her expression sharp, but he merely patted her hand and smiled, clearly unbothered. I turned to Violet, who was watching the scen
My eyes widened. "What?" She smiled. "The Vainthott Events are quite expensive, and it would be to every noble in attendance in accordance to their cost of attendance and any cost that could be proven." I blinked and looked at her. "You'd probably annex Twining River with ease." And I'd do everyt
Theodore As we crossed the area towards the seating, around the combat pitch, I struggled to keep a straight face. The scene unfolding was almost too good to be true. Owen’s wife and Nora trailed behind him and Lucas, looking thoroughly out of place and entirely ignored. The nobles, who had been so
“You’ve already won most of them over,” she murmured, her voice calm and confident. “Consider this a chance to seal the deal. Having noble allies is always a good thing.” That didn’t stop the knot of unease forming in my stomach. Fighting Violet? In front of an audience this critical? It felt lik
Theodore She came in fast and hard, cutting low and quick, faster than I expected. Faster than should have been possible with her still laboring under her bond with Violet. She aimed a solid kick to my shoulder, pushing me enough that my feet slipped and skidded across the ground. The sleeve of my
Finally, in one coordinated movement, we both struck—our blades flying from our hands and landing in the grass at the same time. The crowd erupted in applause as we stood there, breathless and staring at each other. “Well,” I said, panting. "What happens--" I yelped as she tossed me over her shoul
We pulled out of our kiss, my head dizzy with love and hope. We would find the answers we needed. We would find a future together.“You said there were answers to four questions.” I looked between the two of them, tallying the three they’d already shared. “What’s the fourth?”Violet thought for a mo
Theodore’s POV“Alari, please wake up!”I held Violet’s head in my lap, her jaw terrifyingly slack. I dared a glance at the High Priestess who had collapsed in a heap at the same time that Violet’s body had gone completely limp. “High Priestess?!”This wasn’t happening.I reached for my phone, thank
Theodore’s POVIn one breath, the love of my life laying still in the grass let out a gut-wrenching scream and the High Priestess dropped to her knees. I lunged for my wife but was thrown back by an invisible force. When I pulled myself upright, the High Priestess had a hand outstretched, clearly us
Auntie folded her hands in front of her. “Altrosis is an attempt to control magic enough to pin it down and examine it. One could more easily pin down the wind.”As if to illustrate her point, a cool breeze swept through the clearing, though not a hair on Auntie’s head swayed in its drift.“Magic is
Violet’s POVThe jungle outside the village my family lived in was beautiful. It was lush and alive, humming with magic like the air itself was breathing. I had only visited this village and its surrounding area a few times in my life, but I’d always made time to come stand among the ferns and frond
By the Goddess, Violet had been right to send me down here. When we pulled out of the hug, she cupped my face in her hands, worry clouding her eyes. “Are you safe, boy?”My brows furrowed in confusion. She sighed and let go of my face.“I’m sorry, I’ve just always worried for you so, especially aft
Theodore’s POVIt felt wrong walking away from Violet when we had so little time together as it was. But she did need to rest. And she had made a good point about whoever knew my mom possibly having answers we needed.Marcy led me to the front porch and the woman who waited there. “If you’d like to
Theodore’s POVMy chest constricted at Marcy’s words and at the sympathy in her eyes that I hadn’t seen before this moment. Someone who knew my mother…My stomach churned with emotions: the pain of my mother’s loss, the joy in possibly finding out more about her, and the fear of Violet’s and my futu
Auntie studied me for a moment. “Are you sure you haven’t used magic before that?”The memory of my father appearing before me in the courtroom, and then again yesterday at the feast, popped into my mind. Perhaps that was part of my magic, but even that was still no more than six weeks ago. “Definit