“Am I?” She tips her head to the side and looks at me like I’m an idiot. “Kieran, we look nothing alike.” “I know but–” “We act nothing alike. I have these weird powers. I can hear a man we both know is from Escuro in my head.” A nervous laugh erupts from her mouth. “I’m starting to think someone
*Blanca* “Hand me the key, Kieran,” I tell him as I see guards coming closer to where he’s standing on the other side of the gate I just squeezed through. Right now, the guards are preoccupied, fighting the birds I’m sending to distract them. But it won’t take long before the birds get scared and f
I have to wonder if I ever would’ve been able to even get through the gate without him. I think I would have, but they probably would’ve caught me by now. I want to trust him. I really do. Watching him fly through the air with every step of his majestic wolf makes me think we could be friends one d
*Kieran* “Man, do I have a few things to tell you.” I can barely see Blanca in the darkness of the cave. Her eyes are like polished onyx, and even the whites of them are difficult to make out. It’s probably for the best. I don’t really want to see her at the moment, not when I’m so fucking confused
I chuckle under my breath. She’s such a different person than I thought she was. Whenever she questions me like that, like she doesn’t care that I’m the Crown Prince, it impresses me for reasons I can’t articulate. I’m so used to people treating me like I am perfect and the most intelligent person o
*Blanca* Before I even open my eyes, I know that something is different. My back hurts, and the bed beneath me feels harder than usual. The pillow beneath my head doesn’t quite feel right either. It’s familiar–but it’s not the paper thin slip of fabric I’m used to resting my head on. When the pil
“I’m sorry, too.” I mean it, and I think he also means it. I can’t imagine all of those people dying. Why would anyone do that? I don’t think Gavin Solberg is my father, but if he was, I wouldn’t want to admit it. Maybe that’s why Kieran is here. He doesn’t want to be related to him anymore either
*Kieran*If I was smart, I’d rest during the day and run at night. But I guess I’m not that smart because the sun is hanging overhead, and Blanca and I have been running for hours. We hug the base of the mountains for shelter to exclude anyone coming up on that side. So far, despite the messages fro
“What?” Ingrid scowls. “You’d think assassinating your own father would be enough to prove that you didn’t agree with him. Throw Mother in the dungeon with Hollis, when we get around to that stage.”Anwen winces.“We’re not throwing Hollis in the dungeon,” Kieran says tightly. “Not least because, in
CandaceI sit at a makeshift table in the center of Kieran and Raven’s tent, surrounded by people with various claims to being my family, all talking over each other about the mess I’ve made. Even Kash, my father, is here, for reasons I might never understand.“She didn’t do anything wrong!” Ingrid
“I couldn’t fucking tell you.” I wipe my mouth on my bare arm.“Give me one good Goddess-damned reason why not.” His voice is sharper than I expect, and I glance at him.Zain and I have always been close. Having an actual guy friend was useful growing up, but every time something actually important
Hollis“We will not discuss this in public.” Father scowls at the chaos of the crowd then turns and storms out.Like a dog on a fucking leash, I chase after him with the rest of the Snowcrest delegates. My ears are ringing, my heart’s damn near pounded itself to mush against my ribcage, and my eyes
Diplomatic tensions are dissolving, he tells me over mind-link. Snowcrest is furious. Other kingdoms are saying that we’re traitors. We have to go.Snowcrest is furious? I ask. Or King Andri?They’re the same right now, he snaps. Anwen’s working with Alpha Cole to dissolve the crowd, so you and I ju
Candace“No!” I shout as I’m ripped away from Hollis. Like anyone will hear me over the chaos the crowd has broken out into.It’s worse than any other ritual—or maybe this is the only one I’ve been in the crowd during. Scents buffet me from every direction—flowers, trees, body odor, stale alcohol. S
But this is nothing like anything I’ve seen her face before. She stayed, stood her ground, stared at us until she saw the mark. Until she realized, for the first time, that we might not be on the same side.Goddess above, I am so fucking stupid.By the time the sun starts to rise, I realize I’ve mad
HollisI lock eyes with Eva. Tears shine in her green gaze. That, I can handle. But the pained pinch of her eyebrows when Candace picks her head up is too damn much.“This isn’t what it looks like.” I yank back from Candace without a second fucking thought.Eva’s gaze drops to my cock, standing at a
He rams himself forward and goes taut. Salty, musky liquid pours down my throat, hot and still tasting of him. I moan around his length and swallow as much as I can.Mere moments later, he pulls back, grabs me, and lifts me into a kiss. His taste blurs between us. I shove my tongue between his lips,