“Thank you.” Again, I blush and look away. Handsome isn’t the half of it. He’s gorgeous, just like all the princes in the storybooks I managed to swipe from the library over the years.Aunt Nola starts to speak again but then goes quiet. I wonder if she’s realized who Kieran really is and is mad unt
*Kieran*When Delaney first asked me to come with her, I was nervous, but as we walked along, she told me about what it was like giving birth to Raven, how she’d been asking the Moon Goddess to bless her with a child for many years and hadn’t been lucky enough to have one until finally she found out
“Let us celebrate!” the Luna says, and then we are rushed away to the area of the plaza where the food is ready for everyone. Musicians begin to play the guitar, violin, drums, and flute. With our hands still bound together, we are led out to the floor and begin to dance. At first, I’m a bit shy, bu
RavenMy legs ache from dancing. At one point, I took my shoes off and let Kieran spin me in circles across the rough cobblestone in the square. Now, I’m barefoot and hobbling beside my mate–my husband–along a trail through the tunnels lit by the same lanterns the villagers had hung in the square be
When I’m within his reach, he pulls me toward him, water sloshing over the sides of the tub, and sits me in his lap, my back pressed to his chest. He takes a long breath and exhales deeply into my hair. “You drank a lot of mead, didn’t you?” I whisper as his hands come up to palm my breasts. “Mhm
KieranI wake to lamplight streaming through the curtains. It’s early morning. Though I can’t see it down here in the tunnels, I imagine the sun is still hiding beneath the horizon. I should still be asleep, but my mind and body are at odds with my heart, and rest hasn’t come easy. Raven and I made
I just watch her, barely touching my food, until she lifts her head and stares at the window, where a small blue bird is tapping on the glass and chirping incessantly. I wonder how it got down here, but then, these people love animals. They must allow some of them in the tunnels.“What is it saying?
*Raven*An odd sense of calm washes over me, even when Kieren has ascended back above ground, back into the sun. I pick up the teacup my aunt Nola gave me and sniff it suspiciously. She knew this would be hard for me, so she must have slipped me something to calm me down. The thoughtfulness touches
My quill flows across the page, writing down every word of the story. Mother’s voice rings in my ears, soft over familiar phrases. When I’m done, I don’t read it over. I’ll just crumple it up if I do. But I scribble one last thing at the end.Even if the tower never falls….Seconds tick away as I st
HollisI’m a moron. Worse than that, I’m insane. That’s what Mother said when she found out I’d stuck my tongue to the frozen pole outside of the kitchen three times in a week and basically skinned the damn thing every time. But every time, I thought it would be like in a story Eva and I read, where
“I want something more active,” I say. “Like you. I want to… I don’t know… make something?”“Easy.” Ingrid claps her hands together. “Have you ever done any fine arts? Drawing, painting, sculpting?”I shake my head. Yet another class Mother thought was filling my head up with nonsense.“Okay. I know
CandaceI’m sitting at the dressing table, fixing my hair for the first time in days, when a bird starts singing right outside my tent. An ash warbler. For the third time since sunset yesterday. I almost smile.When it first happened, I made Ingrid go check. We were way outside of where the warbler
‘Catch me if you can!’ she calls through the mind-link.In wolf form, I can’t give her the necklace if I want to. I stuff her clothes and mine in her sewing bag, then shift and give chase.Escuro flies by. I barely notice it. My attention remains locked on Eva’s bright-red tail disappearing between
HollisMy plan to act like I actually believe Eva is going to be my wife is going great—except for the fact that I basically haven’t slept since I started it because my mark hurts so Goddess-damned bad. That’ll fade. I know it will. Because I do believe Eva’s going to be my wife. It’s what everyone
Outside the tent, someone makes the tiniest whimper I’ve ever heard. My heart squeezes.“They can come in, but no lights.” I sit up. “And don’t ask, please.”Ingrid nods and starts to turn away, but her gaze locks on mine. She’s noticed. Of course. Every muscle in my body tenses.She turns back for
CandaceFor the third morning in a row, I pull my covers over my head as lunch approaches and rub eyes gritty from crying.Well, not exactly the third morning in a row. The very next day, I tried. I got up, made myself beautiful even as Ingrid fluttered around me, saying I didn’t have to go out if I
Not that I’m keeping track. I, in fact, am doing the exact opposite. I’ve been so caught up in her that I’ve been neglecting my responsibilities. Even if she’s not the person I’m going to spend my life with, I still believe in her dream. There’s just no reason for her to lie, or to seem so scared if