“What’s the meaning of this?” he snarls, indicating our clothing. “It was awful, King Gavin,” Taner interjects, his tone bordering on weepy. Of the two of us, he’s the better actor, so I agreed to let him take the lead. “I was reading a book in the library when I heard the soldiers heading down to
*Raven* I watch Mother as she paces back and forth among the line of troops. No one would call this an army. It’s more like a rag-tag team of poorly trained teenagers. They aren’t all so young, but they are scrawny, pale, and a little gaunt. It’s evident that many of them have not seen the sun in a
*Kieran*There’s little time to prepare for the journey. Father wants us to leave the castle as soon as possible so we don’t delay in hunting down King Cole. He makes me bring Anwen along because, in his words, “Anwen needs some toughening up.” More like, Anwen is getting under foot, and Father wan
My heart races in my chest, but I maintain my facade. “That’s ridiculous,” I say as nonchalantly as I can. “Where would you even have heard such a malicious rumor?” “It’s not a rumor,” he answers evenly, sure of himself. “One of the guards sent a mind-link before you killed him. And if I heard it,
*Raven*Mother wakes me early, her excitement and anxiety evident in her face and posture. “He’ll be here tonight,” she breathes out, standing over my bed. “We must prepare. The soldiers will be close behind him.” I sit up quickly, trying to process her words. “Were you able to mind-link with him
Night falls around us, and we settle in, ready to pounce at the earliest sign of trouble. It’s past midnight when one of our scouts signals to Mother that they see something coming across the river. Mother runs out of her hiding space and stands at the river’s edge, straining her eyes against the da
*Kieran* “That was quite a speech,” Father says coldly, coming to stand within inches of my face. “You’ve certainly spun quite a tale.” He’s saying this for the benefit of those around us, I know. The fury blazing in my eyes is a sharp reminder of the truth of my words. When he deems someone a thr
King Cole must not be too far away, which is a relief. The moment we cross into Escuro, he can help us regroup. Even if most of the army followed my lead, my father will not stop until every last one of us is dead. I can only hope that the soldiers in Escuro have prepared in some way. There weren’t
Anwen grunts in pain. “Okay, that’s enough.”“Just a moment longer,” I plead.Out of the corner of my eye, I see his indulgent smile.After another moment, my family unwinds themselves from me. I exhale in a gust as my pain becomes manageable again. Tess perches on the edge of the seemingly wooden t
EstrellaI float for a long time in darkness. Not exactly here or absent. Not exactly comfortable or in pain. Not very much at all.Then, my whole body flames back to screaming, torturous life at once. I am the heart of an inferno, consuming everything that I am to produce the flame. A hoarse, ragge
Like she should be. Fuck. If Estrella is already gone somehow, already looking down on me, and she sees me abandoning all the progress I’ve made the second she’s not watching, she’s going to find a way to become a ghost just to kick my ass.I start pacing. Raven takes a dropper of the liquid, winces
AnwenSomeone screams. I think it might be me.I slide across the glass-covered floor to Estrella’s side and wrap my arms around her. My heart hammers.“No, no, no,” I mumble. “You can’t—not after—please.” My voice breaks on the last word.Her body is still warm. That has to mean something. It fucki
Behind me, Estrella sucks in a breath. Fabric rustles. Every instinct screams to keep my eyes on Floyd—I glance back at her. She is pushing into a sitting position. The black veins climbing up her throat threaten to choke me, but she nods. Sways, nearly falls, but fucking nods and picks a piece of
AnwenI pluck at the neck of my wedding clothes and look at myself in the mirror.“You look like shit,” Baz says from the bed behind me. Despite Estrella’s efforts, he’s still healing.“Thanks.” He’s right, though. Sundrop’s bright colors just kind of make me look sick. And the damned thing is so st
The cold. If it hurts enough, Anwen will feel me. He’ll know. And he’ll free me from this Goddess-damned ice so I can tear Floyd Winters limb from limb, as he deserves. That’s what Floyd missed.I grind the tender flesh of my ankles against the jagged edge of my prison.“You’re barely fucking civili
EstrellaMy heart thunders against my ribcage. My pulse roars. Mother, Castor, Tess—all gone. And with the wedding in an hour, I cannot yet mind-link to Anwen. I am alone.With the man who murdered my father.An oil-slick smile splits Floyd’s face as he circles me. The dagger in his hand shines. I l
King Andri clears his throat loudly. “In Snowcrest Canyon, it is rude to have a private conversation in public.”“Apologies.” Kieran dips his head, but I catch the scowl he’s hiding. “Prince Anwen was curious about how Prince Hollis came to hold such a position of power.”I smile as surprise washes