EstrellaThud.I sit up in bed, clutching the blankets to my chest. My heart races. Someone is attempting to break into my room.The noise comes again, but this time, without the muffling of sleep, it sounds far more like a knock. I swallow.Silly, I chide myself. Even in a serpent’s nest, paranoia
Wolfsbane.I jerk my head up to look at Anwen. He is studying his own, unmarred wrist. The pain starts to recede as the firelight grows brighter, and warmth fills me. It feels like—The light catches on a damp patch on his leather sleeve, and the warmth flowing through my body instantly fades from m
AnwenI stare at Estrella for a long moment, my blood boiling in my veins. She doesn’t flinch, doesn’t release the door.“If you’re not careful, you’re going to end up your father’s daughter.” I storm out and slam the door behind me.Does she think I’m fucking stupid? Wolfsbane isn’t a mystery to me
“Did Father ever take you to the dungeons?” I ask. “When he was… working?”“I had to stay until I puked.” He sighs. “Did the guards—”“I did it myself,” I say.Kieran exhales slowly. “Fuck, An.”“Do you even want to know if it worked?” I meet his gaze. “Nobody seems to give a fuck that it worked. Th
EstrellaI lie in bed with my arms crossed, glaring at the canopy overhead. Anwen Solberg may be the most stubborn, most callous man I’ve ever met in my life. How dare he call me weak? How dare he commit such atrocities in my name and then have the gall to act surprised when I show him the truth of
After he was crowned, he put off the matter of the portrait for years, claiming his princely portrait would do. So as the years passed, an image of Father at perhaps sixteen hung over his head, growing ever more out of date. On his thirtieth birthday, Mother put her foot down. He had to replace the
AnwenPain screams through every limb, starting and ending in the center of my chest. Liquid fire burns through me. Someone is tearing my heart out.I lurch up in bed, where I passed out after my run with Kieran, and find myself alone. Windows and doors all closed. I grope my chest. No sign of injur
She doesn’t shake worse. She doesn’t flinch. It might be the best I’m going to get.Taking Kieran’s advice, I go right for the hard stuff. Nothing I’d ever dream of bringing up with the girls I used to spend time with. “So, my mother’s in the dungeons.”No response. That makes sense. I plunge forwar
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