CandaceI shrink lower in my seat. My mark brands my skin like a hot iron, and I just swallow the pain. Eva found me hiding out at the edge of the party, trying to convince myself to join in and risk seeing either of them. I tried to warn her that I wasn’t very good company, but she’s too good of a
On a normal night, I’d be on the dance floor, matching Anwen partner-for-partner. Or, I suppose Baz now. Anwen hasn’t been more than six feet from Estrella since the two of them arrived. Dance lessons were one of my favorites growing up and the easiest skill we were forced to learn. If I can impress
HollisThrough the darkness, Candace’s pale brow wrinkles. I clench my fists.“Why?” she asks.Hell of a question. One I have no idea how to answer.“Eva gave you a chance to tell her everything. To make me look like the asshole.” I study her through the gap I sliced in the side of her tent. “Why di
“She picked them?” Candace’s mouth opens in shock.“Skipped that part, huh?” I grin triumphantly. “She always does. The rest is true—we ate about a dozen each before starting the trek home then made a pie with the rest when we got back. Both of us got violently ill, but not before the cook convinced
CandaceMy heart hammers as my lips slide over Hollis’s. He tastes even stronger than he smells, like a winter day I’m watching through a window. My heart flutters. My stomach clenches.Hollis pulls back. His eyes are wide, pupils nearly swallowing green iris. “We can’t.”Right. My mark sears, and I
I can’t wait another second, and this is the only weapon I have.I reach between us and grasp his cock.Hollis grunts. “Softer.”I loosen my grasp with a small grimace. He’s been inside me, but I’ve never touched him like this. Blindly, I undo his trousers and reach inside. Beads of wetness collect
HollisI watch Candace disappear through the still mostly leafless trees, and that thing in my chest crunches. Fuck that. I crunch it back. That was… fuck, I don’t know, a mistake. A lapse in judgment. But sleeping with her makes sense. It’s all animal. Wishing she would stay? That’s unacceptable.S
“Why?” Zain shakes his head. “No, I think your best bet’s one of the other kingdoms. Things are in flux right now—it’s the perfect chance for a lesser kingdom to strike, especially if they’ve been building strength quietly.”Father strides into sight, pauses slightly, then joins us in the shade.“Bo
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