”Whoever takes on this job has to have enough experience to make the party a success, your claim to the throne is dependent on it. So, for two candidates who have never worked with the palace before and who don’t know how the kitchens work, the timing of events… it could be a disaster.”“I have plen
CALEBReally, I shouldn’t be so surprised that Ruby knows as much about Lucas as she does. They were mates after all, and even though now she seems to have turned against him, she has been following him around like a love-sick puppy for as long as I could remember.I sighed, the dilemma beginning to
And here she stood before me, hideously beautiful, and as calm as the Prenian breeze. I clawed my way out of the memory. I refused to ever be put in that same position again.“I can’t trust you completely while it’s still true you are tied to my brother.” I paused, she still hadn’t looked up or ack
“You’ll come to me tonight?” A sickly sweet feminine voice crooned.“As soon as I can,” a second voice answered—my fiancé’s voice, “I’ll drug her if I have to. No one but you is getting this cock tonight.”The room swam into focus, and I realized I was back at this exact moment from a year ago. Two
“You’re calling off the wedding, darling?” He chuckled and reached out to caress my cheek, but I swatted the gesture away.“You heard me.”“I heard you, I just don’t believe you. Is there a problem? Are the flowers not to your taste? I could have someone adjust the arrangements before the ceremony—“
I drew my fingers around his neck, feeling day-old stubble lacing his jaw. With a twist of my wrist, I pulled away the tie at his throat, which was already crooked and smudged with pink lipstick. From the Blondy Girls in his room earlier, I was sure.He watched me intently as I undid the buttons of
RUBYLucas pulled me through the castle, down staircases and through echoing corridors, finally back into my chambers.It would have been a beautiful night for a wedding, if I had still been the naive girl Lucas married in another life.“You’re angry with me, and I don’t understand why.” He began as
RUBYI stood before the doors to the great hall, where the wedding guests were seated and waiting for the ceremony to commence. There was nothing I could do now, except go through with the wedding. My secret weapon, the recording of Harper’s confession, hid heavily in my bouquet.I rehearsed my move
And here she stood before me, hideously beautiful, and as calm as the Prenian breeze. I clawed my way out of the memory. I refused to ever be put in that same position again.“I can’t trust you completely while it’s still true you are tied to my brother.” I paused, she still hadn’t looked up or ack
CALEBReally, I shouldn’t be so surprised that Ruby knows as much about Lucas as she does. They were mates after all, and even though now she seems to have turned against him, she has been following him around like a love-sick puppy for as long as I could remember.I sighed, the dilemma beginning to
”Whoever takes on this job has to have enough experience to make the party a success, your claim to the throne is dependent on it. So, for two candidates who have never worked with the palace before and who don’t know how the kitchens work, the timing of events… it could be a disaster.”“I have plen
I could see the hesitation on his face, stopping him from reaching out with confidence to take his brother’s hand. I tugged on his shoulder, tip-toeing to his ear to whisper, “You can do this Caleb, I know you can.”His jaw set firmly in determination, and he shook Lucas’s outstretched hand.“Fine,
Lucas glares at me. “What is that supposed to mean?”I groan in frustration, and pull his engagement ring from my pocket. “This will never sit on my finger Lucas. I would rather die than be bound to you for the rest of my life.” It fell from my fingers, clinking pitifully on the marble steps.“But y
The thought I was worthy of a precious ring had filled me with so much pride and joy I thought I was going to burst. But now, as I looked at this tiny piece of metal and stone in my hands, I couldn’t help but be curious instead. Why did Lucas tell me it was so valuable?I slipped it into my pocket f
His words shocked me, and I stared at him in surprise. A true marriage? With Caleb? I imagined all the times I had seen other women hanging off of him like ornaments, and all of his snide comments even now that we were allied together against Lucas.It made me want to laugh, but it also sobered me t
“What? No! That’s not…” I fumbled over my words, “That’s not what I meant.”“Oh? What do you mean then? That you want to be the one fawning over me, not the rest of my ‘fan-club’ as you put it.”I groaned, “Look, I think laying out some ground rules would be helpful. We haven’t gotten into any speci
“Really?” I asked, touched.“Yes, really. Goddess, Lucas has been a piece of shit to you, hasn’t he?”“His behavior made it a lot easier to call off the wedding,” I replied, sitting down on the bed.Caleb eyed me from a few steps away, but made no move to join me. “So, my little scheming bride, what