Nina I awoke with a start, gasping and clutching my chest. A cold sweat had caked my back, and as I sat up in bed, I noticed the ache in my limbs from tensing my muscles during my sleep. But my physical discomfort felt like nothing to the mental discomfort I felt. Selena’s words, even in my waki
Enzo “Enzo…” Nina straddled me, her long, dark hair falling like a curtain around us. We moved in tandem together, just as we had a thousand times before; she leaned down, pressing her warm, small hands into my chest, and began to trace gentle kisses along my jaw and neck. I let out a soft moa
Somehow, though, an idea came to mind. Before, it had been so sudden and horrific; but maybe if I could meet my opponent first, get a feel for whoever I would be fighting, it wouldn’t be so bad. Right? “Alright,” I finally agreed, albeit hesitantly. “But first, I want to meet my opponent.” Mil
Nina “Wait! Wait, I’m coming with you!” At the sound of the familiar voice, both my mother and I whipped our heads around toward the noise. A moment later, I saw a lanky male form and a head of tawny hair break through the woods. “Tyler?” my mother and I said in unison as he ran toward us, a b
Mariah nodded. “It’ll keep you from getting sick when traveling between realms,” she said. “Luke told me that you were getting sick when using portals, so I did some research and foraging and developed this. Go on, try it.” My eyes widened a bit as I took the vial from Mariah’s hands. The liquid i
Nina The humidity hit me like a wall as soon as we stepped through the portal and into Mila’s overgrown jungle territory. Sweat instantly beaded on my brow, and I grimaced, already missing the cooler mountain air back home. But there was no time to dwell on such trivial discomforts—not when Enzo
Enzo I paced back and forth in my lavish bedroom once again, my mind racing. The image of that feral panther was seared into my brain, its wild eyes and foaming mouth a haunting reminder of what could become of me if I didn’t turn out the way Mila had… hoped. Or at least, that was what I assumed
Nina I watched with bated breath as the weathered village leader, whose name I had learned was Kai, walked up to the hut where my friends and I were being held. As the others murmured amongst themselves, I kept my gaze fixed on the old leader. “Sir, please, you have to listen,” I said as soon as
Nina The warm summer breeze brushed across my skin as I stood on the patio, clutching my robe tightly around my body. Laughter and splashes echoed up from the pool below, where our friends were already gathered for our big end-of-summer party. I should have been down there too, soaking up the ve
“What... what do you mean?” He braced his hands on the doorframe, leaning in closer with a heavy sigh. “I mean, by the time I caught up to them this morning, I only saw them long enough to get that photo before they were boarding a speedboat and taking off. Hell, I’m still not even totally sure wh
Nina My breath caught in my throat as I pulled open the front door expecting to see excited party guests, only to be immediately met with the sight of Luke’s grim expression. His brow was furrowed in a deep frown, his lips pressed into a tight line—clear signs that something was very wrong. “Luk
Nina I huffed out a breath as I hoisted the oversized cardboard box higher in my arms, carefully navigating my way through the living room. Strings of fairy lights poked out haphazardly from the top, and I could feel the weight of glass jars and other assorted decor inside shifting precariously wi
Then, at the last possible second, the scout seemed to find an extra burst of speed. He surged forward, hurtling between two towering oak trees and vanishing into the cover of the forest beyond. “Dammit!” I slammed my palms against the rough bark of the nearest trunk, powerless to do anything but
Enzo The crunch of leaves and snap of twigs echoed through the trees as Matt and I tore after the Schreiber scout. Our breaths came in ragged gasps, the hot summer air burning our lungs. Overhead, a little red bird chirped and flitted through the green canopy of trees; Daphne. But even she wasn’
Shaking my head, I turned without another word and stormed out of the fitting room. I took the two strides across the hall to Jessica’s fitting room and knocked on the door, folding my arms across my chest. “Jess? You in there?” There was a muffled thump in the fitting room, followed by the soun
Nina “How’s it looking in there?” I called out, rapping lightly on the wooden door of Jessica’s fitting room. “Um… decent, I guess?” her muffled voice floated back a moment later, although I could sense the uncertainty in her tone. “Decent? That’s it? Come on, Jess, this is your wedding gown w
Had I really known him at all, I wondered? Or had I merely been too self-absorbed and naive to see past the facade of unshakable command he projected? After a long silence, I found my voice. “Why didn’t he ever tell me that?” “He didn’t want you to see his weakness, I suppose,” Angelica replied