The smell of the clinic turned my nose up a bit.Ever since I had become pregnant, I had developed an aversion to many different smells. The smell of the capitol hospital was at the top of my "dislike" list. However, today, I was thrilled to be here."Good morning, Rosalie!" Estrella greeted me with
"Oh! It must have slipped her mind– pregnancy brain fog is a terribly common thing, especially during first pregnancy. Don't pay it any mind," Estrella commented, trying to reassure him about the situation.The look she gave me, meanwhile, said that she knew I didn't tell him on purpose.I sighed in
"Rosalie," he said with a commanding tone to his voice. "Tell me the truth."I looked at the ground and shook my head.There was nothing left to tell. He had his secrets; well, now I had mine."I'll be okay, don't worry." I didn't want to act too abnormal. He expected me to be compliant, and thus, I
It was dark by the time I awoke to find myself on the floor. The photos of my unborn child were still lying in my lap.I didn't remember falling asleep, but the exhaustion of everything I had been through made me realize that I definitely needed more rest.I pulled myself up from the floor, my joint
Talon gritted his teeth as he relived the memory. "That was the last straw for Ethan. He ended up challenging his step-father and killed him. Not long after, his mother died, too."I gasped."He vowed to always keep his pack safe, but at the same time, he vowed to the moon goddess to never take a ma
**Ethan's POVMy mind had been full of a lot of things lately. With the war growing closer, and more of the outlying cities and villages being attacked, my warriors were stretched thin. James was persistent that we needed more troops, but my gut told me adding more men wasn't the solution for the pr
"Knitting?" I asked her, although it was quite obvious.The only other woman I remembered seeing knit before was my grandmother when I was a boy, but she had passed not long after my father was killed."Uh, yes. I know that I will be gone after the baby is born, but I want to make something for the
Except for that one time, she'd never disobeyed me, and we had already sorted that out.Her promise put me a bit more at ease, knowing that she would be safe. I turned quickly, exiting the room, and felt a release of tension flow off of me that I hadn't known I had been holding.Her voice chased me
The entire family had gathered in the dining room and was chatting amiably over a very impressive spread that had been laid out by the kitchen–two prime rib roasts, a honeyed ham, and three roast ducks were the centerpieces of the table, all of which were being enjoyed liberally by everyone.George
RowanMom ran her fingers across Selene's head, admiring her fine white hair. She looked every ounce the doting grandmother instead of a ball of uncertainty, like Maeve. Maeve was pacing back and forth near the fall wall of my bedroom, her arms folded across her chest and her head bent as she tried
Kacidra joined in the conversation. "Maeve is right, Rowan. We need to know what's happening with you and Hanna, or else we'll never be able to help."Rosalie's voice was calm and supportive as she asked, "Is it Hanna that's troubling you, son? Is she doing all right?My first instinct was to tell t
Gemma and Ernest had flown down with my parents and their son George, who was just two months older than Maeve's sons.A moment later, the library door opened and more of our family members poured in, as if they were fully aware of the thoughts I'd just had and I'd summoned them. I pushed aside my n
RowanThe castle was abuzz with its usual day-to-day activities. Servants and maids passed me in the hallway carrying baskets of laundry and trays of tea. I could hear the clattering of cookware as I left my office and walked toward the grand staircase off the foyer, seeing the door to the servants'
"Who? What happens?""There's so much more out there," Mara said dreamily. "So, so much more.""Maeve!" Troy called from down the beach.I turned to look at him, and when I turned back to Mara, she had taken off. "Wait!" I called after her, but she had already made it out of earshot, her footsteps l
Best of all, Troy was happy. He was at peace and at home. But there was still much work to be done.We were spending several weeks jumping from island to island, taking stock of the wellbeing of the inhabitants, and making a list of what was needed. Most of the islands were in need of medicine, inf
Maeve–Four Months LaterSuntra was not what I was expecting. I had become accustomed to the seemingly endless white-sand beaches of Avondale, where the sand grit was so fine it felt like powdered sugar as you walked barefoot in the surf. Suntra's sand was coarse and golden and dappled with tidepool
I straightened up a bit, shifting Oliver's weight in my arms as I narrowed my eyes back at him, sizing him up. A man roughly my father's age came bounding out of their house, waving at me apologetically as he leaned to whisper harshly in the ear of the man I assumed was his father.Whatever his son