I sighed to myself.He was not Ethan, though, and I was starting to feel like I was being a rude guest.***Lola came into my room in the afternoon carrying a blue dress."Miss Ro," she began. "Mr. Soren will be home in about an hour. We should get you ready."I was a little nervous because I didn't
"I love it," I told her. "The little cottage in the background is particularly beautiful.""Thank you," Lola said, the apples of her cheeks a bit pink. "One day, I'd like to be a professional, but for now, I just paint for fun.""What about you, Ro? What do you like to do for fun?" Soren asked as he
The following days after the dinner, Soren was in the house more often than before. However, he still seemed to be working in the study or on phone calls most of the time. Meanwhile, I had been busy reading the books Lola dropped off. Or, in other words… I had been busy keeping myself busy."The I
His back was to the sun, and his face was darkened by the shadow. I could only see his overall silhouette.For a moment, I thought it was Ethan speaking to me. "...what do you think, Ro?"I sighed inwardly. What was wrong with me?Soren was not Ethan. No matter how similar they looked, he was oppos
"Come on," he added. "I have something to show you."I walked with him, my arm still through his so I didn't trip. He led me to a little wooden gate, and a sweet floral fragrance told me where we were going well before we got there.Soren pushed open the quaint wooden, round-topped gate with chipped
**Lilly's POV"It's all right, honey," my mother said, smoothing my hair. "We'll be alright. Just stay quiet for a bit longer, and then the wolves upstairs will go, and we'll be safe."I looked up at my mother and nodded, but wasn't sure I believed her. We had run down here, my older brother, my mot
I dropped back onto my pillows, waiting for my heart to recover before I pulled myself out of bed. I'd just come here to lie down for a few minutes before I went back to work. Normally, I didn't even fall asleep whenever I came back to my room to rest, but clearly today I had.I wished I hadn't.Dr
James' question caught me off guard. "What do you mean?""You know what I mean," he sighed. "Talon took the witness away to talk to him in private the other day. Why?""Because the man was overwhelmed by all the people in the room," I explained."By all the people, or by you?"I knew there was no po
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