She lay so perfectly still on the bed, her white hair framing her lovely face, it almost seemed like she had already passed away, like her beautiful soul had already left us behind and flown off to join the Moon Goddess and her mother.But I could faintly hear her pulse, the soft thumping of her hea
I blinked a few times and then opened my eyes. Everything felt strange, but the pain I'd been feeling only a moment ago quickly dissipated.I was no longer in the bedroom with Rosalie. Instead, I was lying in a meadow full of velvety green grass with bright purple flowers dotting the landscape. Abov
"I'm grateful to the Goddess for giving me this opportunity to apologize to you…"She was fighting tears herself. "Ethan," she said, struggling to get the words out. "Answer me, just one question."My eyes locked on hers. As if she gathered all of her courage, she asked, "Have you ever loved me?"
The more blood that came out of me and into him, the stronger I heard his heart begin to beat. Even his wounds started to heal at a visible speed. But he still wasn't opening his eyes.I heard footsteps approaching, and then Georgia's voice. "Ethan, Soren is back and I need to talk to you about a
I turned my gaze back to Ethan and smiled. Time didn't matter though. I was already grateful enough that Ethan was still breathing. I'd feed him my blood to sustain his body while we looked for a way to wake up his consciousness.Cerina assured the rest of the room, "We will do all we can. In the me
"The battle is nearly over now," Georgia said behind me, her voice jarring me out of a stupor. I hadn't heard her come back. Since it didn't take long at all, I assumed, "It went well?" She grinned. "It was likely more of a scouting party than an actual battleline this time. There weren't many o
"It was a terrible travesty," Vicky commented, her voice grave. Otto nodded and took the opportunity to continue. "When we saw Alpha Ethan was locked up on display, we were all very worried. Luckily, he was able to get away. Later, when Behar was wounded, and most of his men were killed, we saw our
"Well… what did she mean?" Georgia mumbled after Otto and Gayla excused themselves. I had no answer for her, but I knew I wouldn't be able to sit idly by and wait. Since there were no further directions from Gayla, I decided it would be best for me to focus on things I could do. "Georgia, let's g
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