"I am.""That's great.""Sure."He exhaled deeply, shifting his weight as he looked away from me and around the room. "Hmm…""What?""Nothing."I rocked on my heels, glancing longingly at the door."You can go, if you want," he said, tilting his head toward the door. "I'm not holding you captive.""
"It's late." He turned back around, motioning toward the door. "We should go to bed." He blushed, shaking his head. "I didn't mean–""I know what you meant." I gave him a generous smile, even though my heart felt like it would burst through my chest. "Can I ask you something?""What?""I thought you
MaeveI hadn't been prepared for this. None of it.I sat in my bed with my knees pressed against my chest, watching the light from the adjacent room, Aaron's room, spill into mine.I hadn't curled up with a frilly romance novel like usual. I had raged, attempting to push the heavy wardrobe against t
"I—""Go back to sleep," he demanded, pulling on a faded denim jacket that had been draped over one of the high-back yellow armchairs near the empty hearth."Where are you going?""To make sure everyone's alright."I nodded, shaken, and sat down on the edge of his bed. He went to the door to the hal
"I haven't seen him since last night. He was the one who got the servants out of the attic before the roof started to leak." She waved her hand, a strange look lining her face."He… my window shattered. He got me out of my room.""Do you… do you remember him well? From before?" she asked suddenly, u
"There's no rogues this close to Mirage," I said, shaking my head. I stepped closer to the building, watching my step as the fog rolled over the stone bricks."You can't possibly know that for sure." He stepped out of the shed, stopping at the threshold. "Plus, this place is dangerous. It's falling
RowanMist was rolling over the muddy gray water of the inlet, the waves crashing into the rocky, seaweed-covered beach as I pulled on my socks and boots. The air was heavy with salt and an earthy smell of minerals and fish. The mountains beyond the inlet were cast in a soft pink glow as the sun beg
Even Gemma was gone. I hadn't thought much about her absence at first. She was Maeve's best friend, but Gemma also meant a great deal to me. We'd grown up together, though she was several years older than me. There was never really a time in my life that she hadn't been around.I missed them, truthf
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