I felt an unexplainable fury ripple through me as he spoke, and I rebelled, pushing him off of me as hard as I could. He clutched the sheets on either side of me as he began to fall off the bed, the fitted sheets coming loose from the other side of the mattress and enveloping us completely as he top
"We can go north, Maeve. North across the tundra. No one knows what's on the other side. I could… I could take you home. Where you'd be—where you'd be safe."The words I had said to her as I pressed her against the wall in the alleyway the night before still rang in my ears. I should have just done
It couldn't possibly be night already. The journey from Breles to the port of Valoria was supposed to take just over a week, but it had only been three days. Surely we weren't already there…I rose onto my knees in the bed and peaked out the window, seeing wood. Just wood."What—"Muffled voices in
I squinted into the sun as the figure stepped forward, crouching, his head blocking the sun and giving me a full view of his face.A stunningly beautiful man, he was. His deeply tanned, golden skin was vibrant against his crisp, white poet shirt that billowed in the wind like the sails above our hea
He brought his legs down onto the floor, leaning forward in his chair. "Breles has a large port, as you know. But it wasn't hard to find you, being one of the only passengers coming from down the western coast. It was easy, but not as easy as paying off the captain and crew of The Mary-Beth to meet
Rosalie"I'll just put these away before I go for the day, Queen Rosalie," said the pleasantly plump elderly woman as she sidestepped around the kitchen counter, a basket of laundry in her arms."Oh, don't worry about that Gretchen, just leave the basket next to the stairs and I'll do it later.""Ar
"It's Rowan's, his blueprints for the radio towers—""Oh!" I exclaimed, opening the folder and slowly flipping through the pages. "He has measurements and everything.""They're perfect." Ethan breathed, his tone heavy, "He worked hard on this.""Well, you'll allow him to run with this now, won't you
The passing of the title had been a permanent one, sealed by Maeve's agreement to produce an heir. I had often wondered why Ethan had done things this way instead of giving it to Rowan when he came of age, but I never dwelled on it. I could see the look behind Ethan's eyes when he looked at our son,
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