"You'll be fine, Rowan.""If something happens here, though, Hanna. Just know I'm coming back, and when I'm back—" I took her hand in mine and turned us back toward the village. I didn't even know what I was going to say next. Her touch calmed me, setting me at ease as her thumb pressed into the pal
HannaThe waves were lapping against the shore in a graceful, rhythmic pattern. I like this water. It was frigid, biting, and sent a jolt of electricity through my body whenever I reached my hand down into the rocks and let it glide over my bare skin.Rowan swam in it on occasion. I loved to watch h
Rosalie had gone inside the temple, the door left ajar. I could smell the matches she used to light the candles at the altar the second I stepped into the sanctuary. I felt an odd rush of air touch my skin despite the stillness in the room. The candles didn't even flicker. The downy hairs on my arms
I had practiced, and practiced, and practiced until I got it right. I was confident in my abilities to will myself in and out of dreams now. I could always find the door.But I worried about Rosalie.She took my hands in hers, the two of us stood between the statue and the altar. I said a silent pra
EthanMirage was in shambles, but it was quiet. All around us people were moving as though in slow motion. It had been roughly eight weeks since Damian invaded and tore the place to shreds. But oddly enough, the destruction was the only trace left of his invasion.All of his warriors were gone. The
"Oh, shit," I said, running my fingers through my hair, remembering the blonde woman with the beady black eyes who had been in the castle when Rowan and I came to the Mirage for the first time after Damian's invasion."What?" Talon arched his brow, waiting for someone to explain, but Ernest shrugged
GemmaI walked through the house, my breath caught in my lungs. I felt out of body as I followed the warrior up the stairs, my eyes focused on the open door to Rosalie's and Ethan's bedroom as we climbed toward the top of the staircase. It couldn't be true. I couldn't make sense of it."Send word t
And her sister murdered the White Queen."It wasn't Hanna!" she repeated with heated fury. I laughed for real this time, looking at her, watching her face twist and then fall. I took a step forward, pointing at her with my good hand. "I didn't die because—""The Moon Goddess spared you. She gave my
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