"You've been fighting against everyone, and everything, your entire life, Maeve. I know you can't feel the mate bond. I understand your hesitation to believe that we are actually mates. But I feel it. I know it in my soul that you are it for me. For always. I died on that beach knowing I had gotten
Troy"Are you sure about this?" Keaton tossed a bundle of supplies taken from Damian's camp into one of the skiffs, glancing up at me as I handed him a basket filled with what looked like a varied assortment of dried food."I don't have time to return to Dianny. It's halfway through August already.
"The only time we've been separated was when I was sent to Valoria," I began, taking a deep breath. "You were angry with me about that too."Keaton straightened to his full height, giving me a look that instantly reminded me of the first time I had ever met him. He had been eight years old, the lead
Duck had followed, of course. Maeve was his person, and he hadn't let her out of his sight since he was brought onto the cruiser.I turned toward the railing, catching a final glimpse of the Persephone before it faded from view."Do you think we'll ever see her again?" Pete said, nodding toward the
RowanDad had been in Mom's room with the door closed for two days. Gretchen, Georgia, and Vicky had busied themselves with making food and tending to the house, carrying trays of tea and snacks upstairs on a regular basis, the trays untouched as they rested on the carpeted floor until they were eve
"Yeah, she did. Ernest too. Vicky wasn't much of a help in that regard, either. I'll never forget the time you called Ernest a 'shithead' in front of your father. You must have been seven, I think it was shortly after Maeve's first birthday because we were all in Winter Forest for a visit. He turned
"You will know about Leera, Talon. She is the mother of the boy, my brother, who fell out of that tree roughly ten years ago.""Maeve's breeder. At least the man who was supposed to be—""Leera was my mother," Kacidra interrupted, her face falling at the words. She picked at her gloves, looking up a
HannaI saw him walking through the cloak of fog, his body illuminated by the porch light as he neared the cabin. He saw me in the window and stopped short of knocking on the door, his blue eyes shadowed by dark circles.I wasn't afraid of death. I wasn't afraid of the punishment coming my way. So,
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