An hour later I enter the banquet hall at Gabriel’s side, my hand perched quaintly atop his as the Prince escorts me forward. I’m again wearing the diamond collar that hides Luca’s mark, though I’ve got no crown today, which is fine by me. Pippa dressed me in acres of pink satin overtop another cors
Mostly, I let my mind wander, thinking of better things. Of my family at home, and how pleasant it is to sit around a lovely fire with them, joking and laughing. Of Jackson, and how honestly I wouldn’t mind rubbing his feet if it made him feel nice after a long day. How he would insist on returning
Gabriel pulls me through the halls behind him, heading for my rooms. A myriad of emotions fly through me as we go – fear, of course, at this man’s unpredictability and cruelness. But quickly chasing that comes anger, and rage, and the sheer determination not to follow the Prince’s fate.This jackass
We all stand quietly for a long few moments before Elias turns to me.“Ariel,” he says, his eyes meeting mine. “You need to run.”My eyes widen as I turn them to him. “What?”He shakes his head. “He wants your power, badly, and he’s making moves to take the throne, which means he thinks he can get i
Jackson crawls out of his tent, looking carefully around, trying to figure out…well, if there is actually someone here even if he can’t smell or hear them. But as far as he can see and sense it’s just rippling grass and the wind moving softly around him. He sighs, looking down at the little stone in
Slowly, Jackson’s mouth pulls into a smile as he realizes that this isn’t a maze at all.It’s a cage.A cage with nothing in it. And if there’s something that the Atalaxians have built here that they’re either trying to keep in, or protect themselves from? Well. That’s something he wants to know mor
“No, Jesse!” Midnight laughs, stumbling forward outside of her yurt and grabbing his shadow panther right out of the air, making it dissolve away to smoke and reeling it into herself. Jesse gasps as he loses control of it, letting it pass into Midnight’s capable hands. “Why do you keep making animal
“Fuck, Ariel,” Jackson whispers, trembling a little in shock and relief. “I’ve missed you so much – I’m so sorry –““Sorry,” I say, lifting my face and sniffing hard, even as tears continue to fall from my eyes. “Why are you sorry.”“Because I let them take you,” he murmurs, sticking an arm through