I want to deny him, but Tristan’s warnings echo in my mind. The only rule of this place is total obedience. Denying the king could easily lead to my death.With shaking hands, I slowly reach up and pull down the scraps of my shirt from my torso. They fall to the floor in a blood splattered pool.Cal
When I wake up again, Tristan is standing over me.I gasp, reaching for blankets to cover my naked body, only to find that a sheet has already been draped over me. I don’t hope to think King Caleb has done something like this. Perhaps Tristan has.Although, with the way he’s staring at me with a bor
The man in the lab coat fills the syringe with the bluish liquid of the vial. Then he brings it closer.“What is that?” I ask, panic rising in my voice. My heartbeat pounds out of control.“For generations, the royal family has been the sole owners of a special truth serum,” Tristan says. “It specif
Caleb huffs a short, bitter laugh. “You are imagining things,” he says to Tristan. “I only care about her enough to keep her alive. She’s the only lead we have to finding my child.”Tristan lowers his head. “Of course, my King. My apologies.” “See that you don’t make this mistake again,” Caleb says
“Out with it then.”“The bear clan are building their forces just outside of the Riverwood Pack territory. We have every reason to believe the attack will be there.”My heart picks up speed. That’s my pack.“The Riverwood Pack are holding their Alpha succession ceremony soon,” the man continues. “Wi
“And Tristan…” Caleb adds.“Yes, my King?”“Summon the doctors once again. I want to find out exactly what happened to Harper’s wolf.”I try to listen to their continued conversation. Yet even as fear grips my heart, I struggle to keep my eyes open. Whatever is in that IV is good stuff. Too soon, I
Pushing down my pride, just as I did each time with Leah, I lower myself down to my knees.Once I’m settled, Caleb stands. Snatching something off a nearby table he comes toward me. As he comes closer, I can see he’s holding a simple sliver banded collar with a latch on the back. Immediately, I cowe
Slowly, Caleb lifts his fingers and touches his lip. Pulling back, he sees the blood on his fingertips.Panic settles over Harper. She hadn’t meant to actually hurt him. What’s the punishment for this? Is she going to be killed?She still has to warn her pack.Caleb raises his gaze from his bloodied
The loud pop of a gunshot makes me jump. Unfortunately, I’m very familiar with that sound, from far too many close encounters at the palace.I look toward the door. Caleb still isn’t back yet.“Wait!” Cameron calls. Stepping toward us, his hand is raised. “It’s too dangerous!”I don’t have time to w
As Bethany talk, I learn more about her than I ever have before. It makes me feel like a truly awful friend. Bethany has stood by me through thick and thin, yet I still knew so little about her. I’m determined to rectify this oversight, and dive into her life here and now as much as I can.Yet, whil
Holding the note, I moved toward the bed and sat down on the edge. Caleb, finished with his shower, comes out of the shower looking relaxed as can be. The moment he sees me perched on the bed, he tenses again.“What happened? What’s going on?” he asks, his voice all business.I hold up the small not
The stare-off continues for an uncomfortably long amount of time. Around us, I see Gladys’s servants take notice, and my own worry sets in. If this continues, will they attack Caleb? Is Caleb willing to go to war to keep me safe and by his side?I fear I already know the answer to that.Yet, before
Even so, with the drama, I worry about the food getting cold. It does look good and a cook took the time to make it. I quickly cut a bite of the fish and eat it.Though my stomach is in knots, the fish is delicious so I force it down.“Careful, stepmother,” Caleb says, giving weight to the word I’ve
Of all the awkward, uncomfortable diners I have sat through over the years, this one has to be the worst. And that includes the ones right after my public disgrace, when I went from being the pride of my parents to their servant instead, with my sister taking my place.Gladys, Caleb, and I are in th
Caleb releases his hold from around my waist. Instead he takes my hands in his, then brings them both to his lips to kiss the backs of them, one after the other.Still holding my hands, he leads me toward the bed. There, releases my hand to grab one of the lamps from the nightstand. Carefully, he li
“Come with me,” Gladys says, her eyes flitting between Caleb and me. “I’d be happy to give you a tour of my home.”“That would be very kind, thank you,” Caleb says, his voice dripping with false diplomacy. It matches Gladys’s own.“Thank you,” I say, softer.Gladys turns and slowly leads the way out
Looking out the window, I watch as the car follows the winding tunnel road up and out of the underground.Caleb and I sit in the back seat while a driver sits up front, hidden from us, and us from him behind a partition.The view sends me back to the last time Caleb and I left the capital behind, wh