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
“Guards!” Veronica calls, her voice shrill.At once, a set of guards rush down the hallway toward us, their rifles in their hands. One has a sword tied to his belt. Another, a whip.Veronica continues to glare at me, even as a smug smile curves her lips. Pointing straight at me, she commands, “This
Quickly, one of the guards procures a whip and places it into Caleb’s outstretched hand.“M-my King,” Veronica says quickly, terror making her voice wobble. “I’m confused. If you intend to honor me by whipping this slave, then why remove me as your favorite…?”Caleb narrows his eyes at Veronica. His
Relieved to be alone, I plop down on the stool and breathe. I can still hear the screaming. I think I’ll hear it even after it stops – definitely it will haunt my nightmares tonight.A moment later, another slave enters the chamber. Her garb is similar to mine, but with an additional halter top unde
I don’t roll my eyes, but I really, really want to. Fortunately, having been a servant to my sister Leah these past three years has helped train me to always present an outward poise, even when inwardly, I am disgusted and annoyed.“Tell me again how you wish to please me,” Caleb says, self-satisfie
“I-I didn’t do anything…?” I say, gasping. I reach my hands up, clawing at his where he’s grabbing my throat.“You slipped me a sleeping pill,” he growls, voice spitting fire. “Those are banned.”“I didn’t!”His hand tightens, cutting off my air supply even further.“Please!”“Someone drugged me wit
Nina – the woman my pack previously sacrificed to the Lycan King?“You’re alive…” I am seeing her with my own two eyes and still can’t believe it.No one was ever truly sure what happens the tributes once they were sent off as devotion to the King. Some women, we knew, were selected to be members of
I shiver at the thought, but press my words forward. “He wouldn’t pull anything from me, even under torture. Nina, there’s never been any child. I’ve never been pregnant. If he does have a child, it’s not with me.”Nina flicks her gaze over my face. I keep my expression open, hoping she can see my s
Bethany rushes from my room and returns with an axe. I pull back as far as I can, giving her the room she knees to slash away at the baseboard of the bed where the chains are connected. It must take some exertion. Blood begins to seep through her bandages. “Bethany…” “Almost there!” He brings
Caleb stays with Harper for a time. Curled up against him, she sleeps soundly, her body damp with sweat but relaxed. He is pleased that she enjoyed her punishment. Blissful torture is often the best kind. She will undoubtedly be furious when she wakes up and continues to find herself chained to th
When Caleb finally reappears in the hallway, my nerves prickle, while the guard forced to watch me seems relived. Caleb glances me over, seeing that I am unharmed and dutifully in the same spot he left me in. Then he grabs me again. This time, blessedly, he pulls me into a bridal carry and not jus
I force the annoyed thoughts from my mind. This is fine. If this leads to Bethany being saved, I can survive this. When we finally reach the palace, Caleb barks at some of the nearby guards, “Grab a medic and head down to the alley in town.” He gives a more specific address. “There is a wounded ha
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” I say. He narrows his eyes at me, as a growl escapes his lips. “Do not test me, Harper. I have little reason not to kill you as a traitor would deserve right at this very moment.” “Fine,” I say, then close my eyes. I was planning on bringing this to him a
“Sorry, Harper,” Ted says. “It’s not personal.” He hasn’t pulled the trigger yet, which is a good sign. But that he’s holding the gun at all is very, very bad. “Harper trusted you. Who turned you?” Bethany asks. “King Caleb did,” Ted replies. “The way he treated me and the others. I had to com
It was terribly romantic, and my heart ached for them. How I wished things could have been different. “On the day Evan was to announce his bride, just before his coronation, when his father was to hand over the crown, Caleb killed him,” Mrs. Robins says. She sighs heavily, like the breath is pun
Mrs. Robins takes a deep breath, and then begins to tell me the story of her daughter. “Summer was a servant in the palace. They had her assigned to cleaning up after the women of the palace. She wasn’t important enough to actually interact with them, but she would do their laundry and tend to the
Maybe they are. I hadn’t considered that. I can’t disprove it, but neither can I let it hold me back. “I’ll be on my guard,” I assure them both and then walk up to the door, leaving my companions down on the street. Lifting my hand, I knock twice on the door. At first, no one responds. “Hell