“You are staring,” he says, catching me. I quickly look away. “You should have covered that up.” “Why? You were bold enough to mark your king, but not bold enough to own it?” “People don’t think it’s mine,” I say. I refuse to tell him that they think it’s his fiancé’s. I’m not ready to talk ab
Caleb glowers at me so hard, so suddenly, that I immediately regret asking my question. “The King’s personal business is none of yours,” he says sternly. I nod, embarrassed again. Even curious as I am, and jealous as I am, I can’t force him to answer if he doesn’t want to. He’s the King. He hold
“You enjoy when he fucks you,” Samuel says with a sneer. “You pretend that you don’t, but you do. The way you danced with him, the way you looked at him… You claim you don’t care for it. You say you fight him but he takes anyway. Well, I think you want it. I bet you fucking beg for his dick.” Agai
“She did?” Caleb asks with fake curiosity. His voice might have lilted upwards at the end, but there is a distinct annoyance in his eyes that he’s not bothering to hide. Maybe, since they aren’t looking upwards, they cannot see. That’s the only reason I can think of for why Samuel might try to doubl
Caleb keeps me busy for a full 45 minutes, before he rises, wipes off his mouth, and kisses me again. By now, I am fully relaxed, entirely blissed out, and feeling so much better about life and the world. “I need to return to the Grand Ball,” he tells me. “You are not to leave my side again. Do yo
Sonya’s face crumples like she doesn’t know what to do with it. She’s entirely at a loss. I was joking mostly before, but maybe she really has never been told no before. She’s acting so shaken and unsure. “Come, Harper,” Caleb says, leading me toward the balcony. “There is something I want you t
More and more people start to notice. Then screaming and panic begins. People start running for the doors back into the hall. Caleb and I, closest to the railing of the balcony, are left pushing at the back of the fearful crowd. Behind us, more and more parachutes blot out the sky. A few come unco
Leah’s angry shriek at Samuel has alerted every single danger in the stairwell to our presence, and some in the hallway too. Their thunderous footsteps come closer to us. Samuel uses his body to push Leah and me inside the stairwell. I yank closed the door behind us and turn the inside lock. Fro
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
Staying by Caleb’s side is not the only rule he has in place for me. In fact, for three hours after the messenger with Caleb’s agreement, I sat sitting in the Hall, hearing many rules now placed upon me for this trip.“You cannot let anyone get you alone,” the advisor said. “Gladys herself will try
The messenger is dressed in a simple tunic with a sash bearing the colors of Gladys’s pack lands. He waltzes confidently through the Hall, seemingly uncaring that everyone in the room is looking at him. Or perhaps he thrives on that.Regardless, he walks the walk to the base of the throne, then bows