“Did you love your brother?” I ask before I can stop myself. “Yes,” he answers immediately, with no hesitation. I want to know more, but for him to admit to even this much feels like he is showing a trust and vulnerability that I haven’t earned. In time, if he wants to tell me more, he can, and
Caleb can say whatever bossy things he wants to, but the chances of me letting him face a potential enemy alone are exactly zero. So while he turns to confront the intruder head on through the front door, I slip around out the back door in the kitchen and sneakily make my way around the side of the
Caleb stiffens. “Terrible stuff,” Mr. Harvey continues without prompting. “The King’s Beta is missing too. The Gamma, George has stepped up as Steward in their absence, but –” A low growl permeates the air. Mr. Harvey and I both look at Caleb. He wears his anger openly on his face. When he notic
Caleb wants to go back to the capital now? As in, right now? “That’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard in my life,” I tell him. “What do you know?” he growls, fury crumpling his features. “That traitor is sitting on my throne like he belongs there, emboldened by the lie that I am dead. I will retur
Caleb returns then and peers over my shoulder. “What are you doing?” “Getting ready to make some grilled veggies,” I tell him. When he lingers, I glance back at him. “Do you… want to help?” It feels strange, asking a King for help chopping the vegetables – even after I had yelled at him to contr
In the capital, Tristan moves stealthily through the upper hallways of the capital. He’d disguised himself as a guard to sneak past the capital walls, aligning himself with a troop as they entered. Quickly after, before he could be recognized, he broke away. He maintained a few connections in the
“I’ve heard him give commands to allow specific vendors to pass through the walls,” Bethany says. “Good,” Tristan says. “I can use that information.” “Then you should also know, that all of the soldiers inside the palace have been replaced with bear-shifters or wolves easily bought. The ones in
Rolling away from me, Caleb wakes up a while later. He stretches as he pulls himself out of bed. Since he’s naked, all of his bare skin is on tantalizing display. As hot as he is, though, right now, I’m not as turned on as I am disheartened. Caleb’s wounds are almost all the way healed, so much so
Caleb reads the threat before I can think to hide it. As he does, a red hue begins to swirl in his eyes swallowing all other color there.“Caleb,” I whisper, hoping the softness in my voice might help calm him, when he seems so very much like he might shift at any moment.The fingers of his free ha
The next morning, though I wake without Caleb, I still feel as though I am in some kind of beautiful dream. The evidence of Caleb’s being here the night before remains all around me, and on me.In the mirror, I spy several live bites running up and down the column of my throat. They continue over my
In the early morning hours, Caleb holds Harper tightly against him. They’ve made love several times throughout the afternoon and evening before Harper finally passed out from exhaustion. She’s so strong, so passionate, that Caleb sometimes forgets she’s only human.He pushed her too hard, but even i
At once, I card my fingers through his hair. Back bowing, I try to give him more room.One of his hands slides under my ass, pulling me up against his body, lifting my feet from the floor. I wrap my legs around him.He laps and suckles my nipple, then pops off to kiss his way to the other breast. He
“You…” I’m certain I’m hallucinating now. After all my pleading, all my hoping, it doesn’t seem real that my wishes could all come true now in the final hour – the final minute. I try again to question it. “You…?” Once more, my voice falls flat.“I made it the entire way to the vows,” Caleb says. “I
“Very well,” Caleb replies.“Please, repeat after me. I take you, Annabelle…”Caleb opens his mouth, but the words do not come.Whispers begin in the gathered crowd.Caleb wishes he could bring himself to care. About them. About Annabelle. About any of this.The chaplain clears his throat. “I take y
Caleb goes through the motions of the ceremony. There’s a lot of talking. The chaplain does a lot of talking, and then members of the court get to all say their peace.Caleb blocks most of it out, focusing instead on this unfamiliar, unsettled feeling inside of him. Yes, he wants Harper to be here i
Looking at her, Caleb tries to stir up some feelings. If he could just feel something. It doesn’t have to be as strong as how he feels for Harper, but something in the same vein. He can admit she’s beautiful. He can admit she will likely be a good Luna.But that’s where his affections for her end.
I run all the way back to my room, trembling with shock and upset. Bethany turns to me the moment I come rushing through the door.“There you are! Where did you go?” she says. She seems angry for a moment, until she fully takes in the state of me. “What happened?”Shakily, I tell her what I can, abo