Since my arrival here at the capital, it has never been any secret that Caleb was the kingdom’s most eligible bachelor. I can’t pretend to be shocked when so many woman take interest in him, hoping to claim his eye and his hand – and some of his power – for themselves. Yet, even knowing that, the
Caleb storms toward Ted, fire in his eyes. The Pitmaster sees Caleb coming before Ted does. She had been attempting to show him a few moves, but now she stands to the side, moving at just the last moment, before Caleb grabs Ted by the arm and swivels him around. “Hey – what gives?” Ted demands.
After, Caleb sits on the ground with his back against the wall, holding me in his lap. With his arms wrapped around my waist, I’m tilting my head, resting it onto his shoulder. I positively worn out. My body had already been pushed to its limits for the warrior training, only to be pushed even far
Time ticks by. Caleb goes on date after date. I try to avoid the hurt that swells inside of me every time he leaves me to spend time with some other woman. It doesn’t get easier. To distract myself, I push my body with the warrior training. The Pitmaster is a demanding teacher. She does not
Then she moves along. From her, that is wonderful praise and I’m absolutely beaming. “Good job, Harper,” Ted says, along with a few others. “Thanks, guys,” I say as I stop to join them. Despite everything, Ted and the trainees have been becoming my friends. Ted hasn’t really changed all that m
The next day, I am once again summoned to Caleb’s side. This is the first time that it’s happened since our moment of passion in the gardener’s shed, so hope fills my heart. Since I care as much as I do about Caleb, I want to be near him, no matter what. From what I can tell, from the time of day,
In the bathroom, I splash water over my face. My hope is that Caleb will be too busy or too annoyed to wait around for me to leave the bathroom and I won’t have to face him. I really don’t want to face him. Watching him flirt with another woman cut me deeply, down to my bones. I always knew that i
Caleb thought that his blissful torture of Harper would facilitate a few answers, but as he walks away, he remains as confused as before. Withholding her pleasure, while enjoyable, had only managed to further prove just how stubborn she is. He hates how much he likes that about her. It would be s
Finally, he receives his invitation to official join the rebellion. He’s given a cloak and a special patch that he is to sew on the inside of his clothing. He is also given the location of one of the rebellion’s strongholds. Finally, a break. Tristan sews the patch, knowing that if he is killed,
Annabelle’s threat stays with me this time, even long after she’s gone. Bethany comes to the medical ward to collect me and together with a guard we walk back to my room. I’m unusually quiet, even with my friend, my thoughts stuck on how off Annabelle sounded as she made her threats. How very unhi
Caleb sits on his throne, glaring down at the line of guards filed before him with clear, heartless distain. One or many of these guards directly betrayed Caleb. That none of them will give up the others tells him that all of them might as well have been responsible. How many of his soldiers hav
“You are a fragile human,” Caleb says, as he continues to inspect me. “There could be internal bleeding. We need to take you to the medical ward and have you checked out by a doctor.” “But Caleb…” I say, still glancing back at Annabelle, who in turn, is watching us closely. “Forget her,” Caleb 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