MILA All thoughts and concerns about being a foreigner to the Fresonian people flew out of my head the second Felix proposed. I couldn’t stop staring at the ring on my finger. It was a massive diamond–a family heirloom, apparently–and caught the light whenever I moved my hand. I moved through the
FELIX Next to me, Mila froze. Her eyes were fixated across the street, seemingly on a redheaded man who was sulking in the shade of one of the buildings. I could sense her feelings of dismay and outrage swirling in my own gut. Something in my chest tightened. Who was he? “Do you know that man?
FELIX Our drive back to Fresia was quiet, but joyful. Despite the darkness of yesterday’s encounter with Derek, the trip had been a success. And I was returning with a fiancée. I was still trying to figure out a way to persuade Mila to have a quick wedding, but I knew there was no point in try
CHARLES Dinner tasted like ash on my tongue. Even the wine, which I usually loved, felt like it was burning acid each time I swallowed. Despite all my best efforts, despite all the hints Isabella and I had dropped, Felix and Mila had managed to get engaged. And judging from the stupid heart-eyes
MILA After we returned to Fresia, I spent all my time at the restaurant, desperate to put together the finishing touches before opening night in two weeks. I was definitely feeling the pressure–I had opened the reservation system, and reservations for the first month had filled up in less than a d
FELIX I had been sitting on the couch, reading a new book by an up-and-coming Fresonian author, when a bolt of fear ran through me. My heart was pounding, and there was a burning sensation in my lungs, as if I was running. Suddenly, my knee stung with a sharp pain, like I had slammed it on the g
I felt a twinge of fear deep in my abdomen–faint, far away, but clear and steady. Mila. “She’s far away,” I exclaimed, not even caring what I was saying out loud at this point. “I can feel it.” Joseph nodded once, then leaned in to whisper: “Prepare the dragons. I’ll cover the ground.” We stal
MILA The ground was cold and unwelcoming, and a frost had set in overnight. My eyes felt heavy, and my limbs felt weighed down by sandbags. I imagined this was what getting hit by a truck felt like. Every time I became alert enough to open my eyes and start moving, trying to find a way out of my