“First,” Anton says, holding up a finger as he begins to name his terms, going slow enough that I almost snarl alongside my wolf. “You get to make this request about one girl – just one. The rest are fair game. I’m not going to have you controlling my heart at every turn, Princess.”“Fine,” I snap.
I laugh, shaking my head at him and giving him a little shove in return, because I know he’s trying to chuff me up and give me courage. That’s what he did for the last twenty minutes, anyway – telling me how gorgeous and imposing I look, and how nicely the rose-gold crown looks on my black hair, whi
“You need to back off,” I say, taking a step forward towards the blonde and the brunette just as Anton does at my side.“We’re not afraid of you and your little wolf anymore,” the brunette snaps, glaring at me. “We know now that he’s not real –““This isn’t about him, this is about you,” I growl, gl
“Would anyone be so bold as to volunteer?” the God of Death queries, his voice pleased and curious.I lift my foot, eager to get this over with, but to my surprise someone is even faster than me.“I will,” the gorgeous brunette says, striding forward.I put my foot down, my eyebrows raised. Because
“Ah, Princess Juniper Sinclair,” the God of Death says, turning his wicked grin on me. “What a pleasant surprise. Please.”He gestures forward towards the platform and I straighten my shoulders as I walk towards it, remembering who I am - that I have every ounce of my father’s strength and my mother
“I have come before you, naked beneath this cloak,” Laila says, peeking a hand out from the slit in the side of her cloak and gesturing at herself. “But beyond this I am…unwilling to participate.”Orion glares at her in turn, taking out all his rage from me on this poor, shaking girl.God, but I cou
“Wait!” a girlish voice calls out behind us. Laila and I both spin in surprise to see three more Candidates I don’t yet know running down the path, clutching their cloaks in front of them.“What the…” I murmur, taking a step back, surprised and unsettled by their sudden appearance.“We refused too,”
“Oh, come on, I seriously doubt that I’m even Nic’s type,” I murmur, pulling off my gloves before reaching up and tugging at my crown, lifting it free of my hair and moving to my vanity to set it down.I reach up to start pulling out some pins that are sticking into my scalp when suddenly I gasp, ic
“No!” she sputters out, stumbling a few steps towards me, shaking her head so hard her pretty blue-green hair flutters out all around her. “No, Junie, don’t make me go! I want…I want to stay here! And help! I mean…” she bites her lip. “It will be nice to be able to visit home. But I want to stay wit
“I’m sending you home too,” I say quietly, doing my best to look each in the eyes. “I’m sorry this happened to you. I’m sorry if you’re disappointed that you didn’t get the wish.” They murmur a variety of responses back to me, most of them relieved. One by one they step forward and I take their ha
“Does…” I whisper, my eyes still fastened to Orion as my eyes move over him, feeling the powers that radiate from him now. “Does that mean you have all of the powers of Darkness too? From…from the wish?” “No,” Orion murmurs, looking down at his hands and flexing them, experimenting with the feel o
Beatrice is the last to go, staring at me in shock, realizing finally that she bet everything on the wrong horse. I bare my teeth at her, fangs extended, and Beatrice’s eyes go wider as she trembles and finally submits, going to her knees and bowing her head. “Good,” I say, my voice returning to n
Laila’s knife sinks deep between Death’s shoulder blades and the final scream of a God fills the air as Death falls to his knees. The magic stops mid-stream, like a tap being suddenly turned off. I groan and tilt forward against Anton, who catches me and holds me against his chest. “Shit, June,”
“Just a little longer, June. She’ll do it.” But what if she doesn’t? What if…what if I’m inches from oblivion, and this is it? My heart strains in my chest, my wolf shaking like a leaf from snout to tail. But still, I will myself to hope. To trust in my friend. “I know,” I reply, letting my ey
I gasp, my shoulders trembling under the sheer weight of Death’s magic that flows over and around us, my shield barrier straining and buckling under its might. “June,” Anton breathes, eyes wide as he looks up at the magic streaming over us in an unending torrent. “Shit – are you –“ I crouch besi
The wish presses against Death for a moment and then sinks into him, dissolving into his chest. He sighs with happiness and what looks like ecstasy, tilting his head back to the sky as the magic disappears into him. Beatrice steps away, tucking her hands behind her back, beaming at the God she jus
Before I can get more than three steps after Laila, Anton lunges forward, his paws landing on either side of me as he snatches at the back of my gown with his teeth, holding me back. His fierce growl reminds me that I need to stay here – that Death took Laila because he wants me to come rushing onto