The room is silent and still for a moment before a woman I don’t know, draped in folds and folds of stunning purple fabric, quietly steps forward and makes her way down the stairs. Her shoulders shake as she walks and I have no idea, honestly, if it’s in relief to not be eliminated or horror at the
I keep my eyes focused on Anton, who looks right back at me, unblinking.My heart pounds.“Princess Juniper Sinclair,” Orion says, his voice carrying out clear and strong. “Please join us here in this final golden circle.”I flinch when I hear my name, but continue to stand still, just staring at my
A chill passes over me and I see the other girls shiver as well, all of us turned to watch as the door slams shut behind them.“Thank you, Ladies,” the God of Death says, looking around at us, quite pleased. “More information will come in a few days. I look forward to seeing your talents,” he nods t
“Oh, Juniper,” Laila murmurs, glancing awkwardly at my invited guests and stepping close to put a hand on my shoulder. “Are you sure you want to have people to…your place? When you…don’t have enough cups?”“What?” I ask, frowning at her. “Laila, we can call up more cups…”She grimaces a little, clea
I glare up at Orion as we materialize outside of Laila’s door. Anton presses himself close to my side, the tingle of him against my hip letting me know that he’s there and that he’s returned to a relatively normal size.“You know,” I say, raising an eyebrow at Orion. “It’s really rude to show up to
“That was not for your ears, eavesdropping Prince,” I say, giving him a glare to boot as he arrives to join our little group with Laila on his arm. He grins at me, clearly delighted to have caught me off guard as our circle widens, making space for them.“Well then how lucky for me, to be let into t
Orion leads me out on to the terrace and Laila’s bright lights – which she hung to simulate the sunshine of her home world – instantly dim. I look up at them and then turn my head to narrow my eyes at Orion, wondering if he did that.He just smirks at me, confirmation enough, and leads me to the bal
“It is a secret,” he murmurs, his face moving close to mine, his lips just…three terrible inches away. “If no one else knows.”“Then why?” I ask, leaning into him more, my body taking what it wants as my mind goes fuzzy. “Why wasn’t I first, Orion? Why did you make me wait, make me suffer like that?