“A bond?”“Yes, Orion, a bond!” she snaps, leaning forward to glare at him. “How do you know that I’m your mate!?”“Because of the prophecy, June!” he says, leaning forward to stare at her. “You know as well as I do – it’s been very clear! You fit all the bills – way more than any of the other girls
I narrow my eyes at Orion when I see him stiffen in his chair, see his lips flicker like he is fighting a snarl. His eyes move past me to where Anton and Beatrice are presumably sitting, on their own stupid date. But I resist the urge to turn too – even though it’s one hell of an urge – and instead
He just stares at me, shocked and I think…angry and devastated and confused. And jealous – that I can almost feel.Jealous as hell.Orion – has he ever been jealous before? Has anyone ever given him occasion to be jealous, or have all the girls he’s met just immediately said yes?He stares at me for
Oh, I can think of a thousand things we should do about it, my wolf responds, quite merry, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. Like, kissing him, and figuring out how to take off his ghost shirt - He’s incorporeal! Sometimes, she corrects, stretching out her toes and then collapsing into a langui
My shoulders straighten and I snap my gaze to his face. “Tony, have you never been to the beach?”He smirks and looks down at me, shaking his head. “Orphan, remember? Not a lot of beach trips in my childhood.”I gape at him, appalled and…well, very sorrowful. It’s not like Moon Valley’s beach is eve
I pant in fear, looking around at the other girls in the bottom – Ximena and Cadence among them and, to my shock, the blonde who is Alexandrica’s special friend. God, I never bothered to learn her name. Guilt rushes through me alongside my fear.Because one of us…One of us is about to die. And I do
How do I – how can I get out of this –But nothing. Nothing. I come up empty at every panicked turn.Oh…oh my god. Is this it? Is this seriously how I go?My wolf howls in my heart, faint, already feeling the effects of the lack of oxygen. Breathe, she begs, nudging me. Breathe, breathe! Please, br
A shaky little moan crawls up my throat as Anton wraps his fingers in my hair at the base of my neck, clenching his hand into a fist, pulling my head back slightly. He bends me, fastening his mouth to mine. I obey, letting him take control, letting my head tilt, a shiver running through me from head
“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