I feel his gaze on me before I turn to see him looking at me. “Did they harm you?” he asks me. I know I have some bruises on my arms and maybe a few scratches, but I am confident when I shake my head. “No, Sir.” He stares at me for a long moment, and I feel a chill pass down my spine, something I
Emory King Kane is flying up the stairs, and I am going as quickly as I can to keep up with him. Normally, I think of myself as pretty fast, but clearly I am either too tired after the adrenaline rush has worn off, or he is even faster than me. Not that it would surprise me that a vampire is faste
I shake my head, returning to the hallway. “Oh, uh… because… you’re the king,” I stammer. “It’s not polite to walk next to you.” He snickers and shakes his head. “How about right behind me instead of so far away I have to keep pausing to make sure you haven’t gotten lost? Or stolen?” His voice is
I can’t help but giggle slightly. He most definitely does not. But I am still at a loss. “This room is for me?” I ask him. “I mean, I’m a feeder. Not a guest.” “You are the daughter of an Alpha,” he reminds me. “A princess for all intents and purposes, and it won’t do for someone of your stature to
Emory I take a bath, soaking in notes of rose and lavender, letting my muscles relax as much as they will after the hellacious day I’ve had. King Kane had suggested taking a nap, and that does seem like a good idea, but I know I won’t be able to sleep. My mind keeps puzzling over everything that’s
I’m not used to walking in heels, so I try the black pumps out a bit before I decide I’ve got enough balance and coordination to fake it. If I take a wrong step, I’ll go tumbling down, though. I am not overly confident. With a final spritz of rosewater, I am ready to go, just as there’s a resoundin
“That’s Queen Agatha,” Rainer whispers. “None of the rest of these people are important.” He bows to the queen, and I do the same. She nods in response, but he doesn’t take me over to meet her, and I’m glad. Instead, he leads me to the other end of the table, and I suddenly realize I’m about to cau
Emory“Who the fuck invited a mangy dog to our dinner party?”Princess Opal’s words hang in the air as the rest of the room goes silent. It’s as if the rest of the guests are all waiting for me to respond to the loud, offensive statement, including Rainer, though I believe he’s just as taken aback b
Fractured memories of the night I nearly drank myself to death careen to the forefront of my mind. There was a woman. I don’t remember her face or her name. I was so far gone with drink and self-loathing that I gave in to whatever kind of attention and stimulations she had to offer. It was consensua
ColeThe letter came in the dead of night, rain-soaked and smeared, but I’d know her handwriting anywhere, in any condition. She’d written that she needed to see me, urgently, that it couldn’t wait, and she couldn’t explain why, not in a letter, not at the risk of what she needed to tell me going pu
EmeldaIt’s a quiet night. A long, silent walk from the castle. I needed this quiet, this stillness in the late summer air. Ravenfell comes into view beyond the trees, twinkling in the darkness. I smile, shaking my head as I look down at my shoes. I can still feel the weight of the twins in my arms
MichaelI haven’t been to Scarlet Thunder in… years. I didn’t realize how long it’s been until I pulled up to the back of the castle, somewhat startled by how small it looks compared to my memories from my childhood. Not that it's a small castle, but I'm much bigger now. I step out of my car, my fac
Faye“Oh, Faye, this is beautiful,” Emory says as she walks around the wide room on the second floor of the newly constructed manor. She runs her fingers over the pale blue and pink floral wallpaper and white trim, her jade eyes sparkling as she takes in the lace curtains and soft cream carpet. “I l
EmeldaIn the week since the twins were born, I’ve been busy with the final touches on my cottage. I spent days this past spring digging in the front garden, planting herbs and vegetables, and fixing the front path. I hired a group of shifters to replace the roof and update the inside, installing ne
Emelda“Thank you,” I say, hurrying at a near run as a maid takes my cloak. The castle is buzzing with nervous energy but remains quiet with even the maids tiptoeing around, trying not to make a sound. I’d remained in Ravenfell for the birth. I spent all night and most of this morning at Alma’s hou
FayeSomething’s wrong. Something has to be wrong. “You’re doing great. Keep pushing, Faye. You’ve got this,” Alma says, her face glistening with sweat and determination while I roar in pain. Michael clutches my hand, his other hand bracing my inner thigh as I bear down with all the strength I hav
Michael“It could be hours–or a day,” Alma says quietly as she arranges her tonics on a table just outside the bedroom where Faye’s finally getting some rest. “It’s been hours already,” I tell her, motioning toward the window in my suite in the castle where moonlight drifts through the panes, casti