EmoryI am listening to Rainer’s words and trying to digest them, but I’m not completely sure I understand what he is saying to me.“It was the blood?” I ask him, and he nods at me. “But… there was so little of it. Less than whenever I am menstruating by far.”When he shakes his head, his dark curls
“See you,” he says.“Bye.” I give him a wave as he heads through the door before I close it behind him. The temptation to look out into the hallway to see if I can spy Kane anywhere is difficult to ignore, but I manage.I go back to my bed and toss myself down, thinking it may take a while for the V
EmoryIt’s almost dinner time. But I’m not going back to the dining room today. I haven’t been told by King Kane that it’s okay for me to skip again. Maybe I need his permission. Maybe I don’t.I figure, if he wants me to know I should be there, he can come and tell me. And if he realizes he wants m
I nearly jump out of my skin. Turning around, I see her approaching from behind me, peering over the couch.Hastily, I shove the paper into my book. “Oh, uh, just a bookmark,” I tell her. I don’t think it’s any of her business what it is. I don’t even know if I’m going to go. What would the king do
I put on some nice lacy blue lingerie and then go to the closet to pick out a dress. I find a black one and decide that it will look nice on me, and I can manage the zipper by myself, not that I would mind having Kane unzip me again. I decide on some black heels that have no straps that are easy to
EmoryJacob’s pale skin catches the moonlight as he comes toward me, his pace surprisingly human now, a bit cautious. I can’t anticipate what he’s waiting for, but I wish I knew. Maybe then, if I had some kind of an inkling as to what he’s up to, I would be able to do something to get away from him.
“The guards that patrol this part of the castle have all been paid off,” she explains. Taking a step forward, she says, “No one is coming.”My eyes widen as I realize she’s telling me the truth. What am I going to do?“It’s one nark, bitch werewolf against three vampires,” Jacob says. “I think the o
Her fangs are a good four inches long now, and I know this is it for me. They will drain me dry, killing me within a few minutes.“Help me!” I scream. “Lex, please! Kane! Nellie!”I am still screaming for all of the people I can think of when I feel the piercing sting of Opal’s teeth sinking into my
MichaelI pace the foyer, running my fingers through my hair over and over again as I listen to the voices of Emelda and Alma drifting down the staircase. Lowe walks in from the kitchen with an armful of firewood, his face drawn with fatigue. I nod at him in greeting as he walks past me toward the
“What did they do to you?” I press. I wave my hand at the mess of jars, herbs, and healing… potions, not just tonics. Actual potions. Potions made by a witch.“What didn’t they do is a better question,” she murmurs, turning away. “Emelda–”“I was a girl,” she whispers over the simmering water and c
MichaelThree hours later, in the dead middle of the night, I stand in the doorway leading into the cozy guest room I brought Faye into what must have been weeks ago. I guess that much time has passed since then. It feels like seconds, honestly. I feel like I haven’t had a chance to catch my breath
MichaelAlma and Lowe speak in quiet tones in the foyer while he helps her into her thick coat. The usual, ceaseless sprinkle of rain has finally turned to sleet–a vicious mix of freezing rain and the first hints of snow that’s going to make the village an icy mess when day turns to night. Lowe pus
MichaelFaye’s room is chaotic. Nurses and the physician crowd her bed to the point I can’t see her through the fray. I push through them, seeing her pale and writhing, arching off the bed in pain. “What’s wrong with her?!” I shout. Faye murmurs, white foam tinted with blood bubbling from her lips
Six Weeks AgoFayeMy slippers pad across the pale marble tiles. I hike up my dress–pink, just like the slippers I spent hours upon hours embroidering with little stars and white flowers. My hair fans out around my shoulders and down my back in my haste to reach my father’s office. Cara, my lady’s m
MichaelI find my mom out in the garden. I had a feeling she’d be here, surrounded by petals and green plants–things that keep her grounded to the nature shifters crave. She’s kneeling, her fingers deftly pulling up weeds–or something. She straightens and lifts her head as I approach, reveling in he
Faye“What are you doing here? I thought you returned to Scarlett Thunder?” Michael gives Cole a skeptical look, but Cole rolls his eyes, crossing his arms over his broad chest. His dark hair catches the light and gleams as he replies, “My mother thought it would be best to return a few days before
FayeThe next morning, I wake up alone in the little inn room. Soft gray daylight filters through the curtains, illuminating the rumpled sheets on the bed and my clothing from yesterday still hanging near the fireplace. I blink into the shadows, rubbing my eyes as a figure appears to my left, pulli