“How are things with the pack?” I ask.“Coit is doing his best, and I’m helping him as much as I can,” Darius answers. “Rebuilding our relationships with the packs around us is going to be a difficult road ahead but not impossible.”“We can’t blame them for being cautious after what my father did, s
KaneThere are times I wonder if I remember a time before I wasn’t constantly at war with a neighbor. I spent over ten years in conflict with Bernard Moonraker for his inability to repay his debts. Now that he is locked up in the dungeon of my castle, I’m dealing with King Peter of Scarlett Thunder
“We could release Jacob,” Lex suggests.“Absolutely not,” Rainier counters. “He’s the only bargaining chip we have.”This is true, and I cannot stand Jacob after what he did to Emory. He almost killed her in the library. I came so close to losing her over his terrible sister’s jealousy. Jacob will n
Still, my father trusted him and sought his counsel for many matters, especially when our kingdom was at war. As much of an asshole as I think Clark is, he has something valuable. Knowledge. It’s the only reason I didn’t have him executed after I saw how he had been mistreating the feeders and letti
KaneI’m not in the best mood after talking with Clark. As much as I dislike him, he is right about some things. Delivering awful truths has always been something he relishes in. Clark practically snickered as I left his suite, enjoying how his words affected me. I needed to go to my office afterwar
“Keep an eye on Emory,” I tell Rainier. “And have somebody taste her food before she does from now on.”“You don’t think the queen would poison her, do you?”“I wouldn’t underestimate her. Her mother, Queen Nerissa, gifted a poisoned hat pin to an enemy once.”Rainier nodded, grimly. “I’ll get the f
“Lola is settling in. She really likes her room and the gardens.” Emory turns to her sister. “Right, Lo?”The little girl nods but still looks at me like she wants me to leave.“She’s not used to being around vampires,” Emory explains. “It’s going to take some time until she gets used to everything.
KaneLex is quiet as he listens to me talk. He sips from the bottle of blood as I tell him about my fears of losing Emory. I’m in an impossible situation where the laws of nature that govern our world are working against me. Yet, those same ruleshad bent themselves to make it possible for us to fall
I listen intently, watching a myriad of emotion play over her face as she knits her fingers together. “We spent an entire summer sneaking around,” she says softly, closing her eyes. “He’d find me in the garden, in the library, sometimes going as far as to sneak into my room at night. We couldn’t st
FayeStill in the library, I listen intently as Emelda discloses far more than I expected her to.There was a point in Emelda’s life as a vampire that she’d accepted she’d always be alone. Her bed would always be cold, her skin unblemished by a loving touch. She’d never know love again, and for deca
Faye“It really is gorgeous,” Emelda says the next morning while walking with me to the library. She runs her thumb over the massive sapphire ring and smiles faintly, raising her brows. “I think it’s a family heirloom, too. You should expect a load of fine jewelry to follow.”“You know I don’t care
FayeKing Kane is a slightly terrifying man. His presence is all consuming–like he sucks the light out of the room. He doesn’t look his age, like all vampires. The only indication that he’s a senior vampire compared to his son is the faint gray glow around his temples where his dark hair is starting
MichaelI watch Faye run a comb through her hair, over and over. The golden strands shine like golden silk in the pockets of sunlight shimmering through the curtains. Beyond the glass, knee-deep snow covers the castle grounds in a blanket of pure, untouched white. Deep inside, I feel a flicker of m
I shake my head, sniffling, trying to pull my tears back into my eyes but fail miserably. They trickle down my cheeks, freezing to my face. “We would have been caught.”“I wouldn’t have cared. I still don’t!”“You were getting married–”“I’ve been betrothed since I was a child,” he says hotly, gritt
Emelda“Why are you out here?” Cole asks, his hand moving up my back as he presses me closer. “You’re freezing.”“I wanted to check on Ravenfell–”“I was on my way–”“It’s not your responsibility–”“I was on my way to find you,” he cuts in, taking a breath. I open my eyes, breaking out of the haze
Finn leans against the fireplace while Cassidy stokes the fire, but everyone is waiting for me to start talking. That’s why I came here, after all. To share news from the castle about our duke and our friends. “Lowe is likely going to survive,” I say to the group, ignoring the shuffle of feet as pe
EmeldaSnowy darkness stretches ahead of me. Whatever light from the moon is blocked by thick clouds that spread snow across the hills leading from the castle to Ravenfell. I pull my cloak tight to fight the bitter chill in the air and breathe in the fresh, crisp night. It smells clean. I love that