KaneGuilt burns in my chest. I have no desire to give in to King Peter’s demands, especially if it endangered my family. Despite all that has happened between us, Lex is my brother. I should not give him up.“I don’t want to send you as a hostage,” I tell my brother. “I’m going to refuse King Peter
“The worst part is not all of it was bad.” Coit’s voice is wistful. “When we were little kids, he’d play with us and take us camping.”“I remember.”I close my eyes, and memories of Bernard taking us camping and teaching us about the stars at night make me want to weep and throw something. Monsters
“Don’t let them break you,” she murmurs into my coat. “You are, and have always been, stronger than you know.”We say our farewells, and she retreats to the rose garden where she has always found solace.Emory is sleeping so she hasn’t been informed. I asked specifically for her to learn once I’ve l
KaneI try not to focus on the worst case scenarios of my brother being held as a political hostage by Scarlett Thunder. I need to hope that King Peter will keep his word not to harm Lex, and I have to trust Lex not to get himself killed before this conflict with Scarlett Thunder is over. This is a
“Growth?” Rainier repeats with a scoff. “Like that time he insulted the ambassador of Ruby Rivers by admitting to the man’s face that he slept with his wife, and she wasn’t good in bed?”“That was a long time ago.” Why I’m defending him, I’m not sure.“Or the time he stole a carriage that belonged t
These are empty threats. Part of the deal of me being a hostage is he can’t harm me, not physically anyway. He can call me awful names every minute of my time here, but he cannot have me killed. King Peter is a lot of things, but he’s not an idiot. Nobody rules for this long by being one.He has alw
LolaI’m not used to living in such a big place. The castle is too big. I don’t know why people want to live here when it takes forever to get from one room to another. I know vampires move fast, so it might not be a problem for them, but I have short legs and climbing all the stairs is not fun.Emo
“You’re too young for that story,” she reasons. “Emory will be upset with me.”“I’m not that young!” I counter. “I’ll be a teenager before you know it. I’m not a baby.”Miss Willow contemplates telling me the story, looking into my eyes before giving in. “All right, but I’m not giving you all the de
MichaelThe emissary to Red River–the real one–isn’t anyone I recognize. He’s tall and pale blond, his red eyes gleaming in the brightly lit ballroom where he and his posse of royal Red River guards have gathered. He scans the group before him–myself, my father, and my uncle, and smiles faintly, hi
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