“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
“What happened to you after you became a feeder?”Miss Willow pulls away from me, physically and emotionally. “I’ve upset you enough. We shouldn’t talk more about this.”“I want to know,” I plead. “What happened to you when you came to this castle?”She goes quiet, her eyes closing. I wait as she br
EmoryI hear about Lex being sent off as a hostage at Scarlett Thunder from my maids after he’s already left. I don’t get the chance to say goodbye. Lex and I may not have started out on the right foot, but I still feel bad he’s essentially become King Peter’s prisoner. I want to talk to Kane about
MichaelI can count on one hand how many times I’ve been in this cathedral over the course of my short life. The dark stone walls echo even the smallest whisper, and the ancient stained glass sends shadows instead of snowy sunlight into the cavernous space. I wouldn’t consider vampires a very relig
FayeIt’s snowing on my wedding day. Snowing hard, actually, as I watch cars pulling around the castle where valets are waiting to greet the guests. The wedding will take place in an hour. An hour. I can’t believe it. My stomach pitches as two maids pull curlers from my hair and dab blush on my che
EmeldaQueen Emory smiles at the spread of vampire-friendly food laid out on a tea-table. Blood pastries and cakes galore sit on pretty little trays adorned with flowers, flutes of blood made to sparkle resting beside them. “Are you not hungry?” she asks as I inspect the spread over the sound of Al
MichaelI don’t really want to be here, but my mother and my fiancee practically forced me out of the castle and locked the door behind me. The dingy, crowded tavern some thirty miles away from the castle seems to sway against the crowd of shifters and vampires alike, everyone drinking copious amou
FayeIt’s snowing again. White fluff falls from the dark sky, highlighted by the exterior sconces placed along the walls of the castle. I smile as it blankets the ground, sticking to every surface it touches. I never really thought about the logistics of my future wedding. A marriage? Sure. My even
MichaelI stare at my soon-to-be bride, who looks up at me like a little golden owl, her blue eyes wide and shocked as she takes in my level of disheveledness. But I’m looking at her bloody finger, the bowl of liquid on the table, and the two guilty-looking ex-witches standing on either side of Fay
“He told me he thought you might have been pregnant the night we were going to give you that final potion,” she whispers, meeting my eyes. “I told him it couldn’t be. It was far too early to tell and the herbs I’d been giving you to try to heal you would have been harmful for the baby.”We stare at
FayeMorning comes like sand falling through an hourglass. All night, time moved so slowly. Each second passed in agony as I waited and paced, hoping for any shred of news from Michael. I’ve spent the most time in the living room sitting in awkward discomfort between Cole and Emelda, who refuse to
MichaelAlpha Harold watches as I sink into an armchair across from the raging fire in the hearth. He holds me a glass of whiskey, his eyes holding mine for a second before he turns to settle on a stool beside his mate. I find this entire situation–this man, this pack–alarming. “How long have you