“No one tried to stop it.” She sounds distant. It makes me ache to touch her and be able to connect with her. “And now we expect Willow to fight in a war for the people that have wronged her most?”“None of it is fair. I wish I didn’t have to ask anything of her after what she’s been through,” I agr
EmoryA potted plant flies across the room and stops halfway before reaching me. It falls to the floor, scattering glass, dirt, and tulips everywhere. I stare in shock at Willow who is standing by the window. I hadn’t expected to have something thrown at me.“Sorry,” she says. “I thought you were Ra
“Gaius was like a father to me,” Willow continues. “He was kind and patient. He let me borrow as many books as I wanted from the library. He didn’t care that I wasn’t a noble, only that I needed the escapism found in those books.”“I’m sorry you lost him.”I never met the former librarian, but from
I manage to take a deep breath and return to reality. “That’s all very romantic, Kane. But we still have to be pragmatic about this. There’s no winning a war without allies. Bernard learned that the hard way, and look where he ended up.”I will be damned before Kane ends up imprisoned in someone’s d
Kane“Are you sure?” I ask Emory as I pull away from kissing her. Her green eyes are dazed like she’s lost in a daydream. Her scarlet hair looks like fire against the black sheets.It’s been months since we’ve had sex. I’ve missed sharing this intimacy with her, but I haven’t wanted to pressure her.
“Yes,” she replies, her voice breathy. “Don’t stop.”I bury my face in her neck as I move, rocking into her gradually. She moans, her back arching as I find the spot within her. I take her leg and position it to wrap around my waist so I can thrust deeper into her.“Kane,” she gasps. “Please.”I mov
“That is not true. I just never bothered with the idea of having kids. Kane was the one who had to have heirs. I was going to be the cool uncle.”She glares at me. Her icy blue eyes are sharper than a knife. “What do I have to do to make you leave me alone?”“Nothing, Princess. Like it or not, we’re
EmoryI haven’t been back to Moon Grove in months. Ever since my father tried to sell off Lola to Kane as a feeder, I’ve been staying in Crimson Peak. I haven’t had the chance to return as I’m dealing with an unexpected pregnancy and trying to be there for Kane. Coit has been ruling the pack in my a
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