I shrug. “He’s a prick. Always has been.”“Even if I win and I lose you, I don’t know what my life will be like without you, Rain. I don’t trust anyone else. I can’t. You have been my one true friend.”I feel my throat closing up as unexpressed emotion makes it hard to speak. Damnit. Kane wants us t
EmoryMy mother tells me about what happened to Bernard before we arrive in Moon Grove. His body is transported in a separate car as we make our way back to my hometown. I’m too numb from shock and the millions of things I need to focus on other than my father’s death. Bernard, until the end, is cau
“He gave us you, Lo,” I add. “That’s another good thing he did.”“In spite of himself, Bernard managed to make good kids,” Coit says. “We’re his legacy. The best thing he's ever done."My mother nods. “He’s wronged many people and made many mistakes. People will remember him for what he’s done and n
“How many?”“Around two thousand.”I close my eyes in relief. I can work with those odds. We might win this war after all.“I love you,” I tell her. “And not because you brought me an army.”She smiles. “I know, and I love you too.”We have to leave the tent so I can greet all the Alphas. I’ve met t
LexThe girl lies limp on the dungeon floor. I’ve drank more than I meant to this time, and I feel her blood running through my system. Since she first started to visit me a few days, she’s returned several times, and my body has begun to heal itself. My ribs still feel tender as the bruises fade ar
The eastern gardens are filled with grotesque antique statues King Peter’s ancestors had commissioned or taken from other kingdoms they conquered. They are covered in vines and moss, largely forgotten by the gardeners some of which are trimming hedges and tending to flower bushes at the moment.I s
She grip my shirt with her sharp nails. “Don’t go. My father’s men will hunt you down like a dog.”I pull her hands away from me. “Not if I get out of this cesspit of a kingdom first.”“Lex!”We both turn to see Jacob walking briskly toward us. He’s carrying a sword in one hand. Oh shit. Now I reall
LexThe sword hits the wood of the shovel, digging into the weathered wood. Jacob’s blue eyes glare into me. I don’t think I’ve ever had someone hate me this much before. The ferocity with his attacks tells me that he truly wants to kill me. This isn’t just a mean boy wanting to pick on someone. Ja
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