Fuck. This is not how I want to die.I hear Kane’s voice through the madness and turn to see him, slightly bloodied. “Hold,” he says. “Hold your line. No one retreats.”A shout from behind us draws my attention. I turn to see King Cyrus on horseback with his bannermen behind him. Sardonia has come
KaneOur troops from both sides surround us with bated breath. The battle is mostly over. This duel between King Peter and I is what will determine the end of the war. It is the culmination of months of posturing and preparation.“Here are my terms, Kane Alexander of Crimson Peak” King Peter says. “
Kane is the conquering ruler. He can do what he wants. Him even putting this council together is his desire to be diplomatic. Kane believes in fairness and I love him for it.We sit at the war room of Crimson Peak at a long table. Kane sits at the head of my table and I’m at his right with Rainer at
When we reach the rose gardens, I let out a deep sigh and run a hand over my face. The heavy pressure of having to make a decision I don’t enjoy closes around me. Embry doesn’t let me go and rests her chin on my shoulder. Her emerald gaze doesn’t judge.“What are you thinking?” she asks.“I’m thinki
KaneDespite Emory’s urging that we get married as soon as possible, I want to do this right. I only plan on getting married once and I’m not going to have a rushed wedding. I’ve been asking her to marry me for months and I want us to have the wedding of her dreams. Besides, planning a wedding is le
“We don’t marry shifters either but here I am.”Lex snorts. “Enough about me. This is your big day.” He picks up the blazer off the chair and helps me into it and declares, “Let’s get you hitched.”We leave my suite and make our way to the ballroom where dozens of guests are waiting. Most of the va
We would rather be safe than sorry when it comes to Michael’s safety.Kane leads me around the dancefloor smoothly for our first dance. I had to endure months of dance lessons for this. Kane has decades of experience and he puts it to show as we glide around the room. Dancing with him is like a drea
EmoryI make my way down the stairs, trying not to trip on the hem of the green gown I’m wearing. It’s sleeveless with flowers embroidered on the bodice. I feel quite pretty, and I’m a little bit disappointed my husband won’t be able to see me. I’ve taken extra care with my appearance, curling my ha
FayeMorning descends on Crimson Peak. It’s a bleary but warm winter day. Water drips down the windows as the snow and ice melts off the roof of the castle. Dark clouds promise more snow if the weather chills again, and the air smells like ozone as I slip out of bed, blinking blearily into the gray
Lex clears his throat. I’m still facing the door, but Cole turns, his hand not leaving my arm. I lean into him, closing my eyes as Lex says, “An opportunity arose that we couldn’t let pass us by.”Before Emory can cut in again, Kane adds, “King Mattias announced he’d be coming to the wedding to ensu
EmeldaI find Emory in the ballroom trying to rectify the situation. Blood stains the center of the grand mosaic tiles that cover the ballroom in shades of gray and the deepest gold, but even the dark hues aren’t enough to hide the vampire blood. I wasn’t here for whatever happened, but I heard whi
FayeMichael kisses me like it’s the first time we’ve ever tasted each other. It’s gentle at first–a featherlight brush of his lips against mine. It’s like it was before… when we loved each other in secret, when we were ignoring our growing feelings for each other while the world burned down around
FayeEmelda slams the door shut behind Emory as I run into the suite I share with Michael. The familiar deep blue walls and warm air does nothing to calm my nerves as I whirl toward the women, my dress swirling out around me, feeling suddenly heavier than it had before. “What–what’s happening?” I a
MichaelI’m not sure what I expected getting married to feel like. In my mind, it had always been a business arrangement with little fanfare and no emotions attached. Now, that’s not the case. I’m a husband. I have a wife who I love, who wasn’t chosen for me based on whatever political alliance was
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