EmoryI’d just finished unpacking my final suitcase when Willow knocked on my bedroom door. I’d welcomed her in, and now, we’re seated at the small dining table in my suite. Helga has brought me a small lunch from the kitchens, consisting of thick steak sandwiches and a yogurt parfait for dessert. O
CoitAfter we bring the stag back to the house, Tommy and Scott are given the task of processing the meat so it can be eaten for dinner later. Lydia’s family doesn’t seem to care what we do in the few hours before dinner. She leads me upstairs to her bedroom which is very neat and organized.It’s ve
EmoryI’ve just finished breakfast a couple of days after returning home when one of the maids lets me know I have a phone call in Kane’s office. Alarmed, I rush in to take the call. It’s not the appointed time for Coit to call me, and Mother doesn’t usually call this early in the morning.“Hello?”
CoitI tell myself I shouldn’t be nervous. Other shifters will be able to smell it on me like blood in the water. There’s no real reason for the Nightstones to object to me marrying Lydia except for any lingering bad blood because of my father. Alpha Gerald doesn’t seem to be holding my father’s sin
Coit“My business here involves Lydia.” I clear my throat and continue, “I’m here to ask for your blessing to marry her.”Alcide chuckles, crossing his arms over her chest. Her father is a few inches shorter than me, but he’s more muscular, his biceps large and intimidating. Despite being middle age
EmoryMikey is always hungry. His stomach is a bottomless pit that never seems to be full, no matter how much he eats. Whatever food is within his vicinity, he runs toward it with relentless determination, and when he’s not allowed to eat when he’s hungry, he erupts into loud tantrums that don’t sto
“I don’t regret how things went with Kane. I wouldn’t trade my life for anything, but that time was also hectic and full of danger. Having a child during a war was very stressful.”“Do you wish you could have waited? Taken your time with everything?” he asks me.“I don’t know. Maybe? It was a little
CoitThe weekend comes, and Lydia arrives in Moon Grove early in the morning. She is almost never late, arriving at least half an hour early to everything. While I was visiting her house, she showed me the thick blue planner that details out her schedule for weeks ahead. She uses different colored
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