RainerKane informs me that the Blood Takers will be in Rouge Curve by tomorrow. I have no time to spare as I have to make my way from Crimson Peak to Red River within the day. I don’t take any personal items with me that can point to my real identity. I pack a small bag of clothes, a supply of bloo
EmoryI’m not expecting Coit to show up at Castle Graystone. It’s early in the morning, and I’ve just finished getting ready when he barges into my suite, followed by the castle guards. He looks furious, his eyes like emerald fire. I gesture toward the castle guards that everything is fine, and they
WillowI’m distracted as I reshelve books in the castle library. My thoughts are far away while I move the book trolley to another aisle and rearrange the books. I can’t even be annoyed at whoever put the books back in the wrong order. There are even books from a different section of the library her
LydiaMy head fucking hurts.While shifters can heal fast, head wounds take longer and slow down healing other injuries in the process. Cataloguing my injuries, I have a sprained wrist and bruises all over my body. besides the concussion Sleeping in the semi-truck is uncomfortable. All of us, human
LexI don’t bother knocking as I enter Opal’s suite. She wouldn’t have stopped if I walked in on her with another man again. I know from experience. Thankfully, she’s alone this time.Opal is sitting at her vanity table and applying her make-up. I watch as she applies a thin coat of powder to her fa
LexI haven’t been to Cerise Port in years. Fatherhood and running a kingdom can keep a man busy. I’ve always felt a kinship with Uncle Cyrus who I’ve always been able to talk to easier than my own father. When my mother used to bring Kane and I to her birth kingdom, we could breathe and just be ord
LydiaThe movement of the semi-truck makes me woozy. Jesse lets me rest my head on her lap as it's more comfortable than the metal floor of the truck. She and I have been leaning on each other. Having someone I can talk to makes this experience more bearable."What’s it like in your packlands?” Jess
KaneWhile it’s true what Emory says about us wanting a beach day, there is another reason why we’re in Cerise Port. My uncle is one of the few people whose opinion I value. His experience and wisdom as a ruler cannot be discounted. When I first ascended to the throne, his guidance had been invaluab
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