FayeI hug the cloak to my body against the frigid wind whipping across the field just beyond the castle grounds. Hurrying up another hill, I crest its peak and see the faint lights of Ravenfell sparkle into view. I have no idea why I came out here. Running from Michael like this isn’t going to hel
MichaelThe forest expands ahead of me, the trees casting long shadows in the silver moonlight. I might be going insane–because there’s no way that vampire is still alive. She can’t be. I’d barely made out of those mountains myself. But her scent was there, just beyond the castle grounds, far too c
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
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
“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
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
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 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
Michael“It could be hours–or a day,” Alma says quietly as she arranges her tonics on a table just outside the bedroom where Faye’s finally getting some rest. “It’s been hours already,” I tell her, motioning toward the window in my suite in the castle where moonlight drifts through the panes, casti
MichaelSummer“I don’t think my parents could be any happier with the idea,” Deacon says, walking by my side, his face shielded from the sunlight by a hood. “You don’t think it’s a little fast?” I ask, smirking as I squint into the uncommon sunlight beating down on the field between the castle and
ColeI run my fingertips over the smooth leather suitcase as a trio of male servants hurry around the room, packing my things for the journey back home, to Scarlet Thunder. I grip the suitcase and carry it out of the apartment where I’ve been staying inside the castle, looking over my shoulder to ta
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