LOGINNatashaI step out of my tent, fully dressed for the day, and nearly run smack into Sebastian. We both pull back at the last second, and I feel highly aware of close we came to touching.“Sorry,” I mutter.“My fault,” he mutters back. “I was just coming to find you.”I raise my eyebrows in surprise.
Owen“What the…” Diego sputters out as I slam the door behind us. I’ve brought us into the music room which is empty save for a smattering of instruments.I stare Diego down more intensely than I mean to. “What of Natasha?”My brother seems immediately on his guard. “What of her?”“Did they believe
Owen“Isaiah,” I call from the threshold to the library. The first shelf has been completely redone, and its sisters line the walls in various forms of completion.One of my most trusted guards, the one who befriended Amelia, the one who I struggle to be near for the way he reminds me of her, approa
NatashaI don’t stay at the campfire for long after Carolina and Missy are dragged off to bed by the man I found out is their uncle.I didn’t have the heart to ask where their parents are.“I think I’ll get some sleep,” I say as I stand. I’m surprised when people I’ve just newly met through Carolina
Sebastian’s smile grows impossibly wider. “Of course. You don’t have to ask my permission to talk to her.”“That’s what I said!” a male adult a few seats away says. He must be their dad or otherwise guardian.“Yeah, but,” Carolina says, glancing nervously at me again. She lowers her voice as she ret
NatashaDante was brought back to the kingdom this morning. He spent one night in the First Quarter, and warriors took shifts watching over him as he slept.Sebastian and another Sun Warrior I don’t know bagged him at dawn and walked him back to the Red Forest to find his way home. I wanted to go wi
OwenI sit in the banquet hall, counting the minutes. I nurse the same jug of ale the entire time to avoid anyone offering to refill my cup, making sure to perform the appropriate humble yet proud response whenever someone points out that second place still hasn’t completed the task yet.I watch my
AmeliaAfter walking for hours to get to my now-revoked execution, even with my training, my muscles are definitely sore and fatigued. Plus, at the pace the prince has us going now as we return to the palace, I’m going to need a break soon.We must have been walking for at least an hour when I final
I falter once, in Dosian, when a human struggling with his master’s oversized bag nearly falls in a nearby river. I watch in horror as his knees buckle, as he throws the bag away from the river as he falls into it, fearing the wrath should he submerge his master’s belongings more than possibly drown
She squeezes around me more tightly, turning her head to the side to be heard.“You don’t have to do that. You can take me to my room now, and I won’t leave just like you asked. I’ll be safe behind the bespelled door.”My chest threatens to collapse, my blood running cold as I say, “You can’t go bac







