Mag-log inThe crowd cheered, but none were louder than our excited children.Ivan’s POVIt was good of Claire to invite me to her wedding. I’d thought for a while that I might avoid the whole thing, but now that I was here, that I could be surrounded by the obvious love between the pair, I was glad that I had
Claire’s POVThe day of our wedding, I couldn’t stop looking at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a flowing white dress that Leo and Nova had helped me pick out. My hair was done up in a bun. I barely recognized myself, so put together and done up.“You look like a princess,” Nova said from nearby
Gideon’s POVI kissed Claire with my full heart, then held her close. She giggled, pressed into the safety of my arms.“We can talk about it now,” she said. “Or you could kiss me again. I liked that.”“I want to,” I told her truly. “I don’t want to stop kissing you. But after all this, I want to see
Claire’s POVI was dragged out of the trunk roughly by my arms, then shoved down into the dirt at Daphne’s feet.Quickly, I glanced around, but I didn’t really recognize where I was. A forest, but I had no idea which one. Tents were set up here and there and people I didn’t know milled about. This m
George glanced over, seeing me in the dim interior light.“He loves you,” he said.“He does.”“Do you love him, too?”“Yes,” I said. It came out easier than I thought it would. “Yes, I do,” I said again, to be sure. This time was just as easy.“Good,” George said. “Gideon is a good man, a brave and
Claire’s POVWe had a handful of hours before we needed to leave for the exchange. In that time, George had me fitted for body armor.“They will likely attempt to remove it from you,” he said. “But try to keep it on for as long as you can. I don’t know what kind of torture they will attempt, but thi
Claire’s POVDelilah’s warning struck me straight through the heart. She said them with such sincerity, such conviction, that I felt them like a piercing dagger straight through my chest.Her warning didn’t come from nowhere. She knew things. She had to, to be filled with this much conviction.“Plea
Daphne’s POVI held my breath, but kept a straight face, not allowing any of my nervousness to shine through. The man held my gaze a beat longer, then in a voice so soft I almost missed it, said, “Glory to Darius.”My eyes went wide. I couldn’t believe my luck! This one was still loyal to my family.
Claire’s POVI could have said no. I should have said no. Instead, I’d walked right into Gideon’s room like I belonged there, and now that I was inside, as I moved toward the bed, I stopped and totally turned around, my cheeks blushing fiercely.What was I doing?Yet, at just that moment, Gideon clo
Claire’s POVGideon looked over my shoulder, seeing the picture in my hands. He didn’t say anything, just calmly and supportively placed his hand on my shoulder. I was happy to have it, to feel the subtle weight of it anchoring me to this present moment here in this hotel room, when all I wanted to







