CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

“What are you reading?” Karken asks from behind me, startling me. I spin around in surprise, my book in my lap. I had been attempting to lose myself in its pages, but Karken and Khimaira had disturbed that process.

I let my eyes linger on Alden's siblings before reluctantly raising them to his face, a sea of emotion boiling within me. How dare he keep me in the dark about such an important detail? Had I not shared a silent promise with him the previous night? His words still echoed through my mind as if he had spoken them moments ago and yet here he was, standing before me, withholding from me what he had so freely shared with them. I narrowed my eyes and balled my hands into fists at my side, determined to let him know exactly what I thought of him.

Alden's words came out sharp and decisive, halting me before I could even issue a response. "Be warned, my siblings are not to be trusted. If I had my way, you'd never have to deal with them. But somehow, they got wind of you before they