LOGINTheodore’s POVI looked around the rich wood paneling of the conference room. This was one of the rooms in the royal palace that I had thought to be superfluous at first. Why have a room specifically for business meetings when there were twenty-some other places to gather in this unnecessarily large
Theo stood, and I returned my attention to him as he offered me his hand. I took it, leaning into him more than usual as I stood.Holding me close, pressing our bodies together, Theo tilted his head up to the striking sun. “Do you feel that?” he asked. “The warmth of the sun?”I closed my eyes, a si
Violet’s POVInstead of lunch plans, Theo told Marcy and Aunt Marissa that we would back for dinner with both the families. Then my husband dragged me around the market, picking up a loaf of warm bread, some cheese, dried meats, fruit, and a hand-woven blanket that was the same red and yellows as ou
“You alright?” I asked them both.Colby blinked and gathered himself, nodding once. Sinclair’s gaze snapped to mine with something like rage in them. I wasn’t sure if it was for letting such young kids fight or from hiding this from them up until now.He seemed to remember himself though, remember h
Theodore’s POVThe next morning, everyone gathered at one of Violet’s cousin’s farms in town. It was the only place big enough to showcase what they’d been learning. Apparently, they were used to training on Uncle Caleb’s farm, but since everyone was already gathered here, we would make do.Violet a
Violet’s POVI had to be careful.I knew I had a bias toward women. Everything I’d said to Olivia Bronson at the royal palace had been true. I did relate her.Growing up as an incredibly capable woman in a world where women weren’t expected to be capable was suffocating. I was desperate to change th
The first thing I would do was kill him. It was a small comfort as he shoved my legs apart and started to rip my dress’s skirt, shoving it up and fighting with the delicate beading that wouldn’t tear easily. “This fucking dress,” he snarled. I felt his gritty hands on my bare legs, ripping at my
Violet Lucas’s scream echoed through my ears, sharp and furious, but not loud enough to summon help. I didn’t unclench my jaw even as he hissed and tugged. “Let fucking go, you bitch!” I snarled, keeping a hold of him until I couldn’t, and he ripped his hand out of my mouth. I spit out the t
I stumbled, my legs barely holding me up. “I’ve had enough of this!” He kicked me hard, back into the pool. Then his hand was in my hair again holding me down as I struggled. My lungs burned. I reached down into the pool, hoping for a weapon. My hand fell on a rock. I grabbed it and slammed it aga
“If this so-called evidence is so decisive, why didn’t you bring it out during the first trial?” His smirk faltered for a fraction of a second before he recovered, straightening his posture. “Because I didn’t need to. I didn’t think it would come to this.” Lie. So he had to be planning to get







