LOGINEvelynTwo Years LaterThe gardens outside the palace were alive with late-spring blossoms, their perfume carried on a gentle breeze to fill my nose, as my daughter’s laughter, bright and bubbling, carried across the lawn. I watched her reemerge into view, weaving through the rose bushes as she chas
Evelyn The throne room of my father’s palace had never looked so magnificent. Banners in silver and deep royal blue draped from the vaulted ceilings, fine designs embroidered into every piece of fabric. Torches burned in golden sconces, their flames reflected in polished marble floors. The air carr
Logan Two Months LaterThe room was awash with candlelight from the hundreds of candles lining the space. They collectively cast their amber glow on the stone walls, giving our surroundings a soft appearance.Laughter and music poured through the air, filling every corner with celebration. Tonight
LoganThe tavern was alive with laughter. It felt like everyone else there had something to celebrate as well.Around us floated the sound of clinking glasses and the scent of roasted meats wafting through the air. The scene was incredibly jovial and a far cry from the war councils and court politi
“He loves her,” I said quietly, though the words sounded fragile echoing against the empty walls of the throne room. “And you would punish him for it.”“Love is only worth so much,” my father said, the warmth of a moment ago gone. His eyes hardened. “A ruler must make decisions based on what is best
EvelynThe throne room always felt too large. It had been so long since I had been inside the vast, sprawling space, and even then, it had been filled with others for my brother’s princely coronation ceremony when he was fourteen. But now it was just us, my father and I. There weren’t even guards in
LoganI didn’t say a word the whole ride back. What could I say? There was no way to describe my pressing sense of shame and fear.So I did not speak. Not to Alex or to the guards who trailed us in grim silence. I didn’t even speak to instruct the horse I’d borrowed and half-destroyed galloping out
EvelynThe ropes fell away with a soft snap.The relief was immediate. I rubbed my wrists slowly. The deep grooves left by hours of tension and trying to break free still pulsed red and raw across my skin.The rogue guard who cut me loose didn’t meet my eyes. He just looked to Jesse for further inst
I got a cut across his thigh, my claws scraping deep, parallel lines into his leg. The metallic scent of blood wetted the air.But he didn’t falter. He slammed a fist into my ribs.I twisted his arm and nearly disarmed him.He kneed me in the gut and drove his elbow into my shoulder, knocking the ai
EvelynThe days were a blur. Between stitching up infected wounds, gathering and crushing herbs to make medicine, and avoiding Jesse as skillfully as I could, I was utterly exhausted. The only benefit to it all was that I was left with hardly any time to think about Logan.Logan, with his soft eye







