LOGINOn a whim, I try to roll him over, not expecting the iron cage of his arms to so much as shift. But he flips easily with a soft noise of surprise. I pull back, worried.“Apologies.” He smiles ruefully and taps the bandage on his face—on the side I rolled him to. “I think this will take some getting
“Oh.” I glance at Amval. Cirocco waits by his shoulder, clearly about to demand something similar. All the pressures of life suddenly descend back into place. With Kaloni dead, Amval has no rival for the crown. There’s going to be a coronation and then months of cleaning up what happened here. I’m g
Ingrid“The Goddess’ will is often far more complicated than any of us can guess,” Halit says, blood streaked on her cheek from the arrow she took to the shoulder before fleeing the altar.Laughter ripples through the temple. I know, from my second march up here, that the healthy hold up the wounded
And that is his mistake. The heartbeat he wastes on gloating gives me just enough time to slash at his unprotected throat, tearing through fur and old scar tissue.Blood waterfalls onto me, hot and fast. I wriggle out of the way before he crumples. Dead.Or at least it seems so. My halved vision mak
Amval“She will never be ready to marry my brother!” I shout as I storm into the packed temple, a sword lifted high above my head and a trail of allies collected from every corner of the palace behind me.Gasps ripple through the crowd, buoying my name forward. Ingrid turns, her jaw falling slack. T
I suck in a breath through my gritted teeth as Halit intones about the complexities of fate, how perhaps Amval dying was all part of Her cosmic plan for Cirocco and I to end up together. Maybe it was part of Her cosmic plan for me to punch a holy woman in the mouth.No. Joli is counting on me. Light
I’d follow her anywhere. And I hope Amval can see that, for however long it’s going to be, his kingdom is in good hands.“By the will of the Goddess,” Halit says, “and the law of this land, I crown you Luna Queen of Lightning Cape.”The holy woman sets a white-gold tiara on Kaloni’s head. It stands
“I am sorry. I’m sure that hurts.” He shakes his head. “But very few people realize just how much freedom that grants.”“I made whatever freedom I have.” And I’m damn proud of it.“It must seem that way to you.” His amber gaze goes distant. “My grandfather lost the kingdom. I would like to say it wa
IngridJoli clings to my hand so tightly, I can feel my bones grinding against each other. Like the rest of her siblings, she alternates between craning toward the window and flinching away.“Do you think we should go?” Cirocco asks no one in particular.“It is safer in here,” Kaloni answers flatly.
IngridI grumble my way out of bed on the morning of Kaloni’s coronation. With everything that’s happened, I haven’t been getting nearly as much sleep as I should. Hell, I spent half of yesterday with my… uncle, Lord Faruk, trying not to roll my eyes every time he spoke.Amval might be right about h







