FAZER 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
Amval is dedicated, focused. He uses every part of his mouth, his whole face, dancing as deftly as he did over his ney. I see the apex of pleasure only a few seconds before it hits me, hard as a boulder. Shaking, clutching him, I scream my euphoria.When it’s over, I try to climb off, but his grip d
My heart drops. I need to disappear. This stall is far too close to the entrance.“Apologies.” I bow to Lord Yetir. “I am needed elsewhere, but I’ll be returning shortly.”“No.” A frown adds another wrinkle to his aging face. “I need my daily ride now.”“Shortly, I swear.” I hold my hands up as I ba
I now know what a horse feels like when abruptly reined in. There is no more foolish place in the castle for me to be. Even with the veil, I won’t be able to contain myself.“Allowing you into King Notu’s chamber is sacrilegious enough.” I turn to the lock and spin the cogs with a narrow burst of wi
IngridIn the morning, I storm around Som Palace. Everyone is still slow and tired after the funeral. I barely slept. But I have—according to my mate, who lied to my face and would have continued to do so if I didn’t catch him—an account of Prince Amval’s last day, the missing piece I need to solve







