CALANTHA“By the heavens…” I breathed out, shocked. I didn’t even realize I’d said it aloud.Lysandra snapped her head toward me, startled. She hadn’t seen me standing there. Her eyes were full of tears and fear, and she was still kneeling over the unconscious boy.“I—I didn’t hurt him. I swear,” she stammered immediately, her voice shaking as she sobbed. “I didn’t do anything to him.”The boy was losing blood fast. If we didn’t stop it soon, he was going to die.I quickly closed in on them and dropped to my knees beside them, placing my hands carefully over the wound. I looked at Lysandra’s tear-streaked face. “Help me. Now.”I shut my eyes and focused, pouring my energy into the injury. The bite was deep—too deep—but oddly clean, like it hadn’t been made by an animal at all.I paused when I noticed she wasn’t helping. She was just staring at my hands, pale-faced and frozen in shock.“What?” I snapped. “This isn’t the time to freak out. You see me using my ownpowers… I’m not hiding i
CALANTHA With Nyx stepping away for a moment, I turned to Eloise. I’d had enough of her silence. It was time to cut through the games.“Hey,” I said, fixing my eyes on her. “Are you finally going to talk? Or keep holding it in?”She let out a sigh and looked back at the sea.“You’ve been dying to know, haven’t you?” she muttered.I sighed too. “Let’s start with the bus ride. The things Isadora said... Are you mad at Nyx because of all that?”“Mad?” Eloise looked at me and frowned a little. “Why would I be mad?” She clicked her tongue, then her face softened just a bit. “If anything, I’m worried about her. But I don’t know how to show it the right way. She probably thinks I’m jealous of her and Cross.”“You really think she sees it that way?”She nodded. “I’m sure of it. That’s just how Nyx is sometimes.”“Hmmm.” I looked down and picked up a small shell from the sand, running my fingers over its smooth surface. “You’re worried because you think Cross is dangerous... and bad for her,
NYXWhile some of the others were busy setting up the mats and arranging food for the picnic, Calantha, Eloise, a few others, and I were lounging under a shaded spot, enjoying the ocean breeze and taking in the beautiful beach view. A handful of the group had already rushed off to splash around in the waves.Bandaged-nosed Isadora, her minions, and some others, were in charge of the picnic setup. And since she clearly had issues with us, she was giving us the cold shoulder and keeping us out of everything. That was partly why we chose to relax under the shade instead, so we wouldn’t be anywhere near her drama.“That idiot thinks we’ll cry or make a scene just because she doesn’t want us helping,” Eloise said with a laugh, shaking her head. She wore a pair of oversized sunglasses and let out a content sigh as she stared out at the waves. “She doesn’t even realize she’s doing us a favor right now.”“She never gives up, does she? That bandage on her nose makes her look prettier, by the w
CALANTHAThe tournament council sent a bus to take us to the beach for the picnic. I was supposed to go in my private car with my chauffeur, but I turned it down. Sure, I was the Luna, but with my mates around, it didn’t feel right to act privileged. I didn’t want to show up like I was better than the others.So, I boarded the bus with everyone else.Eloise and Nyx were already chattering excitedly about how fun the day was going to be. I was more surprised and quite worried about Eloise now. How was she acting this bubbly with all that had happened yesterday?I made a mental note to talk to her about it once we got to the beach. As we settled into our seats, the bus was buzzing with conversation and laughter. I leaned back, trying to relax, until I noticed Nyx glance toward the other side of the bus. My eyes followed her gaze and landed straight to Cross.They were smiling at each other. Just for a brief moment. Then, Nyx looked away again shyly. Wait… what?I frowned, my suspicion
CALANTHATHE NEXT MORNINGWhen the maids told me that Eloise and Nyx were here to see me, I thought it would just be the two of them waiting somewhere nearby. I definitely didn’t expect to walk into a whole crowd gathered in the grand hall of the packhouse.“Calantha! Hey!” Eloise waved excitedly as I paused at the doorway, completely stunned. My eyes widened at the sight in front of me.The room was full of people, all talking and laughing. Most of them were participants from the tournament, though I spotted a few unfamiliar faces who weren’t competing.“What’s going on, El? Why is everyone here?” I asked as Eloise and Nyx walked over to me. A confused frown pulled at my forehead. I crossed my arms tightly over my chest, suddenly feeling awkward and exposed. I was still in my nightgown, although thankfully I had thrown on a soft, fluffy robe before coming downstairs.“You didn’t hear?” Nyx said with a grin, her eyes sparkling. “Queen Adeline is hosting a picnic today for the tournam
QUEEN ADELINE THAT SAME NIGHT—THE PACKHOUSEQueen Adeline couldn’t sleep all night. She was pacing her chamber restlessly, impatiently waiting for her visitor to show up. She was supposed to be here an hour later. What was keeping her out so long?Queen Adeline bit her lip, tapped her bare feet to the floor, and dug her fingers into her palms as she waited. She wasn’t one to exercise patience, and this was pushing her to the edge.She growled and sat back down on her bed again. If she didn’t have a close relationship with the chief priestess and honored her title, she would have had her punished for keeping her waiting.Finally, a knock came upon her door and the door was gently pushed open from the outsides. Her handmaiden walked in slowly, bowing low before her. “My Queen, the chief priestess is here.” The maid announced, before stepping aside to let Chief Priestess Tara enter the chamber. She left quietly, shutting the doors behind her.Queen Adeline rose from her bed the moment