LOGINLexaI keep my hand tucked in the crook of Kaleb’s arm as he guides us through the crowd, ignoring the glances, the underhanded comments in a language I don’t understand but know he does. Most people give us a wide berth. Many of the women hide their mouths with fans, their jewels sparking in the light of dozens of crystal chandeliers. I can’t help but notice the copious amount of food going to waste on long, opulently decorated tables, not so much as a bite taken from several dishes. My stomach curls at the thought of the kids who race into the pack house every morning to collect their family’s daily rations of grains, milk, and meat. It’s never enough. The people of the Glade have never had enough. I nearly trip over my own feet when Kaleb comes to a rough stop, like he didn’t expect it, and turns to a tall fae man–a trio of them, actually–the only seemingly friendly faces in the ballroom so far. “Alpha King,” says one of them–a man who looks to be in his late forties. At least,
LexaLis clicks her tongue and fluffs the fabric of the impossibly massive ballgown that would look gorgeous on literally anyone else but me. The dress alone takes up my entire room at Kaleb’s house, so I’m at the pack house instead, stripped down to my undergarments while half a dozen Glade women fuss over yards and yards of dark blue satin the same color as my eyes. “Don’t step on it!” Lis screeches, glowering at a young woman now ducking her head and scurrying to hide behind a woman I believe is her mother, based on their similar physical traits. Everyone follows Lis’s commands, however, and after two grueling hours, I’ve been stuffed into a corset so tight I might actually pass out and then into a dress with a skirt so wide and heavy I’m not sure I can even walk in it.“I can’t breathe,” I hiss, my hand pressed against my stomach. “Good, that means it fits. See, I knew you had a waist somewhere. Plus, you have all those muscles to protect you from any internal damage.” Lis waves
LexaKaleb lets go of my wrists, but I’m boneless as he draws a line down the column of my throat with his tongue. He’s kneeling on the bed with my legs splayed over his thighs. His massive, warm hands smooth up my legs, bunching the fabric of my gown until it’s pooled around my waist. Every movement is slow, controlled, like he’s questioning how far he’s willing to take this or savoring the moment. I’ve done this before. Had sex. It was a fumbling, slightly drunken compilation of events. Exciting and heated–but there hadn’t been… this. This slow, exploratory worship. No sucking kisses in a line down to my navel. Nothing that made my muscles weak and my toes curl like everything Kaleb is doing, like he already knows exactly how to touch me, like he’s already mapped every inch of my body. I gasp a shallow breath, my eyes hooded and heavy, when his fingers brush over my pussy–the lightest touch over my panties. I’d beg at this point. I’d get on my knees and say whatever he wants, do w
LexaI’ve been to funerals like this before but always in Endova. There haven’t been many deaths in Silverhide. Our pack is young, with hardly any elders, and we’ve been relatively safe. I find myself clutching Kaleb’s forearm while we walk through the city under a cloak of wet, humid darkness, my mind racing over the battle on the beach. How many pyres were lit in the days that followed? Dozens? I missed them all. Kaleb doesn’t flinch away from my touch. His progress to the pit, the massive gate to the outside world, is slow, steady, letting me set the pace. My legs feel like lead despite the healing draft still working through my system. My elbow is fine now that it’s set back in place, and the drafts have done their job knitting my tendons back together, but the ache in my heart remains.A crowd has gathered along the wall. Shadowed figures of men, women, and children look up at us as we approach. I see familiar faces. Familiar curious glances. But tonight, people bow their heads
LexaThe sun doesn’t rise on the Glade the morning after Chessie’s death. Clouds block the sunlight completely, and it pours. I take the heavy basket covered in towels from Lis’s hand as we hurry through the city, ducking under awnings to shield ourselves from the spray of the rain. It’s warm. It feels rich and wet, and everywhere we look, children race through puddles, singing and dancing in the face of thunder and lightning that splits the sky into pieces. “It hasn’t rained like this here in decades,” she says over the pounding rain as the pack house comes into view. “I honestly can’t remember the last time it even sprinkled. It was probably your doing.”“What?” I whisper, my voice cracking from lack of use. I fell asleep last night curled over Kaleb’s legs, I think. He was my last memory before the world went dark, and my grief swept me into nothingness–a numb, hollow kind of darkness. His hand lay on my hip as he told me about his sister, and… his why.“You freed the dragon.” Li
KalebI rush through the chaotic swell of guards scrambling to access the arena, pushing and shoving my way through the fray. Silas shouts my name, but I ignore him as the dragon breaks free of its chains and soars into the sky, bellowing a roar that shakes the entire city. I catch a glimpse of Lexa. She falls to her knees, and blaring bright lights fill the arena. Guards with swords and spears race for her as the gates to the arena open, allowing them access, but I run faster, breathless, skirting around the open pit and over puddles of blood until I reach her side. She moans, curling into herself as she succumbs to what I know is shock. Shock from the games, from the dragon, from the physical and mental agony of entertaining the crowd above, which is now being hastily dispersed. Shock from watching her friend get executed by someone she loved and trusted.Her cheek is ice cold against my palm.But the guards are closing in. I scoop her into my arms and back against the wall as w