LOGINIt might have been laughable, had circumstances not been so… sad.“So your parents took it badly, I imagine,” I pointed out.Callum huffed and looked into his bottle. “My dad beat the shit out of me.”I pulled my head back. “He what?”Wordlessly, Callum turned, pulling his shirt up to reveal his bac
Liora’s POVI just barely made it into the parking space before the car let out one final groan, then sputtered to a stop, rocking back and forth on the wheels.“Sorry about that, girl,” I said, patting the steering wheel. “That was a lot more driving in one day than I anticipated.”Shirley almost s
“Twenty lashes,” he said. “We’ll see if you change your mind then.”I grit my teeth. “I don’t have to put up with this anymore.”“Would you rather take it, or would you prefer if that little wolfless whore of yours took it instead?”The moment he said those words, I felt all the blood drain from my
Callum’s POVMy father’s shadow darkened the room.There was a time in my life when my father’s presence seemed enormous and all-consuming, like a black hole filling any space he entered. When I was a child, I remembered thinking that he was big enough to reach the moon, or to blot out the sun.I’d
“The ones at the top of the list are our recommended ones,” my father added before I could say anything. “But ultimately, dear, it’s up to you.”I quirked a brow and opened the folder. There were over a dozen names on the list, along with small black-and-white headshots of each bachelor and which pa
Liora’s POVWhen I returned to the palace, I honestly expected to find that half of it had burned down in some freak fire, or that someone was dead.I didn’t find any of that.The palace was as peaceful as ever, quiet and cheerfully lit, the yellow porch lights illuminating the melting snow. The but
Liora’s POV“Here. Sit here. You want some water?” Callum gently lowered me onto a stone bench in the hallway and crouched in front of me. I shook my head, too choked up to speak. I hadn’t been able to walk out of the room on my own; I’d collapsed, knees buckling out from under me, the moment I’d sa
Liora’s POV“Mia!” I dropped to my knees and immediately removed her gag while Callum worked at her hands and wrists. Once she was untied, she threw her arms around my neck, sobbing into my hair. I held her close, just rocking her.Over her shoulder, I met Callum’s gaze. That silver hue was still pr
Liora’s POVAmbrose’s lips curled nastily.“Can I help you, Liora?” he sneered.I stared at the scene, my phone trembling in my hand now. It wasn’t Mia who Ambrose had taken to his room. It was his own fiancee.She must have followed him at the same time I went to find Mia. They must have come strai
Liora’s POVAmbrose turned to me. His movements were slow, unhurried. Deliberate.There was that curve of his mouth again. Not a smile, but something darker and more predatory.“That’s a good girl.” His voice slipped into my mind—not a mindlink. A memory. And yet, when I tried to grasp it, it slippe







