LOGINI nodded, standing and swaying slightly on my feet, then slipped out.The hallway was mercifully empty. I kept my hand on the wall again as I made my way toward the exit, the music from the banquet growing fainter with every step until I pushed out through the side door and the night air hit me all
Liora’s POVMrs. Oakes didn’t slow down until we were halfway across the building, moving at a pace that had me struggling to keep up with her given the state I was in. The hallway lights felt too bright after the dim candlelight of the banquet, and the tiles on the floor suddenly felt like a maze.
“All of it,” she said.“I have to be prepared for tomorrow,” I said. “I can’t—”“All. Of. It.”The command in Bianca’s tone made me stiffen. I felt her wolf’s newfound power wash over me, forcing my fingers to tighten around the cup. Before I could regain control of myself, I was lifting the cup bac
Liora’s POVThat night, Bianca oh-so-graciously hosted a banquet to celebrate the first day of the tournament. Mia, Zane, and I found seats near the middle of the room, toward the end of one of the longer tables, far enough from the head of the room that I could almost pretend Bianca wasn’t holding
Liora’s POVMy first opponent went down in under two minutes.He was a big guy, a quarterback on the football team, all muscle and size. But he was slow and clumsy, and relied too much on his strength to win—not enough combat technique to hold his own despite his larger stature.He came at me swingi
“Told you,” she said.“Show-off,” I replied as I clapped her on the back. Zane produced a single rose from behind his back, which Mia accepted with a squeal and tucked behind her ear. I shot him a look that he pretended not to notice as he draped an arm around her shoulders.We stuck around to watch
I blinked, confused. “Sorry,” the girl said. “You two look so similar. I thought you were her for a second.”“Oh. No,” I replied. “But we’re looking for her. She’s late for an important exam. Have you seen her?”The girl shook her head, then replied, “I actually haven’t seen her last night.” She wru
“Man, this is disappointing,” Mia sighed as she kicked aside some underbrush. “We’ve already reached the edge, and nothing—”Before she could finish, her foot suddenly slipped on a rock. Her ankle bent at an unnatural ankle as she fell with a cry.“Mia!”Zane jumped down from the tree he’d been clim
Callum’s POVI had been wandering the market street, waiting for Bianca to come out of a nearby shop she’d insisted on stopping in, when I saw her: Liora, brushing past me in a leather jacket I’d never seen her wear, amber hair trailing behind her.And then I saw the brooch. It fell out of her pocke
“It’s not. You know you can always trust me, Callum.”“Can I?” I narrowed my eyes as I pulled out the envelope’s contents. But when I looked down at them, they widened again. “You… You got tickets. How…?”“How do you think?” Bianca perched on the edge of her bed, crossing her legs at the knees. “The







