Se connecterI set the glass down on the table before I dropped it or shattered it. My hands were shaking too hard to trust my own motor functions.Bianca was still talking, something about her plans for the future, about alliances and trade agreements and all the things a proper heir should care about. But I co
Liora’s POVI stood frozen, the glass of punch still clutched in my hand so tightly I could feel the glass starting to crunch under my grip, as Bianca walked into the grand hall on my father’s arm.She looked like a queen already. The gown, the tiara, the way she held her head high as she surveyed t
I thought about Mrs. Oakes’ office and the letter with the gold trim and my father’s seal, and all the times I had opened my mouth and closed it again because I was being told to keep it a secret.I thought about Callum on the floor of that root cellar, pulling the rope off my wrists.I opened my mo
Liora’s POVI smelled cheap detergent and something faintly musty underneath the faint trace of fast food somewhere nearby. I blinked my eyes open and found a low, popcorn ceiling hanging above me, a large water stain in one corner.I frowned. The last thing I remembered, I was in a dark room. A cel
Callum’s POVEvery time I blinked, I saw her there. Liora. On the floor of that cellar. On her side. Still in the dress my mother had given her with her wrists behind her back, dirt on her cheek, and her skin as white as snow.It was my fault. All of it.I sat in the back seat with her head in my la
I wasn’t sure how much time passed before I heard the knock.Mia glanced at me. I sat up.The door opened and Callum stepped inside. The first thing I did was look at his face to see where we stood. He looked calmer than when he’d walked away, but not entirely settled. He glanced at Mia and Zane.“C
“There were never any ‘old days’, Zane.”“Aw, c’mon. You know that’s not true.” He turned toward me, holding the artifact up to his face. It was a small, glimmering stone with a hole in the center. I could see his eye through it as he looked at me. “We used to be friends. And honestly, at the banque
Liora’s POVI was getting ready for bed when the announcement came on. My name was called for tonight’s field exam.By the time I made it out to the testing area, the moon was high in the sky and a group had already gathered. The proctor waved us over and began explaining the rules of the first chal
Liora’s POVThe final month of school was upon us. And with it, the final exams.“This year, the final exams will be structured differently,” Principal Alder announced, his voice carrying across the packed auditorium. “The exams will be split into two halves: a written portion and a field test.”Zan
Liora’s POV“Zane! What are you doing here?!”I clutched my blanket to my chest, heart pounding. But not because of my compromising position in bed with my guard down. How long had he been standing there without me realizing?Had he heard me speak out loud?He held up one of those cardboard takeout







