LOGINLucian's povThe night was cold and the snow was falling and the border was quiet.Too quiet.I stood at the edge of the old pass with my hands clenched and my jaw tight and my eyes scanning the darkness. The patrols were in position and their faces were pale and their hands were steady. The information had been correct before. The killer had been there. The killer had slipped away. But tonight felt different. Tonight felt like something was coming.Kade appeared at my side and his voice was low. "Anything?""Nothing.""Too quiet?""Too quiet."He nodded and his hand was on his blade and his eyes were sharp. "The patrols are jumpy. They have been hearing things. Footsteps in the snow. Voices in the dark.""Have they seen anything?""No. But they have felt something."I looked at the trees and the snow and the sky. "The killer is out there.""I know.""They are watching.""I know.""They are waiting.""I know."I turned to him and my voice was steady. "Then we wait too."The hours pass
Cressida's pov The dining hall was loud and the candles were bright and the air smelled like roasted meat and fresh bread.I had not been here in days. Not since the fire. Not since Sha locked me in that burning room and stood outside laughing. The walls felt the same and the tables were the same and the faces were the same. But everything felt different. I felt different. And the wolves were looking at me like I was something they had not seen before.Raven was beside me and her dark curls were wild and her eyes were bright. Benita was on my other side and her brown eyes were soft and her smile was warm. Tasha was across from me and her silver braids were loose and her expression was unreadable."Everyone is staring," I said."Everyone is staring," Raven agreed."Why?""Because you survived a fire. Because you are the Alpha's girlfriend. Because you are the most interesting thing that has happened to this academy in years.""That is not reassuring.""It is honest."I picked up my fo
Lucian's pov The corridor was cold and the torches flickered and my boots echoed on the stone.I had been on patrol for hours and my body was tired and my mind was racing. The killer was still out there and the border was still vulnerable and the council was still breathing down my neck. But all I could think about was her. Cressida. The fire. The smoke. The way she had collapsed in my arms and the way her body had gone still.I needed to see her.I needed to hold her.I needed to know that she was real and alive and okay.The infirmary door was open and the candles were lit and the room was warm. She was sitting up in bed with her dark hair loose and her face pale and her eyes bright. Her friends were gathered around her and their voices were low and their faces were tired.She looked up when I walked in and her smile was like the sun."Lucian.""Cressida."I crossed the room and pulled her into my arms and held her tight. Her body was warm and her hands were shaking and her face pr
Cressida's pov Something was different.I felt it the moment I woke up. The air was the same and the room was the same and the candles were the same. But my body was different. My skin was different. My magic was different. Everything was different and I did not know why.I sat up and the blanket fell to my waist and my hands were pale and my nails were blue. The frost was gone but the cold was still there. I could feel it. Waiting. Pulsing. Alive.I pressed my hand to my chest and my heart was pounding and my breath was shallow."Easy," Raven said.I looked up and she was sitting beside my bed and her dark curls were wild and her eyes were tired."Raven.""Hi.""How long was I out?""Three days."I stared at her and my voice was weak. "Three days?""Three days."I shook my head and my hair fell across my face. "I feel different.""Different how?""I do not know. Just different."Raven reached for my hand and her fingers were warm and her grip was firm. "You were in a fire. You almos
Lucian's pov The morning came slow and the light was gray and Cressida was still sleeping.I had not left her side since she woke and I did not plan to leave anytime soon. The fire was out and Sha was locked up and the academy was quiet. But the killer was still out there and the border was still vulnerable and the council was still breathing down my neck.I sat beside her bed and watched her sleep. Her dark hair was spread across the pillow and her face was peaceful and her breathing was steady. The color had returned to her cheeks and the blue had faded from her lips. She looked alive. She looked whole. She looked like she was going to be okay.I reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her skin was warm and her breath was soft and her hand was curled around the blanket."Sleep," I whispered. "Rest. I will be here when you wake."She did not stir.The door opened and Kade walked in.His face was pale and his eyes were dark and his jaw was tight. He crossed the room a
Cressida's povMy eyes opened and the world was wrong.The ceiling was white and the walls were stone and the air smelled like herbs and smoke and something that made my chest ache. I blinked and the light was too bright and my head was pounding and my body was heavy. My hands were cold and my feet were cold and my heart was pounding.I tried to sit up and my body screamed."Easy," a voice said. "Take it easy."I turned my head and Lucian was there. His face was pale and his eyes were red and his hands were shaking. He looked like he had not slept in days and his hair was a mess and his shirt was rumpled."Lucian.""I am here.""What happened?""The fire. The dressing room. Sha locked you in and set it on fire."I closed my eyes and the memories came. The flames and the smoke and the heat. The ice and the cold and the fear. The voices outside the door and the laughter and the words.Let me know if you'll survive the real fire.I opened my eyes and my voice was flat. "She tried to kill
Lucian's povI did not speak to her on the walk back.Not because I was angry and not because I was tired. Because I did not trust my voice. The council meeting had been worse than I expected and the words were still rattling around in my skull and if I opened my mouth I was afraid of what might co
Cressida's povLucian was pacing.He had been pacing for ten minutes and the floor was going to wear a hole in it and his boots were going to wear out and I was going to lose my mind. He had a meeting with the council in an hour and he was nervous and he was not good at being nervous. He paced and
Lucian's pov The eastern border was quiet and the snow was fresh and the trees were still.Kade stood beside me and his breath fogged in the cold and his hand was on the hilt of his blade. The morning light was gray and thin and the shadows under the trees were deep and dark. We had been standing
Lucian's pov The morning came too fast and I had not slept.Cressida was still curled against my side and her dark hair was spread across my chest and her breathing was slow and steady. She looked peaceful and warm and alive and I did not want to move. But the body on the border was waiting and Ka







