Helios looked exactly as he had the first time I set eyes on him, back when Iridian was nothing more than a dangerous game.His skin was still a rich shade of bronze, deeply tanned despite the fact that he spent most of his time within the castle walls. It made his golden locks and cerulean eyes stand out, especially when paired with his color-shifting suit.The lapels were a startling shade of blue, the same color one might see when looking up at a clear sky. It seemed the rest of his suit didn’t get the memo, because from the shoulders down, the colors seemed to fade. His suit jacket was dappled with greying clouds drifted across his abdomen, darkening even further as they reached his waistline. As I tore my eyes away from his suit, a jagged shard of lightning carved through the air.Though Helios didn’t look any different, there was something off about him. Perhaps, it was the way he carried himself, the tenseness in his shoulders and rigid set of his jaw. It made sense given we we

The ceremony itself was a blur color and sounds, with both Dain and my family at the center. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t keep my attention on one singular thing.Every so often my eyes would dart from Dain’s face to where my parents and Zack stood. Seconds ticked away, melting into minutes that only steepened the edge I felt I was about to plummet off of.Apollo, who was surprisingly enough, the officiant of the wedding, droned on and on about eternal love and how lucky Dain was to have finally found it within my arms. I had to give it to him, he was quite the actor. When he stepped beneath the arch of fire lilies and glittering crystals, his suit a vibrant shade of oranges and yellows, I could see why Dain had chosen him to lead the ceremony.His bronze eyes glittered with genuine happiness for his friend, and his words were filled with a passion that actually managed to snag my attention for a moment or two. The veracious tone of his voice had the crowd murmuring eagerly. Even Ca

“Did you just say Thatcher?” I blurted, my voice echoing in the eerie silence.I couldn’t help it, I had to ask. No one else was speaking up. Not Nadia, whose head swiveled in Antonio’s direction like it was mounted on a metal rod, nor Callum, who had his murderous stare fixated on Dain alone.This had to be the gift the black bull was talking about, but there was still something troubling my mind. Why would the bull think I’d have a hard time letting go of Antonio?I had a strong feeling that Callum didn’t give two shits who Antonio was. The only thing he was interested in was murdering his brother.There wasn’t a chance in hell I forgot about Dain’s little magic trick with the crowd, especially considering illusion magic was Callum’s specialty. I wondered if that was the secret plan he’d been working on all these weeks. Suddenly, him asking for my trust made sense.“Is that what I said?” Dain hummed, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. Then, as he lost his battle with the smirk curving hi

Selfishly, I tried to call on Helios, to summon him to my side like I’d been told I could. It was what he would’ve wanted, it was why we completed the bond in the first place. The issue was that no one told me how to do it.There was a sense of awareness that settled over me, followed by a wave of understanding that told me Helios was very much alive. He was feeling it too, a subtle tug that let him know I was still here. I concentrated on my golden-haired warrior harder, imagining him as a sword sheathed at my side, ready to be used at moment’s notice.I felt that tug turn into a harsh pull, but there was no smile of victory on my face, because the milky-eyed creature at the end of the hall let out a blood-curdling wail and charged.I’d never been afraid of horror movies, not with their make-shift gore and fake blood. The knowledge that the creepy monster on the television screen wasn’t actually real was enough to smother any fear I might’ve felt. As I scrambled to get away from the

For the longest time all I could hear was the sound of stone grinding against stone.There was a painful burn in my lungs, but I didn’t dare exhale. Instead, I held my breath and watched as the corridors around me shifted. Walls slid left and right, forming new pathways that hadn’t existed before. Many changed angles, creating sharp turns that you couldn’t see coming until it was too late.Some of the windows began to close, melting away as though they’d never been there, while others grew larger. The ones that grew in size turned into arched doorways narrow enough for but one person to slip through.While the castle itself wasn’t a sentient being, every brick and inch of tiled floor was alive with Dain’s magic. I could feel it’s alluring touch within everything I altered and couldn’t help but smile at how eager it was to please me. Even the paintings responded to my call, changing forms until each one was exactly the same.The brash strokes of oil paint shimmered as they changed colo