As Jane lunged toward me, I made my own move, reaching into my bodice. Jane grabbed my left arm, but I used my right hand to wrap the cuff on Jane’s wrist. I expected her to wince, or gasp, or have some kind of reaction at all. Instead, she just seemed amused. She stopped short, but she also smi

I complied, unwilling to be skewered. She hid the knife against my side as she ushered me toward the door. I looked back but none of the royal family was to be seen. Neither was Veronica. I maybe could have caught Susie’s attention, if I called out or flagged her down. She was valiantly trying to

Nicholas I pushed my errant brother through the door of the first nearby empty room. It was a library with floor to ceiling bookcases. I shoved Joyce into the center of the room and he fell to his knees. The King and Queen came in behind me, with Julian sauntering in last. Nathan closed the door

Something was different. Maybe he was manipulated. But I was suddenly starting to realize that that manipulation might not have all that recent. Locking eyes with Julian, he nodded at me. “You get it. Remember how, on the night you were almost taken, Nicholas, Joyce lured Piper to the balcony an

I stared down Jane. That knife of hers was precariously close to me, and with us handcuffed together, I couldn’t exactly make a break for it. At this point, the only thing I could do to defend myself was keep Jane talking. And in the moment, I could only think of one thing to talk about. The photo

“Fucking bleed out, you stuck pig,” Jane growled. She ripped the knife out of my thigh, and somehow that hurt worse. The blood poured down, staining the front of my dress crimson. I trembled. I couldn’t find words, only cries of pain. “You think I have any lingering feelings for you? For Elva?”

A roar echoed across the balcony so loudly that I felt the tiles rattle under my battered, broken body. Then, at once, a wolf appeared as if from nowhere. Or maybe my senses were too sluggish. It was hard to keep track of what was happening. I was so tired and cold. I wanted to sleep. Jane moved

“She killed her fucking self,” Julian snapped. “She didn’t give you a chance to save her life. Instead she stabbed you. Repeatedly.” Nicholas dragged his fingers through my hair, soothingly scratching at my scalp with his stubby fingernails. I leaned into him, burying my face in his chest. I was

“New record?” Veronica asked. Julian flashed a smug smile, even as he shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “It’s easier when you can see it. Much harder when your hands are behind your back.” I tried to smile with them. They were my friends. But it didn’t last on my lips. I was too strung out, to

After Julian’s report of Jane being missing, I insisted that I go see for myself if the body was gone. Nicholas agreed only if he could carry me, so I ended up in his arms in a bridal carry. Due to the gory state of my ruined dress, we avoided any areas with crowds as we made our way downstairs. S