Rain hadn’t visited this region in quite some time, proof evident in the brown, wilted cacti and dead flowering plants we passed. Sandy travel dust coated us all, weighing us down with a weary kind of plod that made our journey feel even longer than the three weeks it had taken to reach this point. Even our horses had given up on twitching their tails in an effort to remove flies from their hides.Our path was paved with dry, cracked earth, and what emaciated cattle we saw lay in the shaded nooks of exhausted boulders as they panted with their dehydrated tongues lolling. It made me miss home even more. Nothing could compare to the vast expanse of rolling, green-carpeted hills, turbulent blue seas, succulent fruit trees, and the white-washed cliffs I’d grown up exploring. This dry, barren wasteland did nothing whatsoever to change my mind, either.I couldn’t believe I’d agreed to come to this place with my sister.And stay.Forever.I must’ve lost my damn mind.With a sigh, I capp

My chest compacted, making breathing impossible, and my mark pulsed uncontrollably, until my vision blurred, which panicked me because I didn’t want to stop looking at her. From what I’d seen, she’d been so pretty, all her thick, blonde hair swept up in a large bun to display the curve of her jaw, her pointed chin, the length of her graceful neck. Her eyes had been dark and soulful and her nose pert and short.And she’d been mine. My one and only. My mate and one true love.I blinked rapidly until, ah…there. She came back into focus. Thank God.My happily ever after rested on the shoulders of this very woman… Who was quite obviously full with another man’s child.At first, I didn’t understand that part. Because, really, what?My one true love was pregnant? That didn’t make sense. I hadn’t even met her yet. I mean, the need for her was strong, but not strong enough to impregnate her from across the room with my desire alone.Or was it?Shit, this was just all wrong.How could sh

In the Iron Castle, the dining hall’s royal table was shaped like a large L, as if fitting two tables together. The king sat at the head where the corner met, and the parties seated on either side of him angled out so they were nearly facing each other. Yasmin sat directly to Caulder’s right with me at her right and Soren at mine. To the king’s left sat Nicolette, and next to her was where Brentley usually seated himself. Except tonight, Prince Urban sat there instead, nearly directly across from me. Next to him was his sister, and then Brentley had moved himself next to Princess Allera at the end.At Nicolette’s question, the prince of High Cliff looked at her, sending her a confused smile as if amused but puzzled by her query. “My…what mark?” he asked, shaking his head to let her know he didn’t understand.“Yes. This thing right here.” She swept her hand close to his eye where everyone could clearly see the black tattoo of a heart inside a circle.The prince chuckled, the sound pl

“Grumpackers,” I murmured quizzically to myself as I stole down the hall away from the door to the chamber that everyone was calling the East Salon.Allera might’ve told me to keep my distance, but she was insane if she truly believed I could actually follow through with such an idiotic command.Because, really? Stay away from my one true love? Ha! The idea was pure madness.And what the hell were grumpackers, anyway?I didn’t have a clue but I was about to procure a shitload of them.In the few hours I’d been in Donnelly, my life had taken a vast change in direction. A day ago, I had thought my biggest obstacle would be adjusting to life in a new kingdom and keeping my sister and myself alive. But today? Survival? Assimilation? Who the fuck cared about those things?Today, everything revolved around her.Lady Vienne.After pleasuring myself last night before sleep and again this morning when I woke, that part of me felt appeased enough to help me realize it wasn’t even exclusi

For the remainder of the day, I stayed in my room, brooding, and not sure what I was supposed to do with myself.I almost regretted not accompanying Allera and Brentley on their walk. Then again, I also didn’t. Who would want to tag along for that kind of awkwardness?But it all left me distinctly alone.A servant brought lunch to my room. I ate it by myself, not knowing the name of any dish on my tray. The food here didn’t taste the same as it did in High Cliff. It wasn’t worse, but the flavors were definitely different, rich with foreign spices. If I were in any other frame of mind, I probably would’ve enjoyed the explosion of new flavors. But I mostly just picked around with my fork, shifting the meal from one side of my plate to the other. It was hard to concentrate on food when the urge to seek out my one true love took up so much of my thoughts.When dinnertime came, I planned to do much of the same, moping around my room, but the servant who showed up at my door didn’t bring