Chapter 33

On the sixth night of the welcoming, her mother declared the next day Kit would be free to speak to the Representatives, and while she was glad to finally have the ban lifted, the proclamation made everything seem much more real.

Kit took refuge in her flower garden, the one place where she still felt at peace. The sun was beginning to set, and two of her guards kept watch for intruders off in the distance, but their backs were turned, and she doubted they were truly paying her any mind.

She hadn’t seen much of Eli, and sometimes she forgot he was back at all until she came across him in the hallway. He’d always smiled and greeted her, and she’d arrange her face so that she might appear to be happy if he weren’t studying her too closely and then go on about her business. She’d always just assumed he wouldn’t be here for all of this, and if she ever saw him again, it would be after she’d already chosen the man she’d spend